celebrate urban cycling

At mid-day today, the city hosted an Urban Bike Fair in the heart of downtown on Granville between Robson and Georgia. I wandered over with a few coworkers and we proceeded to drool over the variety of urban bicycles out on display.

A number of my favourite local bike shops were represented.



At the Denman Bike Shop's tent, I admired the proprieter's Electra Ticino and learned that it has stem shifters (modern bike!), that the saddle is one of the things that most people customize last yet ought to customize first, that you can wrap regular-sized handlebar grips with leather tape, and that they have a massive selection of baskets.



Mighty Riders was out with a number of Opus bikes in tow. The Nuovella (a bike I was considering earlier) still has some loveliness to it, but that green, oh-- that green is just not me...



Rain City Bikes gave us a crash course on the benefits of a Pashley and I confirmed my first opinion on the Batavus BuB: it looks like a giant paperclip.



Among the foldies at JV Bike's tent was this triangular model (do they have a name?). Modestly hiding behind it is a stunning bicycle that I'd heard of but not seen in person yet: a Viva.



My colleague took a spin on the triangle. I imagine he's thinking either "Zoom!" or "Whoah, this thing steers weeeeird." Maybe both.



Although an Urban Bike Fair seems to fit right into the city's cycling strategy anyway, the event actually being celebrated was the opening of the Dunsmuir Bike Lane a few blocks away. (More on that tomorrow...)



You hear that?

Bike, Vancouver!