New in Ontario
 

Welcome to the forum,

Where in Ontario are you from? There seems to be quite a few of us!!:)

I am in the Toronto area, riding to work through busy traffic, kind of scares me, but I want to do it. I see there are some forums on here about that topic. With regard to a bike rack, I am seeing posts about the paint finish being damaged and I have a new car! Maybe the hitch is the way to go, but probably rather expensive.

Welcome to Toronto ,, there are lots's of great shops around I use Cycle Solutions as my LBS http://www.cycle-solutions.com/ they are a good bunch and have differnt race teams too and have many types of bike racks ,, Toronto a busy place but there are TONS of places to go and mega trails and you get used to traffic fast I ride all year round to work and have a blast doing so , plus use a mirror it saved my ass a few times <<

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I have heard the best technique in traffic is to cycle in the middle of the curb lane, take possession of it, sort of, instead of trying to stay near the curb.
Do you wear a safety vest or use a flag on the bike when communiting in traffic? Sounds goofy but I am quite nervous. The drivers just don't seem to care about cyclists.

Welcome!

Sounds like you know what you are doing. Making yourself visable may be amusing to some, but if it keeps you alive....

As for racks, I really like the trailer hitch mounted ones. If your car has a hitch, then it really is a no brainer. They keep the bike where you can see it out your rear veiw mirror, and they tend to be secure. Plus they are easy to take on and off the car, and easy to load.