Tree Arrival at Horseshoe Bay

I’d been commuting by Tree most of the summer, albeit my actual commute is 8 blocks from door to door. I haven’t purchased a bus pass in three months. Oh, and having a bike that fits your body properly is a joy that I have not fully realized until this summer.

Camping

When my extended family had decided to go on a camping trip to Porpoise Bay Provincial Park, I decided to cycle there. I consulted a few other shop members about the validity of such a ride and what I should take along. It seemed easily do-able and with proper gear not huge epic ordeal. My brother was packing the tent in his car, so all I need was my clothing for the weekend. I received a crash course on how to change a flat and borrowed a pannier from Darcy, then hit the road.

For some reason I don't look as happy as I should. I think I am just a wee bit tired.

I approached Lions Gate Bridge and really enjoyed the extra space offered by renovations to the bridge in 2001. The Tree’s longer frame offered more extra stability and a more enjoyable ride. It was my first trip with a proper touring bike and it made the ride so much more comfortable.

I just took the route pretty easy with no real time line; if there wasn’t room to pass a large lumbering truck I just didn’t pass it. Without much effort I had reached Dundarave Village, the last retail district of West Vancouver, before the hills of Marine Drive and Horseshoe Bay.
It was at that point that  Ian Armstrong pulled up beside me. He is a high school instructor at Rockridge Secondary in West Vancouver and happened to be traveling to Horseshoe Bay as well.

He asked how much I loved my disc brakes on my Tree and where I was headed.

“I love my disc brakes! They are so reliable. I’m headed to Horseshoe Bay and the ferry,” I said.
“I’m headed there myself. If you stick with me you’ll hit the 4:30 ferry,” said Ian as we reached our first hill.

This is what I love about cycling. How hard would this be in a vehicle?  I really saw how well my Tree performed as a touring cycle. I have to thank Ian for his patience. All he had was a small backpack on a route he has done all summer and I was just trying to keep up with two full panniers as we hit the larger hills of Marine Drive.

Polite Drivers

I found West Vancouver drivers, especially the ones on Marine Drive, some of the kindest in the Lower Mainland. I was worried about how large the shoulders were and the space drivers gave. I can honestly say the drivers of Marine Drive were as pleasant as the view.

This was my first trip with panniers. It felt much like having someone push you downhill, the bags kinda directed where the rear wheel wanted to go. On some hills I took more of a conservative approach to the sweeping corners. The Tree was a solid stable ride and the geometry helped me ride with the load. My comfort levels gained with every downward leg of the trip I took.

When we reached Glen Eagles Community Centre my legs were burning and Ian was kicking my butt up that last hill. I was glad to see Horseshoe Bay and with his help actually arrived about half an hour ahead of a scheduled ferry departure.

I decided to take the bus from Gibsons to Sechelt due to the weekend traffic coming for the Festival of the Written Arts and because they haven’t improved the tiny shoulders of Highway 101 since I was a kid. The road is much like Marine Drive in terms of condition but has 10 times the traffic as it is the only connection between the two communities.

I arrived in Sechelt by transit bus and jumped on my bike for the last 5 kms to Porpoise Bay Park. My family had reserved a campsite, but I also checked out the cyclist campground which is a steal at just 10 dollars a night and has bike racks beside your picnic table.

The provincial park is also home to Angus Creek, a salmon spawning stream. The surroundings of second growth Douglas Fir and Western Cedar made an awesome background for some Tree portraits.

My Tree on the banks of Angus Creek at Porpoise Bay Park

On the Road Home

On the ride home I was much more comfortable with the bags on the back of the Tree. After climbing the Horseshoe Bay hill, which was the hardest of the bunch, I used the extra weight as more momentum in climbing that next hill and really found a groove. In no time I was back crossing Lions Gate Bridge and on the Adanac bike way heading home.

It was a really great ride and I had perfect weather both ways. I would like to try the full distance to Sechelt next time, and hopefully that old Sunshine Coast Highway will be a little better when I do . . .

The Tree with a tree

When I started at Bikes on the Drive I had a rebuilt 70’s era Norco mountain bike that had been converted to city use. It was a little small and quite heavy, but it did the job. I rode it about once a week with little need for anything more at the time. But realizing how mobile I could actually be on my bike, I decided I needed something more.

When I first tried a Tree it was a really smooth and well engineered bike. I quite enjoyed riding one to all the events we had around the city. I liked it so much I wanted to purchase my own. It took till about July before I got sized properly for my Tree.

Like some type of magician pulling a rabbit out of his hat, ilan found the last remaining X-Large Tree that wasn’t already spoken for and for some reason it had black spokes instead of silver.

“Hey Gang can anyone tell me how this Tree is different then the rest?” ilan bellowed across the sales floor. Lots of hums and haws, without a definitive answer back. “It has black spokes.” said ilan. “Which means it was the prototype from which all other Tree’s were assembled.”

Owning the first Tree every built was a pretty awesome surprise. If 001 had been a small sized biked. I certainly wouldn’t been riding it, it just so happen that the extra large was the first off the assembly floor.

Shimano Disc Brakes

Over the next month I had the opportunity (as all customers do) to add modifications to my bike. I added the disc brakes option as fast as I could, It is so hard stopping in the rain with caliper brakes on my older bike. The tree is the first bike I have owned that is disc brake upgradeable so I jumped at the chance to try it out.

My second option was an Abus Bordo 6500 lock. I have used U-Locks for years – for better and for worse.  I also looked at chain locks but hated the extra weight… and where does one store such a huge and unwieldy thing? The Bordo seemed to be the best of both worlds.

Abus Bordo Lock Plus 6500

I then added some functional Roadrunner LX Trekk Fenders, nothing flashy but dependable, along with a Topeak Explorer Rack.

Being a web designer my 17” Macbook Pro is never to far from my side.  For years I have had an Incase Sling Pack and it could fit a lot for its size. I rode with that one shoulder bag for more then a month and then I made a trip to the chiropractor  because of the way the weight was positioned on my back. Needing a quick solution I first tried the Ortlieb Office Bag, and although the laptop fit, not much else did. It is a great bag, just not viable for my needs as I am usually carrying a notepad, cables, cords, and a small camera – not to mention where to put that litre of milk I usually pick on the way home.

Arkel Commuter Bag

I then took Autumn’s advice and tried the Arkel Commuter. The bag has a suspended laptop case inside so if it does drop or I if I crash the laptop isn’t the first thing to hit. I loaded it with everything I have from my previous bag and it still had room to spare. I gave it a real test and picked up 2000 business cards along with everything else and rode home. The bag passed the test, but I was certainly happy to rid myself of that extra luggage. Once I figured out how absolutely cool the cam-lock system is the bag just became part of my everyday transportation, seamlessly fitting into my daily wanderings.

With ilan’s advice I added the Ergon gp1 grips, because he saw my wrist were dropping. Then I got Darcy to add a left hand Axiom rear view mirror as the normal mount didn’t fit with the grips. But Darcy had a few tricks up his sleeve to attach the mirror and it has been working perfectly since.

Needless to say, I am loving the bike and the commute – rain or shine. I recently put on some Schwalbe marathon 700 x 28 tires which are a little skinner and a little faster then the Kenda Kwest 700 x 32’s that come standard with the bike. I also like the added protection of the puncture resistant tires that are needed for urban cycling.

Future additions to the bike over time may included peddles with clip-ins and shoes, and I’m still looking for a coffee cup holder that attaches to a 31.8 diameter handle bar, if I can ever find one in the city.

Burrard Bridge VACC opening celebration and cake give away

After a day inside the bike shop I decided to bike along false creek,  and check out the new Burrard Street Bridge bike lane before heading the Bike-In-Movie at the MOV (Museum of Vancouver).

It was an awesome ride across the bridge with a great view of the inlet and plenty of space to safely maneuver my Tree.  It was so enjoyable that I forgot to take a photo while traveling over the bridge.  So once I got to the other side, I had a nice piece of cake from the girls of the VACC.  Then I had to ride over the bridge again, just to get a photo!

Arriving at Vanier Park I ran into David Niddrie, Photo Editor of Momentum Magazine and I joked about having to ride the bridge twice just to get the photo. Apparently I wasn’t the only as David had to travel the bridge twice as well.

Crossing Burrard Bridge on The Tree

We were both there for the Museum of Vancouver Bike-in-Movie, The Triplets of Belleville. It was a somewhat cool and cloudy night on the shores of English Bay, but I was impressed with the large crowd that showed up. Unlike car traffic that can only arrive from the parking lot, people on bikes were coming in from all directions – from the street, the seawall and of course from the Burrard Bridge.

I rented some blanket real estate from the VACC crew and enjoyed the movie. It was pretty awesome art flick with some inside bike jokes I wouldn’t have understood as little as a few months ago. I saw another Tree at the movie, and meant to ask the owner how he enjoyed it, but food had arrived and I was hungry!

Museum of Vancouver Bike in Movie

Another strange occurrence happen when the movie was over and 300+ cyclist left all at once. There wasn’t a huge traffic jam. When I arrived at Burrard and Cypress there were 20 cyclists who were stopped at the light. Could you imagine what that would have been like with car traffic?

So I made my third trip over the bridge in as many hours, and even at this time of night I felt completely comfortable traveling over the bridge and realized how important this was to the future of bike commuting in Vancouver.

We have been having a blast this summer attending many of Vancouver’s bicycle events: bike to work week (VACC), bike month (BEST), critical mass rides, the Velo-City exhibit at the Museum of Vancouver, Commercial Drive Car-free Days and the opening of the Central Valley Greenway. Now it’s our turn…Bikes on the Drive has decided to organize some fun of our own!

When Robert first joined our team, as web designer extraordinaire, in the early summer we knew he was quite the coffee aficionado. But what we grew to learn about coffee and what Robert grew to learn about The Tree had a lot in common with each other.

One day over a couple of americanos Robert and I had this coffee tour idea that was done exclusively by bike. We hit a few coffee shops on Commercial Drive and then take the 10th avenue bike route to Main Street and finish up just off Broadway.

Both Robert and I thought this would be a great way to do some education and advocacy of coffee, showcase some excellent roasters, cool cafes and a great commuter bike.

Will be meeting outside Bikes on the Drive on the morning of Saturday July 11th and if you arrived with a flat will be able to fix any small problems you might have to get the tour underway.

Here are the Details:

The East Van Biking Coffee Tour

Sponsored by: Bikes on the Drive & Vancouver Indy Coffee Scene
Meet: 10:30 am at Bikes on the Drive 1350 Commercial Drive ~ Rain or Shine.
Day: Saturday July 11, 2009
Cost: Your choice of coffee beverage at cafes we will go to.
Distance Travelled: 9.5 kilometers
Finishing around: 2:00 pm give or take time taken at cafes.

Will have some funky door prizes at the last cafe and hope you can attend.

The VACC Ride The Greenway

This weekend was also the official opening of the Central Valley Greenway, which can take riders from New Westminster Quay to Science World.

Tobias had set up a mechanic stand for free checkups and consultation, while I joined the ride from Trout Lake (John Henry Park) to The Winston Overpass near Sperling SkyTrain Station (google map doesn’t show the overpass).

VACC who was coordinating the rides from New Westminster and Trout Lake saw approximately 350 people join us on the rides. I had a awesome chat with a couple of the riders, while we rode to the celebrations, about The Tree and why we made it.

Some common questions we received about The Tree were:

Why did you decided to make it?

We wanted a bike with a higher level of Canadian manufacturing and a more robust bike made for the rigors of our West Coast climate.  We were generally frustrated with the quality and spec of commuter bikes coming from Canadian and other manufacturers.

What makes it so special?

Everything about this bike was selected for durability and serviceability taking into account the wetness of our climate in the fall, winter and spring.  It’s really a win win, the environment wins and so does your pocketbook.

How is this Bike Greener then your average bike?

The powder coating yields less waste, is more durable, and lasts longer. Canadian manufacturing is generally regulated by higher environmental and social standards than China, Taiwan, Vietnam and Mexico.  To top it all off Bikes on the Drive is donating 1% of the sale of the Tree to Canopy, a fabulous environmental organization.

All Bikes can be fixed, so why are the parts important?

We service a ton of bikes each year and we see which parts are lasting through the rigors of year-round Vancouver commuting and which ones are under performing. Sometimes a part, like a hub costs 90 cents more for an upgraded seal and will last several times longer than its cheaper counterpart. Obviously we spent the 90cents.

Not all parts can be easily repaired. Often replacement is the only course of action available should a repair be required.  Using the hub example again, it is not always easy or possible to get new cones for some of the newer hubs that come stock on new bicycles.  We chose a hub for which Shimano has been making the cones for years, the part is wide available and easy to service at virtually any bike shop your touring heart desires.

Mass Arrival

Tobias at the wrench with VACC booth in the background

Although some parts of the trail are still being worked on, I am amazed but the quality of the route that has been made. Giving more people the opportunity to bike to work is one of the best things we can do to affect the sustainability of our city.

Once we had arrived at the BBQ I dropped into to see Tobias was as busy as ever at our Mechanic Stand and one of the largest bike valet set ups I hve ever seen. The BBQ food was awesome.

Such a Grind

After checking in with Tobias I saw the Ethical Bean station at the BBQ and a bike powered, coffee grinder. Yes, a grinder was all peddle power, and while they had some trouble with the brewer (mainly, it was a little over-worked due to the size of the crowds that showed up), the volunteers certainly put in a great deal of highly appreciated effort to get some peddle powered coffee to the weary cyclists.

Bike Powered Coffee Grinder

All in all it was quite a well attended event with well over 1600 people in attendance. And we found this bike route quite a joy to ride and know why it is called a greenway – because of the route being more field than street. Congrats to all who developed this greenway. We at Bikes on the Drive hope it is a sign of many more similar things to come.

Greenway Opening at the Winston Overpass