• Home
  • Posts RSS
  • Comments RSS
  • Edit
Blue Orange Green Pink Purple

Notre coup de coeur <3 du moment...

Pedestrian Sunday


One of the best things about summer in the city is Pedestrian Sunday in Kensington Market. The concept is pretty straightforward: the roads are closed to cars as artists, musicians, merchants and plain ol' pedestrians take over the streets.

This week's theme was Water! Streams of consciousness--very fitting given the torrential downpours we've had lately. As usual, it was just the right mix of mellow, artsy, earthy and anarchy...c'est Kensington, quoi.

Of course the car-free set-up means that legions of lovely bikes were out in full force. Here is but one example of the great bikes that were out and about today. I love this picture! A bustling city street without a car in sight!

bon dimanche!

Read More 1 Comment | Posted by little a edit post

Morning commute (Vélo - boulot)



We may travel in the same direction, but SerialJay and I never bike to work together. I'm an early bird, and he is a couche-tard.

On this fine, muggy morning, however, we managed to get our act together to enjoy and document the ride together.

On y va!






Yes, it's July and we're wearing coats, des impérmeables. Earlier this week, we were caught unprepared for a evening commute rainstorm. I was able to borrow a sweater from a friend at work (Merci encore, M-E!) but SerialJay had to ride home in his white shirt.

We've learned our lesson. Here I am: raincoat, helmet and leather reporter bag. Pas de sac a dos ou Gore-Tex pour moi, SVP.

This is Hibou, by the way. I'm sure we'll introduce her properly later on.
















Et voici Murdoch et SerialJay en imper, casquette (pas de casque vélo) et son sac très chic.














For a large part of the commute, we have to contend with streetcars. Streetcars are tricky for a few reasons.

First, getting your wheel stuck in the tracks almost guarantees a wipeout for a cyclist.

Second, as you can see here, most streetcars in this city aren't segrated from traffic. This means competing for lane space with drivers who don't want to get stuck behind the streetcar and will force you into the gutter if you let them.
Be confident, not overly agressive, but OWN your space.
Finally, streetcars offload their passengers in the middle of the street. Stop for pedestrians as they exit.






We've arrived and the sun is coming out. Strapping my coat to my rear rack.

This is where we part ways. SerialJay is stopping for coffee before continuing on his way and I'm rushing to grab a good bike parking spot. (I'll get to see him one more time when it's MY turn for a coffee run and HE's the one rushing to work a bit later that morning).

Riding in together was fun, it makes the trip more of a ''ride'' and less of a ''commute''.

Le vélo en couple, je kiffe.
Read More 0 comments | Posted by little a edit post

Introducing...Murdoch


Permettez-moi de vous présenter Monsieur Murdoch. He's a gentleman, of course. Murdoch is the one who started the vélo party around here. I had a bike, but was waiting for SerialJay to get his.

Murdoch is a Batavus Breukelen and we got him from Curbside Cycle. True fact: if you ride a Batavus in this town, be ready to answer the following questions at all times (including while riding in traffic):

Is that a *insert model here* ?
What's the frame size? How many speeds?
Did you speak to Eric?

Yes, it's a Breukelen Classic.
A 54. 7.
Yes, he's great.



I call him Murdoch, because obviously he 's smart, stylish, dependable and absolutely gorgeous. You can see his namesake here.

Maybe SerialJay will write up a review now that he's spent some quality time with Monsieur Murdoch. Or maybe not. (We've discovered fixies and single-speeds). In any case, Murdoch is pure Vélo Cité.
Read More 0 comments | Posted by little a edit post

Le vélo...a love story



It's official: I've fallen in love with my bike. She's cute and she gets me where I need to go.

Not to be outdone, my sweetie has also found his fidèle destrier.

More importantly, I love biking around the city. To work, running errands, or on a lazy Saturday afternoon, nothing beats leisurely whizzing through traffic on two wheels.


We plan on sharing our city biking experiences here. Please join us :D
Read More 3 comments | Posted by little a edit post
Newer Posts Home

Vélo Cité

  • About Us
      C'est simple, on fait du vélo dans la ville. Conquering little a's fear of streetcar lines, one bike ride at a time. Casques vélo pas obligatoires pour les expatriés.
  • Contributors

    • SerialJayWalker
    • little a

    Nous sommes fans de...

    • Copenhagenize
    • Let's Go Ride a Bike
    • London Cycle Chic
    • Girls and Bicycles
    • Curbside Cycle Blog
    • Vélib'
    • AMSTERDAMIZE
    • Bespoke

    Blog Archive

    • November (2)
    • October (4)
    • September (3)
    • August (5)
    • July (4)

    little a's bike should be named...?

  • Search






    • Home
    • Posts RSS
    • Comments RSS
    • Edit

    © Copyright Vélo Cité. All rights reserved.
    Designed by FTL Wordpress Themes | Bloggerized by FalconHive.com
    brought to you by Smashing Magazine

    Back to Top