End of Cycling Season Review Featuring Norco Scene VLT E-bike

Overview

As we approach the time to put away the summer bikes and bring out the winter bikes it is time to review the past season.

After a high of 5100 kilometres in 2013, I had dropped to 2300 by 2016 and since then gradually increased to 3000 last year and another jump to 3900 kilometres this year, with over a month to go.

A big change this year was my wife, Christine, deciding to get an e-bike and my deciding to follow suit after trying hers out.

One of the impacts of that was our spending less time on the mountain bikes, with my putting less than half of my usual over 300 km per season on the mountain bike.

All of my mountain biking this year was on the Old Quarry and Jack Pine trail systems. I hope to get back to to some of the other trail systems next year, particularly The Untrails where I need to map some new trails we discovered on a hike there. I also want to see what effect the hurricane a few years back has had on the Bruce Pit trails.

Another new factor is Christine deciding to try winter biking with me this year, having converted her Brodie Sterling hybrid into a winter bike by putting Schwalbe Winter Marathon tires on it. Last year, 2020, I put 720 km on the winter bike and so far this year (January-March) I have put 510 km on the winter bike. I expect I may put more on this winter having someone to ride with during the winter.

Norco Scene VLT

So let us talk about the Norco Scene VLT  e-bike. This is the perfect e-bike for somebody that does not want an e-bike. This is not to say it is not a great e-bike, but it’s real appeal to me is that is a bike I can ride as a solely pedal powered bike without the extra weight of the motor and batteries having any noticeable effect. It is just as easy to pedal as my Brodie Sterling, making it the perfect bike for someone wanting a true electric assist bicycle where you can use the assist when needed but otherwise ride like a normal bike.

One of the benefits of an e-bike is that they can equalize riders capabilities. I am a stronger rider than Christine, or perhaps I just like to push myself a bit harder, so usually when we rode together I would follow her riding slower than my usual pace. With the Scenes, Christine can ride in the “eco” mode which basically allows us to ride together at my normal pace and I still have the power assist available if I need it to keep up on killer hills or riding into strong winds.

One of the things I have noticed over the last 10 years or so is that my stamina decreases in the cold weather and I find now, as we are getting into late fall, I am using the power assist somewhat more than in the summer.

One of the main benefits of an electric assist bike is knowing that one can head out in heavier winds, or try hillier routes or go for longer rides, knowing you have the electric assist available if you need it.

It is not just the power assist that makes the Scene a great bike. It has a great set of components, riding and shifting gears very smoothly with disc brakes. The nine speed gear range is more than adequate with the gear shift on the right side and the power assist control on the left. After putting 3300 kilometres on the Scene it still shifts easily and smoothly, although I did adjust the barrel adjuster after the first month to account for cable stretch.

There are two other handy features. The one I appreciate most is the step-through frame, no longer having to throw yourself over the frame starting up. My wife really appreciates the drop seat-post that drops the seat for when you are standing at red lights, making it easier to rest your feet on the ground.

As to the 32 km/hr e-bike speed limitation, I have not comprehensively tested that but from my riding experience there does not seem to be a speed governor, the power assist, if it is on, simply seems to turn off once you reach 32 km/hr and to go faster you have to do that completely pedalling on your own.

I believe the Norco Scene e-bikes have greatly contributed to us doing more riding this past season.

This is a map of a recent ride on the e-bikes through the Bridlewood roads and paths and some of the easier Old Quarry trails.

Reflections on My 2013 Biking Season

Now that I bike all year there is no end to the season but the putting away of the summer bikes and taking out of the winter bike marks the end of a season for me now. (Note: click on images in this blog post to enlarge them.)

Remembering Mario

As I reflect on the past season I feel a sense of guilt for feeling that I have had one of my best seasons yet, for how can I feel that way when we have lost our dear friend Mario in a tragic traffic incident.

I first met Mario about ten years ago in pre-OMBA (Ottawa Mountain Bike Association) days when MTB Kanata used to organize weeknight Jack Pine rides and weekend rides on what were then called the Kanata Lakes trails, which included the SMH (South March Highlands) trails on both sides of the Terry Fox Drive extension (which didn't exist then) through the forest.

One of my first memories is a road trip to CFMBA (Charlottenburgh Forest Mountain Bike Area ) near Cornwall. During the ride Mario noticed some issues with the trails, so of course, being Mario, he was back again for several weekends doing trail work.

Back in those days MTB Kanata used to sponsor several teams in the Tour Nortel (now CN Cycle for CHEO) and of course Mario was always a big supporter. Here is an image from the MTB Kanata newsletter of one of the few times Mario has actually “gone public” about what he has done. You can really tell he loved riding that bike.

One of my first memories of Mario's patience was a group ride on Outback where he was riding sweep. I remember finding it very challenging but he kept encouraging me even as we kept falling farther behind everyone else. Finally after taking a bit of a secret shortcut that he knew about near the end we finished about an hour, or maybe much more, after everyone else. Rather than being upset with me for holding him back Mario was more happy that I had accomplished the challenge.

And of course Mario was not a fair weather rider – he rode all seasons and loved his winter riding, he even perfected the making of spiked tires for winter riding, which, of course he had to share with everyone else on the OMBA forums.

When I started to volunteer for trail days for a couple of seasons Mario was always one of the regulars and if he wasn't there it was probably because he was helping somebody else with something.

One of my best biking seasons ever was the season that Mario was leading Group D on the Thursday Night Rides. You could not find a better person to lead a group of struggling beginners on the trails and he always tried to provide variety in the trails. As well as the usual SMH trails he would take us on the old Kanata Lakes Trails including the old Lost and Found Trails behind the GFR parking lot and the trails on the other side of GFR. One of his favourite things to point out was the H-tree, a tree along the trail that had grown in the shape of an H. (I have to go and find that tree now). I always loved that about Mario because that is the sort of thing that I would notice and it just re-emphasized that for Mario, like many of us, mountain biking is not the macho stereotype that is all about mindlessly ripping around on your bike, but it is just as much about being in the forest with nature.

The last time I saw Mario was at this year's Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day where our two groups kept leap frogging each other, even though I supposedly had the slower group. He had a couple of slower riders that he thought might fit in better with our group and asked me if I would take them, and of course I said yes. But, being Mario he didn't want to single them out so he asked everyone to express how tired out there were in a number between 1 and 10 and then suggested those that said 5 or less join my group. But nobody wanted to leave Mario's group and that was fine with him, and fortuitous for me as we kept leap frogging and I got to see Mario more often that day than I otherwise would, short little meetings on the trail that I will cherish forever.

Mario is remembered fondly by the Ottawa Mountain Biking Association and Trips For Kids Ottawa.

Mario would want us all to think positively, particularly about mountain biking and cycling that he loved so much, and he would want us to get out and ride as much as possible.

Statistical Overview

AS OF DECEMBER 7, 2013
TOTAL KM         HOURS         MTB KM         HOURS         HYB KM         HOURS         WB KM         HOURS
4944.75               317.58           860.75             75.63           3244.70           188.27          839.30           53.68

So what do the numbers say about this year's season. The first thing we notice is an increase in total number of kilometres over time, a new record each year, 4451 for 2011, 4754 for 2012 and already passed that on Nov 21, 2013 at 4767, and 4945 on December 7, 2013, well on track for a over 5000 km for the year.

It would be nice to think I am doing that much more biking but the increasing hours is not as great, going from 290 in 2011 to 318 by December 7, 2013. What we also see is a shift from mountain biking hours to hybrid hours, in 2011, 100 vs 162 and in 2013 so far, 76 vs 188. Winter bike hours went from 28 in 2011 to 54 so far this year.

Average speed this season on the mountain bike was approximately 11.3 km/hr, while it was 17.25 km/hr on the hybrid and 15.5 km/hr on the winter bike.

So for various reasons, trail and weather conditions and the fact that I am beginning to really enjoy the long hybrid rides, I am putting more hours on the hybrid, increasing my distance at a faster rate than the same hours on the mountain bike. The number of hours on the winter bike is primarily determined by when the City decides to start and stop dumping salt on the roads and paths.

CN Cycle for CHEO

The CN Cycle for CHEO is the first “event” of the new cycling season. The winter bikes go away at the end of March when the snow and ice are off the roads and paths and while the trails are drying out it is a month of “training” on the hybrid for the CN Cycle for CHEO (previously Tour Nortel) at the beginning of May. I have been participating in this fund raising ride for the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario for about 10 years. This year my daughter Jasmine joined me in doing the 70 km route at a pace of about 21.5 km/hr (75.5 km at 19.5 km/hr, if you include to and from the parking lot.). During our training Jasmine was a bit slower than my pace so I let her lead hoping to do a pace of about 18 km/hr, but she led us at a pace of almost 21.5 km/hr, my best pace yet. We both managed to make the 500 Club raising over $500 each.

Mapping Project

This season I continued my project to map the Greenbelt trails and finished mapping the western Greenbelt trails with the NCC Trail 10 trail system near Shirleys Bay.

All of the maps from my project are included on the Backroad Mapbooks Ontario GPS Map and when the next version comes out in the spring all my western Greenbelt trail maps, including the NCC Trail 10 system will be included.

Also during this season I mapped the trails adjacent to the Jackson Trails community in Stittsville, what appears to be an unofficial trail system with an uncertain future.

Also, on a day when I was looking for someplace new to ride I mapped most of the pathways in Stittsville, which I just realized I have not posted yet, so here is the overview map and watch for more detailed maps to be posted in the Hybrid Routes section of my Richard's GPS Trail Maps website in the, hopefully near, future.

Tuesday Night Rides

While, for various reasons I may put more kilometres on my hydrid, the high point of my biking week are the Tuesday Night Rides, also known as TNRs (® Andy AKA FaustCan).

The TNRs are intended to supplement the OMBA Thursday night rides in the South March Highlands but on the easier and more varied Greenbelt Trails. All riders from beginner to advanced are welcome and encouraged to participate. The trails we ride range from easy to intermediate technical.

The history of the TNRs goes back to the MTBKanata Jack Pine rides, and after those faded out, the MTBK Nora's No-Drop rides that I usually led.

The TNRs are a casual and fun experience with a great group of riders, usually led by myself or my co-leader Andy, who, if not kept in check will lead us off onto Untrails. We are always looking for new people to join the group and add to the fun.

To find out when and where the next TNR is just check the OMBA Ride and Event Calendar.

My daughter Jasmine usually joins us on the TNRs and next year my other daughter Maggie, and my wife Christine, might be joining us. I am looking forward to that.

Take A Kid Mountain Biking Day

My last bike event of the year is Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day where the the whole mountain biking community comes together to help Trips for Kids Ottawa get kids out of the house and away from the video games and into the bush to enjoy mountain biking, exercise and nature. My daughter Jasmine and I both volunteer to lead groups on the trails for this big event.

Below is Mario leading his group onto the trails at this event that he loved so much.

Winter Biking

I first started winter biking in December 2009 on a cheap $100 Supercyle, with studded tires that cost more than the bike, but I enjoyed it so much that when that bike died I replaced it in October 2011 with a used but better winter bike from Cycle Salvation. Later that season in February 2012, I modified itto make it more like a hybrid riding stance. And before the beginning of this season I added a panier rack and replaced the seat with a more comfortable one. The plan was to replace the chain and cassette at the end of this season but on my first ride I notice considerable chain slippage when I tried riding on trails or whenever I had to power pedal, such as going up hard hills. So it was back in to Eric at Phat Moose Cycles to get the chain and cassette replaced and now it is running like new. This is the winter bike in it's current incarnation.

The key to winter biking is keeping warm and I use the dressing in layers technique that I use for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing for my winter biking and wear my winter hiking boots instead of my biking shoes,.Winter biking has it's limitations but it does allow me to keep biking regularly throughout the winter.

Because many of the pathways are not cleared at all and others do not get cleared quickly, most of my biking is on the local community roadways, and again, because side streets are not always cleared quickly I have a number of regular routes that involve the collector streets in Bridlewood and Glen Cairn. However, I will sometimes go farther afield such as down Terry Fox Drive to Second Line and back via Old Crap Road, Huntmar Drive and Fernbank Road. Of course I have the advantage as a recreational cyclist rather than commuter to not have to be on the roads during rush hour.

Cycling advocacy

I have also used this blog and my Twitter feed to advocate for cycling issues.

In June I raised the issue of why the Prince of Wales Bridge isn't a bikeway and proposed a relatively inexpensive way to make it happen quickly. Since then the idea has been included in the City's Transportation Master Plan but as a much more expensive project in the distant future.

Photo Source

In July I blogged about Kanata's Secret Segregated Bike Lane, what appeared to be a low cost way to create a segregated bike, lane only to discover it was actually an “at-grade asphalt sidewalk“.

Perhaps my most important cycling blog post of the year was in August when, following a Twitter exchange, I posted Thoughts on Taking The Lane where I outlined the legal justification for cyclists taking the lane and stated:

While I am not one of those “vehicular cyclists”, that oppose cycling infrastructure because they think that the best place for all cyclists is on the roads competing for space with car drivers, I do believe that cyclists have a right to be able to ride on the roads safely. I also agree with the City of Ottawa when they tell cyclists “never compromise your safety for the convenience of a motorist”.

One of the most important ways that cyclists can ensure their safety on the roads is by taking the lane (riding in the middle of the lane of traffic) when appropriate and necessary

I also wrote a blog post in June relating to a proposal to widen roads through the Greenbelt to save commuters a few minutes in traffic during rush hour where I pointed out that:

Along this route proposed for widening there are two NCC parking lots, P6 and P11 with trail systems on both sides where crossing from one side to the other is already very difficult and dangerous. If any widening of these roads is allowed the NCC must insist that it include a solution that provides safe passage between the trail systems on both sides of the roads at the locations of those parking lots.

Conclusion

My life is good now and I am enjoying my retirement and cycling, especially mountain biking, is a very big part of that, thanks in large part to the friendly welcoming nature of the Ottawa mountain biking community. I enjoy cycling all year round but am especially looking forward to the next mountain biking season and the return of the Tuesday Night Rides.

Winter Bike Final Modifications & Mid Season Review

When I first bought my new winter bike in October I wrote "It's a bit small for me, but was about the largest they had in stock and with some adjustments to the handlebar and seat height I have it set up about the same as my mountain bike, which should be fine as my winter riding is usually confined to under 20 km rides around the neighbourhood."

That worked, but I still wanted a more comfortable riding stance so I started looking at changing the stem to raise the handlebars. After receiving some advice I decided to go with as straight a stem as possible to move the handlebars closer to the seat so that I could raise them enough and straighten out my stance without running out of cable which would incur more work and expense.

I found a replacement stem at Niagara Cycle in Niagara Falls, NY for $15 plus about $20 shipping. That added to the price of the bike, but well worth it I thought.

Before and After Bike Photos
(click on images to enlarge)

After riding with the new setup for over a week I am really pleased with how much more comfortable it is. Instead of just a leaning over MTB stance I now have more choice from straight up with arms straight to slightly bent over with a bit of elbow bend to a more bent over MTB style power stance.

Overall the new winter bike has been a great improvement over the old $100 Supercycle I used the previous two years. The 20 year old Shimano Exage 400 derailleur and shifters work as well as the shifters on our good bikes. And, of course, I still love those Schwalbe Ice Spikers, they ride through a layer of water on top of ice like it's dry pavement.

I'm hoping to get at least double the two years I got on the old Supercycle and I'm babying this bike to achieve that. After every ride it gets well cleaned and wiped down, especially the rims. The rear rim on the old Supercycle started to rust after a few weeks but both rims on this bike seem to be of a different, non-chrome metal and, as long as I wipe them clean after every ride, they resist the rust. I use a heavy grease on the drive-train because of the slush and winter muck and have already done a mid-winter cleaning with the MEC chain cleaner.

In recent days with low temperatures and puddles along the side of the road the cables have been icing up and I've had to stop and remove ice mid-ride, then bring the bike in to thaw after to get rid of any water that might refreeze and cause problems.

So far this winter, from December 14 to February 8, I have put 427 kilometres on the winter bike and I am aiming for at least 50 km a week.

I actually did some trail riding on it around the Old Quarry trails in December as I had put my MTB away for the season but the trails were frozen and still rideable. But most of my winter riding has been on the paths and local roads in Bridlewood and Glen Cairn. Over the previous two days, in two one hour rides I did 33.4 km, at an average speed of 16.0 km/hr and a maximum speed of 28.3 km/hr.

The map below of those two rides (including overlaps) gives a good idea of the typical routes I ride on the winter bike.

(click on map to enlarge)

White Christmas in the South March Highlands

At Least a White Pre-Christmas

Video by Ray Vermette (Ottawa Mountain Bike Association)
Source: OMBA - White Mountain Bike Christmas

Cycling and Mountain Biking Season in Review

I know it's not over yet, and with the winter bike it is never over, but I feel it's been a great season so far and now is as good a time as ever to put my thoughts down in print.

The time will come soon enough when the trails are no longer rideable and the salt is being dumped on the roads and paths, that I will have to bring out the winter bike. Last year my last mountain bike ride was on November 11th in the South March Highlands and my last hybrid ride on November 22nd, my first winter bike ride was a week later on November 29.

Last years total was 3175 km, 475 on the MTB and 2700 on the hybrid and winter bike from January to December. So far this year, since January, I have done 2630 km, 930 on the MTB, 1410 on the hybrid and 290 on the winter bike.

Will I actually beat those numbers this year. In a sense, I probably already have when you consider that I have almost doubled the distance on the MTB which is considerably more intense riding than hybrid riding. Of course, last year I was off the MTB for 9 weeks and off both bikes for 6 weeks, after the incident (broken arm).

But I am hoping, considering how dry the trails have been this year and still seem to be, to see an extended season before the fall rainfall and slow drying effect of the fall weather come into play.

The season started well with putting the winter bike away at the beginning of April and about a month of hybrid riding to prepare for the CN Cycle for CHEO. I really enjoyed the improved route this year, even if there was more climbing. They certainly improved the way they handled the route across the downtown core. Unfortunately the organized mountain biking participation has been steadily declining since we had 5 teams raising $15,000 at the peak of MTB Kanata. I may simply ride independently next year.

My first MTB ride this season, on the GFR trails and Trillium Woods Trail, was the day before the first OMBA South March Highlands group ride on May 12. After missing most of the SMH rides last year due to the incident I got off to a good start this year, enjoying the Thursday night rides up until they became night rides and I decided to restrict my night riding to the Greenbelt.

But perhaps what I am most pleased about this season has been the enthusiastic participation in the Tuesday Night Greenbelt Rides, and no broken bones yet. We have a great regular group of riders, sometimes joined by others, that enjoy the casual pace of just tooling around the flowy Greenbelt trails, with some technical sections thrown in for added fun. I finally got my new batteries for my Magicshine lights, which I had hardly used before. What an improvement over my old NiteHawk lights, for the same (aprox $100) price. It is a real joy to ride with these and I am really finding the continuing night riding to be a great experience.

The Greenbelt rides have also led me to find a new riding buddy, that shares my local trails and rides at about my same pace and technical ability, so riding with him has been great fun. I have to get him to expand his riding preferences though - get him out to SMH and into distance riding the on paths and roads.

I'm going to have to say, what some in OMBA might consider to be blasphemy, but I also prefer the Greenbelt to SMH for sheer enjoyment, probably because I can ride to the trails from my front door.

I believe I have only been to one OMBA SMH trail day this year but I have spent some time working on the Greenbelt trails clearing dead-fall. What a season it has been in both SMH and the Greenbelt for storms bring trees down over the trails. I have plans for early next season to get into Middle Earth on foot and clear out what is certain to be a lot of dead-fall in there and to do some discreet trail work near Old Quarry to connect up two sections of trails that are calling out to be connected and clear another section of trail that is difficult to follow, especially at night. And then some new trails to take the Tuesday Night group out on.

A report on riding would not be complete without talking about my Richard's GPS Trail Maps project to map all the western Greenbelt trails as well as other trails. I never did get back to mapping the Bruce Pit Trails, as planned this summer, as I got sidetracked into unplanned mapping at SMH in response to the clear-cut of the Beaver Pond Forest trails and the impending development of the old Kanata Lakes Trails. I also was made aware of a neat little trail system by Lytle Park that has been added to the collection.

In regards to the GPS Maps project, about a year ago I was contacted by the people who produce the Backroad Mapbooks who wanted to use my trail maps in a new GPS map product for Garmin GPS units. The end result of that was that I agreed to let them use the GPS data with no conditions and they graciously provided me with a free copy of their Ontario GPS map product. I have only used it for about a week but I have to say that I am very impressed and a full review will appear soon on "Richard's GPS Trail Maps" site.

Had a really nice ride today on a nice cool afternoon. The next two weeks are still looking pretty good, especially both Tuesdays. See you on the trails.

Update (2011-11-10)

I just realized I had a formula error and my hybrid distance was incorrect.
My corrected totals as of today are:

Hybrid: 2632.20
Mountain Bike 1004.75
Winter Bike 287.50
TOTAL: 3924.45 Kilometres

Bought My New Winter Bike

Well my old Supercycle winter bike finally died after two winters and I decided to go searching for something better to replace it with, something with a somewhat better derailleur and switchers.

I went to look at bikes at the Ottawa re-Cycles and found a bike in the Cycle Salvation stock. Both shops share the same space and sell each others bikes.

Cycle Salvation is a social enterprise operating under the umbrella of Causeway Work Centre. Our business strives to achieve a triple bottom line (profit, people, planet) by providing training and employment in the field of bike mechanics to people who are economically disadvantaged, while at the same time diverting bikes destined for scrap and landfill sites. Our employees refurbish donated bicycles using a multi-point inspection process. Bicycles range in price from $100 to $350. Please note that we do not offer repairs or tune-ups.

Cycle Salvation is co-located with re-Cycles, a volunteer-run non-profit community bike shop. re-Cycles sells refurbished bikes and parts, takes donations of the same, and provides a space where people can learn to repair bikes, either their own or donated bikes.

I found myself a classic Reflex STX from around 1990.

I had never heard of it before either till I found it at the Museum of Mountain Bike Art & Technology. It comes with a Shimano Exage 400 derailleur from 1990-1992.

It's a bit small for me, but was about the largest they had in stock and with some adjustments to the handlebar and seat height I have it set up about the same as my mountain bike, which should be fine as my winter riding is usually confined to under 20 km rides around the neighbourhood. It's all ready to go now with the winter studded tires installed.

(click on images to enlarge)








But I'm hoping it will still be awhile before I have to take it out in response to the deluge of salt on the roads as soon as we get a sprinkling of snow.

Three Things Every Casual Cyclist Should Know

While I am by no means an expert, as a serious cyclist there are some things I have noticed that I would like to share with my readers, some of whom are thinking about taking up cycling in a more serious manner.

1. Almost everyone has their bicycle seats set too low. Even when I got my first good bike, the bike shop set it too low because they simply asked me what felt right rather than suggesting setting it at the proper height.

For most efficient pedalling a bike should be set so that when your pedal is at the very bottom of the rotation there should just be a very slight bend in your knee. An exception is for mountain biking where in the case of downhill or very technical trail riding you might set it with a bit more bend. I notice most casual riders have an extreme amount of bend in their knees when they are cycling. If that is you, try reducing the bend and you will notice the difference.

2. Almost everyone keeps their tire pressure too low and rarely checks it till it is obviously almost flat. If you are always riding on pavement you should keep your tire pressure near the recommended maximum stated on the tire. This will provide more efficient cycling with less rolling resistance and less effort required.

My hybrid tires' maximum is 75 PSI but I run them at about 60 because I ride my hybrid on gravel and easy dirt trails as well as pavement. For that reason I also use hybrid tires with a fair amount of tread on them.

My mountain bike tires', used for trail riding, maximum is 50 PSI but I run them at about 40, which is fairly normal, though some mountain bikers run much lower tire pressures in certain conditions. Unless you know why you are running really low tire pressures avoid them.

Hard core roadies with serious road bikes and extremely skinny smooth tires will run at very high pressures, but if that is not you it is probably best to keep to under 80 PSI and never more than the maximum rating on your tires.

3. The majority of cyclists neglect to keep their drive-train (chain and gears) lubricated. Preferably one will check and re-lube their chain regularly with special bike lube. But if you are a casual cyclist with an inexpensive bicycle you are probably better just using heavy grease that only needs to be reapplied a few times a season. That way you will be sure not to have your chain running dry.

I ride an inexpensive bicycle in the winter to avoid exposing my good bikes to salt damage and I use lithium grease on it, supplemented with chain saw bar oil to deal with the slush and salt on the roads in the winter.

I also want to add two further comments that should not really need mentioning but by watching a lot of cyclists out there they obviously do need to be emphasized, and that is headgear and footwear.

Always wear a helmet, You never know when you will need it. It is not a panacea but it definitely can be the difference between walking away with no harm or with a head injury, in particular a concussion. And in worse case scenarios in can mean the difference between a serious injury and death. Being alive is far more important than looking "chic".

And please, no flip-flops or sandals. Never wear footwear that exposes your feet or toes. Decent running or walking shoes are fine. In the winter I wear my winter hiking boots. You don't even want to think about the pain of your exposed toes being dragged along pavement or gravel.

And finally, I will mention two other things I have noticed. Parents seem to think their children are smarter than them and thus protect their children's brains but not their own, essentially sending the message that "once your older you won't have to wear your stupid helmet". And teenage girls seem to think that keeping a spare helmet hanging from their handlebars is more important than having one on their head. Perhaps they think being pretty is more important than being smart, but trust me, a smashed brain is not a pretty sight.

These are not the only things one should know about cycling but they are the most obvious things I have noticed novice riders neglecting.

Winter Biking

Well, I have actually got into the winter biking thing and pedalled over 230 km since December on the winter bike with the studded tires.

The Winter Bike
Most of my riding is around the communities of Bridlewood and Glen Cairn on the neighbourhood collector roads which are usually always clear. Lately due to the lack of snow even the side streets have been easily rideable.

The cold has been somewhat of a challenge, as biking adds about an extra 15 km/hr wind chill, so my rides have typically been limited to 15-20 kilometres.

I have to say that I am quite pleased and somewhat surprised at how well the cheap Supercycle performs, even the gears are shifting well despite the cold and slush, although I have been bringing the bike inside every week or so to clean and lube. I've been using pretty heavy lube - lithium grease and chain saw bar oil, which I am pretty sure would get the bike clogged up with gunk from the trails in the summer, but it seems to help protect from the salt and slush in the winter.

The studded tires are also fantastic. When I first started riding them I would look for every piece of ice I could to test them on. The other day I was over on some new subdivision roads where they have not been working in the winter and found lots of ice to tool around on and it was like riding on bare pavement.

The only problem with the cheap bike is the lack of suspension on some of the hard packed walking trails that are not cleared (gravel rather than pavement underneath) and even though they don't look so bad you can really feel the bumpiness without suspension so I don't usually last very long on those sections.

The actual forest trails are much smoother than that, and due to the recent trail conditions I was actually able to ride a few times on the Old Quarry Trail where the snow is packed enough that I just rode along top without sinking in, and wide enough I could ride alongside the ski tracks where there were any. Even people walking the trails are not sinking in. Other trail users seemed more amused than anything and I often stopped to chat with them. One asked me if I was patrolling the trail, probably because I had my yellow reflective vest on that I wear to be certain to be seen in traffic.

A Typical Ride on The Winter Bike (click to enlarge)
I am still looking forward to the new biking season and getting out on the good bikes but the winter bike is at least keeping me pedalling and it will be something to ride in the spring until they stop dumping bike-killing salt on the roads and paths.