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@consularrider 87216 wrote:

too bad I missed the short lived special REI deal on the 800 bundle

You didn’t miss a thing. GPS devices were excluded from their 20% off anniversary sale, so you get the standard 10% off for members. Today however, I am seeing the Garmin Edge 800 Bundle on clearance at 50% off($324.93). It’s sold out in stores and the only Garmin on this sale, but you can order it online and choose store pickup. Some stores get earlier delivery than others, the web site shows delivery dates.

I ended up buying Planet Bike Protege 9.0 Bike Computer, mostly because it’s weatherproof and has a lot of information on one screen. I can use my phone for GPS. The odometer goes to 99,999.99 Miles, not 999 Miles like the manual says. Strangely, despite the store having 3 in stock for a long time, they shipped it to the store, which took about 3 to 4 days. I didn’t try going to the store and ask them if I can just get one from what they already have.

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@consularrider 86440 wrote:

REI has a good deal right now on the Garmin Edge 800 bundle. The start switch button on my Edge 500 is starting to be finicky, so maybe time to replace it after almost four years and 40,000 miles.

I don’t see it online, and unfortunately any GPS gadget is excluded from their anniversary sale, so you only get the 10% member refund next March. Quote: “Discounts not valid on bikes, hard-shell boats, stand up paddleboards, any item with GPS technology, activity trackers, personal locator beacons, avalanche airbag products, skis, ski boots or ski bindings; snowboards, snowboard boots or snowboard bindings.”

I might buy Planet Bike wired bike computer since it’s water proof and displays almost all information on one screen, but the odometer only goes to 999 Miles before rolling over to zero, but it’s worth the price. Here is a link to download the manual in case anyone is interested(Under “Related stuff” to the right).

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@consularrider 86179 wrote:

dkel, how do you think your friend would react to having to go through the Intersection of Doom or the Crosswalk of Doom twice a day? I guess since I only hit the Hunter Mill crossing a few times a month I don’t see it as bad enough to foce me to from resort to riding a bus instead of riding. Again, we all have our own tolerance of what we consider risks.

Easy! I just use this alternative(in red instead of green):

[ATTACH=CONFIG]5689[/ATTACH]

At Hunter Mill RD intersection there is no alternative. The nearest traffic light is 0.9 miles in either direction of Hunter Mill RD, and it has many blind curves and hilly areas, and no clearance at the edge of the road. At Cerdar LN intersection, it’s easier since there is a bike path or sidewalk along it to go to alternate routes. The nearest traffic light is about 0.5 Miles away in either directions, but I generally use alternate routes.

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@dkel 86150 wrote:

My friend here at work who has been a cyclist forever (commuting, but also mega-touring all over Europe–even crossed the alps in a snow storm!) will not make the W&OD crossings at Hunter Mill or Cedar because of the stuff he’s seen there: cars spinning out into each other, etc. Sometimes I wonder if using exclusively on-street routes would be safer than any MUP that includes road crossings. He’s decided not to ride his commute from Reston into the District anymore; he rides a mile to a bus stop and locks his bike up there.

I avoid these two intersections by either crossing them before 5:00 PM, or do something else for an hour and try again after 6:00 PM.

[n18]

I had very good results from taking Natural Eggshell Membrane(NEM) supplements. It helps rebuild the joints and the connective tissue surrounding them; slowly. Other supplements are generally pain killers, they bring temporary pain relieve, which makes you abuse your joints even more, and unlike NEM, they have side effects.

I have been biking for about a year, and before that, I was walking 5 to 10 Miles per day. Prior to biking, when walking, I would wait for right turn traffic to go away before walking because my joints and feet hurt a bit when I run to avoid right turn traffic. After taking the supplement for 5 days, I felt noticeable improvement as I could run as usual like younger people(I am 42 now). It was noticeable improvement, and not just something in my head. Reviews in Amazon show several people who threw their cane away after taking this supplement. You can find it at Vitamin Shoppe for about $22 to $25.

After biking however, I don’t notice any changes, because I use my bike a lot(10 to 30 Miles per day), so any joint rebuilding is offset by the heavy biking. So if I start taking this now, I would say it doesn’t work, but I know it works because I have taken it prior to my biking days. If you only bike or jug during the weekend, and you started taking this supplement on a Monday, then by Friday or Saturday you should feel that you could do more, but if you exercise to exhaustion, then maybe the only way to tell the difference is if your Strava or MapMyRide data shows more mileage.

Clinical study results:

• Flexibility: 27.8% increase after 7 days, 43.7% increase after 30 days
• General pain: 72.5% reduction after 30 days
• Range of motion-associated pain: 75.9% reduction after 30 days

Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2697588/

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I was near the pump this morning and decided to test it, and it was working, but I wouldn’t depend on it. I used a small key to push the valve and some trapped water and dirt came out. Maybe the pump knew that a guy around it that didn’t really need it seriously and it decided to work!

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Posting “Wanted” ads is a good way here and at Craigslist to get used stuff. I wouldn’t recommend used drive train or anything with ball bearing because they could be worn out or damaged.

Almost every shop and even online shops sell at full retail, or perhaps for a small discount that shipping often cancels it. However, one “secret” is that some retail stores sell online in their “Outlet” section overstock or last year’s merchandise at around 30% off or more. Some examples are REI, Performance Bike. You can ask for ship to store, which is free. Performance Bike typically lists items on sale starting Thursday, and ending Sunday, and you can tell if they have a sale just by visiting their site.

Hope this helps.

[n18]

Some good news: it looks like that rain is ending around 1:00 PM Friday according to the weather channel hourly forecast:

http://www.weather.com/weather/today/Washington+DC+USDC0001:1:US

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@n18 85075 wrote:

Don’t worry. It’s going to be Saturday instead of Friday. Usually the forecast is wrong about when raining starts. It’s always later than they predict

I noticed that when looking at the 10-Day forecast at the weather channel website, it only shows the chance of rain for daytime, not at night. It was showing last night and today that on Thursday, the chance of rain is 30%, but when I click on “Details”, it shows that it’s 30% for daytime, 100% for nighttime, so the rain was predicted to start Thursday evening and continues till Friday. Watch as this gets pushed forward, so rain is probably going to start on the overnight hours, and perhaps lasts all day Friday. Sorry for the gloomy prediction.

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Gold’s Gym is one block away from Ballston Mall, and they charge around $30/Month, Month-to-Month. This includes going to any of their locations, not just that one. Make sure that you inspect the showers area first if you want to join them.

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I like an overhead bridge like the SkyCycle idea. It gives a bird’s eye view of the area. Others seeing bikers overhead would feel jealous, and wish they have bicycles to enjoy the view, so this should work towards the county’s goal of promoting bicycling in the area.

[n18]

Don’t worry. It’s going to be Saturday instead of Friday. Usually the forecast is wrong about when raining starts. It’s always later than they predict, it’s like the wind is slower. So if they say it will rain in 4 days, it would be 5 days, and if they say it will start raining in the morning, it would be late morning or afternoon. If you check the hourly forecast of the weather channel website repeatedly during a day that rain is expected, you will notice that as the time gets closer(like when PM showers are expected), the start hour gets pushed further.

Hopefully it gets pushed back to the overnight hours. Here is Friday forecast at the moment for the record:

Friday May 16:

Day:

Rain with a few rumbles of thunder. Potential for heavy rainfall. Highs in the upper 60s and lows in the low 50s.
High: 67°F
Chance of rain: 70%
Wind: NNW at 7 mph
Humidity: 63%

Night:

Partly Cloudy
Low: 51°
Chance of rain: 10%
Wind: NNW at 5 mph
Humidity: 71%

[n18]

@hskrzfan34 84322 wrote:

Hey, I have never done a triathlon before. I am wanting to begin training for one and was hoping to find some guidance here. Does anyone have advice on where to find a great bike for a noob? I don’t need top of the line, but Target doesn’t work either. Would love to hear your thoughts on this. Thanks.

I haven’t done a century, let alone a triathlon. It’s hard for others to give accurate advice without knowing your fitness level. How much workout do you do per week, and the type of activity, and if you used a bike, for how many miles per ride, and do you go to a gym? Weight and height would be nice.

Doing strength training at a gym grows your muscles faster and strengthen your bones than doing the real live activity, but you still need to do the real live activity later because gym equipments target specific muscles and not as many muscle groups as the real live activity. Case in point, 3 years ago I couldn’t run for more than 2 minutes due to bone pain(It’s what first time joggers feel, it’s not really muscle only pain). After using a gym for two months, particularly Leg Press machines, I was able to run for 10 minutes. It was substantially easier in a gym because I have 5 lbs increments. On the road, it’s either zero pounds(no exercising), or my full weight(185 lbs), and nothing in between. The same applies to pullup bars that you could buy from CVS for $20. You either pull your full weight up, or nothing at all. In a gym, you could select how many pounds you want to left. Our ancestors only had the full weight option. Fortunately today, we can use half or quarter our own weight in a gym, or even twice your own weight if you wanted to.

Hope this helps.

[n18]

@mstone 84961 wrote:

I have never gotten a yellow piece of paper with a bike.

It’s probably optional for bike shops. I have gotten 3 yellow pieces of paper from 3 different stores within the last year, and all of them seem identical, except for the store name; which is stamped on it. I have gotten these from Target, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and one other store. Seems to be the same generic bike registration form. I know that Performance Bike also provide the same yellow paper. If a seller doesn’t have it, a receipt would suffice, but they generally don’t show the serial number, so buy at your own risk…

[n18]

The seller may not be the bad guy, he could have bought it from someone else. If I buy any bike from someone, I would ask for the yellow piece of paper that is given with each bike that shows the serial number. This is separate from the receipt. Otherwise, if it’s stolen, the police would take it from me and give it to the original owner. I may get my money back or not.

You could call the police and provide them with the serial number to check if it’s stolen. There is also the National Bike Registry, but you can’t just search their database, they only let the police search their database. People who get their bikes stolen can register with them for $0.99, and it’s searchable by the police.

http://www.nationalbikeregistry.com/

There is also a search box for stolen bikes near the top at BikePedia:

http://www.bikepedia.com/

I am not sure though where they get their list from, but it seems to be from here:

http://www.stolenbicycleregistry.com/

Good luck!

[Author]

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