Vancouver Complete Residents’ Guide
Bicycles
Bikes are serious business in a city with so many cycling paths. Not only are Vancouver streets filled with cyclists, rain or shine, but electric bikes are gaining immense popularity. Both require a helmet by law and can be ridden without insurance or a licence, although you must be at least 16 years old to ride an electric bike. The price range for a basic bike is around $350, with helmets ranging from $20 to $50; a bike light costs $10, and the essential lock around $25. Large outlets such as Canadian Tire (p.385) sell a good variety of bicycles for people of all ages. Sports Junkies (p.395) has a large collection of new and used bikes from $300 to $700, as well as parts, accessories, a repair service and a consignment option. If you’re heading to English Bay for a cycle, there are a few shops along Denman Street between West Georgia and Robson streets. Here you can rent bikes, tandems, take inline skating lessons and kit yourself with protective gear. Standard rates are $20 per day and $1.50 for knee and elbow pads.
Devoted mountain bikers will be in heaven; the best trails are on the North Shore, around Cypress Mountain, Mount Fromme and Mount Seymour. Maps of the routes can be bought at the local shops along the way. For the best advice on the area and good prices on mountain bikes, visit both Deep Cove Bike Shop and On Top Bike Shop, the former a manufacturer of bikes specifically made for North Vancouver’s terrain. A great way to get acquainted with the scene is to contact the North Shore Mountain Bike Association (www.nsmba.bc.ca), which can set you up with events, other riders and all round good information. Although almost every bike shop in the city is committed to the environment, Our Community Bikes (604 879 2453, www.pedalpower.org) takes things al little further, with programmes designed to educate people about cycling, as well as the recycling, of bicycles.
Bicycle Sports Pacific
999 Pacific St
604 682 4537
www.bspbikes.com
The staff at Bicycle Sports Pacific are fun and know their stuff so well that you may enjoy the buying experience almost as much as the bike you leave with at the end. The store carries brands such as Trek, Giant, Cannondale, Gary Fischer and Lemond, covering full suspension, mountain, road, hybrid, children’s bikes and cruisers. Not only do you get a wide variety of bicycles to choose from, but you also get tips on how to select the right one, accessory recommendations and suggestions for finding other like-minded people. The gift registry offered her is a great way to record items you would like for a special occasion. There’s a 10% reduction for those who decide to buy from your list.
Cambie Cycles
3317 Cambie St
604 874 3616
www.cambiecycles.com
This one-of-a-kind shop is famous for its recumbent bikes (bicycles in which the rider is seated in an almost reclining position). It manufactures and sells the Cambie Recumboni, as well as offering a surprisingly large fleet of Velomobiles, Rans bikes, Sun Bicycles, Bellandare’s HP Velotechnik, Cycle Genius and Hase Spezialrader. Prices range from $700 for a Speedster up to $6,200 for a very sleek Rans Stratus. The store also carries what is probably the leading selection of unicycles in the city. Also available are trailers, trikes, urban bikes, scooters, electric and folding bikes.
Dunbar Cycles
4219 Dunbar St
604 224 2116
www.dunbarcycles.com
You won’t get any friendlier than the folks at Dunbar Cycles. They’re known for spending as much time with newcomers as with regulars. The store carries three main brands: Miele, Devinci’s and Brodie Bikes. The latter two are Canadian-made and designed and cover bicycle types for every use. Jackets, shorts, jerseys, socks, shoes and gloves are also sold to equip stylish riders. Parts and accessories are available in a wide range of brands, and you can buy gift certificates for those cycling enthusiasts you know. The maintenance shop is led by an expert wheel builder who can do repairs, or a basic tune-up for $40. There is free parking at the rear of the store- a real asset in Vancouver.
Green World Electric Vehicles
MOVING TO: 3010 Cambie St
604 879 4559
www.gwev.com
Green World supplies top power-assisted electric bikes (also called e-bikes). These look like traditional bicycles but have motors with varying power installed. The cost starts at about $750 and goes up to $1,800 for a mountain bike-styled machine. Most can run for 40 kilometres before having to recharge, and have gears like ordinary bikes. Green World also has a ‘scrap’ programme that allows people discarding cars built in 1993 or before up to $750 off an e-bike or scooter purchase. Accessories available include lights, speed and distance calculators, waterproof ponchos, bike covers and front-wheel locks.
Jorg & Olif
45 East 6 Ave
604 877 1850
www.jorgandolif.com
This outlet is all about the Dutch-inspired ‘city bike.’ Coming in two versions, they’ve become a huge hit for active city dwellers who crave European cool. The bikes are designed for transport in urban areas and include little extras such as backward-arching handlebars, installed lights on the front and rear, an anti-theft device, a Dutch bell, and a coat guard to keep your chic clothes safe- no more shoving your trousers in your socks. These bikes are a tasteful way to get around, and cost between $545 and $1,500. You can also find city bikes at hip boutique Lark 8th Avenue (p.374).
Buy Vancouver Complete Residents’ Guide
Copyright 2008 Lori Henry
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