Bike Noob Adventures: The Two-Wheel Bandwagon

watch out for those street car tracks buddy!

YES - the tracks! I fell today for the first time (and I'm a seasoned rider).

I just started riding in the city for my first time ever strangely. Also in the annex, also grew up in the burbs where things like bells and reflectors didn't exist. Do I actually need that stuff? I just started riding it, no helmet, no bell, no reflector, a shitty 5 dollar honest ed lock, I just don't think I care. for the 125 dollars to spend on all that crap, I would rather just spend 100 dollars on craigslist and get a whole new bike if god forbid mine gets stolen.
-bikes make firm asses

Everyone seems to have a streetcar track story. Friend of mine broke his wrist and messed up his arm about half a year ago cause o' the tracks.

@bikes make firm asses: You're putting a lot of trust in drivers! I was going through Little Italy yesterday and I almost received a door prize from this douchebag who took his sweet time to parallel park (holding up a streetcar, and also blocking me from moving forward). I figure it's only a matter of time before I am involved in some sort of collision with an object that is either immovable or has more momentum than me. Anyway, I didn't know Honest Ed's has $5 bike locks, that's wicked.

MEC is also a great place for cheap but good bike accessories. tdizzle - the cops will occasionally do blitzes where they ticket cyclists without bells. But practically speaking they are useful for catching the attention of turning motorists not glancing your way or wayward pedestrians that wander out from parked cars without noticing there's a bike coming. As for lights/reflectors - not needed if you don't ride after dark or in bad visibility conditions. But totally recommended to have a headlight and blinking taillight after dark - motorists can see you much better and so they leave a lot more room!

I haven't biked in the city yet. Scared, but want to.

On the subject of bells: I think they're rude. I was walking down the sidewalk, in a perfectly straight line, when some biker came up behind, pretty much stopped and went "ding ding!".

I was like, dude, couldn't you just SPEAK to me at this point, and say excuse me? You're not even supposed to BE on the sidewalk!

It seemed really arrogant. Well, it WAS before 9 am... I could still have been grumpy. Grrr.

I think that you really got ripped off on the lock. I find that set me free charges too much for everything though. I've never gone wrong with a $30 U-Lock. The smaller it is, the better.

I too find that people who bike on sidewalks are annoying. Coffee or no, it is rude and dangerous. On the other hand, I have found that when I ride my grocery bike I get a lot less respect from cars than I do on my road bike. I assume this has to do with how fast I am going. Because of this, I could see why a lot of old folks choose the sidewalk (i.e. aggressive hate filled jackass motorists disobeying traffic laws)

Yes, I am bitter.

Well, strictly speaking none of these things are necessary to ride a bike... but they do make riding better...

Lights are much better bought at MEC. I think their basic rear blinkie is $3.75 and is really bright and reliable. If you want to burn some retinas though, get PlanetBike Superflash at about $15. An awesome deal. And don't forget that a front light is more important than the rear (90% of collisions happen in front and, unlike with the rear, front reflectors do nothing for you). So make sure to pick up a front light if you'll be riding in the dark.

Lock: for a beat-up bike you don't need an expensive lock, especially if you won't be leaving it overnight. $58 to lock an old 1-speed is a definite overkill.

Helmets: how much they help is actually quite debatable. There is no real evidence of their usefulness.. but I won't start a flamewar... I won't start a flamewar... I won't..... Anyway, if you're looking to save money, there ARE cheaper helmets.. Canadian Tire should have something for 15 bucks... they all comply with the same standards, so more dollars will buy you better ventilation and fitting options, not better protection.

What is a really good thing to always have around is a flat repair kit: a spare tube or two and/or some patches, some tire levers and a portable pump. Otherwise when (not if - it could take years, but it will happen) you get a flat, you'll have to take TTC home, and if it's rush hour... good luck!

Lights: You can get a ticket if you don't have lights, bell (or horn) and reflectors. But that's not the most important thing.

What a lot of cyclists are oblivious to is that, from inside a car, cyclists aren't hard to see. THEY ARE INVISIBLE. Your silhouette gets swallowed in the cars behind you, and against the headlights any details that may show are too dim. Street lights do NOT give sufficient illumination for you to be seen without your own lights. I don't understand why it's so easily understood that a car needs its headlights to be seen and yet cyclists go merrily on their way without any lights at all. You can't replace your limbs for a hundred bucks on craigslist - get lit up!!!!

The Planet Bike light reccomended above is an AMAZING value. MEC also sells a good U-lock (also Planet Bike) for $30.00, tho the key is a bit finicky I've been told. I do buy the Kryptonite locks, but mine has lasted about 18 years solidly so far and it still works without any issues, and so I haven't needed to shop around for another. Whatever lock you choose, I reccomend lubricating the keyhole with graphite (not oil!). Powdered graphite if you can find it, but if you can't you can get propellant cans of graphite lubricant easily at Canadian Tire and many other places.

As for helmets, www.helmets.org has a lot of information, and they're pretty balanced. (Obviously, they advocate helmets! But they do it gently and they dispel outlandish claims.) These days, helmets are fairly comfortable and I wear mine not so much for the protection but because my head is actually cooler with it on than without. (!)

Road safety is EVERYBODY'S job - the drivers, the cyclists, and the pedestrians. Don't forget to do your part, too. Especially since the people you'll notice are likely to be the ones who AREN'T doing theirs.

And most of all, enjoy the ride. Keep the rubber side down!