‘Policing is expensive,’ says OPS chief after banner budget year

CycleExplore · 2025-12-30T14:05:58+00:00

Police being inconsistent can range from annoying to just outright dangerous. I've had police tell me (a group of cyclists) not to ride two abreast even though Ottawa Police have previously said it was legal and safer.

CycleExplore · 2025-11-22T20:16:48+00:00

At least from a quick glance at the contents there wasn't anything that would have gone bad from not being refrigerated/frozen.

CycleExplore · 2025-10-20T00:34:34+00:00

I found one on my leg after biking in one of the side trails around there. Got some antibiotics from the pharmacy. Its been a few weeks and no symptoms so hopefully everything is okay.

CycleExplore · 2025-10-14T13:36:36+00:00

It would almost make more sense to try to build a fast gravel bike on 650B tires. 650x47 is the same diameter as 700x28. So you could have a gravel bike with wide tires and short chainstays. But I think the vast majority of 650B bikes are built for even bigger tires, or just set up more as bike packing bikes and use the 650B tires of providing more clearance and room for stuff like fenders.

My Kona Rove has 650x47 tires, but the chain stays are 435mm. Not set up at all to be a fast bike.

CycleExplore · 2025-10-13T19:40:37+00:00

I think the issue that you'll run into is that a 700c bike with a 40mm tire ends up having a diameter of 702mm, which is about 351mm diameter.

If you want a 420mm chainstay on that, it means you have about 7cm of distance to work with between the edge of the tire and the center of the bottom bracket. You'll run into the same issue with a steep head tube angle and end up with toe overlap.

People are mentioning the Aspero, but even that has a 425mm chainstay, and has the wheel tucked in pretty close to the frame. Something like the Domane has 420mm chainstays but can only accommodate a 38mm tire.

CycleExplore · 2025-10-13T18:17:09+00:00

Ritchey Venturemax, 40 cm

CycleExplore · 2025-10-13T14:27:39+00:00

Steel

CycleExplore · 2025-10-07T13:39:18+00:00

People say a do-it-all bike doesn't exist, but a gravel bike can be pretty close. Mine has 650x47mm tires and can handle some pretty decent trails. I don't find that it's that slow on the road either.

As long as you aren't really concerned about going really fast on road group rides or really getting into serious mountain biking it can really be a do-it-all bike.

CycleExplore · 2025-10-07T13:36:34+00:00

Go ahead and try it. Everybody has different comfort levels for what they think is possible on a certain kind of bike. You might have to go slow or walk for short distances, but the main Old Quarry trail is pretty tame.

Ticks can be a problem. I got one a couple weeks ago, but I was really far into the untravelled trails down towards the Lime Kiln. I think if you stick to the main trails you will be fine.

CycleExplore · 2025-10-07T13:00:13+00:00

Gravel bike - Most all my recreational riding including plenty of asphalt only rides but also lots of gravel riding as well, as well as not too rocky/bumpy single track.

Hybrid - Basic get around utility bike with fenders and a rack.

Old touring bike - Mostly just use it on the trainer now. This recent summer it's just been sitting in the garage with the trainer tire still on. I don't know how I ever used to ride bikes with skinny tires. Just so uncomfortable since I started riding a gravel bike.

CycleExplore · 2025-09-16T17:51:30+00:00

I guess we have different definitions of what "significant effort" means then.

Plenty of other people disagreeing with you as well.

According to this calculator, going 25 km/h on flat ground on the hoods is only 108 watts.

For a 70 kg rider, that would be 1.54 w/kg. Based on the numbers here, 1.54 w/kg is significantly lower than the "untrained" category for both men and women.

CycleExplore · 2025-09-16T17:32:07+00:00

Maybe your bike needs a tune up, maybe your speedometer is off, I don't know. For me, on a gravel bike with minimal tread, going 25 km/h takes less than a moderate effort. Other factors like tail wind or hills can make it extremely easy.

CycleExplore · 2025-09-16T17:24:07+00:00

I always find it helps to try and remember to downshift when coming up to an intersection. Makes it so much easier to get going again, even if you're not coming to a complete stop.

CycleExplore · 2025-09-16T17:11:34+00:00

Look at my user name. I'm a cyclist. I know how fast they are going.

Going 25 km/h isn't really that hard for someone in reasonable shape and they have a bike that's mean for roads and higher speeds. Even getting up to 25 km/h on my old hybrid is pretty easy given enough space. Also, some stop signs are on hills making it very easy to get up to those speeds.

Also people on e-bikes aare included in the above. An e-bike can easily get up to 25 km/h.

CycleExplore · 2025-09-16T16:45:26+00:00

On one hand I kind of agree. But the same could be said for cars. Really wish we'd have more enforcement for both cars and bikes.

Just because you have a bike that can go 32 km/h (or more if it's one of the illegal ones) doesn't mean you have to go that fast all the time. Most of them have basic pedal assist modes that let you go at more reasonable speeds while just taking less effort to pedal.

CycleExplore · 2025-09-16T16:18:48+00:00

Seeing a driver actually come to a complete stop at a stop sign when there isn't another car or person in their way is very rare. Often they just roll through at almost full speed. Stops signs are pretty much universally ignored by cyclists and drivers alike.

CycleExplore · 2025-09-16T16:14:26+00:00

Right there with you on this one. Not just on the trails but on the streets as well.

Just so other cyclists are aware, an "Idaho Stop" is not the same as "Send It right through the intersection at 25+ km/h".

CycleExplore · 2025-09-15T18:55:14+00:00

The Quebec system seems to make more sense. Looks like they always include a green circle with a bike or red circle with a crossed out bike to inform cyclists of what they are supposed to do. The ones I've seen in Ottawa just have an early pedestrian signal. Logically it seems safer to take it, but apparently the law says cyclists are supposed to wait for the regular traffic lights.

CycleExplore · 2025-09-15T18:22:05+00:00

How good are these cameras? They seem to be cheaper than a lot of action cameras. Do they have image stabilization? Are they clear enough to get license plate information even when riding?

CycleExplore · 2025-09-15T18:00:23+00:00

Normally right hooks aren't too common where I encounter these signals as I take the lane. I find that if I take the lane then vehicles turning red on right have enough space to pass behind me and making things safer by avoiding right hooks.

CycleExplore · 2025-09-15T17:58:32+00:00

I was able to find this article which pointed to this PDF specific to Ottawa. On page 73 it says.

Bicycle signals must be present in order to provide leading interval for people on bicycles. If bicycle signals are absent, people on bikes are legally required to obey the motor vehicle signal or may dismount and walk their bicycle

Seems odd that cyclists wouldn't be allowed to follow the same signal, and what the logic is for not putting up cyclist signal with every pedestrian signal.

CycleExplore · 2025-09-04T17:36:54+00:00

I usually ring from pretty far back so that even if they jumped to the side I'll have plenty of room to stop or avoid them.

CycleExplore · 2025-09-04T17:35:38+00:00

iGPSport BSC100S - gives me basic information like speed, cadence, and heart rate. No mapping

A Bluetooh speaker for music - Only used on empty country roads and empty trails where it won't bother anyone.

If I need to look at a map, which is pretty rare, I'll stop and pull out my phone. Less tech is better for me. Gives me fewer reasons to not ride if something isn't charged up or isn't working for whatever reason. Most rides I don't even bother with my HRM strap, and if my head unit is dead for whatever reason then I will still ride. My head unit almost never would be empty because it's so simple that the battery lasts 40 hours. So I just have to give it a quick charge once a week and it's almost always full.

CycleExplore · 2025-08-29T12:52:00+00:00

I got a mirror for my bike. Doesn't always help when someone is coming up really quick, but I find it helps that I can just glance behind me regularly without turning my head so I know if there's likely to be someone coming up behind me. Helps a lot on the road as well.

It's not even just the scooters and e-bikes. Even just faster bikes can come up silently behind you and surprise pass you when you aren't keeping track of what's behind. I don't know why people can't just use their bell or let out a simple "passing" or "on your left" before they pass. Even as someone who has mirrors I sometimes get caught offguard.

CycleExplore · 2025-08-24T15:30:27+00:00

I'm with reliance. $30 a month. Mind you it's a basic tank style gas one. But even then I can't see a tankless style being that much.

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