Biking trip from Kitchener to Toronto.

[DanielSchnarr]

Hey everyone. Just wanted to share a biking experiance I had over the weekend.

Over 3 days me and 2 friends managed to bike to Toronto from Kitchener. I must say it was a challenge and since I've never done this sort of thing -- very unique! My knee caps are sore and I'm sunburnt but I love it!

People were telling me how Toronto is BAD, CRIMINAL and Dangerous. It could be, but when I went there over the weekend, I saw nothing out of my eyes the entire trip that would deem Toronto dangerous. We went downtown, on biking trails and throughout York and Mississauga.

Any tips on to better prepare for long bike rides like this in the future?

Thanks kindly for reading this post.

 

[Sheerin]

Congratulations, thats quite the bike ride!

And thank you, as a proud citizen of Toronto, I absolutely hate it when people from small towns who've never been to Toronto start talking about just how dangerous of a city it is.  Please, go forth and tell everyone that Toronto is a safe place...

Yes I know K-W isn't a small town, but you know what i mean!

 

[Zell_Dietrich]

Congrats on that hard earned Sunburn  ;-)  And more congrats on the reality check :-D  I live downtown Toronto, I feel as safe or safer here walking around at night than I did in Alberta.  Although I do have to say the smog will kill you. :warstory:

 

[TMM]

Congrats on the great bike ride! Did you use the Waterfront Trail at all? I'm also sending a huge thanks for not hating my city! Truth be told I feel safer in downtown TO at 03:00 than I do in the supposedly safe burbs where I live.

Regarding actual cycling advice, definitely plan your route and get feedback from other cyclists on safest routes, best pit stops. A bit of planning goes a long way.

 

[DanielSchnarr]

Yes, I did in fact do the waterfront trail! Very nice!! Kind salute to you Toronto people  !!

edit: My next trip is to Niagra Falls.

 

[TMM]

edit: My next trip is to Niagra Falls.

Make sure to stop at the winereies en route! I did that bike trip when unbeknownst to me I was pregnant - no wonder I tired out. It is a lovely ride along the escarpment, Lundy's Lane - lots of shade.

 

[foerestedwarrior]

Well, I can give you some advice, I am up to about 200km a week between road, and mounain biking.

For training, just get out there and ride....pretty easy. What kind of bike are you on, like a cruiser, or a road bike?

Niagra, I have only rode there once, but I found it infinitly better then riding around here(north of barrie, aka Cottage Country). Though that is in large part due to the jerk drivers from the GTA that invade my home, run me off the road and throw their garbage at me(literally has all happened to me).

I found the Niagra area to be fantastic, good condition and clean roads. Drivers were for the most part very non aggressive to me, gave me lots of room. It was really windy, so going out, I was cruisin at 45km/h, but comming back it was a fight to do 25..... Wind is a big factor if you are riding the waterfront.

 

[DanielSchnarr]

Thanks for the kind words of advice and experiance.

For the record I'm riding on a mountain bike. I'm wondering if I should invest into a better suited bike too?

 

[foerestedwarrior]

well I assume you are riding paved trails. You can do little things that cost very little that will make it alot easier.

Get slicks(tires with little to no tread), this will have alot less rolling resistance, so you can go faster with the same ammount of effort, or same speed with less effort.
Number one thing I would recomend, is keep the drive train clean. Look up on the internet on how to clean the drivetrain, you can purchase the stuff you need at places like MEC, and most of your LBS(Local Bike Shop).
Also, before a big ride like this, get a tune up at your LBS, it will go a long way to keep your bike running smother for longer.

If you are really getting into the road riding, I HIGHLY recomemnd a real road bike. What kind I would recomend is directly proportional to the budget you have.

A good place to start to try and find a good deal on used bikes would be www.canadiancyclist.com. Lots of good deals in the classifieds section.

 

[DanielSchnarr]

Thank you for the link and information.