Western Canada - Edmonton Thread

Yup, passed 3 cyclists yesterday in a stretch of commute where I typically see zero. Good to see.

There are a lot more folks out there now and I am seeing the fall commuters back on the road... the nice lady on the Batavus has resumed her commute of late and that has to be a sign of spring for sure.

I didn't have to wear a balaclava all week, and I only need to wear mitts in the morning.

If mother nature blasts us with another dose of winter you can blame me. I got the road bike back into service this weekend.

I've been out road riding for two weeks now. I'm sure we'll get more winter - but for now I'm loving it!!!

first ride today with the summer tires. i'd forgotten how quiet the bike was without the constant hum of tungsten carbide on pavement.

Was up on the 9th floor waiting for a meeting to start and was watching things on the ground at GMCC from downtown... was impressed at how many cyclists I saw on the road this morning.

Happy St Patricks Day to you all. I can't believe the weather. I have been out on my road bike for the past couple of weekends. It feels good to get the cobwebs off the gears. No, don't give me the gears about riding in the winter. For now this is the closest I am getting. I am getting ready to put the cross country skis away and hope that I can keep the Trek on the road until November or later.

If mother nature blasts us with another dose of winter you can blame me. I got the road bike back into service this weekend.

So can we blame you for the snow today? :) Eh, it's not so bad, actually kind of nice to ride in this morning.

Sheesh...predictions of up to 4cm of snow today. I've lived in Edmonton for over half my life, so this isn't exactly surprising, but I was sure looking forward to seeing the MUTs free of ice and snow. Temporary setback, I guess. The forecast for the next week looks awesome!

Just about ready to head out on a 60 mile ride today... and i think that is the sun I see out there.

:)

I remembered this post while I was riding last wednesday and thought "how true. Quiet, just like riding over freshly fallen snow."

I went for a little 40+km ride on the river valley trails yesterday (the MUTs, no single-track stuff). I sure love how many miles of trails there are in this city, up and down both sides of the river and you never have to see the same trail twice. Being a lovely Sunday afternoon (lovely for Edmonton in March, anyway), the trails were pretty full of walkers, joggers, dogs, cyclists, skateboarders...seemed like half of Edmonton was out yesterday. But it was still a nice ride: slow down when I had to, hammer when I could, and always announce my approach from behind with my bell. Still a little ice and slush in parts, and I got pretty dirty on the trail between Hawrelak and Laurier parks. If we can get another week of nice weather, hopefully everything will dry up. All in all, a really nice ride and a great day to be out.

Hey Edmonton cyclists...You know the bridge over the North Saskatchewan River on Highway 60 out to Devon? Does anyone know what the grade of that road is up each side of the valley, and the approximate elevation change from top to bottom? I'm just curious. It seems to be a popular route for local cyclists. I was out there yesterday, and with a good northwest wind, whoa nelly was it ever a tough climb going north. I know it's not a spectacular climb in the grand scheme of things, but I'm still curious to know the specs of the hill that kicked my posterior yesterday.

Hey Edmontonians! Thought I'd introduce myself. I live in a community called Morinville just 25kms north of Edmonton (15kms N of St. Albert) and stumbled upon this forum. I spent almost 6 years of my chilhood in Mill Woods, where I also learned to ride a bike for the first time. I've made one 80km round trip into Edmonton on my new Trek Valencia and hope to do more this summer! Maybe I'll catch some of you at the Tour de l'Alberta or critical mass rides. Cheers!

AaronJohnTurner, welcome to the forums. Which distance will you be doing for the TdA?

Edit: just noticed your post in the TdA thread.

Aaron - I am hoping to ride in the TdA this year so mebbe we can all arrange to meet up there and I also participate in the CM rides on a pretty regular basis.

In June we will be holding the Owen Richel Memorial CM ride and later that evening there will be a dance party at The Edmonton Bicycle Commuter's shop where I also hang my hat a good deal of the time.

Sounds like fun! I've got 5 months before I head off to Quebec for basic training for the military so I can use all the riding I can get!:thumb:

Aaron, it's your mother.....lol, actually I am Aaron's mom and he just talked me into getting a bike. I am now a proud owner of an orange Electra Townie. I haven't ridden a bike this much in about 8 years. Just rediscovering the joy of fresh air and exercise. He's tried to talk me into the Tour of Alberta but I don't think I'd have the stamina by then, perhaps next year :)

I'm moving to Edmonton for my graduate program this summer. Hopefully I'll find a place close to the Uni - what quirks about commuting in Edmonton should I be aware of?

boro - If you are going to be at the U of A and living close by the area is very nice to cycle in and going north to south through the centre of the city is quite nice... east west travel can be a challenge as the city did not seem to think that cyclists knew how to ride in these directions.

Anyone planning to be at the Bikeology pancake breakfast tomorrow morning @ Churchill Square? I'm hoping to be there, sometime around 7:45.

boro - If you are going to be at the U of A and living close by the area is very nice to cycle in and going north to south through the centre of the city is quite nice... east west travel can be a challenge as the city did not seem to think that cyclists knew how to ride in these directions.

Sounds good. What are the roads like in the winter? Chinooks take care of a lot of the snow down here, but I've never been up to E-town outside of the summer.

Winter is not so good. We don't get a ton of snow, but most of the side streets are rarely or never plowed, just sanded over. The main streets are kept fairly clear. It's still ridable, but you need good tires and plenty of time.

Even in the summer, wide tires are a good thing. Many of the residential streets haven't seen maintenance in years, and don't have potholes so much as craters and chasms. Still, the university and downtown are some of the best parts of the city for cyclists, so things should work out well for you.

Anyone planning to be at the Bikeology pancake breakfast tomorrow morning @ Churchill Square? I'm hoping to be there, sometime around 7:45.

Was good to see you and that pretty bike this am... :)

Next up... 30 non stop hours of bicycle repairs at EBC starting tomorrow at noon and going until 6pm on Sunday.

We have three people who have signed on to work for 24 hours and beyond... it is gonna be quite a long haul... but a fun one.

Was anyone else here at the 'Pedal' movie at the Citadel Monday night? I made a fantastic 37km ride to the theatre from Morinville, and the 15 back to St. Albert. I only thought it apporpriate that I bike to the bikey movies!

Was anyone else here at the 'Pedal' movie at the Citadel Monday night? I made a fantastic 37km ride to the theatre from Morinville, and the 15 back to St. Albert. I only thought it apporpriate that I bike to the bikey movies!

Must have missed you... this was me on Monday night.

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikepics/cygnetbw1.JPG

Must have missed you... this was me on Monday night.

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikepics/cygnetbw1.JPG

I most definately saw you and your funky bike. I was wearing a red and black CANADA jersey with black shorts, you were sitting about 4 seats to my right! It's nice to put a face to the names I see on the forums. I wish I could have made it to more of the bike month events, but I should be attending the memorical CM ride and hopefully the ride-in movie.

Bike month is drawing to a close and it will be nice to get a few days rest before I go and spend a week with Arvon Stacey, the builder of that lovely bike and so many others.

Should be rather awesome.

Man, does the weather ever suck this spring.

I'm thinking it'll be June by the time the 5' pile of snow in my backyard (shady side of the house) is gone.

Man, does the weather ever suck this spring.

I'm thinking it'll be June by the time the 5' pile of snow in my backyard (shady side of the house) is gone.

It is sucking on a level I have not seen in decades...

Man, does the weather ever suck this spring.

I'm thinking it'll be June by the time the 5' pile of snow in my backyard (shady side of the house) is gone.

True that.

Though, I think it's gotten quite a bit better since your post, the last few days have been pretty sunny and warm :)
Anyone else still riding studded tires? I'm thinking I might swap for slicks this weekend.

True that.

Though, I think it's gotten quite a bit better since your post, the last few days have been pretty sunny and warm :)
Anyone else still riding studded tires? I'm thinking I might swap for slicks this weekend.

I watched a lady go down on some ice this morning... this freeze thaw cycles has been making things treacherous and although I have been riding stud-less I am usually out in the warmer hours and have to worry more about fender coverage and cleaning my bike.

I am planning on coming into Edmonton on 23 or 24 September. Does anyone know of some good camp sites close to the city? South is better.

The only campground that I know of in the city is on the south side. Check out http://www.rainbow-valley.com/ .

Staged the 5th annual Tour de Perogy yesterday and think that the forecast deterred a good number of people from coming out but the ride was enjoyable, we got a bit of a cooling shower at the end of the first stage, and the ride back was one of the best ever. Sunny skies and a little wind crossing from the NE and some really good company.

Am thinking that we should exploit this nice weather as much as possible and will probably go out next Sunday for 100km or mebbe a little more.

Miquelon is pretty nice, but is like forty five minutes south of edmonton. There are a few rv parks just west of the city, but not really any campgrounds.