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Category: Infrastructure

8 things you should know about winter bike facility maintenance in Kitchener-Waterloo

Posted on February 12, 2019June 19, 2019 by Emily Slofstra

Winter can be rough for bike commuters and recreational riders, especially in an area with unpredictable winter weather. We’ve already written our guide for winter cycling, and now, here is everything we…

How to show your support for cycling infrastructure in the 2019 Kitchener budget

Posted on January 18, 2019January 18, 2019 by Laura McDonald

Thanks to you, we got a lot of bike-friendly councillors elected; now it’s time to make sure the funding comes through! This Monday evening, January 21 at 7:00 p.m., we’re asking everyone to come…

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Instagram post 2192351625488711831_7320361263 We're following #HumansWhoCycleWR #WinterRiders throughout the cold season! Today we're featuring Ryan.⁠
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Tell us about your bike! Is this your winter-only bike? An old hybrid I have simplified and winterized to become a cycle commuter. ⁠
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How long have you been winter biking? Or is this your first season? This is my first season. I'm not even a very experienced summer cycle commuter. I just started cycle-commuting because it was cheaper than a gym membership a couple of years ago.⁠
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Where do you ride during the winter? I am a commuter. To work in DTK, activities in Kitchener and Waterloo and as a means of transport to friends' houses.⁠
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How are you feeling, going into the winter biking season? Nervous? Excited? Business as usual? I am nervous to see how well I will do in the snow and curious to see how the snow clearing will go.⁠
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Tell us about your gear. What have you splurged on? Anything that you're not sure will hold up to the conditions? I have no idea how well my winter tires will hold up and what expectations I should have. But otherwise I plan on riding in my normal winter gear and going from there.⁠
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Do you have a message for folks who are considering winter biking? Like any outdoor winter activity, you'll be warmer than you think when you're actually moving around!⁠
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What’s a fun fact about yourself? The exercise keeps me hungry for my winter hobby of baking pies and turdilli (a kind of Italian donut).⁠
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[📸 Sarah-Beth]⁠
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#HumansWhoCycleWR is a project of @CycleWR. By sharing stories of people who bike in Waterloo Region, we aim to demonstrate that cyclists are a diverse group of people of all ages & abilities who commute to work, ride to school, run errands & enjoy their neighbourhoods on their bicycles.⁠
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We’d love to share your story in a future post! Visit cyclewr.ca to submit your story.
Instagram post 2190883053220276196_7320361263 We're following #HumansWhoCycleWR #WinterRiders throughout the cold season! Today we're featuring Dorothy @dorothymccabewaterloo, (Twitter) DorothyMcCabe.⁠
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Tell us about your bike! It's a hybrid style for road and trails, all seasons. Raleigh Sport. About 8 years old.⁠
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How long have you been winter biking? 2nd season!⁠
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Where do you ride during the winter? Are you commuting, recreational riding, or a combination? A combination - also for errands particularly grocery shopping. ⁠
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How are you feeling, going into the winter biking season? More prepared than last year.⁠
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Tell us about your gear. What have you splurged on? Anything that you're not sure will hold up to the conditions? I'm not a splurger. :) I use my ski helmet & googles - super warm & excellent coverage. I use my ski neck warmer & ski jacket.  Gloves I will need - mitts are warmer but not as functional on a bike. I could use advice on a good set of gloves. ⁠
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Do you have a message for folks who are considering winter biking? Try it! With preparation, it's entirely do-able. Do some short rides first to increase your confidence. Go slower than in other conditions. You can do it!! ⁠
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Interesting fact - I shook Nelson Mandela's hand. Fun - I still like to climb trees! ⁠
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[📸 Dorothy]⁠
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#HumansWhoCycleWR is a project of @CycleWR. By sharing stories of people who bike in Waterloo Region, we aim to demonstrate that cyclists are a diverse group of people of all ages & abilities who commute to work, ride to school, run errands & enjoy their neighbourhoods on their bicycles.⁠
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We’d love to share your story in a future post! Visit cyclewr.ca to submit your story.
Instagram post 2186553503047140044_7320361263 We're following #HumansWhoCycleWR #WinterRiders throughout the cold season! Today we're featuring Natalie (Twitter) @NatalieWennyk, (Facebook) Natalie Wennyk.⁠
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Tell us about your bike! This is my bike, "Teal". My dad got her for me at the Waterloo Region Police Bicycle Auction back in Spring 2016 for $100... as my only bicycle she's served me well for commuting & for longer (40 k) recreational rides. ⁠
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How long have you been winter biking? This is my first season winter cycling.⁠
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Where do you ride during the winter? This morning was my first winter bike ride & counter to advice that I should practice, I decided to do my usual commute to work! I budgeted more time & pre-decided that I would walk sections if I felt insecure. I cycled the whole trip & loved it! I went slower than usual (25 minutes vs 15) but that was mainly because I limited my pace to become comfortable. It was so fantastic to see the tracks of fellow cyclists on my commute!!⁠
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How are you feeling, going into the winter biking season? I am so excited to have freedom of transportation in the winter! I can conveniently go where I'd like, at no cost, & continue an active healthy lifestyle.⁠
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Tell us about your gear. I splurged on panniers from Ziggy Cycle in October when I started my new job. This winter I plan to invest in stronger bicycle lights. I keep a reflective vest in one of my panniers for if I am ever caught in less visible conditions. I'm concerned about getting more rust (on my chain & gears) & that my braking distance is longer when my bicycle is wet...⁠
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Do you have a message for folks who are considering winter biking? My first ride was a joy! Last week I was blue because the snow came & it felt like the end of my cycling season... but I'm so happy to bring my bicycle out and try out winter cycling... & it wasn't very different at all! I didn't need a special bicycle or gear (at least in today's conditions).⁠
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What’s a fun fact about yourself? I love coding, matcha, girl time & church. And cycling. :)⁠
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[📸 Natalie]⁠
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We’d love to share your story in a future post! Visit cyclewr.ca to submit your story.
Instagram post 2181452657540072295_7320361263 We're following #HumansWhoCycleWR #WinterRiders throughout the cold season! Today we're featuring David - @DavidTrueman on Twitter.⁠
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Tell us about your bike! I ride a 20-yr-old Trek hybrid that I bought when I lived in Halifax. For about 15 years it was my only bike. This one remains my city utility bike and my winter bike. This year the drive train needed a lot of work & I replaced the front 3 gear rings with a single ring and eliminated the front derailleur. It feels great.⁠
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How long have you been winter biking? Or is this your first season?⁠ This is my 3rd winter⁠.⁠
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Where do you ride during the winter? I started out doing winter recreational rides but now I just commute & run errands. I regularly commute 3-5 km and make frequent 1-2 km trips.⁠
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How are you feeling, going into the winter biking season? I don’t look forward to all the dressing and undressing, but otherwise it’s business as usual. I’m a little more attuned to the weather forecast But that is incremental since I’m pretty tuned in all year.⁠
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Tell us about your gear. I have a really good Gore Bike Wear skull cap for under my helmet. It is thin but warm, yet not too hot when the temperature goes above zero. I have some nice thin Gore gloves which are good down to -2 or so but I wear regular heavier gloves below that. My goggles are the cheapest MEC had, at $35. Two other essentials are a neck buff & base layer, both made with merino wool which is fantastic -- comfortable over a wide range of temperatures & it wicks away moisture & resists body odor.⁠
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Do you have a message for folks who are considering winter biking? ⁠The barriers are all psychological. The cold is not an issue if you dress in layers. Get studded tires! They keep you confident in the worst of conditions. I steer around only frozen ruts which can grab your wheel and throw you sideways.⁠
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Fun fact!⁠ When I'm not cycling or advocating for it, I'm mentoring tech startups. Decades ago I used to do whitewater slalom racing.⁠
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[📸 David]⁠
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We’d love to share your story in a future post! Visit cyclewr.ca to submit your story.
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