General Discussion Thread

[CyclingFool]

It occurred to me that it might facilitate some more ongoing discussion and community if we had a dedicated thread for idle chatter that's not necessarily a propos to strips being posted, so consider this thread a place for just that, other cycling-related (or, hell, non-cycling-related) banter with fellow Moonies. :)

If no one ever posts here, I'll just delete the thread.

Hope everyone is surviving the "polar vortex". That phrase sounds so sci-fi ominous.

[Opus the Poet]

I have been trying to post via e-mail and it ain't working. Replying to the Gmail messages doesn't work either, I have to open a new page and sign into Groups to actually post something to the group. Not happy...

BTW I'm getting a bakfiets in a couple of weeks with a cargo-only box for grocery shopping and camping. Before I start riding it I'm going to enter it in a custom car show locally as a non-motorized custom vehicle (because it sure as heck ain't a lowrider). That's the same class I won back in 2004 with a scratch built recumbent.

[Beth Miller]

This is true, when you reply to the gmail messages, those just go directly to the poster to whom you are replying, not to the thread. It's just the way groups work in Google, I don't think there's anything Eric can do about that. Once you sign in to your gmail account, that should sign you in to groups as well. Were we able to comment on the original site via email? If so, I was unaware of that feature.

Opus, I look forward to hearing how your bakfiets does in the local car show, that sounds like fun!

Eric, thank you for your efforts! 

Happy Friday, all!

[eronimou...@gmail.com]

Dodgy moment this morning with a Jeep turning across a dedicated bike lane without so much as a look. I'm usually not 'that guy' but choice words were shouted. Be careful out there friends!

[CyclingFool]

Not cool. Glad it sounds like it was just a near miss. Some cagers are incorigable. 

[eronimou...@gmail.com]

This probably sounds familiar to a few of you: I emailed our office of 26 people to let them know that today is a 'parking meter holiday' meaning free parking for the day...and then hopped on my bike and rode to work :)
Bike parking is, after all, always free...

[CyclingFool]

Thought I'd share this lovely view from yesterday morning's commute. Lovely riding in and around the nation's capital.

[Beth Miller]

Nice!

[ArchiK]

I spent a few days in DC last week and took advantage of the 'Capital Bike' while there - including an after midnight ride around the mall in the misty fog - very cool!

[CyclingFool]

Awesome! CaBi is a great system. It is supposed to expand to my neighborhood in Alexandria this year. When it does, I think I will finally break down and buy an annual membership. Actually one of the planned stations is supposed to be about 100 feet from my bedroom window, so I won't even need the Spotcycle app to check to see if there are bikes/docks available at my station!

Hope you enjoyed your days in DC. The weather's been a bit of a roller coaster ride the last week or two, so I hope you were here for generally nicer days. Sounds like it was pretty good in my book --- I love riding in fog.

[Robert Kastigar]

In 2010, I took Amtrak to Pittsburgh then road the trails to Washington DC - and got to take a this picture of Rocinante, my bicycle, standing all alone before the Capital!

[CyclingFool]

Nice picture! And what a ride. As a DC area resident who was born in western PA, I have Pbgh-DC ride in mind to do at some point. I did an overnight on the C&O out to around Harpers Ferry a few years ago, but a baby boy and grad school have delayed serious bike travel plans since.

[Robert Kastigar]

I forgot to put in the link for the trip diary on Crazyguy on a Bike

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/PittsWash

[CyclingFool]

I'll definitely give your journal a look and was wonering if you had one. I put one together for my overnight, and I'll try to remember to add a link tonight. CGOAB, wonderful site that it is, is blocked here by the corporate firewall. I may or may not have spent too much "work" time on that site in the past... :innocent: ;)

[CyclingFool]

Hope everyone is enjoying National Bike Month and had the chance to do Bike to Work Day last week, if that's your thing. The weather is absolutely awesome here the last few days in particular. BTWD started as a complete washout, but by late morning it had turned into a beautiful day, as long as your commute didn't involve one of the bike trails prone to flooding when we get 2-4" of rain overnight. Fortunately, mine does not.

[Beth Miller]

I must figure out how to work in that morning "commute" time. I work from home in a very bikable neighborhood, so my reasons to do it are starting to outweigh my excuses! I guess that counts as progress. :-)

[CyclingFool]

For sure that's progress. I think you could use YM sleeping overnight at and then somehow still riding to the Kickstand as a model. A loop of a mile or two should take no more than ten or fifteen minutes and still gets you out and about, even if you don't have that much time. A lunchtime commute loop from the home office is something else I see people doing (based on some DC-area Strava activity).

Frankly, I think I'd really miss my 7-8 miles of bike riding twice a day if I didn't have my commute, but another part of me relishes the idea of not having to actually go anywhere to get to "work".

[CyclingFool]

Or get this: http://gadgetsgo.com/stationary-fitness-productivity-desk-upright-sit-workouts.html :)

[Beth Miller]

Working from home is definitely a mixed blessing. Absolutely trying to channel some Yehuda energy there, that's what gave me the idea in the first place. I've neither the space nor the attention span to work out while working, but that's okay, I'd rather enjoy the ride and feel the wind in my hair anyway. :-)

[CyclingFool]

On Monday, May 19, 2014 3:35:16 PM UTC-4, Beth Miller wrote:
Working from home is definitely a mixed blessing. Absolutely trying to channel some Yehuda energy there, that's what gave me the idea in the first place. I've neither the space nor the attention span to work out while working, but that's okay, I'd rather enjoy the ride and feel the wind in my hair anyway. :-)

 Where's your helmet?!?!?!?!?!?! ;)

Seriously, though, I hear ya. I personally don't see the allure of the indoor trainer. I'd rather bundle up and ride outside than be stuck in a basement or whatever on a trainer stand or rollers. There is definitely something to the sensations and experiences of actually being outside on a bike, not least of which is changing scenery and the ability to actually do other worthwhile things while riding, e.g., stopping at the grocery store for some things.

[CyclingFool]

Finally got to reading your journal tonight, now that the grad school semester is over and I've recouped a bit. Thanks for sharing. Looks like you had a nice ride. I hope to do PBGH-DC or the other way around one of these days.

For now I've only done an overnighter to Harpers Ferry and back, which I detailed here: http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/MyFirstOvernighter

I think another overnighter or two are finally in the cards for this summer, now that my son is a little older. Maybe longer tours and/or something overnight with my son next summer. :)