Adventures of Crazy Biker Chick

We could be heroes.

2011-01-10T17:12:00.000-08:00

When I used to ride my bike everywhere in Toronto, I would imagine I was a superhero. Cape and mask, darting through traffic jams, risking life and limb battling the inattentive, the aggressive, and the downright insane drivers in order to liberate my city from smog, the clutter, noise and safety hazards of automobiles everywhere and reclaim the streets for people. Perhaps my imagination is just

A different kind of human-powered transport

2010-08-25T19:42:00.000-07:00

Moving from a big city where pretty much anything I can possibly dream up is available in a short distance, to a rural island with pretty much four shops: a hardware store, a general store, a bookstore and a craft store, has proved to be somewhat of a challenge. Not that I'm a consumerist, and I also like being free of the constant commercialism of a city. I just like to know if I think it, I can

Operation Tandem

2010-08-23T18:29:00.000-07:00

Where to begin? After such a long blogging hiatus where to just jump in and start up again? I think I'll just jump back in with the latest bikey acquisition! As a bit of background to catch you up, Dave and I moved to paradise aka Denman Island, BC less than two months ago. We're planning a really small wedding that's just three weeks away. In the process of moving across the country (sadly not

What's new

2009-03-30T18:13:00.000-07:00

I decided to take a winter break from blogging, but not from biking of course! Through seemingly neverending snow the trusty beater bike slogged its way through. I am happy now that spring has sprung, and the nice bikeys can come out and play without fear of getting corroded by copious amounts of road salt.The bike fleet has expanded! First this sweet vintage cruiser. I wanted a nice simple

Dear Thief

2008-12-01T22:27:00.000-08:00

I hope that my Planet Bike superflash taillight helped you not get run over on your way home, because it sure made me nervous riding home without a light. Thank you for not taking the quick release seatpost and seat that it was attached to. (yes I know get a bolt already) And for leaving my headlight, which I usually take with me, although I never bother with the taillight figuring it is not a

The view from the broomstick

2008-10-31T22:23:00.001-07:00

Hallowe'en is always my favourite time of year to be on a bicycle. Dressed up in costume everyone around smiles, rather than the usual frazzled road moods about. Since my new recumbent looks like a giant broomstick I couldn't resist dressing up like a witch. Here I am in front of Community Bicycle Network:If you live in Toronto, you should definitely drop by. Now is a great time of year to buy a

Crazy gets lazy

2008-10-24T20:47:00.000-07:00

Yes it has been a long time since I have written. Never fear I'm still helplessly bike addicted, but it seemed to me that there wasn't a lot new to write about. Insert rant about crazy driver. Rave about how much fun I'm having on two wheels. Yadda yadda.Well now there's something new to tell you about! Yet another new bicycle! (much to my cat's disgusted look from me to the bike, you are

State of the Traffic Union

2008-06-19T16:30:00.000-07:00

I'm strolling along Richmond Street and bright flashing lights distract me in the distance. As I get closer I notice a motorcycle cop has someone pulled over. The criminal? A responsible-looking helmeted cyclist. The crime? Unknown. He hands her a ticket. Maybe she was endangering the lives of those cocooned in 2-tonne steel cages by not having a ding-a-ling bell to warn them she was there since

The Open Road

2008-06-11T21:11:00.000-07:00

Since I'm pretty slow in getting my journal of my B.C. adventure online, I'll lead you over to Dave's funny account of the trip the three of us took. What you say? Didn't I mention before this was just a two person trip? Apparently I hadn't accounted for Cycling Mind. Or you can sift through my snap-happy-ness over on flickr.Since coming back from the trip I have been dreaming about where my next

West Coast Wonders: The Summary

2008-05-25T18:57:00.000-07:00

The route: Vancouver to Tofino, backtrack to Parksville by bus, Denman Island, Hornby Island, along Vancouver Island past Courtenay/Comox and across the ferry to Powell River and return to Vancouver via the Sunshine coastDistance: 560.8 km over 10 days (a vacation, not a mileage fest!)Flat tires: zeroMechanical issues: zeroMost useful bulky item carried: stainless steel French press coffee

Greetings from Tofino!

2008-05-12T15:48:00.000-07:00

Devinci and I (and touring partner Dave) have reached Tofino despite my fears we would never make it here in one piece. First there was the summit to contend with before getting to Port Alberni (described as a hump) which to a flatland loving cyclist was quite hard to make my way up. And of course then I had to overcome my fear of descents. The road between Port Alberni and Tofino had been

How to get two bikes home

2008-04-30T20:22:00.000-07:00

For the non-straight armed inclined. And with weather much too nice to want to take transit instead of the bike for a single commute.Day 1. The new bike is ready! Walk to the shop from work leaving the beater in the underground garage at work overnight (the garage is locked in the evening) and ride the new lime green bikey home. Yay for lime green bikeys.Day 2. Ride Twenty to work (without its

First brevet of the year

2008-04-29T20:47:00.000-07:00

I was really excited about riding my first 200k brevet this year. I missed the first one on the schedule, my legs didn't feel ready for it, and I was still recovering from a nasty cough which I kept pushing through. But Sunday was going to be the Grand River brevet - a new route to me, and sounded lovely and scenic. Remembering my mistakes from the past I was determined to be organized and ready

Signs of Spring

2008-04-03T21:01:00.001-07:00

I'm having a little trouble telling that its actually supposed to be spring here as we're off to a pretty chilly start. But there's always some telltale signs:Changing tires: bye bye inefficient knobby tire, hello speedy slick tire. Or so I thought I'd get a spring burst of speed. But no, the beater is feeling as clunky as ever. Now that the salt appears to have vanished I can hunt down the city

First ride of spring!

2008-03-18T18:27:00.000-07:00

Do not be fooled by the snow in the picture. Its a mere staging game by Old Man Winter to deceive you into thinking its not bike season yet. Do not be fooled by the balaclava. Its merely a fashion accessory, and not at all needed to keep my head and neck warm from the wicked wind and below freezing temperatures. Because it is spring! The air has changed, it has that spring smell about it. It

Score another one for Old Man Winter.

2008-03-09T21:50:00.000-07:00

I must have jinxed this winter by deciding who needs studded bike tires in downtown Toronto, we never get that much snow. This past weekend's big blizzard was just one more snowstorm on top of what seems like a neverending series. Over the years I've gotten less stubborn, and know when its best just to leave the bike at home and take transit instead. Of course days when its too bad out to bike

Dear Winter

2008-02-27T18:19:00.000-08:00

Dear Old Man Winter,We've had some good times over the past season. The other weekend I went to Ottawa for the Winterlude festival, and enjoyed a skate on your world's biggest outdoor skating rink with about 100,000 other folks that had the same idea.Now of course you had to subtly (or not so subtly) remind me that you, Winter, are more powerful than mere man-made plastic:You may be able to break

Winter Cycling in the News

2008-02-21T22:09:00.000-08:00

(click for larger version)Full text (sans lovely photo) here.

Catching up!

2008-02-13T18:35:00.000-08:00

Did you miss me? I didn't intend to disappear for so long. Just haven't felt inspired to write. But always inspired to keep on riding. What's new?I have a new homemade cargo trailer that my friend Mark helped me build. Its perfect for bulk kitty litter and cat food shopping. And garden supply buying in the spring! (okay so I may be dreamin' of spring about now) I'll post some construction photos

Random Numbers and Tired Relationships

2007-11-14T19:25:00.000-08:00

After not feeling like blogging for a while, I seem to have a big backblog of things I wanted to blog. I'm a wee bit obsessive about numbers so here's some random ones:2007 mileage so far: 6447 km 3413 km on the touring bike,2844 km on the "beater" bike,104 km on Raleigh Twenty (great for short rides on sunny days, picking up pansies and carting things like a big bowl of chili around in the

From the Peanut Gallery

2007-10-05T20:38:00.000-07:00

Maybe the extended summer weather is messing with people's moods (bring on the cool crispness of fall already!) but there seems to be a lot more commentary from the peanut gallery lately while riding.Today's ride, a driver leaning out of some sort of government van (it had an Ontario logo on it):"Didn't your mother ever tell you not to "Hecklers never stick around. He was off

Urban Jungle vs. Quiet Countryside

2007-10-03T19:16:00.000-07:00

Last week on my way to work a car and I collided. This is my first unintentional contact with a motor vehicle in 20,000 km of urban riding. Queen Street, car turns right unexpectedly from the middle lane, I see him doing this, I turn with him to avoid, I can't turn quickly enough, I bounce off the mirror (it was a minivan so higher mirrors), yada yada. I did not fall, and it did not seem to hurt

Good Bikey Karma

2007-09-25T20:51:00.000-07:00

Sunday was the most glorious sunshiney unseasonably mild day. The perfect day for hundreds of smiling cyclists of all ages to make their way along Bloor Street in a cacophony of bells. A very pleasant surprise to see the bicycle cops ride with us and stop traffic at intersections. That works much better on motorist nerves than random corking. (unless you happen to be Trumpet Guy. Who can get

The madness has to stop.

2007-09-18T20:58:00.000-07:00

My blood pressure cannot take it. Commuting by bike is making me edgy because of all the motorist road rage that's out there. Its a really small percentage of drivers that are bad - but because of the number of motorists you encounter in any given day even 1% is too much. Add in a much larger percentage that are not paying a great deal of attention to driving due to cell phones, passengers,

Comment Comebacks

2007-08-01T18:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning's commute. On the bridge on Queen Street just before River, approaching a light, middle of the curb lane. HONK. Check the rearview. Must distinguish homicidal honkers from mere irritated honkers. Looks harmless. I shrug. What am I supposed to do? I'm right behind the cars in front of me. The SUV driver changes lanes and winds down her window as she pulls up beside me."Do you

Another 300K that got away

2007-07-24T19:16:00.001-07:00

Sorry for the blog hiatus, it never seems there is enough hours in the day, and I'd rather be on my bike than writing about it! Also all my old images are currently missing until I get some blog hosting issues sorted out.Two weekends ago, I decided to make another attempt at doing a 300K brevet. I don't think I was quite determined that I could ride that far in a day and that I wanted to ride

Heating up road rage

2007-06-26T18:39:00.000-07:00

The hot, humid and smoggy weather seems to be elevating everyone's level of road rage. I'll admit its not just drivers, I'm feeling a bit cranky myself, but I assure you crankybikerchick is much less harmful to your life expectancy than cranky motor vehicle operators.So its day 2 of the new commute. Forecast is about 35C, humid, smoggy. While the commute is short enough I should not sweat, this

Catchin' Up

2007-06-25T19:46:00.000-07:00

I haven't disappeared, I've just been having more fun riding than writing about it. I started a new full-time job today which I'm very excited about, and also very excited to have a regular bike commute again. Its a pretty short ride (about 6 km) but its great to get to work fast. When I want a long bike commute I can always head west (say to Port Credit) and then loop back to work. Funny when

A hot day's ride (or the 300k that never was)

2007-05-25T08:23:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday, I successfully completed a 200 km brevet. (and plan to post a ride report!) While I struggled around the 150 km mark, I had a second wind after stopping for greasy pizza in Campbellville and finished with loads of energy left. Spurred on by this, I was thinking bigger and better things when signing up for a 300 km brevet yesterday. Visions of Paris danced in my head. To qualify for

Recipe for a Mood Booster

2007-05-22T21:13:00.001-07:00

Sorry folks for the lack of posting lately! I am having far too much fun enjoying the lovely spring weather and always on my bike to be writing about being on my bike. Some rainy day I will get around to the backlog like fun with recumbent bikes, and a ride report for my recent 200k brevet. Take one lovely sunshiney spring day.Bring one fun vintage bikey that has been languishing in the basement

I Bike T.O, You Bike T.O, We can all bike T.O.

2007-05-01T21:49:00.000-07:00

Check out the new website IBikeTO.ca - a resource for commuter cyclists and wannabes in Toronto. Its the brainwave of a group of enthusiastic cycling activists including myself, and we've just launched the site. The main feature is a group blog, but we also have discussion forums, profiles of commuting cyclists to inspire you to get started, and a still evolving guide. Want some fun things to do

Never say I've never...

2007-04-21T12:16:00.000-07:00

I remember as a kid saying I've never been stung by a bee, and then presto - the next day I think I stepped on one barefoot. Today someone was telling me that they would like to bike in the city, but that everyone they know that does has been injured by a door prize. I've never been doored I mention, and then I knock on some wood.Better than knocking on wood of course is not riding within the

Sunshine

2007-04-20T22:38:00.000-07:00

What a glorious warm day! By the time I got out on the bike it was too late for any epic exercise rides, so I decided to follow a perennial favourite - westwards along the lake. I meant this to be a training ride but it really ended up as a very leisurely paced (and totally flat) 50k ride just to soak in the sunshine.My passion is really for urban cycling, as a practical way of getting around.

Soaking up Spring

2007-04-19T14:48:00.000-07:00

Finally after so many days of cold gloomy rainy April, one that really feels like spring. Where just being out on the bike is gleeful. Soaking up the sunshine. No having to put on gloves or balaclavas or rain pants. Not even a coat. Stopping to grab a slice of pizza I sit and watch all the other smiling people on bikeys going by Queen street. I love bike watching.Destination: Bike Pirates. A new

Bikeable City - Are We Losing the Fight?

2007-04-10T11:46:00.000-07:00

Come on out tomorrow, Wednesday April 11 at 7 p.m. to this free town hall meeting hosted by NOW magazine, moderated by Mike Smith.I'll be one of the panelists, along with:Adam Giambrone, city councillorDan Egan, Manager, pedestrian and cycling infrastructureWayne Scott, Toronto Hoof and Cycle Courier CoalitionDarren Stehr, Advocacy for Respect for CyclistsHamish Wilson, Toronto Cycling Committee

Foggy Firsts of Spring

2007-03-28T22:52:00.000-07:00

After a cold February of short and shivery urban rides, I was really looking forward to March when long group bike ride season would begin and more countryside would be explored. I particularly like going to see the small towns and villages I have never been to before, so a few weeks ago was looking forward to the first randonneur ride of the season to Schomberg. Alas I ended up turning back a

Oh look a finished knitting project

2007-03-08T10:25:00.000-08:00

Pattern: Easy Street from Patons Street Smart bookletYarn: Daina by Headwater WoolFinally a finished sweater. My knitting friends ask me every week when I come out with one of my three (now two!) unfinished-in-progress-forever sweater projects "You're STILL working on that?!" My procrastination at actually finishing something came back to haunt me with this one, as I stuffed the finished pieces

Yearly Bike Mileage

2007-02-27T19:49:00.000-08:00

Found this old post from last year when the odometer turned 10,000 to compare to. As of February 24th of this year, my odometer is at 15,239 km making for a total of 5239 km ridden in the past year. Not bad for not having a regular commute to make, and mostly for transportation, with the exception of course of things like biking to Lake Simcoe and back just for the fun of it.

Random Observations

2007-02-23T22:00:00.000-08:00

Too much cold weather is giving me a bad case of February blahs. I was momentarily ecstatic by the spring-like feel when the temperature finally rose above the freezing mark for the first time in thirty days earlier in the week. Yay I can happily ding-a-ling my bell because my hands aren't so bulked up to keep warm that I can't push the button. But now back to deep freeze with wicked winds.On one

How soon is spring?

2007-02-02T12:45:00.000-08:00

Well at least the groundhogs are predicting it will come early. The first two weeks of January were positively balmy, leaving us to wonder if winter was ever coming, which had the bonus side effect of putting global warming into the consciences of the mainstream. But to us cold-hating Torontonians (as the rest of Canada loves to make fun of us when our then goofy mayor Mel called in the army for

Follow the Nose

2007-01-23T18:45:00.000-08:00

My first rule of urban cycling is big trucks always have the right of way. No sense fighting for space with one when they can kill you. Cars and SUVs on the other hand, are still bigger than me, but I will defend my rights to be treated as a vehicle on the road (subject to quick assessment of risk to life and limb of course). For instance, stopped at intersections when there is no speed

Rediscovering rush hour

2007-01-18T20:34:00.000-08:00

My legs were going crazy from lack of biking the past week - the flu is not very conducive to travelling anywhere. I seem to have recovered just in time for some short term contract work. Yay for an actual bike commute (for a few days anyway). I seem to have both forgotten the joys of commuting at office hour times and the joys of winter biking (since it just got around to arriving in Toronto).

Where did the blog go?

2007-01-06T16:52:00.000-08:00

There are just some days when you should just decide to stay away from the blog for a while rather than get captivated with shiny blue "Delete your blog" buttons. Instantly regretting this vanish into the void, I managed to save all my posts thanks to the wonders of google's cache. Please be patient as I work to restore popular linked-to posts, and most likely I will bring back the entire

Crazybikerchick Cycling in the Canuck Capital

2006-11-23T00:25:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the unintended blogging hiatus. I just had not been feeling much like writing (but still riding of course!) Hopefully I'll get on a roll again.Last weekend I ventured to Ottawa to hang out with the very cool eccentric bike folks from HPVOoO. 5 hours on a Greyhound bus was not that much fun. (I thought I had sworn off taking the bus ever again after taking the bus to the Yukon in my

Best Of

2006-10-26T14:09:00.000-07:00

NOW magazine has selected Crazy Biker Chick as the best personal blog in Toronto in their current best of Toronto issue. Sorry I have been quiet lately, hope to spook you all tomorrow at Critical Mask!Comments (28)

Mad Mad World

2006-10-02T17:24:00.000-07:00

Trying to be more observant of my traffic interactions the past few days, I just have to come to the conclusion that traffic is a crazed mad world out there, and so to survive you just have to kinda play along with the crazed mad game, which can mean you will sometimes come across as aggressive or inconsiderate.Here's a sampling of the interactions:A cop car cuts across me from the other side of

Things a non-cyclist might not understand

2006-09-25T23:34:00.000-07:00

Part I: An open letter to motorists who dislike cyclists.I ride my bike year-round as my main means of transportation. My bike is not a toy. I don't aspire to be Lance Armstrong. I'm not too poor to afford a car. I choose a bicycle because its healthier for me, and healthier for the city I live in. I'm not riding in the middle of the lane to slow you down or thwart you. I'm just trying to do the

My First Century

2006-07-23T14:09:00.000-07:00

Last weekend when I was biking to Stratford, when I had pains in my chest, my legs ached, and we were pedalling along in the dark and the rain and I couldn't see the edges of the road with my headlight, I made a decision. No more epic rides for several weeks. (er a couple anyway) It's rather amazing how the human body has a remarkable ability to forget about pain (um I'm sure that's why we have

Merges and Diverges

2006-07-20T16:48:00.000-07:00

This is a satellite shot of the Eastern Diversion. Last night after a Cycling Cog ride followed by food, beer, and socializing on a patio I was riding back home with two other east-enders. Hey we're not going over the Eastern Diversion are we?! I commented as it seemed we were headed in this general direction of a road I have never ridden on before.See there is NO GOOD REASON to use the Eastern

Bike to Stratford

2006-07-18T18:12:00.000-07:00

day 1: burlington to stratfordMy friend Karen and I were roommates 10 years ago. Back then I don't recall her owning a bike, and I had a bike but rarely rode it. Since that time we have both become big bike fanatics. Anyway this past winter, when it was cold enough out that epic long rides seemed a far off dream on the horizon, we were sitting in a restaurant and she mentioned she had wanted to

10000 km of pedal power!

2006-02-24T14:06:00.000-08:00

10,000 km (more than the distance from Toronto to Vancouver and back again) since I got the bike computer (3.5 years ago) and got addicted to cycling. Some of it for fun, but the majority of it for basic transportation needs.2.75 tonnes of carbon dioxide not released into the atmosphere (based on an average cars city fuel efficiency of 11L/100 km, and 2.5 kg of C02 per L of gas burned)I save

Sunny days, sunny shoes

2006-01-10T15:26:00.000-08:00

It was a glorious day to be out on a bike today. The sun was shining for the first time in a seemingly unending streak of overcast skies. 4 degrees Celcius - very un-January like. Our long broken blender in need of a new blade (after self-destructing on a frozen strawberry. sigh.) seemed as good of an excuse as any to take the bike out.For some reason, some cyclists around here "hang up" their

Walloping Winds 0, Tanya 1

2005-10-19T14:15:00.000-07:00

Ah now that I can feel my arms and neck properly again after yesterday's ride, I am marking this as a clear and decisive victory for me. Yesterday I biked to my parents place (from the GO train station) - a 83 km epic battle against a very punishing headwind. It was very slow but I managed to make it here all the way under my own power alive.I did check the weather forecast, and changed the day I

A day in the life of leisure

2005-05-31T22:53:00.000-07:00

Summer is here! What a beautiful day for not having to go to an office. So little motivation to work on job hunting today. Someone asked me the other day what I do with my time since I'm not working - that it must be boring. Here's today in the life:Get up around 10, no need to get up too early (plus I was on the net late the night before)Water the front and back gardens thoroughly. This is

Ikea, Part II (aka Fun with the cargo trailer)

2004-09-28T21:43:00.000-07:00

Last time I biked to IKEA, I saw a cool shoe cabinet. Fortunately at that time they were out of stock (I swear IKEA is actually Swedish for out of stock) because I would have probably bought it - and at 40 pounds and the large package dimensions it would have never gone on my bike rack.I had been looking for an excuse for a little while to rent the trailer I had been eyeing (ooh this looks fun)

Swedish for Difficult Steering

2004-08-25T16:46:00.000-07:00

Finally getting tired of having an empty corner in my kitchen for the past five years, the boy and I decided to buy some shelves. The plan had been to custom make some shelves that would fill the corner space nicely but seeing as how I'm not even likely to finish making the nightstands I started ages ago, with piles of expensive cherry hardwood in my basement, it seemed best to buy something that