upcoming Montreal workshop... biking while pregnant/with small children!

spotted parked in Florence (Italia!) last winter

At this point in my life I have lots of friends with small children who are working on figuring out the whole biking with toddlers set-up. If your in the same boat and in Montreal... your in luck!

Saturday October 22nd, 10am-12pm

"Biking while pregnant/Biking with small children"

a FREE workshop/skill-share

hosted by QPIRG Concordia

1500 de Maisonneuve Ouest, suite 204 (metro Guy-Concordia)

Do you ride a bike?

Are you having, or have you recently had, a baby?

Do you want to keep on riding your bike just the same, despite the disapproving looks or comments you're getting when you say so?

(or you're just not sure what - if anything - you should do differently when you ride.)

This workshop aims to:
-bust myths about the 'dangers' of biking through pregnancy
-share tips about biking safely, comfortably, and confidently throughout
your pregnancy
-discuss the ways to transport your little one(s) with you as you bike
-provide a space for parents & parents-to-be to connect and to chat about
biking with child

co-sponsored by: Right To Move/La voie libre, The People's Potato, Concordia University Student Parents Centre, QPIRG Concordia

Right To Move is a non-profit organization that was started in the spring of 1997 by a group from QPIRG-Concordia who believed bicycles are a form of transportation that should be available to all, regardless of gender, age, wealth or ethnicity. They were an awesome resource for me when I lived in Montreal in the late 90's and I'm so happy they are still going on strong!

glow in the dark jeans, yes, you read correctly

How amazing would it be to be spotted riding at night in these Glow In the Dark Jeans! Spotted on Cool Hunting, Naked & Famous Denim uses only the most unique and rare denim fabrics from Japan - and they really went all out with these newly launched line. You can check them out in person at Barneys New York and Barneys COOP nationwide, and here's a bit more about them...

The jeans work because we apply a phosphorescent coating to the fabric in Japan. This coating is baked into the fabric and will absorb light and slowly release that light with an emanating green glow, just like those Glow in the Dark stickers we had on our ceiling as a kid. Just charge them up in the light (can be natural sunlight or artificial bulb light) and then shut the lights and watch ‘em glow! The jeans will also glow intensely under UV light (aka Blacklight), so if you wear the jeans in a club with a blacklight, your pants will appear neon green!

 

pretty in pink

A sweet 16mm portrait about a girl and her custom ♥ pink iridescent glitter bike ♥ shot using Kodak’s new Vision 3 stock. The film maker herself rode her bicycle from Vancouver to St. John’s while shooting areacode in 2002! Thank for sharing, Bridget!

While on the topic of pink, the NYTimes' Freakonomics column had a funny little piece last month citing research from the Netherlands on the unlikely odds of your car being stolen if it's... pink. Wonder if the same holds true for bicycles?

o canada

So pleased to see the comeback of the classic rucksack! Herschel Supply Co. based in Vancouver, Canada, have some nice & simple options for carrying your goods... read about about the company's roots and check out what's in stock. I'm eying their Zippo bag which includes their signature ‘Tear Away’ removable waist straps (detail below) - smart stuff!

nice deck

More from Axiom... bent wood !!♥ front and rear racks with custom formed aluminum stays and wood deck with cutaway areas for bag hook access.

(faux wicker) Bagskets

pannier w/ Posi-Lock rack mounting hardware

Two new bag/baskets debuting this season by Axiom - who since 1988 have been based in the Pacific Coast mountains of British Columbia, Canada offer lots of ultra practical cycling gear.

a DJ's dream on wheels

Jonathan Igharas converted a utility tricycle from Beijing and created a slick mobile DJ unit...

Powered by a rechargeable marine battery and a power inverter, the Ant AV Tricycle is designed to house the essential audio/visual equipment to create sensory-filled social interventions and use public space as a play space.

Sliding rails allow for quick deployment and easy access to the platform contained within, making it possible to move from one location to the next without additional, repetitive setup. A side-access storage cabinet provides a space to store extra wires and other miscellaneous items.

It would be awesome to see it on the NYC streets during Design Week!

via NotCot

bike tree - à la Montréal

Just as the sidewalks are being littered with dried up Christmas trees... here's one (from last month) in front of the precious Cafe Souvenir.

Thanks, Claudine!

rent a bike

The Bicycle Forest, based in Waterloo, Ontario (CANADA!), has a wide range to choose from:


Penny-Farthing
The free wheeling front axle enables you to coast or pedal like today's modern bicycles. lthough the front wheel is enormous, the Wheelman is still fairly easy to mount thanks to the small step built into the frame.

Mini125
The bike rolls along at a decent speed thanks to the tiny rear sprocket. The sprocket is too small to integrate a free wheel, so the free wheeling mechanism is built into the crank.


Couchbike
The Couchbike is adjustable to fit a wide range of sofas. Rent the frame alone, or borrow a couch from us. Also be aware that the Couchbike may not be legal on all roads.

Rhoades Car
The two passenger, long frame Rhoades Car and pimped it out with hubcaps, a windshield, rear view mirrors and a rugged body made of galvanized steel wrapped over a welded chromoly steel frame. The LED tail lights and two 55W headlights will guide you home safely through even the most inclement weather. The spacious bed in the rear offers 585L or 20 cubic feet of storage capacity for all of your cargo hauling needs.

move by bike

a French-Canadian post in honor of Bastille Day...
I ♥ Canada (more than ever)

A lovely friend of mine from Montreal was recently in town and told me about a new moving company that moves all of your earthly possessions by bike for a mere $25/hour (Canadian). You can check out more photos of Transport Myette via their website in case you don't believe me.