Two years ago, I really fell in love with biking while living in Montreal. I must say that I'm more likely to fall in love with anything in Montreal then I would be elsewhere, but it was still quite exciting. I bought a discounted pass for the incredibly convenient BIXI bike sharing system. I never had to get my bike fixed, carry it up stairs or worry about having it stolen. I never got the wet line on my back when it rained since they had wheel covers and I could take the metro home without it during a storm and then bike to work the next morning! Montreal's great network of bike paths also didn't hurt.
Unfortunately, Toronto doesn't have a comparable bike path network and they have less than a fifth of Montreal's BIXI stations, but they do have Mojo Cycles. A nice little bike shop that opened recently by a salt-of-the-earth kind of guy named Joe who is clearly in business to benefit all, not just to make a living. He's helpful, not pushy whatsoever and charges $13 for a wall support - for storing the bike off the ground - that another shop was selling for $20!
Anyway here's the bike:
It's got the European moustache handlebars so you can sit upright while riding, internal 3 gear system so you don't get chain grease on your business pants, a wide spring-supported seat so you don't feel like you're sitting on the bike's frame and it's made in Quebec and it was a mere $275+tax. Normally I wouldn't mention the cost because who cares? But I was blown away by that, the cheapest bike at any other shop was generally $400, am I wrong?So, great purchasing experience and hopefully it'll be equally pleasant owning the bike. Don't expect my skateboard to disappear though, it's still got it's uses.
Here's a somewhat related, intriguing and short article about societal gains from biking.
http://grist.org/list/one-mile-on-a-bike-is-a-42-economic-gain-to-society-one-mile-driving-is-a-20-loss/
Here's Sarah's take of my on the Raleigh Sprite.
