[justasaintz]

Has anyone ridden on Mt. Vernon trail today? Is it rideable between Crystal City and D.C.?

Thanks!

[justasaintz]

Nevermind, found my answer.

[justasaintz]

i think the difference being cyclists are legally allowed on roads and runners are not. if it is legal for them to run on the road, i’d be glad to accommodate them. But when they start running on the road, they are unnecessarily putting cyclists in danger for their own comfort.

[justasaintz]

I may have an explanation to this…

I don’t think the course marshals expected the front runners to return so quickly and so were not ready. The cyclists returning from Air force Memorial were stopped by the police for the rest of the ride to come down on N. Meade. However few cyclists decided to go ahead as we did not want to wait only to find out further up the crowd has really grown and there were given no proper directions. This resulted in couple of cyclists hitting each other head on (atleast this incident was injury free and both riders continued their route)

However, the cops were a bit freaked out (probably because of lack of communication between the cops and with course marshals) and decided to turn around the incoming traffic. Marshals were supposed to direct traffic to stay on their side, but I don’t think it was communicated as we were coming across traffic all across the road.

Also, The bridge was another bottle neck. The cops were supposed to be present to guide the returning traffic through the incoming traffic.

And lastly, E street and 66 ramp should have cones to direct traffic but were completely missing and cyclists were all over the road.

Last year the cops did a better job at keeping the traffic in the right lanes/directions and actually being a pilot, but this time because of the steel plates on Marshall, they did not go ahead until further notice/instructions!

[justasaintz]

I just yell “watch out”…the tone increases as the severity of the situation increases.

When I have no time to react, its definitely a “Yo!”

[justasaintz]

NY 5 Boro is a fun ride. You will not even realize that its 40 miles long. There are so many people and you will be stopping/slowing quite a bit for atleast the first 10 miles. And then there are plenty of stops to take a break and enjoy the sites.

Have fun!

Btw…if the weather is anything like last year, layer up!

[justasaintz]

It’s interesting that you cited the NY article. I was wondering if its the same with DC police.

One observation that I constantly see and wonder is – Do police care whether the motor vehicle driver is wrong or not? Minor details add a lot to the situation.

The same thing came up when reading the article about big rigs. I absolutely agree that the safety of a cyclist lies with none other than the cyclist-self. However, we live in a “land of law” (atleast supposedly!), if the trucker did not give a signal atleast 50ft (or is it 100ft) before turning, that would count as an illegal turn (or do people even read manuals these days?), In which case the driver has to be cited – Is it still the case?

Why would cyclists cross a truck that is giving a signal turn?

[justasaintz]

Actually, I was told a year ago that there was cop handing out tickets to cyclists who did not stop at stop-sign outside kalorama park. Luckily I have not seen them and hope not to! though I stop at all stop signs

[justasaintz]

I used to have a Incite 6i by Trek and then a Cateye Strada, the later one tells the cadence as well, but both were pretty basic and wired. Never gave any trouble. Now, I use a Garmin 700/750 with GPS, but till now I still haven’t used it to its fullest potential.

Also, another thing you need to worry with the latest GPS enabled devices is that you need to make sure you charge them all the time. Else they are of no use.
I honestly miss my old wired simple models coz I’m terrible at remembering to charge my GPS.

But, as jabberwacky mentioned, its easy to transfer between bikes. all you need is the bike censors which are considerably cheaper relative to the unit itself, the unit itself can be used on both bikes or as many as you use!

[justasaintz]

Yeah!!…I got the book….now, all i need is to figure how to make them using a microwave.

[justasaintz]

I do all my cleaning inhouse in an apartment. I have a small carpet from Ikea that I use for all cleaning, I also use an old towel for catching all the spill. You need both as the spill is too concentrated at one place that it seeps through.

I prefer the chain tool for cleaning since its quick. The toothbrush takes too much time and more importantly effort!! For the cassette, i use this…
http://revolutioncycles.com/product/finish-line-citrus-degreaser-12-ounce-spray-44587-1.htm

Regarding the quick release link, its called a Master link and its very easy to take it off and put it back on. You can do it with your hands, in rare situations you may have to use a regular needle-nose pliers (when its brand new). And its also easy to re-route the chain through the drivetrain. Just be mindful of the little gaps to route the chain in the rear derailleur, its easy to overlook them.

If you don’t want to mess up your place, there is a community driven bike shop that you can go and do the cleaning yourself. I think its in petworth. Here is the link..
http://thebikehouse.org/

[justasaintz]

Off the ones I know, C&O is the best bet. During this time, there are hardly any walkers/joggers (compared to summers) and gives them ample space to bike side by side. Not to mention that its scenic too.

But, I think the trail is most comfortable on either a hybrid or a mountain bike.

[justasaintz]

Thanks, I am picking a copy today!

[justasaintz]

What about the scenario when the light is green and a biker has to turn left?

If they stop on the right for the light to go red, then they will be blocking the lane for cyclists either going straight or turning right!

[justasaintz]

I actually use a small stand similar to this…
https://www.nextag.com/TOPEAK-Flashstand-532573918/prices-html

It works pretty well in a small environment where you can’t use a big stand. It stays away from your cranks so you can freely move your pedals while cleaning.

Most times, the park tool chain cleaner works very well, but if my chain ever gets too dirty, i remove it and let it soak in soap water (non-moisturizing) or the cleaner liquid (if really bad). That usually helps getting rid of the finer grim.

[Author]

Posts