Stories Are What Make Us Human

With the launch of our new shop website September 2020 we've setup a "Stories" page there where we will be blogging going forward. Hop over there for all the goods.

• New Routes
• Product Info and Reviews
  
• Trip Reports

You can shop from the comfort of your couch too! 

We're really proud of our new site, we do hope you find it useful and engaging.

Thanks for visiting! We hope to see you over at our new site.

Critique Of Alberta's Iron Horse Trail

Welcome to BikeBike Adventure TV!  "We do these trips so you don't have to!"

Well, we tried, and failed at bikepacking the full length of Alberta's Iron Horse Trail. 

We thought we did enough homework. We knew the trail was not optimized for bikes. We knew it would be slow going in spots. But we persisted with our plans.

What we didn't know it would be impassable in many places. We didn't know the trail was completely ripped up from Bonnyville to Cold Lake. Like ripped up completely by water main construction for 40+ kilometres.

Now you know.  

In short, we'd recommend avoiding this trail for bikepacking.  

Strava Link Day 1

Strava Link Day 2

Strava Link Day 3 

New Bikepacking Route: Canals For Daze

Fans of the WID Canal (Western Irrigation District) pathway to Chestermere will likely understand why we were intrigued by the idea of riding more of Alberta's canals: It's peaceful, completely car free, often people free, with wide open views of this beautiful part of Alberta.

One of the interesting parts of the canal system is that it follows a "lay of the land" route instead of the monotonous range/township grid offering an ever-changing view ahead which makes riding out on the Prairie a little less boring.

After some digging in the 'ol intranetwebs this past winter, I found a map of all of the irrigation canals in Southern Alberta and very quickly began linking together some of these canals with those boring rural roads to try and create a route that was available earlier in the season than mountain routes, would be safe and easy for new bikepackers, and explore a part of Alberta often forgotten about.

Southern Alberta's Seasonal Car Free Parkways

** Be sure to check with local authorities before venturing out to these locations **

** Plan ahead: Do not visit small communities unless absolutely necessary **

** Leave no trace. Practice safe hygiene and distancing. Take precautions against Covid **

Check out "Physical Distancing Road Loops In Calgary" 

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Is there anything more dreamy than cycling on a highway closed to vehicle traffic?

Here in Southern Alberta, we are lucky to have a handful of highways that are seasonally closed during the winter that are available to cycle on in the weeks leading up to their opening. For some cyclists, taking advantage of these closures to cars is a seasonal treat - with Highwood Pass being the "classic" that most everyone knows about.

There are other options too for people looking for something different, perhaps a little more accessible than Highwood, and even a few gravel options for all you folks that have hopped on the gravel bike bandwagon.

Below are 5 rides we'd recommend you check out before the gates open to cars.

Benno Ebikes - True Sport Utility Bicycles

Benno's range of electric bikes are truly unique in their design. Blending elements from large, heavy cargo bikes as well as positioning and styling cues from traditional bicycle design, Benno's electric assist bicycles flatten hills, shortens distances, blunts headwinds and lightens cargo weight, leaving only the joy of two wheels.

Is Electric Bikepacking Is The New Black? - The Final Chapter

Ebike designs are getting crazy and we decided that we'd see how crazy we could get with by heading deep into the forest service roads of eastern British Columbia.

For more perspective on the potential fun and potential limitations that ebikes can offer bike touring and bikepacking adventurers - have a look at these other trips we've done.

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Scroll past the video for images and trip details.

Bikepacking Old Porcupine's Choice Loop Alberta Canada

Flashback to the middle of winter 2017-18 when, on a winter's day off I asked Nadia if she'd join me for a day in the car exploring some country roads I saw in the Backroads map book. On this day we ended up finding one of the most lovely country roads I have ever had the pleasure of driving and so it began: Trying to loop together a new gravel/bikepacking route on roads (I was sure) that most local cyclists - even the adventurous ones hadn't ridden.

Further map studying showed me there was, what looked like, a road that ran north-south, west of the Forestry Trunk Road in the Livingstone PLUZ and after some more car-based exploring I was convinced it was there.

The last piece of the puzzle was some more car-based exploring of the Skyline Road in the Porcupine Hills PLUZ  and BOOM! - a loop was possible.

So here is the ride report. Connor from AccessCourier.ca agreed to ride it with me and we set off on a Friday night after work so we could start early the next day.