Cycling Thread

[cracher]

Mind you, I will commute via bike for the 1st time in my life next week (my magic number is 10 degrees at 8am). I probably will feel NEZ's pain before too long as it's all downhill from the top of 14th street NW.

Re: N3 bike only condos - will be interesting to see how that place sells. Will it be a high concentration of singlespeed riding hipsters students or DI overflow?

[carbonrod]

Originally Posted by Northendzone

^ a clean drive train is a happy drive train.......personally, i now like to take my chning right off (it has a sram power link) and then soak in the citrus decreaser from home depot - chain is so clean afterwards you could eat off of it.

That is similar to what I do. I keep 2 chains. When one is gooped up, I toss it in a vat of odourless mineral spirits/oil, clean the cogs with a brush and brake cleaner, and put the second on.

Winter driving is brutal. mud and trail shiznit is bad enough.

[GGG]

When does high wood pass melt out. Thinking June 7 for doing it. Will it be plowed by then or do they wait until right before they open it to cars

[habernac]

Originally Posted by GGG

When does high wood pass melt out. Thinking June 7 for doing it. Will it be plowed by then or do they wait until right before they open it to cars

They usually plow it to prepare for cars (if necessary)

[pope04]

Originally Posted by cracher

Mind you, I will commute via bike for the 1st time in my life next week (my magic number is 10 degrees at 8am). I probably will feel NEZ's pain before too long as it's all downhill from the top of 14th street NW.

Re: N3 bike only condos - will be interesting to see how that place sells. Will it be a high concentration of singlespeed riding hipsters students or DI overflow?

Let us know how it went. If you're like me, I suspect your temp range will expand. For me, I used to be a fair weather commuter only - if the pavement was even wet, I drove. -10 in the winter and was the coldest for me. Gradually, my stable of bikes, wheels, tires, tools, cycling attire etc grew so I could handle any conditions at almost a moment's notice.

We had such a great winter that I was able to push through - even that gnarly week just before Grey Cup.

[arcfyr]

Commuted today for the first time this year. Parked by Laycock Park off of 64th. Pathways were mint, with only one puddle in the usual spot by the zoo.

[cracher]

Originally Posted by pope04

Let us know how it went. If you're like me, I suspect your temp range will expand. For me, I used to be a fair weather commuter only - if the pavement was even wet, I drove. -10 in the winter and was the coldest for me. Gradually, my stable of bikes, wheels, tires, tools, cycling attire etc grew so I could handle any conditions at almost a moment's notice.

We had such a great winter that I was able to push through - even that gnarly week just before Grey Cup.

My intro to commuting was awesome. Brought 10 days of dress clothes to the office, made arrangements with Fishman's for pick-up/dropoff. Top of 14th NW down to Kensington rd is net downhill. It was a major adrenaline rush. Noticed a lot of things that drivers wouldn't notice: all the lights by nosehill are at the start of an uphill, it's all pathway until you pass confed park. Wore my ski helmet (covers the ears, has bluetooth). Wife was nice to me; picked me up half-way all week because I still don't have enough lungs to get all the way home yet. Because I'm on a full-suss 29er on slicks, I may try to find a track on nosehill park parallel to 14th so that I don't have to stop for lights. My only problem: I have coarse hair that needs to be fully soaked down to remove the helmet head. The office is laughing at me for having 4 bottles of product and a hair dryer at the office. Not sure why I didn't do this years ago.

And I fully retract my statement regarding cars sharing not sharing the road. The stretch of 14th st south of 16th ave is all downhill, with cars stopped the whole way. I can see my line on the right IF cars could inch left a touch.

[WhiteTiger]

Went for my first ride today. Got most of the way through my 'easy' route, and found that the rest of it was closed for repairs. Still managed to get 7.3km in 29 minutes. Legs are very much not happy with me.

[Northendzone]

supposed to be a high in the mid 20's tomorrow, with a low of 6 - might be able to rock shorts tomorrow am

[Teh_Bandwagoner]

I just moved into a home in Mt. Pleasant a couple weeks ago. Decided to try biking to work (in the East Village) a couple times a week. I have never been much cyclist, like, ever. I've only cycled into work twice so far (including today). Luckily the route in is super easy. 5 km, mostly downhill going to work. Even going home the opposite direction wasn't too bad. I had some concerns about cycling in traffic, but that hasn't been bad either.

I did have one incident my first day out though. I was doing down Centre Street bridge. Every time I pass people, I would try to yell my intentions from behind. But one dude was walking with earphones and could not hear me, despite all my yelling. I ended up trying to pass him anyway. But as I did, he swung his arm into my bike. Ended up knocking my bike down, causing me to bail into the railing. No damage done on either side, both of us apologized to each other and move on. Trying to figure out the best option for passing people next time. I bought a bell, but if a guy with earphones on has trouble hearing me shout, I don't think they can hear the bell either.

Should I go with a horn instead? Or is bailing into people with earphones an accepted risk of cycling? lol

[bossy22]

Originally Posted by Teh_Bandwagoner

I just moved into a home in Mt. Pleasant a couple weeks ago. Decided to try biking to work (in the East Village) a couple times a week. I have never been much cyclist, like, ever. I've only cycled into work twice so far (including today). Luckily the route in is super easy. 5 km, mostly downhill going to work. Even going home the opposite direction wasn't too bad. I had some concerns about cycling in traffic, but that hasn't been bad either.

I did have one incident my first day out though. I was doing down Centre Street bridge. Every time I pass people, I would try to yell my intentions from behind. But one dude was walking with earphones and could not hear me, despite all my yelling. I ended up trying to pass him anyway. But as I did, he swung his arm into my bike. Ended up knocking my bike down, causing me to bail into the railing. No damage done on either side, both of us apologized to each other and move on. Trying to figure out the best option for passing people next time. I bought a bell, but if a guy with earphones on has trouble hearing me shout, I don't think they can hear the bell either.

Should I go with a horn instead? Or is bailing into people with earphones an accepted risk of cycling? lol

I've always ridden on the street going up or down center street. you are supposed to have a bell, but with headphones, most people can't hear you.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by Teh_Bandwagoner

I just moved into a home in Mt. Pleasant a couple weeks ago. Decided to try biking to work (in the East Village) a couple times a week. I have never been much cyclist, like, ever. I've only cycled into work twice so far (including today). Luckily the route in is super easy. 5 km, mostly downhill going to work. Even going home the opposite direction wasn't too bad. I had some concerns about cycling in traffic, but that hasn't been bad either.

I did have one incident my first day out though. I was doing down Centre Street bridge. Every time I pass people, I would try to yell my intentions from behind. But one dude was walking with earphones and could not hear me, despite all my yelling. I ended up trying to pass him anyway. But as I did, he swung his arm into my bike. Ended up knocking my bike down, causing me to bail into the railing. No damage done on either side, both of us apologized to each other and move on. Trying to figure out the best option for passing people next time. I bought a bell, but if a guy with earphones on has trouble hearing me shout, I don't think they can hear the bell either.

Should I go with a horn instead? Or is bailing into people with earphones an accepted risk of cycling? lol

Were you on the sidewalk? You shouldn't be riding there. There are safe pathway options to get to the river. As for the bell/horn, I ride with both. They get 3 dings of the bell, and if I don't see any sort of response, they get the Thunderhorn(110db). That always gets their attention.

[Teh_Bandwagoner]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Were you on the sidewalk? You shouldn't be riding there. There are safe pathway options to get to the river. As for the bell/horn, I ride with both. They get 3 dings of the bell, and if I don't see any sort of response, they get the Thunderhorn(110db). That always gets their attention.

I come down the Crescent Hill and cross Centre Street heading southbound into downtown. There's a blue sign with a picture of a pedestrian and a bicycle. I assumed that meant bike accessible. Did I read that sign wrong?

[Bill Bumface]

^lots of the bridges are shared right of way on the sidewalks. I just crawl super slow past earphone guys. Generally I keep barely over a walking pace on the bridges when pedestrians are around just in case.

[Fuzz]

I always understood those blue signs to mean the road is a designated bikeway, not he sidewalk. As far as I know the only sidewalks you are allowed to bike on have a yellow line painted on them, like 4th st NW north of 40th ave. I used to always take the hill by the curling club and cross the suspension bridge. You could stay on the north side of the river and take St Patrick's bridge across if you want to avoid some congestion.

[Red]

With the Barlow and old airport road closures, did the bike path by the airport close? Is there another way to cut thru the airport nowadays?

[Baron von Kriterium]

Originally Posted by Teh_Bandwagoner

I come down the Crescent Hill and cross Centre Street heading southbound into downtown. There's a blue sign with a picture of a pedestrian and a bicycle. I assumed that meant bike accessible. Did I read that sign wrong?

Have you considered 10th St with its dedicated bike lane? I take it most days and just make my way to the Bow pathway.

[Coys1882]

First commute of the year this AM. Lovely weather though the toes did get a little frosty through fish creek. Roads are nicely swept up too which is always a bonus.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by Coys1882

First commute of the year this AM. Lovely weather though the toes did get a little frosty through fish creek. Roads are nicely swept up too which is always a bonus.

Nice! I've found the Toe Thingy's are awesome for keeping your feet warm. I have perpetually cold toes, but even down to -5 they work well. I used to use the full covers but found this did just as good a job but are much easier to put on and off.

http://www.mec.ca/product/5029-261/c...-unisex/?q=toe

[Baron von Kriterium]

Originally Posted by Coys1882

First commute of the year this AM. Lovely weather though the toes did get a little frosty through fish creek. Roads are nicely swept up too which is always a bonus.

The DeFeet Woolies sure help on mornings like this, but I still need two-pair. As I age, I get colder it seems.