I am new to all sport/cycling life!

[martaw]

Welcome, Marta! I no longer live in the area, but I used to. Are you by National Harbor? I think it's so cool that they opened the bike path on the Wilson Bridge. If I still lived there, I would use it to bike to work!

Just FYI, I am 5'-6" and I ride a 49cm bike. I have longish legs and a shorter torso.

Best of luck in getting a bike and starting to cycle!

Thanks Tulip, bike path on the Wilson W Bridge its awesome I actually walked from Oxon Hill Rd to S Washington, I thought I was gonna die!!!! It was about 15 miles. I guess it takes like 12 - 8 min for some on the bike! I really hope I find some people to ride with, I'm glad I be able to get to Mt Vernon trail!

Where did you move to?

[Kalidurga]

Hi Marta! I'm another DC-area person, but I'm on the other side of DC from you over in Montgomery County.

Make sure you check out the Mid-Atlantic forum here at TE. As Catriona mentioned, many of us ride together frequently and that's where we do our planning. It would be great to have you join us.

[tulip]

Thanks Tulip, bike path on the Wilson W Bridge its awesome I actually walked from Oxon Hill Rd to S Washington, I thought I was gonna die!!!! It was about 15 miles. I guess it takes like 12 - 8 min for some on the bike! I really hope I find some people to ride with, I'm glad I be able to get to Mt Vernon trail!

Where did you move to?

I moved about 100 miles south, to Richmond. I lived in Prince Georges County and I worked in Alexandria, so the bridge crossing would have been wonderful for me, but as usual, my timing was off!

[HillSlugger]

Hi Marta,

I also live in Maryland, not too far from Kalidurga.

I'm 5'5" and ride a 51cm bike.

[Cataboo]

I drove over the wilson bridge the other weekend and saw a ton of people on the walkway - but really didn't know what it connected.

Looking at zen's bike - if you bought it, I think you'd probably want to put slick tires on it, those knobby tires would slow you down.

[martaw]

I drove over the wilson bridge the other weekend and saw a ton of people on the walkway - but really didn't know what it connected.

Looking at zen's bike - if you bought it, I think you'd probably want to put slick tires on it, those knobby tires would slow you down.

Like what kind of SLICK? help! slick meaning rims on the car maybe a link? what size I am clueless or maybe below..

[Cataboo]

Like what kind of SLICK? help! slick meaning rims on the car maybe a link? what size I am clueless or maybe below..

Mountain bikes or trail bikes have tires that have a lot of little bumps or tread to give traction on dirt or in mud. When you're riding on a paved path or road, you don't need all that tread, so you can use a smoother or "slicker" tire, so those tires are called slicks. The tread does slow you down a little bit when you're riding it on road. You can get hybrid type tires that are smooth in the middle and then have a little bit of tread on the side in case you need traction cornering or if you go off on a trail. Zen's bike has 26" tires, I think. Most road bikes have 700c tires.

But don't worry about all that stuff now, we can help you with that once you decide on a bike. Go test ride some.

[martaw]

ZEN, CATRIONA - is Zen's bike hybrid?

[ny biker]

Hi Marta,

I live in Arlington, VA. I've been told my a neighbor that it's 9 miles from my neighborhood in South Arlington to National Harbor via the Wilson Bridge.

You might be interested in the Oxon Hill Bike Club - www.ohbike.org. They seem like nice people.

[Selkie]

Marta

I live in Arlington like NYBiker, but in the North part (closer to DC than to PG county). Welcome to the forum!

I'm 5'5" too and can ride bikes ranging from 47 - 50 cm. It all depends on the bike. As others have recommended, make sure you feel comfortable on the bike before you buy it. You might to try several before deciding to buy one.

Don't forget to get a helmet!!!

[martaw]

Hi Marta,

I live in Arlington, VA. I've been told my a neighbor that it's 9 miles from my neighborhood in South Arlington to National Harbor via the Wilson Bridge.

You might be interested in the Oxon Hill Bike Club - www.ohbike.org. They seem like nice people.

I already thought about the OHCC maybe with time, I maybe to slow for them at first?

Mickchick - thanks I will get a helmet, are they come in special sizes to?

I also want to get shoes possibly mountain biking shoes.

[Zen]

The bike is a 2007 model and has 700cm tires.
I will measure tube length later this evening.
I do believe it would be classified as a hybrid though I think the manufacturers are calling them "fitness bikes" now.

[ny biker]

I already thought about the OHCC maybe with time, I maybe to slow for them at first?

Mickchick - thanks I will get a helmet, are they come in special sizes to?

I also want to get shoes possibly mountain biking shoes.

Once you get used to your bike, you might find the D rides to be of interest.

http://www.ohbike.org/perl/rides.pl?month=07#class

Helmets do come in different sizes (small-medium-large). Different brands can fit differently on your head, so if you try one and it's not comfortable, you should try a different brand to see if it's better. For example Giro works for me, but others prefer Bell helmets.

[martaw]

Once you get used to your bike, you might find the D rides to be of interest.

http://www.ohbike.org/perl/rides.pl?month=07#class

Helmets do come in different sizes (small-medium-large). Different brands can fit differently on your head, so if you try one and it's not comfortable, you should try a different brand to see if it's better. For example Giro works for me, but others prefer Bell helmets.

I would love to go on rides with groups D or C

[TxDoc]

Hi Marta welcome to TE!

Probably in a week or two, I'll have a 49 cm road bike to sell.

Catriona, what kind of road bike 49cm are you selling?