DoctorFrankenBike

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DoctorFrankenBike

The purpose of this site is to support bike commuting in DC


	Home \| Mountian Bikes

Questions, Thoughts, Requests for Used Parts
DoctorFrankenBike@Yahoo.com

Bike Types:
	Mountian Bike:	Are easy to ride, cheap and reliable. Highly maneuverable in traffic.
	Road Bike:	Are the Fastest and most expensive bike for commuting. They do not maneuver well and do not take well to the abuse of city streets.
	Hybrid:	Are the worst of both worlds slow and non maneuverability.
	Folding Bikes:	Their great for short distances. You can put under a desk.
	Recumbent:	They don't climb hills very well and are very hard to work on.
	Cyclocross:	They are expensive. They are also built to fly and take a beating. Get one only if you have a place to store it.

Cleaning Up For Work:

OK Here is the short version. Join a gym near work. Find a cleaners close to the gym. Use the cleaners as a closet. Run in swap clothes with them and then hit the gym. This worked quite well for me when I was doing some work at NASA headquarters in downtown. If you have a bike that is worth something try to work a deal with the gym or the people who manage your building.

Getting in Shape:

Leveraging Public Transportation:

Bus Surfing: If you are heading up into NWDC there are a couple of lines which are close to each other that make that trip. These being 14th and 16th streets. If you show up at one and no one is at the bus stop just keep going to the other. Odds are that you will make the trip much faster and in bad weather you just don't want to out in it.

Running Down a Bus: When a pedestrian misses a bus he is out of luck. In many areas a biker can run down the bus and get on. There a number of choice times to try this. A bus leaving from Rockville or Bethesda heading toward Potomac. Both of those trips are a haul and if you miss the bus you're in for a chop busting trip. It would often be worth your while to hustle and catch the bus.

Long Haul/Killer Hill:

Thinking in 3D: The easiest way to get between two points may not be a straight line. Once in a while you can take a bus uphill past your drop off point so you can ride downhill.

A bike at each end: Metro does not allow bikes on the subway during rush hour. There are two ways to get around this rule. One is to get a folding bike. This can be fairly expensive. The second is to have a bike at each end. As far as I know this trick was first used in SF.

Best Deal in DC: A week pass for Metro bus is $11.00 if you'regoing to be doing a lot of running around with your bike it's a great deal.

Gear:

Bike Clubs:

Year Round Commuting:

Different Jurisdictions:

Regular Care and Feeding:

Tire Pressure: Tires lose 3%-5% of their pressure a day. You should pump them up on less often than ever three days.

Oiling the Chain: You should oil your chain at least once a week. If you ride on a regular basis.

Department Store Bikes: Just say no. There is no way that even the best tech can get these suckers to work well. Really, buy an old bike that was good in it's day. You will be much happier.


Cleaning Up For Work:
	OK Here is the short version. Join a gym near work. Find a cleaners close to the gym. Use the cleaners as a closet. Run in swap clothes with them and then hit the gym. This worked quite well for me when I was doing some work at NASA headquarters in downtown. If you have a bike that is worth something try to work a deal with the gym or the people who manage your building.


Leveraging Public Transportation:
	Bus Surfing:	If you are heading up into NWDC there are a couple of lines which are close to each other that make that trip. These being 14th and 16th streets. If you show up at one and no one is at the bus stop just keep going to the other. Odds are that you will make the trip much faster and in bad weather you just don't want to out in it.
	Running Down a Bus:	When a pedestrian misses a bus he is out of luck. In many areas a biker can run down the bus and get on. There a number of choice times to try this. A bus leaving from Rockville or Bethesda heading toward Potomac. Both of those trips are a haul and if you miss the bus you're in for a chop busting trip. It would often be worth your while to hustle and catch the bus.
	Long Haul/Killer Hill:
	Thinking in 3D:	The easiest way to get between two points may not be a straight line. Once in a while you can take a bus uphill past your drop off point so you can ride downhill.
	A bike at each end:	Metro does not allow bikes on the subway during rush hour. There are two ways to get around this rule. One is to get a folding bike. This can be fairly expensive. The second is to have a bike at each end. As far as I know this trick was first used in SF.
	Best Deal in DC:	A week pass for Metro bus is $11.00 if you'regoing to be doing a lot of running around with your bike it's a great deal.


Regular Care and Feeding:
	Tire Pressure:	Tires lose 3%-5% of their pressure a day. You should pump them up on less often than ever three days.
	Oiling the Chain:	You should oil your chain at least once a week. If you ride on a regular basis.


Department Store Bikes:	Just say no. There is no way that even the best tech can get these suckers to work well. Really, buy an old bike that was good in it's day. You will be much happier.