greaterbrown

It twists more easily now, right?

NoRacer

You're a bad man.

RacerMike

touché

bobby c

All - looks like we got a bit of an incentive to bike to work next year!

https://seattletimes.nwsource.com/htm...subsidy16.html

greaterbrown

oops. did I say that?

hmmm... first round's on me, Mike.

FWIW When I met my wife, she had just broken her collarbone from a bike accident. She dubbed her bad arm the "bum flipper". I guess I was a dutiful enough boyfriend that she kept me and married me. But I remember all too well what a hassle it was for her. Buttoning a shirt, shoelaces, cooking, showers. Ugh! As I remember, we did a lot of drinking during that time. hic

NoRacer

I asked our HR group to ask corporate about this, but in the meantime starting 1/1/2009, I'll be more dutiful in saving my receipts for bike stuff until they figure out how they will implement the law.

Too bad I can't claim anything, retroactively, for the past 4 years of bike commuting to/from work.

balto charlie

PM me your phone and we'll call as we get near my house. Do you live near Catonsville? Last night I was putting on the finishing touches onto my kegerator's 're-build'. 4 stainless steel external faucets on a naturally finished oak collar. Charlie

balto charlie

hassle!! Wiping my ***** after breaking my wrist a few years ago(bike accident) was problematic. A huge learning curve w/ many poor results. You learn to use your non-dominant side real quick. Just not quick enough.

balto charlie

One of the negs w/ this benefit is that it will prevent you from collecting other transit subsidies. So one can either get the bike tax breaks or transit subsidy. Since I ride MARC and 2 wheels I have to chose. The train subsidy is by far the better option. I ain't complaining just pointing it out in case others are in the same situation. I actually feel a little guilty collecting metro passes from SAM.

greaterbrown

In the mood:
https://vimeo.com/1965120?pg=embed&sec=1965120

The Human Car

J.Lockdown

I think my employer (Local Government) is putting that in place. Have not heard the details, but since I live 4 miles from work I might just start biking all the time. I already do it a couple times a month but car works better for going to the gym after.

Anyway I wonder if its 5 days a week or its like some certain # of days you have to bike to work in a month.

NoRacer

I think that you have to declare that the bike was your primary mode of transportation for any given month.

NoRacer

Saturday, BBC Ride to Fawn Grove, PA - outbound data only
Travelled 62.2 miles total

https://bimactive.com/ba/journal/post/10783/18160

MAP

ELEVATION (FT)

SPEED (MPH)

J.Lockdown

Yeah thats probably true. It probably wont due to till the summer, cause going to gym after work and then biking home is not that enjoyable. Either way its good information but $20 a month, I would think it would be more then that.

NoRacer

Yeah, $20 is not much, but better than nothing.

If I puncture a Tufo tubular clincher tire, that's $75 bucks right there.

angelo

Wait a second. Did I read that right? How can tire be both a tubular and clincher? Isn't that an "either/or" kind of thing?

Actually, I have a question for those of you that ride patapsco valley. I've seen at least one ride on bikely that goes from Levering @ rt 1, past the thomas viaduct, and all the way up river rd going past where it appears to end on google maps and all the way to Bonnie Branch road.

Question:

Is this wise to attempt on a road bike or is it some kind of bushwack singletrack experience? I am thinking of trying it this week on my way home, but don't want to get all the way in and then turn around if it is not doable.

NoRacer

Hey, dude! Where ya been?! Haven't seen a post by you in a long time.

Anyway, no, it's not an either/or situation. It's reality. It's a tubular tire with a clinch block built into the inner circumference of the tire.

maxine

I rode to the end of River Road with a friend of mine about a month ago. It wasn't bushwhack single track, but it was definitely dirt and somewhat gravelly/small-rocky. We were getting jarred a bit. I was on my 'cross bike with 25c tires. If I had been more in the mood (I wasn't feeling well that day, and my friend and I wanted a SUPER-mellow ride) and maybe if I had been on the touring bike with the 32c tires, we might have explored further, but we pretty quickly said, "Ah, screw this, let's go back to the nice asphalt!" So I don't know how much further that dirt portion lasted.

balto charlie

If you take Levering into the park on the HoCo side you have to cross the river to the BAlto side, turn left onto the Grist Mill Trail ride out of the park(towards Ellicott City), cross the Patapsco(cool bridge) to a left onto Illchester/River rd., then right onto Bonnie B. If you take Levering all the way towards Bonnie branch it will get single track, then it will be a carry regardless of which bike you ride, even a FS downhill. This is the trail that made me buy a mnt bike back in the mid 80'S. It was an old Grant Peterson-Bridgestone MB. Still have it today, though it is one beat up MF. I hope to restore it to a SS in the near future. Charlie

HC203

That Fawn Grove ride is nice. Did it back in February with BBC. I rode to the start, about five miles, then rode Loch Raven Rd. a bit before the ride. My gps said something like 5600. I know the ride is 4+k.
I gotta get out on more of those bbc rides.

greaterbrown

Mmmm...the warmth of alcohol.

Got a route that seems right for the brew pub ride.
Starts at the Conservatory at Druid Hill. (easy to park, close to Metro, easy to ride from, and hopefully more centrally located for everyone).
From there we head west for our 1st beer in Ellicott City
2nd beer is at Charlie's in Catonsville and 3rd in Fells Pt at DuClaw.
Then back to the start (if you parked there) or leave directly for home if you're headed to Essex or back to Catonsville. Metro and Light Rail are also not far.

the route: https://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/213201

maxine

So, this route takes us down Ilchester rather than up? But, I see, up Gun Road . . . I'll need a half hour head start. And an oxygen tent at the top.

I'll have to ponder logistics . . . I live in Catonsville (very near Charlie, actually) and have to be near Towson (in "normal" clothes) in the early/mid evening. What time are we pushing off from Druid Hill Park?

greaterbrown

Actually, we dodge ilchester hill completely. We'll ride a bit along the top flat section but, I took Charlie's advice and went up College ave instead. and that Lawyers Hill/gun rd. part I actually have never ridden. That section, also, is by Charlie's approval. If I ride my fixie, we'll be fighting for the oxygen inhaler.

As far as timing... Ellicott Mills doesn't open until 11:30AM on sunday. It's about 15mi away, so, I'd go for a 10:30AM push off time. How long at the pubs? An hour? Maybe I'll try it this way...
10:30AM push off (15mi)
11:30AM 1st drinks at Ellicott Mills
12:30PM push off (13mi)
1:30PM 2nd drink at Charlie's
2:45PM push off (9mi)
3:30PM 3rd drinks at DuClaw
4:30PM push off (6mi)
5:00PM back again

Obviously, any of this can be compressed or expanded as we like. From Fells Pt., each of us can decide where and when to head out.

Maxine, I live just around the corner from Druid Hill in Hampden. You are quite welcome to use our house as a changing station. If you want to bring your fresh clothes with you and leave them in the car, you could change (even shower, if you want) and then head up to Towson. No problem.

psyched.

angelo

Thanks everybody,

The other day I did ride partially through there, but I turned from river (levering side) to gun rd. I found I could take gun all the way to sulphur spring, go through the town of Arbutus, then joh ave, crossing caton ave, going all the way down the hill into an industrial area along Wilkens near the Gwynns Falls trailhead. I never went that way before, but now I have an alternative commute route to Baltimore! Though, at night, I might prefer to take wilkens into the city rather than the trail which is spooky. Here's the bikely link.