Discovery Channel Mural In Background

Our Rider of the Day #4 was photographed this morning in front of the discovery channel graffiti mural after I picked up a delicious breakfast burrito from Qdoba. Although my timing was a little slow and I ended up with a pole in front of the front wheel, i still selected this as my favorite image for Rider of the Day.

words and photos by Ray Heinsman    

Top 7 Cycling Videos on You Tube

This is the only one I like

DC = Drunk Cycling.....not anymore

http://wtop.com/?nid=596&sid=1941354

http://legaltimes.typepad.com/blt/2010/04/dc-court-dont-drink-and-bike.html

In DC, we are going to get ticketed if we ride our bicycles while intoxicated. Riding after having a few is a relatively insignificant item for law enforcement to be worried about so I would think you would need to be pretty sloppy for them to take note. This person was an idiot and deserves to be reprimanded for his ridiculous careless, reckless behavior. This type of thing affects us all and we should all ridicule him for endangering our freedom as cyclists.

In the article the cyclist defended himself suggesting that we should reclassify bicycles so they do not have to comply with all vehicular laws. It is imperative that bicycles remain classified as vehicles. If they change this classification we will most likely not be allowed to ride on most streets and we need this access to keep cycling legitimate as a form of transportation.

My friends and I put together an event every year called "Tour de Bars". It takes place in and around Bethesda MD and Friendship Heights DC. We visit 6 bars and by the end we are probably too tipsy to say we are being safe; BUT none of us have ever even come close to being this stupid. When a law enforcement officer (notice I didn't say peace officer) gives you a command to not ride your bike; at least walk your bike around the corner out of site before getting on.......or just walk home....so it takes a little longer.....what is your rush?

Pull yourself together man and don't get caught.

words by Ray Heinsman    

I Got Dropped

Well, not dropped as in they left me to rot. My riding buddies were actually very nice and waited for me at the top of every hill as I huffed and puffed and pedaled my butt up.

I wish I had pictures but there was no energy in me to take any, or time to catch my breath to take any. I will be riding with this group every week though, so there will be photos in the future.

It has been a long time since I went mountain biking with a group of people in such great shape. They were almost all younger then me to....but there were two groups and I went with the beginner group. A couple of the guys were a little older then me and they rocked the 11 miles we rode. It all started out good. I was jumping over the logs, pumping the terrains undulation, and dropping in over all the roots smoothly......just like the old days. Then came the first hill and I climbed it aggressively. That was about 10 minutes in. After that, I was burnt toast. For the next hour and a half, I couldn't get my breath back. This is why riding with others is so important. It pushes you to strive to do more then you think you can. This is how you become a better rider.

Schaffer Farm is a really fun place to ride your bike. There are smooth trails, gnarly trails, stunts, obstacles, shade and sun. We saw deer sprint in front of us. While Bob was telling stories of jumping his three speed as a kid, I asked "That isn't someone moaning off in the distance is it?" Ed replied, "Nope, those are cows". The trees all had leaves and the prickers weren't too invasive yet. There had also been quite a bit of work done making the wet areas nicer to ride employing stones bridges. Probably the good work of MORE. Even though it rained the night before, the trees sucked up all that water and left a nice hard smooth surface for us to enjoy.

Mountain biking has changed radically since I was really into the sport. Back then, full suspension was all the rage. I had a GT XCR with 5" of travel, 24speeds, hydaulic disk brakes and 26" wheels. Now, 75% of people or more had 29"wheels, 1 speed, and if any, a few inches of front suspension. I watched as this new riding style conquered hills confidently and speedily while I downshifted and huffed and puffed some more. When I get into better shape, I have got to try one of these.

Stay tuned for more updates as to my progress as I get back into shape and again enjoy life in the woods on a bike.

words by Ray Heinsman   

Fellow Rain Rider

I caught up with this cyclist in the rain on my way home yesterday and whipped out my camera as I sped by. It was a bad day for riding, but a pretty cool action shot. This incident made this unknown man Rider Of The Day #3.

words and photos by Ray Heinsman      

Griffin Cycle Shop

Griffin Cycle has always been a good shop for me. The first day I walked in there, I had just moved to Bethesda a week before. Having worked in a shop in Buffalo off and on for the past 10 years and really enjoyed my discount.......oh - as well as the camaraderie and friends I had made in the bike community; I decided that I would like to meet fellow cyclists in my new home and stopped in with my girlfriend one Sunday afternoon. I met the Sunday manager and a couple of employees and asked if they needed any more help on Sundays. It was April, a prime time for getting hired at a shop. They said, "Of Course! No one wants

to work on Sundays;" and I soon found out why. It was a mad house. Mostly families coming in with their 4 kids to buy bikes for the oldest ones and have the bikes they owned given a little Griffin love so they could be handed down. I had never worked in a shop like this before. So many people came in and said things like, "I need 3 bikes, can you have them ready by the time we come back from brunch?" I said of course and scurried them off to the back to make sure every bolt was tight and all the adjustments were proper. The owner of the sh op is Nick Griffin. He has worked there since his dad bought the shop in the very early 1970s. He's been through it all. The road bike boom. The mountain bike boom. The best thing that ever happened for casual riders though has been the birth of the hybrid. This shop does hybrids best. They have most sizes for most bikes made by Trek and Gary Fisher in stock in the 300 - 700 dollar range, and they pack them all into a shop that is 25 feet wide by 70 feet long, on display, right there for you to come in and pick out the one you want to take for a test ride. They have a women's specific section, an area with just kids bikes, and the most loyal group of high end road riding enthusiasts you will find anywhere. There are celebrities, or almost celebrities, that stop in there as well. I have sold Eunice Kennedy Shriver 3 bicycles for her grand-kids. I have done repairs to Paul Wolfowitz's bike. Linda Carter is known to frequent the shop as well. One thing I have always hated about most shops I have been to is the way the shop personnel treat the occasional customer. They have a "I'm holier then thou" attitude usually also found in music store employee/ guitar players. You will get none of this at Griffin. They are looking to help anyone who comes in enjoy riding a bicycle. They also enjoy a good brew. One night I was riding with the previous and the current shop manager, just fooling around hoping obstacles in Bethesda, riding balance beams, doing stair drops and practicing wheelies and after we went to the pizza place next door and enjoyed some BBQ Chicken pizza and some Sierra Nevada. Good Times, Good Friends. Nick, and the current manager, Bert also run a shop ride on Wednesday Nights at 7pm. They ride from Bethesda North into Potomac and then back into town. The move at a pace that keeps your interest, but don't drop you showing off their cycling prowess.....although they could if they wanted to. This shop is operated by people who know bicycles, know how to ride them, and know how to help other people enjoy their bicycle. Stop on in and say hi to Nick, Bert, and the Crew on Bethesda Ave Monday - Friday 11-7, Saturday 10-6 or Sunday 12-5. See my link on the right side of the blog to their website for more information.

words and photos by Ray Heinsman   

Great Shadow

Rider Of The Day #2
I saw this rider in Downtown Silver Spring on my walk to work at around 7:45am.
I really liked the way the shadow cast across the street. 

words and photos by Ray Heinsman    

Wheel Truing Basics Part 1

This first part of many providing tips that will eventually teach you how to build your own wheel is about the basic skills necessary to straighten a slightly bent wheel.

To perform this basic skill, you will need a wheel truing stand, a spoke wrench and a little patience. You can use your brake pads instead of a truing stand, but it is much easier to use the stand. All adjustments made to spoke nipples should be made in quarter turn increments. You don't want to turn a spoke too much as each little turn on one spoke affects the tension on all other spokes.

The first step to truing (or straightening) your bent wheel is to release most of the air from the tube. The next step is to put the wheel in the stand and adjust the fingers on the stand so that they are aligned with your braking surface. After they are aligned, tighten them so that they barely rub the rim when you spin the wheel in the stand. At the rims most extreme bend, the fingers will make a scraping sound. This is where you are going to start correcting the bend. Shown in the first picture, you want to loosen the spoke nipple on the side that the rim is rubbing. This will lessen the tension on these spokes and the rim will move away from the finger on that side.

After you have loosened the spokes that pull the rim to rub and that side no longer rubs against the stand, close the fingers on the rim until the fingers again rub against the most bent part of the rim. This time , as shown in the second picture, tighten the spoke opposite that side that is rubbing to pull the rim away from that finger.

Repeat this process of loosening then tightening until your rim spins straight through the truing stands fingers (or brake pads).

Part 2: Making the Wheel Round.

words and photos by Ray Heinsman   

Suited Commuter

Bicycle Commuter riding toward downtown Silver Spring in a 2 piece suit.

It isn't often you see people riding in their work clothes.

Because of this, he has the honor of being my first "commuter of the day"

Mt Vernon Or Bust

Yesterday, I participated in Seamus' casual "Mount Vernon or Bust" ride. He is getting ready to do the 5 borough ride in NYC and started organizing weekend touring rides to prepare. Luckily, I got invited to go.


I had no idea what to expect. When you hear 38 mile ride, you think that the type of people going will be hardcore cyclists and I haven't really ridden more then just commuting 14 miles a day.


I got to Jacks Boat House under the expressway at 12noon. It is where all the rowers congregate to navigate the Potomac. Next Seamus showed up. I was pretty sure it was him as he rode by but I only met him twice before at our annual Tour De Bars ride we do in Bethesda. He rode over and said "Ray?" And then we got to talking. Tracy and Jason came by a few minutes later, found a parking spot and we were on our way. 


To get from the boat house to the bike path you have to make your way up a 5 story climb to the Key Bridge and cross it over into Virginia. The hills are steep but the bikes have gears. Georgetown is a beautiful area with a canal and old buildings everywhere. We crossed the bridge and headed back down the hill toward the Mount Vernon Trail. It is a wide paved path with divider lines and there wasn't many people out as the weather was quite cool and windy.


The trail was scenic with great vistas of downtown DC across the river. We continued south and the first place of note that we came upon was a large field with baseball diamonds. There was a whiffle-ball league playing and we stopped for a few minutes to watch while a couple of us used the extra stinky and overflowing Johnny on the Spots. Then the cops started piling in putting on bulletproof vests and carrying rather large guns. We decided it was time to go. Drill or real, this was not a scene to be hanging around in. 


We then rode past Reagan International Airport. This part of the path is wide open and the wind was howling. The path crosses several large pedestrian bridges over roadways and several exit/entrance ramps. Be careful or you will get creamed.


Once we got over the bridges we got down into a beautiful path through manicured lawns, woods and nicely constructed boardwalks through the wetlands. After the wetlands we came across this really long mural describing all of George Washington's adventures: crossing the Delaware, Valley Forge, Fighting the Redcoats.....those limey bastards....and becoming the first President of the United States.


I love the path. You follow it and just keep ending up places. One of the most pleasant places in all of Virginia is a section of Alexandria called Old Town. Riding along the river through the historic village was one of my favorite parts of the ride. More on that described later on the return trip.


And so the path continues. We stop, We pee. We eat some food. We get to Mount Vernon, don't go into the estate, but instead turn around and head back. Even though going back is against the wind, it is also downhill and seems to go easier and quicker then the ride there. Feeling pretty good about ourselves we are back in Old Town. We stop at O'Connell's. A wonderful little irish pub. http://www.danieloconnells.com/history.jsp 


We ate two different flatbread pizzas, ate some mini burgers, and enjoyed some Smithwicks.
Good times, good conversation and full bellys we head back to the bikes. A few minutes later we are looking for the restrooms and boom - back at the baseball diamonds with the overflowing Johnny on the Spots. Everyone is gone. The sun is going down. We pee and we move along. There was a lot of peeing on this bike trip. 

Everyone was tuckered out at the end. We rode 38 miles with wind, hills, and beer.............going over the Key Bridge back into Georgetown I decided on one last adventure before loading the bikes up onto the car. There was the stair with a ramp that straddled both sides. I was a little buzzed still and very tired and although it was probably a stupid decision, I successfully navigated the ramp down onto the gravel path on the canal. My friends congratulated me on a nice maneuver and I only incurred a slightly skinned knuckle on the stone retaining wall next to the ramp. Its always difficult to do a little thing like this in front of people without some sort of incident.


Great day. Glad I went. Thank you Seamus for organizing the ride. I look forward to the next opportunity to do it again.