Cycling in Canada

[Calgarian]

Found this neat article on the burgeoning MTB scene in NFLD, looks like a gorgeous place to ride bikes! There's a 10 minute movie included in the article. https://cyclingmagazine.ca/mtb/creat...-newfoundland/

[Airboy]

Originally Posted by Calgarian

Found this neat article on the burgeoning MTB scene in NFLD, looks like a gorgeous place to ride bikes! There's a 10 minute movie included in the article. https://cyclingmagazine.ca/mtb/creat...-newfoundland/

Saw an article and Canadian mountain bike Facebook page as well. Reminds me a bit of the area around Yellowknife.

Our mountain bike season was a bit slow this year do to the rain. Common refrain was "Are the trails dry yet".

Some new trails added to the list this year, some getting refinement or adjustments for safety and flow.

The Mountain bike alliance here has been working with the city to develop and maintain the trails. Almost all bike clubs chip in and do trail days for maintenance.

Currently in the city of Edmonton.

Trails:779 / Distance: 476 km / Descent:11,173 m / Vertical: 162 m / Highest Trail 769 m

[Calgarian]

Newfoundland looks like an amazing place to ride a bike, hopefully they can grow the scene there! Do any of the ski hills on the island do lift access? that would be amazing, and would be a great start for attracting events.

The bad thing about the wet weather here is the type of sticky clay that makes up the foothills, it turns to cement in your gears and ruts on the trails quite easy. Friends from the coast prefer it when it's a bit rainy there, dirt is much tackier apparently lol.

Still want to try the Edmonton trails, I hear they are as good, if not better than what we have in the city here. We likely win for vertical though, our river valley is about the same depth in places, but we have places like nose hill that rise even higher. I imagine Edmonton is similar the Paskapoo Slopes area just east of COP, lots of nice flowy trails through the woods.

[Airboy]

Originally Posted by Calgarian

Newfoundland looks like an amazing place to ride a bike, hopefully they can grow the scene there! Do any of the ski hills on the island do lift access? that would be amazing, and would be a great start for attracting events.

The bad thing about the wet weather here is the type of sticky clay that makes up the foothills, it turns to cement in your gears and ruts on the trails quite easy. Friends from the coast prefer it when it's a bit rainy there, dirt is much tackier apparently lol.

Still want to try the Edmonton trails, I hear they are as good, if not better than what we have in the city here. We likely win for vertical though, our river valley is about the same depth in places, but we have places like nose hill that rise even higher. I imagine Edmonton is similar the Paskapoo Slopes area just east of COP, lots of nice flowy trails through the woods.

If you get up here , try Hyperloop and Bottle rocket. You can access the trails from anywhere in the city. Also check out Trail Forks app.

If we want the incredible vertical most head out to Baseline Mountain in Rocky or the Hinton Bike park.

[Calgarian]

I know Trailforks quite well, I use it for the trails in the foothills and mountains west of us, great app! Don't think I'll get out on the bike again though, actual winter isn't too far away, and everything west of us is starting to get a snowpack now as the snow from the last storm didn't melt yet.

[Airboy]

Originally Posted by Calgarian

I know Trailforks quite well, I use it for the trails in the foothills and mountains west of us, great app! Don't think I'll get out on the bike again though, actual winter isn't too far away, and everything west of us is starting to get a snowpack now as the snow from the last storm didn't melt yet.

Looks like we have another week of dry but cool weather. Was going to come down to Calgary for a race on Sunday but I am wimping out. Plan to do my 80km trail ride along the river here this week instead.

[Calgarian]

Originally Posted by Airboy

Looks like we have another week of dry but cool weather. Was going to come down to Calgary for a race on Sunday but I am wimping out. Plan to do my 80km trail ride along the river here this week instead.

Anything in the open on a south exposure may be good, rode an area called Bowmont on Sunday and the trails were mint. Anything on a north exposure or in the trees will be snowy or wet.

[rousseau]

Having recently purchased some new wheels (actually 10 years old), the ace-o-meter for my bike has ramped up a notch. From this:

Originally Posted by rousseau

The ride up to the Champlain Lookout is epic. The reward is a great view followed by a fun downhill where you reach speeds of 70+ km/h.

To the Zipp 404 carbon tubular goodness of this:

[rousseau]

Originally Posted by megadude

The Velodrome...

http://niagara-pauls.blogspot.com/20...e-mattamy.html


http://www.cyclingcanada.ca/sport/tr...cup-in-milton/

I took my Dad to watch the Track Cycling World Cup races in Milton back in January. It was very entertaining and enjoyable, more so than I'd expected it to be. Too bad the World Cup won't be back there next year.

[Marshal]

Zipp is good. I have also made a big change to my Knolly Spank wheels. The Spank rims are new, and have been giving me tube flats too regularly. So, I finally went tubeless. Set up was easy enough but when I used the compressor to over inflate to set the beads into the rim, the pops were scary. I had just watched a video of someone going too far and having the tire explode sending sealant into every corner of his workshop and self. But, so far, so good. Riding some rock gardens flat out and no pressure issues at all.

Miss going to see track racing at the now gone Montréal velodrome. Facilities of this scale are needed in Vancouver. There is an indoor velodrome on the north face of Burnaby Mountain, but it is aging and needs replacing soon. A facility like the one in Milton would be a wonderful addition to Vancouver's otherwise busy cycling world. Sadly, no races, no Superweak this year, no fondos this year.

For mountain bikers not from the Vedder-Vancouver-Pemberton trail network constellation; if you haven't ridden here in a while, there has been a tremendous amount of change on the local networks. Notably, the North Shore trio (mostly Fromme and Seymour) has been extensively overhauled and added to. There is now much more blue terrain, and even trails for family rides. Not to worry, Digger may have sculpted some classics to accommodate contemporary desires for fast flow, but there remains plenty of double black/black diamond 'North Shore' wood, root, and rock fests full of the big stupid. The Squamish and Whistler Valley networks have also jumped up yet another level. There are so many trails now, it seems virtually endless. So if COVID allows, come out and enjoy it all.

[jamincan]

Originally Posted by rousseau

Having recently purchased some new wheels (actually 10 years old), the ace-o-meter for my bike has ramped up a notch. From this:



To the Zipp 404 carbon tubular goodness of this:

Genuinely, why tubular? Outside of a team-supported road race or cyclocross, I just can't see a reasonable justification where the downsides don't significantly outweigh the benefits.

[megadude]

I had no idea Montreal had a velodrome. Didn't know they had the sport in the Olympics back in '76. I went to the biodome once. Just read that that's the converted velodrome.

Originally Posted by Marshal

Zipp is good. I have also made a big change to my Knolly Spank wheels. The Spank rims are new, and have been giving me tube flats too regularly. So, I finally went tubeless. Set up was easy enough but when I used the compressor to over inflate to set the beads into the rim, the pops were scary. I had just watched a video of someone going too far and having the tire explode sending sealant into every corner of his workshop and self. But, so far, so good. Riding some rock gardens flat out and no pressure issues at all.

Miss going to see track racing at the now gone Montréal velodrome. Facilities of this scale are needed in Vancouver. There is an indoor velodrome on the north face of Burnaby Mountain, but it is aging and needs replacing soon. A facility like the one in Milton would be a wonderful addition to Vancouver's otherwise busy cycling world. Sadly, no races, no Superweak this year, no fondos this year.

For mountain bikers not from the Vedder-Vancouver-Pemberton trail network constellation; if you haven't ridden here in a while, there has been a tremendous amount of change on the local networks. Notably, the North Shore trio (mostly Fromme and Seymour) has been extensively overhauled and added to. There is now much more blue terrain, and even trails for family rides. Not to worry, Digger may have sculpted some classics to accommodate contemporary desires for fast flow, but there remains plenty of double black/black diamond 'North Shore' wood, root, and rock fests full of the big stupid. The Squamish and Whistler Valley networks have also jumped up yet another level. There are so many trails now, it seems virtually endless. So if COVID allows, come out and enjoy it all.

[Acajack]

In other news, Ottawa's Michael Woods has joined Israel Start-Up Nation where he will be number two to Chris Froome. I believe Chris Froome is the world's top-rated cyclist at the moment. He has won the Tour de France several times in recent years.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by megadude

I had no idea Montreal had a velodrome. Didn't know they had the sport in the Olympics back in '76. I went to the biodome once. Just read that that's the converted velodrome.

It's actually unfortunate that they got rid of the velodrome when they did. Cycling of all levels really started to take off in Montreal and Quebec just a few years later.

It would have been really good for athlete development if we still had it.

[MolsonExport]

I weep for what was lost,
Especially considering the high cost.



stadeolympique

Now the world's most expensive Penguin zoo

[Nashe]

I did not really cycle at all. But HAVING a bicycle is just something you do when you've lived in suburbia most of your life. In about 1996 I bought this:

Costco. $300 or so. I rode it a total of maybe 60km before I put it in the shed and got busy with life. It followed me through two divorces and was gathering dust in my (now middlish-of-city) garage until COVID-19. The weather was great and I was back to work so I started commuting on it (5km each way) on pavement.

It's kinda like driving a 1980's Bronco everywhere. Howls on pavement. Twist shifters. Cantilever brakes. Old-series RST forks. Loses momentum quickly (26"s) and I pity the fool I crash into on it cuz it weighs 35lbs.

I've been putting on 300-400km/month for the past few months and am hankering for a "proper" bicycle. Something of the "gravel" variety, I think. Saving my pennies, I am.

[rousseau]

The biodome/velodrome is a fantastic building. You have to wonder if the architects involved with Valencia's City of Arts and Sciences weren't inspired by it somewhat.

Track racing is a good night out in northern Europe. You get a table, have dinner and drinks, and watch people ride around in circles. What's not to love?

[rousseau]

Originally Posted by jamincan

Genuinely, why tubular? Outside of a team-supported road race or cyclocross, I just can't see a reasonable justification where the downsides don't significantly outweigh the benefits.

For fun and curiosity. Plus they were the best deal out there for deep section rims, something I've been wanting for a long time purely for aesthetic reasons. For the last few weeks I've been hounding sellers on Pinkbike and Kijiji with lowball offers, and this pair came through. There aren't as many deep section clincher rims out there, and the ones that were for sale were prohibitively expensive (i.e. well into the 4 figures).

I also admit to being influenced by particular posters on cycling forums whose opinions I've come to respect. They claim that tubulars ride more nicely, handle better, suffer fewer punctures and are safer when they puncture at speed. Yes, the gluing is a hassle, but as an avid enthusiast, I'm willing to try my hand at it.

(For the second time, actually. Many years ago I got a cheap pair of very old tubulars, and I never got the hang of it. So I want to master a skill I once failed at.)

[megadude]

Same here. Grew up in Brampton and it's just something every suburban kid had before you could drive. I got a Nakamura back in '96 for my birthday and it was $600 back then. Didn't even have shocks. Can't believe my dad spent that much for me. Because of that, I still haven't parted with it. Since 1999 I probably rode it no more than 20 times.

It's feels so heavy now compared to my cousin's 10 year old CCM, and that's a discount brand bike. I can't even imagine what a proper mountain bike feels like now.

I have now stashed it behind the cottage along with my bro in law's old bike, which is much nicer and about 10 years old.

Another bike stashed behind the cottage is some ancient supercycle road bike with tires that are so dry rotted they could explode at any moment the next time it's in use. What is one person's garbage (left at the curb) is another person's treasure. And to my mother in law, anything free is treasure.

It is not safe to ride that bike, so I ride it slowly if there happen to be three of us going for a quick ride around the neighbourhood up there.

We also got two perfectly fine and good condition kids bikes that people left at the end of the driveway up there. For those rich cottagers, who have nice places and not 50 year old cottages like us, they don't care. Just leave it out. Which is also how we got a kitchen island with marble or faux marble countertop that fits perfectly in our kitchen.

Originally Posted by Vorkuta

I did not really cycle at all. But HAVING a bicycle is just something you do when you've lived in suburbia most of your life. In about 1996 I bought this:

Costco. $300 or so. I rode it a total of maybe 60km before I put it in the shed and got busy with life. It followed me through two divorces and was gathering dust in my (now middlish-of-city) garage until COVID-19. The weather was great and I was back to work so I started commuting on it (5km each way) on pavement.

It's kinda like driving a 1980's Bronco everywhere. Howls on pavement. Twist shifters. Cantilever brakes. Old-series RST forks. Loses momentum quickly (26"s) and I pity the fool I crash into on it cuz it weighs 35lbs.

I've been putting on 300-400km/month for the past few months and am hankering for a "proper" bicycle. Something of the "gravel" variety, I think. Saving my pennies, I am.

[Marshal]

Granted, they tried for a long time to make the Olympic Velodrome work. It was busy, but income sources were too limited. And what they did with it after is not the issue. It shares some aspects with the 2010 Olympic Oval, except for in Richmond, the conversion was the original plan. These sports continue to grow in Canada, but are still small in monetary terms. The Milton facility is the right scale. Canada could use 2 more indoor velodromes (Montréal, Vancouver) and another indoor skating oval (in central Canada). Canadian private wealth needs to step up to the plate for both slower and culture facilities.