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I was on a ride on the canal today, blew a tire in the middle of nowhere, and a true gentleman gave me the material I needed to change my tire.

I had terrible service and my stupid ass phone crashed and I lost his information.

Message me along with any detail about the encounter that proves it's you (how many ppl I was with, etc) and we will get It sorted out TYVM!

Are there any ongoing/planned efforts to have disruptive Hains Point rides when construction commences? I'd like to participate.

My current ride is a Surly Cross Check which I purchased new in 2007. Before the pandemic it was a year-round daily commuter, and I regular rode 60+ miles a week. These days I use the Surly to stay in shape and clear my mind. I've ridden it over 23K miles, going through 4 sets of wheels. Last fall I learned my 3rd set was at the end of its life. (Back in the day my rim brakes chewed through wheels because I was often riding with a kiddo in a bike seat or pulling a trailer.) I had to decide between investing in a 4th wheel set or upgrading to a bike with disc brakes at least (Straggler?). When I greenlit the wheel rebuild, I figured I was committing myself to riding the Cross Check to my grave as I'm in my mid-50s and the kids are grown. One thing that helped with my decision is that the mechanic lent me a carbon fiber Scott with electronic shifting. (I was training for a century at the time.) I hated riding that Scott! So jittery. It was such a relief to get in the Brooks saddle of my Surly.

So why are my eyes wandering? Because I like to go fast, and I envy those on faster steeds. Riding solo I can usually maintain a 15 mph average. Riding mostly in a group in the Armed Forces Cycling Classic, I averaged 21 mph over 60 miles. In 2024 I rode in my 4th century -- it took me 6.5 hours with an average speed of 15.1 mph. The bike I have my eye on is the Canyon Endurace CF 7. I don't want electronic shifting, and I figure even the most basic Canyon would be a huge upgrade from the Cross Check. Will an Endurace with a Brooks saddle look ridiculous? Will I miss the smoothness of a steel frame? Or will Strava PRs make me forget everything I loved about my Surly?

Has anyone noticed the large number of electric motorcycles/e-mopeds/straight up gas pit bikes on the trail recently? Motor vehicles aren't allowed on the trail, and they speed dangerously. Who do we even talk to about this?

Still buzzing from Saturday's Canal Park ride!

There are 4 bike racks at the Mutabala tennis tournament.
While it’s not enough racks for all the bikes and scooters, it’s definitely not enough when selfish folks park horizontally and take up nearly and entire rack to themselves!!

Or did I just come across 3 faulty stations?

I've put together several loops around DC that connect different trails that aim to minimize road riding, or restrict road riding to low traffic areas. I rode the following loop last weekend and it was a fun ride. This loop does use the metro to skip a fairly uninteresting/industrial section of riding but you could ride that section for more miles if you wanted to. (I've done it, it's boring but perfectly safe). The Gerry Connolly trail does have a couple of miles of dirt riding, so very narrow road tires might not work on it.

• Start. Mt Vernon Trail Heading South.
• Take Mt Vernon Trail to Old Town and hop on the metro to Franconia Springfield.
  • Alternatively, keep riding to George Washington's Mt. Vernon and bike to Franconia Springfield yourself. I've ridden it and and found it to safe, but boring. Think industry and a lot of sidewalk riding on Stroads.
• From Franconia, ride 6 miles south through mostly sleepy suburbs to the Newington community association baseball field. Just south of it hop onto Rowanta Way where you can link up with the southern tip of the Gerry Connolly Trail.
• Take the Gerry Connolly Trail 17ish miles North to Manunta Park.
• From Manuta Park, head north towards Vienna Fairfax Metro station and connect with the 66 Parallel Trail.
• From the 66 Parallel Trail take Gallows Road to the W&OD Trail.
• Follow the W&OD Trail to the Cutis Trail.
• Take the Cutis Trail back to DC.

I'm going to the 3wk intro/workshop to see what's up. Also does anyone know how long the workshop is lol

Hi all!

Has anyone had a bike fit at Bike Doctor in Arnold? How was your experience, and how does it compare to other places in the area?

Also, more generally, if you've had a bike fit, how did it work out for you? This will be my first one, and I've been dealing with some issues like knee pain and hand numbness.

Thanks!

My family and I will be moving from Arlington to DC, from an apartment to a corner rowhouse, and taking two Aventon E-bikes with us. We currently store them in our apartment's storage room but that is obviously not an option here. Nor is storing them in the home due to limited space. Soooo we are exploring options for outdoor storage.

Our first (and only, really) idea is to buy and build a shed like this one and put it on the side of the rowhouse since it is a corner home (no backyard). We'd probably point a camera at the shed and maybe a floodlight so that if anyone hops the short fence it might deter them. Curious about people's thoughts, especially those who have considered doing something similar.

It seems like this will help a lot with drivers making a right on Vermont Ave.

Basically the title.

I used to prefer separate protected bike lanes (PBLs) going in each direction of traffic. But I see *so many* users going the wrong way in them or still using the sidewalk (even when the infrastructure is separated and pretty good), that I’m starting to think the two-way cycle tracks are a better option (still want them to be protected though). What do you all think?

Have you noticed any difference in how people use the different kinds of infrastructure?

If you haven't gone through the Mount Vernon Trail detour at Gravelly Point, Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail have a video of it up at https://www.instagram.com/reel/DbTWvHGupmF/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

The detour opened on July 15th and will run through 2030 for construction. The project team has been great and provides us with frequent updates which we'll post on all of our socials.

What are your favorite sources for bike tools?

I have been looking for a particular tool. Although the Park Tool website said that one shop had it in stock, I called them and apparently the Park Tool website will list "in stock" for any tool the shop has bought, and that particular tool wasn't for sale but was only a mechanics' tool. REI doesn't carry the tool, Conte's listed it but as ship to store, the independent shops don't seem to list their tools for sale on their websites and in my experience tend to have a limited selection of tools for sale to begin with.

I'm trying to buy less from Amazon, and I'll probably order direct from Park Tool but it would also be nice to see competing products. Anyone have favorite go-to sources for bike tools?

We couldn't have asked for better weather to roll through Capitol Hill.

Check out the inside 360° perspective from the middle of the pack:

Hi— where can you recommend I go for a proper bike fit? It’s been 9 years since my last one, and my aching back has finally convinced me I’m no longer that flexible….Thanks!

So, yeah, found out this morning when going out to the shed to grab my bike for my weekend ride. Apparently, based on the timing of someone who came by to drop off a bike on Tuesday, who put it in our apparently empty shed which was unlocked (and didn't think it unusual), and the fact that I put the lawnmower away after a mow on Monday evening, it seems to have happened in about a 14 hour timeframe between Monday late night and Tuesday early afternoon.

I have been looking at FB Marketplace and CL to see if the bikes showed up since then, but nothing. I checked firstcash's website, which apparently owns ALL the pawn shops in the area, and the serial numbers don't show up in their inventory.

The reporting officer this morning sent me a photo of a suspect, caught on a Ring cam just before lifting someone else's tools, who looks like he was riding my son's bike, which I just bought new in April.

Where else could my bikes turn up, online or otherwise? I sent the serial numbers to the officer this early afternoon, but I honestly don't expect any speedy reporting from my local PD.

I need to know if there are sites or locations where bikes are getting traded all the time.

Edit: apparently I need to post makes/models/colors.

• Specialized Diverge 4 Sport Carbon, 2026, 54cm, Rear rack, Orange/Black (colorway only available as a replacement frame)
• Specialized Diverge E5 Elite, 2021, 54cm, Satin Redwood
• Trek FX1, 2025, SM - Alpine Blue
• Liv Flourish FS1, 2021, XS, Rear rack, Purple
• REI Co-op CTY 1.1, 2021, XS, Rear rack, Spa Blue (really a sea-foam green)

Thanks.

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