Take the Lane

A winter solstice cycling opportunity

The Toronto Cyclists Union has put out a call for cyclist-marshalls to volunteer to be a mobile barricade for the annual Kensington Market Festival of Lights in Toronto, Monday, Dec. 21.

This winter solstice event is note-worthy for the light-bedecked stilt-walkers, fire-breathers and lantern swingers who parade through the Kensington area. The Festival of Lights people need some savvy cyclists to keep the bedazzled crowd from crowding the parade. You have to commit to a training session at 5 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 20 and the actual event from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 21.

You can get more info from the website of the hosting arts group, Red Pepper Spectacle Arts.  

If this seems like something you'd like to do, contact Andrew Moro, co-director of the event, at redpepper.spectacle@sympatico.ca.

Winter cycling begins

I guess I shouldn't have been surprised that my request for winter cycling tips did not attract suggestions: to buy a Saab with heated seat warmers or to move to Mexico. Nor did anyone suggest having a little brandy in a hip flask for those moments when you have to wait for a long red light.

Earnest bunch, you.

Nonetheless, I would say that the responses to my request have covered the gamut of smart things to think about when you cycle-commuting this winter. Here's a rundown of what was said, with my own suggestions factored in.

For the bicyclist:

Dress for conditions: One Irish rider, who gets more rain than snow, opts for Gore-Tex, but we don't get that much rain-snow mix here. I have found that a slippery fabric is better to prevent snow from sticking to you: jacket and tights. Wool socks and overbooties keep the feet warm. My Louis Garneau neoprene boots are warmer than my Sugoi polyester top-covers, but neither is much good if you have to put your foot down in an icy puddle. One boot suggestion was the Keen waterproof.

Get lobster mitts, which have the added benefit of preventing you from giving anyone the finger. If you aren't into tights (Assos winter bib tights were recommended), try snowboarder pants, which tend to have cargo pockets and ankle tighteners. I've found that a simple long-sleeved shirt under a jacket (with underarm zips) is enough for my upper body, but if body temp is an issue, consider a light fleece vest under your jacket. You can always unzip 

Of course, wear a helmet, but if you don't want to wear one of those lightweight under-helmet noggin-covers, consider a helmet cover (less of an option if you have a helmet mounted mirror or light). Get a half-face mask. Seirus was recommended. You can cover your lower face, or tug it down to act like a scarf when you heat up. You can get one for between $15 and $20. A good investment.

Dress to be seen (no ninja, said Plam): Look for tights with reflective stripes. Go for bright-coloured jackets or vests. If you can, pick up some reflective tape at your local Len's Mills store or notions shop and sew on some strategically placed strips.

For the bicycle:

I can't tell you how comfortable I am on studded tires. Recommended was the Nokian Mount and Ground W160 and Nokian A10, but I bought cheapie Innovas. Yeah, there's more drag with studs. But yeah, you can achieve forward motion and control in bad conditions. Inflate just slightly less than recommended: gives you more surface area of tire, and if your studs are widely spaced, ensures there is contact.

Full fenders: They help keep the snow and slush off you and the bike's working parts.

Pedals: I'm off two minds about clipless pedals. I use them, and have fallen twice in the winter. I do find they give me a better sense of control, but you can't get out of them instantly. Your choice.

Be seen: Applies to the bike, too. The Highway Traffic Act requires a steady white light in the front and a steady red one in the back, but once you have fulfilled the requirements, use blinking lights fore and aft -- the slushy crap that gets thrown onto car windshields makes it all the harder for motorists to see you. Be visible. I stick a red Turtle-type light in the back of my helmet. If I could run Christmas lights up and down the seat stays, I would. Recommended was the Schmidt SON generator hub (a costly retrofit for most of us).

BE CAREFUL

Yes, it's our road and we have a right to a share of it. With bicycle lanes full of snow and snow-slowed drivers already irritated, discretion may be the better part of valour in some cases: take the streets less travelled, rediscover bike trails, use sidewalks if you have to (fewer peds now, anyway).

For more tips on winter cycling, check out this website for the City of Toronto's Bicycle User Group.

One of the best recommendations came from Bruce, who advised that cycling isn't always about purposeful riding: get out and ride for fun. Tow your kids on their magic carpets. Ride on a frozen creek. Follow a snowmobile track. This is Canada. It's winter. Have fun.

When the going gets tough, try multi-modal

I was grateful for the multi-modal transportation system today, when I had to get out of my nice, warm bed and trek downtown to the autobody guy to reclaim our car.

It needed some crease-removal after a motorist in Toronto left us a gift without leaving a name so we could call and thank him/her.

If you saw the news or live in southern Ontario, you know what it was like outside at 9 a.m.: rain, snow, slush, mush and no plows yet except for the main routes and bus routes (and the Iron Horse Trail, yeah!), but I had my brand-new studded tires on and was ready to use my tread where cars fear to tread.

And about five minutes in, I was wondering if I had forgotten how to ride a bicycle in winter conditions. I was sliding all over the place, coming to a dead stop, losing my balance, kicking out my back wheel. I had a 30-minute ride ahead of me and it wasn't going to be pretty. And I noticed in my helmet mirror that the Grand River Transit school special was lumbering up behind me. Hmmm, all GRT buses have bike racks.

So I exercised my multi-modal option and took the bus to the terminal, and then rode across to the autobody place, loaded the bike in the rack and drove home.

WHen the going gets tough, I'm glad this region has been thinking multi-modal.

What are your winter cycling tips?

Now that I'm back on the bicycle after being de-cycled for 15 months, I'm hearing a lot of, "Well, I guess you've got a few more days of cycling left before you have to put the bike away." 

This always startles me, esp. when it comes from people who have known me for years, and have seen me schlepping through the office in my winter cycling gear or tooling around the neighbourhood on my winter beater.

Sometimes, I nod and smile, and sometimes, I launch into Winter Cycling 101.

This year, around here, it has been an especially long "cycling season" for the seasonal cyclist. I'm hoping the lack of snow and the increasing cold could have the effect of showing the seasonal cyclist how the riding season need not stop, if the proper approach is taken to preparing for the cold weather.

I was wondering what your fave winter cycling tips are. What advice do you have for the potential winter rider? Reply here or email me at my work address: bbean@therecord.com.

I'll string the list together, and we can share all our knowledge with those who might need just a little nudge to join us as year-round riders.

Riding for winter? Not for a long time yet.

You wouldn't think it was Nov. 20 today. Roads not full of icy crap. No salt or sand. Even warm enough to ride with a light jacket (well, during the sunny bits).

So, when a couple of items mentioning the "W" word (winter) came my way, the first thing I thought was: "No way, Jose. I'm not even THINKING about winter right now. For those who have 'em, it's not even time yet to tune up the beater bike. I refuse to participate in seasonal cycling advice."

OK, got that out of my system. Now, if you haven't tuned up the beater bike, do so. The "good" bike will have to be put away be the end of next week, for sure.

If you are thinking about what you should do this year to enhance your winter riding experience, you might check out a couple of blogs that address some of the needs of the winter cyclist. An entry by Biodiversivist and this page at IceBike address the use of "pogies," which can look incredibily comical, but which work pretty well. On my China trip in February 2004, I saw a lot of electric bike and motorcycle rides using pogies, which are heavy mittens that are attached to the handlebars and large enough to encompass the handlebar controls (brakes, gears), allowing the rider to simply insert his/her hands into the pogies and remove an unencumbered hand when necessary. (Thanks Mona for the tip about Biodiversivist!)

This would be the time of year, as well, to think about a seasonal gift for that special someone (that would be yourself, of course) of cycle shoe covers, lobster mitts, face mask or heated insoles. See your local cycle gear pusher.

A Winnipegger endorses winter cycling

Here's a great commentary from the Friday Globe by a Winnipegger who spells out, at length, the pleasures of winter cycling.

Yeah, there is a real pleasure in being able to make your own way when so many of the auto-fixated cannot.

Who rode to work this week

Now that the cold-weather alert has been called off, here's a tally of who rode to work this week in the coldest days of the year so far:

Matthew Tiessen rode Thursday: I rode to work yesterday. Cold. Nothing like my years of winter riding in Winnipeg, Ottawa and Edmonton...

Brian Oliver of Winnipeg rode this week: I live in Thompson, Manitoba, roughly seven hundred kilometres north of Winnipeg, and as wind chills did not dip below -51 deg C during the last couple of weeks, there was nothing really out of the ordinary to keep me off my bike. This is my second winter of cycling here and I do alarm my co-workers, although they are used to it by now.

GRT driver rode every day: I ride my bicycle to work every day and this week was no exception. I did have to use a head warmer under my helmet this week for extra protection.

Dave didn't ride: I have biked to work when it's been this cold, but this week,no. Don't like snow on the road when I ride, either. Trails OK.

Leon Cook of Great Britain rode: I have commuted all week, 24 miles a day round trip. I have done all winter, but here in the UK the coldest it got last week was -8. Wusses weather compared to your proper stuff!

By Thursday, Plam rode three days: I biked 3.5km each way to the University of Waterloo three days this week so far...

Jeff didn't ride: I'm wussing out this week . . . Riding in extreme cold is not fun. Riding in the snow could be fun--if it weren't for the fact that drivers don't adjust for the conditions, and think cyclists should just disappear instead. Yet, somehow, snowy conditions seem to be a get-out-of-jail-free card for any motorist who injures or kills a cyclist.

One thing I noticed about the alternate bike routes this week, was that while bike lanes were a mess, the bike trails were pretty regularly plowed. The Iron Horse Trail remains a real resource for cyclists wanting a north-south car-free route.

Thanks to everyone for writing in, and now that the weather is not so brutal, good cycling.

Quebec town could ban winter cycling

In a typical "blame the victim" approach, a Quebec town is considering banning winter cycling after a cyclist was dragged under the wheels of a passing truck and killed.

According to this story in the Montreal Gazette, the truck cut back in too quickly after passing the cyclist, and protruding hooks on the side of the flatbed caught the rider and dragged him under the wheels.

I wasn't speechless after I read this, but I can't reprint here what I said.

The town, La Tuque, apparently had a bylaw on the books for some time banning cycling on icy or snowy roads. No one can remember when it was ever enforced, but the death on Jan. 6 sparked a call from city officials to enforce the bylaw. No word on whether ice or snow actually had any role in the incident.

Did you bike to work this week?

The past couple of days have been the coldest of the winter for much of Canada, and there's at least one more day of it to come.

So, did you freak out your co-workers by riding to work? Or maybe, did you join your co-workers on the ride to work?

Let me know, by responding here or sending me an email: bbean@therecord.com.

And check out Bicycles and Icicles, a blog by an Anchorage, Alaska cyclist that is cheeky and terse. "Tim" revels in being two-wheel-enabled when the conditions are so bad that motorists would rather stay at home.

Riding from Vancouver to Montreal, in the winter!

If you thought riding to the grocery store in the snow was trouble enough, check out this story in the Metro Montreal about a Montrealer who rode from Vancouver to his home city, a 47-day trek that ended Sunday.

Francois Dagenais-Cote embarked on the trip to demonstrate that cycling is a viable alternative in Canada, even in the winter. He had banked on doing the trip in 40 days, but had a few setbacks. That he undertook this at all is incredibly inspiring. The article is in French, so you'll have to dust off your high school French, but it's written in newspaperese, so pretty easy to get through.