Haaa first road ride in a while. Was fun. 50k, runtime 2h, avg 28k/h.

map

Martin Grove road around the 401/409 was awful.

Where are people getting Cannondale stuff in from? Is it just Duke's or is there someplace else?

Thanks zip - something that's re-occured, stemming from carrying too much stuff (beer) in my mess bag over too far/long distance.

Read this in yesterdays Sun:

http://www.torontosun.com/news/colum...58751-sun.html

Blech :|

The Toronto Sun is for people who need to be told what their opinions are.

Yes, and they're being told bikelanes = bad. :crash:

fixed

The Toronto sun is for dumbass reactionaries who would prefer to have something to be pissed off about than actually understand anything.

That's a good average, especially with all those lights. I find my ride to my Mom's in Oakville is a 25km/h average but if I'm riding in the country I'm easily doing 28-29 average.

"Somebody has to tell Mayor David Miller and his green friends that biking is a hobby and that most people don't want to risk their lives to ride to work in an urban setting so he can get his face on the cover of another environmental magazine."

I would agree with this in part. People don't want to risk their lives riding to work, but that's the reason we need MORE bike paths not fewer. I ride down Sherbourne which has bad roads rather than Jarvis, which has nicer pavement, because Sherbourne has a bike lane. And the people on this board are not average citizens when it comes to riding bikes.

Agreed. I can totally understand people not wanting to drive in the crazy traffic, we need more bike lanes to encourage those less-confident folks out. Admittedly there are a lot of folks riding already, it'd be great to have less cars in the core to get more people out on bikes/TTC.

I don't think bikelanes are the total solution to traffic/congestion, and I agreed in parts with the article re: throwing an extra bus or two on the route at peak hours to relieve bus-crowding/congestion - if the TTC was more comfortable and reliable/timely - I'm sure more people would take it. Some folks that have cars make the choice to drive because there's no reasonable (in their eyes) alternative. 25 years is a long time to wait for apparently better transportation infrastructure, I'm sure there are things than can be done now/sooner.

I'm a sinner and listen to Dean Blundell in the mornings, but they had Mayor Miller on the other morning, and he basically said he's attempting to make it more difficult for cars to get around/be downtown to try and force people to make the choice. I can't see it ever happening, but a core congestion charge for motor vehicles during the weekday business hours would be neat and a great source of revenue (I'd bet it'd piss a lot of people off and thus never happen).

I used to take Sherbourne between Bloor and Richmond when I lived in the east end. Having a bit more experience and confidence I now avoid it - the road surface is just terrible in places (heading South, at least) - though I would prefer the road itself than Jarvis - which seems like a grand prix at times (this is one light I have to watch more carefully when crossing at Carlton, lots of amber/red runners from my experience). I personally head over to Parliament now which hasn't got a great surface heading southbound north of Wellesley, but otherwise pretty decent. That's between Carlton and Bloor though as I prefer College/Carlton to other roads for my east/west route.

Yep. I offered a co-worker a free bike and she didn't want it because it is, in her view, too dangerous to ride in the city. I cannot argue against her either as she is right.....I have a near miss every couple of days and I think it is only my experience that keeps me from eating asphalt or getting hit by a taxi.

Somebody should tell the average sun reader that David miller doesn't really have anything to do with biking or it's promotion in the city. Aside from the bike week promo shots, of course.

I don't think it's a popular position with advocates, but I think bike lanes promote the attitude that bikes belong in bike lanes, and only in bike lanes. I think education for both drivers and cyclists is needed to use the roads safely. If I had a nickel for every time I saw someone turning right in their cars from the car lane, while cyclists ride past the same car on the right I'd have enough money to build 1.2kms of useless, expensive bike lanes (and I'd design them so that when you come to a bridge or an intersection, they dissapear- 'cause you really don't need bike lanes in the most likely places to get in an accident). Bike lanes just add another level of complexity to a task that few seem to have mastered as it is.

Agreed.

As crappy as cars treat us, I also feel that very few cyclists take responsibility for their actions; it is almost like they feel they are immune to the laws just because they are not in a car. If I had a nickel for every time I see a cyclist going down the wrong way on a one-way street, I would be able to afford that new Marinoni CX bike I have been drooling over. That "scoff-law" attitude doesn't endear cycling to anyone....

This especially annoys me in my area. There's a series of both east-only and west-only one-way residential streets and yet people still seem to be unable to ride the 15 metres north or south to follow the proper direction. These folks get a "wrong way, dude!" kind of greeting from me - I just don't get that.

+1 on the right-hook-zone riders... I got caught in there myself this morning, and waved a thanks to the car who seemingly saw/waited for me.

I've no good solution for the bikelane/getting people out solution, I'm sure there'll be a middle ground, but lack of education/information about how to properly behave on the roads is a key issue. Drivers are tested and licensed, but they still don't seem to know how to deal with things at times let alone anyone on a bike can just jump on.

From the motorist's perspective (since I'm both), it ALSO drives me nuts when it's like a cyclist WANTS to get a right-hook. Ie. I'm sitting at an intersection, pulled up to the curb, with my right turn signal on, and they come flying through on the inside. There's a reason why the bike lanes have a 'dotted line' at intersections. Unfortunately it seems like most cyclists and most drivers don't seem to understand how to navigate it.

I think bike lanes are important, but the city definitely has an odd way of designing/installing them. Can anyone name a single continuous on-road bike lane route that goes for more than a few km's in the city? It seems like the prime placement factor is simply where it's easiest to put them in (where they'll encounter the least community resistance). Unless there's some long-term plan to connect up all the short segments scattered around the city.

Okay.. wasting time preaching to the choir. :)

I have a theory, that is mine.....
I will ride my bike, I will name him George.. and hug him and pet him....

Some good path design, not meant as an underhanded attempt to calm traffic would indeed be nice.

Also: GooOooO Svein! Canada! Woo! YeeeEeEAH! :P

http://www.velonews.com/article/8364...e-takes-bronze

not wasted IMHO: it's reassuring! (although i'm not a driver :innocent:)

Agree totally. I don't really feel any safer in bike lanes and FWIW the only purpose they serve that I can tell is that it prevents drivers from pulling up behind you and insisting you get out of their way. I ride Danforth every day and it's got no bike lanes and I've got no issues with it, I just ride on the right when I've got room, take the lane when I don't, and move in and out of traffic when it's appropriate. If you can keep up with 30kph traffic you can ride in it and feel pretty safe (which I'm sure is redundant to tell anyone on BF) the issue I think is in accomodating slower cyclists who don't want to ride that way. While it'd be easy for a quick cyclist to move into the left lane to get around hazards or make a left turn, it's dangerous as all hell for a person on a bike doing 10kph to pull in front of traffic and bike lanes don't really address that. The only bike lane I'd think of as useful to the average cyclist would be something seperate from roadways where a cyclist CAN'T get a right hook, or won't have to merge out into traffic to get past an obstruction.

Personally the transit plan scares the hell out of me because the only thing that makes me feel unsafe on the road is street car tracks and apparently they're planning on installing a whole lot more :(

While I've bitten it a few times on street car tracks myself, at least I know where they are. I've had more close calls with buses passing and then cutting me off as the swing into their stop or just dusting me by inches as they roar by me to the next light.

WOOT!! I love Dave Z's Captain America graphical treatment

WANTED:

1 1/8th rigid fork (mountain preferred)
rear wheel with 135mm spacing (mountain preferred)
cranks (shorter better)
BB (req. fit above cranks, english threading, not too rusted)got one


will pay in money/beer/trading (money is tight, so i'm only really looking for craptacular parts right now)




quote of the day:

"So whats the difference between the Medium and Large?"

I have a standard square taper 68mm b/b you can. I also have an old set of shimano lx mtb cranks, but I think they are 175. Yours if you want them.

A good place for parts that are cheap is Bike Pirates. Last time I was there they had lots of forks and wheels. I also picked up a set of shimano spds for $10. Most shops will have cheap rear wheels as well.

o0o i'll take the cranks.


what for? one beer? two beer? three beer? more ?

oth.