“We have metal-working equipment, safety equipment, welding machines.” Tom MacDonald is showing me around his workshop. “It’s essentially a bunch of bikes that have been stripped down for parts, and the good parts survive and the bad parts we chop up and make into cool creations.” MacDonald is the coordinator of the HFX Trailer Share […]
Bike Week
Celebrating Johanna Dean
As rush hour ends on May 28, a crowd of about 300 cyclists pedals along Dartmouth’s Windmill Road at a jogger’s pace. At times a bike bell rings out and others chime in. It is cool but sunny, much like the afternoon Johanna Dean passed away. A week earlier, just before 3pm, the 30-year-old elementary […]
Halifax is seeing an explosion in bike culture
Since the sunshine returned last week it is tough to walk down Bell Road, Vernon or Agricola Streets without seeing someone on two wheels zipping by. This palpable surge in bicycle culture is not unique to Halifax; cities all over Canada are seeing growing numbers of cyclists. Bicycle culture in Halifax is a relatively recent […]
Dave Nauss, the fixer
If you were stuck on a sinking boat in the middle of nowhere with only chewing gum, four feet of wire and a claw hammer, and could choose one companion, you could do no better than Dave Nauss. He could do anything. What he has done is fight fires and repair bicycles. Dave’s dad Jack […]
Greet Bike Week with bells on
Just when we didn’t think it was possible, I Heart Bikes (1507 Lower Water Street, 406-7774) has become an even brighter spot on the boardwalk. Sarah Craig’s amazing bike rental, city tour and retail shop has recently upgraded its digs, after out-growing the little hut it operated out of for the past two seasons. And […]
Amazing racers
Spandex. It’s hard to take seriously. Like visitors from some utopian future, the cyclists who wear these plastic outfits seem out of place, disconnected from the real world. With aerodynamic helmets, futuristic sunglasses and protein-filled food in bar form, they seem ready to be shot into space, to leave this mixed-up planet behind. It’s easy […]
Bicycle buffs
The World Naked Bike Ride will be baring it all along the streets of Halifax for its fifth year on June 9. Tom MacDonald has been organizing the event for the last four years. He sees it as a way for cyclists to empower themselves by being a bold positive presence on the road. “I […]
Happy trailers
All across the city bikers are getting down to business and businesses are getting on to bikes. “People need to know that biking is a real option for them personally and professionally,” Moira Peters says. She is about to launch her business, Unwined: Tasting Parties by Moira, this summer and she will be carrying all […]
Easy as BMX
Sick of the standard bicycle commute and looking to spice it up with some bunny hops and nose wheelies? There are a few things to consider when purchasing a BMX bike for the first time. Complete beginner bikes generally range from $400 to $600. For starters, look for a bike frame that is made of […]
Tweed Run and Picnic brings style to Bike Week
This Sunday afternoon fashion meets passion for cycling. Intrigued? Getting involved is easy. Step one: dig out your best coat, newsboy cap, tweed trousers and suspenders. If your closet isn’t looking as 1900s as you wish it did, grab your Sunday best—those clothes that make you feel good, maybe even those pumps you’ve never biked […]
Spin city
In Amsterdam, two-wheelers rule the road. Bike bells chime more than car horns blare and narrow streets are full of weaving cyclists—couriers, tourists, cops, commuters or parents with kiddies in tow. There are nearly as many bikes as people in the city, making up 40 percent of the traffic flow. There’s no shortage of places […]
Redux, reuse and recycle
When you dream, if you dream of co-op bike shops, chances are that the images that linger behind your eyelids paint a picture of something like Bike Again!. Luckily for Halifax, Bike Again! is a real place located in the Bloomfield Community Centre (2786 Agricola Street). Find the door with paintings of cyclists on it […]

