This is a pretty ad. Maybe if I get Hutchinson Tires I’ll look this cool.

I took my bike out to Toronto for the first time ever. I don’t know why I hadn’t before… I guess there were too many excuses ranging from the weather being bad or me needing to carry a lot of stuff. This weekend, I went to visit the boy. I stuffed my bike under the Coach Canada bus and once we got to Toronto, I rode off on it instead of taking the subway.

I visited my old neighbourhood around the Carlton and Sherbourne area, and then rode through Cabbagetown where I also used to live. It was neat, but somehow, the experience wasn’t as novel as I thought it would be. Riding downtown didn’t feel dangerous at all. I wasn’t threatened by door prizes or speeding SUVs. The worse I got was some drizzle and the awful conditions of the road. Riding to my boyfriend’s apartment took about half an hour and it was a lot more fun than taking the subway.

I rode back to the bus terminal on Monday morning to catch my bus back in. Again, it didn’t seem like a big deal. Taking the subway in the morning as everyone’s piling on board for work has always been depressing. The immobility and the lack of air makes you sleepy. No one looks happy. Everyone is either tired, or simply looks depressed, and I don’t blame them. There is something to be said about personal transportation. In my case, I have a bike, which is more than ideal for me right now.

Honestly though, I think I wouldn’t mind at all if I never had to use the subway to commute ever again.

Last night, I decided to do some solo fun with my weekend and took off on a bike trip to Niagara-on-the-Lake. The town is about 20km away, and at least there’s bike lanes for most of it. By the time I got to NoTL, my butt was totally sore, and my feet were numb. But the ride in was nice and totally worth it.

So, I picked up some sustainance in the form of walnut and maple cream tarts, dried mangos and papayas and a cafe latte. I spent a couple of hours in the park reading and relaxing. By about 4pm, I really didn’t want to leave. It was such a nice day.

The trip back was actually pretty sucky. It rained and the wind was against me. But I made it home and now i’m exhausted. Dinner tonight is frozen pizza. Wheee!

If you’re not into the fixed gear culture, you probably won’t get it. The first “Fixed-push” video is a satire of the subculture of cyclists who ride fixed-gear bicycles.

Technically, I’m a fixed gear cyclist. Except, not really because I don’t own an industrial size messenger bag that could fit beer fridges, I don’t play bike polo, nor have I ever been employed as a bike messenger (or competed in bike messenger competitions.. apparently you don’t have to be a messenger to compete in one :p). Nor did I build my bike from some ultra cool retro frame I pulled out of someone’s old school garage sale and fitted it with stuff that has weird italian and japanese names that I have no clue why it matters. My bike was sold to me “off the peg”… what i see is what i got. Though it doesn’t have a top tube pad, it reviews well, and I kept the brakes on it and even had it equipped with … *gasp drama* … fenders! I do, however, own skinny pants. I don’t think I look so skinny in said pants, but they’re practical for cycling with and they go with everything.

The only thing I’m disappointed in about not belonging to the “fixed gear culture” is that I cannot skid stop for the life of me, and I cannot maintain a trackstand. I wanted to ride fixed for the ability to do trackstands, and so far, I’m not getting it. I guess I’m not so zen with the bike.

Taken today by a co-worker (co-rider?), on our company group ride after work. This shows me in a completely unnatural element… that is, me in natural surroundings. Trees and stuff.

The trees, however, sensed this and had their way with me. They caught themselves on my handle bar during a narrow, descending and winding track, causing the bike to fall and me to be thrown from it. I have a couple of bruises, and my shoulder took the brunt of it. I was fine, the bike too, and was able to finish the ride.