[Don't] Take the Tooker
Saturday, October 1st, 2005Oh dear, another bike lane project: Take the Tooker! - Bloor Danforth bike lane. I much prefer to go play in the traffic.
Archive for the ‘bike stuff’ Category
all around the lakes
Wednesday, September 28th, 2005Had an impromptu visit to Port Burwell today to fix a cranky cell modem. It was also my first experience of driving a stick shift — and not just any stick shift, one with 400Kclicks on it — on the wrong side of the road. It was weird, but since I neither wrecked the car nor hit anything, I think I got the hang of it.
Anyway, no trip to Burwell is complete without a visit to the Lighthouse Restaurant for fresh fried lake perch. While I was there, I got chatting to a couple from Chicago who were working on their plan to cycle round a Great lake each summer. By doing this, they were hoping to appreciate the scale of these huge bodies of water. Neat plan.
One day, when I’m a Celebrity Windfarm Designer with my own television show, I’ll take a summer off to go round Lake Erie.
pech pech
Sunday, August 28th, 2005I cycled out to the end of Leslie Street Spit this evening. It’s far. I got to the concrete pad by the lighthouse: Google Maps: Leslie St Spit: 43.61374° N, 79.34352° W.
My legs hurt. A lot. But it was pretty. I saw one of the beaver-felled trees, too.
Sturmey-Archer
Monday, August 22nd, 2005Sturmey-Archer have finally updated their website. Hub gears a-go-go!
the missing
Thursday, August 18th, 2005Missing BikeShare bikes: #2 Taxi, #3 bumblebee, #4 Bike four, #5 Nico, #8 Blue Elephant, #10 Momentum, #15 Paw Print, #17 coffee & joy, #19 buddha, #20 Sulpher, #22 Ticket To Ride, #27 Tianamen, #30 Nimbus, #33 Turntable, #44 Napolean, #47 Matilduh, #49 Paris-Roubaix, #53 Cracked, #54 Frodo, #55 Che, #57 froggi eyes, #58 Penny Farthing, #60 Lemon, #68 north bay or bust, #70 Boulder, #75 morris, #77 DownTube, #80 Delta, #83 schep, #84 Sunshine, #88 Blue Heeler, #91 Stella by Starlight, #92 Clara the Shark, #94 Over the Hill Pinky, #95 Kushner, #101 Murphy, #103 Tulip, #106 Fly Grrl, #113 Moo Moo, #117 Art, #128 Phineas Foggs, #129 Slow Poke, #135 Darbellay, #142 Winterton Wendigen, #144 Tessa Kat, #148 Throckmorton, #153 Left and leaving, #163 Husky, #168 NoToryUs, #188 Troz Forster, #192 Shooting Star, #210 National Unity, #223 Mango, #225 Drew, #230 Purity Passion Revelry
Something to warm the cockles of Big Dave H’s heart
Sunday, August 14th, 2005
The TTC has a one year pilot program to put bike racks on buses.
velcro cable tie = bike parking brake
Sunday, August 14th, 2005
I saw a bunch of Belkin Cable Ties, F8B024 being sold off at CPUsed, and they look like they’d make great parking brakes for when you’re taking your bike on the subway. Sure enough, they fit every brake lever we have.
No more gorilla grips when taking a bike on the subway!
not sensible, just lovely
Monday, July 25th, 2005uh oh, indeed. On Sunday, I bought that beautiful Dawes Super Galaxy that they had in Cyclemania on the Danforth. Reynolds 531 ST frame, SunTour Cyclone M II gears, Maillard hubs, and a Brooks saddle. I’m guessing it’s a 1984 model from the date on the gears.
Its sky-blue “Handbuilt in England” frame is a little dusty with age, but it’s still got the E. Chamberlaine & Son dealer decals on it (and they’re still at 77 Old Kent Rd, too). When I was a bike-obsessed 14 year old, I so wanted a Dawes Super Galaxy, after reading too many articles in Bicycle (long gone, sadly missed; some images from it here) magazine.
It rides like a dream. If the legendary Reynolds 531 Super Touring frame was always reviewed as being a little less lively than regular 531, it must’ve been a bronco. It’s a sparkling ride, with the beautifully thin forks taking up a lot of the vibration. I took it out for a spin down to the lake this evening. I’m usually too pooped to go anywhere after work, but not when I’ve got this joyful vehicle to ride …
uh oh
Saturday, July 16th, 2005There could be a non-sensible bike purchase in the offing. I was pricing up bikes for Catherine when I saw a beautiful secondhand English touring bike, made of the near legendary Reynolds 531. It’s lovely. But where can you get good 27×1¼” tyres these days?
sensible != boring
Wednesday, July 13th, 2005
(I nicked this image from Cycle Heaven’s website, so I should probably give them credit.)
See, lookit — a bicycle that meets all the requirements of being sensible, without being dull. This is from Gazelle, one of the Netherlands’ oldest manufacturers.
search for the sensible bicycle, pt317
Sunday, July 10th, 2005I was in Curbside on Bloor West today. They have nifty-keen vehicles like Bromptons, Pashley roadsters (like the Tube Rider, sigh), German roadsters from Hawk Classic, and some frankly over-designed things from Biomega. But what really made me happy is that they’re about to start importing Batavus roadsters from the Netherlands. Yay! Sensible bicycles!!
Not having the readies to buy a bicycle, I made do with walking out with a Sigg; Europe’s equivalent of the ubiquitous Nalgene.
£2100 … for a two-speed?
Wednesday, June 29th, 2005I really think that Moulton have lost all sense of proportion. They’ve released a limited edition AM2 (with two-speed coaster brake hub) for a mere £2100 — that’s nearly $4700! Who needs a titanium-railed saddle on a roadster bike?
magicwindy
Monday, June 20th, 2005
Yeah, it’s kind of silly, but the magicwindy — a tiny wind-powered bike light — is kind of cute.
lone go
Friday, June 3rd, 2005Again, I was the sole passenger to get on at Kennedy Go station. A few folks got off, which makes a change.
Since it’s bike to work week, I felt very subversive taking my Brompton on board. GO Transit doesn’t like bikes on weekday trains, so basically you’re SOL if you have intermodal commuting needs.
this used to be on my commute
Friday, April 22nd, 2005Cycling Near Lambhill. Pretty, isn’t it?
bowled over? Assault with a deadly weapon, more like
Monday, April 18th, 2005The CBC says: Tired driver bowls over Manitoba cyclists. A local RCMP constable is quoted as saying:
The driver was under extreme fatigue and not really paying attention to the road in front of him, and he came upon a pack of cyclists
So it’s okay to fall asleep at the wheel as long as you’re only likely to hit cyclists? Imprudent driving doesn’t sound nearly harsh enough.
a sensible bike from a car company?
Saturday, April 2nd, 2005Flipping through the Hedonics fallout (you know, the slick catalogue selling semi-useful battery-operated tat that falls out of your weekend newspaper; cf Sharper Image, Innovations and — for both of you that remember it — Scotcade) I see the Cadillac Bicycles AV8.0i. It’s the first time I’ve seen hub gears, hub brakes and a full chainguard on a featured bike.
Sure, I could swap the full suspension and back rest (which looks more like legal means to prevent the Enormous Midwestern Arse from subsuming the saddle, akin to lawyer lips) for mudguards and a carrier rack, but it’s heading towards the sensible bicycle. And I know it’s not really a product of General Motors (whose company slogan currently appears to be losing money, hand over fist), but a licensed product of Kent Bicycles. But if car companies feel they need to license their premium brands to anonymous Taiwanese-built roadsters, maybe something good is happening after all?
Toronto Spring Bike Show
Saturday, March 5th, 2005
above: Oracle Cycleworks‘ beautiful and light Omega USS recumbent. Image links to my mediocre photogallery.
I scooted around the Toronto International Bicycle Show last night. As usual, there were the usual huge amounts of offroad bikes, but there were a few surprises:
- The standout for me was the Oracle Cycleworks Omega (available from triketrails). This light, USS recumbent was stunning, and designer Jack Sochacki was extremely proud of it. Their Jack Squat suspension looks like a more refined version of the HPVeloTechnik’s NoSquat system. The lack of chain guide rollers is a nice touch.
- Urbane Cyclist had the Rans Fusion semirecumbent, and the extremely inexpensive Sun EZ Tadpole trike.
- BionX had an electric-assist hub that looked like it would fit standard rear axle widths.
- Backpeddling of Guelph had some beautiful custom cruisers from Firebikes, and the quite over-the-top Hello Kitty and John Deere cruisers from Nirve.
- … and Raleigh have re-released the Chopper. They’ve removed the product-liability-on-a-stick gearshift, but let’s hope it retains its legendary speed and agility (cough!)
Lowriders were even more prevalent than last year. While they’re not the most practical of rides, they do have a certain panache that all those MTBs lack.
approaching the sensible bicycle
Sunday, February 27th, 2005
Hub gears and brakes, almost full chain guard, mudguards, rack, lights; the Scooterbike Urban is almost perfectly sensible.
I do fear it might be rather expensive (it’s £1225 in the UK; meep!), and the company name could use some help: Used. I don’t think it translates well. While I suspect the designers were looking to reinforce utility, to me it sounds like it’s had a previous owner or two …
John Milloy responds
Saturday, November 20th, 2004From: John Milloy MPP <jmilloy.mpp/ at /liberal.ola.org>
Subject: RE: Bill 129, Highway Traffic Amendment Act, 2004
November 19, 2004
Dear Mr. Russell,
Thank you for contacting my office about Bill 129, the Highway Traffic Amendment Act. I appreciate your comments and I have noted your concerns about this legislation.
As you may know, on Thursday November 4, 2004 my Private Members Bill, Bill 129, unanimously passed second reading in the Legislature and was referred to the Social Policy Committee of the Legislature of further review. I was extremely pleased with the tri-party unanimous support for the Bill, and by the overwhelming support I have received from Ontarians throughout the province.
The bill proposes to change the existing Highway Traffic Act by making it mandatory for all individuals to wear a certified helmet when cycling, in line skating, skateboarding, etc. on public roadways.
The changes I have proposed in my Bill will have a significant impact on the number of brain injuries suffered by Ontarians as a result of road accidents involving cyclists in line skaters etc. For example, it has been calculated by the ThinkFirst Foundation of Canada, that if every adult bicyclist wore a helmet, 50 Ontarians would be saved from incurring a serious brain injury annually. Combined with the injuries prevented when in line skating, skateboarding or using other kinds of non-motorized wheeled vehicles on roadways and you have an enormous savings for our health care system - $4-$9 million over the course of a single victims lifetime - and a priceless emotional and physical gain for individuals and families throughout the province.
Beyond what the legislation will legally change, my goal with Bill 129 is to create a culture of safety in Ontario. As much as we like to think we are invincible, we are not. Head injuries do not discriminate on the basis of age or the type of wheeled recreational vehicle an individual is operating. Further, head injuries can result in the tragic loss of life, the shattering of hopes, or amoung other things, countless hours of rehabilitation.
Head injuries as a result of an in line skating, bike, skateboard or other wheeled recreational vehicle accident can be prevented by as much as 85% by wearing a simple helmet. Despite this, many individuals have not chosen to wear a certified helmet when operating these vehicles. I do not believe that the inconvenience of wearing a helmet outweighs the personal and financial cost of a potential injury and that is why I have sponsored this Legislation.
I recognize that regardless of the aforementioned statistics and arguments that you may still have concerns about the Bill. Please be assured that I will be tracking Ontarians views on Bill 129 as it proceeds through the legislative process, and that I will take each and every thought and suggestion into consideration.
Thank you again for taking the time to comment on The Highway Traffic Amendment Act. If you require further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
John
John Milloy MPP
Kitchener Centre
1-416-314-7824
Note: For your information I have consulted with the following organizations about Bill 129
Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police
Ontario Medical Association
Ontario Brain Injury Association
ThinkFirst Foundation of Canada
Association of Municipal Emergency Medical Services
Region of Waterloo Emergency Medical Services
Region of Waterloo Police Service
Toronto Police Service
Participation House - WR
Ontario Cycling Association
Various local cycling organizations
SkateOntario
District and Public Health Offices
Many medical professionals
Canada Safety Council
Survivors
I am still meeting, writing and talking with groups and individuals on this issue, and I will continue to do so while the Bill proceeds through the legislative process. Further, when the Bill reaches the committee stage there is possibility that there will be public hearings held.
