“How much does one of those cost?” As a committed rider of an electric-assist cargo bike that I use for all kinds of things, not least of which is pedaling my two kids to school every day, that’s a question I am often asked. And I get it. Cargo bikes are not cheap. As new …
Read more “Yes, cargo bikes can be expensive, but they can also save you money”
At the tail end of last season, I did what I once thought I would never do: I bought a winter bike. For nearly a decade, I rode a crappy, 20-year-old single-speed mountain bike because, mostly, I feared riding a good bike. Winter in my city rust: salt, slush, muck and grime that eat components …
Read more “Here’s how my ‘perfect’ winter bike held up through its first (brutal) winter”
I will not forget the feeling of pedaling up Sunwapta Pass. Feeling was all there was. Pain feeling. And the feeling of being alone and in a test of will against that switchbacked ramp of asphalt and stone between Banff and Jasper, Aklberta. Out of gears now. And now just trying to keep a semblance …
Read more “Why there’s value in posting all of your little daily bike rides to Strava”
My blog earlier this winter offering tips for keeping your feet warm on a bike prompted some questions, so I thought I would expand a bit in video format. So here it is: Five tips for keeping your feet warm on a bike: the expanded edition. For more videos like this, susbscribe to our YouTube channel. …
Read more “More tips for keeping your feet warm while riding a bike”
There’s a scene in the 1942 Orson Welles film The Magnificent Ambersons that has some eerie parallels to today. The scene, set around the early part of the 20th century, is a confrontation between the maker of new-fangled “horseless carriages” (automobiles) and the old guard. In the film, the automobile is a metaphor for the …
Read more “We need to choose what kind of city we want before we let the robots do it for us”
This afternoon there is again a Yield To Bicycles sign standing in its rightful place on the Oliverbahn, the stretch of mostly protected bicycle lane that runs along 102 Ave in Edmonton’s Oliver neighbourhood. The sign is now dog-eared, as if to mark a page that contains a lesson worth re-reading and thinking about. The …
Read more “Sometimes, the person making your city better needs to be you”
It’s been a long, cold winter for many of us, so it felt like the perfect time to add a little bicycle fun to the world. The challenge: Build a bike that will smoothly roll over ice. The result: Success! Mostly. Check out the video to see more. Follow Shifter on Youtube, Facebook or Medium. Follow Tom Babin on Twitter, Facebook or Medium. …
Read more “We built an ice-bike to ride on frozen ponds. And it’s amazing”
Here’s one thing about riding a bicycle that’s worth being honest about: it takes work. Yes, riding a bicycle is all those other oft-celebrated things, too. It’s relaxing, fun, healthy, it’s sustainable and eco-friendly, nostalgic, convenient and social. Riding a bicycle is economical and efficient and therapeutic. Pedalling a bicycle makes a connection between city …
Read more “Face it, riding a bike takes work. That’s one of its joys”
When should I ride a bike? Here’s a guide for choosing the right trips.
It was the Russian dude in full furs riding a replica penny-farthing (kopeck-farthing?) that did it for me. When I saw this guy roll by the famous St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow’s Red Square yelling shout-outs to hundreds of fellow cyclists around him, I knew this wasn’t the city I once thought it was. That …
Read more “Cold and car-centric Moscow is starting to open up to bikes”