The Bicycle Mechanic

Toronto Police "Cycle Right" Campaign

2011-08-26T05:51:00.000-07:00

The Toronto Police are currently conducting a "Cycle Right" campaign. Police officers are ticketing cyclists who are not in compliance with the Ontario Highway Traffic Act. (They're probably doing it to make Rob Ford happy.) The HTA states that bicycles need:

* A steady white light on the front of the bicycle and a red rear light or reflector if you ride between half an hour before sunset and half an hour after sunrise, and at any time when your bicycle is not visible from 150 metres or less.

* Rear brake capable of skidding the rear wheel on dry, level pavement.

* A bell, gong or horn in good working order.

* A strip of white reflective tape on the front forks and red reflective tape on the rear forks - each strip no less than 250 millimetres in length and 25 millimetres long and 25 millimetres wide.

The fines range from $35 for "improper bicycle lighting", $110 for having no horn or bell, $325 for failing to stop at a red light and $490 for careless driving.

See the full list of fines at toronto.ca/cycling/pdf/hta.pdf

No word yet on whether the Toronto Police will ever conduct an operation to catch bicycle thieves using GPS tracking devices by deliberately planting bicycles in high theft areas.

Motorists who block bicycle lanes with their vehicles endanger cyclists by forcing them to suddenly merge with motor vehicle traffic. The fine for illegally blocking the bike lane is $60. The City of Toronto Bylaws for Bike Lanes are in Chapter 886 of the Toronto Municipal Code.

If you see a vehicle illegally blocking a bike lane you can call 416-808-6600 to alert the Toronto Police's Parking enforcement division, so that they can dispatch an officer to ticket the offender. (Be helpful, tell them the car's license plate # too.)

Cycling in Quebec compared to Ontario

2011-08-11T06:57:00.000-07:00

The following is an excerpt from a Toronto Star article entitled: What goes around in Quebec comes around in Ontario

By Christopher Hume.

When it comes to cycling, Quebec leaves Ontario in the dust. While we spin our wheels arguing over whether bikes belong on the streets, la belle province has turned pedal power into a transit and tourism phenomenon.

If you haven’t been to Quebec in a while, prepare to share the roads — and even more amazingly, the highways — with the two-wheeled. Everywhere you turn now, bicycles are part of the traffic mix. In addition to separated lanes in Montreal, highways are marked and divided into bike lanes and vehicular lanes. Even routes that aren’t marked have signs that make it clear the two — bikes and cars — must share the road.

In Toronto, by contrast, bikes have become a cause for panic, a wedge issue exploited by elected leaders for their own benefit. It is a topic on which municipal elections can be won or lost, at least in part. That’s not entirely new, of course, but it is another indication of how the politics of Ontario — and Toronto — are becoming sclerotic. So frightened are we of change that we buy into the promise that the province’s glorious yesterday will never end.

It already has.

Who could forget Mayor Rob Ford’s first utterance upon being elected last November? “The war on the car,” he said, “is over.”

Such silliness. Regardless of what His Worship may think, the war of the car has only just begun. Whether or not Torontonians realize it, we will be seeing many more bikes on the streets here and around the world.

This isn’t a matter of right or left, but of right and wrong. Due to circumstances well beyond the city’s control, this is the direction we are headed. For any number of reasons — climate change, fuel costs, congestion and diminished resources — the heyday of the car is over and alternatives are needed.

Unlike Ontario, Quebec has embraced change, and turned it to its own advantage. Anyone traveling through rural Quebec will find the roads alive with cyclists. Look in the parking lots of the auberges, hotels and inns; they are full of bikes.

The Route Verte, which cuts through Quebec from east to west, now extends more than 4,000 kilometres. This makes it one of the most comprehensive bike systems in the world.

Meanwhile, back here in little old Hogtown, we’re still bickering about a few blocks of bike lanes on Jarvis St.

Toronto and Ontario’s unwillingness to take the bicycle seriously is a sign of culture grown tired, irritable and brittle. Whether it’s wind turbines, road tolls or bike lanes, we’re unable to keep up. Provincial Conservative leader Tim Hudak has made it clear clean energy and the environment have no place in his party’s platform.

Same thing with Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s regime, which announced recently it plans to lay off 700 staff at the federal environment ministry, a shocking display of contempt.

...

The fact remains, however, that cyclists are generally unwelcome on the streets of Toronto, let alone Ontario. We’re not talking here about bike lanes on the 401, but many other provincial thoroughfares where there’s room.

Speaking as someone who was yesterday signaling to turn left and had an irate woman in a car behind me shout "Make up your mind!" I know fully well that Toronto drivers don't consider bicycles to be real road vehicles. They just see us as a nuisance because they're so stuck in their mentality that cars rule the road.

But here's a tip: Bicycles have been on the roads longer than cars and while cars dwindle in popularity bicycles will still be here when society has moved en masse towards mass transit using subways and street cars.

In the future cars will be a luxury in the city. Bicycles and a TTC pass is all you really need.

Bicycle Tourism: Pros and Cons

2011-07-20T11:11:00.000-07:00

PROBLEM ONE: How to get there...

Lets say you decide to go overseas and whilst there travel via bicycle. Do you:

OPTION A) Ship your bicycle air freight back and forth. A good route if your bicycle is one of a kind / super expensive. ie. A prototype recumbent.

OPTION B) Buy a new bicycle when you get there and sell it on craigslist before you leave.

I'd argue option B is the better solution. Saves on unnecessary costs and you get most of your money back when you sell your bicycle (assuming its still in reasonably brand new condition and you cleaned it / fixed anything broken before selling it).

But there is also...

OPTION C) Rent a bicycle (ie. BIXI in Toronto). Depending on the cost of renting a bicycle this might be the cheapest route, but only if its a short time period. Longer time periods you are better off just buying a bicycle and selling it before you leave.

PROBLEM TWO: Where to stay...

When you get there, where do you stay? Hotel, motel, hostel, park bench, friend's couch, camping? Well if you are a cyclist camping might sound like the best option, but then you have to carry all your camping gear and that can be pretty heavy if you don't know how to pack light. (Seriously, why are you bringing so many books with you???)

I think one of the best options is Bed and Breakfast places. Cheaper than hotels, great service and if you're lucky they might even have some tools you can borrow for any small repairs. Of course not all bed and breakfast places are "normal". Check out this Toronto B&B that is on a ship. Sounds like a fun thing to do, but better call ahead and see if they have room on the ship to store your bicycle. (I imagine some fancy hotels would be upset to have a dirty muddy bicycle on their carpets...)

If you went the camping route depending on the time of year you may also need a heat source. I found this out the hard way in October 2010 when I went camping with my ex-girlfriend and we used candles as our heat source. Its not like we can carry a furnace with us, but I am sure there is small portable heaters out there that would provide more heat than mere candles. (I feel silly writing this during the height of a Toronto heat wave.)

PROBLEM THREE: Cleaning and maintenance...

I recommend taking a list of bicycle mechanics with you so you know where to find them. Google Maps or an app on your smartphone would be helpful. The real problem in bicycle mechanics with a WAITING LIST... they stick your bicycle in the back and call you 2 weeks later when its fixed. Its not like walking into a Yorkville salon and getting your nails done at the last minute. A lot of bicycle mechanics are busy busy busy!

So the SMART thing to do is to carry basic tools with you and only go to the bicycle mechanic when its obviously a repair you can't fix yourself.

PROBLEM FOUR: Food... mmm... food...

OPTION A) Carry food with you from supermarkets. Lots of it...

OPTION B) Only carry necessities (ie. Poweraid) and emergency food / snacks. Stop for food when opportunity / need arises.

OPTION C) Carry nothing but water (and dine out).

This really comes down to personal choice. When in Rome its presumed you will stop and try the pizza... Option B seems like the obvious smart choice, but some people might prefer options A or C if they are treveling in the deep woods or in a city with lots of great restaurants you want to try.

How To Fix Your Derailleurs

2011-07-14T06:58:00.000-07:00

Please help me I'm so stressed over this. I just bought a new Supercycle bike from Canadian Tire. They did not adjust the derailleurs at the store so I decided to try it but I wound up loosen the cable too much and it came out of the derailleur all together. I am planning a cycling trip to Toronto on the weekend and I don't want to rent a BIXI bike for the entire weekend because that would cost a small fortune. Is there anyway I can fix this myself in a hurry? PLEASE HELP ME. - Andrew in Whitby, Ontario

Not to worry Andrew, help is available but it won't be easy. Derailleurs are basically the most complicated things to fix on a modern bicycle.

#1. First check to see if you have a bent derailleur tab. (You probably don't because your bike is brand new, but lets follow procedure here in case other people have problems.) If it is please see this other post on "Fixing a Bent Derailleur Tab".

#2. Get yourself a copy of Barnett's Manual (the books aren't cheap so a PDF will suffice) and read chapters 33 and 34.

I cannot possibly fully explain all the intricacies of fixing derailleurs in one blog post. Barnett takes TWO chapters to do it, one for front derailleurs and another for rear derailleurs. If you view the PDF it is pages 591 to 649.

Failing that check out this website: sheldonbrown.com/derailer-adjustment.html which is reasonably helpful, but has really shoddy graphics and skips over a lot of parts (It should be sufficient to help fix Andrew's problem however). That site does however get the point across that derailleurs are basically the most complicated things to fix on a modern bicycle.

Maybe someday I will do a detailed post on how to fix derailleurs, but if I am anything like Barnett such a post would take me a week to write and be 50+ pages long.

Good luck Andrew!

Toronto City Council votes to scrap Jarvis bike lanes

2011-07-14T06:11:00.000-07:00

CANADA - Yesterday in a 28-9 vote Toronto city councilors voted to spend more than $400,000 to erase bike lanes on Jarvis St. downtown as well as Birchmount Rd. and Pharmacy Ave.

This isn't going to change the habits of cyclists however, who use those routes on the way to work. Myself included, I take Jarvis several times a week so the stupidity of spending thousands of dollars to REMOVE a bicycle lane is just silliness and a complete waste of taxpayers money.

It will also mean mapmakers will have to redesign their maps of Toronto's bicycle lanes and paths.

Toronto city councilors also agreed to physically separate 14 kilometres of bike lanes on downtown streets — two of them north-south, two east-west — at an unknown cost - and in an unspecified way. It is unknown exactly how cyclists are supposed to get into these new cycling lanes from intersections... and furthermore, what if situations arise where cyclists refuse to use these protected cycling lanes because its better (perhaps even safer) to be using the normal road?

Cycling advocates got one concession — the two-kilometre Jarvis lanes won’t be removed until AFTER new separated cycling lanes on Sherbourne St. are separated from other traffic, expected by December 2012.

In which case what is the cost of building these new separated cycling lanes on Sherbourne? One city councilor estimated the cost at $200,000 but I think he is full of ****. If it costs $400,000 just to remove bicycle lanes just made of PAINT, how can it cost less to create new separated bicycle lanes made of CEMENT?

Rob Ford's gravy train apparently goes to the Land of Stupid Wastefulness.

BIXI wants to grow, but is it profitable?

2011-06-27T10:12:00.001-07:00

CANADA - Toronto's BIXI program has been active for over one month now (it started May 3rd) and according to the Toronto Cyclists Union the cycle-sharing program should triple the number of bikes and expand the current service area beyond the downtown core.

But is there the profits to support such an expansion?

In the first week BIXI was active there was 700 trips. By week 4 there was 28,000 / week.

Most of the demand comes from the edges of the service area, along Jarvis, Spadina and Bloor, thus furthering the logic that BIXI should expand in those regions.

Meanwhile in Montreal the BIXI program owes $37 million to the city and is currently running a $5 million annual deficit. Not that long ago Montreal was running a profit, but has since flip flopped into deficit (possibly due to over expansion into regions of the city where most people don't use bicycles).

So Toronto needs to learn the lessons taught by Montreal. Expand SLOWLY, and only into regions where demand can be shown.

It should be noted that May was very rainy and renting bicycles very much depends on the weather conditions, so those numbers are expecting to rise dramatically during the summer and autumn, before dropping off suddenly in winter.

So far Toronto BIXI has served up 73,000 rides in its first six weeks of service, with only 1,000 bikes on Toronto streets.

Successful bike-sharing programs often have a lot more bicycles than a mere 1,000. ie. The Paris Vélib “freedom bike” program got 1.8 million rides in its first month in 2007, with about 10,000 bikes. But that in PARIS, a city known as a mecca for artists and tourists. Its to be expected to have much higher usage.

Paris hit the 100-million ride mark earlier this month (June 2011), after nearly four years in operation. Paris now has an average of 100,000 rentals per day, with 20,000 bikes.

Montreal's BIXI program currently has almost 30,000 subscribers and 18,000 rides per day on a fleet of 5,000 bikes.

BIXI Toronto so far has 2,240 subscribers and has had 7,000 one-day users, but that isn't enough to support expansion. 6,000 subscribers are needed just to break even.

So Toronto needs to wait a bit longer before they start expanding rapidly. A little bit of expansion in the desired areas would be okay, assuming it drives up usage. If it doesn't BIXI should wait until they reach above the 6,000 mark.

Other bike-sharing programs around the world:

Hangzhou, China
50,000 bikes
2,050 stations
Started in 2009
Plans to have 175,000 bikes by 2020

Paris, France
20,000 bikes
1,800 stations
Between 80,000 to 120,000 rentals per day
Started in 2007

Toronto, Canada
1,000 bikes
80 stations
2240 subscribers, 7000 one-day users
Started in May 2011

Montreal, Canada
5,050 bikes
405 stations
30,000 members
18,000 rides per day on average
Started in 2009

How to find a bicycle mechanic in back-water towns

2011-06-21T10:35:00.000-07:00

Dear Bicycle Mechanic!

I am writing a cyclists guide to Route 66 in the states for a publishing company in Switzerland. I wondered if you would have any information on how best to find a mechanic in back-water towns on North America. Is there a data-base? A secret HQ?

Any advice you would have would be very much appreciated.

Thank you
Be well
Jessica Mijnssen

Hey Jessica!

I recommend Google Maps.

You just choose your city / town and then appropriate keywords... ie. Denver bike shop, Denver bicycle shop, Denver bicycles, Denver cycling, Denver bicycle mechanic, Denver bike mechanic, etc.

And be sure to double check when trying "bike" that you're not getting motorcycle mechanics.

I then recommend that you compile a list of bicycle shops along Route 66 and make that "database" as it were available online. I would be happy to publish your results along with any links to your book.

:)

Dear Bicycle Mechanic!

Thank you so much for your help. I have, indeed, been led astray by "Bike shops" that lead me to motorized vehicles.

I'll be in touch!

Be well
Jessica

The Battle for Bike Lanes in Toronto

2011-06-21T09:12:00.000-07:00

CANADA - Toronto Mayor Rob Ford seems to have a love / hate relationship with cyclists in Toronto.

Believe me, the feeling is mutual.

Unlike Stephen Harper who sits comfortably in his PM office looking out his Ottawa windows at the peasants below now that he has his dreaded majority government and can do whatever he wants, Rob Ford cannot do whatever he pleases... he has to get everything past Toronto City Council first.

As part of his agenda Rob Ford wants to do the following...

#1. A Separated Bike Lane Network in Toronto's downtown core.

Note: Its confusing what this might actually be. One idea is that it will be separate bi-directional bike lanes (a two-way bike facility on one side of the street). One proposal is to convert the existing bicycle lanes on Bloor St. East, from Sherbourne Street to Broadview Avenue, into separated bike lanes in 2011 (1.6 km at a cost of approximately $50,000). This trial would then determine whether it could be used in other places across Toronto.

#2. Development of 100 km of off-street bike trails.

Note: 30 km of new trails already began construction in 2010 and will open in the summer of 2011.

#3. A Bikeway Trails Plan to continue developing bike trails in the future.

#4. Fixing gaps in the Bikeway Network. Ford wants on-street connections to be completed, provided they don't interfere too much with the flow of traffic.

#5. Bike Lanes to be Removed, at a cost of $210,000.

Note: Local councilors apparently want some bike lanes removed. They are: Pharmacy Avenue, between Denton Avenue and Alvinson Road, at a cost of approximately $120,000; and Birchmount Avenue, between Kingston Road and St. Clair Avenue East, at a cost of approximately $90,000.

#6. Modify Existing Bike Lanes.

Note: They want to modify the Dupont Street at the Lansdowne Avenue intersection in order to improve traffic flow and capacity at the intersection (cost: approximately $8,000).

#7. New Bike Lanes

A city report recommends new bike lanes at Dawes Road, from Danforth Avenue to Victoria Park Avenue, as part of the Dawes Road Revitalization Project.

So where is the money for all these new separated bike lanes (or scrapping of old lanes) going to come from?

Well Rob Ford has apparently hired scores of Toronto accountants to try and get the numbers to work.

Honestly, he'd be better off hiring IT staff or artists, not for their technical skills, but simply for their imaginative problem solving abilities. Not to diss the accountants, but sometimes certain jobs require thinking outside the box.

Maybe then we could find the necessary cash for such things and stop idiot drivers from parking in bicycle lanes. They're not parking spots!

In other news, want to suggest a new location for a bicycle stand / ring post? Go to toronto.ca/cycling/postandring/.

Also the Toronto Union Station Bicycle Station has now moved to the East side of York Street, just north of 25 York St. at Bremner Blvd. Staff hours are Monday - Friday: 8 AM - 4 PM. The Station will be unstaffed during the lunch hour.

Oh and by the way, the weather is wonderful outside people... get out of your stuffy apartments, your sunrooms, your offices, your basements, or wherever you happen to be and go cycling. There may not be that many beautiful days outside this summer so enjoy them while you can.

Caroline MacFarlane saves Orange Raleigh

2011-06-07T12:48:00.001-07:00

ART HISTORY - Awhile back I was coming home from Chinatown and walked by the AGO. En route I noticed the orange painted Raleigh bicycle, shown here. The artist had apparently gone through a lot of effort to protect the bicycle ring stand it was locked to from getting paint on it.

I wanted to mention it on here, but when I got home I promptly forgot about it. (I have so many blog ideas I forget to write about its ridiculous...)

Anywho, it might have been relegated to the back of my mind, but the city officials nearby apparently decided that painted artworks (abandoned bicycles or not) don't belong attached to bicycle ring stands.

They issued a removal order and attached it to the bike, which the artist Caroline MacFarlane later found, got upset about and promptly blogged about it.

Then Councillor Adam Vaughan called the removal order another blow in the “war on creativity.” Picked up by the local mass media, the topic of "war on creativity" got a lot of attention from Torontonians... and around the world.

So much that the city has since backed down on the issue and the orange Raleigh is still there, despite it supposed to being removed yesterday (Monday June 6th).

Discussions are now being batted around about what will become of the art piece. No matter what happens, it won’t be destroyed.

“Whether it stays in front of the gallery or travels around the city, both are options we’re exploring,” says MacFarlane.

Bicycle Mechanic Jobs & Salaries

2011-06-07T09:18:00.000-07:00

Bike shops are ALWAYS looking to hire more bicycle mechanics, especially in the Spring. The problem however is the Old Catch 22... they only want experienced mechanics who know what they are doing, don't need to be taught anything and do what they're told.

And because every bike shop is different and follows their own set of rules as to the proper way to fix a bicycle (most of them don't do things "by the book"). Worse some bicycle mechanics who have been at a bicycle shop a long time have some serious ego problems and will deride new mechanics, complain about their lack of skills/experience (even if the new mechanic is actually older or even more experienced) because they see the new mechanic as a threat.

If you were thinking of escaping office politics by becoming a bicycle mechanic, think again. Some bicycle mechanics think the shop is their "turf" and the moment you step on their turf you had better do what they say or they will find some excuse to either not hire you or get you fired.

And for what?

Why would anyone want to go through this nonsense and put up with backstabbing / egotistical co-workers with a serious personality problem like that?

Well as some bicycle mechanics put it, its all about the lifestyle. They just love fixing bicycles.

It would have to be the lifestyle because the average salary for a bicycle mechanic is horrible. Minimum wage or barely above minimum wage. Depending on where you go bicycle mechanics can get up to $30,000 per year in wages... but that is only if you are really experienced and know what you are doing.

Otherwise don't expect much in terms of salary. The good news is if your job resume is good a bicycle mechanic can EASILY find work. Bicycle mechanics are always in high demand. If you don't like a particular shop, you can easily quit and work some place else within days.

But if your resume is short on experience then bicycle shops don't even want to look at you.

I'd argue the best way to get hired as a bicycle mechanic if you don't have experience is to first get training (see my posts about bicycle mechanic schools) and then you have several options...

#1. Go to every bicycle shop near you and give them your resume. Your resume should be based on skills instead of experience. Talk about your ability to fix brakes, shocks, derailleurs, etc.

#2. Become friends with other bicycle mechanics and/or managers. Bug them into hiring you.

#3. Beg the manager to give you a chance. Get down on your freaking knees when you do it just to show them you are serious.

#4. If all else fails, grab your tools and setup shop down the street from a bike shop or across the street and offer "free bicycle repairs, donations accepted!" When the manager of the bike shop realizes they are losing business to you and that all you want is a chance to prove you can do it they will rethink hiring you.

Bike Works Community Bicycle Space

2011-06-04T10:27:00.000-07:00

June 4th (today) is the official launch of the Bike Works Community Bicycle Space at Evergreen Brick Works in Toronto.

Bike Works is a brand new community bike space at Evergreen Brick Works whose main aim is to increase the use of bicycles as a viable and sustainable mode of transportation. It is the home base of our bike program, Green City Cycles.

Bike Works has 3 main offerings to the Public:

1. Do it yourself repair – Come in and use the tools, space and get the assistance you need to fix and maintain your own ride.

2. Rentals - Have someone visiting from out of town? Rent a bicycle for a day and show them our great city and amazing Ravine system trails.

3. Workshops - Bike Works offers basic maintenance workshops and safe riding workshops for the general public. Details at the Evergreen Website.

Check out Evergreens Bike Month Events.

Electric Bicycle Sales Up Up UP!

2011-05-24T09:01:00.001-07:00

Bicycle manufacturer Derby Cycle says its profits are up 40%, mostly due to electric bicycle sales which are up 134%.

And they`re not alone. Other e-bike manufacturers are seeing similar rises in the popularity of electric bicycles.

And not just manufacturers... some bicycle mechanics are now taking old bicycles and turning them into electric bicycles...

Like Velo Wrench Bike Shop (Vacaville California), which has been adding a battery-powered electric kit above the rear wheel which transforms almost any bicycle into an electric hybrid.

Vincent Coons, the bicycle mechanic who owns the shop, is being paid $1,200 for each conversion he makes (minus the cost of the kit, its a healthy profit). Increasingly Vincent is being asked to perform the conversion that takes a few hours to complete.

A retrofitted e-bike kit adds a battery and motor with enough juice to travel 40 miles (64 km), making it a lot easier for people who hate cycling up hills, but still want the option of using their own steam when they want to.

E-bikes go up to 20 to 25 mph, which means they are still classified as bicycles and don`t require licensing.

Electric bicycle usage worldwide has experienced rapid growth since 1998. It is now estimated that there were roughly 120 million e-bikes in China as of early 2010, and sales are expanding rapidly in India and the Netherlands (Holland is the capitol of bicycle usage).

The Electric Bikes Worldwide Reports estimated that 1 million electric bicycles were sold in Europe in 2010. The report said that sales in the United States reached roughly 300,000 in 2010, double the number sold in 2009.

NOTE: Car usage is down in the USA. In 2008 there was 250 million cars in the USA. In 2009 it dropped to 246 million as approx. 4 million Americans scrapped their old cars and opted for other forms of transportation.

E-bikes come in different varieties but share common characteristics: They can be powered by pedals alone, a mounted battery pack, with a power output starting at 250 watts, and an approx. 1/3rd horsepower motor connected to the rear wheel.

Often there is 3 modes: Pedaling, Assisted Pedaling, Electric. Some models don't have the full electric mode, providing only assisted pedaling. A simple throttle switch on the handlebars controls the power.

The e-bike ends up feeling lighter and easier, the amount of effort needed is significantly reduced.

E-bike sales in the U.S. have been growing at roughly 21% per year clip and could reach 785,000 a year by 2016, according to Pike Research, a clean energy market research firm.

In the USA bicycles are generally not considered a viable form of transportation, according to Dave Hurst, a senior analyst at Pike Research. Americans are just too lazy and obsessed with gasoline cars. The same is true of electric cars and hybrid cars, which many Americans openly scorn. Still, Hurst says, the e-bike is winning an increasing number of converts among people who wouldn't otherwise be on a bike, particularly in cities that have added bike lanes.

Deborah Fortier, a 60-year-old piano teacher who lives on Manhattans Upper West Side, had been riding a traditional two-wheeler to her lessons but she was arriving tired and sweaty. After she bought an e-bike 3 years ago, Fortier started scheduling her lessons 15 minutes apart and arriving fresh. Fortier is now an e-bike evangelist and wants more people to abandon their cars for e-bikes.

That would get more people thinking about going out and putting a basket on their bikes and doing shopping, says Fortier. You get a whole wonderful new sense of yourself and the city.

Its also effecting the tourism industry.

Bike tour companies are bringing in more customers by offering e-bikes as an option. They’re leveling the playing field between the fit and the less-so — and assuaging would-be riders’ fear of hills — by adding electronic bikes to their fleets.

“There’s no learning curve to using these bikes,” assures Dan Lehman, owner of the bike tour company Austin Lehman, the first North American outfit to use e-bikes widely on its tours. “They’re very intuitive, with brakes that are the same as on a normal bike.”

Austin Lehman’s announcement this spring that it would be adding e-bikes spurred such interest that the company is planning to purchase 10 more Diamont Trek Ride+ bikes than expected, a sign that many people are welcoming the addition of e-bikes to their roster. Use of e-bikes incurs a $25 per day surcharge over the regular cost of the week long tours.

“We just got a call from a multi-generational family, and it was the availability of the e-bikes that convinced the older folks that they could handle the trip,” says Dan Lehman.

E-bikes are now available for one-day excursions in tourist destinations too. Austin, Texas has them via Austin Lehman Adventures ( austinlehman.com), which offers two-hour overview tours of the city for $48 (less for kids).

The London Electric Bike Tours ( londonelectricbiketours.com; 35-50 British pounds depending on tour length) offers tours of the film locations, as well as more classic cycles along the Thames and to such tourist must sees.

Paris Charms and Secrets ( parischarmssecrets.com; 45 euros per four-hour tour) introduces visitors to both the famous sights and the hidden gems in the city, including the hillier routes.

Napa Valley Bike Tours ( napavalleybiketours.com) in California rents electronic bikes on its day-long and half-day wine tasting tours, for $25 over the normal price (which starts at $89, including lunch, maps and equipment on a self-guided tour).

I Bike Tuscany ( ibiketuscany.com; 129 euros including lunch) does the same type of wine cycle, but transports guests in a van from Florence to the starting point in Poggio in Chianti for rides through medieval towns and wineries.

This is not a complete list of e-bike tours, but you get the idea.

The point I am making is that 20 years from now the roads could be filled with a lot more electric bicycles than any of us were expecting, especially if the price drops considerably.

Bicycle Insurance Rehashed

2011-05-16T15:48:00.000-07:00

I've decided to revisit the bicycle insurance topic (previously covered in Bicycle Insurance + Other Goodies) because I have found a number of businesses that do offer bicycle insurance, and I've also come up with an innovative way that bicycle shops could offer insurance.

First my innovation...

What if bicycle shops (large retail chains) offered Bicycle Insurance when people bought new bicycles or came in for a tune-up? To make it easier they might team up with an insurance company to handle some of the financial aspects of such a deal. The insurance would be two fold:

Theft Insurance

Vandalism Insurance (this happens more often than you'd think)

Some market research would have to be done to determine what rate to charge customers, but presumably the rate would be equal to that being charged by some of the companies below or other major insurers.

Canadian Banks have been offering insurance for years now, part of their effort to control more of Canada's financial industry. I can't speak for other countries, but I imagine there's other industries trying to get into the insurance industry there as well.

My idea draws inspiration from the above idea, except that it has one major benefit for bicycle shops: It guarantees return business. If someone's bicycle is stolen or vandalized (which can only be proven by submitting a police report), then the customer comes back to the bicycle shop where they purchased the insurance to have the vandalism repaired or the bicycle replaced (thus allowing the bike shop more profits).

Teaming up with a larger insurance company to handle claims would make this process easier. The bicycle shop would get a commission for every customer who signs up for insurance.

In the meantime here is a list of companies which offer bicycle insurance:

Cycleguard (UK)

Cyclecover (Australia)

Velosure (Australia)

And there is also a number of general insurance companies offering bicycle insurance in addition to home insurance, car insurance, life insurance, etc. I recommend searching for local companies when comparing rates.

Higher gas prices = More work for bicycle mechanics

2011-05-11T05:26:00.000-07:00

Its simple economics...

When gasoline prices soar (ie. its above $1.40 / litre in Toronto right now) people have a tendency to go out and walk more, buy scooters, bicycles, etc. Worrying about the environment might factor into this, but for most people that is just a side perk.

And in some cases they look at that rusty 18-speed in their garage and realize "Hey, the tires are still good. It just needs a tune-up."

Its a strange little phenomenon that I've noticed...

Most people, if something goes wrong with their bicycle (usually the derailleurs on the gears) they have a tendency to toss the bicycle in the garage and forget to fix it. If its the brakes they might try and fix it. Essentially if its anything complicated they won't bother to fix it.

And this is true of most people. Only the adamant "I NEED MY BICYCLE" people will bother taking it to a bicycle mechanic, because most people figure they don't have the time.

But when gasoline prices start soaring they look wistfully at their old broken bicycle once more and realize there is some cost savings at having it fixed.

The more flamboyant people will even go shopping for a new bike, maybe even purchase an electric bicycle or a folding bicycle if they're the type who likes that sort of thing.

I just think it is an amusing phenomenon, that's all. With gasoline prices expected to continue soaring in the future, we can expect a lot more work for bicycle mechanics.

Maybe its time we raised how much we get paid? (The average bicycle mechanic gets minimum wage or barely above that.)

Bicycle Mechanic Schools in Canada & USA

2011-05-05T18:33:00.000-07:00

Colorado Springs, Colorado / Barnett Bicycle Institute

Guelph, Ontario / Winterborne Mechanic Course

Portland, Oregon / United Bicycle Institute

Quadra Island, British Columbia / Quadra Island Bicycle Mechanic Training Program

Toronto, Ontario / BAM (now defunct)

Amusing Bicycle Videos

2011-05-04T19:37:00.001-07:00

ENTERTAINMENT - These are just for fun.

Monty Python - Bicycle Repair Man

I also recommend checking out Monty Python's Flying Circus 3x08: The Cycling Tour.

Zen and the Art of Bicycle Repair

Peanuts Cartoon - Rerun riding on the back of a bicycle

The Bike Shop as a hangout place...

2011-05-04T19:03:00.001-07:00

Imagine going to a bicycle shop where they serve coffee and other goodies behind a bar, has a place to sit and talk bikes with other cyclists.

Thats the idea being pushed by new bike shops... like The Bicycle Source in Anaheim, California.

The Bicycle Source was original founded and opened by Steve Potts in the 1980s and was a place for cyclist to hang out and talk, in addition to selling and repairing bicycles, and a variety of bicycle gear. The shop later closed in 1995.

However there is good news for cyclists in Anaheim California... the Bicycle Source is back. Reopened by Dan Hubbard and Steve Blackey. Hubbard is the original shop mechanic and manager and Dan Hubbard was a team rider. Both were key players in making it a happening place during its heyday.

If you have a favourite bicycle shop you know its a fun place to hang out. Indeed sometimes local businesses spring up nearby just because of the bicycle shop across the street.

In Toronto for example, check out the cafe "Jet Fuel" at 519 Parliament Street. Its just north and across the street from Cycle Solutions at 444 Parliament Street.

True, Cycle Solutions doesn't sell coffee or biscuits, but Jet Fuel (as a bicycle themed cafe) certainly does.

In the case of The Bicycle Source and similar locations its more than just a retail store. Its a destination, a place to hang out. The Bicycle Source for example is more for BMX riders, and comes fully equipped with an indoor ramp area, movie screening lounge, and an indoor space for hosting events. The shop also honours legendary riders with museum-like displays of bicycles/equipment and photos of famous BMX bikers throughout the shop.

There aren't many bicycle oriented museums in the world. But maybe there should be.

Support this Blog!

2011-05-04T18:15:00.000-07:00

Enjoying this blog? Show your support! You can:

A) Donate! See my PayPal donation button on the right side!

B) Advertise! For $30 CDN / year for a text ad, or $50 CDN / year for a banner with ALT text. For more details email charlesmoffat[a]charlesmoffat.com.

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D) Tell your friends!

E) All of the above! Woot!

My thanks goes out to all our supporters who have helped make this blog the #1 Bicycle Mechanic website on the internet (unless you count wikipedia, which isn't really fair since that is just a basic info website and doesn't actually provide advice).

Charlie's FreeWheels

2011-04-26T16:16:00.000-07:00

CANADA - Charlie’s FreeWheels is a bicycle mechanic training program in Toronto which helps youth from Regent Park. The free program mentors and teaches young would-be bicycle mechanics, using donated bicycles from the community.

The program only teaches the basics, but its a solid start for people wanting to learn the essentials of bike repair and maintenance.

The program has being going on for several years now and its turned around the lives of the students involved. They've even launched a new bike shop at 242.5 Queen St East to house all the bicycles they're repairing.

The new Charlie’s Bike Shop will provide repair service, parts, accessories and sales of refurbished bikes to the public. All proceeds will be funneled back into youth programs.

The program's name refers to the late Charles Prinsep, who was struck and killed while on a cross-country bike trip in 2007. He conceived of the idea and following his death, some of Prinsep’s friends wanted to do something in his honour and felt his idea of a bicycle mechanic mentoring program was definitely something he would have wanted to see happen.

Youths involved also receive a free bicycle (which they first fix), a lock and a helmet. Each youth also takes part in CAN-BIKE safety certification.

Since its launch two years ago, 30 youth have gone through Charlie’s Freewheels.

Monowheel that doesn't work

2011-04-20T08:27:00.000-07:00

The following is a series of photos of a "Monowheel" contraption which doesn't actually work and was designed by British designer Ben Wilson. Its apparently not very comfortable either.

The concept isn't new and there are working versions out there built by different people, but no one has managed to design one which works "properly" despite many inventors who have tried. There have been motorized versions made also, but likewise there are always design faults.

Still, its amusing.

Spring Cleaning your Bicycle

2011-04-03T18:04:00.000-07:00

Its Spring again!

The birds are chirping, the raccoons are frolicking, people are starting to get out their short shorts... and you've just discovered a leak in your garage which caused your bicycle to be snowed/rained on all winter long.

Or maybe you left your bicycle outside in a snowbank all winter long.

Or maybe its just covered in dust, grime and mud because you shoved it away in a corner in November and didn't bother to clean all the mud off it after sloshing through the muddy streets on it.

Well its pretty much guaranteed that you now need a tune up, so here's a checklist for you to go down.

THE SPRING CLEANING TUNE UP CHECK LIST!

#1. Refill the tires. They're probably looking kinda flat, and even if they don't give them a top-up to the proper PSI. Don't overfill them however, use a pressure gauge, read the PSI requirements on the side of the tire and fill accordingly. Overfilling the tires can cause them to burst at the worst possible moment and have "catastrophic wheel failure"...

#2. Clean all the rust off the chain. Most bicycle shops don't sell stuff for removing rust (too many people are afraid of accidentally removing paint) so you may need to visit a hardware store to buy some CLR to remove the rust. Remember to wear latex gloves and avoid contact with your eyes because its very acidic. I recommend brushing the CLR on with a wire brush.

You may also need to degrease your bicycle chain and then add fresh oil. Be sure to use environmentally friendly bicycle oil. WD40 will only make your chain worse because WD40 collects dirt and the next thing you know your chain is full of grit.

#3. Check the brakes are in perfect working order. I like having perfectly tuned brakes. Check your brake levers too.

#4. Check your shifters are working too. (If they are not working properly I should warn you this isn't a skill normally taught to beginners, so either consult Barnett's Manual or visit your local bicycle mechanic. Note to Self: Make A Comprehensive Guide for Adjusting Shifters.)

#5. If you or your kids are growing, you may need to adjust the handlebars and/or seat height.

#6. Take it for a quick spin and make sure everything else is in working order. ie. The handlebars might be a bit stiff.

You could be extra paranoid and take your bike in for a complete tune up, but I should warn you this is the BUSIEST time of the year for bicycle shops, so be prepared for a long wait. (As in, weeks or even a month before you get the call saying you bike is tuned.)

Toronto Bike Month

2011-03-26T15:10:00.000-07:00

CANADA - Around the world in many cities, there are Bike to Work days, Weeks and Months. These celebrations are about having fun, and trying to encourage people to ride their bikes more.

On Monday May 30, 2011 municipalities across Ontario are coordinating events to celebrate a GTHA-wide Bike to Work Day. Join in by riding in Toronto's Group Commute to City Hall and get a free t-shirt, and a hot pancake breakfast.

The Group Commute also marks the beginning of Toronto's Bike Month events. These events are community-driven and take place City-wide.

BIXI Toronto Set to Launch on May 3rd

2011-03-26T15:05:00.000-07:00

CANADA - The City of Toronto and the Public Bike System Company are proud to announce that the official launch of the BIXI Toronto program will take place on May 3rd with 1,000 bikes, 80 BIXI stations and 1,500 docking points in Toronto's downtown core.

Toronto City Council approved the BIXI Toronto program last May. More than 1,200 Torontonians purchased an annual membership last fall, five months before the program's launch.

Tour d'Afrique riders head for Sudan

2011-01-25T11:56:00.000-08:00

I received the following email a couple days ago...

Hi there Charles!

I hope this finds you well!

Quick note to let you know that the Tour d'Afrique bicycle race from Cairo to Cape Town is underway.

The riders have just finished the 1,000 km stretch in Egypt and are in Aswan today, getting ready to board the ferry for Sudan.

I've attached two photos from Tour d'Afrique rider, Kristian Pletten... as well as an update from Cristiano Wernick, our Communications Manager on the tour.

Thanks for any support you may be able to afford the tour over the next 15 weeks.

Regards and thanks
Theresa

Theresa Brown
Tour d'Afrique
Tel: +27 (0) 44 389 0007
Cell: +27 (0) 84 353 1975
theresa@tourdafrique.com
www.tourdafrique.com

THE FIRST 1000 KM

Aswan, Egypt. January 23, 2011 – Cycling through the desert, on roads along the Red
Sea, past rocky mountains and alongside the green pastures of the Nile River, the first few days on Tour d’Afrique rewarded the riders with beautiful and distinct landscape vistas. In Aswan today, the riders are preparing for the long ferry ride across Lake Nasser into Sudan.

The first rest day of the tour happened in Luxor, after 6 stages (766 km), and some of the participants used the time to see the Karnak temple, the Valley of the Kings and other attractions, while others updated their blogs, chatted with families and friends back home and went over their equipment and strategies for the next stages of the race. Each day brings new challenges, such as strong headwinds, unexpected hills, tents collapsed by strong winds and sand storms as well as the social dynamic of living with a big group under harsh conditions.

Those who are racing have agreed on a strategy and ride most of the day in a big
peloton, taking turns at leading and leaving the competition to the sprints over the last few kilometers of each day´s stage. North American Paul Wolfe, who is leading the men´s competition, has trained hard for over a year and pushes himself and the rest of the group really hard. The Egyptian racers, Ahmed, Mohamed and Sharif have also trained all year round for this race, and since they’re only racing the 9-day stretch in Egypt, they’ve been giving the other racers a solid, hard time.

While the racers compete and plan their long-term strategies, other riders prefer to
experience Africa at a slower and more relaxed pace. Canadian father and son, Paul and Matthew Paridaen, decided to ride their bikes together all the way from Cairo to Khartoum in order to spend some quality time together.

Most of the riders up until now have been able to keep their EFI (Every Fabulous Inch) status, but with the many challenges ahead of them, not least of all the mountains of Ethiopia and the lava rock roads in northern Kenya, it will be those who possess the strongest will to endure who will make it through to Cape Town and earn themselves the distinction of having cycled every inch of the way.

Bixi's founding 1000 members

2011-01-25T11:43:00.000-08:00

Toronto is well on their way to having the Bixi bicycle rental service available. The initial 1000 members needed have subscribed to the $95 / year agreement which allows them to borrow Bixi bicycles whenever they need one and park it in another Bixi parking lot when they are done with it.

Minneapolis, Washington D.C., London, Melbourne and Montreal have already adopted Bixi, a program which has achieved significant success thus far whereas other bicycle sharing/rental services have failed.

See toronto.bixi.com for more details.

The program is now in infrastructure mode, acquiring spaces where people can borrow and return bicycles.

One such location will be a new square being built in front of 52nd Division, the police station on Dundas between Simcoe and St. Patrick streets. The land has been slated to become public space for decades, but has been tied up in red tape.

Other places to be added include various publicly owned buildings, squares, parks, major libraries, TTC and GO stations throughout Toronto. The Bixi program will also be available for tourists who wish to only rent a bicycle for a shorter time frame.

Obituary for Bicycle Mechanic Terry Gardner

2011-01-25T11:30:00.000-08:00

TERRELL (TERRY) GARDNER

Toronto humanist, family man, mathematician, peace activist, cyclist, bicycle mechanic.

Born 22nd September 1926, Cleveland, Ohio.

Died 22nd December 2010, Toronto, after fifty years of skirmishes with cancer.

Served in U.S. Navy, 1944-46. B.A., Philosophy and Education, Antioch College, 1950; M.A., Ph.D., Mathematics, Columbia University, 1959, 1964. Member, Department of Mathematics, University of Toronto, 1966-1991, who loved the simplicity, elegance, and beauty of abstract mathematics. Cofounder, Education Director, and one-time President, Science for Peace; Founder, Toronto branch of United Campuses against Nuclear War; Member Canadian Pugwash Group, Group of 78, Veterans against Nuclear Arms, environmental and humanitarian groups. His vision and insistent effort led to the establishment of the University of Toronto's lectures, Chair, and undergraduate Programme in Peace Studies, and contributed to the development of Peace Studies curricula world-wide.

Terry was an inspired bicycle mechanic, who commuted, shopped, and toured by fine tuned bicycle, cycling with his wife in Southern Ontario and Quebec, north-eastern United States, south central Austria, and repeatedly in southwest France and the Pyrenees.

Pre-deceased by his first wife, Eleanor Gail Hollinger, and his daughter Susan. Survived by his sister, Fay Gardner Lawton, his wife, Constance Ruth Moore, daughters Molly and Kate, six grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.

Friends may make donations in his memory to a cause they favour, or to Science for Peace, The Nature Conservancy, ~ the Canadian Friends Service Committee, or project Ploughshares. Morley Bedford Funeral Services, Toronto, 416-489-8733.

Steampunk Bicycle

2011-01-17T15:05:00.001-08:00

Check out this retro styled steampunk recumbent bicycle. :)

Want to learn more about Steampunk?

Russian engineers build Submarine Bicycle

2010-12-16T07:24:00.000-08:00

TECHNOLOGY - Okay, technically its not a bicycle. Its just pedal powered.

If you ever dreamed of traveling underwater this underwater novelty is being promoted to the rich as an alternative to scuba diving. And its reasonable affordable, approx. $90,000 USD, which is pretty cheap for a submarine. (Normally submarines are very expensive because of all the engines and electrical parts.)

The Russian engineers who built "the Blue Space" are promoting it as the first ever pedal-powered submarine (technically not true, read below).

“Usually they use heavy engines and propellers and huge batteries for underwater vehicles – and that requires a lot of energy,” explained Vladimir Taradonov from the State Marine Technical University. “Ours can be driven by just two people's efforts! Nothing hard – even children can do it!”

The Blue Space can dive down to 30 meters for up to four hours, traveling at approx. six kilometers per hour, a leisurely pace and with its sky-roof cockpit provides passengers with amazing views. So tourism resorts could easily afford it and provide it as an option for visitors.

Its also being touted as a cheaper alternative for maritime archeology and inspection of underwater pipes.

Lastly, its invisible to sonar so there are some worries it could be used to spy on things (seriously, spy on what exactly? It can only go 30 meters deep) or smuggle people or items across borders (slowly).

It also comes with lots of safety equipment to prevent it from diving too deep and for peace of mind.

It is technically not the first of its kind either. There is also the Scubster.

The Scubster is also an underwater bike, a pedal powered submarine with twin propellors that push it through the water at a 8 kmph. Built in France, its inventor Stephane Rousson hopes that rich people will buy it as a toy for their expensive yachts.

The Scubster may be smaller and faster, but it can only carry 1 person. Worse, it can only go 20' underwater. The price tag hasn't been announced.

Quadra Island Bike Shop

2010-10-27T11:43:00.000-07:00

CANADA - If you are visiting British Columbia and going cycling, there is no better place to go than Quadra Island.

And if you need bicycle repairs while on Quadra Island there is no better place to go than Smokey's Bike Shop.

Why?

Because Smokey Dymny (the guy who runs the shop on Quadra Island) isn't just a bicycle mechanic. He is a bicycle mechanic instructor, one of the best. He taught the BAM Program here in Toronto. So your repairs will be professionally done and you just might learn something too.

If you are looking to learn how to fix bicycles you can also contact Smokey and ask what it would cost to learn.

Smokey's Bicycle Shop
1024 Heriot Bay Road, the Animal Farm Trail
Quadra Island, British Columbia
CANADA

CONTACT
250 - 285 - 2447
smokeydymny{at}rogers.com

Is Georgetown the most Bicycle Friendly town in Ontario?

2010-10-27T11:10:00.000-07:00

CANADA - Imagine going to a town via the GO Train... and arriving in a place which has 50 different bicycles routes listed on bikely.com? I am talking about the town of Georgetown Ontario in case you haven't guessed yet.

See http://www.bikely.com/listpaths/srchkey/georgetown/country/43/region/37 to see what I mean about all the bicycle routes.

Imagine also that you bang your wheel and need to replace it. Where can you find a bicycle mechanic in Georgetown?

Well, there is several locations:

Ollie's Cycle & Ski
30 Main Street South, Georgetown, ON L7G 3G4
(905) 873-2441 ‎

Up Your Bike
162 Guelph St, Georgetown, ON L7G4A6
(905) 702-8854 ‎

Sports Unlimited
170 Guelph Street, Georgetown, ON L7G 4A7
(905) 877-5546 ‎

M & M Pro Sport
10 Mountainview Road South, Georgetown, ON L7G 4J9
(905) 877-6686

After your bike is fixed, how about going for a ride? There is so many parks in Georgetown its a tad ridiculous. There is also rivers and lots of scenery. Its not just a great place to go for a bicycle ride, its a great place to do photography.

Or just plain move there. Georgetown has townhomes for sale there for $289,900 in the Weaver's Mill area, close to downtown Georgetown and walking distance to the GO Station.

If you look at a map of Georgetown you will see quite a few of the streets curve, which means the traffic will be moving slowly. Ideal for cyclists who like quiet streets.

There might be other towns which are more bicycle friendly than Georgetown, but feel free to email me or leave me a comment about which town you think is better.

Bixi reaches 750 members!

2010-10-06T12:45:00.001-07:00

CANADA - Bixi has reached over 750 members. Once it reaches 1,000 Toronto's public bike-rental program will become a reality.

Check out toronto.bixi.com if you want to sign up.

The Bixi program will also allow shorter term rentals for people just visiting Toronto and will expand as the program grows, similar to Montreal's Bixi program.

Amusing Yellow Two Seater Bicycle

2010-08-15T19:48:00.000-07:00

CANADA - I saw the yellow two-seater bicycle below at a bicycle shop in Chinatown, Toronto. I liked it and thought it was amusing so I took a photo.

The shop I saw it at was "Uncle Jacob" at approx. 355 Spadina Avenue, Toronto, ON M5T 2G3, Canada‎. Phone: 416-340-2715‎.

Bicycle licenses in Toronto? Don't make me laugh

2010-08-04T10:53:00.000-07:00

CANADA - In the current mayoral campaign the issue of whether Toronto should force cyclists to get licenses to ride their bicycles has come up in the local media. This isn't the first time the city has thought about licensing cyclists. They failed in their attempt last time and they will certainly fail again.

According to the city’s website there are three reasons why licensing would NEVER work:

#1. How do you license children?

#2. How do make sure the database is complete and accurate when bicycles are privately bought and sold on a constant basis?

#3. Licensing cyclists won't change their behaviour.

I have some more reasons the city hasn't thought of:

#4. What about tourists who like cycling downtown or on Centre Island? Bike rental places would be put out of business.

#5. Cyclists will NEVER agree to pay $200 for a cycling license.

There's approx. a million people in Toronto who own bicycles... at $200 each this is nothing more than a $200 million tax grab. Taxing cyclists is also completely unenforcable. The police don't even stop cyclists to see if they have a light or a rear reflector so they're certainly not going to worry if cyclists have a license.

What the city wants to do is create a "Department of Cycling". Cyclists would have to take a road test every 2 years. Bike shops, associations and bicycle mechanics would have be registered and pay fees to help pay for the system.

Cyclists would pay $200 every 2 years to have a license.

Businesses and associations would pay $500 every year to be registered.

The city would hire a team of people to administer the database and use some of the funding to help make future bike lanes.

Children under the age of 16 would be exempt from licensing.

Bike shops, associations, schools, after-school programs and summer camps would be asked to teach bike safety.

However this will do nothing to change the behaviour of cyclists. Licensing doesn't change the behaviour of motorists, so why would it change cyclists? Asking cyclists to pay $200 every 2 years is really just a PUNISHMNENT for being a cyclist and has nothing to do with road safety and everything to do with motorists-who-despise-cyclists and are jealous of the fact we cyclists don't have to pay anything.

His proposal also includes enforcing stiffer fines and penalties on reckless cyclists, introducing a points system and the ability to suspend licenses. A special police unit would be created just for catching cyclists.

This plan is being promoted by Robert Kirsic (who works for the Ontario Motor Vehicle Industry Council in Toronto), who admits he prefers to drive a car, and apparently has it stuck in his head that police need to have a crackdown on cyclists and turn Toronto into a police state with respect to cyclists.

(Side Note: So why can't they create a special police unit just for catching people who smoke within 9 meters of public entrances? Oh wait, its because its a waste of time enforcing every little law.)

Robert Kirsic is apparently an idiot. He hasn't clued in that if other cities haven't been able to enforce bicycle licenses, then its obviously not going to work in Toronto where one out every five people owns a bicycle... in a city of 5 to 6 million. Bicycle licensing is a joke. It would be a waste of time and resources and will do NOTHING to create a safer environment. Its nothing more than a $200 million tax grab.

Want to make the roads safer? Start by adding bicycle lanes to all major roads. Educate drivers about the fact cyclists are here to stay and they have an equal right to use the road. (We've been here longer than drivers technically if you compare the years at which bicycles and cars were invented.)

And while you're at it pass a law requiring drivers to leave a 5' space between the car and curb at all times. Quite a few accidents happen when drivers box in cyclists by driving too close to the curb sometimes on purpose (some drivers are just dangerous pricks).

Parkour Cycling Videos

2010-07-17T12:57:00.000-07:00

The following is a parkour-style cycling video, plus Danny MacAskill`s video at the bottom which I`ve posted twice before. (See Extreme Bicycle Stunts by Danny MacAskill and Danny MacAskill's video hits 17 million.)

565 Sherbourne Chopping Off Bikes

2010-06-28T14:26:00.000-07:00

CANADA - Thank god I talk to other cyclists otherwise I never would have known what was about to happen to my bicycle...

The building management at 565 Sherbourne (owned by Medallion Properties Inc.) has arbitrarily decided that the bike rack in front of the Shoppers Drug Mart is for residents of their building only and are going to be chopping people's bikes off. I learned this from a fellow cyclist when we stopped to move the bike racks in question back from the road a bit, because they're not bolted to the sidewalk and have a tendency to shift.

Apparently the land the Shoppers Drug Mart is on belongs to 565 Sherbourne, not to the Shoppers Drugmart itself. There is no signs or anything indicating who owns the bike racks in question. Seriously, what would it cost to put up a sign that says "This Bike Rack is for Residents of 565 Sherbourne Only"...?

Now while it is true that the building management can do whatever they want on their own property, chopping off people's bikes and stealing them is a fuzzy gray zone. Especially when there is no signage declaring ownership.

And what happens when they accidentally chop off the bike belonging to a tenant? Or a bike belonging to a friend of a tenant? Or someone just picking up a prescription of medication at the Shoppers Drug Mart?

The sad thing is that Toronto doesn't have a lot of legislation on this issue. This type of thing happens far too often (I have friends who have had their bikes chopped off when visiting friends at their apartment buildings). The rights of building managements to control their bike racks and chopping off bikes (effectively stealing them) needs to be balanced with cyclist rights. Right now building managers across the city are acting like bullies and ignoring the rights of bicycle owners.

Its bad enough that spot is already known for vandalism and bike theft. The problem is that when one person's bike gets stolen, it sometimes sets off a rash of bike thefts... so if a company cuts off people's bikes and removes them all at once, suddenly the whole neighbourhood could see a rash of bike thefts.

People take the theft of their property very seriously and not everyone is above just stealing someone elses when theirs is taken. The real criminal here however is the building management for refusing to put up a sign so the general public knows they can't park their bikes there.

If the City of Toronto would add more bicycle racks outside of store fronts this wouldn't be a problem. Diddo for apartment buildings with lots of cyclists. And just scrap the "residents only" policy of chopping people's bikes off. Its unnecessary and just leads to more problems when a sign could discourage people.

According to a Google search the apartment buildings in question also have trouble with bedbugs, crackheads living in the building, residents harassing people walking by and throwing things at pedestrians... and a Toronto.ca PDF which reveals the following:

"By-law 1044-2006 which permitted the construction of the Shoppers Drug Mart required 60 bicycle parking spaces to be provided in a secured bicycle parking area."

If there's any lawyers out there who could explain what this means, please do. Does that mean they MUST provide bicycle parking NEAR the Shoppers Drug Mart, and this must be done in a "secure" fashion?

Seriously, how secure is a bike rack that isn't even bolted to the pavement?

I learned from building management they are intending to remove the bike rack entirely on July 5th, one week from now. No word on whether the owners of the bicycles will be given much of a warning. If they do remove it, wouldn't that place them in violation of the above mentioned by-law which requires 60 bicycle parking spaces? (It should be noted the existing bike racks only provide space for 30, so they're already in violation of the by-law.)

What a conundrum.

The New Evergreen Bike Works

2010-06-28T08:33:00.000-07:00

The New Evergreen Bike Works (located at the Evergreen Brick Works, amusing isn't it?) at 550 Bayview Avenue in Toronto is looking for bicycle mechanic volunteers to help build bikes and put the finishing touches on the shop.

For more information contact Shah Mohamed at realbrew{atsymbol}gmail.com.

Bicycle Collisions: What To Do

2010-06-07T14:11:00.000-07:00

CANADA - Some of the info below pertains to Toronto. If you live elsewhere please consult your local municipality websites with respect to cyclists.

Report the crash at the scene. Have someone call "911" or if you live in Toronto call the police non-emergency number (416-808-2222). Wait for police to arrive.

Ask witnesses to identify themselves.

If a motor vehicle is involved, record the driver's name, phone number, insurance policy details, a description of the vehicle and the license plate number.

If you are injured at all, see a doctor. Ask for a letter describing your condition.

If your bike needs repair, get a written estimate from a bike shop.

If you have insurance, speak to your broker. If not, call the insurance company of the driver(s) involved in the crash.

If you have no access to insurance, contact the Motor Vehicle Accident Claims Fund at 1-800-268-7188.

Advocacy for Respect for Cyclists (ARC) can refer you to a lawyer for advice on making an insurance claim. E-mail: arc@respect.to or phone: 416-604-5171.

Do not leave the scene of a collision without talking to the other driver, pedestrian or cyclist involved. 'Hit and run' applies to cyclists as well as drivers. If you choose not to report the crash at the scene, you can file a report at the nearest police station within 24 hours or call 416-808-2222. Cyclists do not have go to a Collision Reporting Centre. Take responsibility for assisting other crash victims by helping them follow the steps above.

In other news...

Less women ride bicycles than men in North America and Australia, according to two separate studies by Rutgers University in New Jersey and Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia. According to the studies approx. 30% of cyclists are women.

According to surveys many women are worried about accidents and getting a "door prize" and the fear of cycling accidents is listed as a major reason.

Malena Andrade, a website designer, experienced her first "door prize" a couple of years ago in Toronto's club district when a group of girls exiting a cab opened the door without looking. Andrade's bike was hit so hard the front wheel warped but fortunately did not taco.

Andrade brushed herself off and managed to cycle home. When she took her wheel to get fixed, she learned about her legal rights as a cyclist.

Female cyclists in Toronto looking to hang out (and eat cupcakes) are recommended to check out cupcakeride.com. Its a Toronto girls only riding group who meet regularly to swap stories and eat cupcakes.

Toronto police looking for witnesses in hit-and-run

2010-06-05T06:12:00.000-07:00

CANADA - Toronto police have a man in custody following a hit-and-run collision that left a cyclist with life-threatening head injuries. The incident happened yesterday (June 4th) when a dark-coloured van struck a 35-year-old male cyclist and left him lying on King St. W., just east of Dufferin St., at around 3 AM.

A taxi driver spotted the victim and called for help. The cyclist was taken to hospital with life-threatening head injuries. Doctors have since been able to stabilize the man’s condition, but his injuries are still considered severe.

Police found a dark-coloured van which matched the desciption and took a man into custody later yesterday morning. The van had significant damage to its front end and a cracked windshield.

Its believed the cyclist was not wearing a helmet at the time of the collision. He was hit so hard he hit the windshield of the van, hurtled through the air and landed in a crumpled heap.

Police are appealing for witnesses to call them at 416-808-1900.

Internal Motor: Hoax or Real?

2010-06-01T19:07:00.000-07:00

TECHNOLOGY - There's a new internal motor you can get for your bicycle if you're interested in having motor assistance for your bicycle, especially those hard rides uphill... but its also causing a stir of rumours in the sporting world because there's a video on YouTube which alleges the Swiss champion Fabian Cancellara may have been cheating in recent races.

So far Fabian Cancellara has won the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix in 2010, but according to an Italian YouTube video (conspiracy theorist type stuff) he may have been using a tiny motor which rests inside the bicycle frame and bottom bracket.

"In fact, it’s pretty funny but it is such a big story that it’s no longer the case," says Fabian Cancellara. "It’s a sad story and really outrageous. Don’t worry my accomplishments are the result of hard work."

"I don’t see an advantage for a guy like Cancellara cheating this way," says Vincent Jourdain, coach of the Canadian national road team. "Can you imagine if he got caught and was found using a motorized bike? I’m not saying that no one would ever try it, but there’s way too much to lose. Maybe I’m wrong. Who knows? But he’s a real specimen on the bike. He doesn’t need a bike like that."

Now that this story has come out it means the UCI might have to change the way they inspect bikes before and after races, checking inside the frame and weighing the bicycle. If the technology is now there it means some cyclists might try to use it.

29-year-old Fabian Cancellara has been winning races since 1998. He is a three-time World Time Trial Champion and is the current Olympic gold medalist (Beijing 2008). He's been performing feats of speed and endurance for years now, earning him the nickname 'the Swiss Spartacus'.

The motor technology is real, but the idea that Fabian Cancellara would cheat is pure hoax and more likely to be the result of Italian rivalry with the Swiss.

Degreasing your Bicycle Chain

2010-05-23T16:31:00.000-07:00

Bicycle chains turn black over time as the chain lube collects dirt and grit while riding or locked up outside. This is unfortunate and affects the performance of your bicycle. Grit stuck to your chain wears down your drive train parts and needs to be cleaned once or twice a year.

Without maintenance you will begin to notice your bicycle doesn't shift gears properly, pedalling is sluggish, you have to work harder and you may have to replace parts faster due to wear. Thus yearly maintenance of both the chain and gear cassettes is a necessity, especially if you're storing your bicycle outside where its more likely to collect extra grit.

THE QUICK WAY

STEP ONE

Even if you're not meticulous about the maintenance of your bicycle, you will know when it is time to degrease the chain and clean the drive train. The speed of your bicycle will be affected, and you will hear grit grinding on metal. Ignore the warning signs and you will have to replace everything that makes your bicycle move -- the chain, chain rings, cassette and rear derailleur. All of that is completely avoidable.

At least once a year, and in some cases twice, you should remove all of the parts from the bicycle for a complete cleaning (or have a mechanic do it). You can get by with a quick degreasing a few times a year if needed.

STEP TWO

A quick degreasing of the drive train entails using a chain scrubber, a degreasing solution and a cassette brush. The chain scrubber will have a reservoir in the bottom. Fill the reservoir with degreasing solution and close the chain in the tool. The tool rests on bicycle's chain stay as the chain moves through it.

The brushes (and, in some cases, brushes and sponges) will pick up the solution from the reservoir and use to scrub the chain as it runs through the tool. The grit will fall to the bottom of the reservoir as the chain is cleaned.

STEP THREE

When the chain appears to be nearly clean, remove it from the tool. Take the cassette brush and run it through the cassette as the free wheel turns. This will loosen grit and grime in the cassette. Take a clean towel or rag and run the chain through the rag to remove the degreaser and grime. You could and should take a towel and wipe the chain rings of excess grit and grime.

The last step is to apply a light Teflon-based oil or lubricant to the chain. Run the chain as you apply the lube. Remove any excess with a towel. The chain should be very lightly oiled; anything other than that makes for grit and dirt.

THE PROPER THOROUGH WAY

STEP ONE

The first process is to use a chain breaker and remove it from the bicycle. Soak the chain in degreaser for a short period of time. Use a cassette brush to scrub the grit and grime that has not come off in the degreaser. Run through clean water to remove the grit and degreaser. Degrease and scrub again if needed. Dry with a clean towel to remove the water when complete.

STEP TWO

Next remove the wheel and cassette. This is accomplished with a cassette locking tool and chain whip. The links of the chain whip are threaded into the cassette to use as resistance so the cassette locking tool can remove the cassette. Once the cassette is removed, it should be soaked in degreaser for a short period of time The cassette should then be scrubbed, washed in watter and dried like the chain. Return the cassette to the free wheel hub, but apply a light amount of grease to the hub. Reverse the process with the cassette locking tool and wrench.

STEP THREE

You can manage the chain rings one of two ways: First, you can use degreaser and a towel and clean the teeth until you're satisfied. Or you can remove the crank, soak the chain rings and then clean them. This is the same process employed in removal and reassembly, but you will need to use a lock ring wrench or bottom bracket tool to remove the crank.

STEP FOUR

The last step is to reattach the chain, or to install a new one. Reattaching is simply threading the chain through cogs and deraileurs before using the chain breaker to join the two ends. Installing a new chain involves measuring the chain and cutting it to the correct size.

NOTE: Some cyclists like to keep an extra chain or two in degreasing solution ready to go whenever they want to swap out chains.

Should Cyclists have a 3-foot buffer zone?

2010-05-19T08:30:00.000-07:00

CANADA - Ontario MPP Cheri DiNovo is proposing to give cyclists a wider birth, wanting to make it illegal for motorists to drive within 3 feet of a cyclist when passing them.

The private member's bill was introduced yesterday in Queen's Park and is proposing hefty fines for motorists who fail to give cyclists a reasonable amount of space.

“Leaving three feet while passing would go a long way in making the roads safer for cyclists,” DiNovo said. “This bill would serve as another reminder to share the road while encouraging people to ride their bike.”

Under the proposed amendment to the Highway Traffic Act, motorists would have to give cyclists a berth of three feet when travelling under 50 km/h (the speed limit on most city streets), four feet for speeds between 50 km/h and 80 km/h and five feet for over 80 km/h.

Fines of between $310 and $750 would be imposed on people who ignore the law.

A recent accident near Montreal might have been prevented if such a law had been in place. Three cyclists were killed and three others injured when a truck hit the group of triathlon athletes.

There is also a 2004 Toronto study that found passing motorists was the leading killer of cyclists and the second leading cause of collisions with bikes.

The problem right now is there is no defined space allowed to cyclists. The laws are quite vague, leaving it up to the cyclist how much room they require to feel safe. But motorists (some of whom believe cyclists shouldn't even be on the road) often ignore cyclist buffer zones because they either don't know about the laws concerning cyclists or don't care.

#1. A bicycle is a vehicle under the Ontario Highway Traffic Act, thus a cyclist has the right to use the road and should be treated with equal respect as other vehicles.

#2. Cyclists must stay on the right side of the lane, but maintain a distance from the curb, parked cars, potholes and obstacles so as to maintain a straight line. A cyclist may occupy any part of a lane when their safety warrants it. (Note: A cyclist can move into a left lane if they need to turn left at an intersection.)

Thus a cyclist can take up as much or as little of a lane as they feel necessary to ensure their personal safety.

However this doesn't always fly with motorists, due to any number of reasons (road rage, bad day at work, lack of respect for cyclists, etc.) and thus the need for a specific buffer zone of 3 feet or more is a pretty good idea. The current vagueness of the law leaves the distance between the cyclist and the curb up to the personal discretion of the cyclist, but there is no law dictating the distance required between a motorist and a cyclist.

Right now its up to the motorist to decide, which means many motorists can simply choose to ignore the safety of the cyclist.

Toronto Cycling Committee Newsletter

2010-05-10T10:59:00.000-07:00

CANADA - Cyclometer (toronto.ca/cycling/cyclometer/) is Toronto's Cycling Committee Newsletter and has been growing strong since 1993. I recommend subscribing to it for monthly news on what is happening in Toronto's cycling infrastructure and events.

Toronto needs more Bicycle Racks

2010-05-10T10:21:00.000-07:00

CANADA - Toronto is experiencing a cycling renaissance.

I am not kidding. Just ask your local Toronto bike shop and they can confirm that new bikes are flying off the shelves, business has never been better and they are desperate for sales staff and experienced bicycle mechanics.

And if you go downtown on a work day the chances are likely you will have difficulty finding a spot to lock up your bicycle. Its been happening regularly to me lately that I can't find a spot to lock up easily so I asked a few friends and they all responded with the same assessment: Toronto needs more Bicycle Racks.

However getting funding to install more on a large scale is tricky at times, because it means Toronto's City Council will have to find the funding somewhere.

Daniel Egan runs pedestrian and cycling infrastructure for the City of Toronto.

I recommend concerned cyclists contact him and encourage more funding for bicycle racks. There are huge gaps on major streets (even Yonge Street) where there are no racks at all and bikes are locked to trees, street signs, gas pipes, etc. Contact Daniel Egan or some of his staff at:

Pedestrian and Cycling Infrastructure
Transportation Services Division
22 East, City Hall
100 Queen Street West
Toronto, M5H 2N2
Email: bikeplan@toronto.ca
Tel: 416-392-9253
Fax: 416-392-4808

In May 2009 Toronto opened a $300,000, 180-bike indoor Bicycle Station at Union Station, a major regional transit hub. The city plans to add a 400-spot station at Toronto city hall and more stations at subway stops. Bikes are stored in two-tiered racks.

Apart from parking, the first Bicycle Station "includes a change room, a mechanic stand and a variety of tools for customer use as well as a vending machine with emergency bike necessities such as tubes, tire levers, patch kits, energy bars and refreshing beverages," according to the city of Toronto website. "Security measures include a 'man-trap' door system to prevent people following others into the station, 24-hour video surveillance, as well as staffed hours during the day." Users pay $25 for "lifetime membership" and then extra fees for parking. Toronto didn't invent parking stations. Other cities have been doing this for years.

The extra parking at City Hall and subway stations is a start. Ideally Toronto could create more smaller versions of this around the city. Say a tenth the size, but build ten of them near major intersections that are frequently trafficked by cyclists. And then survey bike shops to determine the rate at which Torontonians are buying new bicycle (a Bicycle Consumer Rate) and then use that rate to dictate what percentage the city should contribute to new bicycle racks in the future in an effort to keep pace. (The same rate could also help determine need for bicycle lanes.)

After all we don't want to reach the point that Japan has reached and we need to take extreme measures. See Bicycle Parking in Japan.

Or alternatively just be more proactive about street "accoutrements". ie. I feel the city could also use more benches to sit on, more greenery, trees, potted plants, lamp posts and drinking fountains. After all why should Yonge, University and Bloor be the only streets which receive the red carpet treatment? Would it be that hard to create stainless steel benches that has a bike rack built into the rear? Or lamp posts with bike racks at the base? No, not hard at all.

I am sure with a bit of ingenuity we can come up with designs which are beautiful and functional.

Bicycle Racks on the TTC

2010-05-05T11:59:00.000-07:00

CANADA - Five years ago the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) started a program of outfitting buses with bicycle racks on the front, spending a little over $2 million on the project (plus added fuel costs for the additional weight of the apparatus).

Today its now a question of whether it was worth it or just a waste in an effort for the TTC in its goal of becoming more bicycle friendly. Toronto has over 2.5 millions bicycles after all and approx. 5% of Torontonians commute to work and college/university, to say nothing of the % that just enjoy a long ride out to the Scarborough Bluffs or the Humber Bay Arch Bridge. In theory it was a wise investment.

However the percentage of riders who actually use the bike racks is apparently nil. Most cyclists prefer to cycle back home rather than rely on the TTC buses... or if they do take the TTC, I usually see them taking the subway or street cars.

I must admit I don't even know how to USE the bike rack on the front of a TTC bus. I've never used it and therefore have never tried.

The TTC claims rack usage is growing, but admits the numbers are still pretty small.

When the pilot program was first started in 2005 4 customers per 10,000 customers used the bicycle racks. That is 0.04%. Not even close to 1%.

Since then usage has apparently gone up says the TTC, but exact numbers are unknown despite installing the racks on 1,660 buses.

I admit I rarely see the bike racks being used, but I HAVE seen them in use even though I wasn't paying attention and deliberately looking for them. It was completely by accident whenever I did notice. Its difficult for me to estimate just how popular their usage is.

According to the TTC usage of the bike racks during the Summer 2009 have gone up 305% since Summer 2006. Slightly more than tripled. So instead of 4 riders per 10,000 its about 12. That is still only 0.12% of users.

Mind you not all buses even have a bike rack. These statistics are skewed by the fact all of the TTC's old GM buses still don't have bicycle racks on them.

There's another factor too... if only 5% of Torontonians regularly commute by bicycle then that means the 0.12% of TTC customers who use bike racks during the summer... then the approx. number of cyclists who use the bike racks during the summer is about 2.4%. That sounds about right.

Which means it probably is a complete waste of money, considering that the other 9 months the statistics will be pretty damn low and even during summer months the statistics remain reasonably low because so few cyclists bother to take the TTC on the way to and fro.

TTC operators are also keen to point its not bicycles that slow down buses... its a combination of bus delays, vehicle bunching, overcrowding, traffic and the dreaded baby strollers. Bicycles INSIDE the bus instead of on the bike rack aren't really a problem for drivers.

“The stroller issue has really become a problem,” says TTC operator Paul Flynn. “There are definitely things that delay us for longer than bicycle racks.”

Many people still don’t know the racks are there or how to use them, says Flynn (and he's right, I have yet to use one). Stopping a bus, coming out and showing riders how to place their bike on the rack doesn’t cause much of a delay, he added.

But those damn baby strollers on the other hand...

(I'd like to take a moment and point out that a lot of parents are putting their kids in baby strollers even by ages of 4 to 7. I know because I've seen it. That's overdoing it quite a bit. Sure, its easier to control the kid so they're not getting into trouble... but I'd argue these parents would be better off disciplining their children with either an ear tug or the occasional light spanking. Pampering your kids and refusing to spank them causes more problems in the long run. As a 5 year old I remember living in fear of my father's spankings and the rule of thumb from my experience was to spank the child until they wept. No blood, no serious bruising, no permanent damage. Just a sore bum and some tears to remember why you shouldn't play with matches. Parents could exercise a bit more common sense when their children are old enough to walk themselves to kindergarden.)

“The original pilot was only on a limited set of buses and their use has grown dramatically over the last few years,” says TTC chair Adam Giambrone. "Alternative forms of transportation like cycling, walking and transit are well served when they are integrated."

“It depends on the time of day, the point is they are there,” says Toronto Cyclists Union executive director Yvonne Bambrick who believes the racks are important. “They help people get around; they help people use their bike as part of their daily commute.”

And the racks are there in the event of an emergency, like a broken bicycle that needs to be dragged back home or to the repair shop.

It also gives cyclists another option since bicycles aren't allowed on the subway during rush hours... and the ability to visit distant places around the GTA, bring your bicycle along and then either bicycle home or carry it home on a bike rack.

Like bicycle lanes, the racks are an important step in incorporating bikes into the transportation network, says Bambrick.

My opinion however can be best summed in the following questions: Is it such a pain to just lift and carry your bicycle on to the bus? Or is it not the cyclists the TTC was really worried about... was the bike racks there to keep the other riders happy? Because if its a matter of keeping the other TTC users happy by not having a bicycle on the bus and taking up important space then I'd say the rack is well worth it.

One last note: If the TTC wants to be more user friendly the first thing they should do is have bathrooms in every subway station and make sure they are CLEAN. Nothing is more than disgusting than a TTC bathroom. I also think storage lockers, water fountains, more restaurant/food options and even stores would be a welcome change inside TTC stations and bring in additional revenue.

Danny MacAskill's video hits 17 million

2010-04-23T16:14:00.000-07:00

ENTERTAINMENT - Last year on April 21st we posted a video of "Extreme Bicycle Stunts by Danny MacAskill".

That video, a year later, has since won numerous awards and has been seen by approx. 17 million people. 23-year-old Danny MacAskill is a bicycle mechanic in Edinburgh and his parkour-style bike stunts are gravity defying to the point of disbelief.

He is "a bit of a nutter" says friend and fellow bike mechanic David Cleaver. Danny MacAskill's bike is built of mostly Cleaver-designed parts from Inspired Bikes in Nottingham, England.

The video was filmed by roommate David Sowerby and set to music by Seattle group Band of Horses almost exactly one year ago and put on YouTube on April 19th. It had taken six months of nights and weekends to put together.

The exposure has turned MacAskill into a celebrity stunt rider, so much that he quit his job at Macdonald’s Cyles and now rides professionally. It wasn't without injuries however.

Cleaver calls him gifted. "He’s a bit of a nutter. He will throw himself off things just for fun. The bike is second nature of him. He never looks at something and says what if. It’s not a question of if, but when. When you have that confidence and believe, you tend to land on your feet, pardon the pun."

Police in Edinburgh initially didn't think much of MacAskill riding off ledges, down steep stairways and along the backs of city benches. "He did get a little bit of hassle. Riding on walls, it’s seen as anti-social. The most alluring places to ride are always the places a rider shouldn’t be. But once the police see someone is professional and polite, they tend to just suggest he move on," says Cleaver.

In an encounter on the Scottish island of Skye an officer confiscated his bike for a summer.

Inspired Bicycles meanwhile is receiving a lot of attention as everyone wants "a bike like Danny’s."

Bike Lanes, Subways and Road Tolls

2010-04-17T16:04:00.000-07:00

CANADA - Here is the results of a recent Angus-Reid poll of Torontonians (The margin of error is plus or minus 2.7 per cent, 19 times out of 20).

One of Toronto's mayoral candidates is currently pushing the idea of charging $5 road tolls for DVP and Gardiner Expressways in exchange for a dramatic boost in subway routes (which would mean less cars on the road).

Its that or London-England-style "congestion charges", something which Torontonians will hate even more.

Either way less cars on the streets equals more room for both cyclists and drivers to get along.

More Bicycle Lanes coming to Toronto

2010-04-15T11:22:00.000-07:00

CANADA - Good news for Toronto cyclists, there are more bicycle lanes coming and even a pilot project for an European style dedicated bike lane (with barrier posts).

The three-month pilot project will see two car lanes — one northbound, one southbound – removed from University Avenue between Richmond St. W. and Wellesley St. W./Hoskin Ave. Cyclists will get their own lane alongside the inner median, separated from motorized traffic by a metre-wide buffer and solid dividing posts.

HOWEVER this pilot project seems rather silly... the area they've chosen doesn't really connect anything. Its not a high traffic zone for cyclists.

A better solution would have been dedicated bike lanes in areas that have large numbers of cyclists (or even a history of cycling accidents), and then expand from that area in a grid-like fashion.

Plus its TINY. A mere 1.3 km on a stretch of street that has really only be chosen because it goes from Osgoode Station to Queen's Park (the home of the Ontario Provincial Legislature)... Its as if Toronto City Hall is trying to piss off the Ontario MPPs.

The various Mayoral candidates are currently bucking for attention and its my feeling they are just using the bicycle lanes issue as political fodder and cyclists/motorists as pawns.

Here's how the 5 main mayoral candidates stand:

Sarah Thompson want to focus more on expanding the TTC subway. Less cars on the road means less gridlock and more room for both drivers and cyclists. See Sarah Thompson's Subway Expansion Proposal.

Joe Pantalone wants to expand bicycle lanes in high traffic areas for cyclists and also areas with a history of bicycle accidents.

Rocco Rossi hates cyclists. He wants to scrap bicycle lanes altogether and go back to the dark ages.

Giorgio Mammoliti said he would charge cyclists $20-$30 to register their bikes and use the lanes. (Like hell I am paying that! I pay my taxes, I have a right to use the road like any other commuter.)

George Smitherman has yet to take a solid stance and seems to favouring the status quo.

Bike Clinic 2010 - 2nd Annual Spring Bicycle Clinic

2010-04-07T09:35:00.000-07:00

WANT FREE REPAIRS???

Bike Clinic 2010 is happening this Saturday, April 10th at Harmony Court.

Location: 150 Longboat Ave, south of Parliament and Front Street, in the courtyard.

Have a great time tuning bikes for the community and plying our skills as well as socializing with other bike enthusiasts in the Toronto cycling community.

Time: 11 AM to 3 PM.

Volunteers will start arriving around 10:30am to help with set up (tents, stands, Arranging tools and supplies). Feel free to volunteer!

More Info: Call Shah Mohamed at 416-839-8595.

Fixing a Bent Derailleur Tab

2010-04-06T21:41:00.000-07:00

Got a bent derailleur? Its probably a Shimano, the most popular derailleur sold on the market.

Well you're in luck, they're usually pretty easy to fix... Usually its not the derailleur that is bent anyway, but the tab (also called a hanger) the derailleur attaches to the frame has become bent. (Its actually a very COMMON problem for bicycle mechanics.)

The derailleur itself is usually made from a very strong metal and the parallelogram design makes it highly unlikely to get damaged. The weakest point therefore is the tab and if the derailleur gets bashed hard the tab will usually bend inwards. If it gets bent really far your derailleur will end up rubbing or jutting into your rear wheel spokes. Even a minor bash to your derailleur can muck up your alignment if the tab is weak.

You can roughly check the alignment with your eyes, if you look at the derailer from the rear. The derailleur pulleys should be lined up vertically with no sideways slant.

Is the tab Steel or Alloy?

If the tab is steel it can be easily bent back into position and realigned.

If its alloy metal you may be able to bend it back into position, but the next time it gets damaged it will be even worse. If it gets damaged again and again eventually the tab will snap right off. (A bit like twisting the tab off a pop can.)

To do a really good job of fixing the tab you will need the proper tool. Bicycle mechanics usually have this special tool in their shops so its not something a person would normally have in their garage.

Because many new bicycles now have narrow chains, Hyperglide, 7-9 speed cog sets proper derailleur alignment becomes really important to shift normally and smoothly. You want the derailleur to be PERFECTLY aligned to the front gears and the chain.

So what you want is a Park Derailleur Hanger Alignment Gauge, which costs about $60 US to buy unfortunately... without it you will just have to make do with whatever tools you have.

STEP ONE: Place the chain on the smallest gear.

STEP TWO: Remove the derailleur from the derailleur tab, with a 5mm allen wrench.

STEP THREE: Remove the derailleur and chain.

STEP FOUR: Use a Park Derailleur Hanger Alignment Gauge to realign the derailleur tab. (The tool uses the rear wheel as a guide so make sure your rear wheel is on perfectly straight!) If you don't have that tool you will have to bend the tab using whatever tools you have available. If its an alloy tab try to be gentle with it.

DO NOT JUST YANK ON IT. You don't want to overcompensate and bend the wrong part by accident or break it off entirely.

STEP FIVE: Reinstall the chain and derailleur.

STEP: SIX: Check and modify your derailleur and derailleur screws to make sure your derailleur is functioning perfectly.

Amusing Degree Deoderant Mountainbike Commercial

2010-04-03T21:40:00.000-07:00

Grass Cutting Bicycles???

2010-03-30T13:04:00.000-07:00

Well its that time of year again... time to get out the lawnmower and start cutting the grass before the dandelions set in... but wait, your lawnmower is rusted and is either broken or barely works.

Want a mechanical challenge to build something unique? Try building a grass cutting "lawn-mower-cycle".

See the amusing photos below:

Perfectly Tuned Brakes

2010-03-26T20:08:00.000-07:00

Just minutes ago I finished adjusting the brakes on my grey hybrid bicycle and took it for a quick spin. And then some amazingly quick braking. Not bad for a bicycle that in my own words "is a piece of shit".

I bought the grey hybrid 2 summers ago for almost nothing off craigslist. It was broken, I fixed it and its been running perfectly fine ever since (with the exception of having to fix the derailleurs when some prick kicked them in and fix the brakes due to similar mischief).

The end result is a sleeper bicycle that nobody would steal because it looks horrible, but when its tuned to perfection the gears glide beautifully and the brakes stop on a dime.

Because I keep the bicycle on street level I expect it to be vandalized occasionally, but its no big deal considering the lock costed more than the bicycle. Still I have taken precautions like writing my name and phone number on the bike with bicycle paint (the kind that can't be scratched off without scratching the regular paint) to prevent thieves...

The ride? It glides, but the real beauty is when you squeeze the brakes and it stops INSTANTLY. Front or back, it doesn't matter.

Having two perfectly working sets of brakes is very important. Having one set of brakes working is inherently dangerous because when those brakes fail you're heading for a crash.

How do you achieve perfectly tuned brakes?
(For the example below we will be using V-brakes.)

Step #1. Tighten up the brake levers and make sure they're in perfect working order. This includes adjusting them to a 45 degree angle, making sure they're not sliding on the handlebars and making sure they aren't squeezing the fingers by accident.

Step #2. Remove the cable attached the brakes.

Step #3. Adjust the brake pads so they are angled lengthwise across the wheel rim without rubbing the side of the tire.

Step #4. Reattach the brake cable and make sure its good and tight, but not so tight that its squeezing the brakes onto the wheel rim. Tuck the remaining cable "tail" behind the hook on the side of the V-brake or bend it so its not sticking straight out. DO NOT CUT IT OFF!

Step #5. Adjust the brake screws if the brake alignment is unbalanced (you can tell if its unbalanced if one side is touching but the other is not). The brake screws effect the tightness of springs hidden in the brake housing, ultimately allowing you to adjust the alignment of the brakes so one or both aren't squeezing the wheel rim when they're not supposed to be.

Step #6. Test it. Take it for a ride and make sure it stops on the dime. Readjust if necessary.

Now... once that you have perfectly tuned brakes you can do several things on your bike you might not otherwise do... like Power Sliding.

HOW TO POWER SLIDE ON A BICYCLE

Step #1. Find a place to practice where there isn't a lot of people, lots of space to gain speed and practice power sliding. An empty parking lot is ideal.

Step #2. You will need at least 5 MPH (or 8 kmph) of speed to do this. If u are going too slow you won't have the necessary speed to slide.

Step #3. Practice getting comfortable with leaning and braking simultaneously.

Step #4. Practice positioning your weight and putting your right or left foot out but not touching the ground while leaning and braking.

Step #5. Lean very deep and turn really hard (approx. 90 degrees) whilst using either the front brakes or both the front and back brakes and you will go into a power slide if done correctly.

With lots of practice you can power slide beside obstacles or people with little or no danger of crashing into them. (Be warned however I did this once in Chinatown and got some scared looks from people who thought they were about to be crashed into.)

Its recommended you have you brakes perfectly tuned and everything else in perfect working condition before attempting power slides. A helmet is a good idea too.

Note: Power Sliding is different from Drifting. Power Sliding is braking while sliding sideways. Drifting is moving sideways or in a circular motion while still in motion. Less knowledgable people sometimes confuse the terminology.

Bicycle Parking in Japan

2010-03-25T11:06:00.000-07:00

The video above shows how Japan is dealing with the problem of not enough space for people to park their bicycles on the street. The problem is so rampant they've come up with a robotic solution for bicycle storage.

Criticism of this method is that it seems like a waste of space, but for extremely crowded cities like Tokyo it makes perfect sense. For tourists visiting Japan and wanting to get around on bicycles the country is very bicycle friendly, as are many other Asian countries.

See Also:
Thoughts on Cycling in Hokkaido and Japan
Tokyo Cycling Club

Folding Electric Bicycles

2010-03-17T22:01:00.000-07:00

There is a growing number of folding electric bicycles on the market, assuming one has the cash to spend on an item that typically only has a range of 10 km and doesn't mind looking like a complete dork while riding one.

Lets take for example the YikeBike below:

Yikes! Might as well just pin a note to your back saying "I'm a Loser, Please Kick Me!"

And below is a folding bicycle/car with 4 wheels that runs on a combination of gasoline and electricity. So... really its a folding hybrid car with bicycle wheels.

Regardless of what you think of such bicycles (I think they're amusing, but really not worth the expense and the silliness factor) the problem with ALL folding electric bicycles is that they're essentially designed for lazy people who want to get noticed for their gadget. Eventually the kewlness will fade and you will get tired of all the weird looks and having to carry the damn thing to your office or home... or worse, having to deal with battery failure, empty batteries and miscalculating how much distance to go / charge you had left.

I'd argue that if you want a kewl gadget you might as well go all the way and get something like a Carver... which is technically more like a motorcycle... or is it a car? Three-wheeler? I doubt anyone would EVER bore of driving a Carver.

Bicycle purists of course will point out that the Carver runs on gasoline and it has no place on a blog dedicated to bicycles. Have an open mind however and let me point out something...

Electric bicycles get their power from the local electricity grid (unless you happen to have your own solar panel / wind turbine) and thus uses a combination of renewable energy, nuclear and the most frequently used, most hated but cheapest of energy sources... coal. That means your electric bicycle is running off a percentage of coal energy (depending where you live that percentage could be surprisingly high). Furthermore if you are charging your electric bicycle during peak hours (7 AM to 9 PM) you are using a larger percentage of coal because thats when it is needed most.

So its a case of tomato tomatoe. You're not saving the environment by using electricity.

The whole purpose of an electric bicycle is essentially laziness. Its a bit like an electric can opener. Some people can't be bothered to use a hand held can opener and do it the old fashioned way. Or elevators/escalators instead of stairs. Its a lifestyle choice, one people in Western culture frequently take for granted.

I think, and this purely my opinion, this a growing trend towards a broadening market for electric bicycles. Eventually a few major producers will gain popularity and mass production (its the chicken and the egg as to which will come first) and we could see large numbers of people riding electrics in the future... and hopefully by then we will have done away with coal power.

I don't think it will ever replace traditional bicyles however. The added factors of needed exercise, not looking like a dork and saving money (e-bikes cost about the same as a Tata Nano car) will keep this mode of transportation around indefinitely.

World’s Longest Cycling Race

2010-01-25T16:20:00.000-08:00

ENTERTAINMENT - Last week (January 18th) the world's longest cycling race began, starting in Cairo Egypt and ending at Cape Town South Africa. Tour d’Afrique is a trek of 12,000 km across treacherous terrain, intense heat, salt flats, sandy desert and unpredictable weather.

The 61 racers will cycle through Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa and the journey will take approx. 120 days (about 96 cycling days and 24 rest/maintenance days).

The journey isn't just a test of speed and endurance, but also your maintenance/repair skills.

Tour de France? Pfff. That is a mere 3,500 km and 21 days.

Bicycle Sleuths

2010-01-01T17:08:00.000-08:00

ENTERTAINMENT - Can't get enough of the latest Sherlock Holmes movie? Maybe you're a CSI buff and love a good murder mystery? (I personally am addicted to CSI Vegas, MacGyver, Magnum P.I. and Simon & Simon episodes.)

Here's one just for bicycle enthusiasts: Abby Faria Mysteries.

Written by Torontonian Vivian Meyer the two books (with more to come) follow Abby Faria, a bicycle courier in downtown Toronto, as she solves one mystery after another. The books are "Ragged Chain" and "Bottom Bracket".

Take one part V.I. Warshawski (by American author Sara Paretsky), one part Zodiac (by American author Neal Stephenson) and see what you get.

If you like bicycle oriented mystery books also check out:

"A Bicycle Built For Murder" by Kate Kingsbury

"Bicycle Shop Murder" by Robert Burton Robinson

"Murder by Bicycle" by Veronica Heley

"The Green Bicycle Murder" by C. Wendy East

Mon dieu! It really makes bicycles sound rather morbid... Maybe I should point out that according to Amazon.com there are 10 times as many murder mystery books with a car as part of the central plot.

Bicycle Insurance + Other Goodies

2009-12-30T11:00:00.000-08:00

TECHNOLOGY - There are lots of companies out there offering car insurance quotes, but where are the companies offering bicycle insurance quotes? (Seriously, you can get pet health insurance these days, so it should not be too hard to get bicycle insurance.)

I did a Google search for "bicycle insurance" and there are 146,000 hits on the topic.

The top listing was a fellow who apparently does have bicycle insurance (listed under his tenants insurance) and he asked about insuring a bicycle for replacement cost. The insurance agent told him it would be $9.35 per year for every $100 value of bicycle.

Thus insuring a $2,000 bicycle for a year would cost him $187. Some other people have found cheaper rates. (See the full discussion on the TBN forum.)

Some insurance companies even offer advice for cyclists:
How to foil a bicycle thief
A stolen bike - to claim or not to claim

Obviously for theft purposes its best to just have the best quality lock(s) you can afford and always pay attention when locking your bike up so that its in a location that won't be easy to break / remove your bicycle. (I regularly see people's bicycles locked to poles that any reasonably tall person could just lift the bike up and off the pole and then ride away with it.)

If the lock is really good the insurance company should in theory lower their rates... but of course, if you have a really spectacular lock, doesn't that make insurance obsolete? You would hope so, but thieves will also see really expensive bikes as a bigger prize and try harder.

The whole thing got me thinking about niche markets for products/services cyclists would likely want or could use.

In theory there are a variety of things that cyclists should have... #1 accident insurance, #2. life insurance, #3. health/dental insurance... to say nothing of the niche markets available for cellphone, BlackBerry and laptop users. ie. A laptop holder for your bicycle, a place to put your BlackBerry, iPod, iPhone, etc... because talking on your cellphone whilst cycling is just plain dangerous.

For example here's a service some cyclists might like: ShrinkRay Mobile, its a mobile application developer for iPhones. Or for those organic food / ultra clean / botanical medicine people out there is companies like the Wellpath Clinic, a natural medicine clinic... which no doubt has products we could all use.

One of things I'd like to get is a video camera I can stick on the front of my bicycle. I found this website for Building your own Bicycle Camera Mount, but I'd much rather have something professionally made and pointed in the right direction (as opposed to limply hanging on with duct tape).

To paraphrase a fellow blogger "I want to see roads and faces, not the butts of bikers."

(If only Lenzr had video contests instead of photo contests.)

There are a LOT of Bicycle Gadgets out there, you just have to do a Google search for them.

Bicycles with Classical Music

2009-12-30T10:17:00.001-08:00

ENTERTAINMENT - Somewhat off topic, I am looking for bicycle videos that contain classical music.

Its actually surprisingly hard to find what I am looking for... instead I've found the Bicycle Bell Symphony, a flute made out of a bicycle pump, and various other shoddily made videos.

Ideally what I am looking for is something like 'Ride of the Valkyries' with Tour de France footage, but apparently nobody has done anything remotely resembling that yet.

On the plus side I did find this wonderful photo of a bicycle and a violin (above), and a rather bizarre German fellow called Christian Adam who rode 60 km backwards on a bicycle whilst playing a violin. Apparently it took him almost 6 hours.

In other news this blog is now being sponsored by Mooredale Concerts, a Toronto orchestra company which promotes "Classical Music for Everyone", has regular performances in the University of Toronto's concert halls and operates a classical music learning program for children and a youth orchestra in Rosedale.

Both U of T and Rosedale incidentally are two of my favourite places to go for a nice bike ride. They're relatively free of traffic and the scenery is quite good.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAVE A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

BAM Program looking for students

2009-12-13T18:52:00.000-08:00

Toronto's BAM program (a government funded program which trains bicycle mechanics) is looking for more students.

People interested in becoming a bicycle mechanic should contact the Learning Enrichment Foundation and inquire about becoming a BAM student.

Classes last 8 weeks and include an one week placement in a Toronto bicycle repair shop.

The next set of class dates are: January 4th 2010 - February 26th 2010. Sign up early to avoid the waiting list!

Wikipedia for Bicycle Mechanics

2009-10-18T19:57:00.000-07:00

One of the goals of this blog is to provide a plethora of bicycle mechanic information all at your fingertips...

But what if other bicycle mechanics could add additional information that they feel other bicycle mechanics could use? The result would be a bit like Wikipedia. The problem with Wikipedia (cough cough Crapipedia) is that any amateur can add information on there which is incorrect or potentially dangerous...

Or worse, the information on there is accurate and general knowledge, but some asshole shows up and deletes it. (I know because I've tried adding technical info to Wikipedia and there's always some asshole who shows up and deletes it. Wikipedia is a complete waste of time.)

Thus if you are a bicycle mechanic yourself, and you've come across a technique, a tool or whatever you think other bike mechanics would benefit from please email me and I shall post it for you.

Techie Bikes

2009-10-06T12:20:00.000-07:00

TECHNOLOGY - Designer Chen Chun Tung has designed a bike that runs on wind-solar power (the Win-Solar Energy Bike), but only part of the time. It stores up energy from the sun/wind and then uses that energy later when the rider is going up hill by running an electric motor to help speed up ascent.

If you like gadgets there is also the Mercedes folding bicycle. It costs approx. $1,770 USD.

Or for the more mechanical amongst you, the amazingly easy to disassemble "Urban Bicycle" designed by Victor M. Aleman, which can fit into a box after being completely disassembled or reassembled in record time.

And finally here is one that is just plain unusual... the wheels run on a track inside the rim, there's no chain or spokes, and its designed to be extremely lightweight... oh and its ALSO solar powered to boost uphill speed, tracks your speed, calorie loss and plays music. Oh and its being promoted by Olympic cyclist Chris Boardman (whoop dee do, celebrity endorsements!).

Cycling around Nuit Blanche

2009-10-03T11:18:00.000-07:00

CANADA - If you're in Toronto today and tonight, its a good chance to check out Toronto's local art scene and catch live performance art, art galleries and a variety of events going on in the city during the annual "Nuit Blanche" art festival. It starts around 6 PM and goes until 6 AM the next morning.

Call it your chance to cycle around downtown Toronto and meet lots of people interested in art.

One of the things you could see is BICITYCLE (Bike City) by Tokyo artist Sakaguchi Kyohei.

BICITYCLE is about mobile life and is inspired by the lifestyle, innovation and survival skills of homeless people in Japan. His mobile "sculptures" emphasize mobility and recycling. The houses of Tokyo's homeless people are easy to dismantle and remake because people are forced to move their houses regularly. Their homes have water, gas, toilet, and electricity, but they're made from the scraps they find and in this case incorporates old bicycles to make the "houses" more transportable.

From a bicycle mechanic's perspective that just sounds so kewl. It also means these homeless people are pretty good mechanics themselves.

For Nuit Blanche Sakaguchi created 11 'mobile housing units', each somehow attached to a bicycle. The audience can interact and relocate the works within the area. (Thats correct, you get to ride the bikes.)

The BICITYCLE event is near Dovercourt and King Street West. Consult one of the free Nuit Blanche maps that art galleries are handing out.

Kyohei Sakaguchi is also a writer, adventurer and architect and has shown his works internationally. I think this particular art piece is worthy to go in art history books.

If you attend the event could you please email me (charlesmoffat[@]charlesmoffat.com) with some photos of Sakaguchi's bikes / etc? Unfortunately I will be busy at the Ben Navaee Gallery where two of my paintings are showing tonight and schmoozing with attendees.

How Safe is your Local Bike Mechanic?

2009-09-26T14:32:00.001-07:00

CANADA - I've worked in a few different bike shops and even early on I noticed there is a trend in bike shops to cut corners when it comes to fixing a bike "by the book" with respect to the safety of the customer.

[Right: Craig, a BTAC certified bicycle mechanic.]

Take wheel truing for example. If a wheel has reached a point that the tension on the individual spokes is greater than 30 kgf the spokes are much more likely to snap when the cyclist hits a bump. That will result in "catastrophic wheel failure" and the person will end up crashing, possibly getting injured or dying. [The maximum kgf will vary depending on spoke thickness, strength and the spoke pattern, but 30 kgf is true for all normal bicycle wheels. Consult your Barnett's Manual for different spokes.]

And that is just one example of what could happen if someone doesn't fix your bike properly.

As a responsible citizen you'd think bike mechanics would care more about their customers' safety, but from what I've seen quite a few bike shops out there are selling their services just to make $$$ with little regard to the personal safety of the rider.

"Well that's what I do on my bike and I've never been in an accident yet."

The key word is YET. Its bound to happen eventually.

[Right: BAM Instructor Smokey Dymny shows John how to properly tune brakes. John is now a BTAC certified bicycle mechanic.]

The problem lies in that 99% of bicycle mechanics out there have never been properly trained. They are either self-taught or taught by a shop mechanic who wasn't really trained either and is relying purely on experience.

Its my opinion that bicycle mechanics should have to go through a certification course, like the BAM program here in Toronto, the Winterborne Bicycle Institute at Conestoga College, or the John Barnett Bicycle Institute in Colorado. Or some similar program.

At the very least every bicycle shop should have one properly trained bike mechanic who can then pass their knowledge unto lesser mechanics on how to do things properly/safely. True, sometimes people get impatient when you've got X number of bikes to fix in a day, but I should point out a properly trained and experienced mechanic is also faster and more efficient, in addition to being safer.

In Toronto the BAM program has only been around since the start of 2009. It was created because of two things: 1. Toronto has a shortage of bicycle mechanics; 2. Toronto has a shortage of properly trained bicycle mechanics. The plan is to eventually open more BAM programs across Canada so that more and more bicycle mechanics can be properly trained.

So even though its not mandatory by law or anything, the Bicycle Trade Association of Canada is proceeding with a plan to create an industry wide standard wherein bicycle mechanics will eventually be expected to be certified. Its essentially self regulation.

And that is a good thing because it means safety standards should go up with respect to properly serviced bicycles.

Bicycle Station Open House

2009-09-17T10:43:00.000-07:00

CANADA - The Bicycle Station is having it's second Open House on Friday, October 2nd 2009 to celebrate the fall bicycling season.

From 7 AM to 10 AM they will be offering fresh pastries as well as hot coffee. Go and have a free bite to eat and learn about Canada's first bicycle station until 7 PM. There is a new parking pilot policy for the Bicycle Station as well as updates on the progress of the Bicycle Station.

Plus its a chance to hang out with your fellow cyclists and chat. Spread the word about your local cycling group or organization while meeting fellow members of Toronto's downtown cycling community. If you would like a table for your group or organization, please contact the Bicycle Station as soon as possible.

Bicycle Station at Union Station
City Of Toronto
Transportation Services
20 York St.
416-338-3666
bicyclestation@toronto.ca
toronto.ca/cycling/bicycle-station

Bike thefts down 17% in the GTA

2009-09-16T10:08:00.000-07:00

CANADA - Last year in June Toronto police did a sting operation and discovered 2,865 bikes stored in garages scattered through the city.

The bicycle thief and mastermind was Igor Kenk, now facing a lengthy jail time for running one of the biggest bike theft operations Toronto has ever seen.

Since then however the number of complaints about bicycle theft has dropped 17% leading police to suspect several things:

#1. Overall bike theft is down about 17%.

#2. There is approx. 24,000 to 30,000 bike thefts in Toronto per year. Most go unreported. Presumably the number is dropping.

#3. There is probably several other people like Igor Kenk running large scale bike theft operations.

#4. If Toronto police did another sting operation they could probably catch another bike thief just as big as Igor Kenk. They could do a sting operation every year until bike theft becomes a crime that is just plain foolish on a large scale.

LOCK ADVICE

I recommend purchasing what's called a pinhead – a lock for the wheel. Then buy the best U-Lock you can. Some people prefer the larger U-locks because they're easier to lock up in difficult locations.

A Pinhead lock set sometimes comes with horseshoe shaped U-lock which is more difficult to break.

Pinhead locks replace original parts of a bike and remain in place. A nut, for instance, replaces a quick-release wheel skewer and can be released only by the owner's key. Best to have a mechanic install it for you, although if you are mechanically inclined you should be able to figure it out.

The Pinhead lock set was invented by Linda Young (see above photo), who had her bike stolen when she was 9 and has since dedicated her life to making bike locks more effective, both for the frame and the tires. Way to go Linda!

A Condo for Cyclists?

2009-09-16T09:06:00.000-07:00

CANADA - The Toronto-East York community council approved today a controversial new 42-storey condo building with 315 spaces for bicycles... and only 9 parking spots designed for car-share rentals.

In other words its a condo specifically made for cyclists.

City staff were originally skeptical about the idea, but I predict 30-something cyclists will be battling each other to get first dibs on the condos being put on the auction block.

The condo will be built on the site of the old Royal Canadian Military Institute on University Ave near Dundas Street. The façade of the old building will be preserved. The RCMI will be maintaining several of the lower floors for themselves.

The plan is also quite reasonable. Most people who live in downtown Toronto don't drive anyway.

"If you look at the evidence of what sells downtown, the majority of units under 750 square feet in the downtown core sell without parking," says Stephen Deveaux, vice-president of the developer Tribute Communities. Plus its cheaper. Parking spots add approx. $20,000 to the cost of a condo in downtown Toronto. Normally when a building of this size is built there would be approx. 140 parking spaces for residents, according to city standards.

Deveaux says the building is an opportunity to design & market an "environmentally progressive building". With so many jobs, lots of cyclists and transit nearby, the units will sell quickly.

A city staff report originally turned the plan down, citing the lack of parking, but they have since been overruled by the community council. The building still has to be approved by the larger Toronto city council.

The problem is nothing else can be built on the location anyway. Because the facade of the building is to be preserved there's no room to build a parking entrance. The only solution is a building designed explicitly for cyclists or people who prefer transit.

City Councillor Adam Vaughan, ward for the region where the condo will be built, called the car-free building "an interesting experiment and statement about the future of downtown living."

"In the past it was natural to allocate parking spots, but in 21st century Toronto, where we're battling climate change, we don't need that any more," says Franz Hartmann, co-executive director of the Toronto Environmental Alliance, also saying such buildings are uncommon and should be promoted.

The 9 parking spots will be devoted to car-share arrangements, whereby residents can rent a car as needed by the hour.

The RCMI building was a private club constructed in 1907 and is a heritage property. Behind the façade will be a 6 1/2-storey structure and above that would rise a 35 1/2-storey condo tower with about 315 units, mostly one-bedroom condos.

In other words its ideal for young professionals (with no kids) who either walk, cycle or take the subway to work.

The $65 million project is a partnership between Tribute Communities and the 1,500-member RCMI club. Once rubber-stamped construction will begin in 2010 and be done by 2013.

The building will continue to provide space for the RCMI club, its library and its extensive archival collection of military artifacts (including the seat of Baron von Richthofen [aka the Red Baron]'s Fokker Triplane). The RCMI club will be using the income from condo sales & fees to keep the archive and the club going.

Surveillance footage shows Bryant deliberately hit cyclist

2009-09-12T18:42:00.000-07:00

CANADA - Surveillance camera footage has been released showing exactly what happened in the incident where Michael Bryant ran over cyclist Darcy Allan Sheppard.

In the footage Bryant first uses the car to intimidate Sheppard. Then Bryant strikes him and pushes him ten feet, the length of a car. Bryant then put his car in Reverse then Drive and drives it past Sheppard. As the cyclist struggles to get up, he grabs the passing car mirror to try to keep the car at the scene.

According to witnesses Bryant then drove into the wrong side of the road trying to knock Sheppard off his car mirror and ended up running over Sheppard with the rear wheels of his car.

Will Bicycle Couriers become Unionized?

2009-09-08T07:33:00.000-07:00

Following in the wake of the tragic death of Toronto bicycle courier Darcy Allan Sheppard (who was run over by a politician on August 31st 2009) members of Toronto's bicycle courier community are advocating membership in the Canadian Union of Postal Workers.

As such they would be given the same legal rights and be able to get benefits and a pension in the future.

It also means bicycle couriers (and many other Toronto cyclists) will be pushing for more bicycle lanes in downtown Toronto.

Robert Melnyk, who has been a bike courier since 1984 says Sheppard's death has not helped to make the streets safer for cyclists, but instead has escalated tensions with motorists.

He says he's heard car drivers shout "You're next!" as he tries to navigate the downtown streets.

Impatient motorists suffering from road rage tend not to realize the danger they put cyclists in when they try to own the road and think cyclists have no place on it, which reinforces the idea for why Toronto needs more bicycle lanes.

FYI: In Toronto you can be fined up to $400 CDN if you cycle on the sidewalk with any wheel larger than 24 inches. The typical fine is $90, but if you're going really fast and acting recklessly you can be given additional fines and even charged with reckless endangerment.

Attorney General kills Toronto cyclist

2009-09-01T12:56:00.000-07:00

CANADA - Former Ontario attorney general Michael Bryant killed a 34-year-old Toronto cyclist last night with his car and has been charged with criminal negligence causing death and dangerous operation of a vehicle causing death.

The victim was bicycle courier Darcy Allan Sheppard, a father of three. Sheppard was heading home to the Dupont and Dufferin area of Toronto.

Bryant, 43, is scheduled to appear in Old City Hall court on Oct. 19 2009.

Witnesses on Bloor Street last night described a heated argument between the driver of a black Saab convertible and a cyclist that began near Bloor and Bay Streets. (Blog author's note, that's right near my gym... and I was there last night working out!)

According to witnesses the argument erupted following a collision between Michael Bryant's black Saab convertible and the cyclist Sheppard at 9:45 PM on Bloor, just west of St. Thomas Street. The cyclist reportedly hung onto the side of the car (possibly because his shirt got caught on something) and Bryant drove off dragging him over 100 meters down the street, driving onto the wrong side of the road into oncoming traffic and brushing against trees and poles in an attempt to knock the cyclist off his car.

Bryant then ran over Sheppard's head with the rear tires of his Saab and drove off. He was later arrested.

Police also questioned an unidentified female passenger who was in the convertible. Police say alcohol was not involved.

"Lots of people were watching and they couldn't believe what was happening," said construction worker Ryan Brazeau, who was laying sewer pipes on Bloor.

"The guy hanging onto the car, hit the mailbox, hit the road, (then) . . . the car ran over him with the back tires," another witness said. "The guy bounced and the car sped off . . . the person was there just bleeding." Sheppard was bleeding from his head and mouth.

Sheppard was taken to St. Michael's Hospital with serious head injuries and died around midnight.

A large portion of the incident was captured on surveillance video and that investigators are working to fill in the gaps. (This is practically guaranteed to end up on YouTube.)

Bike couriers in Toronto are planning a special memorial service.

Sheppard also a guitarist and an amateur stand-up comedian who sometimes performed at open mike nights at local clubs.

Bryant was first elected MPP for St. Paul's in 1999 and won re-election in 2003 and 2007. He was awarded Now Magazine's Best Toronto MPP for 2008.

Michael Bryant was Ontario's youngest-ever attorney general, and during his time in public service legalized paralegals, fixed election dates, banned pit bulls, overhauled the human rights system, re-created the Law Reform Commission, re-established civilian oversight of police and depoliticized Justice of the Peace appointments. He eventually stepped down from the position.

BLOG AUTHOR'S NOTE:

I ride along Bloor Street regularly to go to my gym which is near the Bay and Bloor corner. I think I know what happened in this incident... the problem is all the construction currently going on at Yonge and Bloor and all the potholes along Bloor street near the construction.

As a cyclist when you cycle through there is no bike lanes on Bloor street, and because of the construction at Yonge/Bloor there is only one lane on each side of the street. So I submit to you here is my theory of what happened:

Both Michael Bryant and Darcy Sheppard went through the Yonge/Bloor intersection, and the cyclist was likely in the way of the car because there's only one lane.

Furthermore after getting past the construction its not safe to drive on the far right because of the potholes. Thus its safer to stay in a lane where the road surface is more even. Sheppard did what any cyclist would do, he avoided the potholes.

This however only pissed over the driver behind him, who in this case was Michael Bryant riding with his female friend and possibly feeling cocky. Had he not been a convertible this could have been prevented, but because he was in a convertible he decided to shout at the cyclist and an argument ensued near St. Thomas Street.

Bryant then drove along beside the cyclist, the argument became heated and somehow the cyclist either grabbed hold of his car (or got caught on it). Bryant then decided instead of slowing down he would speed up, drive onto the wrong side of the road into oncoming traffic in an attempt to knock the cyclist off.

Sheppard held on for dear life and was eventually ran over by the rear tires or Bryant's black Saab convertible.

Conclusions? Construction, convertibles, cockiness and being in the wrong place at the wrong time led to a cyclist's untimely death. The fact Bloor Street still doesn't have a bicycle lane is also a problem, despite numerous petitions for the city of Toronto to solve the problem.

It doesn't excuse Michael Bryant's reckless driving or his role in Sheppard's death, but it could have been prevented had common sense prevailed.

Dealing with Bike Vandals

2009-07-06T18:34:00.001-07:00

Sometimes, for no apparent reason, somebody decides to vandalize your bicycle.

Some of the common ways are to:

1. Rip the seat.

2. Puncture the tires.

3. Dent the wheels.

4. Break the chain.

5. Break the derailleurs.

6. Bend the handlebars.

7. Cut brake or shifter cables.

8. Break various fixings on the bike (lights, reflectors, waterbottle holder, etc).

Breaking the frame of the bicycle requires a lot more effort, so even if someone heavily vandalizes your bike frame should still be good.

And the sad part is there is little you can do to prevent such things, unless you're keeping your bicycle inside your home or in your garage. If your bike is on the street or in front of your apartment building its pretty vulnerable to vandalism.

Generally speaking when you lock your bike up securely you think its safe. But that does very little to prevent people from stealing parts off it or just being plain mean.

Sometimes you might know who did it because of some kind of private feud. In which case you have a choice of reporting to the police or maybe retaliation. If you actually knew the person's name that would be helpful to the police, but otherwise there is not a lot you can do about it.

Which can be very frustrating for bike owners who have had their bikes vandalized.

Today, I personally had not one but two of my bicycles vandalized. I don't even know who did it and am confused about why they did it. If they had a problem with me, my name and cell phone number are written on my bikes (to prevent theft) and they could have easily contacted me and discussed their problem.

Instead they decided to vandalize someone else's property. Some people have no respect.

How to Wrap Bicycle Handle Bars

2009-07-06T11:20:00.000-07:00

Confused about how to wrap drop down handlebars? Here is an excellent video on how to do it: 4.5 Stars out of 5.

Audobon's Guide to Cyclists

2009-07-06T08:34:00.000-07:00

Cycling Toronto's somewhat safe streets

2009-05-24T12:01:00.000-07:00

Two things happened to me today on my way to and from the gym.

I took my retro blue Road King cruiser which I have fully restored and went carefully through one of the busiest areas in Toronto (Bloor and Yonge intersection). I parked and locked my bike up and while walking across the Bay-Bloor cross-walk a crazy old bitch in a Honda nearly ran me over.

Proof to me that walking is just as dangerous as cycling.

In 2008 there was 1,068 bicycle accidents reported to Toronto police (see map of 2008 bike accidents). In contrast there was many thousands of pedestrians hit by cars. True, there is way more pedestrians than there is cyclists, but the number does seem relatively low for a city of 5 million people. At approx. 3 accidents per day and only 1 fatal bicycle accident in all of 2008, that seems awfully safe.

The Top Five Most Dangerous Intersections in Toronto
Bay and Dundas - 7 accidents in 2008
College and Crawford - 7 accidents in 2008
Queen and Broadview - 5 accidents in 2008
Yonge and Dundas - 5 accidents in 2008
Bloor and Bathurst - 4 accidents in 2008

Approx. 90% of the accidents are the result of "doorings" (someone opens their car door and unsuspecting cyclist goes straight into it). For those keeping track, if a police officer notices a dooring or gets called to the scene of a dooring accident its a fine that can range over $200, and the cyclist can sue for injuries because its 100% the fault of the person who opened the door without paying attention.

Doorings however are reduced significantly on streets with bike lanes. Its a tricky matter. Cycling in the middle of the vehicle lane tends to piss off car drivers. Cycling on the side of the lane puts you at risk for more pot holes and doorings.

So there is the need for more bicycle lanes (and safer intersections for pedestrians too). To that end the city of Toronto has announced it plans to spend $70 million over the next 10 years increasing Toronto's bike lanes, removing pot holes, etc. The plan hasn't been approved yet, but proponents of it are pushing hard for it. Cycling advocates approve of the plan and say giving bikes more room on the road and more people will ride them, reducing congestion and smog.

Leaving the gym I crossed the street once more (no crazy drivers this time) and found a little surprise waiting on my bike: A printed note titled "I LIKE YOUR BIKE, SHOW IT OFF!!!!" which was promoting a June 6th 2009 event for a Vintage Bicycle Contest, a silent auction, a bike accessory sale, obstacle course and a free BBQ.

Its taking place at 29 Barton Ave (1 block north of Bloor/Yonge).

For more details see batemansbikeco.com (which is sponsoring the event).

So apparently I am not the only one who fusses about my retro blue Road King.

Designer bicycle baby stroller from the Dutch

2009-05-18T07:27:00.000-07:00

Is it a bicycle? Or is it a baby stroller? Or is it an expensive death trap for your toddler?

The Dutch sure do love their bicycles, so its really not surprising a designer from the Netherlands has come up with hybrid bicycle-baby-stroller. Its not the first of its kind... but its one of the more stylish. (Technically its a tricycle-baby-stroller, but whatever.)

The problem with mixing two different things is that the final concoction tends to be... ugly. This one, known as the Taga, attempts to be as stylish as possible, hoping to lure the high-class cyclist parent.

More so, it converts (in roughly 20 seconds) into a regular stroller, and is thus "the ultimate get-fit gadget for yummy-mummies" says the company. Children are carried in traffic-facing seats between the handlebars and strapped in with a five-point seatbelt, effectively making the baby a hood ornament (although thats pretty standard for baby strollers).

"If you come to a situation where you don't want to cycle or you're not allowed to cycle, at the subway or in a supermarket, in less than 20 seconds you can convert it into a stroller," says Jeroen de Schaaf, Taga's European manager. The company is hoping to launch the Taga in North America this summer.

So far the Dutch manufacturer has won three European design awards for its coveted bicycle-buggy concoction and is being wildly endorsed by parenting blogs online (freaking yuppies jumping on the latest bandwagon). It sells in Britain for £1,695 (over $3000 CDN).

Its not lightweight however, clocking in at 64 pounds despite Taga's aluminium alloy-frame Taga. That is roughly three times heavier than an average bicycle, so I guess the yuppies will be getting a workout pushing this thing everywhere.

Worse, it has an internal 3-speed gear hub (which means good luck cycling up hills in that thing). Anybody living in San Francisco or a place remotely hilly would be better off choosing a different way to tote their kid around.

The thing is apparently so hard on the uphills that health experts are warning its not good for post-partum mothers. "The abdominals and lower back are so fragile post-partum," says Toronto mom/personal trainer Dara Duff-Bergeron, who specializes in helping post-partum mothers get back into shape. "I don't know how many moms could take that."

Some mothers are just plain concerned about the scary prospect of sticking their kid way up front. In a frontal crash the kid would be the first to be injured (and bicycle helmets for toddlers are hard to come by).

So does the Taga get my thumbs up? $3000 CDN so you can put your kid's life at risk while looking like a complete yuppie? I think not.

(At the very least it should have a lot of bicycle mechanics scratching their heads and muttering about idiots who will buy anything when people come in to have it repaired.)

Inexpensive Folding Bike

2009-05-13T18:40:00.000-07:00

Check out this great article in Momentum magazine by musician/bicycle mechanic guru Smokey Dymny:

A Great Little Inexpensive Folding Bike

In the article he says:

"I was worried about ergonomics and gear ratios but was soon very gratified. Quadra Island is hilly, but the 48-tooth chainring, enclosed on both sides with a guard, and the 11-28 tooth cog had me spinning up and down hills without a problem. This folder comes with a no-nonsense twist shifter. The seatpost adjusts over a wide range, fitting riders from 4'8" to 6'4". The stem has much less adjustability since it has to fold in half, so short riders will have their hands higher up in front.

The greatest feature is its easy portability. A quick-release lever unlocks the stem, which folds down in front of the crank. Another quick-release on the down tube unlocks the frame, but not until you pull up on a spring-loaded pin. This prevents the frame from accidentally folding under you while riding in case you did not tighten it properly! Having folded the bike in half, you now have the front wheel right beside the rear one. You then fasten the frame together with a Velcro strap (provided) to keep it from opening up. The left pedal tucks under the folded parts, and the right one folds up, increasing the space saving. If you have to take it anywhere at this stage, don’t lower the tall seat post yet. I use the saddle and seat post as a long handle to roll the folded bike ahead of me, or to lift the bike onto a bus. Because of this feature, I don’t actually carry the bike much. When I’m finished moving it around, I release the seatpost and it drops all the way down to the low frame. With practice this only takes 30 seconds. Unfolding is only a few seconds slower.

If I were ever to take it where it needs to be protected for travel, I would use a soft-sided suitcase. I would pack my other gear around the bike in panniers and bags and no one need know I was hauling a bike. Well, not until the metal detectors spotted it. Do I need to buy a high-tech expensive folder? Nope. This one does the job admirably."

Cadbury's bikes for Africa

2009-05-09T17:56:00.000-07:00

CANADA - Canadian bicycle mechanics are assembling 5,000 bicycles to be sent to Africa and given to poor families. The move is being sponsored by Cadbury. See the TV ad to the right that Cadbury is promoting.

HOWEVER! I want to point out that the cost of building 5,000 bicycles... is relatively little compared to the amount of money Cadbury is wasting on advertising.

In theory Cadbury could have skipped the advertising scheme and just purchased 5,000 bicycles to be sent over there. Depending on the price of the bicycles versus the advertising campaign's costs they could have purchased 10,000 or 20,000 bicycles. Chalk that one down to corporate wastefulness and wanting to use the advertising as a charitable tax write-off.

Barnett's Manual for Bicycle Mechanics

2009-05-07T20:15:00.000-07:00

Looking for a comprehensive manual on how to repair bicycles?

The book, the absolute best, is known as Barnett's Manual, and it is used by bicycle mechanics and bicycle mechanic instructors all over the Earth. The writer John Barnett is the chief instructor at the Barnett Bicycle Institute in Colorado and considered to be the foremost expert on bicycle mechanics because he has narrowed it down to a science (I swear he measures EVERYTHING).

Why is his book the best? Because its actually four huge volumes, covering everything from old bikes to new, every different kind of brakes, derailleurs, wheels, spokes, etc. in excruciating detail with lots of diagrams. Everything you could possibly want, over 1000 pages in 4 volumes. The set is now in its 6th edition and has so much mechanical knowledge it puts university physics textbooks to shame. You can also get the CD version for easy searching/indexing.

The books aren't cheap however. Depending where you go you can get one for approx. $160 USD. If you are on a budget I recommend trying to find an used copy on eBay, Amazon or asking around on Craigslist.

Montreal launches bike rental service

2009-05-05T15:23:00.000-07:00

CANADA - There's a new bicycle rental service in Montreal, and its known as Bixi.

Just insert your credit card, get a code, choose a bike at its dock, type in the code and, voilà, you're riding.

The first 30 minutes are free. The second 30 minutes cost $1.50, the third $3, the fourth and subsequent 30-minute periods cost $6 each.

With a membership – $28 for a month or $78 for a year (the bicycle riding season is only May through November) – you get a keycard and the process is faster.

Bikes can be dropped off at any station across Montreal (see the map on the right and you can see how convenient that is). If the docks are full, you get an extra 15 minutes free to drop it at the nearest station.

The program is currently in phase 1 and will double the service region in coming years.

Montreal's system is slightly more expensive than those in Europe, because Bixi is city-owned and does not, as in the case of Vélib (a similar program in Paris), rely on an advertising company to operate the system in exchange for ad space.

Bike rental services tend to do poorly in North America, often due to lack of maintenance on the bicycles or outright theft. Because this new system requires a credit card it should cut down on thievery significantly. The city hasn't confirmed whether they are hiring bicycle mechanics to repair the bicycles regularly.

Montreal has a lot of bicycle lanes and is very bicycle friendly (enough to make Torontonians jealous). In recent years Montreal has been dramatically prioritizing bicycles.

"Bixi for me is not just a bicycle," said André Lavallée, the man responsible for the Montreal's transportation plan. "It's like an ambassador for our vision of transport in Montreal, of our values and willingness to change the city." Lavallée is out to "change the mindset" of Montrealers, to reduce city congestion, dependence on cars, and one major way is through the bicycle and he has a lot of support from the people of Montreal.

Montreal's efforts are getting noticed. Toronto's Green Living magazine named Montreal the "most bike-friendly city in the nation." Time Magazine called Bixi one of the 50 best inventions of 2008. The service won an Edison "Gold" award for the best new energy and sustainability product.

Montreal is one of the continent's bike theft capitals, so the new system of using credit cards will be put to the test. Montreal drivers can be relatively aggressive too, but then again so are Montreal cyclists.

Montreal hopes to have 800 kilometres of bike routes by 2013 and believes it will be in an investment "good for our health and good for the environment," says Suzanne Lareau, president of Vélo Québec, which has been promoting cycling for decades.

Montreal hasn't been building many bike paths for the last 20 years and in recent years demand for them has grown so much they don't have much choice any more. Montreal NEEDS more bicycle paths.

Lavallée attributes the change in political attitudes in part to the relentless activism and growing population of cyclists. He also says "it's cultural, because Montreal is in the middle, both European and North American, so it's a different way of life."

The elegantly designed bike path along de Maisonneuve Blvd. through downtown is even plowed in the winter, which some called a waste of money but cyclists say taking the subway/cars/taxis in the winter would be an even bigger waste of money and clog up Montreal's streets during the winter.

Bixi has 3,000 bikes and 300 stations, with each station just a few hundred metres from the next. Lavallée says he is confident Montrealers "will fall in love with it."

Public bike rental systems have become popular in European cities, notably in Paris, where its service, Vélib, has been a huge success and whose bikes are now as familiar a sight on the landscape.

Toronto is hoping for a public bike system of its own and has asked for companies to show their interest in running one. It wouldn't be operational until Spring 2010 at the earliest.

Montreal's program cost $15 million to start up and will be run for non-profit (unlike the Paris program which is privately owned and for profit). In Paris thousands of Vélib bikes have been swiped in the last two years (and thrown in the Seine river out of disgust for the for-profit company). The bicycles unique look guarantees that no one will steal the bikes and try to sell them because everyone will know it was obviously stolen.

Cycling Magazines & Websites

2009-05-03T17:53:00.000-07:00

For avid Toronto cyclists, if you're looking for a magazine that speaks to you check out Dandyhorse Magazine. In Toronto you can find it at these locations:

Bicycles @ St. Clair, 625 St Clair Ave West
The Bike Joint, 290A Harbord St
Bike Pirates, 1292 Bloor St W
Community Bicycle Network, 761 Queen St W, Unit 101
Cycle Solutions, 444 Parliament St
Hoopdriver Bicycles, 1073 College St
Jet Fuel, 519 Parliament St
Mountain Equipment Co-op, 400 King St W
Shanghai Cowgirl, 538 Queen St W
Sweet Pete's, 1204 Bloor St W
Urbane Cyclist, 180 John St

Canadian Magazines to Check Out:

Pedal - Canada's Cycling Magazine

Canadian Cyclist

Momentum

Other Magazines to Check Out:

Adventure Cyclist

BentRider

Bicycle Paper

Bicycling

Cycling Hall of Fame

CyclingNews.com

Daily Peloton

Eurosport.com

Harris Cyclery Articles

PezCycling News

Roadcycling.com

Total Bike

Velo Vision

USED BOOK STORES

Depending on your flavour of bicycle (some of us like the retro bikes), you can also look in used book stores for old cycling magazines and books, or even non-cycling magazines that did an issue all about bicycles (ie. The August 1971 edition of Playboy Magazine).

If you live in Toronto I recommend Eliot's Bookshop at 584 Yonge Street, 416-925-0268. There is also several other used book shops on Yonge Street you can visit and browse, but Eliot's is the best (I buy all my Conan books there).

Bicycle Mechanics on Facebook

2009-05-03T17:43:00.000-07:00

There is two different bicycle mechanic groups on Facebook that you can join, open to both experts and amateurs.

Bicycle Mechanics of Toronto and Bicycle Mechanics Unite!

Admittedly there isn't a lot of discussion on them, but its a good place to ask questions or maybe find a mechanic.

Bicycle Mechanics in the Greater Toronto Area

2009-05-03T17:31:00.000-07:00

Looking for a bicycle mechanic in the Greater Toronto Area and the surrounding environs? Look no further than this list. If you know of any bike shops not on this list, please add their name, address and contact info in a comment at the bottom.

Ajax-Pickering
Bay Cycles & Sports 980 Brock Rd 905-837-1433
Northern Cycle Bikes & Boards 889 Westney Road South 905-619-8875
Pedal Performance 1050 Brock Rd South 905-837-2906

Aurora-Newmarket
Spoke O Motion 17915 Leslie Street N., Units 5 & 6 905-853-9545

Beach
Cycle Solutions (Beach) 615 Kingston Rd 416-691-0019
Enduro Sport (Beach) 2254 Queen St. E. 416-916.0831
Fred's Sports 1044 Kingston Rd 416-698-2849
Polly's Recycle 1292 Queen St East 416-461-4312
Velotique 1596 Queen St. East 416-466-3171

Bloor West
Bike Place 3096 Dundas St. West 416-766-1085
Broadway Cycle 1222 Bloor St. West 416-531-1028
Brown's Sports & Cycle 2447 Bloor St. West 416-763-4176
High Park Cycle & Sports 2878 Dundas St West 416-614-6689
Maple Leaf Cyclery S4 - 128 Vine Ave 416-604-0065
Newson's Bike & Skate Exchange 612 Jane St 416-762-9976
Queen's Bike Shop 1537-A Queen St West 416-538-2140
Racer Sportif 2214 Bloor St. West 416-769-5731
Set Me Free (High Park) 381 Roncesvalles Ave 416-532-4147
Sweet Pete's Bike Shop 1204 Bloor St. West 416-533-4481
West Side Cycle 213 Roncesvalles Avenue 416-531-4648
Wheels of Bloor 2007-B Bloor St West 416-762-9119

Danforth
Cyclemania (Danforth) 281 Danforth Ave. 416-466-0330
Cyclepath (Danforth) 1510 Danforth Ave. 416-463-5346

Danforth-Riverdale
Benjamin Sports 393 Donlands Ave 416-429-0493
Biseagal 388 Carlaw Ave, Unit 101D, Center of the building 416-466-2212
Cogs Cycle 1 Howland Rd 416-465-7677
Warren Cycle Works 890 Queen St. East 416-466-6958

Downtown
Bikes On Wheels 309 Augusta Ave 416-966-2453
Cycle Shoppe 630A Queen St West 416-703-9990
Cycle Solutions (Cabbagetown) 444 Parliament St 416-972-6948
Cyclemotive 156 Bathurst St 416-916-5551
Downtown Cycle 368 College St 416-923-8189
Duke's Cycle 452 Richmond Street West 416-504-6138
Europe Bound (Front St) 47 Front St East 416-601-1990
Europe Bound (King St) 383 King St West 416-205-9992
Mike the Bike Alley next to 213 Augusta Ave 416-595-5596
Mountain Equipment Coop 400 King St West 416-340-2667
Parts Unknown Alleyway next to Segovia Meats on Augusta St -
Set Me Free (Little Italy) 653 College St 416-516-6493
Urbane Cyclist 180 John St 416-979-9733
Velotech 882 College St 416-536-1489
Wheel Excitement 249 Queen's Quay West, Unit 110 416-260-9000

Guelph
Winterborne Bicycles 180 Southgate Drive 519-826-0556

Inglewood
Caledon Hills Cycling 15640 McLaughlin Road 905-838-1698

Kitchener
Braun's Bicycle & Fitness 27 Scott Street 519-579-2453
True North Cycles Limited 79 Regal Road, Unit #15 519-585-0600

Maple
Maple Cycle and Sports 2563 Major Mackenzie Dr 905-832-2453

Markham-Stouffville
Boyd's Source for Sports 21 Ringwood Drive 905-640-6657
Cyclepath (Markham) 29 Main St. North 905-294-8955
Wheels N Boards 4560 Hwy 7 905-470-1630

Metro North
Bayview Cycle Centre 3335 Bayview Ave 416-225-2633
Bicycle Depot 829 Albion Road 416-741-1452
Bike Depot 7043 Yonge St 905-881-7474
Cyclepath (North York) 5330 Yonge St 416-512-2538
Cyclepath (Woodbridge) 90 Wings Rd, Unit 24 905-850-4481
Pedal Performance (Woodbridge) 8633 Weston Road, Unit #2 & 3 905-850-4099
Silent Sports 113 Doncaster 905-889-3772
Star Cycle & Sports 2111 Jane 416-249-0676

Milton
Spokes n' Slopes 89 Ontario St North (Hwy 25) 905-876-7676

Mississauga-Brampton
Bike Zone 501 Lakeshore Road West 905-278-5573
Canadian Sportrent 1651 Lakeshore Rd West 905-855-7208
City Bikes 1080 Walden Circle #77 905-855-0404
Cyclepath (Mississauga) 20-1170 Burnhamthorpe Road West 905-848-4481
Gears Bike & Ski Shop 176 Lakeshore Rd. West 905-271-2400
InVita Sport Ltd 2325 Matheson Blvd, Unit 3 905-624-6614
MBS Tandems 2964 Keynes Crescent 905-824-9364
Re-my Sport 222 Queen St. South 905-821-1077
Skiis & Biikes 1970 Dundas St East 905-896-1206

Newmarket
BikeSports 47 Main St South 905-953-1609

Oakville
Boomer Bicycle 1140 Winston Churchill Blvd 905-829 4744
Cyclepath (Oakville) 507 Speers Rd. 905-338-0783
Oakville Cycle and Sports 105 Cross Ave., Unit A5 905-844-4394
Orillia
Recumbent Trikes - Canada 1415 Cunningham Crescent 705-326-6958

Oshawa-Whitby
Bicycles Plus 423 Bloor Street West 905-436-6040
Impala Bicycles 1818 Dundas Street East 905-434-4530
Maca Over Limits 1280 Northmount Street 905-432-3502
Oracle Cycle Works 1621 McEwen Drive, Unit 5 905-434-1409
Rentabikecase Inc 337 Richmond St. E. 905-448-0311
Triketrails 1621 McEwen Drive, Unit 5 905-434-1409
Richmond Hill
BikeSports (Richmond Hill) 10133 Yonge St 905-737-8415
The Bicycle Spokesman 10212A Yonge St 905-737-4343
Scarborough
Bicycle Warehouse 1360 Kennedy Road 416-321-2521
Winning Cycle and Sports 4271 Sheppard Ave E., Unit #8 416-298-1773

Toronto North
Cyclepath (North Toronto) 2106 Yonge St 416-487-1717
D'Ornellas Bike Shop 1894 Lawrence Ave East 416-752-3838
Don Mills Optical 170 The Donway West , Suite 404 416-449-9619
Enduro Sport 94 Laird Dr 416-449-0432
La Bicicletta 1180 Castlefield 416-762-2679
Rack Attack 127 Laird Dr 416-424-1201
Sandy's Cycle Shop 115 Laird Dr 416-467-1035
Skiis and Biikes (Don Mills) 896 Don Mills Rd 416-391-0654
Spokes And Sports 1889 Avenue Rd 416-787-6238
Sport Swap 1440 Bayview Avenue 416-481-7927
Sporting Life (North Toronto) 2665 Yonge St 416-485-1611
Sporting Life Bikes 2454 Yonge St 416-485-4440
The Bike Smith 36 Brooke Ave 416-802-2165
Trek Toronto Bicycle Store 2063 Yonge St 416-481-8735
V�locolour 45 Cranfield Road, Unit 6 647-501-8166
ZM Cycle & Fitness Ltd 2055 Dufferin St 416-652-0080

Toronto West
Chain Reaction Bicycles 4231 Dundas St West 416-234-5300
Daial Cycle & Sports 555 Burnhamthorpe Road 416-620-6900
Duke's Sports & Cycle 3876 Bloor St West 416-233-2011
Sporting Life (Sherway) Sherway Gardens 416-620-7750

Uptown
Bathurst Cycle 913 Bathurst St 416-533-7510
Bicycles at St. Clair 625 St. Clair Ave West 416-654-6187
Curbside Cycle 412 Bloor St West 416-920-4933
Cyclemania (Ossington) 863 Bloor West 416-533-0080
Dave Fix My Bike 254 Christie St 416-944-2453
L & J Cycle 1144 Davenport Rd 416-656-5293
La Carrera Cycles 106 Harbord Street 416-538-1203
On the Go 975 Bloor Street West 416-532-6264
The Bike Clinic 349 Harbord St. 416-588-2400
The Bike Joint 290-1/2 Harbord St 416-532-6392

Bicycle Mechanics in Halifax

2009-05-03T17:17:00.000-07:00

Spring is here. The sun is shining, birds are singing, and bikes are coming out of the garage. Some of them are squeaking, creaking and moving slowly. Maybe its time you took your bike in for a free estimate and maybe pay for a tune up?

For people living in Halifax, check out:

Anchor Archive (5684 Roberts Street, 446-1788)

Bicycles Plus (1519 Bedford Highway, 832-1700)

Bike Again! (Bloomfield Centre, 2786 Agricola Street, 429-0924)

Can-Bike (call 490-6666, canbike.net/cca_pages/schedules-ns-halifax.htm)

Cyclesmith (6112 Quinpool Road, 425-1756 or 114 Woodlawn Road, 434-1756)

Ideal Bikes (1678 Barrington Street, 444-RIDE)

Mountain Equipment Co-op (1550 Granville Street)

Nauss Bicycle Shop (2533 Agricola Steet, 429-0024)

Sportwheels (209 Sackville Drive, 865-9033)

Many of these stores offer deals on bikes purchased in their stores so its good to find one and keep going back to them (unless you discover they have really horrible service). Their repair rates vary so you may want to shop around instead of just picking the closest one.

Halifax Free Skoolsessions also offers free bike repair courses bi-weekly from 11am-4pm at the North Branch Library (2285 Gottingen, halifaxfreeskool.wikispaces.com)

Korea spends 10 billion won on bikes

2009-05-03T16:22:00.000-07:00

ENVIRONMENT/POLITICS - South Korea wants to become the leading bike maker in the next five years. Its all part of Korean President Lee Myung-bak's green growth policy, and he is determined to turn South Korea into a leading manufacturer of green technology.

To do so Korea's Ministry of Knowledge & Economy said yesterday that it will be establishing a high-tech bicycle research and development network in Daedeok, South Chungcheong, and will be spending 10 billion won ($7.83 million USD) building manufacturing complexes exclusively for bicycle parts and materials in Suncheon, South Jeolla, and Yeongcheon, North Gyeongsang.

President Lee Myung-bak also participated in Korea’s first bicycle festival in Changwon, saying he was confident that Korea would become one of the world’s bicycle leaders in the next five years.

"Korea was a latecomer in automobile manufacturing [too], but after 20 years Korea has become one of the world’s top five [auto] manufacturing countries," Lee said. "Korea may be depending mostly on imported bicycles [right now], but in less than five years Korea will likely be one of the three major bicycle countries in the world."

The Daedeok research and development network will use existing centers including the state-owned Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute to develop bike-related technologies such as satellite navigation systems. The complexes in Suncheon and Yeongcheon will specialize in new materials and parts to make bicycles lighter, yet stronger. The Korean government says it is also considering expanding a subsidy for commuting to work via bicycle to promote their use for transport.

The city of Changwon currently gives 30,000 won per month (about $27 CDN) to workers who commute to work on bicycles for more than 15 days. In theory users could use that money to buy themselves a Pocari Sweat (a drink popular in Korea) or a Powerade every day on the way to work.

The government also plans to increase the number of bicycles available for rent to the public from the current 15,000 to 65,000 by 2011.

The bicycle industry globally is expanding rapidly. According to Global Industry Analysis the market last year was $54.9 billion, and is likely to expand to $61 billion by 2010. In Korea the local industry has fallen behind imported bicycles. Although Korea manufactured 1.5 million bicycles in 1990, in 2007 it only made 20,000 because it is getting a lot of overseas competition.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

I lived in South Korea for a year and 3 months, and while there I bought a bicycle (bartered the guy down to 50,000 won and got him to throw in a lock too). I discovered the country was very bicycle friendly, so I see this as a positive move on part of the Korean government.

One of my favourite things to do was to go cycling beside the river in Jeonju, which allowed me to visit one of the Buddhist temples on the far side of the city regularly. Korean rivers often have walking/cycling paths built beside them, along with lots of reeds and flower gardens. I would definitely go back again and tour the country on a bicycle given the opportunity.

GreenWheel Electric Wheel

2009-05-02T15:44:00.000-07:00

TECHNOLOGY - Imagine having an electric-powered bicycle... but without the big clunky battery attached to your bike frame.

The next time you change a bicycle wheel, think about upgrading to a wheel that comes with its own motor/generator and a built-in battery. Created by scientists at MIT the new GreenWheel can turn any regular pedal bicycle into an electric bicycle. The bike can still be pedaled like a regular bike, but is now a electric-hybrid bicycle.

"Just take the wheel off, put a GreenWheel equipped wheel on in its place, plug it in and it should work just fine," says Ryan Chin, one of the GreenWheel designers. "The whole thing has been designed so all the parts except the throttle are enclosed in the wheel."

The GreenWheel has the radius of a small dinner plate and is about 2 inches thick. Inside the GreenWheel has an electric motor/generator, batteries and is surprisingly lightweight considering its purpose and usefulness.

Installing GreenWheel on your own can be rather difficult so its recommended you get a bicycle mechanic to do it for you. The GreenWheel requires an higher level of technical knowledge, but can be installed on any bike frame or wheel size. The original spokes have to be replaced with shorter spokes. Learning how to re-spoke a wheel and then true a wheel is rather difficult and not for amateurs. See Wheel Truing.

A bike powered solely by a single GreenWheel (front, rear or both wheels can be equipped with a GreenWheel) has an estimated range of 25 miles on a full charge. Pedaling occasionally doubles the bike's range under electric power, allowing the generator to store more energy whenever you pedal, brake or slow down. The bike can also be charged by plugging it into the electric grid.

The ride is just as smooth as normal and the noise from the electric motor is barely a hum even when at you turn the throttle up and down. The handle-mounted throttle is connected wirelessly using BlueTooth technology to the electric motor in the wheel.

The GreenWheel is also durable and the MIT team estimates its range is 40,000 miles, or about eight years work of travel at an estimated 20 miles per business day.

"You'll have to replace the bike before you replace the batteries," says Lin. (Unless you know a good bicycle mechanic, of course.)

The GreenWheel team is currently planning to pass out more than a dozen different GreenWheel configurations to both hard-core cyclists and novice riders in order to get feedback on how well it works before promoting. Using that feedback the MIT team will determine the optimal configuration of power, speed and cost before starting large scale production.

Copenhagen and South Africa have already expressed interest in adding GreenWheel-equipped bikes to their public transportation systems, creating a bike share program similar to a program in Paris France which is subsidized by advertising revenue and an annual subscription, the first 30 minutes are free, and any time after that incurs a small fee.

The Paris program has been widely viewed as a success, one which Copenhagen hopes to build on. City planners and GreenWheel designers hope to reduce the use of fossil fuels and carbon emissions by getting more commuters out of their cars and onto bicycles.

The GreenWheel is also made from environmentally friendly processes by companies like A123 Systems, which manufactures the lithium ion batteries used in the GreenWheel.

Other systems exist to convert pedal bikes to electric bicycles, but they typically have heavier and more environmentally destructive lead based batteries (however lead based batteries almost never need to be replaced unless they are in a crash). Designer Chin expects a privately purchased GreenWheel will cost between $200 to $400.

Other electric bike converters cost up to $1,200 and require running wires to and from motor to battery to handlebar throttle. Since batteries, generator and motor are all one part connected to the throttle by Bluetooth technology, installation is also easier than existing conversion kits.

The GreenWheel is an offshoot of another MIT project known as SmartCities. SmartCities hopes to expand the range and ease of public and private transportation. They are also designing an electric scooter and a stackable electric car.

Rod Sadowski of the Active Transportation Alliance thinks the GreenWheel could encourage some individuals to ditch the car and take up commuter biking, but doesn't think that technological fixes are the answer to every transportation problem.

"The biggest barrier to people getting out of cars and riding is that they don't feel safe," says Sadowski, who explains that cities need more bicycle trails, paths and lanes. "As a society we need to place a stronger focus on creating laws to stop incidents from occurring and on upgrading infrastructure to make every road bike-friendly."

London's Muslim Ladies' Cycling Club

2009-05-01T12:54:00.000-07:00

RELIGION - Despite opposition from some of their community, increasing numbers of Muslim women in East London are riding bicycles, largely due to their cycling club which is growing in popularity.

The Muslim Women's Cycling Club regularly rides through Stepney, east London, starting from the Jagonari Centre in Whitechapel... and draw stares from non-Muslims unused to seeing women in full hijabs riding their bicycles.

It is Britain's only known Muslim women's cycling club and they host weekly lessons in a small park close to the East London mosque, teaching everything from basic to advanced cycling skills as well as bicycle maintenance and repair.

[My apologies for not being able to find a photo of a Muslim woman tuning up her bicycle with a set of tools, but please let me know if you find such a photo.]

"Most have never ridden," says Erika Severina, their cycling instructor. "Some make excuses, such as saying their clothes aren't suitable, but we've found bikes to accommodate that. Others don't want to ride outside. But now we've got them in parks and on back roads."

Women from other backgrounds and faiths also have taken part, but most are religiously observant Muslims and wear full Islamic dress. The group was formed in early June-July 2005. Some of the women have felt significant disapproval from their own community, but there's no rule in Islam that says women can't ride bicycles.

"Women should not be riding bikes. They are stimulating themselves. If they want to stimulate themselves they should get a man," says one Asian market trader on the pavement outside the Jagonari Women's Educational and Resource Centre in Whitechapel, where the cycling group is based.

Most of the women say that their husbands and sons are more bemused by their new hobby, rather than opposed to it - although the cycling group has one member who cycled in secret because she feared her father's disapproval.

Jagonari is Bengali for "Women Wake Up", but most of the local men appear to believe that women have woken up far too much. A common sentiment by Muslim men is that a woman in charge of a bicycle is a dangerous proposition. "They're bad enough in cars," says one man.

Nurjahan Khatun, the director of the Jagonari Centre, and founder of the cycling project, points out that "there's nothing in the Quran to say that women shouldn't ride bikes." Various Muslim websites argue both for and against women riding bicycles (let alone fixing them).

The Jagonari Centre is in the heart of Bengali East London. A few miles away, the London 2012 Olympic site is under construction at Stratford, but comparatively few local girls and women from the Bengali community take part in sport. A 2006 report for Sport England found that only 19 per cent of Indian and Bengali women took part in any sport, compared with 31 per cent for women nationwide.

Alema, 19, is the co-ordinator of the cycling group. "It's always the boys and their bikes," she says. "My parents never said 'You can't have a bike'. I never asked them. I once rode my cousin's bike in Sheffield and I loved it. I rode for three hours non-stop, I didn't want to get off."

Like many of the younger women in the group, Alema has a Westernized lifestyle and goes rock climbing and camping, and she also takes a more active interest in her religion than the older, more socially conservative, women who attend the Jagonari Centre. She wears the hijab scarf and the jilbab, a long black dress, and says that she became interested in Islam after September 11th. Even though she was raised Muslim, she says "I didn't know anything about Islam, but people started to say negative things about it, so I felt I had to find out the truth."

She is considering wearing a face veil, and is not put off by her parents' concern that it will attract negative attention. "This life is full of thorns, the next life is Paradise. So if you want to wear a veil, it's going to be a struggle - but this life is supposed to be about struggle."

Evidently Alema will do what she feels is right for herself and her version of Islam. Like other women in the group, however, she says that the best thing about riding a bike is the feeling of personal "freedom".

"You don't see many women out cycling, especially in the hijab," says Rajana, who is in her twenties and likes to ride the biggest, raciest bike in the group. "I'm a bit of a rebel," she says.

The other women learn on foldaway bikes with low crossbars to accommodate traditional garments. Various pins and clips are used to stop their long loose clothes getting caught in gears and spokes. Underneath many of the women are wearing fashionable shoes, or flipflops and have painted toenails. They look rather immaculate compared with the cycling instructor, who is wearing fingerless gloves, shorts and torn fishnet tights.

When the group started, the women rode large cumbersome Dutch bikes, turning tight circles in the tiny closed-off courtyard behind the centre. Now their confidence has grown and the women have already taken part in group rides in Hyde Park and past the Houses of Parliament.

"When I started the project it was because I had really wanted to learn to ride when I went to university at Cambridge, but I didn't have the nerve," Khatun says. "I started the cycling group and expected young girls to come along, yet what's really surprised me was how many older women wanted to take part as well."

With low levels of English, older Bengali women have traditionally been one of the hardest ethnic groups to reach. But these are the women who attend the Jagonari Centre to talk to their friends and take part in activities.

Naz is one such lady, whose commitment to cycling has been dedicated, despite slow progress. She struggles with her knees and finds it hard to work the pedals.

"She is having problems with the circling," says one. "It's the turning," the other agrees. [Mechanical note, maybe the bicycle's headset needs a tune up and new ball bearings.]

"I'm just frightened I will veer off and hit someone," Naz tells the instructor.

"My son has told me to get some stabilisers," Naz says, who came to England from Pakistan as a young woman, and her husband now works in the United States while she lives in East London with her grown-up son, who is an avid cyclist. "He loved riding his bike when he was a little boy. It would not have occurred to me to have a bike. But now he is supporting his old mum."

Bikes Not Bombs

2009-05-01T12:44:00.000-07:00

Don’t know what to do with that old bike in your garage? Would love to re-cycle it or re-gift it, but wondering how and whom to give it to?

Check out the nonprofit organization called Bikes Not Bombs. They will take the bicycles, and ship them overseas to countries that really need them for transportation. They also train youths as bicycle mechanics so the bikes they send over work properly. Bikes Not Bombs is having their silver anniversary this year, marking 25 years of giving bicycles to 3rd world countries.

The organization also requests a $10 donation for each bicycle donated to help with their shipping/repair costs, but you get a tax receipt which you can use for your income taxes.

Bike rack design by OCAD students

2009-05-01T09:10:00.000-07:00

Justin Rosete and Erica Mach's bicycle rack design is about to be recognized by tens of thousands in the city of Toronto.

The 19-year-old second-year industrial design student at the Ontario College of Art and Design collaborated with second-year painting and drawing student Erica Mach to create the winning bike rack in a competition open to all OCAD students.

Their design – a row of four diagonal cherry wood columns more than three metres high – will be installed outside a new mixed-use building at Queen and McCaul Streets once construction is finished. There will be some tweaking of the design to make sure it conforms to municipal standards, make them more difficult for bicycle thieves and to finalize how it will be secured to the sidewalk and the number of bicycles it will hold.

Toronto Mayor David Miller was on hand for Friday's announcement of the Gateway Bike Stand Competition (Gateway refers to the competition being an entrance for the art world to participate in functional urban design) and the chair of the Queen St. W. Business Improvement Association is interested in using some of the top designs entered in the competition to beautify the area.

The attention and the possible influence of their design on Toronto's streetscape has been a bit overwhelming for Mach and Rosete, who credit their collaboration and their suburban upbringing for the winning concept.

"Growing up in Mississauga, you look at the city (Toronto) as an outsider," explains Mach, sitting inside an OCAD workspace next to a model of the winning design. "We didn't want to use some of the typical materials you see."

Rosete, who grew up in North York, says looking at a downtown urban space as a visitor for so many years made it easier for him to come up with something unique.

Mach hopes the design will encourage people to relate design with environmentalism. "You can use materials that aren't as environmentally destructive and are Canadian."

As for the "gateway" concept of the competition, both students like the idea of contributing to a more sophisticated Toronto streetscape.

"The mayor said these are the sorts of small initiatives we need to make a bigger change," Rosete says. "Toronto is trying to become the greenest city in North America. I hope this helps encourage bike use and new ways of looking at materials for design. It's good to help people realize that their everyday surroundings have a big impact on them."

"I'm just really happy that I've made a change to the street that I've been walking on for the last two years. It would be really great if our idea was implemented throughout the city. We could put them all around the world, using different materials, things that people haven't seen before on a bike stand."

Brake Levers

2009-04-30T17:54:00.000-07:00

BRAKE LEVER TERMINOLOGY

Adjusting Barrel - A hollow screw used to change the length of the brake inner wire.

Barrel Locknut - A nut that holds the adjusting barrel in place.

Brake Caliper - A mechanism which when closed squeezes the rim of the wheel and stops forward/backward momentum.

Brake Lever - A lever that controls the brake calipers via the brake cable.

Cable Anchor - The part which holds the lever arm down, often a socket or a pivoting mechanism attached to the lever arm.

Cable Housing - The outer sheath of the brake cable, designed to be flexible and prevent rusting of cables.

Cast Clamp - A portion of the lever which bends around the handlebar and clamps in place with one or two bolts. See also Pull-Up Strap.

Ferrule (or End Cap) - Fittings that attach to the cable so it fits into the socket or adjusting barrel.

Inner Wire - The interior wire of brake cables, which travels from the lever arm to the brakes.

Lever Arm - The lever parallel to the handlebar which when pulled activates the brakes via the brake cable.

Lever Body - The surrounding exoskeleton of the brake levers that hold it in place and are attached to the handlebars via the cast clamp.

Lever Pivot & Bolt - A shaft-shaped pivot and bolt on which the lever arm rests.

Mounting Bolt - A bolt used to tighten the cast clamp.

Pivot Bushing - A plastic bushing between the lever arm and the pivot bolt.

Pivot Stud - An unthreaded pivot the slides/presses into the lever body.

Pull-Up Bolt - A bolt that holds the lever body to the pull-up strap.

Pull-Up Nut - Goes on the pull-up bolt.

Pull-Up Strap - A flexible steel strap affixed to the handlebar and lever body, an alternative to the cast clamp.

Strap Clamp - Similar to a Cast Clamp, but commonly found on BMX/freestyle bikes or classic 3-speeds and made of flexible metal.

WHEN TO REPLACE BRAKE LEVERS

#1. Bent brake levers.
#2. Cracked brake levers.
#3. Stripped threads on the mounting bolts.
#4. Excessive looseness that cannot be removed by adjusting or replacing the pivot bushings.

WHEN TO SERVICE BRAKE LEVERS / REPLACE PARTS

#1. Levers jerk or move slowly because of dirt build up/lack of lubrication.
#2. Brake cables/cable anchors squeak due to lack of lubrication.
#3. Bent adjusting barrels should be replaced.
#4. Sticky lever pivot may mean a bent pivot should be replaced.
#5. If the brake levers on a horizontal handlebar aren't at a 45 degree angle to the ground, readjust the brake levers to 45 degrees so they can be more easily reached without wrist contortion.

WHAT TO WATCH OUT FOR IN BRAKE LEVERS

Different sized handlebars - Record the size of your handlebars when looking to replace brake levers so you get a size that is compatible.

Derailleur controls too close - Sometimes manufacturers mount the derailleur controls really close to the brake levers, which depending on the type may interfere with your ability to quickly service/replace the brake levers.

Brake Caliper compatibility - Some brake levers don't work with different braking systems due to the distance between the pivot and the cable anchor. When replacing brake levers check to make sure the distance between the two is similar or identical. You will need to adjust the brakes to make sure the brake cables are taut enough.

Pull-Up Strap failure - If there is too much slack the pull-up nut will slip, and the brakes will become very loose or even fall off. The strap may be damaged and if so needs to be replaced. Straps that are bent or cracked may not be immediately seen until after you've taken the brake levers off the bike. The threads on the nut/bolt may also be stripped and will need to be re-cut using a Tap and Die set.

Insecure levers - This means the brake levers either don't fit the handlebars, or one of the parts is broken. A third possibility, less often, is when the lever body is made of cheap plastic and is just slipping constantly because it can't grip the chrome handlebars. In this latter case the plastic brake levers should be replaced with metal brake levers.

DROP-BAR BRAKE LEVERS

Because of their more unusual dimensions and shapes, drop bar brake levers come in a variety of sizes. To determine the proper size measure to the nearest mm at the end of the handlebars at its widest point using a caliper. DO NOT MEASURE A CURVED PART!

If you are using pull-up straps, don't measure them (because they are flexible anyway). Any reputable company will have them marked with a size in mm. If you bought cheap-up straps you will have to measure using trial and error.

REMEMBER TO LUBRICATE!!!

Oil both sides of the lever pivots, the cable anchor pivots and use bicycle grease on the adjusting barrel threads so they don't rust. DO NOT USE CHEAP OIL OR GREASE because they will wash out easily or collect dirt.

BMX BRAKE LEVERS

Should be placed at 25 to 30 degrees below horizontal (ignore the 45 degrees mentioned above). Torque the bolts to 25-35 in-lbs.

UPRIGHT-BAR BRAKE LEVERS

Install at a 15 to 30 degree angle below the grip. Torque the pull-up strap bolt 60-70 in-lbs. If using a clamp instead, torque the bolt to 25-35 in-lbs.

COMPATIBILITY OF BRAKE LEVERS

Depending on whether you are using cantilever brakes, U-brakes, side-pull brakes, dual pivot brakes, disc-brakes or MTB linear-pull brakes there will be different pull ratios for the levers. Measure the amount of movement required to determine whether it is a high or low ratio. Record it in mm.

25 mm or less is for cantilever brakes, U-brakes, side-pull brakes or dual pivot brakes.

30 mm or more is for disc brakes or MTB linear-pull brakes.

Adjustable Bottom Brackets

2009-04-25T09:42:00.000-07:00

Performing maintenance/changing the grease and ball bearings on a bottom bracket is one of the most difficult things to do for a bicycle mechanic. You will need all the proper tools before attempting this, and its recommended you watch someone else with experience do it first.

TERMINOLOGY

Adjustable Cup - A cup containing ball bearings that screws into the left side of the bottom bracket shell.

Ball Bearings - Tiny metal balls used as rollers for the axle so it turns smoothly. Its recommended you use as many ball bearings as possibly, but leave a small gap the width of 1 or 2 ball bearings so they roll very smoothly.

Bottom Bracket (BB) - The bearings and bearing assembly which allows the bicycle's crankshaft to rotate.

Bottom Bracket Shell - The horizontal tube (1.5" x 3" long) at the bottom of the bicycle frame.

Cone - The piece which fits on top of where the ball bearings rest, along with grease. There are two cones and two sets of ball bearings in a bottom bracket.

Cup - The surface which holds the ball bearings, along with grease. The cup threads into the BB shell.

Fixed Cup - A ball bearing cup on the right side of the BB shell, in a fixed location (no adjustments). Fixed cups have built in pieces that fit right up against the surface of the BB shell.

Grease - You will want to fill the area with the ball bearings with bicycle grease to hold them in place and allow them to turn smoothly. Lack of grease will result in pitting the surfaces and end up ruining your bottom bracket. Use excess grease to keep the rust off.

Lockring - A round locking ring with outer notches which holds the bottom bracket in place. You will need a lockring wrench to properly loosen/tighten the lockring. (If you don't have a lockring wrench you will need to find a bicycle mechanic to do it for you.)

Race - The tiny surface inside the cone and cup which the ball bearings rest or rub against.

Retainer - A set of ball bearings held together with a round metal piece. Retainers are for amateurs. Professionals prefer to have loose ball bearings and lots of grease for extra smooth movement.

Seal Mechanism - A rubber piece that seals the spindle gap.

Spindle - Also called an axle or crankshaft, a metal rod which rotates inside a well-greased bottom bracket.

BOTTOM BRACKET MAINTENANCE

If you have good grease...

Depending on the weather conditions you should do maintenance every 2000 miles. If its really wet where you live (or you're leaving your bike out in the rain) you should do maintenance every 750 to 1000 miles. Remember parts rust even if you don't ride your bike.

If you're not keeping track of mileage, you will know its time for maintenance when your bottom bracket becomes sluggish, too loose, makes noticeable noises, is jerky, makes a constant clicking sound when rotated. Sometimes a part may just be loose, or it may be time for an overhaul.

If you have bad grease or if its a new bike...

You should clean it out ASAP (within the first 1000 miles) and replace the grease and ball bearings.

NOTE: Grease injection systems and water tight seals (they lessen the water, they never full protect it) do not prevent the need for maintenance.

WHAT TO DO TO MAINTAIN YOUR BICYCLE'S BOTTOM BRACKET

Once you know all the parts and have all the tools, you just need to remove the parts, place them in order, clean out the old grease, toss out the old ball bearings, check for pitting (you may need to replace your bottom bracket), add lots of new grease (pack it in there), add ball bearings (make sure the size is the same using a gauge) to the grease (almost fill it, replace the cone inside the cup, place the parts back inside the bottom bracket in the reverse order that you removed them... test and enjoy.

TIPS

Don't pay too much for your ball bearings. Some places overcharge you for ball bearings. A bag of 100+ ball bearings should cost you $2 to $5.

Don't worry about ball bearings that fall on the floor. They're cheap and cost less than a penny. You shouldn't use them either because they collect dirt off the floor easily, which will cause pitting inside your bottom bracket and wear it out faster.

Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty packing the grease in. The more grease the better.

To be continued...

Niagara's best kept cycling secrets

2009-04-25T08:47:00.000-07:00

CANADA - Discovering a great bike path changes everything. Stunning scenery, history and nostalgia, silky smooth road surfaces, perfect turns and multiple gradients and even less traffic transform everyday rides into cycling bliss.

Finding a great bike path just seems to take the effort out of it.

According to my sources the undeniably best cycling road in Niagara is Ridge Road between Highway 3 and Bowen Road. It's a gentle, undulating five-kilometre downhill with an unbroken surface that flows effortlessly from turn to turn and rises and dips like a roller-coaster.

Ignoring the old farms and limestone buildings, fields of flowers, stables and split-rail fences will be difficult, but if you keep your feet focused you can try and enjoy both the scenery and the pure pleasure of the road.

Spring Creek Road west from Regional 24 through Tintern is enjoyable at any pace. It's a mix of century homesteads on working soy and corn farms, interposed with large suburban-style homes. You will be cycling among beautiful restorations and collapsing old relics, seeing charmless plastic barns replace classic gambrel beauties, creates time to reflect on authenticity versus efficiency and the lifestyle and values each embody.

DeCew Road, ridden westward from Merrittville Highway, will have you anticipating the sweetest downhill ride in Niagara and dreading its unavoidable uphill. Board-track smoothness edged with paved ditches ensure there's seldom hazardous gravel, a 10 per cent grade demands precise braking as the road twists and undulates into the final tight curve. Watch out as your eyes mist from the wind, descending quicker than the car behind would dare,and be careful not to cross the centre line.

For a ramble rather than a blitz, it's Four Mile Creek Road between East-West Line and Lakeshore Road, with a side trip on Hunter. This short section of Creek Road, as the locals call it, is off the tourist path and Hunter Road hurries to arrive nowhere, reflecting Niagara-on-the-Lake of 30 years ago. Small orchards, greenhouses and tiny vineyards envelop immaculate, modest bungalows from the 1950s and the evening traffic is primarily farm workers cycling about.

Locals tend to identify Niagara-on-the-Lake with weekend congestion and forget how beautiful and interesting it is. Meandering along Gage, Johnson, and Prideaux streets on a sultry summer evening is cycling at its best.

Then go west to Lowbanks. With the wind propelling you along treeless, arrow straight Feeder Road, where the soft tar has pooled smooth as ice from the hot summer sun, the riding is effortless. You'll register an average speed to brag about for years.

Fortunately, few out-of-Niagara cyclists have discovered the tranquil touring and training roads surrounding Shorthills. As a training exercise, blast north out of Fonthill down Pelham Street onto Hollow Road and try to hold your pace all the way to the old St. John's one-room schoolhouse. As a gentle tour, coast down the same road, then twist and turn past homes in gorgeous settings where daffodils and trilliums abound. Roland, Sulphur Springs, Hansler and Metler roads all offer more of the same. Taken slowly, they're perfect for peaceful exploration. Shift up a chain ring and hammer, and these quiet routes will burn your legs and scorch your lungs.

A toonie will get you the Niagara Region Bicycling Map at any bicycle dealer and the roads I've mentioned are easy to locate. There's also Nineteenth Street into Jordan, Regional Road 45 along the Welland River, Pelham Road through Rockway, Lakeshore Road west of Port Colborne.... So many roads, so little time.

Toronto's New Bike Sharing Program

2009-04-25T08:32:00.000-07:00

CANADA - Toronto City Hall has taken another trek on the path to realizing a large-scale bike-sharing program. More than two years after the Community Bicycle Network–run BikeShare stopped operating and eight months after Councillor Adrian Heaps, chair of the Toronto Cycling Committee, first mused out loud that a new bike-sharing program would be launched this year, Toronto finally put out a Request for Expressions Of Interest (REOI) in the Toronto Public Bicycles Project late last week.

The REOI offers a peek into the potential bike sharing program that organizations will be bidding on when the Request for Proposals is released later this year. Slated to start in spring 2010 with three-thousand bikes, the project would initially see bike stations located 200–300 metres apart in the downtown area bounded by Parkside Drive, Dupont Avenue, Broadview Avenue, and Lake Ontario, with provisions for future expansion.

With stipulations both that "no advertising may be placed on sidewalks and boulevards" to support the program and that it must be provided without cost to the city, it's most likely to be funded by membership fees. Given the "no advertising" provision and that Councillor Heaps mistakenly believed that Astral Media had the right of first refusal on any bike-sharing program, it looks like Astral turned up its nose at the idea.

(For those who don't know, the last program BikeShare was an advertising fiasco and ultimately ended in most of the bicycles being stolen.)

According to the outline set forward in the REOI, bikes would be free for the first thirty minutes for users with monthly or annual membership cards, but occasional users would also be able to swipe credit cards at any of the bike stations. The system would run twenty-four hours per day year-round, allowing for unspecified off-season shrinkage. The City will also allow potential proponents to bid solely on providing the infrastructure, leaving the day-to-day operation to another organization to be selected later.

People can assume that the requirement for the operator to "share surplus benefits" from the program with the City means that whoever ends up running the program won't be able to hoard all of the healthy people, reduced car traffic, cleaner air, and general happiness of the city's inhabitants. Oh, and profits, too.

HOWEVER, just a warning from a mechanical perspective, shared bicycles are often badly in need of a tune up so if you're intending to take part in this program, its highly recommended you hone up on your mechanical skills so you can make small repairs on the bikes you use.

Canada's Bike Summit 2009

2009-04-25T08:20:00.000-07:00

CANADA - The Toronto Coalition for Active Transportation and the Clean Air Partnership are once again once again hosting Canada's Bike Summit 2009.

Bike Summit 2009 will be held on Thursday, May 28th at the Novotel Toronto Centre.

You can join leading thinkers, practitioners and decision-makers who are on the fast track to creating bikeable communities. Enjoy innovative and forward thinking sessions that will:

*Share international and Canadian best practices and perspectives realizing the economic and public health benefits of cycling.
*Present new approaches to street design that improve conditions for active transportation.
*Engage key stakeholders on how to address barriers and implement bicycle-friendly policies.
*Showcase the most recent best practices in bike parking and bike stations.

Since the last summit in 2008, exciting momentum is growing in Toronto and the surrounding area:

*For the first time ever, the entire Toronto Bike Plan was fully funded within the five-year Capital Plan. With this $70 million investment, the city will create 410 km of bike lanes, 122 km of shared roadways and 83 km of off-road paths.
*2008 saw the most kilometres of new bike lanes ever put on the road in one year in Toronto.
*Metrolinx unanimously voted in favour of the Regional Transportation Plan. The 25-year plan commits $20 million per year to be invested in cycling and walking in the GTHA.

Register by April 24 to take advantage of our early-bird rates and to be entered into a draw for Mountain Equipment Co-Op bike gear valued at $500.

Rubber Side Down

2009-04-23T16:32:00.000-07:00

CANADA/HEALTH - Two Canadians in an effort to raise money for bowel diseases Crohn’s Disease and ulcerative colitis have bicycled 8000 km from Victoria, BC to St.John's, Newfoundland.

The two filmed their misadventures in their trip across Canada and are now crossing Canada again to show their film, Rubber Side Down, in major Canadian cities.

Bicycle Maintenance Important Safety Tip

2009-04-21T18:49:00.000-07:00

If you aren't checking up on your bicycle's maintenance regularly, you are taking your life in your hands. The chance of having an accident goes up remarkably

Do basic bike maintenance every 4 - 6 months.

If you are using your bicycle daily you will want to have it checked once every 2 or 3 months, possibly by a professional bicycle mechanic who can check it properly.

OTHER CYCLING SAFETY TIPS

* Maneuver your bike effectively.

* Determine the best place on the road to ride.

* Communicate with other road users.

* Check your bike for safety.

* Adjust your bike to fit you.

* Choose equipment and clothing.

* Plan the best routes.

* Handle weather and riding at night.

* Don't tailgate other cyclists or cars.

* Be wary of potholes, bumps or crevices.

* Don't show off to your kids or wife by being a dumbass.

Extreme Bicycle Stunts by Danny MacAskill

2009-04-21T18:34:00.000-07:00

Extreme stunt cyclist Danny MacAskill makes the impossible possible with some of the most amazing parkour-style bike riding you will ever see.

1,000 cyclists gather in Subic

2009-04-19T15:04:00.000-07:00

MANILA, Philippines – More than 1,000 cyclists and bike aficionados from 13 countries, including the Philippines, will flock to the Subic Bay Freeport today, in this year’s biggest and most challenging bicycle festival.

Dubbed the 2009 Terry Larrazabal Bike Festival (TLBF), the three-day cycling event, which started in 2002, will feature various bicycle races, demonstrations, and exhibits. The goal is to promote cycling as a way to be environmentally friendly.

The event will be attended by cyclists from Australia, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, the United States, and the UK.

"Again, this puts Subic in the map of sports tourism because the TLBF has also made a name in other countries," said Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority Administrator Armand Arreza in a statement.

Festival director Gregorio Larrazabal said the event includes activities like the Mountain Bikes X-Country, Downhill Competition, 4X/Mountain Cross Challenge, Dirt Jumping and Trials Competition.

Wheel Truing and Repair

2009-04-19T14:31:00.000-07:00

When are wheels not true? No, its not when they're lying to you... its when they're not straight. A true wheel is rounder, centered, easier to pedal and they wobble less.

Thus knowing how to make a wheel perfectly round, replacing broken spokes and damaged nipples and fixing damaged rims can be quite important for keeping a bicycle in tip-top shape.

A lot of the tasks required to true a wheel require tools only found in a well-equipped bicycle shop (like a truing stand), so you will likely need to contact a local bicycle mechanic.

WHEEL TERMINOLOGY

Cross Pattern - The pattern created by spokes laid in opposite directions.

Dish - The centering of the rim to the hub locknuts. The flanges are sometimes different distances, so the goal is to make the wheel look like a dish when viewed from the side.

Eyelet - A metal reinforcement in the nipple hole.

Hub - The mechanism at the center of the wheel, that the axle rotates inside of.

Hub Flange - The metal discs on opposite sides of the wheel hub, to which the spokes attach.

Interlace - This is when the last spoke of a set goes under the spoke instead of over it.

Kgf - Kilograms of Force, a measurement of spoke tension.

Nipple - The long nut that attaches to the rim and holds a spoke in place with threads. Tightening the spoke nipples controls the spoke tension.

Truing Stand - A special stand specifically for truing wheels. Anyone who doesn't use one of these is an amateur.

Radial Bump - This is a bump in the rim, going outwards.

Radial Dip - This is a dent in the rim, going inwards.

Radial Error - An error in the roundness of the rim, either a dip or a bump.

Reading Unit - A number used to measure spoke tension, which is then converted to kgf.

Rim - The metal hoop attached to the spokes, on which the rubber tire is attached.

Rim Beads - The two edges of the rim on the outer sides.

Rim Sidewall - The sides of the rim, to which the brake pads press.

Spokes - The wires that go between the wheel hub and the rim.

Spoke Elbow - The 90 degree hooks that attach to the hub flange's holes and hold the spokes in place.

Spoke Head - The flattened end of a spoke that at the end of the spoke elbow, which holds the spokes inside the hub flange.

Spoke Nipple Holes - The holes in the rim to which the spoke nipples attach.

HOW DO YOU KNOW YOUR WHEEL IS CROOKED OR NOT TRUE?

If your wheels wobble from side to side (lateral error), your wheel might not be true.

If you have difficulty adjusting the brakes (its too high or too low), your wheel might not be true.

If you are experiencing brake pad rubbing, your wheel might not be true.

If your bike has a tendency to go to one side, your wheel might not be true.

If your wheel won't center between the fork, your wheel might not be true.

There might be other issues causing the problem, but this is also an easy one to check and fix.

You will also need to true your wheels whenever a spoke breaks. A broken spokes suggests there might be tension problems with the wheel spokes. If they keep breaking, its an indicator that spokes are just old and need to be replaced.

Minor rim damage can be easily repaired, but major damage should result in either replacing the rim or the whole wheel.

HOW DO I KNOW I SHOULD REPLACE MY WHEEL OR RIM?

Indicators include: Multiple broken spokes, multiple damaged or corroded nipples that won't turn, dents in the rim that can't be straightened out, cracks in the rim, severe sidewall wear or rust.

WHEEL TRUING MAINTENANCE

Spoke tension should be checked when the bicycle is first purchased, because manufacturers rarely check for true wheels.

Spoke nipples should also be lubricated so that they don't rust or corrode, once or twice a year. Put a drop of light oil at the top of each nipple so it can soak downwards. Alternatively you could treat it with Wheelsmith Spoke Prep (a lifetime corrosion preventative) which will last a lot longer.

BICYCLE SPOKE TENSION - WHAT TO WATCH FOR

#1. Make sure the wheel hub is tight and doesn't jiggle. If it jiggles you won't be able to true the wheels properly. Tighten the wheel hub so the axle still moves freely, but doesn't jiggle any more.

#2. Check for rounded/damaged nipples using a Park SW-10 nipple wrench. If one is found, check all the others. A wheel with many damaged nipples are not cost effective to repair and you'd be better off just replacing the entire wheel.

#3. Check for stuck or frozen nipples. If you can't move them using a Park SW-10 nipple wrench. If many frozen nipples are found the wheel should be replaced because it won't be cost effective trying to remove and replace them.

#4. Replace any broken or bent spokes, but calculate first how much it will cost and determine whether its cost effective to replace the wheel. If spokes break during the truing of the wheel, or if there are many signs of previously broken/replaced spokes, it may be time to replace the wheel. Depending on the wheel type it may be worth it to replace ALL the spokes and rebuild the wheel.

#5. Check for a loose chain. Spokes sometimes get damaged or bent by a chain bumping and catching the spokes. If the chain is really loose, it should be replaced.

#6. Check to see if you have replacements for spokes of unusual length. You can sometimes use a Hozan spoke threader tool (if you have one) to cut and replace spokes with weird lengths.

#7. Check for spokes that are too long and may puncture the tire tube or won't thread properly. Too long spokes should be ground down using a file or rotary tool (and possibly rethreaded if the nipples are running out of usable thread).

#8. Check for bent rims, either radial flat spots, lateral bends, bent rim beads, and collapsed rims.

Radial flat spots are usually caused by hitting curbs or landing too hard.

Lateral bends are caused by impact to the side of the rim.

Bent rim beads is usually a ding inwards or outwards. This is a minor problem that can be hammered out before truing the wheel.

Collapsed rims (aka Potato Chip syndrome) is when the wheel is bent so out of shape it looks like a potato chip. If so then its time to toss the rim in the recycling bin and get a new one.

#9. Cracked rims are useless. Toss it in the recycling bin and get a new rim or a new wheel.

#10. If the sidewalls of the rim are worn-out or have severe brinelling (caused by too tight brakes) its time to replace the rim/wheel.

#11. Cheap rims are very difficult to be made true because the sidewalls cannot be made true at the same time. Some of them can just be a waste of time and it would be cheaper to replace the rim or wheel.

#12. Check to see if the tire is glued to the rim. Removing and re-gluing a tubular tire is expensive and not recommended. Gluing a tire is also potentially bad because if an accident happens the bike shop can be sued for faulty work. The best solution is to deflate the tire and try to work around it. You may need to put fresh glue under any sections that has been lifted.

#13. Mislaced spokes can be spotted by looking for spokes that cross other spokes 3 or 4 times. Depending on how badly the spokes were laced onto the wheel you may need to pull them all out and start afresh by cross lacing the spokes, each one at least one hole off from where they should be in the flange.

TIPS WHEN TRUING WHEELS

#1. Don't turn the nipple the wrong way when you meant to go the other way. Pay attention to which way you're turning and whether it is tightening or loosening the nipple: Righty tighty, lefty loosey.

#2. Don't over-tighten the nipples. That could break the spokes or bend the rim.

#3. Set the truing stand so it just barely touches the wheel rim. After you tighten the nipple closest to the stand, the wheel rim will move a fraction away from the stand. If it doesn't you've turned it the wrong way.

#4. Don't turn the nipple a full turn when adjusting. Quarter turns are better. It is better to tighten everything slowly and one nipple at a time than doing full turns and overtightening sections of the wheel.

#5. Follow procedure, not instinct. Some people seem to think they have an innate ability to know when a wheel is true. WRONG! Often they worsen the situation by ignoring procedure.

#6. Double and triple check things. Once section is trued that doesn't mean it won't be made out of whack later. When you tighten one section of the wheel you have to go back and double check all the other sections because they've just been made looser in comparison.

#7. Always correct the lateral true before checking the dish or using a dish gauge.

#8. Keep track of both sides of the wheel, especially when making lateral and dish corrections. Mark the right side of the wheel axle with tape or a rubber band so you can remember which side is the right side.

#9. Try to do the right side first with everything, so you get in the habit of it and won't make mistakes by losing track of which sides you've already fixed. Its also because the ride side tends to be the side that naturally needs to be fixed more (don't ask why, it just is).

#10. The lateral alignment will not stay constant, especially when fixing radial dips and bumps. You will need to recheck for lateral errors constantly. (A good trick is to check after every 3 corrections.)

#11. Remember for every nipple you tighten there are 27 to 35 (depending on whether you have 28, 32 or 36 spokes) other nipples that have just been slightly loosened.

#12. If you don't backtrack while working on lateral errors you will end up creating more lateral errors and end up in vicious cycle (haha, cycling pun).

#13. When correcting a round error, remember to balance both left and right sides. Its better to tighten two spokes at the same time so you maintain lateral balance.

#14. Be very careful using math when dealing with spoke tension. Spoke tension meters can be confusing for amateurs so be careful about your measurements. Some people like to ignore measurements and pluck the spoke like you would a guitar string. If you get a sound then you are on the right track. If its so loose you don't get a sound then its really loose. DO NOT TRY TO MEASURE SPOKE TENSION BY SOUND. Some amateurs claim they can true a wheel by plucking the spokes, but that is a myth because the tension will be off by 20 kgf or more and would be dangerous if the wheel has catastrophic wheel failure. An amateur who does so also places themselves at risk for being sued if someone gets injured or killed because they didn't true the wheel properly.

#15. Measure the right side first, because if you measure the left side first and correct it you will over-tighten the right side.

#16. When measuring tension readings, keep track of every reading on paper and divide by the appropriate number to get the average. A common mistake is to divide by the wrong number and get a result that is horribly wrong. Another common mistake is adding the same number multiple times before dividing. Watch out for numbers that look suspiciously high or low.

#17. There will be lots of little errors. Don't stress it out, just be patient and you will correct it by following procedure.

PROCEDURAL STEPS WHEN TRUING A WHEEL

1. REMOVE THE WHEEL FROM THE BIKE.

2. REMOVE THE TIRE FROM THE WHEEL.

3. MARK THE RIGHT AXLE.

4. JERK AND JIGGLE AXLE TO MAKE SURE IT ISN'T LOOSE, TIGHTEN IF NECESSARY.

5. INSTALL WHEEL SECURELY TO TRUING STAND, RIGHT AXLE ON RIGHT SIDE.

6. CHECK THE DISHING USING AN ADJUSTABLE DISHING TOOL (see below).

7. PUT A DROP OF OIL ON THE TOP AND BASE OF EACH NIPPLE.

8. MEASURE SPOKE AT ITS MIDPOINT TO GAUGE SPOKE SIZES. WRITE DOWN RESULTS IN MM, INCLUDE FRACTIONS (common sizes: 2.0 mm, 1.8, 1.7, 1.6, 1.55, 1.5...). SOME TRUING SETS COME WITH A SPECIAL SPOKE GAUGE YOU CAN USE.

9. FIND YOUR SPOKE WRENCH FOR THE APPROPRIATE GAUGE SIZE.

10. USING A TENSION METER, CHECK THE TENSION OF THE SPOKES ON BOTH SIDES OF THE WHEEL AND COME UP WITH AN AVERAGE TO DETERMINE YOUR AVERAGE STARTING TENSION. YOU CAN CHECK JUST 10 SPOKES, OR YOU CAN CHECK'EM ALL DEPENDING ON HOW ANAL YOU WANT TO BE.

11. ADJUST THE TRUING STAND CALIPERS TO A POSITION WHERE THEY BARELY TOUCH THE SIDES OF THE RIM.

12. SPIN THE WHEEL WITH YOUR LEFT HAND AND WHEREVER A BUMP TOUCHES CALIPERS (USING YOUR EYES AND EARS) STOP THE WHEEL AT THAT SPOT OR SECTION AND ADJUST THE SPOKES USING A SPOKE WRENCH IN YOUR RIGHT HAND. IF YOU WANT THE LATERAL ALIGNMENT TO GO RIGHT, PUSH THE WRENCH FORWARD ON RIGHT SPOKES AND PULL LEFT SPOKES TOWARDS YOU (AND VICE VERSA). ALWAYS ADJUST THE SPOKES ON EACH SIDE EQUALLY, IN GROUPS OF 2 OR 3. (IF YOU ADJUST 2 RIGHT AND 1 LEFT, USE HALF FRACTIONS ON THE TWO RIGHT SPOKES.) ADJUST THE SPOKES WITH QUARTER, ONE-EIGHTH OR ONE-SIXTEENTH TURNS. DO not USE HALF OR FULL TURNS (THIS COULD OVER TENSION YOUR SPOKES AND BREAK THEM, AND IT COULD CREATE TENSION PROBLEMS THAT WILL WARP THE WHEEL IN OTHER SECTIONS.)

13. REPEAT STEP 12 AGAIN AND AGAIN UNTIL MOST OF THE LATERAL BUMPS ARE GONE, TIGHTENING THE CALIPERS EVERY TIME THE BUMPS BECOME TOO SMALL TO TOUCH THE CALIPERS.

14. YOUR END GOAL IS TO GET THE LATERAL ALIGNMENT WITHIN 0.5 mm OF TOLERANCE. PROFESSIONAL CYCLISTS LIKE TO HAVE IT WITHIN A RANGE OF 0.1 mm or 0.2 mm, BUT THIS IS NOT NECESSARY FOR MOST CYCLISTS.

15. ONCE THE LATERAL ALIGNMENT IS DONE, ADJUST THE CALIPERS AND CHECK THE RADIAL ALIGNMENT (THE OUTER EDGE OF THE RIM). LOOK FOR BUMPS AND DIPS. TIGHTEN BOTH LEFT AND RIGHT SPOKES WHERE YOU FIND BUMPS, OR IF THE BUMPS SEEM TO BE MANUFACTURING ERRORS, USE SANDPAPER & STEELWOOL TO SMOOTH DOWN THOSE BUMPS.

16. CHECK THE SPOKE TENSIONS. GENERALLY SPEAKING YOU WANT TO ADJUST FRONT WHEELS TO 80 - 100 kgf AND REAR WHEELS TO 100 - 120 kgf. THIS MAY VARY DEPENDING ON THE SPECIFIC WHEEL SPECIFICATIONS (ie. expensive titanium wheels). IF THE RIDER IS EXTRA HEAVY OR THE BICYCLE IS BEING USED FOR EXTREME RIDING YOU WILL WANT MORE kgf. A LIGHT RIDER OR AN OLDER WHEEL SHOULD BE ADJUSTED SO THE TENSION IS LIGHTER.

17. TAKE THE WHEEL OFF THE STAND, PLACE THE AXLE ON THE GROUND AND PLACE YOUR HANDS ON THE RIM AT 180 DEGREE ANGLES AND PRESS DOWN GENTLY BUT FIRMLY. YOU MAY HEAR TINY POPPING SOUNDS. REPEAT THIS ON BOTH SIDES AT DIFFERENT ANGLES.

19. RECHECK THE DISHING AND LATERAL ALIGNMENTS FOR ANY ERRORS. REPEAT STEPS 12-17 AGAIN IF NECESSARY.

20. RE-ATTACH YOUR TIRE TUBE AND TREADS, AND PUT YOUR WHEEL BACK ON YOUR BICYCLE.

USING A DISHING TOOL

When using a dishing tool you want to check to see how well the hub is centered compared to the rim. Start from the hub and push the tool into place so the sides are touching the rim. (If both sides of the rim don't touch then its a sign you have some major lateral errors.) Lock the center piece of the dishing pool in place and turn the wheel 90 degrees and check to see if both sides of the rim touch the tool. Some people like to spin the wheel a bit to see if there are any majors gaps.

Then take the tool (with the center piece locked in) and compare it to the other side. If the middle or rims don't all touch at the same time it means you have some lateral dishing errors that need to be fixed. Determine which side needs to be adjusted and remember that when you are fixing the laterals (see below).

USING THE TENSION METER

Squeeze the hand levers on the tension meter and place the three prongs around a spoke. Release your hand gently and that spring-loaded lever will indicate a degree on the side of the meter. Using that degree you can compare it on the kgf chart for the approx. tension value in kilograms of force (kgf). In the early stages of wheel truing you will want the spoke tension to be about 70 kgf, but as you get closer to the end of the process you will want to adjust all the spokes to the desired kgf range (approx. 80 - 100 kgf for front wheels and 100 - 120 kgf for rear wheels).

FINAL NOTES

Truing a wheel, especially if you've never done it before, is a difficult task. If you're still unsure I recommend reading BARNETT'S MANUAL, chapter 17. It is the ultimate guide to bicycle mechanics (he's very anal and scientific about it). Truing a wheel is NOT an art form, no matter what amateur mechanics may tell you. Its a science that requires a lot of measuring, careful tracking and adjustments, the proper tools and patience in order to get a perfectly round and safely tightened wheel.

If you decide to hire a professional, ask the bicycle mechanic if they have a tension meter, a truing stand and a dishing tool. If they are missing ANY of these three, they're not a professional. Don't trust your wheels (or your life) with an amateur.