Nimble ninja joggers.

Well, you know, that's probably occurred to us. Problem is even at low speed, you can still wipe out. I lost it at under 10mph. Between the tight turning radius, steep descent, and reverse banking, there's basically no safe speed if you hit anything that could make you lose traction. Particularly on skinnies.

I've started cutting off the tightest part of the turn by drifting into the left lane, which helps for stability, but that's about all you can do short of dismounting.

+1. Pictures don't really equal to being at ground zero either. There's zero margin for error and no easy way to recover from taking a bad line.

-R

Hey that's within walking distance of my old house. (18th & N. Quincy) I used to walk to a Starbucks down there.

I'm withholding comment to avoid being rudely sarcastic.

Here I was saying that I don't mind it and I just slow down, and just about went flying this morning on my MTB no less that has 26x1.95 *street* rubber on it. Same thing, took the first downhill turn a bit wide and out the back wheel went.....

One brisk ride this am, I'll tell ya

Wow, I would have figured 2 inchers would have been pretty good. Guess it's not just us fools on skinnies!

Glad it was your rear wheel - change that to "front" and you get what happened to me.

I hear that. Gives ya some motivation to crank up some heat!

I'd have thought so too. I was pretty loaded down - ie: both panniers and a trunk bag stuffed full. Hence the MTB today. Normally I'm coming through there on my Lemond, and the 700x23's are unforgiving!

-R

All are advised to take any route possible at this intersection in order to enter the Italian Store (next to the noted bike shop on map). Their white pizza is worth the danger. So is the Milano on a soft roll.

Yeah, but call ahead. They are the only decent pizza in the area (deli is good too) and the place is always mobbed.
I sometimes stop in on my way home for fresh mozz and salami, and get myself a lemon soda to fuel me up for the grueling 3/4 mile remaining on my commute.

I have ridden through the S of Death more times than I care to count over the last 5 years. I have never had an issue, nor was I particularly careful. Of course, I am usually riding knobbies when the leaves are down. I've even ridden it with my wife on our tandem (granted, more slowly and carefully) with no issues. Where I have had problems is a couple of miles up the Curtis trail where it crosses under Washington Blvd. There's a spot before the bridge that doesn't drain well. The speed this area encourages combined with smooth pavement and copious amounts of wet leaves has seen me in a slight two wheel drift a couple of times!

Old Army

Which is why a wood fence was put in along the trail under the bridge this summer. A few too many cyclists drifted into the creek.

There are two pairs of railway crossing squiggle barriers on my commute. I fell on my butt twice in the same week trying to navigate them. Now I dismount and walk, like the sign next to the barriers tells me to.

No need to get defensive.

Oi! This is America!

This has nothing to do with me, but you're comparing an obstacle with signs indicating to walk the bike to a section of MUP intended to accommodate bicycles, but poorly engineered.

That's not apples and oranges, it's road apples and oranges.

Aww, come on. Ya think anyone's going to pay attention to a sign and do what it says?

Like the one this am where they're doing utility work that said "dismount and walk bike". I was on the MTB again today, that offroad around the utility trucks was a blast!

Between a bad head cold, some frigid weather, and my bike being in the shop, it had been 2 weeks since I last commuted on the Custis Trail into DC. This afternoon headed west I thought I noticed two new bright yellow signs at the hated S curve of death that were intended for eastbound traffic.

Anyone else notice these signs today? Maybe our nagging paid off.

Did you read them? Those are probably left over from the inauguration- there were dozens of signs showing the best pedestrian route into DC. I snagged one and hung it in my garage.

Ohhh, really... I should try heading out there if I get the chance and find one for myself...

I love/hate that S-curve/hill; it's wonderful for speed/hill workouts for marathon training (I must be one of the hated runners/joggers), but must be done carefully on a bike. I used to live a half-mile east of the S curve right off the trail. Riding a bike full speed down the S curve with leaves on the ground feels like playing Russian Roulette, but crossing Lee Highway during rush hour may be even worse. Pick your poison.

Is it really that bad? I've ridden that before, always found it fun. I guess I could see it as a little more challenging in snow, for instance, but not so much that I'd rather ride on the sidewalk or cross 29at street level.

I've taken that route many times. It never occurred to me it was a problem.

Paul

They were definitely not inauguration signs which had an arrow and said something like "DC Bridge Access". IIRC, they said "Caution Slippery".

Gotcha. There's a few of those on the hill on the W&OD leading towards Sycamore St in Arl/EFC.

There has been so much talk about this curve that I am dying to ride it! If I ever get to the DC area I am going right out and rent a bike and ride this thing! Woohooooo!