baj32161

Hey gang, I may need some help here. I have received a great job offer in the Toronto area, and once the job opens up I will, more then likely, make the move from New Jersey...also my girlfriend lives there (we are talking the big M word too). She really laughed hard when my very first question to her was "How is the riding up there?" She knows I am hooked, but I really would like to know about riding in the Burlington/Toronto, ON area. I would also like to know if there are any decent to good Canadian road bikes out there. It seems that other brands seem to be a bit pricey up there. But I would like to support the local market if I can. Any ideas would, as always, be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Brian

531Aussie

Cervelo: one of the BEST, because I've got one

They are being used by Team CSC in all the major European road races

https://www.cervelo.com/

baj32161

Ummmmmm...perhaps I should qualify this by saying that my price range would be about $1000-1500 American.

Cervelo....I can only dream

By my bike pics, you see what my range is

Hitchy

G'day,

what about 'GURU'?....dunno if they be any good though...haven't ridden one....but very funky tube shapes!

Hitchy

lungdoc

Devinci is made in Quebec (even their own frames) and seem good value, both Campy and Shimano bikes avialable. Check them out at https://www.devinci.ca/english/road.html

hmai18

Devinci, Rocky Mountain, Opus, Argon 18 are a few.

khuon

Although more known for their MTBs, Rocky Mountain also makes road bikes. They tend to be an underrated brand but seem to have quality bikes.

Also known more for their MTBs is Kona but they do offer a nice line of cyclocross and road bikes too. The same goes for Brodie and Norco.

Companies with a more roadbike focus include Oryx, Argon18, Marinoni, Aquila.

james57

Canadian design and built : Guru, De Vinci, Marinoni
Canadian design : Cervelo, Opus, Argon, ...

If you want top quality and custom wihtout getting a second morgage .. trust Guru.. they are top .. and no I don't work for them ..

gravityslip

Guru

velocipedio

marinoni leaps to mind first, since i own one. guru will probably be out of your price range, as will cervelo. argon 18 is quite nice. i'm not a huge fan of opus. these are gruppo bikes that are designed anf built in asia and only labeled here. oryx has some nice models in your price range, as well as devinci. both rocky mountain and norco have road bikes this year.

if you're in the toronto area,you should visit bicycle specialties, the shop run by mike barry [father of discocery team ride michael barry]. he sells mariposa -- his own custom brand, made on the premises -- and marinoni. he's kind of the eccentric sage of toronto cycling.

baj32161

How ironic is that velocipedio...you are coming down here to new Jersey and I may be going up to Canada...go figure.

Do you happen to know about the riding up in that area?

Anyone else for that matter?

Brian.

lungdoc

The Burlington-Toronto area is pretty busy in terms of traffic. There are undeveloped areas very close to Burlington but because there are many "satellite cities" and rural subdivisions with tons of commuters the back roads in that area can still be very heavily travelled, at least in peak times. Some very good areas are a short drive away, including my own area of Niagara (starts probably 15 minute drive from Burlington if no traffic) which is generally much quieter and scenic with wineries/orchards etc. Caledon, north of Toronto, is also scenic, though busier. Checkout Troronto Bicycling Network for more options and info.

velocipedio

i've never ridden in the toronto area, though i know some of the area reasonably well.

if i was in toronto, i'd probaby try riding up around vaughn and kleinburg, maybe as far as alliston and newmarket, all north of the city, nice country roads up there, not unlike rural nj near the raritan. another interesting ride might be toward lake simcoe, also north of the city, there and back would be 100km, i'd guess.

burlington, despite the fact that it's near hamilton, puts you in southern ontario's rural heartland. i can iumagine there'd be some nice rides out to the west, toward kitchener, guelph, london and places like that. keep in mind that hamilton has a huge cycling scene, and was the site of the world championships two years ago,

aside from the winters, southern ontario probably has primo cycling. nice roads, too. as a quebecer, i'm always impressed by the quality of ontario's roads.

and yes... it is ironic.

baj32161

Hey....I haven't left yet. I hope I am still here when you make your way down so we can arrange a few rides. I don't anticipate this move hapening until next year..possibly spring.

dlbcx

Epic Ti in Vancouver. I think, though, that they may have changed their name since Specialized was throwing a tizzy about their use of "Epic" in their name. Also, Guru makes some nice frames.

531Aussie

you can get a Soloist with 10 speed Campagnolo Centaur for ~$1990

https://www.cervelo.com/prices/usa.html

Is that chain too short for this bike?

531Aussie

https://www.norco.com/05/indexflash.php

The others suggested Norco, who make bikes in the low to med/high price bracket, but I don't think any of their bikes are made in Canada

simplyred

YES!
Come to Canada.... Congratulations on your job offer. You won't regret living in Toronto, you're girlfriend should be enough reasons [esp with M in the works]. Make sure you come to the Doughnut Ride on the weekend.

Why do you want a Canadian Road Bike? heh... You're Lemond is a sweet ride, and I don't see many of those around.

Best Canadian Road Bike Companies
1/ Cervelo
2/ Cervelo
3/ Cervelo
4/ ..... Cervelo

Brian I know some great stores in Toronto with NICE deals on Cervelo's IN YOUR PRICE RANGE! PM me or something..

qqy

Yeah, you could probably find a nice Soloist in your price range if you're willing to buy last year's model. Wheels on Bloor and Duke's both have good stock and year-end sales. Or, you could just pick up a Cervelo frame, which are pretty common here. Better yet, get a nice custom Marinoni. The riding in this area's pretty good as motorists and cyclists get along fairly well. I routinely cycle from Toronto to Burlington/Hamilton and back along Lakeshore - it's a nice, fast route. Downtown Toronto is a different story, as it's everyone for himself. You won't regret coming here, and probably will grow disillusioned with the US.

baj32161

Well I don't think I will be making the move until next spring, maybe a bit afterwards, but I am so looking forward to it. I have always liked Canada even though I hate winter. But we get winter here in NJ too so i will be able to deal with it, plus I went to college in Oswego NY. I love my LeMond and I suppose I could always get a new bike in the US when I come back to visit my family. I really think a Cervelo is a bit much for me at this stage of my riding though but I sure wouldn't say no to one at the right price, even if only to drool over (lol!).

By the way, my girlfriend is enough reason for me to live in Hell if I had to. She is even going to get a bike for herself when I get there. I am very excited...Jeez i need to get out of New jersey

Thanks,

Brian

baj32161

Actually Burlington is the area where she lives now...she laughed when the first question I asked her was how the riding was up there. I have no problem with a last year's model, as my LeMond is an '04. I have always liked Canada and Canadians, and have grown a bit disillusioned with the USA already, for many reasons....too many to mention here.

Thank you for the help. I truly appreciate it.

Brian

Crashtest

Others have mentioned Marinoni, and I'll put my vote in for that one as well since I own one.

As for riding in the Toronto/Burlington area, I'm a big fan of the Waterfront Trail, also known as the Martin-Goodman trail. It stretches from Niagara-on-the-lake to Trenton which is 450 km in length. See: Waterfront Trail

Most serious roadies will avoid this trail as portions of it are Mixed Use Trail, and it's tough to get a good training session in because of the walkers joggers and roller bladers. The portion from Burlington through Oakville into Port Credit on the west end of Toronto is almost all road however, and I find it an enjoyable ride. If I recall correctly, a round trip from the Burlington Skyway bridge to Port Credit would be approx 80 km.

BaadDawg

You will like living in Canada, but I would stock up on the bike stuff before getting here. Prices are definitely higher here right across the board. And forget about getting stuff from online places like Perforjmance or Nashbar, unless you regularly return to the US and can have the stuff sent to a US address. The shipping is double the cost (many ebayers won't even ship to Canada anymore and when they do its a ripoff) and there is duty and taxes on anything over $20CDN. It is hit and miss as to when and if the duty/taxes get applied. Anything sent by Fedex, UPS, etc. is automatic $50 handling fee plus taxes and duty. USPS is the way to get stuff sent and sometimes the duty and taxes do not get charged, sometimes they do.

So stock up on anything bike related before you get here or if you go back and forth regularly then you can still get your stuff in the US and save bling.

baj32161

Well all of my family and friends will still be here so I will be traveling back and forth frequently so that will not be an issue.

Thank you for the tip.

Brian

operator

I wouldn't quantify the riding around here as "great". The rural areas... maybe. The roads are in horrible shape still.