Bikes are Everything

It’s only a slight exaggeration to say that our favourite machine can take us anywhere

As I was working on this issue during January and February, I had my regular winter routine going: getting up early to ride the trainer. In our condo, even the clatter of a quiet trainer and drivetrain can wake my family, so I haul my setup onto the balcony. I won’t do it on mornings that have a wind chill lower than -16 C—that’s my limit. But in anything warmer than that, the right layers are all I need. I don’t have to worry about a fan.

In the dark on a small balcony, things may seem constrained. But I have a focus similar to being out on a regular ride. I’m in my cycling space, one that happens to have a panoramic view, albeit a static one, and podcasts. A common pleasure that riding affords is escape. In summer, it’s easy to escape to open roads. In winter, and now in early spring, there’s still escape. It just looks a little different.

A lot of us use the bike to step away from the craziness of the world. And, boy, the world has been giving us plenty of crazy stuff lately. But the bike often reflects what’s going on in our world, too. A small, humble example is the water bottle. Yes, the bidon. We feature some vintage aluminum ones on p.6. So what can a water bottle show you about the goings on of the world? Well, the materials used for water bottles reflect the changing industries in the postwar era. The water bottle tracks the rise of plastics in our society.

On the subject of industry, this edition of the magazine— our annual buyer’s guide—made us confront the major issue affecting the bike industry: supply-chain issues. How can we at Canadian cycling magazine tell you to buy a bike when it’s so darn tough to find one? Good question. We have a feature on how to navigate the supply-chain problems in the year ahead (p.46). Also, for many bikes in our traditional guide, we have added buying tips that I hope will help you get that new ride for fitness, adventure or escape.

I love bikes and riding them, pure and simple. There’s no surprise there. But I also love how bikes can lead you,

“How can we tell you to buy a bike when it’s so darn tough to find one?”

figuratively, almost anywhere. Yes, bikes are sport (p.32). But bikes are also politics (p.4 and p.10). They are fitness (p.26) and health (p.22). They are travel (p.16). They are community (p.12 and p.40), as well as design and engineering (p.40). Simply, bikes are everything. That’s only a slight exaggeration.

So I invite you to enjoy this issue of the magazine. Enjoy the bikes.