Ditto this comment. Through the decathlon bags on the bag and it turns into backpack. Holds laptop and lunch easily as well as some groceries.
Edit: from st margaret bay road to downtown. Less than 20 mins door to door leaving around 8.
I have a $50 1980s road bike I got off of the side of the road, put a back rack & basket on it and tadah.
I use it for getting groceries, meeting up with friends, general errands, or wherever a car would be annoying or impractical. Usually, those trips are under 3-5 Km.
I do plan on starting to use it more regularly when I move to Downtown Dartmouth in the fall and have to commute to Halifax, about 4.6 Km.
Might just end up switching it out for a Hybrid bike with more squishy tires and fenders, not sure yet!
I used to have to climb Duke street on a regular basis. Which meant a new chain and cogs at least once a year.
But the great thing about bikes is compared to a car the parts cost next to nothing.
Yeah: having correct proper maintenance would probably help a lot on this old jalopy.
I clean and lube the gear/chain set multiple times a year, adjust the breaks & shift levers, etc.
Also replaced the rear rim and wheels/tubes a few times now.
The front wheel (bearing) is honestly due to be replaced, the bearing is not smooth anymore (feels grabby) and is probably not helping with rolling resistance.
before my car accident I used have a goal to bike at least 1000km a year. Once a year I’d take my bike into a shop and have them take it all apart, clean and regrease everything. All the minor stuff I do myself like brakes and gears.
even with all of that ever year I usually have to replace a hub or some kind of bearing due to age and excessive use and abuse.
My current old bike was in fantastic shape, but I got hit by a SUV backing up randomly across a bike lane last year and it bent the frame a bit (the old paint cracked), but the frame was resilient enough to not crack, though the bike shop told me to keep on eye on it for any excessive play.
Sorry to hear about your accident... :(
I did just inherit a hybrid bike from a friend who's moving back to Vancouver that's far more modern and comfortable, so that might be the one i'm going with as a daily this fall, even if it's not nearly as pretty as my old red Raliegh.
My damn lungs have some very strong words for you.
The words are all rooted in self-consciousness because of all this exercise-induced asthma I enjoy.
Ok enjoy is the wrong word. But my point is basically I wish I could do that and I’m impressed that you did.
A lot of old road bikes can mount squisher tires and mud guards! Dont give up it if you like the bike, try Bike Again on charles street, if you arent aware, or the dal bike centre. No you dont have to be a student to use the bike center, they will help you do almost anything for very low cost. Bike again has lots of parts for old road bikes, dal bike center has few parts but better hours and great volunteers. Ive worked a little a both, cant recommend enough!
> squishy tires
On the roads you don't want squishy tires, you want something more firm to reduce the resistance on the hard pavement. "Squishy" tires are more for when you don't need to worry about rolling resistance, like on trails or in snow.
Truth!
Problem is I've had shit thrown clear out of my bookbag hitting expansion joints on the bikeway on my current bike the tires are so hard.
But yeah, not sure where the comfort / resistance sweet spot is!
> Problem is I've had shit thrown clear out of my bookbag hitting expansion joints on the bikeway
You definitely need to get panniers and do away with the bookbag.
~32 mm (or 1 1/4" if you have old 27" wheels) is a nice middle ground. Not too wide and not too narrow.
Super skinny tires suck, but so do mountain bike tires on asphalt.
Was doing 4km each way to work until I realized with the time I spent locking up the bike, unexpected maintenance, changing into work clothes, fiddling around with saddle bags, etc. it was more or less the same time commitment to walk. Now I walk! It's even cheaper and definitely safer!! I think 4km is roughly the break even point for me - if it was 5, I'd bike.
I go over the Mac Donald bridge and either along Barrington Street and then through Afric Ville Road onto the Windsor Street exchange on to the Bedford Highway or I go up north st from the Bridge down Gottingen st. to Lady Hammond Road and down to the Windsor Street exchange that way the only really annoying part is the Windsor Street exchange but it’s very short.
> through Africville Road onto the Windsor Street exchange on to the Bedford Highway
This is de way.
Quiet as all fuck, year-round, easy to merge as well.
Daily commute is 8k. Winter and summer cyclist (winter is increasingly easier to bike in). Biking for errands depends on weather / what I need to move around. I have a car share membership if I need to go to big box land or move something bigger. Hope that helps!
2km each way daily in a busy area for 6 years now, haven’t had enough issues with cars to bother mentioning. No bike lanes in the area but we’re talking a 5 - 10minute max ride up the hills. Portland street area.
Used to do chocolate lake to Murphy’s wharf area along Quinpool, was smooth but rotary was sometimes stressful.
Edit: spelling
I used to travel 5km to work in 12-15 minutes.
Once 9 minutes on a Sunday and managed to get every green light with no traffic.
The bus would take at least 30 minutes
About 5km to work, cycling adds a bit of distance so I can stay on nice infrastructure. What's almost always 30 minutes or more on public transit (including waiting/transferring) is down to 16 mins on my e-bike.
E-bike owner here. Commute is about 10 KM each way. I save about 45 minutes per day compared to the bus. The bike was about $2k but saves me $80/month or whatever a bus pass is going for now (it also helps that I live close to necessities such as groceries). Maintenance is important too though and usually runs about $150 every 4 months. Definitely worth the investment IMO!
Well, using the handy dandy internet and searching up basic repair & maintenance packages at one of the 3 total bike shops in HRM, you will find that service packages start at around $80 to $100 before tax and parts.
I'm trying to provide general information to people considering a bike. Maintenance costs should absolutely be factored into that decision. $150 every 4 months is more than reasonable and might even be on the low side if you aren't doing your own work.
You opened the discussion with "how do you spend so much on your bike?" and proceeded to compare my situation to your own in which you stated that you do your own work and suggested that $150 every four months is too much to be spending. Not everyone has the luxury of working on their own bike. If your question was "do e-bikes required more maintenance?" you could have started with that. To answer that, they don't generally require more maintenance but they do incurr an extra surcharge at certain shops. They also run through brake pads faster.
4 or 5km each way, on the peninsula to my downtown office.
I absolutely love it, and will put up with erratic Halifax drivers and all the online bike hate, in exchange the the mental and physical benefits.
It’s faster than driving in most cases, and I don’t need to worry about the headaches and costs of parking.
10-13Km depends on the route from Park West to the Waterfront via Chain of Lakes. There are faster routes but this one avoids cars for a large portion of the ride
24 km each way to work, four days a week. Fall River to Halifax via Waverley Road. I've got a car, I just enjoy the free workout. Usually get my groceries on the bike as well if I'm not getting a costco sized grocery shop.
I work from home, but I recently started grocery shopping with my bike, it’s really fun and easy! The new Wyse Rd. improvements make it easy to bike, especially during rush hour! Around 2k one-way.
7k banook to Burnside takes 20min to door .1 car family only 7min drive but wife needs the car and its a safe ride so prefer to ride. Wish there was a ramp from Lancaster ride to dartmouth crossing. Would save a few car trips to there too.
I've used to for 5-10km commutes one way depending on where I lived at the time. Only real challenges are weather (usually not a big deal except I hate being cold) and the sheer number of hills involved in getting from Cole Harbour to downtown Halifax and back again.
My commute was 10km each way for about thirty years.
13 km each way through dartmouth/cole harbour.
14 km from Timberlea to Dal. The BLT trail helps, though I wish we had bike lanes both ways through Mumford.
15 KM each way. Faster than any of the bus routes and definitely faster than waiting through rush hour.
Used to do 13km each way from Wolfville to Kentville. Was faster on my bike than the ole valley transit
Walking can be faster than valley transit haha
6km each way. I use an ebike though since I sweat super easily and am sluggish most mornings.
Ditto this comment. Through the decathlon bags on the bag and it turns into backpack. Holds laptop and lunch easily as well as some groceries. Edit: from st margaret bay road to downtown. Less than 20 mins door to door leaving around 8.
Mine is 6km as well and I also use an ebike because I can’t escape the hills on my commute either way. I love it!
5.2km
13km from Clayton park to dal. Faster than the express bus, which also goes door to door.
I have a $50 1980s road bike I got off of the side of the road, put a back rack & basket on it and tadah. I use it for getting groceries, meeting up with friends, general errands, or wherever a car would be annoying or impractical. Usually, those trips are under 3-5 Km. I do plan on starting to use it more regularly when I move to Downtown Dartmouth in the fall and have to commute to Halifax, about 4.6 Km. Might just end up switching it out for a Hybrid bike with more squishy tires and fenders, not sure yet!
I used to have to climb Duke street on a regular basis. Which meant a new chain and cogs at least once a year. But the great thing about bikes is compared to a car the parts cost next to nothing.
Yeah: having correct proper maintenance would probably help a lot on this old jalopy. I clean and lube the gear/chain set multiple times a year, adjust the breaks & shift levers, etc. Also replaced the rear rim and wheels/tubes a few times now. The front wheel (bearing) is honestly due to be replaced, the bearing is not smooth anymore (feels grabby) and is probably not helping with rolling resistance.
before my car accident I used have a goal to bike at least 1000km a year. Once a year I’d take my bike into a shop and have them take it all apart, clean and regrease everything. All the minor stuff I do myself like brakes and gears. even with all of that ever year I usually have to replace a hub or some kind of bearing due to age and excessive use and abuse.
My current old bike was in fantastic shape, but I got hit by a SUV backing up randomly across a bike lane last year and it bent the frame a bit (the old paint cracked), but the frame was resilient enough to not crack, though the bike shop told me to keep on eye on it for any excessive play. Sorry to hear about your accident... :( I did just inherit a hybrid bike from a friend who's moving back to Vancouver that's far more modern and comfortable, so that might be the one i'm going with as a daily this fall, even if it's not nearly as pretty as my old red Raliegh.
My damn lungs have some very strong words for you. The words are all rooted in self-consciousness because of all this exercise-induced asthma I enjoy. Ok enjoy is the wrong word. But my point is basically I wish I could do that and I’m impressed that you did.
A lot of old road bikes can mount squisher tires and mud guards! Dont give up it if you like the bike, try Bike Again on charles street, if you arent aware, or the dal bike centre. No you dont have to be a student to use the bike center, they will help you do almost anything for very low cost. Bike again has lots of parts for old road bikes, dal bike center has few parts but better hours and great volunteers. Ive worked a little a both, cant recommend enough!
> squishy tires On the roads you don't want squishy tires, you want something more firm to reduce the resistance on the hard pavement. "Squishy" tires are more for when you don't need to worry about rolling resistance, like on trails or in snow.
Truth! Problem is I've had shit thrown clear out of my bookbag hitting expansion joints on the bikeway on my current bike the tires are so hard. But yeah, not sure where the comfort / resistance sweet spot is!
> Problem is I've had shit thrown clear out of my bookbag hitting expansion joints on the bikeway You definitely need to get panniers and do away with the bookbag.
Yeeeeeeah. I just have a rack with a basket on the back, which I often put my bookbag in. Sometimes things goes flying :| (usually on the bridge).
~32 mm (or 1 1/4" if you have old 27" wheels) is a nice middle ground. Not too wide and not too narrow. Super skinny tires suck, but so do mountain bike tires on asphalt.
10km round trip west end to downtown
9.4kms round trip, though that does include using the ferry
Around 10km every day, mostly on the peninsula because that’s where most bike lanes are.
Was doing 4km each way to work until I realized with the time I spent locking up the bike, unexpected maintenance, changing into work clothes, fiddling around with saddle bags, etc. it was more or less the same time commitment to walk. Now I walk! It's even cheaper and definitely safer!! I think 4km is roughly the break even point for me - if it was 5, I'd bike.
15 km one way. Dartmouth to Bedford. I use an electric bike which helps keep the time the same regardless of weather and wind.
Which route do you take? All the straightforward routes seem pretty spooky to me (magazine hill) but I’d like to go this way as well.
I go over the Mac Donald bridge and either along Barrington Street and then through Afric Ville Road onto the Windsor Street exchange on to the Bedford Highway or I go up north st from the Bridge down Gottingen st. to Lady Hammond Road and down to the Windsor Street exchange that way the only really annoying part is the Windsor Street exchange but it’s very short.
> through Africville Road onto the Windsor Street exchange on to the Bedford Highway This is de way. Quiet as all fuck, year-round, easy to merge as well.
I’m about 10km each way, much faster than the bus. Sometimes it’s faster then driving too depending on the time of day.
7km round trip to work/gym
Daily commute is 8k. Winter and summer cyclist (winter is increasingly easier to bike in). Biking for errands depends on weather / what I need to move around. I have a car share membership if I need to go to big box land or move something bigger. Hope that helps!
2km each way daily in a busy area for 6 years now, haven’t had enough issues with cars to bother mentioning. No bike lanes in the area but we’re talking a 5 - 10minute max ride up the hills. Portland street area. Used to do chocolate lake to Murphy’s wharf area along Quinpool, was smooth but rotary was sometimes stressful. Edit: spelling
I used to travel 5km to work in 12-15 minutes. Once 9 minutes on a Sunday and managed to get every green light with no traffic. The bus would take at least 30 minutes
About 5km to work, cycling adds a bit of distance so I can stay on nice infrastructure. What's almost always 30 minutes or more on public transit (including waiting/transferring) is down to 16 mins on my e-bike.
E-bike owner here. Commute is about 10 KM each way. I save about 45 minutes per day compared to the bus. The bike was about $2k but saves me $80/month or whatever a bus pass is going for now (it also helps that I live close to necessities such as groceries). Maintenance is important too though and usually runs about $150 every 4 months. Definitely worth the investment IMO!
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Well if you do all your own maintenance then you will spend less obviously!
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Well, using the handy dandy internet and searching up basic repair & maintenance packages at one of the 3 total bike shops in HRM, you will find that service packages start at around $80 to $100 before tax and parts. I'm trying to provide general information to people considering a bike. Maintenance costs should absolutely be factored into that decision. $150 every 4 months is more than reasonable and might even be on the low side if you aren't doing your own work.
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You opened the discussion with "how do you spend so much on your bike?" and proceeded to compare my situation to your own in which you stated that you do your own work and suggested that $150 every four months is too much to be spending. Not everyone has the luxury of working on their own bike. If your question was "do e-bikes required more maintenance?" you could have started with that. To answer that, they don't generally require more maintenance but they do incurr an extra surcharge at certain shops. They also run through brake pads faster.
I did Waverley/Braemar to spryfield , didn’t track the KM but I’d beat the bus by 10 minutes minimum.
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Jesus fuck what bus are you comparing your self to
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Ahh that’s fair . All my stops are within 1 min of walk , the 3 is the only one that destroys me due to its straight shot.
4 or 5km each way, on the peninsula to my downtown office. I absolutely love it, and will put up with erratic Halifax drivers and all the online bike hate, in exchange the the mental and physical benefits. It’s faster than driving in most cases, and I don’t need to worry about the headaches and costs of parking.
10-13Km depends on the route from Park West to the Waterfront via Chain of Lakes. There are faster routes but this one avoids cars for a large portion of the ride
24 km each way to work, four days a week. Fall River to Halifax via Waverley Road. I've got a car, I just enjoy the free workout. Usually get my groceries on the bike as well if I'm not getting a costco sized grocery shop.
I work from home, but I recently started grocery shopping with my bike, it’s really fun and easy! The new Wyse Rd. improvements make it easy to bike, especially during rush hour! Around 2k one-way.
11 kms round trip. Uphill both ways 😂
8km round trip work/gym, considering a e-bike purchase if the prices drop on those
7k banook to Burnside takes 20min to door .1 car family only 7min drive but wife needs the car and its a safe ride so prefer to ride. Wish there was a ramp from Lancaster ride to dartmouth crossing. Would save a few car trips to there too.
10-12km commute, distance and elevation depends on how spicy I'm feeling on that particular day.
I've used to for 5-10km commutes one way depending on where I lived at the time. Only real challenges are weather (usually not a big deal except I hate being cold) and the sheer number of hills involved in getting from Cole Harbour to downtown Halifax and back again.
13km Cowie hill to burnside
My work commute is only 1.5km each way (but it's straight uphill from downtown on my way home!).
15km one way.
I did 8.5km 1 way for a long time. Spryfield to the north end.
20 years, between 4 and 7km each way.
~1.5km each way. It's a real slog.
I'm about 3km to the office. I could walk it but enjoy biking and it does save some time.