The New Canadian Tire Bike Commercial Bugs Me

WARNING - mini rant ahead...

Canadian Tire has a very long history in Canada as being THE place that many kids get their first bike from.  You know that bike, the one poorly assembled by the neighbour who was "into bikes", heavy as a boat anchor, and covered in decorative plastic crap? 

Indeed, that bike was probably a BSO (bicycle shaped object) but it was your BSO and you loved it no matter what because it offered you that feeling we all fall in love with when riding a bicycle, even a crappy bicycle - freedom!

Remember this ad from a few years back?  A tear jerker for sure but real in that many of us remember being that kid desperately wanting that sweet red bike in the Canadian Tire (or Eatons, Sears, etc) catalogue more than anything else in your life.

But then along comes this - 



Right form the beginning it comes off as some sort of unreal suburban fantasy bike land, with the children happily commandeering the roadway and flaunting the law as if they're hosting their own critical mass to the local park.  You'd think this is some neighbourhood in Vancouver or Portland where everyone pedals and no one drives anywhere. They're even making the old lady down the street nervous, bloody cyclists.

But there are problems with this world they are trying to illustrate - 

Problem 1 - Lots of parents these days won't let their kids ride bikes to the park on their own because they're terrified that they'll be run down by some errant, distracted, speeding driver.  It's hard to argue with that perspective when so many neighbourhoods are outright hostile to children playing in the streets and community design that favours the movement of cars first and the safety and movement of people last.  The community shown doesn't even have sidewalks!

Problem 2 - Where are all the cars?

Problem 3 - The Canadian Tire Guy du Jour.  I hate this guy!  I cannot tell if his expression is meant to convey a sense of shame, coolness, or incredulity - maybe all three?  It he ashamed to be riding that toy?  Is he just too cool for school with his motorcycle helmet on?  Or is he just skeptical that any of this could happen in real life?

I know, I am definitely over analyzing it but there are so many things that tweaked me I wanted to post it and get your opinion.

What do you think?

March Full Moon Ride Recap via Twitter

Our first Full Moon Ride of the year went down last night with 55+ people showing up, far surpassing our wildest guesses on total participation.  During the day we were taking bets amongst the staff on how many might show - I took a "wild guess" and said 25 - boy, was I wrong!  Not bad for a ride in March with plenty of snow and ice still on the ground.

Following are some tweets from a few of the riders -

Excited for tonight's @bikebikeyyc full moon ride. First time out on my bike since I got it. #alittlenervous #yyc twitter.com/CTVAMacLean/st…
— CTVAndreaMacLean (@CTVAMacLean) March 30, 2013

 It was great to see so many new faces and plenty of first timers.

Part of the journey during the Full Moon ride lighting up #yyc streets. @bikebikeyyc @snowandscience twitter.com/samdles/status…
— Sam Hindle (@samdles) March 30, 2013

Drivers were very patient with the group, considering we took up a whole lane over a block long!

Area Men & Area Women join together for the @bikebikeyyc Full Moon Ride #yycbike twitter.com/itsakev/status…
— It's A Kev (@itsakev) March 30, 2013

Still plenty of ice and snow out there.

Mmm weenie roast on the Full Moon bike ride! @bikebikeyyc twitter.com/samdles/status…
— Sam Hindle (@samdles) March 30, 2013

Meatstoke.

The #fullmoonride in full force. #yycbike twitter.com/smokeycrow/sta…
— Joshua Crough (@smokeycrow) March 30, 2013

Huddling around the fire to keep warm.

No no no. You don't want to go bike riding with strangers. That's dangerous. Outside your bubble. #yycbike vine.co/v/bj9JPJ35enB
— BikeBike Inc. (@BikeBikeYYC) March 30, 2013

50+ people out for a bike ride, in the dark, with snow still on the ground? I think Calgary likes bikes. #yycbike twitter.com/BikeBikeYYC/st…
— BikeBike Inc. (@BikeBikeYYC) March 30, 2013

Thanks to everyone that made time to come ride with us!  We hope everyone had a splendid time and plan on coming out to the next one in April, on the 25th to be exact.  Details here, mark your calendars!.

Biking With Your Baby Onboard

Infographaic courtesy of Fix.com

So, here you are, older than you'd ever thought you'd get, and the proud parent of a brand new baby.  Welcome to your new life filled with poopy diapers, sleepless nights, and an unexplainable level of stress/excitement/nervousness that all parents feel.  Added to that mix is also the need to transport your new baby with you everywhere you go so undoubtedly, you are finding that you are driving a whole lot more than you maybe did before.

...traffic is gridlocked...your baby is screaming at the top of their lungs in the backseat...your feel your grip tighening on the steering wheel...your can feel your stress level rising......aarrgh!!!

Do not despair, things will get better, and you'll soon be biking again, maybe even with your new baby onboard if you choose.

New Bike Brands - Public Bikes and Brooklyn Cruiser

We are very pleased to announce two new bicycle brands coming for 2013 - please welcome Public Bikes and Brooklyn Cruiser to Calgary!

Public Bikes



Brooklyn Cruiser



We are expecting the bikes to arrive early in April so plan on popping in to take one for a test ride - you will be impressed!

We are taking preorders now so if there is a certain model and/or colour you just have to own call us as soon as possible to get in on the first shipments.

If you have any questions send us an email to info@bikebike.ca or leave a comment.