Back in 2013, after seeing the Finnish city of Oulu for the first time, I wrote a post called Never Mind the Plows. The idea was to focus on things that can improve winter cycling beyond the basics. Any by basics, I meant plowing. Well, five years later, as much of the winter world has …
Read more “Why boring old unsexy plows are the key to urban cycling in winter”
Timo Perälä, the Finnish visionary of the Winter Cycling Congress, has done more to spread the gospel of winter cycling around the world than perhaps any other person. But back in his home city of Oulu, he’s still experimenting with new ways of encouraging people to ride, despite living in what may already be the …
Read more “This simple idea may be the best way to encourage more winter cyclists”
Montreal, perhaps North America’s most bike-friendly big city, is finally looking at ways of making it easier for people to ride a bike through the winter. Here’s what we learned on a recent trip.
So you think your city would benefit from more people riding bikes year-round? You want to encourage them to try riding in winter by staging an awesome mass event, full of fun and frivolity that shows people riding in winter can be enjoyable, safe and sane? And you like parties? Then here’s some lessons for …
1. I like winter. I like the consciousness of it, how it demands attention. Everything else in our life is always being made more convenient. Not winter. Winter will not bow to your busyness. 2. I like being forced to slow down. In the summer, I always feel like I can never ride fast enough. …
Why are two icons of the Canadian automobile industry pouring resources into the creation of a electric bicycle being sold around the world? For Frank Stronach and Fred Gingl, two Canadians who powered Magna into one of the world’s strongest auto-parts companies, the answer is simple: The future. In the late 2000s, the pair, through …
Read more “Will this high-tech machine be the e-bike that finally breaks through in North America?”
Calling everyone who rides a bike. In winter. And loves it. We’re giving away two tickets to the world premiere of Bicicles, the Documentary, a look at winter cycling here in Calgary. Created by Calgary filmmaker Kim Kelln, the documentary follows the commutes of a cross-section of people on bikes through the Canadian winter. If you’d …
You’re fat off shortbread and turkey. The consumer orgy haze of Dec. 25 still lingers. You can remember nothing on New Year’s Eve after Mariah Carey. Sounds like the perfect time to start a new habit! So here, future winter cyclist, are some suggestions to get you going in 2017. Resolve to ride more When …
Read more “10 new year’s resolutions for your winter-bike commute”
Monday was a big day for Calgary. After an 18-month pilot project testing out a downtown network of separated bike lanes, city council voted to make the project permanent. It was a squeaker of a majority vote that approved the pilot project in the first place, so its permanence was never assured. In the end, …
Read more “The unlikely success of Calgary’s bike-lane network has these lessons for other cities”
It’s not easy being an independent musician in Canada. The pay is low. Tours are difficult because of the long distances. The wolves sometimes stalk you. OK, that last one may only apply to one musician in Canada: Felipe Gomez, a Chilean-born bass player living in Saskatchewan who has, for the past several years, been …
Read more “The epic winter bike rides of this musician make your commute look paltry”