Ride Home 2/1: New Bay

Before leaving work, I put more air in my tires, using the frame pumped that's stored on the Brompton. It was a good idea and it translated immediately into a much faster and easier ride. However, when riding on Massachusetts, I could tell that my bike was stuck in the lower gear and didn't elect to shift into the higher one in spite of my attempts to have it do so. Two gears and I still can't it right. Eventually, I managed it sort it out (mainly through shifting and shifting back again and again, until the derailleur worked. When it comes to bike mechanics, I have two moves: trying the same approach repeatedly and bringing my bike into the shop for professional assistance. These two approaches aren't mutually exclusive and I normally find that taking the first step almost always guarantees my taking the second) and the bike switched into the sterner gear and I was able to bring it up a speed more in keeping with the car traffic around me, which I found to be safer and more comfortable. It's more the speed disparity than the speed itself that discomfits me.

Seamless.com is a service that allows the online ordering of food and the good folks at seamless.com have purchased some bus ads and at least one of these ads makes no sense to me. It reads "The last good phone call was Watergate" or something to that effect. I don't get it. It's cool that you're in Washington and trying to be "political," but this makes no sense to me.

The L Street Cycle Track flexposts were removed to make way for snow plows, that the lane might be plowed were snow to arrive. Snow didn't arrive, but parked cars did.

It's almost like they're trying to park on the painted bicycle person.

I've always suspected that the end-of-block posts were temporary and that a certain point, a critical mass (er...) of cyclists would use the lane that driving or parking it in would be unthinkable, but 1) I don't think we're at that point yet and 2) I'm less convinced that that point is ever achievable. Simply too much CONFUSION APATHY. Though, on the other hand, there were never any end-of-block flex posts on 15th and there's very few instances of parked cars there, so maybe I'm just being overly cynical. But on 15th, unlike L, there's parking bordering the cycle track, so that's a rather big difference. In conclusion, put the posts back, ok?

I've taken to wearing a wool winter hat lately. It's not bikey, but it works.

On Pennsylvania, between 7th and 6th, the driver of a black town car, drifted towards the cycle track and then rode into the cycle track and then made a u-turn through the cycle track, all while I watched. And then, fortuitously, approaching in the other direction was a mountain bike-mounted police officer, perhaps patrolling for these very infractions. As I rode past, I said "hey, you wanna give a ticket to that guy?" and he was like "whar?" and I was like "just made a u-turn through the bike lane" and he was like "on it" and the "on it" was very much weighted heavily with the subtext of "you can leave now" (and rightfully- I imagine that police don't really want to have to deal with gawkers and onlookers and busybodies, especially during a traffic stop, which even when routine, has the potential to be fraught) and I started to leave, but not before turning back and taking this picture:

Busted.

I don't know if a ticket was issued, but I'm glad the officer at least took the time to pursue it. However, much the L Street, this is one of those situations where I'd rather have plastic flexposts prevent the "crime" rather than paid professionals have to deal with it afterwards. But, you know, fine arts and such.

From 3rd NW, up Capitol Hill, to 7th NE, I rode with Dave K on his way home from the office in Arlington. We spoke of many things- riding in normal people clothes, the importance of having a reversible belt at the office, building and rebuilding bikes- and it's always nice to ride along with someone you know, especially on a Friday and especially on a ride home. Bike commuting is a solitary pursuit best shared with others.