As we head into peak bicycle season—and cyclists are able to use Point Pleasant Park on weekends till fall—it’s a great time to pull your old bike from the shed or garage. It’s probably a good idea to get the bike a check-up before going for a ride, though, and Jack Wong may be the […]
Bike Week
Posted inNews + Opinion
Pump it up at Halifax Bike Week
Taking consistent care of your bicycle can save you from disasters down the road. For Bike Week, Mountain Equipment Co-op is setting up a slew of “mobile bicycle maintenance stations,” doing safety checks and offering advice on basic bike fixes. In the meantime, Brendan Sutcliffe—bike mechanic at MEC—gives a few tips for keeping your ride […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Bicycle trailers and electric scooters banned from harbour ferries
[Image-1] UPDATE: According to its Twitter account, Halifax Transit has altered its plans and cyclists towing child trailers “MAY” board ferries until further notice. Two-wheeled electric scooters are still banned. An updated announcement is scheduled for Wednesday. “Transit will work with stakeholders and community to develop other solutions that meet regulations and are safe for […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
It’s a banner year for Halifax Bike Week
[Image-1] The weather’s been a little damp, but that hasn’t stopped cycling advocates from gaining some political momentum during Halifax Bike Week. On Wednesday the Halifax Cycling Coalition received $4,400 in capital funds from District 8’s participatory budgeting to install an on-street bicycle counter on Agricola Street. The counter will be used for a “public […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Why do people still hate cyclists?
[Image-1] When you’re a pedestrian, you hate drivers. When you’re a driver, you hate pedestrians. And when you’re a cyclist, everyone hates you. We’ve all been there—in the driver’s seat, so to say. I myself am a former quasi-cyclist, and a current motorist, and even I have caught myself getting lame-ass road rage when I’m […]
Posted inLifestyle
Cycling’s not just for hipsters
[Image-1] Walking down Agricola Street on any given day, you’re sure to see anywhere from five to 47 vintage two-speeds either chained up or being navigated by charismatic, stylish and carefully dishevelled-looking twenty-somethings. Their modes of transportation are at least 30 years their senior—and the older, the better. But what about the folks who were […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
How to keep your skirt down when bike riding
[Image-1] If you like wearing dresses, and you like cycling, chances are you’ve probably unintentionally flashed a few bystanders. Maybe you’re into that sort of thing, but for those that aren’t there are luckily some solutions. Riders may be familiar with the penny-in-your-pants trick. But for something more chic, you might want one of Amanda […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Don’t forget your helmet
[Image-1] Cycling has its benefits. Fresh air, good exercise and eco-friendliness, to name but a few. Still, many riders we’ve spoken to are surprised to learn they’re missing out on some red hot deals all over town. Deals that are only available to bike-riding customers. Bishop’s Cellar, for example, offers 10 percent off purchases for […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Dartmouth’s Velo Lab expands
Four hundred square feet is all it took to get Velo Lab Cycle Works off the ground. The little bike shop that could got its start three years ago in a Dartmouth garage on the corner of Thistle and Victoria Streets, the garage of longtime cyclist and mechanic Shawn Marshall and his wife and business […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Quit playing head games
In honour of Bike Week and all of the helmet talk in this week’s issue, we encourage you to use your melon by protecting it. In efforts to help you keep your brains at their absolute safest as you’re cruising the back roads, speeding to work or sweating your way up Duke Street, I Heart […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Brains matter
Bike helmets are so contentious an issue that even if they’re not at issue, people have issues. Just in time for Bike Week, The Coast peers into the love-hate relationship we have with our helmets. Ben Wedge, co-chair of the Halifax Cycling Coalition, says he still gets emails over a mistaken Metro headline last November, […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Common problems
In 1763, when King George III granted 235 acres of land, “for the use of the inhabitants of the Town of Halifax forever,” the bicycle had still not been invented. These days, the Halifax Common is many things for many people, but one thing is certain: the intersections that surround it are not built for […]
