W&OD Trail Patrol Seeks New Members

The W&OD Trail runs through the communities of Arlington, Falls Church, Vienna, Reston, Herndon, Sterling, Ashburn, Leesburg, Hamilton, and Purcellville. The Trail Patrol is seeking new members to be on-scene ambassadors of safety, courtesy, information, and goodwill. All adult trail users--cyclists, walker, runners, skaters, carriage pushers, dog walkers, horse riders, or wheel chair users--are eligible to apply.

Orientation sessions are planned for this spring and summer. For further information and signup please go to http://www.wodfriends.org/ or call the trail office at 703-729-0596.

Thule Rack Sale on Sunday

Thule Rack Sale on Sunday
Originally uploaded by bikes@vienna

I have too many Thule racks for the rear of a vehicle. I've closed a storage unit so I need to get these racks sold because I do not have room for them.

On Sunday, March 8th from noon to 5 PM these trunk mount and hitch mount racks will be on sale for 1/3 off. It is our business practice to install the rack and teach you how to mount your bikes on the rack. It may not be practical to continue this practice on Sunday, but I promise you can bring the rack back in and I'll help you with the installation.

Let me stress an important point, I have no Thule roof mount racks or the components for roof mount installations.

For the trunk mount racks the model of vehicle and year of the vehicle can be important facts. Go to www.thuleracks.com/carrier_bike2.asp?location=2 and you will be able to enter in information about your vehicle and learn what rack Thule recommends for that vehicle. My price for the sale is 1/3 off the price listed by Thule.

The temperatures are wonderful, the birds are singing, and the prices are terrific. Sunday is the time to visit us for a vehicle rack.
Remember we are at 128A Church ST, NW in Vienna. Our website is www.bikesatvienna.com and there are good directions to our location on the website.

2009 Rich Rau Memorial Bike Tour and Pancake Breakfast

Saturday, May 16th is the fourth annual Rich Rau Memorial Bike Tour and Pancake Breakfast beginning in downtown Berryville. The registration is from 7:30 to 8:45 AM. The breakfast will be served from 7:30 to 10 AM. The tour begins at 9 AM.

The Tour has either a 15, 30 or 50 mile course. All courses start and end at the Duncan Memorial United Methodist Church located at 210 East Main Street in Berryville. The funds generated from the event will be used for the safety programs sponsored by the the Town of Berryville and the Berryville Police Department.

More details are available at http://www.berryvilleva.gov or call 540-955-4081. You can also email planner@berryvilleva.gov

Fantastic Friday Event

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Friday we packed the trailer and van with cycling equipment and drove to the Gum Springs Rec Center off US 1 in the southeastern section of Fairfax County to participate in a Fantastic Friday event organized by the Fairfax County Therapeutic Recreation Services for families with Autistic children.  The slide show that Ces has created does a better job of telling the story than I can with words.  Please notice the smiles.  

I learned from our participation in this event.  The Kidz Tandem was perhaps the best cycling equipment for a high number of those families.  With the child in front the Kidz Tandem gives the adult better control of the riding situation.  I had a young rider bail off while I was riding with him on the Bike Friday Family Tandem.  The Kidz Tandem is easier to transport than our side by side or the trikes connected in tandem.  The only draw back is the cycling ability of the adult.  For some people it takes time to adjust to the balance and length of the Kidz Tandem.  With excited young participants we did not always have the time to work with the adult and settle their concerns.

It was a good event.  My thanks to the Fairfax County Therapeutic Services for the opportunity to participate.

Tim's Latest Bike

As many of you know, I've got a LOT of bikes! The latest count is nineteen and a half (the half is a unicycle that I still need to master), and to the left here is the latest.

What sets this bike apart is that I built the frame myself! Some of you may recall, quite some time ago, I went away to United Bicycle Institute in Ashland, OR, to learn how to build bicycle frames. Well, the bulk of the work was done there in class, but there was still a fair amount of clean up filing and basic frame prep, and then painting. For a variety of reasons, the process too a lot longer than I expected, and even ground to a halt a few times (motivational malaise). But finally, in the last few months I've gotten more energy and threw myself at several projects, assembling several bikes I hadn't gotten around to, and then finally getting this bike finished.

My basic intent was to design a bike for long distance, loaded touring, for both on road and mild off road use, such as the C&O Canal, one of my favorite places to ride. The design borrowed heavily from my 1986 Miyata 1000 touring bike, but I made a few changes. The most noticable was building in clearance for bigger tires with fenders... the Miyata takes 38mm wide tires, but this bike should handle 42mm with fenders. My idea with that was to get a little more cushion and traction for off road use. I've done the Canal with the Miyata twice now, and it was just dandy, but I wouldn't mind a little bigger tire.

The other major change from the Miyata was the use of slightly larger diameter tubing for the top and down tube, with thinner walls. I did this partly just to see how it affected the ride, but with the notion that it might produce a slightly lighter frame that is just as stiff as the Miyata. It's too early to tell about that yet, but we shall see.

Anyway, I'm really excited to finally have it up and running. Several folks have taken it for short spins, and the reviews have been favorable! I sure like it. And in time, I hope to be able to build some more frames, both for myself and others. I'll keep you posted.

To learn more about the bike, and to see more pictures, go to my personal blog:

http://spokesofawheel.blogspot.com/

Which has links to my Flickr album as well.

Or come on by the shop to take a look at it. And if you are fairly tall, you can even take it for a spin.

Chris Anderson Family Tandem from Bike Friday

Chris Anderson Family Tandem from Bike Friday
Originally uploaded by bikes@vienna

The Andersons ordered a Bike Friday Family Tandem for their planned ride on the C&O Canal this summer. The family purchased a Burley tandem from us a couple of years ago. They chose this Bike Friday because it is so adaptable to allow even the largest family member to ride with the smallest.

They have some training to do for this ride. You'll see them on the W&OD getting ready for their C&O Canal adventure this summer.

Tockwotton Twister

On Friday I delivered a Draisin Twister to the Tockwotton Home in Providence, Rhode Island. The photos show Judy Brown and Joe Trott on a test ride after we had reviewed the features of the Twister. They rode a little and then switched positions.

This Twister is going to get lots of use as Spring comes to Rhode Island. The Tockwotton Home is in an older section of Providence with streets that seem quiet. There is a bridge over a major highway to a trail which runs for miles. The Twister has independent pedaling and an electronic motor assist which will allow Tockwotton Home residents to enjoy as much or as little pedaling as they can manage. The seat on one side of the Twister has a five point seat belt and pedals which have a plate and velcro straps so an individual who could not use typical cycling equipment can go for a fun filled ride. Twisters come with hydraulic disc brakes in the rear and hydraulic rim brake on the front. The front can be used as a parking brake which comes in handy as riders get on and off.

With true German engineering the Draisin folks have thought of so many nice features. The electronic assist requires pedaling by a rider to be functional. You can't just turn on the throttle to have an electronic go-cart for two. There is a sensor that measures the pedaling and allows the assist motor to work. The independent pedaling can be turned off and on with the flip of a switch. So you can start out with both riders doing synchronized pedaling and then if one rider tires then the independent pedaling can be activated. The handlebars can be swung away from the seats to allow easier mounting and dismounting of the Twister.

Judy Brown is Program Direct at Tockwotton Home. I'm looking forward to hearing about the Twister's use by residents, staff, and families during this year. With the current location of the home and plans for development of a new location there will be many hours of riding pleasure for all. If you want to learn more about Tockwotton Home go to http://www.tockwotton.org/

The Denney Triple for the Denney Twins

DenneyTriple
Originally uploaded by bikes@vienna

This summer on the W&OD Trail and around Arlington you will see Charlie Denney riding with the twins. Their mother, Mary, ordered this Kidz Triple for a big family Christmas present. Cycling is important to the Denney family and now they have the Triple to enjoy.

The Kidz Tandem or Triple can start out for younger children with child seats. When the riders get older the child seats can be replaced with a standard bike seat so the children can participate in the pedaling. So the Tandem or Triple can be used for many years and hopefully for many miles.

Harvey's New Ride

HarveyNewRide
Originally uploaded by bikes@vienna

bikes@vienna patron, Harvey Stackpole picked up his new Easy Racer Tour Easy last Saturday. Harvey truly is a patron given the number of bikes he has purchased from us. This Tour Easy is a beautiful recumbent which Harvey selected in orange. The design of the Tour Easy has not changed much in three decades, but it is a remarkable bike.

When you see Harvey give him a big wave and a smile.

Yvonne'sTrice

Yvonne'sTrice
Originally uploaded by bikes@vienna

Yvonne is an avid cyclist who is trying to come back from an accident that forced her to find a solution other than a two wheel bike. She visited the store mutliple times test riding trikes. This last week she made her decision and I was pleased to get this note from her today.

"I want to thank you for your patience and help as I picked out a trike. Today we took a 24 mile ride from West Springfield, to South Run, to Burke Lake, down route 123, through Crosspointe and Lake Mercer, and back home. It was a great experience. I was able to clip in, which I wasn't doing on my upright bike. I had no trouble on ice or gravel, went faster down hills, and climbed smaller hills fine (will soon try bigger ones). I had faster starts at intersections, because I didn't have to worry about balance, so I didn't have to walk across them anymore."

Yvonne

From the photo it looks like Yvonne was able to ride where most of us can't in icy surroundings.

New Service Prices

We've held our service rates stable for a number of years, since some time before I (Tim) started working here in 2005. However, time marches on, and the cost of doing business does get higher every year. As a result, we have made some changes in our service prices, which are reflected here:

http://www.bikesatvienna.com/servicing

In addition, we have attempted to clarify and standardize some of the commonly requested services. You will see we have grouped the specific items into categories that hopefully will make it easier to understand our services and the costs involved.

There has been no change in our Continuing Care policy. If you bought your bike new from us, you still receive free service when the standard fees for the service total $20 or less. This is true for as long as you own the bicycle.

I'd also like to take this opportunity to remind folks that we get a major rush of service requests when the first warm weekend of spring arrives, and that usually means you have to wait longer to get your bike back. So why not take advantage of this "slow" season and bring your bike in before the end of March for servicing? We should be able to get it back to you quickly right now.

Shenandoah Valley Bike Festival --- July 25th

I received this information by email.

Experience the beauty of the Shenandoah Valley by bicycle: Come ride 100, 50, 25 or 5 miles of scenic roads in the 18th Annual Shenandoah Valley Bike Festival on July 25thand support Our Community Place. Your small donation includes the registration fee, a t-shirt, ride maps, ride support, rest stops, mechanical support, water and Gatorade, and shower facilities. Stay for a free homemade lunch afterward. An informational pizza dinner will be held in advance for those interested in volunteering instead of riding. For more information and registration, go to ourcommunityplace.org/bikefest/ or Active.com. Questions? Call (540) 442-7727 or (540) 433-7738.

Bikes at the Inauguration

They say 1.8 million people flocked to the Mall for the Inauguration. I left Vienna a little after 10 AM on a bike, explored the bike parking situation, and arrived near the Indian Museum for the Swearing In. From the Virginia side of the Memorial Bridge to the Lincoln Monument, to FDR to Jefferson there were bikes locked to racks, fences, and trees. These photos capture the volume of the bicycles used that day.

Buses, Metro, walking and bicycles brought the crowd to the Mall that day. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could reduce the use of the automobile like that every day?

Visiting Colorful Ballard

Visiting Seattle is always fun, but this time was even better with visits to the Ballard neighborhood. The colorful flags were part of the street baracade for the Sunday Farmer's Market. The Dero Fish Bike Rack was out in front of Ray's Boathouse. I thought the porta-potty was transported to the Farmer's Market on the trailer and then set off for use, but nooooooo! They pulled out a step and it was ready for use while on the trailer. The comedy potential is just too great not to mention ....just image the possibilitties.

Bits and pieces

It is 8 AM and I am trying to guess what the weather is going to do this morning. My intention is to ride into Washington with a group and look over the preparation for the Inauguration. The weather looks iffy with snow chances increasing after 2 PM about when we would be starting back. This may not be a good idea.

In contrast I had good weather riding in Seattle last week. I sent a Dahon Speed P8 out and it was a good choice. Seattle has lots of concrete streets which have seams and bumps that the Big Apple tires on the Dahon smoothed out. The hills were easier with the 20" wheels. With all the recumbent riding I have done in recent years I did note that the seat became uncomfortable on my longest ride which was exploring the Burke-Gilman Trail (http://www.cityofseattle.net/Parks/BurkeGilman/bgtrail.htm)

The reason for the Seattle trip was to met my new granddaughter, Sadie Ruth. Oh, what a sweet baby she is. She is snuggly and a little hot water bottle who I loved to hold. I also brushed up on my book reading skills with her older sister, Mira. I like this grandparent role.

I also got to spent time with my wife's mother who is 90 I believe. Coming home on the plane I pondered these two lives. One beginning in the early years of the 20th century and the other which may reach the 22nd century. This is an incredible span of the human experience to consider, especially during this week.

ONE!

Years ago on a trip to Washington State to visit my wife's family, my family got involved in a game of counting VW buses. It was a week plus visit which had us traveling quite a bit. The VW bus game became a natural part of our activity started by the spying of the first bus. ONE! naturally started the game for that day. Fifteen or more years later it is still likely when a number of us are in the car and a VW bus is spotted that someone proclaims "ONE!"

I've decided to start a new game for myself in 2009. After yesterday I can exclaim ONE! because January 2 was a car free day. The question is how many days in 2009 can I make car free. My potential for a high number is good since I live within a half mile of the store. My rules for myself are simple ... it is a car free day if I do not travel more than a block in a car/truck/van. I rationalize that there may be days I need to move a vehicle in the parking lot at the store or move the car from the driveway at home. What I want to do is encourage myself to bike and walk to work.

One fabled day on that trip in Washington State we counted EIGHTY-THREE! VW buses. I'll be pleased if I can tell you that I reached that number of car free days in this year. We'll see, this morning I'm thinking about how today can be TWO!

Santa reads

Santa reads
Originally uploaded by bikes@vienna

Grandson Cyrus and I read a book yesterday, but my white beard, white hair, and typical red bikes@vienna sweatshirt made Cyrus wonder if he was interacting with Santa or Grandpa. It took him a little time to get comfortable with my appearance.

My habit of wearing a Santa hat this time of year has drawn second glances as Java and I walk to and from the store.

Ho, ho, ho.

Ten Days in January --- bikes@vienna CLOSED

For months I've planned to have the store closed for a eleven day period in January (6-16). Three things are going on here. Park Tools puts on educational seminars during this period and Tim is attending sessions during this time in Philadelphia. Second, I will be in Seattle meeting my new granddaughter who should arrive any day now. Third, very little happens during this period of January during cold winters and this looks like a colder winter.

We will close our doors the evening of Monday, January 5th and reopen Saturday, January 17. If you have a bike in our care we will make every effort to get it back in your hands before January 5th.

The wonder of the internet

TRICIA EXPLAING TO THE WORLD THE MAGIC OF FOLDABLE BIKE DAHON MARINER d7!
Originally uploaded by triciawang 王 圣 㨗

I do not know Tricia. In this era of the wonder of the internet I typed in "bike video" and there was Tricia being fun and excited about her Dahon folding bike. I share it with you because so many of our customers are like Tricia. They love how their bike goes easily into the trunk of their car. They are thrilled that they can easily fold, unfold, and ride their Dahon with just a bit of practice.

Tricia, I don't know you, but I want to thank you for showing the strengths of the Dahon folders.

Guilt Reduction Ride 2008

Twelve hearty cyclists turned out for this year's Guilt Reduction Ride from Vienna to Herndon. The thermometer registered around 28 degrees this morning as we bundled up for the ride to the shop. There was quite a collection of bikes on the ride; uprights, long and short wheelbase recumbents, a recumbent tandem, crank forward bikes, and a trike. The temperature steadily rose as we rode in the bright sun along the W&OD Trail to the Herndon station. We reduced our anticipated guilt from overeating later in the day by getting some exercise and donating several canned goods for the CHO Food Drive. It was a great way to start the day.