BikeFriday

MTV Live Rocks the BikeFriday Tonight!

2007-09-06T11:57:00.000-07:00

Tonight at 6 PM, if you watch MTV Live, you'll see a segment all about bikes, including stuff from July's BikeFriday!

I know they interviewed Tammy T from Spacing, as well as Cheri Di Novo, the local MPP, who congregated at the Alternative Grounds Coffee Shop before BikePooling it downtown on the last friday in July (the 27th).

Watch it if you can... and if anyone knows how to record it and get it up on YouTube, I'd LOVE to hear from you.

What's on for August 31st

2007-08-28T14:02:00.000-07:00

Great stuff happening in BikeFriday land :)

We've got all the crazy bikepools / group commutes happening (I'll list them below) all over Toronto (but you can add yours too, if you want), but here's a few events you'll want to check out:

Grassroot's Bikers Breakfast:
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM

Hop on your bike and find some two-wheeled solidarity this Friday among the folks at Grassroots-Annex (408 Bloor Street West, at Brunswick), for our monthly “Biker Breakfast” in support of Toronto's bicycle commuters.

Enjoy a delicious, wholesome breakfast snack donated by our friends at Organics on Bloor (468 Bloor St. W.) and Urban Herbivore (64 Oxford St.).

You can even bring your own coffee mug for extra-environmentally-friendly coffee drinking! :)

Alternative Grounds' Coffee for Cyclists: 8:00 AM - 9:30 AM

Show up at Alternative Grounds (333 Roncesvalles) with your bike helmet and score yourself a free in-store (not take-out) coffee.

Critical Mass 6:00 - 8:00 PM

THE biking event for cyclist who want to show other road users that bikes belong on the streets.

Join hundreds of other Toronto cyclists for a sometimes civil, sometimes hell-raising ride around downtown.

Meet up on the south-east corner of Bloor & Spadina at 6:00, ride at 6:30.

BikePools / Group Commutes 7:00 - 9:00 AM

The concept is simple - let's meet up in groups and ride to work together. Biking to work can sometimes be dangerous - but it's safer when you ride with other people.

Drivers are a lot more careful around groups of cyclists. Riding in a group encourages novice cyclists to participate and makes cyclists more visible to motorists. Organized rides also show motorists that cycling is a viable alternative to driving.

If you already ride your bike to work, why not invite others to join you. Email joe@bikingtoronto.com to have your BikeFriday route posted on this website.

Bike-Commute in Mississauga?
Smart Commute Mississauga has Group Rides for you!

7:00 AM - Parliament & Carlton
to Victoria Park & Gordon Baker Road [map]
To join this ride, email David at
dcurtis@careerfoundation.org

7:30 AM - Yonge & Major Mackenzie
to Hwy 7 & Warden [map]
To join this ride, email Andrew at
andrew@monkeymartian.com

7:30 AM - Bloor & HighPark (Westbound)
to Mississauga City Centre [map]
To join this ride, email Vic at
vic@gedris.org

8:00 AM - Bloor & HighPark (Eastbound)
via Bloor to downtown [map]
To join this ride, email Martino at
himartino@gmail.com

8:00 AM - Danforth & Woodbine
via the Danforth & Bloor to downtown [map]
To join this ride, email Joe at
joe@bikingtoronto.com

8:00 AM - Yonge & Lawrence
to Hwy 7 & Leslie [map]
To join this ride, email Darren at
dazjenx@gmail.com
8:45 AM - Roncesvalles & Grenadier
(Alternative Grounds Coffee Shop, 333 Roncy)
to the University of Toronto [map]
To join this ride, email Tammy at
tammy.thorne@utoronto.ca

Add YOUR Commute!
Add your bike-to-work route to this page, find others going the same way. Email BikeFriday.

BikeFriday Rocks, on MTV Live!

2007-08-21T06:29:00.000-07:00

While the next BikeFriday is less than two weeks away (Friday, August 31st), the last one saw a new event take place at Alternative Grounds on Roncesvalles... a breakfast with homemade muffins and fairtrade coffee, as well as Alex and Jesse from the City’s BUG program there providing lots of bike literature about City cycling info.

Afterwards there was a bike commute with you'll be able to watch on MTV Live on September 6th. Pretty cool, and just in time to get people psyched up for Friday, August 31st. Rock! :)

Rowena Santos, Cheri di Novo and Tammy Thorne

Alex and Jessie, from the City's BUG program

Photo's by Peter Foy, SNAP Bloor West

Two Weeks Until BikeFriday on August 31st!

2007-08-17T10:44:00.000-07:00

BikeFriday started a year ago in August 2006. This month it's on the 31st. Are you ready?

Here's what is going on:

BikePools / Group Commutes
The concept is simple - let's meet up in groups and ride to work together. Biking to work can sometimes be dangerous - but it's safer when you ride with other people.

Drivers are a lot more careful around groups of cyclists. Riding in a group encourages novice cyclists to participate and makes cyclists more visible to motorists. Organized rides also show motorists that cycling is a viable alternative to driving.

If you already ride your bike to work, why not invite others to join you. Email joe@bikingtoronto.com to have your BikeFriday route posted on this website.

Bike-Commute in Mississauga?
Smart Commute Mississauga has Group Rides for you!

7:00 AM - Parliament & Carlton
to Victoria Park & Gordon Baker Road [map]
To join this ride, email David at
dcurtis@careerfoundation.org

7:30 AM - Yonge & Major Mackenzie
to Hwy 7 & Warden [map]
To join this ride, email Andrew at
andrew@monkeymartian.com

7:30 AM - Bloor & HighPark (Westbound)
to Mississauga City Centre [map]
To join this ride, email Vic at
vic@gedris.org

8:00 AM - Bloor & HighPark (Eastbound)
via Bloor to downtown [map]
To join this ride, email Martino at
himartino@gmail.com

8:00 AM - Danforth & Woodbine
via the Danforth & Bloor to downtown [map]
To join this ride, email Joe at
joe@bikingtoronto.com

8:00 AM - Yonge & Lawrence
to Hwy 7 & Leslie [map]
To join this ride, email Darren at
dazjenx@gmail.com

9:00 AM - Roncy & Garden (just north of Queen)
to the University of Toronto [map]
To join this ride, email Tammy at
tammy.thorne@utoronto.ca

Add YOUR Commute!
Add your bike-to-work route to this page, find others going the same way. Email BikeFriday.

8:00-9:30 AM
Grassroots Bikers Breakfast
408 Bloor West (at Bathurst)
Join the friendly folks at Grassroots for some free breakfast treats!

6:00-8:00 PM
Critical Mass
Join lots of other Toronto cyclists for the downtown ride called ! Meet from 6:00 - 6:30 pm on the south-east corner of Bloor & Spadina.

The July 27th Edition of BikeFriday!

2007-07-25T13:28:00.001-07:00

This friday is the 12th monthly BikeFriday!

There's a lot of good stuff going on, so here's a quick run-down for you:

Free Breakfast on Roncy!

Free Breakfast on the Danforth!

Hop on your bike and find some two-wheeled solidarity this Friday among the folks at Grassroots-Danforth (372 Danforth Ave. at Chester), for our monthly “Biker Breakfast” in support of Toronto's bicycle commuters. You can even bring your own coffee mug for extra-environmentally-friendly coffee drinking! :)

BikePools / Group Commutes!

The concept is simple - let's meet up in groups and ride to work together. Biking to work can sometimes be dangerous - but it's safer when you ride with other people.

Drivers are a lot more careful around groups of cyclists. Riding in a group encourages novice cyclists to participate and makes cyclists more visible to motorists. Organized rides also show motorists that cycling is a viable alternative to driving.

7:00 AM - Parliament & Carlton
to Victoria Park & Gordon Baker Road [map]
To join this ride, email David at
dcurtis@careerfoundation.org

7:30 AM - Yonge & Major Mackenzie
to Hwy 7 & Warden [map]
To join this ride, email Andrew at
andrew@monkeymartian.com

7:30 AM - Bloor & HighPark (Westbound)
to Mississauga City Centre [map]
To join this ride, email Vic at
vic@gedris.org

8:00 AM - Bloor & HighPark (Eastbound)
via Bloor to downtown [map]
To join this ride, email Martino at
himartino@gmail.com

8:00 AM - Danforth & Woodbine
via the Danforth & Bloor to downtown [map]
To join this ride, email Joe at
joe@bikingtoronto.com

8:00 AM - Yonge & Lawrence
to Hwy 7 & Leslie [map]
To join this ride, email Darren at
dazjenx@gmail.com

8:30 AM - Queen West!
(meet at Parkdale Library (1303 Queen West) before heading east to Queen & McCaul)
To join this ride, email Jo at
jo@traffikedit.com

9:00 AM - Roncy & Garden (just north of Queen)
to the University of Toronto [map]
To join this ride, email Tammy at
tammy.thorne@utoronto.ca

Bike-Commute in Mississauga?
Smart Commute Mississauga has Group Rides for you!

Add YOUR Commute!
Add your bike-to-work route to this page, find others going the same way. Email BikeFriday.

Critical Mass

Bloor & Spadina
Meet at 6:00, Ride at 6:30

Enjoy an early evening ride with hundreds of other cyclists through downtown Toronto.

BikeFriday in the Mississauga News!

2007-07-04T08:31:00.000-07:00

A couple articles appeared in the Mississauga News before and after the most recent BikeFriday (June 29th, 2007). Here they are for your reading enjoyment. :)

Pre-BikeFriday:

Pedal pushers back in style

When a large group of cyclists wend their way from Riverwood to City Hall this Friday in an historic ride, Smart Commute Mississauga’s Glenn Gumulka says they will be showing that riding a bike is a realistic way to get to work.

Post-BikeFriday:

Cyclists make smart commute

Two dozen cyclists made their way from Riverwood Park to City Hall on Friday morning, ushering in the first-ever local Bike Friday.

Tomorrow is BikeFriday!

2007-06-28T13:27:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the 11th monthly BikeFriday... we've been doing it every last Friday of the month since August 2006... and now it's starting to pick up.

We've got BikePools / GroupCommutes all over the city, and even the City of Mississauga is getting in on the fun!

Mississauga Embraces BikeFriday!

2007-06-25T08:25:00.000-07:00

Great news out of the city just west of Toronto!

The City of Mississauga and Smart Commute Mississauga is embracing the last Friday of every month as BikeFriday - with the inaugural ride (and breakfast!) scheduled for this Friday, June 29th!

All the details can be found on the Smart Commute site as well, but here they are:

The last Friday of each month is Bike Friday in Mississauga.

Smart Commute Mississauga is encouraging all cyclists to participate in the Bike Friday campaign by riding to work on the last Friday of each month. Riding in a group encourages novice cyclists to participate and makes cyclists more visible to motorists. Organized rides also show motorists that cycling is a viable alternative to driving.

Inaugural Ride & Pancake Breakfast

Councilors Parrish and Mullin along with the Mississauga Cycling Advisory Committee and Smart Commute Mississauga invite you to the inaugural Bike Friday ride and pancake breakfast on Friday June 29th.

Ride Details

Cyclists will meet at the Barn in Riverwood Park (1447 Burnhamthorpe Rd. W.) for a reception from 7:00am to 7:30am. Cyclists will be given a registration patch and entered for random draw prizes.

Enter Riverwood Park from the north side of Burnhamthorpe Road. The park is located on the eastern bank of the Credit River. Proceed to the top of the hill and follow the signs to the Barn.

At 7:45am cyclists will leave for City Hall where they will be greeted with a pancake breakfast. Councilor Parrish will be serving pancakes for all cyclists.

The Route - Approximately 4.5 km.

Click here for a route map

From Riverwood west along Burnhamthorpe trail to Creditview Rd.
North on Creditview to Rathburn Rd.
East on Rathburn to Duke of York
South on Duke of York to City Hall

Organized Rides:

Lots posted on the Smart Commute Site!

BikeFriday - June 8th Edition

2007-06-07T11:26:00.000-07:00

While officially, BikeFriday is the last Friday of every month, there's enough momentum out there that there are things starting to happen every friday:

The Schedule for tomorrow, June 8th:

Martino's Bloor West BikePool meets at Bloor W. and High Park for a nice jaunt downtown along Bloor. Meet at 8 AM.

Joe's Danforth BikePool meets at Danforth & Woodbine (northwest corner) for a nice roll along the Danforth. Meet at 8 AM.

Grassroots' Bikers Breakfast: 8-9:30 AM
In support of Toronto's Bicycle commuters, Grassroots is hosting an early morning bike commuter breakfast. Plan to stop by Grassroots (372 Danforth at Chester) for a delicious, organic breakfast snack provided by our friends at Merchants of Green Coffee, Urban Herbivore, Noah's Natural Foods and the Big Carrot.

Upcoming:

Smart Commute Mississauga is officially launching our BikeFriday program on Friday, June 29th. All cyclists are invited to join us for our inaugural ride and pancake breakfast at city hall. More details on SmartCommute Mississauga.

Also, Tammy and Cheri di Novo's (MPP) office are working on a Breakfast Event for later in June. More details to come as we know them. :)

BikeFriday, Every Friday

2007-05-31T11:24:00.001-07:00

Although our fancy BikeFriday graphic says "The Last Friday of Every Month", well, it's just too fun to keep the BikeFriday fun to one day a month. :)

Here's a couple BikePools going tomorrow morning. Feel free to join up at the start or along the way.

Martino's Bloor West 8 AM BikePool
Meet at 8 AM at Bloor W and High Park
(goes east along Bloor W)

Joe's (that's me!) Danforth 8 AM BikePool
Meet at 8 AM at Danforth & Woodbine
(goes west along Danforth)

Also, tomorrow morning sees a Grassroots Bikers Breakfast going at their Annex store at 408 Bloor West. Swing by between 8 - 9:30 AM for yummy and organic coffee, muffins and fruit!

Tomorrow is BikeFriday!

2007-05-24T09:34:00.000-07:00

Wow, May has gone by really fast!

Be sure and join up with one of the BikeFriday BikePools tomorrow morning...

And there's of course the Tooker Ride at 5:30 PM, Critical Mass at 6:30 (Bloor & Spadina), Critical Ass at 10:30 (Bloor & Spadina, with less clothes), and the BikeWeek Movie Night at Yonge & Dundas from 6:30 until 10:00.

7:00-8:30 AM
BikePools!

The concept is simple - let's meet up in groups and ride to work together. Biking to work can sometimes be dangerous - but it's safer when you ride with other people. Drivers are a lot more careful around groups of cyclists.

7:00 AM - Parliament & Carlton
(to Victoria Park & Gordon Baker Road, via Parliament, Bloor East, Broadview, Cosburn, Woodbine, O'Connor, Eglinton East, Birchmount, McNicoll and Vic Park to Gordon Baker Road)
map / contact David

7:30 AM - Yonge & Major Mackenzie
(to Hwy 7 & Warden)
map / contact Andrew

8:00 AM - Bloor & HighPark (Westbound)
(to Mississauga City Centre)
map / contact Vic

8:00 AM - Bloor & HighPark (Eastbound)
(via Bloor to downtown)
contact Tino

8:00 AM - Danforth & Woodbine
(via the Danforth & Bloor to downtown)
contact Joe

8:00 AM - Yonge & Lawrence
(to Hwy 7 & Leslie)
map / contact Darren

8:30 AM - Queen West!
(meet at Parkdale Library (1303 Queen West) before heading east to Queen & McCaul)
contact Jo

8:30 AM - Queen & Roncy to UofT
(Ride from Roncey and Garden to Sorauren to Wright to Macdonnel to Lansdowne to College to St. George)
contact Tammy

Add YOUR Commute!
Add your bike-to-work route to this page, find others going the same way. Email BikeFriday.

Grassroots' Schedule Changes

2007-05-22T11:57:00.000-07:00

Grassroots won't be doing the BikeFriday Breakfast this Friday, but they have a good excuse ... they are hosting some great BikeWeek events:

Biker Breakfast and Bike Inspection – Friday June 1st, Grassroots-Annex

Get your two-wheeler out of the garage for Bike Week and join the folks at Grassroots-Annex, 408 Bloor Street West at Brunswick and our partners, Curbside, for our Bike Week “Biker Breakfast” and bike tune-up in support of Toronto’s Bicycle commuters. Grassroots and Curbside will be hosting an early morning bicycle commuter breakfast and bike inspection between 8am-9:30am. On Friday June 1st, plan to stop by Grassroots-Annex for a delicious, organic breakfast snack.

Biker Breakfast – Friday June 8th, Grassroots-Riverdale

Grassroots-Riverdale will also be hosting a Biker Breakfast during bike week on Friday June 8th. Join us between 8am-9:30am for a great organic breakfast snack with coffee from Merchants of Green Coffee, muffins from Urban Herbivore, and fresh organic fruit and juice. There is no better way to enjoy your commute to work!

Bike Week in Toronto

Bike Week is back and Grassroots is once again playing a large role in promoting cycling in the City of Toronto. Bike Week officially launches at the Group Commute on May 28th, so please join us at 7:30am at either Grassroots location for the massive ride to City Hall for a free pancake breakfast.

Grassroots will be hosting a number of workshops throughout Bike Week, and all proceeds from the workshops will be donated to a local bicycle advocacy organization.

Grassroots will also be hosting bike commuter organic breakfasts at our stores to give fuel to all those loyal cyclists that bike to work, so please stop by as you cycle into work and reward yourself with a complimentary breakfast snack.

Please take time to read the City of Toronto Bike Week calendar and support cycling in the city.

One Week Until BikeFriday

2007-05-18T14:09:00.000-07:00

Yup, only a week to go before May's BikeFriday ... just in time for BikeWeek!

Don't wait until the city-sponsored Group Commute on Monday, May 28th to ride with others... you can find others going your way on other days too.

Martino (he of the famous BikeLaneDiary) is a great example. Not content with a great idea like BikeFriday happening once a month, he's sent out an open invitation for an 8 AM BikePool from Bloor & High Park EVERY Friday.

The first couple of Martino's weekly rides were lonely, but that's starting to change, as he had a group of five biking this morning from High Park along Bloor, all the way to downtown!

Don't forget, I Bike T.O. has a RideMatching service, where you can list your commute and find others going the same way!

Two Weeks Until May's BikeFriday!

2007-05-11T12:25:00.000-07:00

In just two weeks, right at the start of BikeWeek, on May25th... BikeFriday rolls again.

The BikePools:

7:00 AM - Parliament & Carlton
(to Victoria Park & Gordon Baker Road, via Parliament, Bloor East, Broadview, Cosburn, Woodbine, O'Connor, Eglinton East, Birchmount, McNicoll and Vic Park to Gordon Baker Road)

7:30 AM - Yonge & Major Mackenzie
(to Hwy 7 & Warden)

8:00 AM - Bloor & HighPark (Westbound)
(to Mississauga City Centre)

8:00 AM - Bloor & HighPark (Eastbound)
(via Bloor to downtown)

8:00 AM - Danforth & Woodbine
(via the Danforth & Bloor to downtown)

8:00 AM - Yonge & Lawrence
(to Hwy 7 & Leslie)

8:30 AM - Queen West!
(meet at Parkdale Library (1303 Queen West) before heading east to Queen & McCaul)

Add YOUR Commute!
Add your bike-to-work route to the BikeFriday lineup and find others going the same way. Email BikeFriday.

Tons of Photos from April 27th's BikeFriday!

2007-05-03T14:19:00.000-07:00

Martino's Photos from the Grassroots Bikers' Breakfast:

My Photos from the Grassroots Bikers' Breakfast:

Tammy's Photos from the BikeFriday Breakfast at Parkdale Library:

Martino's Video from Critical Mass:

http://bikelanediary.blogspot.com/2007/04/april-2007-cm.html

Martino's Photos from Critical Mass:

(Cross-posted to I Bike T.O. and BikingToronto)

Every Friday is BikeFriday at Bloor & HighPark!

2007-05-03T13:00:00.001-07:00

The often imitated but never duplicated (thankfully!) Martino is doing BikeFriday every Friday - riding from Bloor & High Park at 8 AM - and he's looking for biking buddies - a cool friday BikePool every week!

Myself, I'll be doing my regular 7:15 AM commute from Coxwell & Gerrard (meet me on the NW corner) - I'll be the guy in the bright blue windbreaker. :)L

Photos from the Grassroots Bikers Breakfast

2007-04-27T08:23:00.000-07:00

Martino already has photos up from the Grassroots Bikers Breakfast this morning at their Bloor & Brunswick Store (a BikeFriday event, of course...)

Check them out - they're good! Thanks Tino!

Lots of BikeFriday Stuff on Facebook

2007-04-25T14:05:00.000-07:00

Facebook seems to be "the" social networking site of the moment, so BikeFriday has a group and lots of events on there. If you're a facebookian, you can join the group or let us know you'd want to attend certain events:

Bikers Breakfast at Grassroots - Annex
Peggy Nash's Parkdale BikeFriday Breakfast
7:00 AM Cabbagetown to North York BikePool

7:30 AM Yonge & MajorMack to Hwy#7 & Warden BikePool

8:00 AM High Park BikePool

8:00 AM Danforth BikePool
8:00 AM Yonge & Lawrence to Hwy#7 & Leslie BikePool

8:30 AM Parkdale Library BikePool

City Councillor Gord Perks Coming to Parkdale Breakfast

2007-04-25T08:19:00.000-07:00

Gord Perks, city councillor for Ward 14 (Parkdale-HighPark) has confirmed with us that he will indeed be attending the BikeFriday Breakfast at Parkdale Library hosted by Peggy Nash.

WHAT: BikeFriday Breakfast
WHERE: Parkdale Library, 1303 Queen St. W.
WHO: Peggy Nash, Gord Perks and lots of cyclists!

BREAKFAST TIME: 8-9 AM
BIKEPOOL TIME: 8:30 AM (bike downtown in a group!)

Be sure and come out, if you are able!

The Parkdale Library BikePool AND BREAKFAST!

2007-04-24T07:03:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,

Great news from Queen West and Parkdale:

In addition to the hip and groovy Queen West BikePool that is meeting up at 8:30 AM at the Parkdale Library (1303 Queen West) to head downtown together this friday, April 27th, some local politicians are getting involved!

Peggy Nash, MP for Parkdale-HighPark and her people are setting up a Breakfast for Cyclists at the Parkdale Library on BikeFriday between 8-9 AM - so you can head down, get some nice breakfast treats (for FREE!), and then have some buddies to ride downtown with!

Also, Gord Perks, city councillor for the area is reportedly going to be there too.

Bikers Breakfast @ Grassroots Reminder

2007-04-19T06:14:00.000-07:00

So, I'm cranking up the marketing once again for BikeFriday (which is next friday! April 27th!) and thought I'd send out a reminder and news about the Grassroots Bikers Breakfast.

It's taking place at their Annex store this month, which is at 408 Bloor St. W. (at Brunswick).

Come by for an early morning bicycle commuter breakfast between 8:00 - 9:30am.

Something new this month too... while Grassroots provides re-usable mugs for the organic, fair-trade coffee provided by the Merchants of Green Coffee, everyone is welcome to bring their own mug!

What a great idea - the comfort of your own favourite coffee mug AND it's good for the planet.

BikeChain Closed For Exams Until May

2007-04-18T05:32:00.000-07:00

The UofT Bikechain will be closed for exams for the remainder of April (it's student-run, so it makes sense...) and they are planning on re-opening again in Mid-May when they have summer funding arrangements figured out.

So, unfortunately, there will be no free coffee and memberships at the BikeChain on April 27th, but we have our fingers crossed that May's BikeFriday (the 25th) will see the BikeChain open again with bikey goodness. :)

Photos and News from March 30th!

2007-04-06T07:54:00.000-07:00

Only 3 weeks until the next BikeFriday on April 27th!

March 30th was a lot of fun... here's some great photos and stuff of it:

The Danforth & Woodbine BikePool and Grassroots Bikers Breakfast:

I took a few photos on dying batteries while we were stopped at the Grassroots Bikers Breakfast at Danforth & Chester (you can click them to see them larger). Grassroots alternates the Breakfast between their stores - so on April 27th, the breakfast will be at the Annex store (Bloor & Brunswick).

Bloor & HighPark to Mississauga City Centre:

A few photos from Vic Gedris - who rode an actual BikeFriday Bike on BikeFriday!

Bloor & HighPark to downtown:

Martino (of BikeLaneDiary) took a few too!

Critical Mass:

Critical Mass takes place on the last friday of every month in over 400 cities around the world. Toronto's, on March 30th was the largest it's ever been, starting with about 100 cyclists and growing to over 200 as people joined up.

Martino has a lot of great photos here and CityNews has a story and video on it too!

Today is BikeFriday!

2007-03-30T10:01:00.000-07:00

I'll have a post up later today or this weekend with photos and stuff, but here's some to tide you over:

Martino (Bloor West Ride)
Vic (HighPark to Mississauga Ride)

Remember that the UofT BikeChain will be open today from 12-5 PM, handing out free coffee and memberships (regularly $20-$60) to all cyclists!

The BikeChain is located at:
International Student Centre (basement level)
33 St. George St. (just north of College St.)
( map )

Critical Mass is tonight too! Meet at Bloor & Spadina at 6:00 PM, Ride at 6:30. I'll be there for a little bit (look for a bright blue windbreaker on a dirty dirty mountainbike).

Make BikeFriday Your Own!

2007-03-28T08:40:00.000-07:00

BikeFriday is in 2 days! I bet you're excited. :)

Here's a couple tips to make BikeFriday more meaningful to you:

1. Start a BikePool. Get people going the same way as you to ride as a group. It's fun and cars will drive more carefully around you. I'll publicize your route and time on the BikeFriday site to help your BikePool get exposure.

2. Do you own BikeFriday thing - I work at a smallish company (around 250 people), with 2-12 bike-commuters (2 in the winter, 12 in the summer) - so to encourage my co-workers to bike in to work this Friday, I emailed them all to let them know of what was going on, plus offered my own BikeFriday thing to them:

I’m doing a [workname] BikeFriday thing too – for the cyclists here. If you ride your bike to work on Friday, I’ll buy you a coffee/tea/juice of your choice from Tim Hortons!!
The weather is beautiful now. While people asked me if I was crazy for biking to work in the winter time, now it’s time to ask if you’re crazy because you’re NOT biking to work. :)

Use your own creativity and ideas to help the people you know to adopt cycling as an everyday mode of transportation. Let me know about it, and I'll post about it on an "Idea" section of the site - helping others think of ideas themselves!

BikeFriday is now on FaceBook!

2007-03-22T17:48:00.000-07:00

Building on the success of BikeFriday on MySpace.com, we're now set up as a FaceBook Group!

Feel free to join the group if you're a Facebookian... Facebooketeer? Facebookagenarian?

Know of a way to promote BikeFriday yourself? Feel free to take it on (and let us know about it)... working together, we can help make Toronto a truly bike-friendly city!

The BikeChain joins BikeFriday!

2007-03-15T13:47:00.000-07:00

A big welcome to the University of Toronto's BikeChain (a project of the UofT Sustainability Office) !

On Friday, March 30th, the BikeChain will be offering free coffee and memberships (usually $20-$60) to ANY cyclist between 12-5 PM (their regular office hours). You do not have to be a UofT student to take part in this great deal!

The BikeChain is located at:

International Student Centre (basement level)
33 St. George St. (just north of College St.)
( map )

From their website:

There is a noticeable gap in services for cyclists at the University of Toronto. Bikechain is located in the downtown core, where commuting by bicycle is commonplace. Affordable facilities to promote this environmentally sound form of alternative transportation are lacking. While the university has made an effort in recent years to increase bicycle parking, and to create new bike lanes, there has been no human infrastructure to keep cyclists safe, informed and self-sufficient in terms of maintenance, repair and mechanics. The Bikechain hopes to fill this gap, to empower cyclists and to create a physical and conceptual space to serve the bicycling culture on campus.

New BikePool on Queen West!

2007-03-14T16:34:00.000-07:00

There's a new BikePool in town.

The Queen West BikePool will be leaving the Parkdale Library (1303 Queen West) at 8:30 AM on March 30th and heading east to Queen & McCaul.

Are you a Queen West bike commuter? Join up for fun and safety.

BikeFriday is on MySpace.com!

2007-03-09T15:42:00.000-08:00

BikeFriday is branching out! We now have a MySpace page, for all of you nice people out there into the social networking website stuff.

The very nice Jo Hughes is running the BikeFriday MySpace site, doing her bit to make sure that more and more Torontonians (and others!) know that the last Friday of every month is BikeFriday!

Know of a way to promote BikeFriday yourself? Feel free to take it on (and let us know about it)... working together, we can help make Toronto a truly bike-friendly city!

A New BikeFriday BikePool!

2007-03-08T14:53:00.000-08:00

BikeFriday has a new BikePool route!

BikeFriday BikePooler David leaves Cabbagetown (specifically Parliament & Gerrard) at 7 AM and heads to North York (specifically Victoria Park and Gordon Baker Rd., near Steeles) via Parliament, Bloor East, Broadview, Cosburn, Woodbine, O'Connor and Parliament.

If this commute is like yours, or overlaps at perhaps roughly the same time, give him a shout and you can maybe BikePool together.

A BikePool by any other name...

2007-03-06T18:55:00.000-08:00

Just a small change in the BikeFriday world today... we've re-named the "Group Commutes" and are now calling them "BikePools", because rather than trying to emulate the City's BikeWeek Group Commute once a month, we'd like to focus on regular bike-commute routes.

There's two good reasons for this:

1) it's much easier just biking your regular route to work, and finding others going the same way (if you're like me, you may see the same people biking your bikeroute every day).

2) If we encourage people biking in groups on BikeFriday, this can easily spill over into biking together (for friendship, or safety, or any other reason...) on other days as well!

BikeFriday is a SmartCommute!

2007-03-05T09:10:00.001-08:00

The cool SmartCommute organization is getting in on the BikeFriday fun!

While SmartCommute NorthToronto-Vaughan is working with student groups at YorkU to create some great BikeFriday events, SmartCommute Missaussaga is promoting BikeFriday on their site (scroll down a little), encouraging people to Bike Commute to work together:

"Smart Commute Mississauga is encouraging all cyclists to participate in the Bike Friday campaign by riding to work on the last Friday of each month. Interested in organizing a group ride or event? Contact Smart Commute Mississauga and we will post the details of your event on this page."

BikeFriday is in 4 weeks!

2007-03-02T21:31:00.000-08:00

BikeFriday is in 4 weeks!

BikeFriday is an initiative to promote bike events happening in Toronto on the last friday of every month, with the aim of turning that day into a de facto “Bike Day” that happens once a month.

Citizens, politicians and businesses in Toronto all want our air to be cleaner, or streets to be less congested, and our kids to be healthier… and a good way to help achieve these goals is to promote the bicycle as a way of making short trips around the city.

Please consider running or taking part in a BikeFriday bike event to help promote regular and every bicycle use in our city. This can include anything at all … as long as it’s bike-related. Some ideas include bike maintenance workshops, a free coffee / breakfast treat location for bike-commuters, group commutes, recreational group rides, discounts for cyclists in stores, etc.

f you have any questions or comments, of just want to let us know about an event so we can promote it, please don’t hesitate to contact me at joe@bikingtoronto.com

The Next BikeFriday is March 30th

2007-02-25T13:20:00.000-08:00

Winter is ending... birds are thinking about flying north again, tulip and crocus bulbs are considering poking their heads above the soil... and more cyclists are appearing on the streets of Toronto.

The next BikeFriday is March 30th. Between now and then we'll spread the word to Toronto citizens, politicians and businesses. Let's make at least one day a month a true "Bike Day"!

2 Days Until BikeFriday!

2007-02-21T06:27:00.000-08:00

(cross-posted to BikingToronto)

Wow, it sneaks up fast. :)

If you're biking this Friday (the 23rd) - be sure and check out what's going on over in the sidebar over there -- >

Join one of the Group Commutes (or add your own commute and perhaps find others going your way!), check out the Grassroots Store at 408 Bloor West (near Bathurst) between 8 - 9:30 AM for a great selection of breakfast treats like organic muffins and organic fair-trade, shade-grown coffee.

As always, there's the awesome Critical Mass ride (meet up at Spadina & Bloor at 6 PM, ride at 6:30) around downtown, and the friendly folks at BikePirates are having a post-Critical Mass hot chocolate get-together!

One Week Until BikeFriday!

2007-02-16T15:50:00.000-08:00

It's pretty cold out there, but things are looking up...

The weather forecast for next week is looking good, with a balmy high of -1 celcius for BikeFriday! :)

Check out what's going on in the sidebar, and help make the last friday of every month the day that bikes take over the streets of Toronto!

BikeFriday is a BUG!

2007-02-06T14:30:00.000-08:00

That's right... BikeFriday is now a registered Bicycle User Group with the City of Toronto.

They tell me that there should soon be a blurb about the newest BUG... the BikeFriday BUG on the BUG page.

I like to think that everyone who rides a bike on the last friday of the month (Feb. 23rd, this month...) is part of this BUG. :)

One of the great things about this is that all BikeFriday announcements will now be sent out to the whole BUG network... which in theory should significantly expand exposure.

Group Commutes on January 26th

2007-01-21T10:08:00.000-08:00

It may be January and quite blustery out there, but BikeFriday is still rolling.

Meet up at any of the Group Commute meeting points listed, or start your own Group Commute - it takes as little as one person. Email us and let us know your route and starting times.

I'll be riding from Danforth and Woodbine at 7:30 AM.

Martino will be riding from Bloor and High Park (going downtown) at 7:30 AM.

Vic will be riding from Bloor and High Park (going to Mississauga City Centre) at 7:30 AM.

Martino and I will be meeting up at Yonge & Charles (just south of Bloor, in front of the Second Cup) at approximately 8:00 AM and then heading down Yonge to City Hall for 8:30.

You can meet us at Yonge & Charles around 8 AM, or in front of the main doors of City Hall around 8:30.

Feel free to join us! There's safety in numbers.

The BikeFriday Blog

2007-01-16T18:05:00.001-08:00

This is the first post... for testing.