Yeah most roundabouts aren't too bad unless it's multi-lane with medium traffic (ie busy but still moving fast) but that one actually has signs up about how many accidents there have been to try make drivers more cautious. I have now been on it once when it's quiet, and managed to get around without being overtaken, but I don't want to use it regularly.

British cycle infrastructure is hit & miss, there are quite a few cycle lanes and in most cases they help, if only to make drivers aware that bicycles are meant to be on the road, but sometimes they make drivers assume bicycles should always be on the left, and in some cases they are made up of short sections of lane that stop where they are needed most, or narrow to almost nothing for a central reservation... this can be dangerous. Then there are plenty that just get used for parking, which in some cases I understand as where else are you meant to park... but if a cycle lane is packed with cars 90% of the time then it's pointless. I understand the difficulty in designing the infrastructure though, especially on Britains roads which are probably on average 50% narrower than over the pond, and plenty of residential areas don't have off-street parking.

From what I have seen in videos London is slowly building up some very good cycle infrastructure, though probably still a far cry from the Dutch, and it seems to have partly moved aggressive impatiant commuters onto bikes too, (running reds and flitering like maniacs) who might at least be less of a danger to other cyclists than a car but it doesn't help show cyclists in a good light.

I think one major problem with road cycling is you have to protect yourself against both ignorant drivers, and arrogant drivers... and the solution to each is often mutually exclusive. ie riding in "primary" middle of the road position will stop most ignorant drivers from trying to overtake in stupid places, but some arrogant drivers will just overtake faster & closer to you out of spite.

Luckily there aren't as many arrogant drivers around here yet I also avoid rush hour if possible. There are some here too ofcourse, sometimes even shouting get off the road out the window as they pass. And yeah cyclist aren't angels either. On my driving exam here I had a cyclist cross in front on me on a red light at two occasions. They probably helped me pass as I knew they weren't going to stop, evened out my not by the rules mirror checking. (I had to take the exam again after moving accross the pond)

There is a third category of drivers here. "Oh my god a bicycle, what do I do" drivers. They tend to overtake so far to the other side they actually go off road in a huge cloud of dust. Those are the ones that almost cause accidents with oncoming traffic. Cyclist are still rather uncommon here, especially since the country is in deep freeze half of the year.

I must say truck drivers are very good here. Never have a problem with those and there are a lot of trucks around here. Taxi drivers the same. Such a difference from taxis in Amsterdam. Ofcourse big cities tend to fuel road rage.

Yeah the arrogant are the minority, but even if it's only 1% you are likely to meet at least 1 every hour of riding, and it then depends on what the road is like for how you have to use it, and thus how they behave when passing.

I think I probably lump that third category with the ignorant, I have had a few who seem to linger behind me unsure of what to do even when there is ample room to overtake, then pick the worst moment to do so without properly looking ahead (though here in the UK there generally isn't an off-road section either side of the road)

For adhering to road rules cyclists are probably second only to scooter riders in terms of what percentage of them regularly ignore them, although plenty of those are more like wheeled pedestrians than cyclists (ie it's technically illegal to ride on the path but unless it's in a busy pedestrian area and you keep the speed down I don't see an issue)
I think truck drivers are normally very good everywhere, they get a lot more training and there is a lot more regulation. Large van drivers are more of a nuisance IMO as they still have a large vehicle with limited visibilty but have the same training and license as any other car driver. They are also more likely to be in a rush pressured by work, and as it's unregulated might have been working for longer hours than is safe.

I ride frequently, but I'm a mtn biker.  I do have a Lemond road bike, but hardly ever use it.  I find road riding boring and even worse, dangerous with the motorists lack of care.  I'll take my chances with rocks, roots and trees anyday.

My main ride is a 2016 Trek Remedy 8.  Id link a pic, but have no idea of how to do that.

I used to be much more into mountain biking than road riding. Almost all my accidents have been while mountain biking though, maybe I finally had enough of being banged up half the summer :) There are still plenty visible scars on my legs and arms.

Last year I got 'doored' cycling a bit too close to parked cars. The tip of my handle bar hit the car door swinging open in front of me, knocking the wheel sideways and I went flying, landing on my back on the road, not fun. Crashing on a mountain bike path is preferable (Unless you're unlucky and end up with a stick sticking through your arm, luckily never happened to me)

Anyway I should have taken my bike today, got pulled over on the road for out of date license plate sticker. CAD 110 fine. I swear we never got the renewal notice. Frigging archaic system anyway, stickers in 2017...

Had a nice crash this past weekend

Luckily more of a 'topple-off' than an actual crash, but first accident in 15 years none-the-less. Mostly my fault but I can lay some partial blame on poorly maintained surface (well actually had the surface been good there definately wouldn't have been a problem, but I still could have avoided it)

I was on a canal towpath that is mostly tarmac, generally seems ok but there are a few areas where tree-roots have pushed up the surface. I wasn't going excessively fast but had just passed some pedestrians so I had started to accellerate, I would guess 12-15mph. I'd looked down at my pedals temporarily, and on looking back up I tried to go around a raised section thanks to a tree-root, but hadn't looked on enough as just after is a partially collapsed part of the track which I went into. It's not a big drop (maybe 5-10cm) but it is also uneven so I had wheels sliding sideways at different times. Bike went down sideways and I rolled out of it.

As I was going fairly slow I got some minor damage to myself (stubbed my toe somehow, small elbow graze, bruise on hip & right palm & a graze on my back I didn't notice till the next day) Somehow avoided any damage to my knees/legs at all. My main concern is a pain in my left wrist, but after a couple of days it is definately feeling better. If I can still feel anything after a week though I may get it checked just in case.

As long as my wrist is ok though my next concern is the bike, gearing seems to work as before (hard to tell exactly as I had just put a new chain on, there is a scratch on the rear derailleur but if it bent the hanger it can't have been by much) I swear my bars seem to have tilted back slightly, but the brake levers forward at the same time.... but I can't see how. My position just felt different when I rode home and I haven't ridden again since the weekend just to make sure I don't do anything to my wrist, so maybe I was just sitting different. Also scratched my brake lever & broke my rearview mirror (which is at least cheap) Probably the worst thing is 2 gouges down my rear rim across the brake surface from the wheel dropping sideways over the tarmac. No doubt this will wear the pads down really fast so I may have to get a new wheel

Still, at least I am ok and the bike isn't too bad. Glad I was wearing gloves.

^ Sometimes it's best to find a good landing spot instead of trying to stay on. I still have a scar on my leg from 2 years ago staying on a wildly bouncing bike caught in an eroded downhill section on a rocky trail.


I just bought new tires as I was already riding on the seams on my back tire a few weeks ago. I put on an old front tire in the meantime, back tires wear out twice as fast. The thing was so far gone it was folding in half when I took it off. Less than a year old, riding on gravel pathways and unpaved roads wears out tires fast. I now have a Specialized Borough CX pro 700x42c tire for the back. Kinda pricy, but hopefully this compound tire will last longer and better resistant to punctures. I also replaced the inner tube as it was losing pressure overnight again, dropping from 75 to 60psi every night. Likely an old patch that's slowly starting to leak. I'm sticking to the Specialized Borough Sport 700x45c for the front. I rarely have a puncture in the front (can't remember the last time), most weight is on the back tire. Not worth spending an extra $20 just to have prefectly matching tires. Plus extra grip on the front is always welcome on gravel paths.


Yesterday I visted lake Ontario again on my longest route. Great day for cycling, except the water was pretty cold, weird to go from sweating to goosebumps in 2 seconds. The bridge was open when I got there, always fun to see that thing in action.



It looks like this shortcut on the floating bridge to the waterfront trail will remain closed this year

It flooded in may, expected to cost millions to repair 'correctly'. So since they don't want to risk any liability suits the whole thing is fenced off sending bikes onto the main roads, much safer right... It is pretty bad looking though


Riding along the lake is worth the time to get there through all the city streets

12km trail section right along the shore with view of the Toronto skyline over the horizon. That lift bridge is where the pier sticks out. Watching and listening to the waves crash on the beach while cycling along is very nice. Plus on the way back the road goes along the Bay then over forested hills with great views, dipping all the way down before having to climb back up 150m.

Well in the couple of seconds I had I was trying to avoid going into the canal, but I came away from the bike nicely which I think is why I avoided any leg injuries.

I have 2 shin scars and one if them is kind of bicycle related, lifting my bike & climbing over a concrete stile when I was a kid, my foot slipped and I landed on my shin on the concrete edge.

As for tyres, not really ridden enough yet to get my own experience, but I have heard good things about Continental.

Nice photos btw, looks like a great place to ride.

Today, a helmet saved my 8 year old's life according to the doctor. He's just back home from the hospital, still disoriented and suffering from memory loss 6 hours after he crashed. He kept asking the same thing every 5 seconds, could not remember why he was there, and had pretty much forgotten everything from the past week. Some things are slowly coming back now, nothing from today yet.

He wasn't even going that fast. We were almost home, already in our street and he accelerated to about 20 maybe 25kph when he must have looked behind him to see where I was with the buggy and his brother. His front wheel somehow went accross and he smacked with his head onto the street, ended up folded double with his shoe stuck between the handle bars and frame. His helmet has a large crack in it and lots of dents, arm, elbow, shoulder, face, leg all busted up. Yet the scary part was the confusion and total short term memory loss.

They kept him at the hospital for observation for almost 3 hours until he started to become coherent again. Now he must have total rest, no activity, no video games, just some light tv watching. He has a severe concussion and that only from a simple fall on a flat road at moderate speed. Always wear a helmet.

Damn man, glad he's recovering.
Totally agree about always wearing a helmet, for falls and slower collisions they are lifesavers.