Getting to Know You!

[CorsairMac]

lol - welcome to the board MD! I had to check the number of posts when I saw your entry coz I thought "haven't I seen her before?".......GL on the Raleigh hybrid!!

[LisaB]

I joined a couple of months ago and have had fun (at work!) finding other women who ride. I commute three days a week, the most recently memorable being Tuesday when it bucketed rain in the morning and I went through a puddle (ha! lake!) that stretched curb to curb and was deep enough to come up over my bottom bracket. Needless to say, my toes squished the rest of the ride in.

Real name: Lisa

Where do you live? Kirkland, WA, east side of Seattle

Explanation of your handle: I'm the only Lisa B on here, I'd guess

Explanation of your avatar: Still working on that one

Age (general or specific): 44

Occupation: Web site manager

Favorite bike: My Trek 7600, bruised but still a peach

What's in your stable? The Trek and a Co-Motion Cappuccino Tandem with a Soft Ride Beam - mmm, bouncy

Fastest speed on a road bike? where? when? 45 mph on a downhill somewhere out in the sticks

Most memorable moment on my bike: You mean I have to choose one of my crashes? Impossible.

Most fun ever had on a bike? Going downhill, any day.

[bikerHen]

Explanation of your handle: I'm the only Lisa B on here, I'd guess

No your Not! I'm a bikerHen while riding . . . but off the bike I'm a Lisa B. too. And I live in Washington. Although I am on the dry side, which makes me a poor second cousin to you wet siders. Anyway, from one Lisa B. to another welcome to the board. bikerHen, aka Lisa B.

[vinyl]

Real name: Allison

Where do you live? Between Baltimore, MD ad Washington, DC

Explanation of your handle: It is a nickname I've had for a very long time and relates to my affinity for records.

Explanation of your avatar: That would be my goofball sidekick & me.

Age (general or specific): 28

Occupation: Biomedical Enginerd turned Attorney

Favorite bike: My Specialized Allez Vita

What's in your stable? The Specializes, a Trek 6700, and hopefully something else soon...

Fastest speed on a road bike? where? when? Probably ~35 mph riding through old Ellicott City

Most memorable moment on my bike: Probably my first road ride. My knuckles were white and I thought I was going to have a heart attack!

Most fun ever had on a bike? It's rare that I don't have fun on my bike - especially if I'm out riding with friends.

[Kalidurga]

Fastest speed on a road bike? where? when? Probably ~35 mph riding through old Ellicott City

Whoa... Was that with or without all the traffic and antique shoppers?

Welcome to the board, Allison. Cool to see another DC/Md area person. Just out of curiosity, are there any good bike shops over your way? I've hit just about every shop in MoCo and FredCo, so I need to check out (haunt, stalk, whatever...) the ones over closer to B'more.

[vinyl]

Whoa... Was that with or without all the traffic and antique shoppers?

Welcome to the board, Allison. Cool to see another DC/Md area person. Just out of curiosity, are there any good bike shops over your way? I've hit just about every shop in MoCo and FredCo, so I need to check out (haunt, stalk, whatever...) the ones over closer to B'more.

Thanks! The historic part of Ellicott City is a ghost town early on weekend mornings - there are mornings where the only things I see through that stretch are parked cars and green traffic lights! When it is crowded with traffic and antique shoppers, I don't want to be there in a car... and certainly not on my bike! There are some other fun hills in that area, but I'm not confident enough to navigate the twists and turns on those hills with any sort of speed.

In terms of local bike shops... it depends on what you're looking for, but I have not found a one stop shop. For service (and special orders), I really like Bike Doctor in Linthicum, just a few minutes from the BWI loop. While the store is small and they don't have much stock, Jeff and his staff have always been great and ordered things for me without a problem. Race Pace opened a large store in Columbia that has a better than average selection of women's apparel, but I've not been thrilled with the service in the store. The Race Pace in Ellicott City has (or at least had) a female mechanic, and I've been told that she is very helpful, but I haven't had a chance to talk to her.

[inatree]

Real name: rhiannon

Where do you live? santa cruz, ca

Explanation of your handle: spent a lot of time as child hiding in trees

Explanation of your avatar: my new bike

Age (general or specific): 27

Occupation: disabled person trying to get off disability

Favorite bike: um...dunno

What's in your stable? trek 1000 wsd and elektra hawaii cruiser

Fastest speed on a road bike? where? when? dont have a computer yet

Another picture of yourself or your ride? dont have that many right now

What is the biggest lie you've ever told: what does this have to do with riding? i lied to my friend when i was 10 and i've felt bad about it ever since.

Most memorable moment on my bike: when i got my first bike when i was 9, i remember riding all over the neighborhood in the afternoons, my homelife was horrific so i always got so happy when i was on my bike i actually sang almost the whole time i rode. i was almost mute when i was a kid so that was really something. i always wonder what that looked like, a little girl singing at the top of her voice down the middle of the street on a bicycle. lol!

Most fun ever had on a bike? refer to above.

[Kalidurga]

The Race Pace in Ellicott City has (or at least had) a female mechanic, and I've been told that she is very helpful, but I haven't had a chance to talk to her.

I stopped in that Race Pace yesterday on the way home from the Charm City 'Cross race. I didn't see a female mechanic, but the guys in the shop were very helpful when I asked about cold weather apparel. That shop has got to be the biggest bike shop I've seen yet, I'll have to check out the one in Columbia, too.

Explanation of your handle: Old AOL name made in high school. AIC = alice in chains (yes, I was a child of the grunge era)

It's not often I run across a fellow grunge fan. For some reason, I didn't get into grunge when it was in it's heyday, but I must be regressing because I love it now. I'm a Soundgarden junkie, myself. Good to see that particular genre's still appreciated

[Lise]

No your Not! I'm a bikerHen while riding . . . but off the bike I'm a Lisa B. too. And I live in Washington. Although I am on the dry side, which makes me a poor second cousin to you wet siders. Anyway, from one Lisa B. to another welcome to the board. bikerHen, aka Lisa B.

Well, wouldja look at that? Seems there's quite a collection of Lisas here! My name is pronounced "Lisa", but has the Danish spelling.

Welcome vinyl/Allison, and all the other newbies!