Happy Friday!  BikingToronto is growing fast… so here’s all the cool stuff that’s been going on this week!

(if you don’t already get this in your email, but would like to – you can sign up here)

In The News:

• The Share The Road Coalition says Ontario needs to inject at least $20 million into cycling infrastructure to catch up to other provinces and states.

• The Toronto Cyclists Union has won the 2010 Innovation of the Year Award from the Alliance for Biking and Walking (formerly Thunderhead Alliance) for their new immigrant outreach program they co-ordinated with CultureLink.

• Google launches a “biking” feature on their Google Maps service, showing bikelanes and trails.  It’s only in the U.S. so far.    Hopefully the city can give mapping data to Google to expand it to Toronto.

• The Urban Repair Squad has made Harbord Street action-packed by pointing out pavement hazards.

• Mayoral Candidate George Smitherman (generally assumed to be the frontrunner for the mayor’s job) says he’d “pause” bikelane network implementation.

• The brand new Simcoe Street Bikelanes are unusable, because cabs are using it as a taxi stand.

New on the Main Blog:

• Our First 100 Members!
• Ward 30 Bike Survey
• Cycling Events This Week: Mar. 8 – 14

New on Duncan’s City Ride:

• “If I ride…” People for Bikes.org asks; Why Do You Ride?
• Lower Simcoe Taxi Stand… Wait, That’s A Bike Lane!
• Cruisers, Cargo bikes, Handmades and More – The Toronto International Bicycle Show
• Biomega Commercial By Cycle Chic’s Mikael Colville-Andersen
• Things You Can Do By Bike – Go To IKEA!

New on Joe Bikes:

• My Cyclist Count for Thursday March 11, 2010
• My Cyclist Count for Wednesday March 10, 2010
• Looking Forward to the Commute

New on Fletcher Five (NEW!):

• Is that Karma?
• Repairs and Modifications
• That did not go as planned.
• Highlights from the Bike Show: Pt1
• Day One: 800m

New on Michael Holloway’s Blog (NEW!):

• “Ride the City” Mapper Looks Useful, Easy to use
• Paul said, I need a non-arterial cycling route from Dufferin and Bloor into the Core
• Toronto: Dufferin and Bloor to the Core
• Toronto Bicycle Route Mapping Wiki Project
• RSS Feeds – Stay up to date with the Wiki & this Blog

New on The Hub (Public Members Blog):

• Duncan, Wow, that’s great – good work….
• Hey everyone, I’ve been working on a wa…

New on the Photo of the Day:

• Around A Cab
• Cross-Legged?
• Walk, Bike, Drive, TTC
• Holt Renfrew Bike Race
• Wave Deck Tail Whip
• Bay Bus Terminal

New/Hot on the Forums:

• Anger as cars clog new Simcoe St. bike lane
• Choosing bike components
• So, this is a cycling city?
• Fixer: When is a bike lane not a bike lane?
• Smitherman would pause Toronto’s bike plan
• Trinity Bellwoods Multi-Use Path Plans
• The Action Hazards of Harbord Street
• GoogleMaps likes Bikes!
• Bike lanes an election winner for Rossi
• PST exemption for new gear
• T.O. cyclists ride away U.S. award
• Bike Union getting U.S. Award!
• Millions sought for Ontario cycling
• Bike locks
• Bicycle thief Kenk’s assault charges stayed
• Bryant-cyclist case put over to March 5
• fun/pretty rides in and around Toronto
• holycr@p, they let him out!
• Folks, a rusty steed is a friend indeed – even in winter
• Can this bike lane get more fans than Rocco Rossi?!!
• Ward 29 Bikes 2009 Year (and a bit!) in review

Want to get the Weekly News Wrap-Up in your email every friday?  Easy-Peasy, Lemon Squeezy.  Is that how you spell “Squeezy”?

Welcome to the 2nd week of March!  Looks like it’s going to be a warm one!

Here are the bike events going on this week, to help you plan your next 7 days.

You can always find this info or events far into the future on the always updating Events page, or follow our special @BikeTOevents account on twitter!

Mon, March 8th

Rathburn Road Bike Lanes Open House

• 6:30 – 8:30 pm, Etobicoke Civic Centre, 399 The West Mall, Meeting Rooms 1 & 2
• We invite you to attend a Public Open House to learn more about this project, which runs from Kipling Ave.- to Mimico Creek on Rathburn Rd.  Drop by anytime to view information displays, provide your comments and speak one on one with project staff
• more details

Mon, March 8th

Toronto Cycling Advisory Committee Meeting

• 7 – 9 pm, Committee room 3, City Hall, 100 Queen Street West
• The Toronto Cycling Committee is designed to advise City Council and its departments, agencies, boards, and commissions, on the design, development and delivery of bicycle policies, programs and facilities to promote and enhance cycling within the City of Toronto.
• more details

Wed, March 10th

Lawrence Bike Lanes Public Open House

• 7 – 9 pm, Blythwood Junior Public School, 2 Strathgowan Crescent
• The public is invited to attend an open house to learn more about planned bike on Lawrence Avenue East from Yonge Street to Bayview Avenue. This bike lane will be part of Toronto’s Bikeway Network.
• more details

Thurs, March 11th

North York Cycling and Pedestrian Committee Meeting

• 7 – 9 pm, North York Civic Centre, 5100 Yonge Street
• We will be discussing our plans for Bike Month, as well as current cycling issues. and updating people on recent meetings we have attended.
• more details

Know of other events going on this week?  Share them with BikingToronto readers in the Comments below.

Click here to punch in your email and get event goodness in your email every week!

Happy Friday!  It looks like it’s going to be a great warm (for March) sunny weekend the next couple of days.  Get out there on two wheels and enjoy it!

Here’s your BikingToronto Wrap-Up for this week:

(if you don’t already get this in your email, but would like to – you can sign up here)

New on the Main Blog:

Are Toronto Police Ticketing Cyclists More?

Bad behaviour by some cyclists make us as a whole look bad. I’d rather take a bit longer to get to work by stopping at red lights and not thinking I’m the most important thing on the road, and really don’t understand any cyclist who thinks differently. (read more)

New on the Toronto BikeShop Map

We have three new additions to the BikeShop Map for you! (read more)

Plan Your BikeMonth Events Now!

The great staff at the City of Toronto recently sent out information about submitting events to be included in the official BikeMonth calendar, so I’m sharing it with all you fine people because you may be thinking about planning an event for BikeMonth this year.  The deadline for event submission is Thursday, March 25th. (read more)

New on Duncan’s City Ride:

• Share the Road Coalition Green Paper
• Eyes on the Road, Hands on the Wheel
• Do Pedestrian Crossings Make for Safer City Cycling?
• 416cyclestyle Toronto Cycle Chic Search – Spring Moments
• Marcus Gee is a Winter Cyclist and Darn Proud of it!
• The Least Expensive Winter Cycling Accessory You Need
• Toronto Spring Bicycle Show – No Commuter Cyclist Options?

New on Joe Bikes:

• March Mornings on the Bloor Viaduct

New on the Hub:

• Here’s an example of Wiki Maps
• User Generated Bicycle Route Maps 2
• User Generated Bicycle Route Maps
• Boston’s Future Lies In Moving Away From The Car

New on the Photo of the Day:

• Summer is Coming
• Blue Skies on Spadina
• Red Ball on King Street
• Massey Hall
• Silver Velomobile
• Red Dress
• Winter on the Toronto Islands

New on the Forums:

• Can this bike lane get more fans than Rocco Rossi?!!
• Choosing bike components
• Ward 29 Bikes 2009 Year (and a bit!) in review
• fun/pretty rides in and around Toronto
• Leslie to the Lake corridor
• Complete Streets Forum 2010
• Folks, a rusty steed is a friend indeed – even in winter
• Non-Arterial Bike Lanes – Where would yours go?
• Rebuilding Dukes Is there a ‘culture war’ looming in this mayoral race?
• Bike lanes an election winner for Rossi
  

Want to get the Weekly News Wrap-Up in your email every friday?  It’s Easy like a Sunday Morning !

Happy Monday!  Hope your post-Olympics hangovers aren’t too bad.   What a great couple of weeks!  I wonder when Ice Bike Racing will become an Olympic sport?

Here’s some events going on this week.

You can always find this info or events far into the future on the always updating Events page.

Mon, March 1st

Dan’s Mountain Bike Repair Public Opening

• 1501 Woodbine Ave
• For the past seven years Dan’s Mountain Bike Repair has been a private repair shop. This season Dan is opening the doors to the public. Dan and his crew have seven years experience customizing building and repairing bikes. If you think like we do, shops these days are charging to much, that is what DMR was made for.  (more details)

Tues, March 2nd

CBN Workshop – Bike Repair: Bearings and Wheels

• 7 – 10 PM
• 761 Queen Street West
• CBN is now offering classes in bike repair that build on our introductory (‘Flat-fix and Tune-up’) class. Registrants should be familiar and comfortable with the subject of that class before taking the intermediate class(es). (more details)

Wed, March 3rd

CBN Workshop – Flat Fix/Intro to Bike Repair

• 7 – 10 PM
• 761 Queen Street West
• Participants will remove their own rear wheel and tire and go through a tube repair and installation. (more details)

Wed, March 3rd

BikeSauce Volunteer Meeting

• 7 – 9 PM
• Ralph Thornton Community Centre, 765 Queen St. E.
• Bike Sauce – Toronto’s newest bike org – is having a volunteer meeting. We’re going to be opening a DIY space + social space in the Spring and need more hands getting started. If you’re into bikes, bicycle advocacy or community building, this is a great opportunity to work to launch a new organization. (more details)

Thurs, March 4th

Complete Streets Working Group Meeting

• 7 – 9 PM
• Centre for Social Innovation, 215 Spadina Avenue
• Complete Streets policies, adopted by over 100 jurisdictions in the United States, require that the needs of the most vulnerable road users be considered at every stage of road development, construction and reconstruction. In doing so, the goal is that our streets will be safer for everyone. (more details)

Fri, March 5th – Sun, March 7th

Toronto International Bike Show

• Better Living Centre, Exhibition Place
• The Toronto International Bicycle Show is the best place to shop for bicycles and accessories, preview the newest trends in cycling from the top manufacturers and distributors plus enjoy thrilling action-packed events. The show is celebrating its 24th year in production and is one of the largest exclusive bicycle consumer shows in North America. (more details)

Know of other events going on this week?  Share them with BikingToronto readers in the Comments below.

Click here to punch in your email and get event goodness in your email every week!

Happy snowy Friday to you!

I don’t know about you, but I’m looking forward to bombing around my neighbourhood streets in all this fresh powder.

Here is your weekly wrap-up, run-down and scoop on all the new stuff on BikingToronto.

New on the Main Blog

Toronto’s New Bike Sauce Looking for Bike Donations

BikeSauce is a new DIY bike shop in the east end of Toronto (read more)

New on Duncan’s City Ride

Chicago Winter Cyclists Profiled on PBS

I’m about to head out and ride in some fresh Toronto snow. This video is a great inspiration. (watch video)

New on Thumbshift

Healthy Mind, Healthy Body

Before I introduce myself properly to the Biking Toronto crowd, I just thought I’d toss something together here, based on something that I wrote previously… (read more)

New on Joe Bikes

Rocco Rossi, Obama-Style

I though I’d do up a quick little Obama-style graphic of what a lot of people will be thinking this fall at municipal election time when they think of Rocco… (read more)

New on the Photo of the Day

Tip Top Riding

Never Too Old, Never Too Cold

Batavus and a Wooden Carrier

Sleek Black on Red Retro

Itty Bitty Bike

Patiently Waiting

College Street Snow

Popular on the Forums this week

Bike lanes an election winner for Rossi

Where are the WORST Bikelanes/Paths

Where are the Best Bike Lanes/Paths ?

Non-Arterial Bike Lanes – Where would yours go?

Want to get the Weekly News Wrap-Up in your email every friday?  Boom Shaka-Laka Boom!

Happy Monday everyone!  What a beautiful sunny weekend we just had… hopefully you had a chance to get outside on 2 wheels sometime to enjoy the sunshine.

Here are bike-related events going on this coming week, for your schedule-planning pleasure.

You can always find this info or events far into the future on the always updating Events page.

Tuesday, Feb. 23

• CBN Workshop – Build Your Own Truing Stand
• 7:00 – 10:00 PM
• 761 Queen Street West (map)
• For people who want to “true” their own wheels (make sure they are straight), a stand comes in handy.  Learn how to make one from the Community Bicycle Network
• $30 + GST

Wednesday, Feb. 24

• Trinity Bellwoods Multi-Use Path Open House
• 4:00 – 8:00 PM
• Trinity C.R.C, 155 Crawford St. (map)
• The public is invited to attend an open house to discuss proposed upgrades to the existing multi-use path in Trinity Bellwoods Park.

Wednesday, Feb. 24

• Community Bicycle Network Workshop: Bike Repair – Brakes and Gears
• 7:00 – 10:00 PM
• 761 Queen Street West (map)
• The class outline is structured and focused to cover as much as possible in a relatively short amount of time. As a beginner to bike repair, we expect you will learn a lot and come away feeling much more comfortable with the workings of your machine. It is also an ideal refresher for someone who has taken a class in the past, or has some limited, but spotty experience. You will almost certainly learn some new techniques and tricks.
• $30 + GST

Friday, Feb. 26

• Critical Mass Toronto
• 6:00 – 8:00 PM
• Bloor & Spadina (map)
• An event that takes place on the last friday of every month in cities all over the world.  Critical Mass is at different times a rally, a protest, a party, and a community that advocates for a bicycle’s right to use public streets.

Know of other events going on this week?  Share them with BikingToronto readers in the Comments below.

Click here to punch in your email and get event goodness in your email every week!

Happy seasonably warm Friday to you!  This morning was a great one for riding to work.  Spring is right around the corner!    Here’s all the news from the world of Toronto cycling from the past week, as well as what’s been active in the forums.

Photos and Video from the Ice Bike Races

On Sat. Feb 13, Dufferin Grove Park was the scene for “Icycle 2010″ – the annual Ice Bike Races put on by Derek Chadbourne of the Bike Joint.   We’ve collected a whole bunch of videos and photo collections of the evening for you.  (check them out)

Toronto’s Bike Sharing Bixi Plans are in Trouble (and how you can help)

Our city’s plans to have an extensive network of cheap rentable bikes all over downtown in 2010 is in danger due to start-up costs.  Putting an estimated $15 million into something that most of the electorate (unfortunately) sees as a “fringe” transportation option has politicians and city staff a little apprehensive during this election year.  Here’s a rundown of the situation as well as how you can help.

Blogs: Duncan’s City Ride

• BikeHugger Huggcast 134 from Vancouver 2010 Olympics
• The Bike-Sharing World Map
• Safety Overkill
• Cycling is an Inspiration for Toronto Author
• Angles Morts – Blind Spots
• The solution to winter snow and slush – a “track” bike
• A few pics from Vancouver 2010 Olympic Tweed Ride
• In Vancouver: More Places to Park Your Bicycle
• The Tyee Looks at MakerCulture and BikeCamp
• Globe Live 1 Review by my girlfriend!

Blogs: Photo of the Day

• Sidewalk Parking
• Overnight Parking
• Trolls Under the Bridge
• Winter Riding on the Don River
• Just Chill
• Plaid Tattoos
• Pretty in Pink

New in the Forums:

• Leslie to the Lake corridor
• Safety Versus Comfort
• Is Toronto Bike-Sharing in Trouble?
• Judge Rules Bike Groups Must Get Parade Permits for Critical Mass
• BikeMonth Event Submissions
• Bikeway Network Downtown 2010 Program
• Bay and Front Intersection Suggestions
• Toronto Man Invents Wind-Resistant “Bra” for Bike Handlebars
• Bicycle thief Kenk’s assault charges stayed
• Leslie Street Meeting Notes

Happy Family Day, everyone!  Hope you’re spending time with family, whether it’s your family-family, or a family of friends!

Here are the bike events going on this week.

You can always find this info or events far into the future on the always updating Events page.

Tuesday, Feb. 16th

Community Bicycle Network Workshop – Flat Fix & Intro to Bike Repair

Learn how to fix flats and get acquainted with other basic maintenance issues to keep your bike in tip-top shape!  Participants will remove their own rear wheel and tire and go through a tube repair and installation. 7-10 PM at 761 Queen Street West (more details)

Wednesday, Feb. 17th

CBN Workshop – Wheel Building II

The wheel building workshops will teach with standard wheels in a 3-cross lacing pattern. We will cover spoke calculations, lacing the wheels, truing and tensioning. Participants must take both classes. 7-10 PM at 761 Queen Street West (more details)

Know of other events going on this week?  Share them with BikingToronto readers in the Comments below.

Click here to punch in your email and get event goodness in your email every week!

Happy Friday to you.  Here’s all the news stuff from the last week that you can peruse while you are:

• a) sipping cocoa under blankets
• b) biking happily through the snow
• c) doing both at the same time.

(I wonder if those beer helmet things where the beer cans sit on your head and you drink through a long straw would work with cocoa?)

New on the Main Blog:

Focus on Bikes and Complete Streets, Politicians Told

Are you a politician who wants to be an effective municipal and environmental leader?  Here are six things that you should pay attention to… and yeah, bikes are a huge part!

Job: Evergreen.ca Looking for Bike Educator

Evergreen is re-developing the Don Valley Greenworks into a showcase for environmental technologies and practices… and they are rightly focusing on the wonders of bikes for part of the transportation part of things.  If you know bikes, like people, and have experience providing education programming… this may be right for you!

Event Reminder

Tomorrow Night (Saturday the 13th) at 7pm, the annual Ice Bike Races (or “Icycle”) take place at Dufferin Grove Park.  They go for  a couple hours and are very entertaining to watch.

For more details and photos of past races, visit the Event Listing.

New on Duncan’s City Ride:

The Mysterious Mystery of the Bicycle Pile

A pile of bikeparts locked up together?  Did someone run out of room in their apartment, or is it a Bicycle Transformer?  Cycletron Prime!

Cycling Mascots of Vancouver’s 2010 Olympic Games

What Colour Should Toronto’s Bicycle Sharing Program Use?

Toronto’s very own Bike Sharing system is coming this year (currently scheduled for July).  What colour should the bikes be?

A Google Street View Tour of Bike Lane Parking on College Street

One Bikelane, One Day, One Google Streetview Camera… and countless cars parked in the Bikelane

New on the Photo of the Day:

• Lovely in Red
• Come Ride With Me?
• Olympic Team Huddle
• King & Church
• Bovine Sex Club
• Wet Ride, Shiny Streets
• Night Bike Bokeh

New in the Forums:

Leslie Street Meeting Notes

Leslie Street is being reconstructed between Queen & Lakeshore.  Now is the time to help make the new street safer.

Times Square Then and Now

NYC closed down half of Times Square to traffic.  Merchants, tourists and office workers love it.  LOVE IT.

Ice Bike Races Meet-Up

Going to the Races?  Meet some people who love bikes too!

Toronto Man Invents Wind-Resistant “Bra” for Bike Handlebars

Keep your hands a little warmer.

BIXI: Bike Sharing Across Three Continents

Bixi is expanding… all over the world!

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Hi everyone!

It’s the second week of February… the weather is a bit colder now… pretty seasonal for winter… but gladly the roads are still clear (which means bikelanes are too!) so hopefully we’re all throwing on a couple extra layers and cycling for fun and commuting (and commuting by bike is fun!).

Here’s the bike events going on this week… lots of good stuff going on!

You can always find this info or events far into the future on the always updating Events page.

Tuesday, Feb. 9 – Ward 30 Advocacy Meeting

Cyclists in Ward 30 have formed a bike advocacy group. New members welcome to meeting @ Auld Spot 347 Danforth (Google Map) 7-9 PM at The Auld Spot, 347 Danforth (more info)

Tuesday, Feb. 9 – CBN Workshop – Bike Repair: Bearings and Wheels

Learn more about adjusting bearings (this class teaches more advanced stuff) and also how to replace a spoke and true your wheel. 7-10 PM at 761 Queen Street West (more info)

Wednesday, Feb. 10 – BikeSauce Volunteer Meeting

Toronto is getting another DIY BikeShop (this time in the east end), and they’re having a volunteer meeting this Wednesday.  Come to the corner of St. Andrew and Kensington at 6:45, and a Sauce volunteer will show you where the meeting is, just a few yards away.     7 PM (more info)

Wednesday, Feb. 10 – CBN Workshop: Wheel Building I

The first of two workshops that CBN offers… The wheel building workshops will teach with standard wheels in a 3-cross lacing pattern. We will cover spoke calculations, lacing the wheels, truing and tensioning. Participants must take both classes.  7-10 PM at 761 Queen Street West (more info)

Saturday, Feb. 13 – 2010 Ice Bike Races (Icycle)

7-10 PM, Dufferin Grove Park Rink (more info)

This has got to be one of the funnest (most fun) events of the Winter Cycling season in Toronto.

Most of the night is filled with pretty hardcore icebikers (these are people who spend hours and hours customizing bikes to perform well on ice … including drilling hundreds of tiny screws into their tires) zooming around and around the rink.

All those tire-screws come in handy… it’s unbelievable watching these guys and gals going this fast on ice.

Having said that… watching the rare wipe-out is fun too.

The last race of the night is the “Rubber Race” when anyone and everyone is invited to take their regular bikes out for a few laps. Picture every single rider falling a lot, over and over, despite going really slow… and you can get the idea. Very very fun to watch.

by Shapelike_O_o on Flickr

by jnyyz on Flickr

2010 Ice Bike Races (Icycle)

Know of other events going on this week (or in future weeks)?  Let BikingToronto know in the comments below, or use the contact form… or even add an event yourself from the Events page.

Click here to punch in your email and get event goodness in your email every week!