Throughout the challenges of the 2020 pandemic, bicycles have remained an essential means of transport. With the year coming to a close, we must now consider how to responsibly celebrate this festive season.
Looking for gift-giving events throughout the month of December? Check out these curated gift shopping ideas from The Bikeport, which can be gift wrapped and mailed safely to your loved ones.
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As sunset arrives earlier in the evening at this time of year, it’s important to make sure you have working lights on your bicycle. If you don’t have lights or are thinking of an upgrade, check out the Standard Equipment from The Bikeport.
As we recognize World Bicycle Day in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us are not working or are working from home. Either way, we might not be getting as much activity into our daily lives as we ought to. Using a bicycle to complete your essential trips is one way to help address this.
Regular physical activity of moderate intensity – such as walking, cycling, or doing sports – has significant benefits for health. At all ages, the benefits of being physically active outweigh potential harm, for example through accidents. Some physical activity is better than none. By becoming more active throughout the day in relatively simple ways, people can quite easily achieve the recommended activity levels.
On March 23, 2020, in an effort to further reduce the spread of COVID-19, the government of Ontario issued an order to close at-risk businesses. Workplaces deemed to be essential will continue to operate, including ” …vehicle-repair, including bicycle repair“.
velofix continues to be available to repair your bicycle.
This episode of Bicycles As Transport discusses Painted Shoulders and Bike Lanes.
Urban shoulders serve several purposes. Apart from serving as a space that people can use their bicycles in, they also serve as spaces for people to park their cars. There are usually no markings or signs to indicate that it’s a cycling-specific facility, and to avoid confusion. The constraint on these spaces is that they can only serve one purpose at a time: Either as a space to use a bicycle, or a space to park a car. When use a bicycle in such a facility, you’ll need to be prepared to exit the shoulder if necessary to overtake parked cars that are using the space.
Bike lanes, on the other hand, are different. They will be clearly marked and/or signed as a bicycle-only facility. They are not lawful places to park cars.
Remember to subscribe for future episodes!
Disclaimer: “Bicycle As Transport” videos are for demonstration purposes to provide general information on lawfully using a bicycle. They are not CAN-BIKE instruction videos, are not comprehensive, nor provides specific advice or any guarantees. You must determine for yourself what your experience, training and competency level is with using a bicycle. The Bikeport by Kevin Montgomery disclaims any liability in connection with the use of this information.
To arrange a CAN-BIKE course, please visit:
http://bikeport.ca/courses/available-courses/
Does your bicycle need a tune-up, but you’re concerned about social distancing to prevent the spread of COVID-19?
velofix has assured The Bikeport that “they can work with that“.
We take the health and safety of our customers and ourselves very seriously.
If you are looking to book a service and have concerns regarding the spread of the Coronavirus, please note that we can handle most jobs without physical interaction or contact.
We are also practising social distancing by foregoing handshakes and inviting riders into the Mobile Bike Shops.
If you prefer to avoid contact, please make a note in your booking and leave your bike(s) in an area we can access. We can invoice you via email once the service is completed.
It’s still early in the journey in defining what kind of business I want The Bikeport to be, and where I want to go with it. I made an important decision to model The Bikeport after a Social Enterprise:
Per Investopedia, “Social enterprises seek to maximize profits while maximizing benefits to society and the environment.” As of 2019, The Bikeport by Kevin Montgomery aims to contribute half of its profit toward initiatives that advance using bicycles as transport in Brampton.
https://bikeport.ca/about/
Some excellent strides were made in 2019. Check out the 2019 Report for details.
In Canada, there are mixed feelings about whether a bicycle is an appropriate transport choice in winter. Responses to this idea (as of the time of this writing) often include statements along the lines of “you can’t ride in the cold” or “you can’t ride in the snow”.
The weather has been cooler. The days shorter. Does winter mean that bicycles can no longer useful transport tools?
Not at all.
As with any other winter activity, using a bicycle can still be done when preparations are made.
The Bikeport offers CAN-BIKE courses for cycling education, including learning how to fit your bicycle, and riding in different scenarios. Learn traffic handling skills and the rules of the road for your bike commute or shopping trips!
Class instruction has a focus on urban cycling transportation purposes, such as commuting, shopping, and taking kids to school.
Subscribe to be notified when bicycle training lessons are available. Email notifications will be sent out in March 2020.
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Looking for ideas for stocking stuffers and other gift-giving events throughout the month of December? Check out these curated holiday gift ideas from The Bikeport.