Cycling in Canada

[shreddog]

For the past 12 months, I have been commuting to work via bike (on average about 3 wks in Brussels and 1 wk in the Hague) doing about 100kms a week. Compared to Vancouver of 12 months ago:

E-bike adoption is higher in Europe with a larger variety of bikes available. From cargo/family bikes to sleek racers, you see way more here. You also see a larger segment of the population riding them – with way more families and younger people on e-bikes than in Vancouver.

Delivery drivers are just as much a pain in the ass. They really ignore the rules and ride like the wild west and have been most of my “altercations” here. That could also be because there are way more delivery drivers here – way more.

While it is true you see lots of “city” bikes in Holland (D.H. and Amsterdam) that is mainly because people keep their good bikes inside. When you commute in a Dutch city (from residential areas into the core at 8AM) you see a greater variety of bikes than just the black citys. You also see bike diversity like you see in Canada and therefore see significant differences in speeds and skills on the bikeways. Overall the Dutch are incredibly aggressive cyclists and commuting there is not for the feint of heart. Words of caution, DO NOT ride by a high school around 3pm! Think of the 401 in rush hour at 100 kms/hr! One upside about the Dutch behaviour, is that I have seen bike delivery guys (it’s always males) accosted for disobeying the rules!

Finally, once you get out of the cities, it’s starting to be only e-bikes or “race” bikes. Just regular, pedal bikes are becoming rare. On a recent multi day tour, when I bothered to keep count, it was 50+% e-bikes. And even though Europe has had a longer culture of biking, there are many old farts here who don’t belong on an e-bike. ☹

[Nashe]

European bike culture intrigues me and calls to me a bit.

One thing that I forgot to mention for anyone getting into bike commuting or even if you plan to leave your bike unattended for any length of time (even 15 minutes) is to invest in a good lock. Preferably a U-lock, as cables (at least in Moncton) can be cut in seconds. Bike theft is massive here, sadly.

I bring my bike right into my office, actually. I only carry a cable lock and use it when stopping for snacks on a longer ride and the bike will be at a stand that is within my field of view at all times (yeah, it's sad).

[shreddog]

Originally Posted by Nashe

One thing that I forgot to mention for anyone getting into bike commuting or even if you plan to leave your bike unattended for any length of time (even 15 minutes) is to invest in a good lock. Preferably a U-lock, as cables (at least in Moncton) can be cut in seconds. Bike theft is massive here, sadly.

I bring my bike right into my office, actually. I only carry a cable lock and use it when stopping for snacks on a longer ride and the bike will be at a stand that is within my field of view at all times (yeah, it's sad).

There is an expression about choosing a lock that is worth than your bike! Theft is common in Brussels, really common in Amsterdam, and (apparently) non-existent in Copenhagen outside of the tourist area. One of the reasons you see so many black city bikes in Amsterdam is that locals consider them "disposable" so if stolen it's no big deal. Any bike someone cares about is inside.

A good place to check how strong a lock is, is https://www.soldsecure.com/

Even though my bikes are inside behind locked doors, they are still chained using Kryponite NY Chain locks. Too heavy to take on the road (Abus makes decent travel locks), but if you have to lock your bike up for any extended time in public ... watch this video ... https://youtu.be/YreB14650Zw

[shreddog]

Originally Posted by Nashe

European bike culture intrigues me and calls to me a bit.

There is no doubt that it is refreshing to compared to Canada. Between infrastructure and acceptance of bikes as a real means of transportation, you really don't need a car. FWIW, whenever I ride through this in Arnhem, I think about when Vancouver opens a new bike lane and everyone screams "War on cars"!

[niwell]

Maybe I've been lucky but the only time in my 17 years in Toronto my bike has been stolen was from my back yard in Parkdale at the time. I was getting complacent and not bringing it inside and didn't have it locked that night. Otherwise I've had few issues just with a good U-lock on ring and posts, making sure to go through the rear wheel and frame. That being said I don't leave it out overnight, and especially not downtown - but during the day I don't have too much worry. And avoid anything quick release.

On one occasion my back wheel was stolen (not quick release), likely as flip flop hubs are easy to sell. It was on my birthday when I stayed near the office late for a few drinks with coworkers. In an even weirder occurrence someone stole my front wheel and *replaced it* with a similar wheel with a quick release that had a flat. I thought I just had a flat but then realized it was a completely different wheel! Correct size for my bike and everything. I took it to a shop on the way home and they were just as baffled - technically it's a more expensive wheel than comes standard on the Fuji Feather I have. Still have no idea on the motive for that one - either a tactic to get me to leave the bike at the rack overnight (due to the flat) or a cyclist who just really needed to get somewhere and swapped them out after getting a flat. Just bizarre.

Bike theft is pretty common which has been the case for years (anyone remember Igor Kenk?), but the majority of thieves will go for easy targets. Chatting with staff at local bike shops most seem to think that a significant percentage of theft is people who accidentally lock their bikes to nothing. Which once I started paying attention to is kinda common. I've done it myself but got lucky and only realized when grabbing my bike after work, though I'm pretty vigilant now.

[shreddog]

Originally Posted by niwell

On one occasion my back wheel was stolen (not quick release), likely as flip flop hubs are easy to sell. It was on my birthday when I stayed near the office late for a few drinks with coworkers. In an even weirder occurrence someone stole my front wheel and *replaced it* with a similar wheel with a quick release that had a flat. I thought I just had a flat but then realized it was a completely different wheel! Correct size for my bike and everything. I took it to a shop on the way home and they were just as baffled - technically it's a more expensive wheel than comes standard on the Fuji Feather I have. Still have no idea on the motive for that one - either a tactic to get me to leave the bike at the rack overnight (due to the flat) or a cyclist who just really needed to get somewhere and swapped them out after getting a flat. Just bizarre.

Similarly bizarre, my son's bike was locked up in a shelter outside his res at UBC a couple years ago, and when he came out in the morning, someone had stolen the front fork/shocks from his bike. Especially crazy as it was a lower end shock tailored for the oversized headset of the bike. Not a common item.

Vancouver is brutal for thefts, with most bikes being sold for $20 for scrap. Really sucks when you have a mid range bike with a nice brooks seat stolen and know that it was just junked!

[Nashe]

Here if it's a NICE bike (newish, good brand, high-spec) it disappears to markets in other cities. If it's an OK bike it gets quickly spray-painted and used by the thieves or their pals to find more bikes to steal. If it's a junky bike they just strip it and sell it for parts and/or scrap metal. Not unusual to see someone on a franken-bike pulling a makeshift cart covered in wheels and frames.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by shreddog

There is no doubt that it is refreshing to compared to Canada. Between infrastructure and acceptance of bikes as a real means of transportation, you really don't need a car. FWIW, whenever I ride through this in Arnhem, I think about when Vancouver opens a new bike lane and everyone screams "War on cars"!

No helmets! (As is typical for the Netherlands.)

[Acajack]

This may be my own weird personal theory but I've always thought that certain behaviours allowed to go unfettered leads people who might not have engage in these types of things to do the same.

So...

Parking your bike sideways and taking up a bunch of spots has now evolved beyond e-bikes at my favourite rack.

I'm now seeing regular bikes locked up sideways.

Maybe they were always there, but I'd never noticed them before. (In 20+ years of biking.)

[trueviking]

^ I admit that I have to do this pretty often....I often come across racks that are designed to lock your wheel to it, and where I live, you might as well leave your bike unlocked. The rack is often too close to the wall so I can't push my bike in far enough to get to the frame, or the rack is too low to be able to get my bike all the way in to the frame (I have a Dutch bike so my wheel is bigger). To get it to a point where I can lock the rack to my frame, I have to put it sideways.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by trueviking

^ I admit that I have to do this pretty often....I often come across racks that are designed to lock your wheel to it, and where I live, you might as well leave your bike unlocked. The rack is often too close to the wall so I can't push my bike in far enough to get to the frame, or the rack is too low to be able to get my bike all the way in to the frame (I have a Dutch bike so my wheel is bigger). To get it to a point where I can lock the rack to my frame, I have to put it sideways.

Sacrilege!

[trueviking]

I feel shame.

[big T]

I can't decide if bike rack design is a lost art or the next frontier for engineering , but what I know is there are 100 different designs out there and 99 of them suck.

Guessing most were made by someone who has never actually seen a bike.

[shreddog]

Originally Posted by big T

I can't decide if bike rack design is a lost art or the next frontier for engineering , but what I know is there are 100 different designs out there and 99 of them suck.

Guessing most were made by someone who has never actually seen a bike.

I think the problem is that many of the existing bike racks represent a design from 20 years ago when the "theft patterns" were different. Back then, locking a front or back wheel sufficed .. today, less so. That said, I had bike theft issues in the 80's and 90's, so there's that

[Nouvellecosse]

It's never been ok just to lock the front wheel at any point in my lifetime unless it's an ultra low-risk area and a very short time frame. Especially since so many bikes have quick-release front wheels now. Rear wheel is much safer since it would take a lot more time and work for someone to remove given that it's inter-connected with the drive train. That not only makes the rear wheel harder to remove but also means that if they stole the rest of the bike and left the rear wheel, they're leaving behind more valuable components.

I've had issues with racks too close to a wall as well. Usually it requires turning the front wheel and then I can either lift the bike so the rack is between the front wheel and frame or put the bike on the side of the rack with the wheel turned to parallel the wall. If there's not even enough room for that I just find a pole, a fence, or something.

[Kitchissippi]

I biked around Brussels and across Belgium a few years ago and I honestly think bike commuting in Ottawa is better than Brussels. Belgium tries to emulate some of the bike infrastructure in the Netherlands but it has a long way to go. I found a lot of the routes to be inconsistent and sometimes they just sign the sidewalks as bike paths. Rode from Brussels to Mons and on to Luxembourg, and I got the impression that bike culture is probably stronger in Flanders than in Wallonia. Charleroi was bleak.

[Kilgore Trout]

Originally Posted by shreddog

You also see bike diversity like you see in Canada and therefore see significant differences in speeds and skills on the bikeways. Overall the Dutch are incredibly aggressive cyclists and commuting there is not for the feint of heart. Words of caution, DO NOT ride by a high school around 3pm! Think of the 401 in rush hour at 100 kms/hr! One upside about the Dutch behaviour, is that I have seen bike delivery guys (it’s always males) accosted for disobeying the rules!

This sounds like parts of Montreal. Huge diversity of bikes and cycling styles, lots of "bad" behaviour that is generally tolerated (two people on one bike, people riding side by side chatting, people talking on their phone or eating a sandwich). There's also a diversity of people using the bike paths: young people on beater bikes, sport cyclists, boomers on fancy e-bikes, parents toting their kids around on cargo bikes, crusty old people on mobility scooters with a million stickers and flags and music blaring from a portable speaker, delivery cyclists on jerry-rigged e-bikes distracted by their phones as they take an Uber Eats order somewhere. And of course Bixi users, who are a good 30-70% of people on bikes at any given moment, in any given place, and who are as diverse as the population itself.

To me that feels a bit like what I experienced in Amsterdam, which makes me very happy. The number and density of people on bikes still isn't the same but if current trends are maintained we could be there in 10 years in many of the central boroughs.

[shreddog]

Originally Posted by Kitchissippi

I biked around Brussels and across Belgium a few years ago and I honestly think bike commuting in Ottawa is better than Brussels.

Brussels used to be bad, but they used Covid to change things around. Check this link out.

My recent experience commuting in Canada was Vancouver, which I'd say may be the gold standard for Canada (not wishing to start a fight here). If Copenhagen/Amsterdam are the gold standard for Europe, I'd put them at 100, Vancouver at 50 and Brussels around 70-75. Some parts of the city are better than others.

Originally Posted by Kitchissippi

Rode from Brussels to Mons and on to Luxembourg, and I got the impression that bike culture is probably stronger in Flanders than in Wallonia. Charleroi was bleak.

Absolutely! Wallonia is like Canada 20 years ago - meanwhile Flanders is becoming more like the Netherlands. Flanders Bikeways
When we ride to Antwerp, I'd say about 70+% of it is on dedicated bikeways.