winter cycling

The before photo at Manning and Harbord by Tino. Note how the car lanes are quite clear.

After the cyclists have gone in and shoveled it themselves.

Local thorn-in-officials'-side Hamish wrote the city back in January to let them know their poor plowing was leaving cyclists in danger. Rob Burlie, Manager of Road Operations wrote back:

Hamish: we have had salting, ploughing and snow removal crews engaged continuously in the unforseen 14cm snow event since 11:30pm on Friday, January 7th with the snow ending at 11am on Saturday, January 8th. Our level of service for bike lanes is to maintain a 1 metre clear width within 24 to 48 hours after the completion of the snow event. Crews have been actively engaged in bike lane clearing to meet this level of service since 4pm on Saturday, January 8th and we will be finished at the end of this evening's rush hour as parked cars are hampering operations. With the amounts of snow that have fallen back to back, staff are now engaged in priority snow removal with an emphasis on bike lanes on bridges and adjacent to the lane hatchings ie. Dundas east where the snow is being continually dragged out by parked cars and hope to be complete by end of day Wednesday. I have forwarded your list of observed deficiencies to my staff to review and take any necessary action. Thank you.

I wonder if their car lane of level of service is as delayed? I doubt it.

Hamish's response:

Hi Rob -

It's time again for the annual article on tips for winter cycling in one of the mainstream newspapers and once again they go over the top in trying to provide the definitive guide to provide security against every contingency. I admire their earnest attempt to give some advice for those brave souls, but ends up with making the result look more like an astronaut on a wintery moon launch. To be fair last year the Star reported that the key thing for winter cycling are tissues, but this was only because Yvonne had tried to convince them winter cycling is easy:

Winter Astronaut: Toronto Star

But do we really need to start training for NASA to get through the winter? My proposal: think about what you'd wear if you were going for a long winter walk and wear it:

Look: warm clothes! Practical, but not particularly fashionable. (Photo by Tino)

This guy has a smart-looking, warm hat. (Photo by Xander)

Every Canadian knows the drill: warm jacket, mitts, boots, long underwear and toque. The only thing I would add as important are lights for the bike. That's it.

Or you can even try to be fashionable (from Xander) though it would be hard to wear long johns under tight jeans:

Councillor Adrian Heaps talks to press: Credit: Brian Betsworth

Did you fail to get your "bodily oils" flowing with a nice winter bike ride? Well, you missed out on the pleasure of cold weather rolling, as well as the opportunity of hearing Councillor Heaps talk about fluids, oils and pleasure as he trumpeted winter cycling. If you were more likely to be at your favorite brunch spot instead, here is a recap.

After leaving High Park at noon we rode approximately 1/2 km before stopping for hot chocolate, a view of the snow plows that clear the Martin Goodman Trail, and listen to Heaps' press conference on the benefits of cycling and plowing the trail, both worthy causes.

Snow clearers: Credit: Brian Betsworth

We stood around drinking hot chocolate, looking at the distinct lack of snow. The plow guys were probably feeling under-appreciated.

Crowd stopped for hot chocolate and plows: Credit: Brian Betsworth

There was a distinct over-representation of "sporty" cyclists. I'm not sure where all these cyclists came from. I see a lot of winter cyclists but rarely see them decked out in waterproof booties, jackets, helmet covers and tights. Apparently such cyclists do exist, but they are a rare breed downtown. TBN must have recruited a sizable portion of their membership.

Looking for a bike related activity for this cold Saturday? You could try the Coldest Day of the Year Ride, starting at the Grenadier Cafe in High Park at noon. Or you could go to the Live Auction of 5 of the legendary yellow BikeShare bikes starting at 3pm at the Community Bicycle Network at Queen and Euclid.

The info is posted below:

CBN Open House and Auction

Join us on Saturday, January 30th, from 12 to 6pm, when we will hold an all-afternoon Open House!

We will be holding a Live Auction for five of the legendary yellow Bikeshare bikes at 3pm. Get them while the getting's good!

Also, throughout the day (and ending at 5pm) there will be a Silent Auction for high-end and unique vintage parts.

And if you don't want to hang around till that happens, just drop by and get used parts at astonishing prices - we will be slashing our always-low prices on used parts. (All used parts just $2.00 -- One Day Only.)

Plus, hot cocoa and snacks to keep you warm on a wintery bike day.

(If you're planning to go to the Coldest Day of the Year Ride, there should still be time to get to CBN's auction afterward, so you can do it all!)

See you then!

Coldest Day of the Year Ride

Saturday, January 30, 2010 - 12:00

What: Come out for a group ride on the statistically coldest day of the year.

(Photo: Toronto Star)

A nice article on Yvonne, bike union ED, and her take on winter riding by Catherine Porter of the Toronto Star. Apparently the key to winter cycling is tissues for the running nose (and a bicycle). The best part of this article is the pretentiousness and, yet, feminine angle. You don't need much more than a bicycle, a warm jacket and confidence to bike in the winter. If one day is too scary, wait until the snow clears up and you'll find it's quite refreshing:

We've met on a sunny morning and set off in search of winter's axis of evil: snow, slush and ice. Now that we've found it, Bambrick instructs me to push into it, slowly, but with confidence. "Don't lose your nerve."

Look at her: tall, long black coat, chic red hat dotted with a delicate bicycle pin, dark sunglasses. She could be shopping in Paris.

Her bike is a grey Dutch seven-speed, the front basket adorned with bulrushes, white plastic flowers cascading off the back.

How could you spout epithets from your car window at this woman? If the old cycling crowd is Kensington Market, Bambrick is Uptown. She is gentrifying the image of cycling in the city.

Her tool is the Toronto Cyclists Union. Bambrick, 33, is its executive director, her salary paid mostly through the dues of its 800 members, proof in itself of the rising class, and commitment, of cyclists.

Photo: uwajedi

Paul Terefenko of NOW Magazine has some pretty good winter cycling tips but I feel I can provide better suggestions in places (having taught CAN-BIKE and ridden in many winters).

Bike

Just ditch style in the winter. That Pashley doesn’t deserve to get eaten by salt, covered in grime and penetrated by water for four months. Instead, find a beater.

Get a bike with as few gears as possible. Frames don't rust quite as easily as NOW suggests, just shake or wipe it off frequently. The real issue is rusting of gears, brakes, and cables.

Choose a more upright bike that allows you a better field of vision.

I suggest cleaning up the bike mid-way through the winter at a do-it-yourself shop such as the Community Bicycle Network (Queen and Euclid), Bike Pirates (Bloor and Lansdowne) or Bikechain (U of T).

Tires

Something with wider knobby tires works.

There is almost no advantage to knobby tires on Toronto streets. When the roads are icy knobs don't help you, and when it's snowy you almost want a bike with thin tires that can cut through the packed snow.

There are studded tires out there, if you’re convinced you need them, but again, Toronto roads are pretty well cleared most of the time, and you’ll just be buzzing along most of the time.

Welcome to our new banner. (if you don't see it refresh your browser)

I'm beginning to think winter is not ending this year. Should we start a poll to see where people stand on this issue? Maybe we can correlate the results with those who prefer Obama to Clinton. Obama: summer. Clinton: winter.

I've become quite skilled at navigating ice and snow. The recent sloppy snowfalls and melting/freezing cycles has created ideal conditions for chunky, rutted and very slick streets. Back in November I would have slipped or fallen once per ride but now I've got the hang of it, taking the bumps head on and riding over black ice with confidence (as long as I'm not heading downhill). You get a knack for it: no sudden movements, no sharp turns. Perhaps I can learn to love winter riding if I'm stuck in it long enough.

My bike is a different matter. It's quickly oxidizing. I may have to replace a number of rusty parts like the chain, cables, housing and perhaps even the rear dérailleur. The salt gets in everywhere and no bike part is safe from its corrosion.

I hope the banner won't become permanent.

The increasingly popular commuting mode known as "winter cycling" was profiled in the National Post this week.

Torontonians are reputed to be whiners when it comes to weather. But, as Canadians, we are better known for our innate drive to conquer the elements. It is in our bones, part of our history. A robust people who embrace our northern landscape in all its inclement glory, we refuse to be kept inside by a simple snow squall.

Read more at the National Post.

You'll see some familiar names there. The author is Tammy Thorne, and one of the people interviewed is Tanya Quinn.