Perilous Pedals

I am for the most part happy with my current bike. The only complaint I have is that it is too heavy. While that is not a major issue; occasionally, when I am lugging my bike up a staircase, I find myself wishing it were lighter. I guess the upside is that it is good exercise when I have to carry my bike.

A component of my bike I did change not too long after getting it, however, was its pedals. The reason I changed them was that they were far too slippery. My feet would sometimes slip right off the pedals’ smooth plastic surfaces, particularly when I was starting to pedal. And this problem was made worse when it was wet out.

For the most part, having a foot slip off a pedal is just an annoyance; it’s a bit of a surprise when you attempt to move forward when a light turns green but instead have your foot come off the pedal and smack to the road. But slippery pedals can be dangerous, too. Think of all the scenarios where failing to move your bike suddenly could be a problem.

Another issue I had with these pedals was that I would sometimes have a foot slip off while I was going up a steep hill. While this too can be dangerous, the main problem is that it is a drag to have to start biking again midhill from a complete stop.

So, I was lucky to have a friend who had a spare pair of pedals, which he offered to give to me to replace my original set. I much prefer these pedals. They are metal and toothed and so grip the soles of my shoes well. It’s possible to slip off these pedals, too, but it happens only very rarely. This is the type of pedal I recommend.

What's the Rush?

I’m cycling down a busy city street; the light ahead has turned yellow; I see an opportunity to make the light if I quickly go to the left of the car ahead of me, which is waiting to turn right; and no sooner has this thought entered my head then I dart past the car and through the intersection. I have a lot of experience biking in the city, and this manoeuvre is safe. Usually safe, anyway…

What can make it unsafe is if I do it so suddenly that I haven’t had time to adequately assess the situation around me. I’m living very dangerously by cycling so unpredictably and impulsively. Drivers should not be surprised by what I do. This is not fair to anyone on the road.

Remember, it is always difficult to predict what drivers will do. A driver may have a similar mindset as me and may also suddenly move in an effort to get across that intersection as the lights are changing from yellow to red. Two vehicle operators, of car and bike, making the same sudden decision to cross an intersection at the last moment (must … make … light!) might well collide. And we know what the likely result of any car-bike collision is.

I often have to remind myself to not make these sudden moves. Just because I think it will be safe doesn’t mean it will be. I have to resist the urge to treat cars as obstacles to be avoided as though I were playing a video game. The weird thing is that I am often tempted to bike impulsively even when I am not in a rush. It seems to be my default mode. I need to change my setting.

I’m reminded of the joke in the Seinfeld episode where Jerry talks of riding in a cab whose driver is driving like a maniac. But Jerry doesn’t feel as though he is in danger. He has the irrational belief that riding in a cab is safe no matter what the driver is doing. As a cyclist, I often have a similar irrational belief in my own safety, and I have to constantly remind myself that cycling around cars is a dangerous endeavour.

Take the Safer Route

Should cyclists bike wherever they like? Surely not on highways in and around the city. I think we all can agree on that. Well, maybe not all … I was amazed to see someone biking on the Don Valley Parkway the other day. Clearly not a bright idea. But beyond making the obvious decision to not bike on the DVP, where else shouldn’t we bike?

I regularly ride along Danforth Avenue (a busy road in Toronto) to get downtown. Some may balk at taking this route, but although there are no bike lanes, and the road is usually busy, I don’t feel particularly unsafe on this street. It is reasonably wide, and there is usually adequate room for bikes. For the most part, I can keep far enough from parked cars to avoid the perils of the opening door. Cyclists regularly use this road, and there are usually at least a few others on it, even in winter. So, provided you ride defensively and sanely, a busy road like the Danforth is usually a safe bet.

The danger to cyclists increases when they get on stretches of road where bikes are a rare sight. For example, I sometimes take O’Connor Drive when I am making my way to the DVP in my car (going west from Woodbine Avenue to Don Mills Road), and cyclists are almost never on this section of road. Because drivers aren’t used to seeing cyclists there, they likely won’t be watching for them. I actually think cyclists are risking their lives biking there. Also, the lanes on O’Connor are narrower than those on the Danforth, which also increases the chances of a cyclist being hit. Plains Road, a side street, parallels O’Connor just to the south, and I can’t imagine why any cyclist would favour O’Connor over it.

Another issue to consider is the time of day and the resultant likely mindset of drivers. The stretch of O’Connor I mentioned is heavily used by drivers who are on their way to and from work. So, in the mornings and late afternoons, it is packed with cranky, sleepy drivers battling heavy traffic. They may be impatient with cyclists and less inclined to share the road with them. Especially, by the way, with yahoo cyclists who flout the rules of the road and cycle dangerously.

Just because cyclists are legally allowed to be on a given road doesn’t mean they are wise to be there.

Read or Ride?

I often face a dilemma. And it is a pleasant dilemma to face. Should I ride my bike or take the subway to where I am going?

I actually don’t mind using the subway. I’ve lived all my life in Toronto and am well used to being in crowds. So a crowded subway doesn’t bother me. Ironically, riding the subway is actually a good way for me to get some alone time.  And what I most enjoy doing with this time is reading. Reading on the subway is something I really look forward to. If I forget my book on a subway trip (a very rare occurrence) I am very annoyed.

However, the downside to taking the subway is that there isn’t very much exercise involved; aside from walking to and from the subway, I’m just standing or sitting. So I often have quite a debate in my head before going to a location that I could as easily ride my bike to. I ask myself which I want to do more: read or exercise. Usually the bike riding wins out because I often think that I am not getting enough exercise. Also, I save the cost of two fares—$5.20 in Toronto nowadays. 

What does happen each trip is that is that if I’m riding, I wish I was on the subway reading, and if I’m on the subway, I wish I was riding my bike...

Duct Tape Saddle Repair

My bike’s saddle looks as though I found it in a junk heap somewhere. This is because it is almost entirely covered in duct tape.

The saddle originally came with a soft, porous fabric covering. I don’t recommend saddles with this kind of covering for two reasons: Reason one is the fabric quickly wears through. I remember one time leaning my bike up outside a store and having the store owner laugh at my saddle because a big wad of stuffing was sticking out through a hole. And my saddle wasn’t all that old when this happened. Reason two is seats with soft fabric coverings are great at soaking up rain. Leave your bike outside and return to it after a rain, and you’ll have a wet seat when you ride off. (Of course you can cover your saddle with a plastic bag if you think it might rain, but you might not always remember to do this.) So I think that a hard plastic cover is definitely the way to go.

Rather than replace my seat once the stuffing was coming out, I decided to use the time-honoured technique of using duct tape for repair. After my initial application of duct tape, I got in the habit of occasionally checking my saddle to see if any other places were wearing through. As this has often been the case, my seat is now almost entirely covered in duct tape.

I guess this doesn’t help my bike in the looks department, but I don’t care. Using duct tape saved me the money a new saddle would have cost, and my duct tape–covered seat will make my bike seem less desirable to any bicycle thieves who might be considering taking it.

In fact, I think the worse your bike looks, the better off you are. I like having a lousy-looking bike that rides well and is in good repair.

Post-and-Rings in Toronto

Cyclists in Toronto are well provided with post-and-rings for locking up their bicycles. The city began putting them in place in 1984, and there are now over 6,800 of them.

These post-and-rings are well distributed. I often park my bike outside the Toronto Reference Library, near Yonge and Bloor. Especially in the warmer months, there is a large demand around the library for places to lock bikes. The city has obliged by installing many post-and-rings at this location. While it is common to have to share a post-and-ring with another cyclist, I don’t think I have ever found all the spaces near the library taken.

In areas with fewer cyclists needing to lock their bikes, I also find there are usually enough post-and-rings about. The city doesn’t ignore areas that have smaller demand. For example, I often park my bike on Queen Street East at Lee Avenue, in the Beaches. I always seem to find a free post-and-ring there. Just from memory, I would say there are perhaps nine post-and-rings at that intersection. One was recently removed – not sure why – but the intersection is still adequately supplied.

For the most part people seem to use post-and-rings properly, but occasionally I find a dog leashed to one. I am leery of locking my bike to a post-and-ring with a dog attached. Most dogs are friendly, but you never know…  And I don’t want to possibly alarm a dog by locking my bike right in its face. I usually give post-and-rings with dogs a pass.

Another example of misuse is when someone locks up a bike, often for long stretches, with a for sale sign hung over it. I guess this person has the same right to use a post-and-ring as anyone else, but I think this is clearly going against the spirit of how they are supposed to be used. I am a bit annoyed when I see bikes taking up a spot in this way.

As for places on private property to lock up bikes, it can be a crapshoot. And usually the cyclist comes out on the losing end… At my local Loblaws, at Victoria Park and Gerrard, the bike racks are barely an afterthought. Perhaps Loblaws isn’t concerned with providing decent racks because they think that people mostly come with cars to do a large shopping. One can’t very well carry home a week’s worth of groceries on a bike, after all. But I think Loblaws might be being short sighted. I often find myself going there to get things that can easily fit into my panniers.

I do occasionally see other bikes locked up outside this Loblaws. But when I do see them, they are locked to signposts in front of the store and not at the dedicated racks that Loblaws provides. Why? Because the racks are around to the side of the supermarket; people would rather leave their bikes locked in areas with lots of people around. The racks at the side seem isolated--a good location for bike thievery.

Continuing with the bikes racks at Loblaws; they are of the low-to-the-ground type. You know. The ones that you can only slide your front tire into. This is the worst type of bike rack. It is useless with U-locks because only the easily removed front tire can be locked. And when I use my cable lock, I have to extend it to its maximum reach to get both tires and the frame locked. This is almost impossible in winter, when the cold causes the cable to become less flexible. As well, the bike can easily tip over, which can potentially bend a tire rim.

Businesses that don’t provide proper bike racks seem to be in the majority in Toronto, but I have found exceptions.  The Manulife Centre has a large number of good-quality, waist-high racks outside it, as does, unsurprisingly, Mountain Equipment Co-op. It is important that a bike rack be waist high because a bike can be properly locked to it by using a U-lock to secure the rear tire and frame. (I also run a cable through my front tire and frame – a wise precaution.)

Overall, I give the city a good grade for its post-and-ring program. City businesses, though? Not enough of them take bike parking seriously. As the number of cyclists grows in Toronto, businesses with subpar bike racks risk losing some of their patrons to places with proper racks.