Riding in Ottawa - it's not 1983 anymore

I always felt secure on my bicycle while growing up in a quiet west-end community of Ottawa.  I no longer live in Ottawa but my parents do, and on my last visit I rented a Salsa Beargrease and toured about the city.
Some reactions were positive, others not so much.  Since I don't have any photos for this post I shall keep it brief.

The Negative: I got stared down by a guy driving a ParaTranspo Bus, I got honked at twice (not the just-a-friendly-toot-to-remind-you-that-there's-a-car-here kind, but the GET OFF THE ROAD kind), and there were at least two times that a car seemed to pass me intentionally close.

These kinds of things don't seem to happen in Hamilton.  I wonder why?  I wonder which is a more realistic expectation for a vehicular cyclist?

The Positive:  People all over were staring at me (the good kind, I think.  Remember, I was on a big, fat-tired bicycle), I heard "that is the coolest bike I have ever seen" from three different teenaged boys on school trips, I had two city workers approach me grinning ear to ear eager to have their questions answered about the bike, I had a truck pull up alongside me (while in motion) and the fellows in it (also grinning widely) give me the repeated thumbs-up.

I have to say, I felt special riding this thing. It was a real ego-boost. In other words, since I didn't actually get hit by a car, the positives well outweighed the negatives.  I'll do it again one day but for now I will put this "thread" to rest. Cheers.

Beargrease Post III - the components

Nothing on the bicycle was stock (in case you were wondering), but the components on the Salsa Beargrease really impressed me.

I often defer to cheaper components because my philosophy is "what can the difference really be?" Well...here are a couple of observations that threaten to rock my thrifty world.

One. Disc brakes are terrific.  I don't own a bicycle with disc brakes but I can certainly see the attraction.  These were Hope Pro Hydraulic and their stopping power was excellent.  I enjoyed a feeling of security which I seldom have in wet weather.  They were quite noisy, in fact, embarrassingly so at times.  But if they saved me (even once!) from gliding out-of-control into a bus, well then, I can put up with a bit of a screech.

Two.  I loved the pedals.  They were platforms with pins and no clip-in system whatsoever.  I take it thats the rule for mountain bikes (which I don't know much about).  They had surprisingly marvelous grip.  I have used strap systems since the age of 13, but now I am wondering if even that is necessary. In Grant Petersen's book "Just Ride" he argues that we spend much less time "pulling up" than we think.

On the Beargrease I was surprised that I had no difficulty keeping my feet where they were supposed to be.  I admit, I thought that I "pulled up" more than that.  I guess I "pedal squares" as I once heard Bernard Hinault (the Badger!) put it.

Will any of this translate to the Pake - my regular commuter?  I think yes.

I am not suitably equipped to "review" the drivetrain, but I will say that it shifted quickly and flawlessly.  Brand: unknown.

I have one more post to come in this series.  It will be about the varried reactions I received cycling through Ottawa on the Beargrease.

Walking the Bear - my day with the Salsa Beargrease

Having rented such a wonderful bicycle for the day, I set out to fully enjoy it.  That meant some trail riding, but mostly it meant retracing the routes I commonly took growing up in Ottawa.

Although the paths of my youth would look much different covered in a foot of snow, and some 30 years later, they absolutely succeeded in resurrecting a lot of good memories.

Starting from the far east, the route traces back to itself counter-clockwise.  Turns out the route that took me four hours (including a couple of rests) was only 27km long - but it sure felt a lot longer than that.  I would equate the workout to doing 60km, full-out, on the road.

Salsa Beargrease

I arrived at Phat Moose Cycles with the impression that I had booked a Salsa Mukluk II.  I had never been on a fat-tire bicycle before and to say I was looking forward to it is an understatement.  They opened at 10 and I was there for 9:55 in full gear.  

 
The weather was ideal and although I wouldn't have the time to get to any of the  recommended trails, I had a route well planned out that would include a variety of challenges.
 
I was stunned when the two guys at Phat Moose had instead prepared for me a  Salsa Beargrease.  Holy cow. It was like getting the ultimate, free upgrade at Budget Rent a Car.
 

Are these streets half clean or half dirty?

I think you need to be an optimist if you choose to commute by bicycle.

After a few days of heavy snowfall I was finally able to safely get onto the streets of Hamilton by bicycle.  Here's what the bike lanes looked like.

They sort of disappear for a bit, then reappear a little further on.

Yet Another "Day of Rest"

There's no denying I love a snow day.  They really don't happen very often.  Can't get to work by car, bicycle or bus.

It bothers me that I haven't managed to get on my bike in days, and this didn't help.  Makes me feel like a fair-weather cyclist.  However, I plan to get in the home-shop and do some wrenching, and it's certainly a good day for that.

I haven't done any bike-centric posts recently,  but hopefully I'll get back to that as well.

A Weekend Retreat (without a bike)

Whisked away to the (even snowier) north this weekend for a retreat of sorts, and as always, on the lookout for signs of the year-round-cyclist. I can't prevent my thoughts from dwelling on the recurring fantasy of carving through the icing sugar forests whenever I am in an environment like this. 

I am sentenced to live vicariously through other's BLOGS - which although I appreciate very much - I hope only serve to satiate my yearning until I join the ranks of the fat-tire revolution.

An Ottawa dealership maintains that they cannot keep Pugsleys and Mukluks in stock because of the demand but I have yet to see any evidence of that this winter.

I did find this lonely and abandoned fellow outside the dining hall but given the condition of his rear brake lever I chose not to disturb his winter's sleep.

I certainly have no right to complain when I have this as my fall-back plan though.

Good cycling, everyone.