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Why Canadians Can't Bike in the Winter (but Finnish people can)

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Why Canadians Can't Bike in the Winter (but Finnish people can)

Old 02-23-21, 09:15 AM
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Hypno Toad
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Why Canadians Can't Bike in the Winter (but Finnish people can)

Love this short documentary:

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Old 02-23-21, 02:45 PM
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You say that likes a bad thing ...
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Old 02-23-21, 03:01 PM
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Energy poverty might also play a role. The price of energy in Finland is quite a bit higher providing more incentive.
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Old 02-23-21, 03:10 PM
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Originally Posted by Hypno Toad View Post
You say that likes a bad thing ...
As a Canadian, I read it as a good thing
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Old 02-23-21, 03:49 PM
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Originally Posted by KPREN View Post
Energy poverty might also play a role. The price of energy in Finland is quite a bit higher providing more incentive.
Oh, yeah? So this must be why hoards of Finns are also jogging at -20C or strolling with children?
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Old 02-23-21, 03:57 PM
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Love this video!
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Old 02-23-21, 03:59 PM
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Price of gas in Finland is more than double what it is in Canada.
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Old 02-23-21, 04:10 PM
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Originally Posted by 2_i View Post
Oh, yeah? So this must be why hoards of Finns are also jogging at -20C or strolling with children?
Those activities do not take gasoline.
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Old 02-23-21, 05:04 PM
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Originally Posted by xyz View Post
It's easier to stay warm with all the baby eating that must go on there.
What's the purpose in posting crap like this?
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Old 02-24-21, 07:35 AM
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Originally Posted by Wileyone View Post
Price of gas in Finland is more than double what it is in Canada.
Or correctly stated ... the price of gas in Canada is subsidized making it less than half the actual cost.
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Old 02-24-21, 04:20 PM
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Originally Posted by Hypno Toad View Post
Only the evangelical Christian babies, they're the only ones with a right blend of self-righteousness and total hypocrisy.
And they don't baptize babies, so that's how you gain your evil socialist powers. Their skin makes great winter riding gloves too.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Modest_Proposal
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Old 03-05-21, 10:02 AM
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That's a great video. I'd be curious to see a comparison of the city's costs. Also, compare that to the reduced cost of auto roads with fewer drivers. Unfortunately, in the US, we're all about capitalism, and if we could make a point that it actually saves money, we might have a chance of improving the bike infrastructure.
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Old 03-05-21, 01:04 PM
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Originally Posted by Notso_fastLane View Post
That's a great video. I'd be curious to see a comparison of the city's costs. Also, compare that to the reduced cost of auto roads with fewer drivers. Unfortunately, in the US, we're all about capitalism, and if we could make a point that it actually saves money, we might have a chance of improving the bike infrastructure.
Well, if you want to make it like the city in the video, I think you have to set that up when the city is created. Once you already have a transportation system and an existing city, making large scale changes is very expensive. Even slight improvements would not be easy.
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Old 08-21-21, 12:45 AM
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Yes we do, even at -30.
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Old 08-21-21, 12:16 PM
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Up here in New England, the road crews spray a saline "slurry" to treat the roads during snow storms. It helps melt the ice and snow but man does it accelerate vehicle corrosion, and I'd bet that's doubly or triply so for a bicycle. I wonder if they do that in Canada and have a bicycle friendly alternative in Finland?
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Old 08-21-21, 02:30 PM
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I commute by bicycle when I can. One year I rode my MTB through the winter.

That completely ruined the MTB
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Old 08-29-21, 06:43 PM
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I'm Canadian and I biked through all of last winter: 578 km in December, 480 in January. February was a bit of a write-off, only 254 km. Blame the weather. March picked up again, 340 in the officially winter weeks, 666 for the whole month.

It's definitely tougher and slower than spring, summer and fall. But when the season finally did take off, I started with my base already built up. Best season start ever, and I'm 63...

Rides are shorter, even properly shod, my feet always end up frozen by 30 km.

This was, btw, all on gravel roads with studded tires.

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Old 08-30-21, 08:59 AM
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The weather can't hinder me from biking. I just make sure I'm equipped with the proper gears to avoid accidents or minimize it at least.
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Old 09-03-21, 06:42 AM
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Originally Posted by Bearhawker View Post
One year I rode my MTB through the winter.

That completely ruined the MTB
My mountain bikes have 13 Canadian winters on them and they haven't been ruined yet. I use mountain bikes with a rigid fork and singlespeed drivetrain.
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Old 09-03-21, 10:36 AM
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My Trek 3700 now has a rigid front end that used to be a functional suspension. 30 km/day for most of a winter on rural highways ruined every single moving part on the bike. I may take a stab at rebuilding it when I retire... if not it will get painted and become a yard art.
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Old 09-03-21, 06:25 PM
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This is an old thread with problematic posts. Locking for politics.
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