Rides and Races - Toronto Fixed

I was at CM with you (filthy white singlespeed w/ a red top tube protector).

Wicked. I was the candy-apple red SS/MTB convert, still using the freewheel. Lots of stickers. Don't know if you went to Dundas Square after or not, but I was there as well.

Naw, I headed over to Bloor Cinema and watched the CM documentary.

How was that movie anyway? I couldn't make it out since my Dad was in town Fri-Sat.

How was that movie anyway? I couldn't make it out since my Dad was in town Fri-Sat.
I went to see it.... a very interesting (scary) look into the developing problems with new york and critical mass..... actually cycling in general. Like having to carry a permit to ride a bicycle thus no longer making the simple activity of riding a bike something you can just freely participate in...and over regulating cycling, etc..

I'm thinking be very glad that Toronto's laws are nothing like NYC....

Personally, I enjoyed the part where dude is on his bike going to pick up dinner. He runs into critical mass, sees cops everywhere and asks a cop how he can get around all the people, etc. Cop sends him down a street. Guy goes down the street (blocked off) with police following behind him - they bust him. He takes it to court, police provide his lawyer w/ video of his arrest (nothing fishy here, mr. lawyer - your client's clearly in the wrong). That same lawyer is working a few different cases from this CM ride. He requests video regarding a completely seperate incident and gets the same video footage (this is unaltered evidence footage). Funny thing is, the unaltered evidience footage had been altered. "Someone" had edited out the part of the footage that shows dude pulled up from a side street and walking over to the cop for directions. Nice one, NYPD. You're now tampering with evidence to convict (convict of what, btw? Being involved w/ a no-permit parade or some garbage?) a frigging cycling. Serve and protect my ass.

- eyefloater

Ps. Needless to say, case dropped.

Personally, I enjoyed the part where dude is on his bike going to pick up dinner. He runs into critical mass, sees cops everywhere and asks a cop how he can get around all the people, etc. Cop sends him down a street. Guy goes down the street (blocked off) with police following behind him - they bust him.

Damn. I should have been there. The square was less interesting than that, for sure. Perhaps next showing.

man.. i regret not leaving work early to catch the doc. i wonder if it's possible to rent.. sounds like a worthwhile buy though.
on a separate note, don't you just love downtown weekend holiday traffic. :mad:

on a separate note, don't you just love downtown weekend holiday traffic. :mad:

Sure do. What a bunch of idiots! Where do they come from anyway? I was riding in slow moving bumper to bumper traffic, approaching a red light, and I merged left to get into the left turn lane. Natually, the SUV driver behind me would have none of it-so she blasts her horn and cuts me off, only to be forced to slam on the brakes 2 seconds later. So I rolled up next to her driver's side window, and busted a track stand, staring at her. At first, she tryed to pretend that I wasn't there, but curiousity, (or fear) must have got the better of her. As soon as she turned her head to look at me, I launched a huge snot loogie at her window...splat! The money shot. I hope she enjoyed wiping it off:)

I launched a huge snot loogie at her window...splat! The money shot. I hope she enjoyed wiping it off:)

thanks for a great start to my monday. sweetness. (be careful of that road rage though.)

As soon as she turned her head to look at me, I launched a huge snot loogie at her window...splat!

oh man, wish I had seen that...sounds PRICELESS!!!!

Great, another SUV driver out there who now hates cyclists, perhaps with good reason? Would you have spit on the window if there had been 5 guys in that SUV? Would you have spit on that window if there had been even one guy in that SUV?

Great, another SUV driver out there who now hates cyclists, perhaps with good reason? Would you have spit on the window if there had been 5 guys in that SUV? Would you have spit on that window if there had been even one guy in that SUV?

Actually, yes, I'm an equal opportunity snot spitter.

hey guys,

can anyone recommend a good pair of gloves for winter riding that i can pick up in toronto? preferably something wind resistant and somewhat warm but not bulky. i checked out a nice pair at mec but they were $70!! or is that the price range i should expect to look at.. i'm still wearing my holey summer gloves and losing digits to wind chill. -thanks a bunch.

You there - Get some lobster claws! Here are the ones I have:

http://www.louisgarneau.com/media/images/catalogs/HH4/1482020/1482020_020_large.jpg

I believe Urbane still has some in stock.

- eyefloater

yeah, I need to check some out too. I've been using a pair of fleece ones so far, but they're not that warm... plus they're starting to disintegrate. :P

lobster claws are a good idea.. i was just at urbane on the weekend too.

I got some great gloves that are fleece-lined with nylon exteriors at Dollarama. I also got a pair of regular old fleece gloves for dry days. Two pairs of great gloves for 2$; pretty hard to beat.

Hey Guys,
Dunno if this is allowed but I have a friend and she's got a huge shipment of North Face and Columbia Jackets and Gore-Tex Gloves.
I just picked up a Jacket and Gloves for 90 bucks today and dang they're nice!

http://creativeexhibit.com/retail/

You can go pick up from her house at Bayview and Sheppard (bayview village)
She's real nice and lets you try them all on for size and color pref.

*edit* - Grab them from her house before Wed- as thats when all these prod, go up for sale at the DC sample sales convention downtown! (prices will be slightly raised and taxed at the convention)

I am so picking up a Type-R sticker for my bike.

Haha :)
I've put one on my old bike before and I actually felt myself going SOO much faster!
*btw* only the jackets and gloves and winter wear is stashed at her house at the moment. <-- thats the more interesting stuff anyways.

Great, another SUV driver out there who now hates cyclists, perhaps with good reason? Would you have spit on the window if there had been 5 guys in that SUV? Would you have spit on that window if there had been even one guy in that SUV?
sounds like she hated cyclists before darkmother even did anything wrong, be it a single female or five males... I highly doubt the driver of the vehicle would be willing to listen had he tapped on the window and tried to confront [in a diplomatic way] what her problem was with him turning left in front of her.


You can go pick up from her house at Bayview and Sheppard (bayview village)
She's real nice and lets you try them all on for size and color pref.
oh yeah...I'm checking that stuff out tomorrow.... ever price Gore-text at MEC?

Yep, I just bought my first Gore-tex anything awhile back ... cost me about 2 days pay. In a few years I'll let you know if it was worth it or not.

sounds like she hated cyclists before darkmother even did anything wrong, be it a single female or five males... I highly doubt the driver of the vehicle would be willing to listen had he tapped on the window and tried to confront [in a diplomatic way] what her problem was with him turning left in front of her.


Hrm, I've been riding in downtown Toronto traffic since I was 13 (33 now) and I haven't ever felt the need to spit on anyone or anything. I am pretty careful and have never been hit by anyone or anything either. Pretty much every single time I go out I nearly get hit or nearly get cut off, but that is how the streets are.

Actually, yes, I'm an equal opportunity snot spitter.

Ok that's just hilarious

Pretty much every single time I go out I nearly get hit or nearly get cut off, but that is how the streets are.

No personal attack intended, but this is why drivers still think it's OK to cut us off.

And to clip us.

And a myriad of other things they shouldn't be doing.

If I get infringed upon, I stick up for myself -- whether it's diplomatically (90% of the time), or a little on the side of not (the other 10%). You can't let drivers harass you and assume that the next cager down the line didn't see that and will treat you with respect. Maybe I just have a hate-on for drivers. We all know there are nice folk who are courteous to cyclists, but those that aren't deserve a ticket or at least a verbal reinforcement of the knowledge of your right to the road.

No personal attack intended, but this is why drivers still think it's OK to cut us off.

And to clip us.

And a myriad of other things they shouldn't be doing.


You are right, I don't think it is okay for drivers to throw their weight around, I just think that in Toronto, a cyclist is better off riding defensively. Don't put yourself in a position to get cut off. Keep your head up at all times. Do your best not to get mad at drivers; not easy, I know, but having a nice ride ruined by your own anger really sucks and I have learned to let it go. Now and then I give someone the bird, but it is rare. I have seen so many crazy things as a cyclist (and a student paramedic), it just isn't worth the hassle of getting into a fight with cars. The cyclist always loses.

Just my 2 cents.

I'm also guilty of hocking loogies at cars, primarily when they're parked in bike lanes.

For cars in traffic, I'm tending now to simply wave as I pass them later on or slowly crawl by while they're stopped and grin at them.

Those look good. What did they cost you? I was shopping for gloves last weekend, but co-op was charging too much for ski gloves. I ended up getting some fleece lined mitts for around 30 bucks. They are warm, but the split fingers would be better.


You there - Get some lobster claws! Here are the ones I have:

http://www.louisgarneau.com/media/images/catalogs/HH4/1482020/1482020_020_large.jpg

I believe Urbane still has some in stock.

- eyefloater

Anybody looking to trade framesets? I have a NOS miyata track from the mid 80s, 56 cm top tube, 56 cm ctt, which is too big for me. Looking for something in the 53-54 cm range.

This isn't my bike, but the frame is the same:
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d28/drong/miyata.jpg

I live in Winnipeg right now, but I'll be going to toronto for the holidays. I could bring the frame with me and trade there.

PM me if you like.

The cyclist always loses.

You're entirely correct. Now we need to think of a way to make it so that we *don't* always lose.

<point of view>
And this is why stuff like Critical Mass and social rides are important.
</point of view>

do any of you guys rock any sort of cycling 'booties'? My toes are the only thing that gets uncomfortably cold these days. The toes of my shoes are basically open mesh, so the wind just whips right through there. I'm sure thicker socks would probably help also, but my shoes fit pretty snug, so I don't know if there's much room for that.

You could go the cheap way and just duct tape over the mesh...kind of ghetto but it does work fairly well. Yet another use for duct tape>

I'm ashamed of myself for not thinking of that myself. :)

Re: lobster claw prices.

I'm a bad person to ask about that since I got mine for free from the shop. I just did a quick web search and it looks like Velotique is selling them for $39.95. Hope that helps.

- eyefloater

do any of you guys rock any sort of cycling 'booties'? My toes are the only thing that gets uncomfortably cold these days. The toes of my shoes are basically open mesh, so the wind just whips right through there. I'm sure thicker socks would probably help also, but my shoes fit pretty snug, so I don't know if there's much room for that.

I bought some recently, but I haven't tried them yet. I find wool socks in my cycling shoes with no covers are good down to around -5 to -10, then it starts to get really uncomfortable. The shoes fit so tight that adding another pair of socks won't do much good. What I used to do was put milk bags over my socks and under my shoes-that helps, and it's cheap.

do any of you guys rock any sort of cycling 'booties'? My toes are the only thing that gets uncomfortably cold these days. The toes of my shoes are basically open mesh, so the wind just whips right through there. I'm sure thicker socks would probably help also, but my shoes fit pretty snug, so I don't know if there's much room for that.

I have a pair of LG cycling shoe covers that I think I got at Velotique. I tend to wear my sandals, though, with a polypro sock inside a neoprene bootie. I haven't tested this for a long ride as yet. I found my cycling shoes were tight enough that it was difficult to keep me toes warm, although the over booties helped a lot.

What I used to do was put milk bags over my socks and under my shoes-that helps, and it's cheap.

i don't think this is the case anymore but milk bags used to be a canadian thing exclusively (someone slap me if i'm talking out of my butt again). i heard one american ex-pat say they had no idea what to do with them after they were opened.. so they were propping up individual bags in the fridge! i guess all canucks just know to buy the plastic pitchers. ok back to bikes........

i don't think this is the case anymore but milk bags used to be a canadian thing exclusively (someone slap me if i'm talking out of my butt again). i heard one american ex-pat say they had no idea what to do with them after they were opened.. so they were propping up individual bags in the fridge! i guess all canucks just know to buy the plastic pitchers. ok back to bikes........

hahahahaha

It is a blast out there today. I took out my FG mountain bike with some big knobbies. Fun! Much more stable than my road bike. Unstoppable.

It is a blast out there today. I took out my FG mountain bike with some big knobbies. Fun! Much more stable than my road bike. Unstoppable.

damn... all that salt makes me cringe. makes me want to buy some frame-saver. we got spared from all that snow that got dumped in the US northeast though.... or will we...

Kensington Avenue aparently has some sort of by-law prohibiting snow plows ... but other than that, ya it's been fun lately.

Kensington Avenue aparently has some sort of by-law prohibiting snow plows ... but other than that, ya it's been fun lately.

damn... i was going to ride out there today too. hey, it's snowing... pretty.

Hmm ... I wonder *checks calendar* ... d'oh, so close. I was hoping this month's CM would be on NYE, but it's the night before. Anyone want to come out to that one? It might make for some fun snowy mayhem. I've got to go out of town to make my token visit w/ the family, but I'll be back in Toronto by Boxing Day night (yes, I show up Christmas Eve and leave Boxing Day morning ... I couldn't care less about this stupid holiday).

brrr.. cold out there today! Icey near the curbs too.. definite side-street riding time.

The snow has been awesome lately. If you don't mind a little fishtailing, the roads are prefectly viable for the most part. I'd stay away from East York, though. Our plows suck, but it's not too bad closer to downtown.

brrr.. cold out there today! Icey near the curbs too.. definite side-street riding time.

i find the main streets are more clear of ice and snow.. i was wobbling like crazy trying to navigate through a few inches of semi hard-packed snow in a laneway near my place.. king/queen/richmond/etc. were fine though. i'm still on slicks though :rolleyes:

oh yeah? I just took Harbord from Ossington to Bedford and then Bloor to Bay and North on Bay to Davenport, where I work. All of those streets save Bay had a fair amount of ice/snow at the curb. I'm sure it varies from area to area though.

and I'm still on slicks also. :)

I bit it this morning on some polished ice near a side-street intersection. Pretty slick stuff, I could barely walk on it after I got up. Need some of those carbide studs for christmas.... Don't you hate it when you bail in view of some cagers....so humiliating.

My MEC shoe covers are great though-my feet were toasty all the way to work-they get my seal of approval.

ugh. A guy on a mtb bailed pulling up to an intersection 5 feet away from me on Friday morning. He went down hard enough that his glasses flew off his face. d'oh!

Anyone have any recommendations on studded tires? :)

I checked out shoe covers at MEC a few weeks ago (picked up some leg/arm warmers and some cordura pants), but the only ones I found seemed pretty expensive to me. They're weren't actually MEC branded though I can't remember what they were. I haven't shopped around though, so the prices could have bee fine.

I managed to find my neoprene socks, so I'm rocking those right now. It's a bit of a squeeze inside my bike shoes though. But they kept them from falling off this morning, so I guess that's something. It's sad when low-pile carpet over concrete feels warm on your feet, huh? :)

If you guys see any good deals on fixed gear wheelsets here in Toronto give me a shout!
I saw a pretty good deal at urbane today. Their mavic open pros 36h are on sale for $75 bucks. But I still need to get them to build it up for me :(
Thanks!