Gears

Before taking your bike out for a spin, especially if you haven't gone out in a while, it's a good idea to clean it up, service it, and make sure you're safe. It also doesn't hurt to have a shiny bike that doesn't squeak when you go out on a ride with your friends. And you can do all this in the privacy of your own home.

What you will need

1. Lubricant for your chains

2. Dish soap or de-greasing solution

3. Toothpaste

4. Rags

5. Small brush (toothbrush also works)

6. Large brush (toilet scrubber works as well)

7. A bucket or large container

8. Supply of water (garden hose)

Optional item

1. An iPod or some music to keep you entertained

The process (a basic clean-up)

1. If your bike is making weird noises, your problem is most likely rooted in your chain and gears. An easy solution to this somewhat embarassing problem is to clean it up and relubricate it.

The City of Vancouver recently launched the website Talk Green to Us and set out 10 ambitious goals to make itself the greenest city in the world. One goal (number four) specifically focuses on green transporation and aims to make walking, cycling, and taking public transit the dominant form of transportation by 2020.

The website Talk Green to Us allows Vancouver residents to voice their own ideas and has an online voting system that is used to filter out ideas based on popularity. The current most popular idea is "Cycling for Everyone: Develop a complete cycling network that feels safe and attractive to all" with over 450 votes.

Developing a safe cycling network will certainly encourage more residents to commute to work or school on their bicycles. However, the next step towards green commuting is to make cycling in itself attractive to all.

The main setback that bicycle commuters in Vancouver face is the lack of well-maintained and safe roads. Most bike routes in the city are just wider roads that are designed to accomodate both cars and cyclists. While this design works well most of the time, the road presents cyclists with many circumstances that can be difficult and dangerous. Recently, a Quebec truck crash killed 3 cyclists. In light of that tragedy, it's time to think again about how to make roads safe for cyclists.

Vancouver trails miles behind cities like Amsterdam and Copenhagen in terms of providing accessible and safe bike routes. Below is my assessment of some of the bike routes in Vancouver, and what does and doesn't work about them:

West 8th Avenue