I've posted my route from downtown to Deerfoot 17 on mtbguru.com - see also the map below. Driving this route at rush hour looks ugly, as the traffic is heavy and moving slowly - more slowly than my bike. But it was a pleasant ride on the bike, especially with the slight detour through the forest of the Pearce Estate. It took only 16 minutes, probably less than it would have in a car.
Downtown to Deerfoot 17
Submitted by ride on
what sorta bike do you ride?
Submitted by M100 on
what sorta bike do you ride? (tire size/brand?)
commuter bike
Submitted by ride on
For this ride I was on a Kona Dew Fs. It's a hybrid commuter bike with disc brakes, and Continental 700x35C tires (with a diamond texture on them rather than real knobs). We've had so little snow this winter that it's become my winter commuter of choice.
I was looking at a Dew, how
Submitted by graham on
I was looking at a Dew, how do you find it?
fast Dew
Submitted by ride on
Graham, I find the Dew to be my fastest bike apart from my cross bike. But I didn't buy it for speed; I bought it because of the disc brakes, which I judged to be superior for the kind of stop-and-go riding you do when commuting. Also for bad weather and messy riding conditions, discs are better because with rim brakes, first you ride in the crap, then your rim transports the crap up to your brake pads which then use that crap to grind down your rims.
I got the Dew Fs since it has a lightweight shock to smooth out the pathway bumps. That feature alone led me to choose the Dew over other competing models that don't have a shock - or disc brakes.
But the best way to try any bike is of course to take it for a ride!
Maybe not the FS
Submitted by graham on
I was looking at the Dew Plus as that falls in my budget and has discs (albeit mechanical) Completely agree about rim brakes in Winter. If they are lower quality, then you also spend a ridiculous amount of time stripping and rebuilding, simply to keep them working in a reasonable fashion. This Winter I have better ones than last and so far I'm working on them once a month. I am concerned about the ride quality of Aluminum, which you can't tell me much about as you have suspension and thus not a direct comparison. I sold a road bike that was Aluminum, because it was horrible on the hands on anything other than a smooth road. It was a VERY stiff bike though. Will have to take your suggestion and get a test ride. Thanks.
aluminum bikes
Submitted by ride on
Graham, I'm remembering back to my first aluminum bike, a Cannondale SM700 hard-frame MTB. In those days (1991) bikes had no suspension of any sort, and I recall I picked the Cannondale because I liked the ride better than the steel-frame Trek.
My cross bike now is a Cannondale / Bowness Bike Co. The Doz., and it's got an aluminum frame but rides very nicely - perhaps due to the curved carbon fork.
Ride quality is a personal thing though, so by all means try out a bunch of different bikes - all in one day if possible, and one right after the other. I picked my Scott FX25 full-suspension bike last year (also aluminum) on the basis of comparative rides against a couple of other bikes.
Are you just following the
Submitted by kat on
Are you just following the bike path through Inglewood, or riding on the road through some? I know there's a short stretch where the road is the designated bike path, I just can't picture where it is. I like the path along most of that, except for in Pearce Estate - too many dogs and kids there.
If you're interested in local history behind the Deane House there's a small building that looks like a run down shed. It's actually the oldest house in Calgary that is still standing in its original location. There are older ones but they'll all been moved. You don't see the house from the road, but it's clear from the bike path.
where do you suggest (right
Submitted by M100 on
where do you suggest (right now in winter, or even in spring/summer) in getting good used bikes from? whether 26" or 700c hybrids. do you look in certain classifieds, or particular place? what sorta speed increase do you get from 700c vs 26" tires? (such as 10-20% increase?)
used bikes
Submitted by Bryanguy on
Check out pinkbike.com they have lots or Craigs list
re: where to buy used
Submitted by ride on
Check our own Classifieds forum, which lists down near the end a bunch of places to look for used bikes: pinkbike, ABA classifieds, Bow Cycle classifieds, etc.
re: Inglewood riding
Submitted by ride on
Kat, on that particular ride I rode down 8 St in Inglewood (you can click on the map and zoom in), then veered onto New St, which actually crosses that section of pathway that you mention. Most of Inglewood is pretty quiet and it's enjoyable to ride through.
I rode this route today and
Submitted by kat on
I rode this route today and just want to let people know that the snow doesn't get cleared from the sidewalk on the bridge over Deerfoot or the river, but the rest of it is still clear. It looks like a couple of people have still managed to bike through the snow on the bridges but I couldn't do it. The river path is clearer than it was two weeks ago (last time I did this route.)
Deerfoot 17 crossing snow clearing
Submitted by ride on
Kat, please call 311 and complain about the lack of snowclearing on that section. It's a sidewalk, not a pathway, so it's supposed to be snow-cleared. Don't tell them you were riding your bike there, just tell them that the sidewalk is not cleared. And tell them that you do want a follow-up phone call.
The concrete walls along that section act as a very effective snow-catcher so it does need regular maintenance.
Do you ride in on the proposed 16 Ave SE bike route? Maybe sketch us out the main part of your route on gmap-pedometer.com.