An Open Letter to Active Transportation Advocacy Groups

(I originally posted this to Facebook, but the response I got there convinced me to post it here.) Dear Active Transportation Advocates & Advocacy Groups: I’m fat. Until very recently, I rode a bike everywhere. I was still fat. I’m not alone. Oh sure, there aren’t many of us in Vancouver, but there are in […]

Scenes From A Bike Lane

I felt my lungs expanding, the tension leave my body. I’ve been away from my bike for much too long, and although last week’s aborted turn left me in poor spirits, today’s abundant sunshine and early-spring warmth lured me back to the saddle. The sun was both blinding and restorative, and I felt the sap […]

Scenes From a Bike Commute: Good Girl

A middle-aged woman with a riot of luscious gray curls crossed the street in front of me as I waited at the stop sign. She was walking a small, skittish dog, and as she drew nearer I heard her say “Good girl!” “Look at you, all colour-coordinated!” she said to me as she crossed. I’m […]

Scenes From a Commute – A Boy and His Bunny

I don’t exactly recall how this exchange between strangers turned into one of my favourite things about my daily ride through my neighbourhood, but I’ve lived long enough to know that life will always find ways to surprise me. Because I don’t cook much these days (standing for longer than 5 minutes at a time […]

Scene From the Bike Lane

It’s a gorgeous sunny day, and I’m pedalling up the Hornby bike lane. I’m on my way to get blood work done, but I’m feeling quite happy because the sky is a fantastic shade of blue, my knees don’t hurt, and the streets are teeming with people for me to gawk at. I’ve stopped at […]

On Lockdown

After an all too real dream about my bike being stolen, I thought I’d share a photo of how I lock my bike when I’m out and about. That’s right — two locks; one through the frame and bike rack, and the other through the rear wheel and frame.

Rainy Night Rolling Reverie

Short, natural hair is the way to go for black women who bike, especially if you get caught in an unexpected rainshower;
Soma’s B-Line tires are ideal urban tires for rain slicked streets. The water just sluices right off them; which made me glad I had…
SKS Longboard fenders. The extra length can make hopping off curbs dicey, but they’re great at keeping water from splashing up on your feet or onto the underside of your frame.
Getting caught in a light but soaking shower is a game of mind over matter. If you smile — especially at the bumper to bumper line of cars at a standstill over on your right — you’ll find that you can almost forget about the rain for awhile. Just blink now and again and make sure you wear waterproof mascara.

Try One On For Size

If you’re anything like me, you try a lot of things on for size as you go through life. Maybe you’ve gained, lost, (and in my case, regained) weight. As our bodies fluctuate, we sometimes lose sight of what size we wear at any given point in our lives. Vanity sizing only complicates matters, so […]

Bike Shop Betty

my Rivendell Betty Foy frame at Dream Cycle in Vancouver

So, this is happening. I still can’t quite believe it’s happening, and heaven knows I can’t really afford it, but it’s happening.

Details on the build to come. You’ll know it’s complete when you hear the high pitched squeals coming from Vancouver.

Fat People Ride Bikes, Too

There’s an update to this post at the end. No, it’s true! However, Flying Pigeon LA apparently thinks that fat people are fat because they drive everywhere and are against bike lanes: 58% of adults in LA County are overweight or obese – look at anti-#fig4all folks. http://t.co/h3rn8YQ9mN — Flying Pigeon LA (@flyingpigeonla) August 9, […]