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She Does the City on FacebookBicycle, Bicycle, Bicycle
Submitted by Jen on Mon, 04/14/2008 - 14:39.
“Bicycle, bicycle, bicycle…I want to ride my bicycle! I want to ride it now!” - Freddie Mercury from Queen, and also myself this past weekend.
Aside from actually biking around, what I love about this time of year is being able to identify the different bike sub-cultures in Toronto. There are several strong groups which I will take a fun, and possibly offensive, stab at stereotyping :
May 29th, 7PM @ The Bloor
Duke's has been around since 1914
She's not mean, she's GREEN!
FREE COFFEE FOR BIKERS!
Wenches with Wrenches!
Yeah..it costs $3400 – so keep dreaming!
Pass the time away staring at BMX bikes
Janet Attard Bike Clothes
janetbikegirl@yahoo.ca, Large MEC Organic Cotton T-shirt, Bicycle stenchil hand painted on front and back
Aw – baby biker
12 Month MEC Organic Cotton. Bicycle stencil hand painted on both the front and back .
janetbikegirl@yahoo.ca
COPENHAGEN CYCLE CHIC
Bells on Bloors
CRITICAL MASS
Always
100% Recycled Bags
The Bicycle Thief
Areaware bike available at Ministry of the Interior
MGMT
MGMT
The Athletes
The athletic bike crowd always has a Nalgene water bottle and granola bar on hand. They are the one's who make use of the Leslie Street Spit and DVP bike trails. They hang out at Mountain Equipment Co-op, love big brunches and have good skin. I admire them, but don't care to meet them for a drink.
Hipster Chicks
The girls who cycle around perfectly poised on painted bikes with pretty baskets and flowers. They aspire to collect fresh fruit from Kensington and carefully follow their bicycle trip up with an organic salad. They often wear skirts, no bras – have beautiful hair that blows behind them – and essentially give every guy a hard on, while they delicately ride around dreaming they are artists in Provence.
The Forever Student Guy
No matter whether he's 19 or 34, this guy always looks like he belongs on campus. He has scruffy facial hair, is everybody's crush at the office, and quite likely mucks around in a band. He's sweet and it's obvious that when he visits his mom he buys her flowers. He rides his bike everywhere and occasionally puffs a joint while discovering new neighbourhoods or trails. He will likely have one of those really cool Freitag man purses. (See #17 below)
The Overly Sexual Environmental Activists
They enjoy riding around naked on kooky bikes. They are huge cycle advocates, have punk hairdo's and um… eat fire.
The Working Girls
They peddle with their heels on and i-POD blasting. They are often the ones who yell out FUCK YOU to cars who open their doors too fast – as they aren't really road ready, but like to think they are. They sweat like crazy going to the office – and then make sure to tell everyone from the mailroom dude to the VP that they bike to work every day. They slosh on some deodorant, sit down with a latte, put a Band-Aid on their ankle and then usually open their e-mail with a loud WTF shout out.
Hot Dads
Oooh – you know who I'm talking about. You see them with their toddlers strapped to back. They are handsome like Dr. McDreamy, buy their kidlets ice cream – but you'd like to lick them and wake up in their Spring clean scented sheets. Ahh.
The list goes on – but the important thing to note is for every type – there is something in this city available, be it a club, screening, special tour etc. Here are twenty bike bits and bites.
1) I Bike T.O. clothing
The perfect tote to hold your library card, bike lock, almonds and notebook. Ah…you good citizen you.
Purchase at: http://bikingtoronto.spreadshirt.com
Also available in Tees & Hoodies
2) PEE-WEE's BIG ADVENTURE
Celebrate biking by watching everyone's favourite biking perverted weirdo – Pee-Wee's Big Adventure with your favourite local bands! (yes I know a little strange, but exciting)
Screening is put on by The Toronto Cyclists Union and local celebs will be there to re-enact Pee-Wees adventure, yes – I think I have this right.
This crew includes members of Broken Social Scene, Hidden Cameras, Apostle of Hustle, Gentleman Reg, the Phonemes, Kids on TV, Republic of Safety and Sook Yin Lee
MARK MAY 29th in your calendars NOW – 7 PM @ THE BLOOR
3) DUKES OVERCOMES HAZZARD
The Queen West Fire burnt it down to the ground, but Duke's has risen from the dead and is now located at
452 Richmond Street West, just west of Spadina
Having been around since 1914, Duke's is the authority on biking.
4) BIKING TIPS FROM THE STARS
Rachel McAdams has been spotted biking in Toronto and gives green tips on the blog she runs with two friends http://www.greenissexy.org/about/
5) FREE COFFEE FOR BIKE PEOPLE
On the last Friday of every month, free coffee from 8:00am to 9:30 a.m. at Alternative Grounds Café 333 Roncesvalles if you're wearing a bike helmet or have other evidence that you biked there. If you don't bike, and walk there with a bike helmet just to get a free coffee – then I feel sorry for you.
6)TORONTO CYCLISTS UNION
www.bikeunion.to set to start this year!.
A club for those who want to be completely tapped in to everything bike wise and be active advocates for biking in Toronto
7) WENCHES WITH WRENCHES
Run by Community Bicycle Network, this is a course where women volunteers teach other women about bike fit, bike parts, and how to fix flat tires, brakes, and gears
Four week courses, once a week from 6:30 to 8:30
Next session runs on Thursdays from May 8th to 29th, drop by 761 Queen St. West suite 101 between Monday and Friday from 12-6 or Sat 12-3 to sign up, $40 to register
8) GUCCI BIKE
Get you limited edition bicycle in honour of Beijing olympics, painted in communist red.
Over $3000 – ha!
Other Gucci Beijing specialities??
9) BMX WATCHING
Wallace Emerson Park for best BMX riding in the city, Dufferin and Dupont area
-cool kids doing tricks
-started partially functioning this weekend after a fire a couple of weeks ago
10) Secret Laneway Tours
Make your weekend extra special!
Secret Laneway Tours
Toronto Laneway Tours, run by Graeme Parry, does four different tours through alleyways
>http://www.graemeparry.com/11) CUTE GIFTS FOR BIKEAHOLICS
Janet Attard loves biking so much that she started a series of hand painted bike apparel
Located in Studio S26, 401 Richmond St. West
A nice present for your granola friend.
12) BIKE FASHION
It's a cool blog about sexy bike fashion
Copenhagen Cycle Chic: http://copenhagengirlsonbikes.blogspot.com/
13) JOIN A CAUSE
Bells on Bloor campaign for a Bloor bike lane
You might have noticed bike lanes being painted last year on Bloor by renegade painters, part of the campaign to have a bike lane stretching along Bloor
The next Bells on Bloor Ride will be on Sunday May 25th
Bring bring bring – yay bike rebellion!
14) Critical Mass – (giant bike parade hoopla)
6:00pm-8:00pm every last Friday of month, meet at Bloor and Spadina at 6:00 for ride at 6:30
It's just fun to do anything mass – mass pie eating contest, mass big hair day, mass pug congregation – see?
15) GAY BIKE CLUB
Gay West Bicycle Club, Sunday rides of approximately 5 hours, Sunday April 27th Spring has Sprung Ride
Put the Fun Between Your Legs – oooh so sassy.
Contact Bryen at: gwbikeclu@hotmail.com
16) TOURS
A groovy little company that does bike tours, perhaps a good plan for an out of town friend? Tours go to Harbourfront, City Hall, The Distillery District, The CN Tower, Steamwhistle, Western Beaches, Fort York , CNE, Islands and Old Town (wherever the hell that is)
Prices range between $35 and $60 per person.
PLUS if you have a group of 14 or more, they can arrange a scavenger hunt. Ooooh – cool birthday idea? Are you in charge of organizing the office bonding adventures?
17) FREITAG
Coolest Bike Bag EVER EVER EVER EVER, oh oh oh oh
Why? They are made of 100% recycled materials – seatbelts, inner tubes - and not one design is the same! Plus they are Swiss. You can purchase at INABSTRACTO, 1160 Queen West
18) CMWC
The 16th annual Cycle Messenger World Championship returns to Toronto after thirteen years, June 13 to 16.
The CMWC Bike Polo Tournament will take place on Hanlan's Point and the grueling three hour Main Race will find bicyclists racing around to deliver packages at checkpoints
Sounds like my personal hell – but I wouldn't mind sucking back a slushy and watching the madness.
19) THE BICYCLE THIEF
No, I'm not referring to E_OR. (For those in the know, you can fill in the blank- next bike e-mail will be about our local bike thieves)
In honour of Toronto Bike Month, there will be film screenings at CineCycle beginning with The Bicycle Thief on Wed May 28, 8:00pm,
Cinecycle is at the coach house at back of alley of 129 Spadina Ave. part of 401 Richmond St. West
20) BIKE IN HIGH DESIGN
NYC design collective Areaware have come up with a new design of bike, it's called the STRIDA
You can fold it up, and carry it around with you like a purse.
Bike available at Ministry of the Interior, 80 Ossington
Retails at $800
Next week I'll give you tips on where to purchase your bike – how to decorate it – the ultimate bike accessories and a low down on the bike thief capitol of the world, that is my friends our dear Toronto.
CONCERT CONTEST!!
MGMT TIX ARE SOLD OUT FOR THE MOD CLUB CONCERT TOMORROW NIGHT
THIS DOES NOT COME AS A SURPRISE, AS THEY ARE THE HOTTEST NEW BAND OUT THERE RIGHT NOW
HOWEVER, WE HAVE TWO TIX and their CD, Oracular Spectacular, FOR ONE LUCKY WINNER
E-mail: contests@shedoesthecity.com Subject Line: MGMT for a chance to win
Winner will be notified by 10AM tomorrow.
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