Rides and Races - Toronto Fixed

Zip car is limited to 150km

Keith, are you driving to this Sunday's race in Barrie? If so, can my ladyfriend and I (and my bike) hitch a ride with you? Otherwise, I'll try hitting up Barry and failing that I'll see if Briana and I can work something out w/a Zip Car.

a) I don't know how often Keith gets on here these days.
b) He plans on getting a lift with Barry to most/all the races, so Barry's probably the person to ask. He has the Angry Wagon though, so there might be room depending on whether the whole famn-damily is racing.
c) I'm not sure if he's racing as it's also Crank The Shield this weekend.


Zip car is limited to 150km

She drove to St. Catherines in one on Saturday. Not sure if it's zipcar or autoshare that she uses.

Zip car is limited to 150km

pfft. Might as well ride then.

Those metal plates all over the road at Yonge and Bloor sure are fun when you hit them in a rainstorm...

Now if I want to get a suspension corrected fork...
I need to figure out the travel of my bouncy fork first, and then look for a fork corrected to that travel correct?
say 80mm 100mm etc?

As far as I know correct. I have a sus corrected fork on my bike.

http://www.ventanafilms.com/pageFILM14.html

Hehehe, you've got to love the "Lance Armstrong Stinkeye"

http://velonews.com/files/images/lanceridesfast.jpg

Well, the S3/4 and M3 guys are all on course at the same time, but that's no better. I just wind up pacing some slow M3 guy instead of going for it. 25 M3s mixed with 5 S3/4s = it's easy to lose your competition in traffic.

Some M3's are pretty quick, in fact I'd guess there are a number of sandbaggers who should be getting a M2 or even M1 license, not M3. I was told the guy who won the Toronto Crit M3 cat was Elite 1/2 the year prior so go figure.

I will be riding my first CX come Oct 4 in Guelph with my converted Jamis touring bike. If the other riders are anything like this years RR season it should be a challenge to say the least.Wondering if I should leave the pannier rack on the touring bike?

Wondering if I should leave the pannier rack on the touring bike?

Absolutely. And put a little stuffed animal in it peaking out.

Keith, are you driving to this Sunday's race in Barrie? If so, can my ladyfriend and I (and my bike) hitch a ride with you? Otherwise, I'll try hitting up Barry and failing that I'll see if Briana and I can work something out w/a Zip Car.

Barrie? Correct me if I am wrong but this sunday is Valley Cross in Hamilton no? Barry is at Crank so I will be driving. Taking you is no prob at all and as long as someone racing for the team doesn't need a lift, the 2 of you will be no prob either.

Did Puppy Pedal, A charity ride for Guide Dogs Canada, yesterday. We had a 50km day of epic Canadian Shield mountain biking up in Gravenhurst. Part of the route was Torrence Barrens Conservation Area. This place consists of almost all granite...what a fantastic place. We raised $2000 for the charity and 40 or so folks who came out all had a great day and finished with a smile. I highly recommend making the trip up to Gravenhurst for those who like the off road action. Buckwallow one day and The Barrens the next...I don't think you could do any better.

Absolutely. And put a little stuffed animal in it peaking out.

http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa197/Ultranova17/Ceiling_Cat.jpg

Pannier cat is watching you... ride? *shrug* seemed funny to begin with...

Almost got a serious creaming at Queen/Palmerston today, heading west. A white minivan with a couple of youngish girls in the front decided against stopping at the red I was stopped at... I was trackstanding in the curb lane but nearer the center line as they screeched their tyres trying to stop/then deciding to just carry on past me. Pretty unsettling, takes a fair bit to actually scare me these days but this did it... no more than a foot to make the difference. No drama, just ride on I guess.

Thanks for the tip exhibitx, I'll give that a try once I have chance to go at it again.

CX looks like a crapload of fun, I really can't get another bike before I get a touring rig (which I'd rather not switch between touring and 'cross) - would love to try... Maybe I'll get another brake and a freewheel for my Rob Roy, that's what the damn frame was made for after all, heh.

Did Puppy Pedal, A charity ride for Guide Dogs Canada, yesterday. We had a 50km day of epic Canadian Shield mountain biking up in Gravenhurst. Part of the route was Torrence Barrens Conservation Area. This place consists of almost all granite...what a fantastic place. We raised $2000 for the charity and 40 or so folks who came out all had a great day and finished with a smile.

Nice job, K - congrats.

Speaking of charity, does anyone here do or want to do the CN Tower climb? I've done it for the past few years so if you want to head I'm game. I'll be competing against my previous time trying to break my record.

Hey can anyone tell me the best way to get through the ravines from North York (Don Mills/Leslie and Sheppard area) to Downtown???
I've never attempted the ravines so I would get lost and I don't want to take the TTC to work. I'm house sitting for my folks, miss downtown :(

http://race.cx/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/photo.jpg

Hey can anyone tell me the best way to get through the ravines from North York (Don Mills/Leslie and Sheppard area) to Downtown???
I've never attempted the ravines so I would get lost and I don't want to take the TTC to work. I'm house sitting for my folks, miss downtown :(

I believe you can get on the Don trails (http://www.dgp.utoronto.ca/~jtalbot/maps/easyTrailBikeMount1.html)at leaslie/lawrence. Further north I can't help out. Scroll north on the map and you can see how the trails run from lawrence south of gerard,

Nice knee socks Wes. Need some short shorts as well.

Pannier cat is watching you... embrocate.

http://cavit8.clawz.com/images/pcat_final.jpg

I believe you can get on the Don trails (http://www.dgp.utoronto.ca/~jtalbot/maps/easyTrailBikeMount1.html)at leaslie/lawrence. Further north I can't help out. Scroll north on the map and you can see how the trails run from lawrence south of gerard,

Thanks!
Yeah, I've been looking at the map and I just can't figure out what to do around the Bayview/Pottery/DVP area .... at that point I want to head west onto roads while avoiding bayview because the cagers tend to be kinda ... in a hurry right around there. I'm heading to Dundas and McCaul, basically.

Thanks!
Yeah, I've been looking at the map and I just can't figure out what to do around the Bayview/Pottery/DVP area .... at that point I want to head west onto roads while avoiding bayview because the cagers tend to be kinda ... in a hurry right around there. I'm heading to Dundas and McCaul, basically.

You can cross Pottery and continue south to the Gerrard bridge.

Hey can anyone tell me the best way to get through the ravines from North York (Don Mills/Leslie and Sheppard area) to Downtown???
I've never attempted the ravines so I would get lost and I don't want to take the TTC to work. I'm house sitting for my folks, miss downtown :(

Depending on your comfort level in traffic, you can shoot straight down Leslie. You just need to watch your lane placement as you go under the 401. It's the fastest southbound route. I used to ride it daily when I worked at Steeles and leslie.

Using the park system, you enter the southbound stretch just north of North York general at the southeast corner of Leslie and Sheppard. Once you're on the path, head south where it ends at Duncan MIlls. On this route there are some wood bridges that get very slippery when wet. If you live south of Sheppard, you can get on this via Havenbrook or Manorpark before it crosses under the 401.

Go west on Duncan Mills, south on Valleybrook turning left onto Lesmill and on south to York Mills. Go west on York Mills over the bridge and taking an immediate left at the light onto Scarsdale blvd. If you time your turn onto York Mills right, it's often easiest to move left right away and ascend the bridge in the left lane. From Scarsdale you can go west on Bond or further south, but you'll eventually head west to Leslie. You can go across Rippleton park to Banbury or just head down Leslie at this point. You can either go in at Edwards Gardens' but I usually just head down Leslie and enter the park system via the Wilmott creek entrance off of Leslie (sort of in the dip before the last climb before you descend to Eglinton on the right). It's not marked. The path down from Edwards gardens was pretty munched the last time I was through and the hill down from Leslie, you're supposed to walk your bike.

Leslie and Eglinton is an ugly corner with a right turn lane that people will squeeze you in and a vanishing right lane as you do the exhaust inhaling climb West up Eglinton. That's why I enter at Wilmott creek. Once you're in Sunnybrook park you can head over and ascend to Broadway. You'll head south, then turn right then left into a parking lot on your left. There's a metal bridge that crosses and a path that ascends to Broadway (spin baby spin). Head west across Broadway. You can go the whole way crossing onto Montgomery, south along the community centre, crossing Eglinton at Lascelles. Head south, left on Kilbarry, south on Russel Hill Road and there you go pretty much. This will take you to the Davenport lanes or down to Dupont as you prefer.

This route is pretty much the one marked on the city bike map. It's a nice ride and the park is sweet once the trees start to turn. Watch for people walking five dogs, moms with double wides walking three abreast (not kidding) and the other vagary hazards of the multi-use park system.

[edit] Waa, too long to type that. I'd suggest jumping out the park system a little earlier and heading
West on Broadway. Once you're down Russell Hill Road, you can jump over to St. George (right on Dupont, quick left) and head south to Dundas, left to get to McCaul. You can make it a little quicker heading south on Sutherland from Broadway, west on Moore, then down Inglewood to St CLair and then west.

Wow, thanks a lot for the detailed directions! Much appreciated!!!

looking for jobs as a new grad is an exercise in depression.

Tell me about it, but I've had a lot of time to work on my disc golf game :D

Now if I want to get a suspension corrected fork...
I need to figure out the travel of my bouncy fork first, and then look for a fork corrected to that travel correct?
say 80mm 100mm etc?

Check your old fork, measure the for its "axle to crown" length.

http://www.bikeforest.com/CAD/faq/axle_to_crown.gif

Non-corrected forks have a axle-to-crown length of around 400mm +-10mm
Suspension corrected forks are longer, obviously.
I think a 100mm susp.corrected fork's A2C length is around 470mm.

It is okay (in my exp.) to run an 80mm corrected fork on a bike designed for 100mm.
Your BB is only a bit lower and your steering will be a bit zippier.

Hooray for rigid SS MTB's that run in the street.

Nice job, K - congrats.

Speaking of charity, does anyone here do or want to do the CN Tower climb? I've done it for the past few years so if you want to head I'm game. I'll be competing against my previous time trying to break my record.

Hey, I've been meaning to try that climb for years now but never have.. I think I'd like to try for it this year. It's in October right? Count me in!

Hey, I've been meaning to try that climb for years now but never have.. I think I'd like to try for it this year. It's in October right? Count me in!

Yep, Saturday 25th October for the next climb:
http://unitedwaytoronto.com/events/CNtower/2008/main.php

embrocate.

http://cavit8.clawz.com/images/pcat.jpg

Hahaha, well played :)

Hey can anyone tell me the best way to get through the ravines from North York (Don Mills/Leslie and Sheppard area) to Downtown???
I've never attempted the ravines so I would get lost and I don't want to take the TTC to work. I'm house sitting for my folks, miss downtown :(

It's pretty easy, first time I did it was without a map. You just want to follow all the signs that say "lower don recreational trail" or "don recreational trail". I believe it's also marked as bike route 45. I regularly take it from Broadview park up to Lawrence and Leslie

www.shapelike.com (http://www.shapelike.com) ... site's up now. If anyone has a lead on a place looking for a junior web designer or some freelance work, please get in touch.

Edit: feedback is of course appreciated. I'm starting to send this around to people now so feel free to tell me any comments/criticism that you might have (PM away). Today's mission is to get live sites up and running for everything in my portfolio, for example. Then there's always making IE play nice with everything and on and on ... ;)

www.shapelike.com (http://www.shapelike.com) ... site's up now. If anyone has a lead on a place looking for a junior web designer or some freelance work, please get in touch.

Edit: feedback is of course appreciated. I'm starting to send this around to people now so feel free to tell me any comments/criticism that you might have (PM away). Today's mission is to get live sites up and running for everything in my portfolio, for example. Then there's always making IE play nice with everything and on and on ... ;)

Clean, simple, interesting design with the #a's cool scrolling effect. Lots of j-query effects!
What are you using for editing, your source is tab-crazy! :)

*tap tap tap* ... happy now? ;)

Textmate on the Mac. I like it a lot for text editing (eg. it took all of 10 seconds to change the formatting on my tabs and upload a new version to the server).

And as for jQuery/javascript in general, I did my homework and decided to put my eggs in that particular basket as opposed to Flash.

Barrie? Correct me if I am wrong but this sunday is Valley Cross in Hamilton no? Barry is at Crank so I will be driving. Taking you is no prob at all and as long as someone racing for the team doesn't need a lift, the 2 of you will be no prob either.

****, my mistake. It's Hamilton this Sunday, ya. Could you PM me your # so I can confirm the ride with you and where/when you want me to meet up Sunday morning? Sara's still down to come along and cheer/heckle if there's room in the van. Thanks for hooking me up with a ride!

The Toronto Coalition for Active Transportation (TCAT), The Clean Air Partnership & The Community Bicycle Network are proud to present:

Bikes as a public good:

What is the future of public bikes in Toronto?

Come learn about public bike programs from cycling experts and policy makers. We want you to tell us what a public bike program in Toronto should look like at our forum!

Date: Thursday, September 18th, 2008

Time: 7:30 p.m.

Location: Innis Town Hall, 2 Sussex Avenue at St. George

Speakers:

Alain Ayotte, Stationnement de Montreal
David Boyce, OYBike Systems Ltd
Herb van den Dool, BikeShare/Community Bicycle Network
Moderated by Dave Meslin

Short film: Bike Share in Paris by Streetfilms.org

For more information: http://torontocat.ca/main/publicbikes

*tap tap tap* ... happy now? ;)

Textmate on the Mac. I like it a lot for text editing (eg. it took all of 10 seconds to change the formatting on my tabs and upload a new version to the server).

And as for jQuery/javascript in general, I did my homework and decided to put my eggs in that particular basket as opposed to Flash.

Much better :)

I use Gedit for Linux which is very similar to Textmate.

Great!

tips for healing a pulled groin?



it hurts like a mother****er and makes riding with 2 feet very sore

tips for healing a pulled groin?



it hurts like a mother****er and makes riding with 2 feet very sore

Don't use it. Pulled groins are a b!tch to heal. Usually I ignore dr.s orders, but groin pulls take forever to heal. Be carefull.

I finally learned how to do a proper 'cross remount tonight. Booya. :)

I finally learned how to do a proper 'cross remount tonight. Booya. :)

Reading the Karma Sutra are you.

Reading the Karma Sutra are you.

You know it. Wanna party?

is that legal?

oh wait, its not (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/glasgow_and_west/7095134.stm)

I was just sitting in my study in a semi-drunken fog, playing 'Wish You Were Here' on my guitar, in honour of Rick Wright, when my wife walked in and dropped $20 in my guitar case. I'll be outside the liquor store on Sat.

wow thats good money, im gonna come busk outside your house!

Not really. My wife is a student, so technically it was my money to begin with...

You know it. Wanna party?

I'm married, with a small child. You know I want to party.

did i not just say thats illegal?


i want in

Not really. My wife is a student, so technically it was my money to begin with...

hahahaha.. I hear you buddy! :P

I really need to figure out why my rear wheel is sticking in the dropouts of my Bianchi. Last night after CX I pushed it forward in the dropouts to change to my other gear (2x2 dinglespeed), then I couldn't get it to slide back again. I couldn't get it to move.. I kept trying different positions (kama sutra?), but couldn't get enough leverage. FINALLY it let go.

Unfortunately when it did so the disc brake rotor went straight into my shin. Whoops. A trip to the hospital later I'm glued (Dermabond) back together. Funny thing is that I didn't realize I had a 1cm deep, 5cm long gash in my leg until someone else pointed it out. It was heinous looking (like an open mouth), but surprisingly didn't bleed much.

Things that are good:

My wife commuting by bike everyday so far.
Not putting gas in the car since the last week of August.

Bad:

Shredding the sidewall of a week old tire.
The 'new' 90210. I admit to watching the first episode, and my brain is still angry with me.

You didn't .... *smack*

To Wes Oddjob'n himself on his disk... eeeew heal up well. Cover that up nice when out crossn' lest .... "Does this look infected?" I can't remember are disks legal for pro level cross racing? This slice and dice just might be why, in the rare instance of a pile up.