Some housekeeping. Roughly a couple of months ago, I embarked on round two of the "sell buttons to raise money for WABA"-athon. On Wednesday, or so, of next week, I'm going to bring it to a close. If you are interested in purchasing a button (or another button. Or 60), please do so here. If you're interested in paying so we can sing karaoke together, you can do that as well. I want to thank everyone who has donated for their prolific generosity in this endeavor.
Fridays are the best.
Quiet ride. Easy ride. Pretty much no stress. Barely even much pedaling and then, only when I absolutely had to. It's not that I'm adverse to pedaling- it's one of my favorite ways to propel forward my bicycle- I just prefer not to waste my effort because I'm, generally speaking, a layabout. Specifically speaking, I'm also a layabout.
I rode behind a guy who had his short sleeve blue golf shirt tucked into his khakis. He was on a Canondale hybrid. If I had to guess, his name was Greg. His brown leather belt was shiny. I don't remember his shoes. He wore a black helmet. I followed him from 3rd NW to across the White House plaza on Penn and then he went left and I went right and that's pretty much the last I saw of Greg.
Were there twenty people at coffee this morning? There might have been. That's a lot of people. Like usual, any conversation at #fridaycoffeeclub remains strictly confidential. There's a sacred bond of trust and if you want to know what our cabal is up to, you'll have to come. Though, a cabal with an open invite is much of a cabal. Also, if you can't come, you could always just email or tweet and I'm sure someone who have the decency to reply "bikes and stuff" in response to your query.
At 9:15, Laura and I headed up 15th, past the White House security bollards, and then she turned at M and I rode onward to R and up then over and up and arrived at work without incident.
Road bikes are great, but I don't think they make you any faster of a bike commuter. Unless you're commuting on long, wide-open paths or roads outside of a city. Then it'd probably make a difference. But if you're in the city and there's stop signs and lights and narrow bike lanes, that's going to circumscribe your speed much greater than a sleek bike might enhance it.
When I rode a mountain bike, I grew envious when passed by road bikes. Just the other day though, to my chagrin, I was passed by a CaBi. Yes, lazy ride. But wow. Nothing like getting passed by a CaBi to inspire me to get my ride on!
ReplyDeleteA lighter bike has certainly made it easier to cross the several ridges required for any East of the Anacostia bike commuter.
ReplyDeleteWhen I rode CaBi more, I would try to ride as fast as I could, and considered it a great honor to pass someone. I felt a little like the wicked witch of the west pedaling that fast but sometimes you gots to do what you gots to do. My proudest day I actually passed a moped comming down 2nd ave off of capitol hill toward Union Station: Great Fun.
ReplyDelete@petrus no shame in getting passed by a CaBi. Maybe it was even fellow commenter Mike.
ReplyDelete@kolohe- a lighter bike definitely makes a difference on a hilly commute, especially when you're doing a lot if them. Unfortunately, it doesn't make a difference riding stoplight to stoplight. I think that people should get the bikes that worst best for their commutes, but remember that there's more to a fast bike commute than a fast bike. Where do you ride eotr?
Alexandria (north old town) to the Suitland Federal Center. Only about once or twice a week though on average.
DeleteSometimes a stoplight-to-stoplight ride in the city is just the very beginning (or end) of a commute that is longish, with a couple of big hills and almost no stop lights. (This is the case for me, EOTR)
ReplyDeleteWhile its ideal to have the ideal bike for any given 'purpose' (eg commuting), this could end up meaning having lots & lots of bikes for people who have multiple 'purposes'. Someimes you have to compromise. So, yeah, a more commutey bike might be nicer for commuting, but then kind of a pain if you want to go for long rides on the weekends. For some people, a road bike is the best compromise -- it works for commuting (even if it doesnt make your commute faster), and good for other purposes too.