Articles by Karly Coleman

Heyo cyclists, ssooooooooooo, technically, Bikeology and Bike Month is over, and WE believe it was a glorious month of velo-love; however, we want you to tell us how YOU think it went!

Everything will help us improve the month, so dig deep and let us know about your Bikeology and Bike Month experience.  Tell us a story. Suggest some changes. Compliment our effort.  Propose some events.  Volunteer your opinion… We want to know… REally..

We can be reached at info[at]bikeology.ca

Perhaps you know that Edmonton offers great cycling year around.  Perhaps you know that Edmonton has a robust cycling community.  Perhaps you know that Edmonton’s river valley is the longest and biggest parkland found in city limits in North America.

Did you know this? Edmonton holds an annual, National-level mountain bike race attracting international acclaim and world-ranked top talent from all across Canada. It’s the Edmonton Canada Cup…As a Canada Cup Series venue, Edmonton offers something truly unique, treating racers and spectators to the only stop on the Canada Cup circuit with a centralized urban course, perfect for both racers and spectators, right in the heart of the Edmonton River Valley.

Join the gang, as either a participant or a spectator, at the Kinsmen Field House on July 23rd, starting at 9 a.m. when the elite racing begins and continuing throughout the day!  There is something for everyone, whether you want to show case your wheelie popping talents, your single speed cunning, or simply want to hang with folks.  It’s going to be grand and we’ll see you there!

Bike Month as bounded by the month of June is, for all intents and purposes over.  However Bikeology has drifted past the boundaries on either side of June and we are pleased to let you know there are still MORE things we have arranged for cyclists in Edmonton over the summer…

These include:

Rides to the Pay-What-You-Will nights and matinees for the Shakespeare in the Park festival –   Pay-What-You-Will performances are on Tuesday evenings (8PM) and Saturday matinees (2PM).  ALL matinee performances are Twelfth Night. If you want to volunteer to host a ride or just want to participate in the ride, contact us at info[at]bikeology.ca for more information!

Cars and Capitalism – July 3, 7-9 p.m., Hear co-author Yves Engler discuss how the automobile’s ascendance is inextricably linked to capitalism and involved corporate malfeasance, political intrigue, backroom payoffs, media manipulation, racism, academic corruption, third world coups, secret armies, environmental destruction and war. Ride your bike!

An Edmonton Bike Month event sponsored by the Council of Canadians-U of A Chapter and Edmonton Bicycle Commuters.

Event Location: Room 201A, Law Centre, University of Alberta
Event Admission: Free
Contact for More Info: 780-433-BIKE (2453) or info@edmontonbikes.ca
Event webpage/website: http://stopsigns.fairtrademedia.com andhttp://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=156535557750564

Rescheduled Ride In Movie – meh! the weather was so miserable on the 25th of June, we cancelled and are intending to reschedule for another, more convivial day… Stay tuned… We hope to have all the same folks show up to entertain you, including the Triplets!

The final two days of Bikeology and Bike Month are here and they are SUNNY!… which is handy since all the upcoming events are out-of-doors…  Not got your calendar handy?  welllllllll, here’s what’s going down:

Wednesday (today) June 29 - Bikeology: Mocktails on the Bridge – the Handlebar is open, stop by for a pedal powered smoothy, catch some tunes, hang with your peeps…

Thursday (tomorrow) June 30 - Bikeology: Fare thee Well – 6:30 ride to Hawrelak Park to take in the inaugural night of the Shakespeare in the Park Festival.  There are a few free tickets left (just a few) so if you want to get in on that, email us at info[at]bikeology.ca to scoop them!  Otherwise, join us at BeaverHills House Park for the ride down.  There’ll be prizes for cyclists, including a grand finale prize of a bicycle from Mountain Equipment Coop, throughout the festival run… see you at the park!

The original program for the Bikeology movies has been altered quite a bit. We’re improvising too. It’s a video jam. I promise to introduce you to some people who are serving up a remarkable new menu of locally produced bike movies. We have glimpses into this bike-cultural phenomenon, with never-before-seen Edmonton bike movies and previews. Want to be a bike-movie maker? Come down tonight and hear the first official call-out for Edmonton bike movies for Bikeology 2012. And that’s all I’ve got for now.

Historical perspective:
Tonight is Metro Cinema’s last screening in their long-term home in the Citadel Theatre. I intend to celebrate by having a good time thinking about all the good times. RBCC has found a screen for some of our most important movie events in that theatre – Bikeology, Tooker Gomberg Memorial, Made-in-Alberta – Green Monday pilot, to name a few. There’s been hot popcorn, hotter conversations, and warm seats to put bums in. Knowledge of where we’ve been shines a light on the future. Thank you, Citadel Theatre and to all of you who keep that facility going!

Viewer guidance:
There may be a quick swear or two this evening, but nothing that should deter bringing children. My main bit of guidance is that some viewers appreciate this sort of creative anarchy more than others.

Hope to see you tonight. Admission is free, and there’s door prizes!

Barb Allard,
Bikeology Movie Director

Sex up our barren bike racks in Edmonton by helping out the Yarnbombers create lovely covers for them at every Bikeology: Monday Movie.  What is yarnbombing you ask? Well, check it out… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yarn_bombing

Don’t knit but want to learn?  The Yarnbombers will help get you up and perling like yer grandma… Just show up ahead of the event and learn which way is up with a set of needles!

It’s the penultimate opportunity for free movies, tonight!  Check out the Bikeology: Movies, tonight – June 20 at 7:00 PM – at Metro Cinema, at Zeidler Hall in the Citadel.  Please remember that the south entrance is under construction, so access is only from the west off 100 street or from the north off 102 Avenue.

Our feature tonight is “Veer,” a documentary about community bicycle activism in North America. Just as with “Where Are You Go?” last week, we are screening a high-definition tape for a viewing experience that is not only meaningful but beautiful too. Ride on down to Metro Cinema in the Citadel Theatre  and get connected.

NOTE: Due to a time restriction, I have to move the opening feature, the screening of the Alberta cyclocross documentary, “Cowbell,” to next week, Monday, June 27. This way, there will be lots of time for door prizes tonight.

Viewer guidance:
Unfortunately, I was not able to get viewer guidance info for “Veer” so I can’t say whether there is swearing, violence or nudity. The movie promises an accurate rendition of life as a community bicycle activist. Life experience tells me to expect – anything  It does have the Bikeology: Movie three bike rating indicating that lots of bikey-love is present in the movie!

For the full program of Bikeology Movies in June click http://www.bikeology.ca/bikeology-information/bikeology-monday-movies-at-metro

Barb Allard,
Bikeology Movie Director

The Bikeology: Festival Day is over and the original plan was to meet up at Credo after the event and ride over to the SNAP Gallery fundraiser – Love Those Clothes: Riding Pretty – HOWEVER!

We have barely enough energy to get ourselves there, so how about we meet you there, instead of at Credo?  See you there, kind folks..

Oh my heavens, what a fabulous day.. We had a grand (albeit damp) time pedalling to power the music, rocking out to tunes all afternoon, drinking pedal powered smoothies and indulging in velo-love…

Thank you to everyone who put up tents, cycled gear to the event, participated, donated, sponsored, volunteered, displayed their goods, wrenched, expostulated, plinked, plunked, pedalled, demonstrated, trialled and balanced, cycled over, dropped by painted, was crafty, decanted, powered, mastered the music, celebrated, informed and photographed our event!  It’s because of you our events are so fabulous, and it’s because of you we do this… so once again…

thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou….

It appears that the weather has set in, however that is not going to deter us.  The 10th Annual Bikeology Festival is a go!  This is recognizing, of course, that perhaps only a few hardy souls will venture out to hang out with us…

We’ll be ready for you!  We have very large tents, we have music, we have poetry… and best of all, we’ll have bicycles.

EVERYTHING

That’s right… all the Bikeology: Festival events are free.  We will always gratefully accept donations, however any event put on by VELOFest Edmonton League and Organization will be free

If you come across an event that has a cost, it is because we have partnered with them in some way, and some aspect of the event is free (as example: a ride to the Society of Northern Alberta Print Artists Fundraiser, although their event is $25, or you come to a Bikeology: Bikey Breakfast and decide to upgrade your coffee from what is offered to, say, a cappuccino)

Otherwise, come one, come all to the various FREE, fun cycling events put on during Bikeology: Festival and Bike Month.

Hi folks – our feature tonight is “Where are You Go? – Cairo to Capetown by Bicycle”. One of Canada’s premiere bike-movie-makers, Benny Zenga, takes you on the ride of a lifetime along the 7000-mile route of the Tour d’Afrique.

Technical difficulties last week interrupted the world’s most fabulous DVD mini-compilation, “Edmonton’s Bike Shorts 2011”. So I’ve decided to screen it again tonight, rather than the archival Barb’s Bike Shorts I had planned. Check those out on-line on the Rainbow Bridge web site instead. (It is all so good!)

Click here for directions and the full Bikeology Movie program:
http://www.bikeology.ca/bikeology-information/bikeology-monday-movies-at-metro

Viewer Guidance Message:
Unfortunately Benny Zenga is currently in a remote part of the world, and so we were not able to get any viewer guidance info for the documentary feature. I would wager it is safe to bring your teenagers, but I can’t promise there is no violence, nudity or swearing. TheEdmonton’s Bike Shorts DVD is sweet as pie and good as gold.

See you tonight.

Barb Allard,
Producer, http://RBCC.ca
Bikeology Movie Director

Summer days, espresso, cycling, fine discussions about building community by cycling versus driving, cycle touring, mocktails on the bridge, movies, rides, jewelry, bike repairs… if you haven’t found something to do in Bikeology and Bike Month… well… it’s time to bring your event to the table and we’ll see if we can stick it onto the calendar so you can get other like minded folk involved!

Here are a few images from recent events…

Yup, you heard it here first!  Dacapo Lifestyle Caffe generously hosting the second Bikeology Breakfast of the month, so be sure and stop by to say hello to Tony and his crew!  A big thanks to DaCapo for coming on board with Bikeology! XOXO – the Bikeology Gears

What do town bike Miss “Pashley Princess Sovereign” and racing bike Ms. “Hakkalugi” have in common? They both appear in a a scintillating new movie compilation, entitled Edmonton Bike Shorts, screening this evening, Monday, June 6 at 7:00 PM at Metro Cinema, Citadel Theatre.

And then it’s the Edmonton premiere of “Small Changes Add Up”, the RBCC documentary depicting the LocalMotion: Parkallen 2009 community-based, eco-mobility program… a truly global-to-local partnership featuring the Global Alliance for Eco-mobility (also ICLEI), Transport Canada, City of Edmonton (multi-departments) and the Community of Parkallen.

Viewer Guidance Message: smooth sailing. Bring anyone of any age by any transportation mode.

We have door prizes! We have inspiration like maybe you haven’t felt in a long time.
Click here for the full Bikeology Movie program for June:
http://www.bikeology.ca/bikeology-information/bikeology-monday-movies-at-metro/

Some more references about LocalMotion and eco-mobility:
Local Motion, City of Edmonton http://edmonton.ca/localmotion
Parkallen Community League http://parkallen.ca
Global Alliance for Eco-mobility http://www.ecomobility.org
ICLEI: http://www.iclei.org
Transport Canada, eco-Transport (scroll down to find ecoMobility) http://www.ecoaction.gc.ca/ecotransport

This morning’s Bikeology: Commuter Race was practically a photo finish between several cyclists, one of whom cycled all the way from the West End to the starting location on 109 street and 71 Avenue to participate…  The very scientific ISO9000

approved method of calculating bagel units is based on the 90 calories you gain from eating a bagel.  Once you know

how much energy it takes to propel a bicycle, or a single occupant vehicle or a longboard, or a LRT/bike trip or a bus or a hybrid vehicle (based on our best guesstimates taken from the web) we do some fancy math and figure out that the bicycle is by far the most efficient vehicle, unless of course you have a tandem…

We enjoyed eating our bagel units per minute at the end of the race, as well… yummy cream cheese and jam bagels…

You wake up to bird song, you hop on your bicycle and tootle down to the Downtown Farmers’ Market at 104 Street and 102 Avenue.  Pick up all your comestibles for the week to come and at noon meander over to  join the festivities at Beaverhills House Park.  Here’s the Bikeology: Festival Day Itinerary:

• 11:45   Welcome and thank you, with directions to the Pedal-powered smoothies, and safety check of bicycle
• 12:00  The music of  Paula Kirman
• 12:20  Chat with Edmonton Bicycle Commuters’ Society, then find the bus rack demo area for the upcoming race.. you decide to meander over to the Park(ed) Day on 102 Avenue and 104 Street, heading east… but you come back for
• 12:30  The music of  Jesikah Holtby and Jesse Cunningham
• 12:50  The City of Edmonton’s Bicycle Racks on Buses – Display & Time Trials Race
• 1:10    The music of Escola De Samba De Edmonton
• 1:30    Description of displays and audience participation telling bicycle stories
• 1:40    The music of Owls By Nature
• 2:00    Helmet fitting and displays of BMXers and Trials riders (fingers crossed)
• 2:10    The music of Paul Bellows
• 2:30    Bicycle loading on Bus racks demonstration and race
• 2:55    Anna Marie – Bike Nic Poet Extraordinaire
• 3:35    The music of Locution Revolution
• 3:40   Announcement of scavenger hunt winner, Big “Thank You”s and reminders about the rest of the Bike Month activities

Check it out bicycle lovers!

If you didn’t go to Bohemia Variety Venue last night to watch RAD, you missed meeting a member of the original cast, “Captain” Kurk Bihun and some friends.  Turns out “Captain” Kurt heard about the screening and attended the film!  That’s right, there was a movie star at the Bohemia screening!!!!!

“Captain” Kurk and his crew setup a bmx bicycle display complete with uniforms AND then held a meet and greet aftewards… We were simply agog at the sheer coincidence of it all and how all the bikey love comes together in such a glorious way!…

The Bohemian Variety Venue had such a good time they added another movie screening to the Bike Month roster and are offering up BMX Bandits on June 23.  Check the calendar for details.

The scent of coffee wafting on the air, fresh fruit and muffins, a hint of rain… The first Bikeology: Bikey Breakfast was marvellously mellow.  Rain before and rain after, but dry as a bone in the desert during!

Turns out after seven years of power bars, we were… well, in a bit of a rut…

We also realized that we were catering strictly to those cyclists whose route went north or south, over the High Level Bridge.. It is by far the most famous Edmontonian pinch point for cyclists in the city, however we were missing out on a demographic that travels east/west for their commute… What to do what to do…

Well, we contacted Elm Cafe, one of our favourite local haunts and asked Nate if he’d be interested and, glory be, he was…Nate and his team put on a fine spread for Bikeology: Bikey Breakfasts and we are proud to partner with them on the new face of Bikeology: Bikey Breakfasts.  Nate provided a lovely spread for the cyclists that dropped by and we are already planning next year’s session…

Enough of next year… what of next Friday?  stay tuned and check back often…

Bikeology and Bike Month is formally launched!

CAUTION:  SUPERLATIVES FOLLOW…

It was the first Waving Wednesday, which was very convivial.

Early in the day it was Wheel to Wherever for all the school children – scuttlebutt is that it appears to have gone very well – check out this post at: http://ravingbikefiend.com

The flash mob at noon was a hit with 30 or so people coming and going and parking their bikes in the parking stall grabbing a coffee from Credo, then lingering to visit over lunch or tootling off to see the world from the seat of their bike.

The Ride to the Symphony was spectacular – the weather held, the Da Capo Caffe espresso was very fine and the actual Symphony was extraordinary.

And the backstage tour afterwards…well, all we can say is a huge “THANK YOU Gerald”, what a wonderful space and your knowledge of all it’s nooks and crannies is tremendous and you were very generous in sharing it!  Let’s do it again next year…

For those of you who missed out last night, check out other upcoming events on our google calendar, and be sure to register for the things that require pre-registration…

We’ll see you on the trails, or the roads, or at the venues, and as always, on your bike!

On my way home yesterday I spotted these workers!  It’s official….. JUNE is Bike Month…..

check out the June is Bike Month sign installation

the medium is the message!

Bikeology and Bike Month starts NEXT WEEK!  Do you have your tickets to the various events? There are so many, and you can find out about them here.

Do you have your routes mapped out for the maximum breakfast enjoyment?  Breakfasts have changed you know, and you can find out about that here.

We’ve added several really delightful velo-love events, and have brought back (by popular demand) the Commuter Race,which you can find out about here.

Wanna volunteer?  Not sure about what’s involved?  Check out our handy google document here, and be sure to indicate whether you can come to the Volunteer Dance Party on July 1

AND, if you have ever wondered why Bikeology and Bike Month… well, we thought about it and provided these reasons…

Remember, Waving Wednesdays are the easiest way to participate, so if you are out and about on your bike on any Wednesday in June, wave at the cyclists you see… try it today!

The fabulous Bikeology: Festival Day is nigh and we are looking for velo-oriented folks to come out to show us their goods made of or by bicycle… or maybe you have bicycles you want to display… either way this is the place for you…

June 18 we will once again be at our beloved BeaverHills House Park between noon and 4 p.m.  and you could be there too!

If you are interested, please contact the VELO team at info@bikeology.ca

Bikeology Movie Mondays at Metro celebrate the bicycle as a people-powered, culture-jamming, nature-loving, technological marvel. Juxtaposed against the post-industrial bleakness of the auto-matic world, the bicycle is a vehicle for the imagination. Each evening is co-hosted by a local bicycle organization, and we give out lots of cool door prizes. Join us. Bring your imagination. Bring your kids. We are introducing a new rating system to help you pick the right evening for a bicycle-oriented family evening out.

New This Year – Made-in-Edmonton Bike Movies!

We are offering an unprecedented amount of new, local content all month long. Two documentaries and one comedic feature film are made-in-Edmonton premieres. We are off to a racing start with a brand new mini-festival called “Edmonton’s Bike Shorts” on June 7. Ride on down and help us grow this emerging bike-cultural event!

June 6 – 7:00 to 9:00 PM

“Small Changes Add Up” – a made-in-Edmonton documentary premiere!
Director: Barb Allard
Released 2011
TRT: 55 minutes
Country: Canada

The challenge: how many people from one Edmonton neighbourhood can leave their personal automobiles at home and get eco-mobile for the month of June 2009? Several City of Edmonton departments partnered with the Parkallen community in order to find out. “Small Changes Add Up” documents the trials and triumphs of the people involved in this groundbreaking, successful eco-mobility project, which received worldwide attention when the ICLEI congress rolled through town.

Screens with “Edmonton’s Bike Shorts” mini-festival!
Director: various
TRT: 20 min

Edmonton bike shorts arise from the experiences of the people who ride bicycles in Northern Alberta. Meaningful, exciting and inspiring, they cycle from art to sport to education. In compilation, they represent the cultural leading edge of our transportation transformation. Check back often for updates on selected shorts.

Psst, June is Bike Month and the Bikeology: Festival is ramping up, so check out our calendar and be sure to come out to all the fabulous events… We have something for everyone, promise…

We want to know:

Do you have a project that involves cycling?  We invite you to come out and feature it at the Bikeology: Festival Day.

Do you have an idea about what else could be done during the month (AND are willing to help make it come to be!) be sure to contact us…We can be reached at info[at]bikeology.ca (be sure to remove the square brackets…)

Do you want to volunteer for Edmonton’s premiere cycling festival?  Again, contact us, we’d love your assistance and we look forward to hearing from you!

Oh my oh my oh my… Spring is so close you can see it in the rabbit hair, and the bare pavement, laced round with ice of course, but bare nonetheless…and that means a couple of things, cycling is becoming less of a dream for those who stow their ride in the winter AND becoming easier for those that do not…

Something else that is coming closer is Bikeology and Bike Month! Harooooo! We have a great month planned… All the usual favourites, a few of them with some new twists, and a few lovely additions to the whole mix.

Do you remember your favourite event from last year?  Was there something that you missed from years past? Tell us what it was, we’d love to know..

the Bikeology Gears

Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of EBC and the 10th Anniversary of Bikeology

My, my, time whizzes past like a yellow jersey breaking free of the peleton when you are biking about creating velo-love.  30 years for Edmonton Bicycle Commuters’ Society and 10 years of Bikeology… Amazing.  EBC has grown from a wee glint in someone’s eye to be North America’s oldest volunteer bike shop and the festival has transformed from a one-day pedal-infested bacchanalia with a strong eco-consciousness to a month of give or take 27 bikey events luring people away from their auto-centric lives.  Glorious… but more importantly what does that mean for you?  IT MEANS A BIKEY PARTY!

If you have a hankering for decorating your home with all things bikey, this is the event for you.

This fundraiser celebration will directly support bicycle love in Edmonton.  Indulge in the amazing, locally-made bike art showcasing over 25 artists.  Bid on original prints, sculptures, tshirts, posters, handmade bike accessories and more!

As well there will be music,  powered by Music is a Weapon and their contingent of 10 bike-powered generators of electrical wizardry that will energize live music, literally!  Join a team of friends to ride for a 15 minutes shift of no-snow winter biking.

Allez! Allez! Allez!

We are looking for you!  You love bikes, we love bikes.  You want to promote cycling culture in Edmonton, we want to promote cycling culture in Edmonton.  You think there should be more things to do during June that revolve around bikes, we too think so…

Come out to the Dish on January 31, at 7 p.m. to find out where in the planning process we are with our festival and our events…Help us make cycling in Edmonton a sweet sweet ride!

Details:

Location:  The Dish Bistro, 12417 Stony Plain Road

Time:  7 p.m. onwards

Agenda:

• Updates
• Celebrations
• Movies (previews)
• Future plans
• How you can help

Your VELO gears

The second Bikeology Movie Monday features “Pedal”, a fast-paced documentary of cycle messengers in New York City. The opener is an eclectic 20 mins of Barb’s Bike Shorts, with medics on bikes, punk rockers and a crazy (even for Barb bicycle training film for kids. It’s an evening of fall-down, near misses – without even spilling your popcorn. (Bike movies are in the Rice Theatre this year, downstairs in the Citadel.) Tuesday, Credo Café is the scene of a moderated Bikeology Dialogue about bicycle touring. On Wednesday, there’s a new event: Blue Sky’s BBQ & Bicycle Show and Shine. Enjoy the classic film “Bicycle Thief” and live, local music. On Friday from 7 – 9 AM the mobile Bike2Work Breakfast is at the north end of the High Level Bridge. Get your bike tuned up while you drink coffee and eat muffins. Saturday, June 19, is the big one. Bikeology Festival Day is at Beaver Hills “Bike” Park from noon to four, and this is the exact same time as the City of Edmonton’s Park(ed) , MEC BikeFest, the Downtown Farmers Market and Rock the Square. Leave the car at home. All five events will be linked by a car-free network along 102 avenue. Check out the Google Calendar onhttp://bikeology.ca for addresses and times. Read event blogs on the home page.

and pancakes… so too are 200 other folks who joined us in the Square this morning for vegan pancakes, coffee, fruit and fruit juices.  Yummy…  As well, we had four mechanic stands – count them 4 – that rocked out all morning long, ensuring that everyone that came by was able to cycle away secure in the knowledge that their ride would get them where they were going…

The day was made possible by the astounding dedication of our volunteers, relatives and friends.  It’s always cool to see a community come together to put on bikey endeavours even if they have to get up at 5 a.m. and haul 300 pounds of ceramic plates (or coffee, or tools, or … you get the picture) to the site, by bike…. good effort everyone.

Well, folks, another successful Bike jewelry session wrapped up on Thursday evening.  Dylan led 12 people through the various steps to making their own marvellous jewelry from old bike parts.  In addition to marvy reflector bling broaches and rings, we saw pendants, earrings, bracelets, and many more lovely, innovative pieces.  Dylan and his brother photographed those pieces the creators agreed to share and they will be featured here, and on Dylan’s blog.  I’ll find and post it presently.

In other news, Dylan agreed to host another Bikeology Jewelry session on Thursday, June 24, same time and location.  If you didn’t get registered the first time, or are hearing about it for the first time, don’t hesitate… email info[at]bikeology.ca to register today