bike culture

This is my simple bike. A Peugeot Sport with 27 inch wheels, fenders and a coaster brake.

Nothing fancy. An old used Brooks saddle maybe for comfort. It's not a silent ride, there are squeaks here and there. But my hands are free and it's easy to maintain.

Where can you build yourself a bike like this? Try the Bike Pirates if you are into DIY which is super fun. Other places to try are CBN (Community Bicycle Network) and the Bike Joint.

A highly recommended ride.

Abandoned bike near Dovercourt.

A great event plus $1200 was raised for Charlie's Freewheels. Kudos to the organizers and volunteers and the after party hosts Bike Pirates.

West Toronto Rail Path last night. Somehow I thought it might be free of ice or snow.

Wrong.

Well, it was a lot fun to ride. Kinda like mountain biking on sandy soil.

Nice to see other cyclists as well using the trail on such a nice winter's night.

Something new and very fun by Janet Attard

Photos by Hamish Wilson. I think they speak for themselves. Personally I ride daily along Bloor and it scares me.

I found the above illustration on the GOOD website.

According to the City of Toronto (Census) riding to work was up 32,6% between 2001 and 2006 from 1,3 to 1,7. Not bad but too slow for my likes. Wonder what the current stats might be. I think it's up despite everything we face. I am just thankful for everyone on two wheels.

Below is a graph for modal share stats for Ontario. [Editor: Toronto is at 1.7% while the second highest is Orangeville at 1.2%. Metro Toronto would be much, much higher since the burbs pull the numbers way down.]

Update: The Toronto Star has a published a map today with the percentage of commuters who ride bicycles to work, from the 2006 census

The bike union launched a campaign this week to help smooth over the anger between drivers and motorists. Cyclists are extending the olive branch in the form of thousands of "Thank You" cards to be given out to drivers when they doing something courteous to cyclists. The campaign is partly in response to the angry rhetoric surrounding the death of Darcy Sheppard and the trial of Michael Bryant.

The "Cyclists Paving the Way" campaign is meant to dial down some of the rhetoric being heard in the so-called "war on the car," says Yvonne Bambrick, executive director of the Toronto Cyclists Union.

About 5,000 cards with the words "Thank You" have been printed for cyclists to give to deserving drivers, perhaps by tapping on the car window at a stop light, Bambrick said.

A motorist who looks over his or her shoulder before swinging open their door into the street – sparing an oncoming cyclist the chance of collision – would qualify for a card, Bambrick says.

It's "a chance for cyclists to thank the drivers who do see them, and do treat them with respect and as fellow citizens," she added.