Cycling

Winter biking wonderland

Posted by elliottzone at 4:07 pm Cycling

Apr 112008

We were hit with a surprise dump of snow on Thursday, which made for some interesting and challenging cycling.

When I woke up at 5:30, it had just started to snow. The weather forecast had called for up to 2 cm (about 1″) of snow – no big deal. However, when I left the house at 7:30, there was almost 25 cm (10″).

The flakes were huge, traffic was at a standstill when the cars weren’t sliding into one another, and cyclists were slowly but surely moving along much faster than the other traffic.

I strapped my little digital camera to my bike and slapped together the following cheesy little video of the day’s bike ride to work.

Invisible Riders

Posted by elliottzone at 12:31 pm Cycling

Mar 142008

From Bicycling Magazine, some cyclists don’t ride for fun, fitness or camaraderie. They ride to stay alive, earn money, and support their families.

Read the story.

Morning ride

Posted by elliottzone at 7:39 pm Cycling

Feb 132008

Morning ride, originally uploaded by elliottzone.

Some days, the ride to work just plain ol’ sucks…

Alderman improves cycling infrastructure in Calgary

Posted by elliottzone at 9:47 pm Cycling

Feb 122008

One of Calgary’s newly elected aldermen has already made significant improvements to the city’s support for cycling commuters.

Brian Pincott, alderman for ward 11, also a year-round bicycle commuter, recently introduced a motion at a city council meeting to raise the priority level for snow removal from bike lanes. The motion was passed unanimously.

To read more, see the story on FFWD.

RIP Sheldon Brown

Posted by elliottzone at 8:15 pm Cycling

Feb 122008

The global cycling community has lost an Internet legend with the passing of Sheldon Brown.

Sheldon was recognized around the world as a passionate cyclist who freely provided years of cycling wisdom on his website, http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/

Rest in peace, Sheldon.

Deuter Dry Shield Bike 18 backpack review

Posted by elliottzone at 7:06 pm Cycling, Gear Reviews

Jan 162008

For the past month or so, I’ve been using the Deuter Dry Shield Bike 18 backpack on my daily rides to work.

For years, I’ve been searching for a good waterproof backpack that will keep my stuff dry during the nasty wet Calgary winters. While a good drybag, or even a garbage bag, can usually keep things dry inside a regular pack, the pack itself will still end up soggy and smelly, and it’s a pain to dump everything into a drybag.

The Dry Shield line from Deuter is a waterproof line, which includes a cycling-specific pack — the DS Bike 18.