The Bicycle Forest

Month: May 2008

  • City of Toronto Group Commute

    Toronto Group Commute

    The City of Toronto kicked off Bike Month yesterday with its annual Group Commute. Bicycle commuters from around the city met to ride together from four start points and converged at Yonge and Bloor before descending on mass to Nathan Phillips Square.

    Toronto Group Commute

    Coming from Waterloo with nine bikes ranging in size from the diminutive Mini 125 to the enormous Family Truckster and Couchbike, our commute was surely one of the more logistically complex. Kudos to Ted for keepin’ it real and cycling all the way from Waterloo.

    Toronto Group Commute

    In Nathan Phillips Square, we had a special area set up for people to try some of the unique bikes we brought from the Bicycle Forest collection. Good times were definitely had by all.

    Toronto Group Commute   Toronto Group Commute

    Toronto Group Commute

    Toronto Group Commute

    Toronto Group Commute

  • Hitting the Greens with BikeCAD Pro

    Cardboard BikeCAD model

    Every year, Pacific Southwest Container hosts a Customer Appreciation day and golf tournament. Ryan Perkins’ department is responsible for creating the unique golf holes. Think Putt Putt golf but everything is made of paper. This year’s theme was Going Green on the Green. Ryan used a full scale PDF output from BikeCAD Pro to create this amazing cardboard bicycle.

    I’m sure many a junior golfer would have contemplated theft had it not been for the sturdy cardboard chain. Good thinking Ryan… and nice work!

    Cardboard BikeCAD model   Cardboard BikeCAD model

  • Wedding season

    Couchbike wedding

    When Drew and Nadine’s friends and family dreamt of a clever way to surprise the pair of avid cyclists on their wedding day, it wasn’t long before they settled on the couchbike.

    It was an honour and a privilege to play a part in Drew and Nadine’s special day. I wish them both all the best in their future together.

    Couchbike wedding Couchbike wedding

  • Armchair Bike

    Henry Thompson from Oxford, England drew inspiration from the Couchbike in putting together this armchair bike.

    According to Henry, it started with a £9/$18 armchair from e-bay. He bought the six feet or 1.8 metres of 2″ / 500mm square section tubing and half a day of time of the welder/fabricator, Julian Bloomfield – a gentleman artisan of the old school. And Juriaan’s wheels – which are pricey but there isn’t a substitute. Everything else came from junk.

    It only took a couple of days of his time to make.

    The armchair bike will be going on the World Naked Bike Ride – an event that throws light on the vulnerability of cyclists and on our dependence on oil – (Henry works in the oil industry himself). Last year, he went on a normal bike and laughed himself silly for 3 hours straight. This year on the armchair bike, Henry imagines he’ll get a lot of attention, and so he’ll be wearing an orangutan suit – his nod to the palm oil bio-fuelled predation on the rainforest home of our second cousins.

    After the ride it’ll go on e-bay as a comfy bike. Sadly, Henry hasn’t got anywhere to keep it!