[Mario20136]

@arlcxrider 198748 wrote:

About 8 am today, south side of the circle, where the two lanes come off the GW Pkwy. Bicycle was wedged under the front bumper. Rider was up and alert, and exchanging information with the driver. No police on scene. Another cyclist had stopped, and the situation seemed under control, so I didn’t stick around.

Hi,

I am the “other” cyclist that stopped and inquired if he needed any assistance. I did capture a short video “after” the accident occurred. I will post the edited video shortly. I just feel sorry for the guy. He looked very distressed after seeing his bike crushed by the impatient driver.

[Mario20136]

@tejdev 196511 wrote:

To the two dudes (surprise, surprise) who separately yelled at my wife for having a too-bright headlight (even though you were wearing sunglasses) and for having the wrong color tail light while she commuted on the Custis Trail today, please think about your choices.

I honestly don’t know where to start. She was so excited to ride today after taking most of the cold months off and this entirely (and badly) colored her experience. Don’t we want to encourage people to ride? Also, maybe you don’t have to worry about your personal safety, but as a small woman, she sure does, and if her being able to see her surroundings comes at the price of you having to slightly avert your eyes, that doesn’t seem very unreasonable.

I commute every day by bike. The vast majority of bike commuters make up a terrific and supportive community. But behavior like this reflects poorly on us all.

I have in the past come across these two dudes. In fact, they were yelling at me for having a bright headlight (80 Lumen) last month. I yelled back at one of them with sunglasses and told him to F-off and get a life! I do come this heckler once in a while between Gallows and Sheridan. When I see this man from the distance, I always “No” before he says anything to me.

I have been told by one of the lady commuter that she was being harassed by the same man and luckily her husband was commuting with her at that time. Long story short, her husband called the FCP and reported the harassment. I don’t know the final outcome though.

I would encourage your wife to continue riding and ignore the bullying. The way I see it’s really a male narcissist personality disorder. Keep on riding!

[Mario20136]

@tenbiker 194271 wrote:

I was riding north/east on N. Barton St, downhill alongside Rocky Run Park near Fairfax Drive on the morning of 10/31 while there was quite a bit of traffic – one driver got impatient and pulled over into the bike lane way before he should have to turn right on Fairfax Dr., right ahead of me. I had to slam on my brakes – I was able to let go of the brakes and skid a bit, but had to slam them on again to avoid crashing into the back of his car. The driver stopped when he saw the crash. Next thing I knew I was in the street with a broken collarbone. Police and fire came; since I braked and there was no contact between me and the car (possibly my bike hit the car?), the police did not make a report.

Sorry to hear about your demise! Not too long ago, I was swiped by a motorist on country road and landed on a ditch. The driver of the vehicle was too busy texting, unfortunately, I never got to take down the license plate.
On another occasion, I was harassed by driver to get off the road. We had a heated discussion and driver took off. I reported both incidents to the local authorities and it came down to evidence i.e., he says or I say, etc.. The police never returned my calls.

I purchased a commuter camera and has served me well for the past 4 years. In the event of an accident, the camera automatically locks the footages so it can’t be overwritten. It’s a small insurance to pay in case I have to report the accident to the local authorities or file a claim.

BTW, the intersection between N. Barton and Fairfax Drive has always been tough to ride on. I avoid that road since it gets really busy during AM and PM rush all throughout the year.

[Mario20136]

@DrP 194033 wrote:

Happy November!

The storms yesterday and last night brought a tree down on the Custis between the trail heading up towards Veitch (i.e., the trail east of the bridge to nowhere, through McCoy park) and Lee Highway. It looked like maybe you could go under, but I went up and around.

Really? I went under the tree and did a little bit of Cyclocross

[Mario20136]

On the contrary, the Fly6 battery can be easily replaced. The required skill set is patience and steady hands. Please see URL http://www.dragonflydiy.com/2017/04/easy-repair-cycliq-fly6-battery.html and/or https://medium.com/@bikebot/fly-6-battery-replacement-cdbcd09150ce

I replaced my Fly6 battery couple years ago, and it’s still runs during my daily commute to DC, make sure you order the correct 18650 Lithium battery replacement part number. I saved $170 less $7 for the lithium battery (Panasonic battery). Again, I already had soldering gun to solder the metal bands to the battery terminals.

[Mario20136]

I have been commuting for over 5 years now which started pretty much like your commute. However, my commute these days is about 35 + plus miles depending which route I take. From personally experience, a reliable steed is paramount to a successful commute day-in and day-out for 10/11 months of a year. I started riding a used $700 road bike and broke down in the middle of winter commute i.e., the spline freehub broke so I had to walk 5 miles to the nearest bike shop in town (not fun). I did put a lot of mileage on that bike 6k commuting miles on the 1st year and another 5k commuting miles on the second year. Eventually, I sold it and put together a disc commuter bicycle. Again, it depends on the road conditions where you live and work. The roads in DC are probably not as nice compared to the the Triangle area, but I do invest in nice mudguards and wide tires for unpredictable weather. I don’t have a rack and panniers. I like having a nice backpack (Orlieb or Chrome) in the event I hit the pavement unexpectedly which somewhat cushions the blow. Again, it’s a matter of personal preference. Good luck and keep riding!

@elysse77 189908 wrote:

Hello everyone,

So, I am increasing my commute to work soon from 4mi to 11mi (round trip) due to moving. I currently ride a Peugeot made of Reynolds 501 steel. It is a good bike, though no mudguards or rack (I use a backpack), and the back wheel can never be truly trued as there is a slight flat ‘dent’ which would cost 200-250 to fix. I live in a moderately rainy climate (triangle are of NC) so when it rains I usually take the bus.

My new commute does not have as great of a bus option; same time as riding and involves a transfer. Hence, I will have more rain biking coming up. Also a few less bike lanes and slightly bumpy/unkept roads for ~4mi.

I was thinking of upgrading to a Jamis Renegade Expat, largely for the disc brakes (rain), the ability to mount a rack and fenders easily, and honestly because it would be my first new bike (not just new to me) and seemed cool. I like steel, and don’t think I want something aluminum. I rode one today, felt good and was slightly more upright than I expected (in comparison to my 1980s Peugeot). It is last year’s model at my LBS so it costs $1050.

While I also do some riding around to go downtown for drinks/events/dinner/etc, or for general leisure, my question is this too much bike for my commute?

Thank you!

[Mario20136]

@Brandon 186814 wrote:

I’ve been commuting from Vienna to DC everyday for almost 2 years now. But alas, I am a creature of habit and haven’t veered from W&OD/Custis/4MR/MVT paths. I’m feeling more comfortable on the bike on lower volume roads now and am looking for an alternate route, namely when the trails are a sheet of ice west of Falls Church. Maybe I’m not great with using ridewithgps.com because I can’t seem to find a map/cuesheet for some alternatives and while I’ve been using google maps streetview to “test ride” I think others on this forum might be better able to guide me. So what sayeth you? If you were going to ride from the Caboose in Vienna to Le’Enfant plaza everyday without utilizing the W&OD (or at least limiting it to where Arlington clears it), how would you go?

I used to commute from Reston to Ballston for about 3 1/2 years. I know for a fact that Arlington County does a great job clearing up the path; however, the city of Falls Church remains to be seen in terms of clearing the path. I believe the Northern VA Park Service maintains the path between Vienna and Falls Church.

My commute these days takes little longer and like you the ride extends to download Verizon Center. Hey, it only January and I figure I have another 11 months of (5 days a week) riding to and from work and plenty time to catch-up with fitness and mileage.

Mario

[Mario20136]

Have you looked into locking your bike on 5th NW which is perpendicular to the District Court? I have seen bikes parked and locked on the street. It seems to be safe place to lock your bike.

@Riley Casey 180353 wrote:

I have jury duty for the first time in years next week and I’m hoping to ride in from Takoma especially since the Red line is toast. I don’t have a problem parking my bike all day around the convention center or Dupont. How are things near the court buildings? I do remember seeing a fair number of skeleton bikes in the racks near the metro entrance, more so than other Metro entrances. Is leaving a bike near the court house for 6-8 hours more dodgy than elsewhere?

[Mario20136]

Thank you for your advise. I will definitely tryout this new route beforehand. Cheers, Mario.

[Mario20136]

@KWL 163786 wrote:

…was a little eventful. I figured I would need to clean up and dry off when I got to the office but I didn’t count on needing to walk the last 4 miles to work pushing a bike with a blown out front rim. It became clear the tire trashing about made things worse so I removed it and clattered up the MVT on the rim. I was tempted to ride in the grass, but my bike handling skills aren’t all that great in the best circumstances. I took CaBi home and will transport an extra 26″ front wheel to my crippled XO-1 tomorrow. Note to self: Be more diligent in checking rim wear.

Wow! If I may ask, what’s the mileage on that rim? I have never seen a rim blow-out in all the years that I have cycled.

[Mario20136]

@TwoWheelsDC 163380 wrote:

Significant drop in bike traffic this morning, but still a decent number of riders. Car traffic was curiously light as well.

Yesterday was somewhat a chaotic commute, I could tell the difference between regular commuters and fair weather commuters i.e., cadence and riding style. Rode with a fellow commuter this morning all way to Arlington/DC line and had a nice chat. 😎

[Mario20136]

Hi,

There are secure bike lockers at Virginia Square via Metro, https://www.wmata.com/rider-guide/stations/virginia-sq.cfm. Additionally, there is a fitness center 2 blocks away where you can shower and change. I think it’s Gold’s Gym or you can try out the Ballston Health and Club facility by the Ballston Mall.

Mario

@akbald01 162955 wrote:

Any chance someone on the forum works at 4301 or 4401 Wilson Boulevard in Arlington (Ballston)? According to the website there is a Fitness Center & bike cages in both buildings. I’d be extending my commute from 7 miles to 13 and was wondering if there were showers in the fitness center. I’m not sure how standard showers with a fitness center in an office building, but my husband’s building in Washington, DC has both while mine in Crystal City has neither.

Thanks for any tips! I’ve googled a lot and haven’t found much. Hoping the email addresses on the website get back to me this week. I’m not sure if biking by and going into the building to poke around would be OK or not. Right now I have the luxury of storing my bike in my office and not sure if a new employer will be OK with that.

[Mario20136]

@jrenaut 161506 wrote:

I blew up another one this morning. That’s two in two months (different bikes). Both happened when I was starting up on a green light and heard a loud crunch.

This one I took to the Bike Rack – I was only a few blocks away and didn’t want to deal with hauling the longtail to TwoWheels’ house to replace another BB.

I too have the same problem except I don’t seem to get around and pull my bottom bracket and apply some light oil or lubricant. I normally service my bottom bracket every 2k miles. It pays to service the bottom bracket or simply toss it out and replace it with a Shimano BB. The BB is not meant to be ridden forever.

[Mario20136]

@hozn 161120 wrote:

Heh, just don’t try 28s!

I got rid of my stock of 25mm tires after switching the road bike to 28s and realizing that I didn’t feel any reason to go back. Honestly, I don’t really mind the narrower tires from a ride perspective, but I don’t see any disadvantage with 28mm. (In theory they roll faster and the Schwable Pro One 28mm only weighs 20g more than the 25mm version.)

I used to ride 25c’s until I switched to Gatorskins 28c’s and that was 3 years ago. I never looked back. In addition to having low rolling resistance you can ride the 28c’s in the dirt, gravel, dry/wet pavements and are often puncture resistant. I must say these tires are very reliable and well made. The tires ride about 6-7k before tire Detreading.

[Mario20136]

@Sunyata 160239 wrote:

When I rode through there yesterday afternoon, there was no signed detour. I actually had to STOP on the side of the 66 ramp to get from the road to the trail as there is a newly installed curb (8″ high) and no curb cut. Insanely dangerous, but as I was expecting the aforementioned signed detour, I went that way and did not have time to turn around and figure out the detour on my own.

I realise that the cobbles were a little wonky, but I am not really sure WHY this contractor felt the need to rip everything up that worked quite nicely and do whatever the heck it is that they are doing that appears to be making things less safe (in the long term) and stupidly dangerous (in the short term). The curb cuts that are being installed for both this section and the section directly in front of the new building appear to be very odd and narrow.

I came off W&OD trail this morning headed to Ballston. I had some extra time this morning and decided to follow the detour sign. Guess what, the detour sign is @#$ useless! Why bother posting a detour sign that leads to nowhere. Who ever painted that sign is short of an oxymoron!

This is going to be a concern for tomorrow’s commute – Bike to Work Day!!!

😡

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