Rides and Races - Toronto Fixed

Shiz, I have a set of Silva doubles in hussy white that are brand new. PM if interested.

Offhoff is off the hook because he mentioned the girls... btw I'm not a mono activity type. I just got back from a weekend of teaching whitewater kayaking. :D Sports that involve boats towing things get my back up. Too many experiences with jackasses screaming around in Daddy's boat with a beer between their knees. If it had been seadoo's I probably would have gone postal at the mere mention....

that's right I forgot about your kayaking in the whitewater. That looks like a blast.

Myeh, you all should have been at my house saturday night for the righteously glorious afterparty that was filled with nubile youth thangs. I sail, I don't get into boats with motors if I can help it but you build me a skateboard park and populate an island with hot girls from out of town in bikinis and I'll be there like a fat kid on a smartie. I love bikes, but biker chicks are, in my experience, not nearly as attractive as some of the other "extreme" sports. So thanks again Jammer.

On a different, and bike related, topic I'm probably moving to Hong Kong in September. Anyone here who has been to hong kong knows that the island is basically a giant hill, so I'm thinking my fixie might have to be supplemented by a bike with gears so if anyone has a 50-52 roadie frame they are looking to part with I'd be interested.

You managed your own after party at your place?.*anyone else recall this posting of a party?*...sweet. How was the band setup the on the island? Just joshin' about the party as the 13th was the 12th anniversary of us gettin married. Wow.... feels like yesterday

Cavit9, were those the really long ones that someone asked if you could chop in half for them? If so they are the exact same as the ones I have gone through two sets of, but in double form... I think I'm just going to throw my eggbeaters on and start commuting clipless with mountain shoes. Thanks for the offer though.

Edit: Anyone want to go in on 25 pairs of Christophe yellow toe straps (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7238598727)? Even at that volume they add up to be 11USD a piece!

hmm I can't even crank my straps down.... I may have to restring 'em. I haven't looked at them since I put the platforms back on. I just don't even touch the darned things. I'm anxious to get shoes and go back to my Times.

Speaking of commutes, I commute daily from Roncesvalles to Jarvis and Front, how many kilometres is that, roughly?

Speaking of commutes, I commute daily from Roncesvalles to Jarvis and Front, how many kilometres is that, roughly?

http://maps.google.com/

:)

any recommendations for fenders? (the lower the price the betta) ;)

dude, your moving to hong kong!?
you'd be insane to ride any bike there.
its way too crowded.

any recommendations for fenders? (the lower the price the betta) ;)

Hotwheel tracks, corrugated plastic, any kind of plastic sheet will work if you don't care about looks or doing some extra work. Or you could splurge and spent 15 dollars on a set of cheap full coverage fenders.

On the topic of fenders, have you guys ever seen some video following some messenger around new york? The best part is when it starts to rain. I laughed so hard when he shows the camera how resourceful messengers are by pulling an empty 2 liter bottle of sprite, a coathanger a pair of scissors and a roll of duct tape from his bag. A quick edit later and the the most ghetto ineffective looking rear fender I have ever seen is done he looks happier than a pig in sh*t. I guess functioning fenders weight too much so he just carries a bag of fender making supplies with him wheverever he goes and then spends 15 minutes making a crappy rear fender every time it rains.

:lol: he was just waitin' for a chance to do that.... I hope, can't imagine riding with all that stuff. :lol:
Corplas, coat hangers, zap straps (my DIY fenders)

http://maps.google.com/

:)

Very handy! It only maps a route for me via the Gardiner and that route is 8kms. It might be a bit more than that on surface streets, but still, that is pretty neat to know.

Very handy! It only maps a route for me via the Gardiner and that route is 8kms. It might be a bit more than that on surface streets, but still, that is pretty neat to know.

If you have a little more time and effort you can do an exact route with gmaps pedometer. Its not exact but you choose the route so its going to be better than google maps for sure.
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/

Very handy! It only maps a route for me via the Gardiner and that route is 8kms. It might be a bit more than that on surface streets, but still, that is pretty neat to know.

Bah, shiznaz beat me to it, pwning will happen another day.

:lol: he was just waitin' for a chance to do that.... I hope, can't imagine riding with all that stuff. :lol:
Corplas, coat hangers, zap straps (my DIY fenders)

Election posters make excellent fenders. Tory ones in particular.

^^^damned straight^^^

I've always just bought a sheet of Corplas from an art store or something, I guess it's the service bureau/graphic arts geek in me. Although, I do know that, variation on the sign would drive me nuts if I could see it while riding. A very delicate sense of whatever you would call it.

dude, your moving to hong kong!?
you'd be insane to ride any bike there.
its way too crowded.

Not in Central, I'm not crazy, though night bombing runs through Wan Chai could be crazy fun. But there are lots of trails in the new territories and such and I'm sure there will be bikers, there are bikers everywhere. I'm not about to buy a car in a city the size of Hong Kong but at the sametime I refuse to be tied down by the MTR. Its a great system but I just don't think you should shackle yourself to a timetable.

Found a bar there that served Canadian, a strange thing I must say when your in China. I'm looking forward to seeing what its like living in a serious city again. Should be a good time.

what will you be doing there? What makes a city serious?

Riding a bike with no healthcare might make a city fairly serious!

Yeah but you can get flat fixes for like 5 cents on the side of the street.

Serious city = super high density urban living
examples:Mexico City, Rio, Lagos, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Tokyo
Toronto is fantastic and a beatiful city but in the grand scale that the world has come too its not high density urban living. I mean I live basically downtown at Christie and Bloor and I can easily ride backstreets and barely hear another person.

I'll be doing some consulting there, seemed like a great place to live when I visited, besides the heinous pollution of course.

I'm in for Wednesday night too.

searching is disabled and there are like 400 pages to this thing. Sorry.


I'm going to toronto for a few days with my wife. We're bringing bikes. Any recommendations for things to do (outside of the standard guidebook fare) , places to ride, cool bike shops? We were there once before and we were mad we didn't bring our bikes so we are bringing them this time.

Hello, long time lurker, first time poster.
I've met some of you BF members before for some rides and I'm up for a wednesday night ride as well.

I'm good for Wednesday. 8 o clock!

so, Wednesday, Honest Eds parking lot @ 8:30, is that good for everyone?

Edit: for those of you that are new to the forums here's a map to our top secret Honest Eds meet up spot http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=365610.

searching is disabled and there are like 400 pages to this thing. Sorry.


I'm going to toronto for a few days with my wife. We're bringing bikes. Any recommendations for things to do (outside of the standard guidebook fare) , places to ride, cool bike shops? We were there once before and we were mad we didn't bring our bikes so we are bringing them this time.

Things to do:
- Check out the "From Scorchers to Alley Cat Scrambles" exhibit (http://www.bikehistory.ca/exhibit.html).
- If you're a geek, take a look at the computer district west of College/Spadina. Start at that intersection and make your way west. Canada Computers (north side of the road, just west of Augusta) has the best prices on most things.
- Kensington Market is just south of College/Augusta (Patty King's spicy beef patty + cocoa bread for teh dirt cheap win, Big Fat Burrito second place, random empanada place third, European Meats' cheapass burger combo honorable mention). Walk down Augusta until you get to the Freshmart grocery store. Look across the street. See that low white fence? Look further down the alleyway. That's where George's Parts Unknown is. Head over his way, say hi and root through piles of used goodies.
- Critical Mass probably doesn't work w/ your timeline, but people meet at 6-6:30ish at Bloor/Spadina (Aug. 25). Failing that, post about a Critical Vacuum ride and the people from this thread will get together for some chaos/fun/destruction/good times/etc.
- Toronto Island is a really nice place to ride a bike and relax if you don't have to dodge too many kids. If you're in town during the week this could be a nice option. Head south down to the waterfront (it'll be near Yonge and ... err, the water. Ask for directions to the ferry dock).

Bike Shops:
- I hear Cavern Cycles (Queen and Jarvis, across from the guys w/ the rifles and the crackheads in the park) is hip w/ the kids riding those one-speed bikes these days. There's also Urbane, Bikes on Wheels, Curbside, Cycle Therapy, Cycle Solutions and of course Igor's (only go to Igor's if you plan on setting fire to it. That's a stolen bike shop and the guy's literally nuts).

[QUOTE=eyefloater]T

Bike Shops:
- I hear Cavern Cycles (Queen and Jarvis, across from the guys w/ the rifles and the crackheads in the park) is hip w/ the kids riding those one-speed bikes these days. QUOTE]
Rifle's? Really....zip gun's are the firearm of choice around here....rifle's are much too expensive and hard to hide with torn up clothes and emaciated bodies. Ever try to aim a rifle whilst doing the crack twitch? C'mon Mike...think man.

Serious city = super high density urban living
examples:Mexico City, Rio, Lagos, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Tokyo
Toronto is fantastic and a beatiful city but in the grand scale that the world has come too its not high density urban living. I mean I live basically downtown at Christie and Bloor and I can easily ride backstreets and barely hear another person.

I'll be doing some consulting there, seemed like a great place to live when I visited, besides the heinous pollution of course.

I agree 100%, I thought that's what you meant. I'm supposed to fly into Manila xmas next year to kick off a month in the Philippines. We have alot to learn about high density living if we're going to have even the slightest chance in the next century. So you totally can't ride Hong Kong? When you mention the pollution, how does it compare to some of the other places you've been? Some of the smogginess reminds me of Mexico City on some days, though we have only a fraction of the people.

I agree 100%, I thought that's what you meant. I'm supposed to fly into Manila xmas next year to kick off a month in the Philippines. We have alot to learn about high density living if we're going to have even the slightest chance in the next century. So you totally can't ride Hong Kong? When you mention the pollution, how does it compare to some of the other places you've been? Some of the smogginess reminds me of Mexico City on some days, though we have only a fraction of the people.

HK is mad dense. The streets are 1 lane each way, traffic is horendous. Hills everywhere. Whats makes it impossible to ride is that on most major streets the sidewalk and is seperated by a metal fence the height of your chest. Ride on the sidewalk and get stopped by the the crowd, ride on the street and eat fumes, or get run over by double decker buses, taxicabs or other motorists who aren't nearly as polite as North Americans.

I still think you could pull it off if you knew your way around as there are many back alleys that intersect every which way, just watch out for tossed noodles or rotten produce while you're braking, those things are slippery.

Rifle's? Really....zip gun's are the firearm of choice around here....rifle's are much too expensive and hard to hide with torn up clothes and emaciated bodies. Ever try to aim a rifle whilst doing the crack twitch? C'mon Mike...think man.

Brings me back to my proverb from last Friday: "The cyclist is faster than the crackmonkey"

But yeah, for places to ride, I second the Islands. There's also some other nice places to ride like the Don Valley trail, High Park, the Humber trail, etc. If you go to a bike shop, ask for a copy of the city's bike map. It's free and it has all the bike trails, roads with bike lanes, and suggested bike routes.

Definitely go to Kensington for food and/or drinks and/or simple exploration.

If you like coffee and want some places to taste (not that Toronto is typically a good coffee city):
-Jet Fuel - good coffee and former UCI pro road team sponsors (519 Parliament Street)
-Mercury Cafe - damned fine espresso and close to Cycle Therapy (915 Queen Street East)
-Cherry Bomb - I haven't been there, but apparently the coffee is great and there's a rotating stock of bikes hanging on the wall as art (ps. we should all meet there for coffee sometime) (67 Roncesvalles Avenue)
-Bulldog Coffee - kind of expensive, but really good (89 Granby Street)
-Linux Caffe - a plug for the place that keeps me fueled.. the owners are super nice folks and the (organic) drip coffee wakes me up in the mornings. Plus, you know, the nerdy connection :) (326 Harbord Street)

(in fact, while googling places for addresses I found this: http://www.coffeegeek.com/resources/pressreleases/2006-07-11-posttorontoregionalpressrelea)

Little Italy (College Street, between Bathurst and Ossington, basically) is good for a more upscale night out.

If you want to get together with us for a ride and/or dinner and/or drinks, just let us know!

[QUOTE=eyefloater]T

Bike Shops:
- I hear Cavern Cycles (Queen and Jarvis, across from the guys w/ the rifles and the crackheads in the park) is hip w/ the kids riding those one-speed bikes these days. QUOTE]
Rifle's? Really....zip gun's are the firearm of choice around here....rifle's are much too expensive and hard to hide with torn up clothes and emaciated bodies. Ever try to aim a rifle whilst doing the crack twitch? C'mon Mike...think man.

Okay, so here's a fun story regarding crack[heads|wh0res]:

I showed up at C.T. the other morning before work, hopped off the bike and lit up my morning smoke. Looked down, oh great - I'm almost standing on a condom. So ... get that nasty **** tossed in the dumpster and then I of course see the pile of empty crackhead liquor cans/bottles lying all over the place. Into the dumpster they go too. It doesn't stop there though - I also found the patented crackhead homemade crack pipe and for the grand finale, the crackhead skidmarked tighty whities lying on the ground. This was pretty much the filthiest **** I've ever seen at a workplace. Oh, and they broke the bench outside the shop as well. I don't even want to think about what that scene looked like. There's an addendum to this story as well: weeks later I noticed what might be a bra lying on the ground behind the dumpster. Judging by its state of decomposition, it may have been from that same lustful freebasing night.

You can ride in Hong Kong just riding on Hong Kong Island is probably a death wish. The island is basically a giant hill and whats not hilly is reclaimed and filled with stores/offices/people. I think in Wang Chai and Causeway Bay you could still ride a ton and out in the New Territories I hear there are lots of nice trails but commuting on a bike seems basically unheard of.

The pollution is bad but not nearly as bad as Beijing or Shanghai. There you can't even see the sun if its a clear day there is another secondary "smog cloud" layer that is one of the most frightening things I've ever experienced. How the atheletes are going to deal with the pollution levels for the olympics will be really interesting to see. I would seriously doubt that any endurance world records are going to be broken considering the air quality.

*considering himself pretty lucky right about now*

You can ride in Hong Kong just riding on Hong Kong Island is probably a death wish

I agree in full. You could mountain bike some of the trails on the SE part, but road cycling is a very bad idea.


think in Wang Chai and Causeway Bay you could still ride a ton

Those are some of the busiest parts of HK island - not recommended. Wan Chai is a big pub/club district, so it may be more managable in the day. The traffic in HK is just too heavy anywhere outside the New Territories, so riding to a good route there would be very hazardous. I did see some roadies when I was there, so it IS possible. Repulse Bay was popular too.


How the atheletes are going to deal with the pollution levels for the olympics will be really interesting to see. I would seriously doubt that any endurance world records are going to be broken considering the air quality.

The government is shuting down most heavy industry to the north of the city and will use tracks well away from the industrial centers. They're doing everything they can to look make Beijing like a modern city. If you want nasty, nasty pollution, go to the industrial centers around Guanzhou - the air smells like the inside of a fresh tube of tennis balls. Revolting.

I spent time in Guangzhou it was pretty heinous as well, Shenzhen too. Then Chengdu and Chonqing aren't great either. I don't know what your saying about wan chai and causeway bay, at night, through traffic hauling arse I think it would be better then doing NYC. Might not be your cup of tea but man I can't wait. You probably wouldn't ride a track bike through shanghai either but you'd be missing an incredible time.

Shutting down the industry is going to do squat. Beijing is so full of lies, I love how they take the pollution readings in Beijing, they seed the clouds cause a rain shower and take the readings immediately after the rain shower so the water has washed out most of the particulate matter. I'm not an "elite endurance" athelete by any means, but I'm definately in better shape then most people and I could barely breath after a week in Beijing. I can't imagine what the actual elite atheletes will do. China is such a farce when it comes to anything the government says, they are very good at making money and polluting their country in order to make that money but man oh man are they going to pay in twenty years when the cancer starts to hit.

Not a good possible reflection on the future where it's too congested AND to polluted to effectively/safely use the cheapest most efficient means of transportation. Adds an interesting kink in the ultimate equation. This brings up the question of HK messengers, or is the business district not the same as the rest of the city?

someone hurry up and buy this before i do......
http://toronto.craigslist.org/bik/194361887.html

No bike couriers that I've seen or heard of. The city is so small that walking is probably more efficient in Central most of the time. Also the fact that its quite hilly and a general lack of cycling lanes/knowledge makes for an interesting town. The MTR kicks the TTCs butt though, no competition what so ever

i think hk is totally bikeable. just don't do it to commute. you don't want hills? don't go up em! plenty of non-hilly places for cruising around. the harbour around tst is nice. central is not hilly if you stay on the main streets. head out west on hk island and traffic thins out nicely. i think the new territories would yield the best biking spots. there's so much to see that you'll probably discover yourself walking the bike or trying to lock it up somewhere. pollution is bad but the heat/humidity killed me more. by all means, take the bikes, it's just that it might be more hassle than it's worth. japan on the other hand is extremely bikeable and i would highly recommend it.

so, Wednesday, Honest Eds parking lot @ 8:30, is that good for everyone?

Edit: for those of you that are new to the forums here's a map to our top secret Honest Eds meet up spot http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=365610.

oooooo, is this gonna be a weekly thing? i'd love to join you folks when i'm back in town and have my fixie! tho it might only be my 2nd or 3rd ride EVER on one by then - will it be harsh to keep up?

by the way, not sure if my bro Pete has ever joined you. he rides a custom Fetish track frame, no brakes or bar-tape, thing is black, super-sxxxxy.

SFW: http://tinyurl.com/majqm

so, Wednesday, Honest Eds parking lot @ 8:30, is that good for everyone?

Edit: for those of you that are new to the forums here's a map to our top secret Honest Eds meet up spot http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=365610.
Methinks I can make it out for this one. I assume beverages are in order?

he rides a custom Fetish track frame

A custom Fetish track frame is an oxymoron. :D Come on out and drag Pete and Dave with ya.

A custom Fetish track frame is an oxymoron. Come on out and drag Pete and Dave with ya.

ahh, touché...

heck yes - if anyone knows my bros, i should've figured you would. and here i live right around the corner and haven't even been to your shop yet. what's wrong with me?

i think you still have a wheel that Dave was getting built for the now-AWOL Specialized Allez i was riding. word is it MIGHT be retrievable from you-know-where.

see you soon... not this week, but soon.

joe

ahh, touché...

heck yes - if anyone knows my bros, i should've figured you would. and here i live right around the corner and haven't even been to your shop yet. what's wrong with me?

i think you still have a wheel that Dave was getting built for the now-AWOL Specialized Allez i was riding. word is it MIGHT be retrievable from you-know-where.

see you soon... not this week, but soon.

joe

Hrm, interesting; I asked you-know-who about an Allez last week and he didn't have it. Odd. I do kinda look like a cop though ;)

Well you-know-who loves to talk how he plays both sides, like a french resistor in the occupation. I bet he's managed to tunnel halfway across the park by now.

oooooo, is this gonna be a weekly thing? i'd love to join you folks when i'm back in town and have my fixie! tho it might only be my 2nd or 3rd ride EVER on one by then - will it be harsh to keep up?


I am faster than eddy merckx on speed!

Alsop: ok

Yowza, that's a claim sized LARGE boiiii!!!