DeeMaGlee

Quaking in the shadow of the Bush administration, I eke out a comfortable living as a website developer in Bethesda, MD while reminiscing about the myriad of bike tours embarked upon during teen years in Ireland, and pining after the open, quiet roads that I so badly wanted to leave behind.

I want to get the motivation (and find a nice space) to ride again. Currently riding/rebuilding an inherited 1981 white Schwinn Super Le Tour as a commuter, so I'm primarily interested in the Mechanics forum right now.



I'd like to find some riders who don't have the latest and greatest and who don't insist on wearing those ugly Spandex cycling clothes. Someone who enjoys rebuilding their bottom bracket or pedals or hubs, or relishes fixing a flat. Ie, cyclists who love cycling for the sheer joy of riding and maintaining a bike, not for the image or the fancy gear...

<Steps down from soapbox>

msheron

Hello

ken cummings

You might also want to check out the vintage bike forum. I have seen some riders of classic bikes show up in clothes that matched the era of their bikes or wheels. The BMX crowd also seems to ignore bike "fashion". There is a reason for some spandex and specialty gear. Wait til you get some saddlesores.

tulip

Greetings. While I wear lycra for comfort, I also like vintage bikes. But I'm not giving up my cycling shorts--my butt would protest.

So what's your commute like? I'm a DC commuter, and I find it quite interesting and fun.

DeeMaGlee

My commute is unfortunately short. It's only 5 mins long! I leave my neighborhood, go 2 blocks and I'm there. Depending on how late I am, I usually make it longer though.

Oh, I don't mind the spandex that much. I just hate the fair weather posers...I guess I don't have a use for Spandex (or other tech materials) since my butt ain't on the saddle for that long these days...

You're right about DC riding though: It can be a thrill to ride in traffic. It's a real challenge/game for me to ride safe and well and stay alert, seeing moves ahead, and ultimately beat the motorized vehicles if possible. I tend to trash myself though, riding way too hard, and start to get the shakes...

I was in Rock Creek with my wife and 2 dogs yesterday (Sunday 1/29/06) afternoon. The sun just cracked through the trees as we got out of the car and it was nicely warm. The pavement was wet after the rain and there was hardly a soul around. Boy did I wish I was on my bike just then...
----
This morning my bike took me to work, instead of me taking it to work.

I think it was happy that I overhauled its bottom bracket on Sunday for the first time in its 25 years of life. The poor thing was dry as a bone... The cups are all pitted.

click...click...clickclick.....KLANG! going up a hill.

Ouch!

It's much happier now with new bearings and packed with grease...

Two weeks ago I overhauled the pedals too, thinking that's where the noise was coming from. I love using tools! A bike shop mechanic sounds like an idyllic job, but that guy at City Bikes (Connecticut Ave at the Capital Crescent trail) on Sunday was not relaxed. He did have the harried, caffeine-overdose look to go with the manic rave music thumping in the background though.

My dear wife bought me a bike maintenance book for my birthday. Why'd I never think of that? Now I have money to buy real tools like a crankarm extractor, instead of hacking at it with a hammer and screwdriver like I did when I was a broke teenager...

velogirl: do you ever ride any PPTC or other touring club rides in the area?

SpongeDad

PPTC has a wide variety of club rides. Everyone I've met is very nice, although you have to pay attention to the ride classifications (the BB rides are definitely much faster than the C rides).

(I'm pretty lycra-ed out, but I'll still ride when there's ice on the ground. Does that make me a foul-weather poseur?)

Capital Crescent Trail is great in the winter, but gets too crowed come spring. If you want to ride on the road, you can start at Glen Echo head out (west) on MacArthur Blvd to Falls Road to Oaklyn Drive to Persimmon Tree to MacArthur for a nice 14 mile ride.

Also, occasionally, people from the Road forum will get together to do organized charity rides or club centuries like the MS150 rides. Don't be shy about trying to round up a group to go on these or jumping in if someone else is doing so.

DeeMaGlee

Thanks for the route, SpongeDad. Hope to see you out there in your dazzling lycra outfit! ;-)

OK, let's leave the Lycra/spandex/whatever out of my soapbox rant. I guess when I see virtually anyone in the full regalia, it really tweaks my ire...Doesn't matter if you're a poser or fulltime hardass, all-weather roadie... I guess I'm some sort of cycling snob then...even though I currently rarely break the 100-mile-a-month mark.

tulip

I've never done a PPTC ride, although that doesn't mean that I won't in the future. I just hate the thought of having to DRIVE to go on a bike ride, and alot of their rides seem to be in Virginia near Tysons, or up in Montgomery County...in any case, not close to me, and too far (or on the other side of interstates) to cycle to get there.

My commute is about 14 miles each way. I don't do it every day--usually 3-4 times per week. I do have an icebike with studded tires for those icy days. It's the rain that keeps me off the bike. I have to wear glasses, and when it rains, I just don't see very well. January was a very good commuting month.

DeeMaGlee

velogirl: Yes, I know what you mean about driving to a ride. It's counterintuitive. It would be nice to set up some rides that at least start in a Metro parking lot, for example. Maybe we should set up the BBC - Bethesda Biking Club - with a focus on suburban rides on good roads that start at Metro stops. I'm sure if we went to the end of any Metro line for a ride, we could find some indication of countryside thereabouts...

Re: cycling in the rain. I don't mind the rain as much. I used to wear glasses (before laser correction) and found I could see alright even through rain-spotted glasses. Have you thought of trying a large visor of some sort? I don't know of any particular solutions, but something like those headless visors that you see golfers wearing might be enough to shield your glasses from the rain while allowing room for your helmet...The helmet should prevent the visor from blowing off your head.

I used to wear a baseball cap when walking my dogs in the rain to protect my glasses...

tulip

I'll have to try some tricks for dealing with the rain. As for the BBC, sounds interesting, but I don't live near Bethesda, either. I'm in PG/NE DC. We do have a group that rides the PG trails, and occassionally goes further afield towards Annapolis, for example. We'll see what the spring rides bring. I'm sure there are folks in the western side of town who ride in Bethesda/Potomac area. Thanks for the glasses suggestions. I can't get laser correction, and I can't wear contacts, and I have to wear glasses to see and to protect my eyes. I'm not complaining-the alternative is not seeing, right?

DeeMaGlee

Too bad about the laser correction/contacts, but yes, you're better off being able to see!

Another suggestion: A car care product called RainX makes rain slide off glass - so much so that in a downpour above 30mph you don't need to use your wipers. Dunno if it's usable on plastic lenses...