Episode 137: Ontario By Bike

Quiet lessons from the outdoors are still there, but you have to choose to hear them, and sometimes that starts with something as simple as getting on a bike. We open with a bit of real life seasonal talk, storms rolling through, a dog who still wants his walk, and a maple sap season that is not behaving. Then we shift into a topic that can change how you see the province: cycle tourism in Ontario and how to plan rides that feel like true travel, not just exercise.

I’m joined by Louisa from Ontario By Bike, a not-for-profit that helps connect cyclists to Ontario cycling routes, multi-use trails, and bike-friendly businesses across the province. We dig into what bicycle-friendly certification actually means, why secure overnight bike parking matters, and how destinations can become easier for riders to navigate. If you’ve ever wondered where to start, we talk bike types in plain language, helmet safety and replacement timing, spring tune-ups, and how to get kids sized properly so they ride safer and happier.

We also get into the fun stuff: rail trails in Ontario and why old rail beds make such great routes, traveling with a bike versus renting, winter riding with fat bikes and studded tires, and the rise of e-bikes in Ontario. Finally, we cover indoor bike trainer setups, smart trainers, Zwift-style platforms, and how local cycling clubs can help you find routes and motivation fast.

If you enjoy the conversation, subscribe, share it with a riding buddy, and leave a review so more people can find the show. What Ontario trail or route should we talk about next?

Transcript

Network Podcast Teasers

SPEAKER_06 0:02

How did a small-town sheet metal mechanic come to build one of Canada's most iconic fishing lodges? I'm your host, Steve Nitswiki, and you'll find out about that and a whole lot more on the Outdoor Journal Radio Network's newest podcast, Diaries of a Lodge Owner. But this podcast will be more than that. Every week on Diaries of a Lodge Owner, I'm going to introduce you to a ton of great people. Share their stories of our trials, tribulations, and inspirations. Learn and have plenty of laughs along the way.

SPEAKER_07 0:36

Meanwhile, we're sitting there bobbing along trying to figure out how to catch a bass. And we both decided one day we were going to be on television doing a fishing show.

SPEAKER_05 0:46

My hands get sore a little bit when I'm reeling in all those bass in the summertime, but that's might be more efficient than it was punchy.

SPEAKER_06 0:53

You so confidently you said, hey Pat, have you ever eaten a drunk? Find diaries of a lodge owner now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

Listener Thanks And Spring Updates

Meet Louisa From Ontario By Bike

SPEAKER_09 1:12

As the world gets louder and louder, the lessons of our natural world become harder and harder to hear, but they are still available to those who know where to listen. I'm Jerry Olette, and I was honored to serve as Ontario's Minister of Natural Resources. However, my journey into the woods didn't come from politics. Rather, it came from my time in the bush and a mushroom. In 2015, I was introduced to the birch-hungry fungus known as Chaga, a tree conch with centuries of medicinal applications used by indigenous peoples all over the globe. After nearly a decade of harvest, use, testimonials, and research, my skepticism has faded to obsession. And I now spend my life dedicated to improving the lives of others through natural means. But that's not what the show is about. My pursuit of the strange mushroom and my passion for the outdoors has brought me to the places and around the people that are shaped by our natural world. On Outdoor Journal Radio's Under the Canopy podcast, I'm going to take you along with me to see the places, meet the people that will help you find your outdoor passion and help you live a life close to nature and under the canopy. So join me today for another great episode, and hopefully, we can inspire a few more people to live their lives under the canopy. As always, we're thanking all our listeners all across Canada, the States, you know, around the world, Switzerland, Ghana, the Caribbean, etc., sir. We really appreciate you listening. As usual, you got any, ask them. Is any suggestions? Let us know. And look, I want to thank all those that uh showed up at the shows and filled out our forms at the uh the shows that we did the last couple of weeks um regarding the new Chaga blends. We appreciate that, and we're working on uh putting all that data together, but that's how we make some decisions is getting some input from people. And I gotta tell you, this morning I was out and it the thunderstorm was just cracking and banging and everything else, and I thought it was a jet taken off from the local airport, which is not too far from us, but it's close, far enough away. Anyways, no, it was uh thunderstorm. So I take Gunner and I just uh he comes with me, I open the front door, it's team and rain out. He looks at me, he looks at, I get that look like, well, I'm ready to go. And I say, no, you know we don't do pore and rain and the muck and everything else this time of the year. So he just turns back and gives me that, yeah, fine. Thanks very much. Look. And for those that know uh my chocolate lab gunner, he's the character and uh he's our best friend and we love him dearly. Anyways, and it it's some of the other stuff that's going on out there as well. It's really hard. Uh this year maple sap season is really strange. You know, did my taps and I went out. Saw a former uh guy, Paul, that used to work with me, he was running his dog as well as as I uh I always take Gunner out with us when I'm doing my taps and throw the ball and empty some trees and some pails off the trees. Anyways, uh I get out there and uh the past couple of days, it would be, in my opinion, was perfect weather. I'd been there the day before and it was just like, hmm, they're empty. The pails are pretty much empty. So we get those cold nights where it was minus three, and then it was like plus nine or something like that the next day, but it was really cloudy, so there wasn't a lot of sun. I thought, all right, maybe the sap, maybe the trees need that sun on there to uh warm the tree up, to draw the sap up from the roots, but nope, nothing. So we'll go out the next day, figuring out, and I gotta tell you, when the sap's running good, about two of those pails that are hanging on the trees, and I pour those in the five-gallon buckets, we'll fill those five-gallon buckets. But I went through 30 taps and got less than half a half a bucket, and I thought, nope, this ain't happening now. I don't know what's going on. But anyways, we'll be out again, seeing what it's like. Hopefully the rain will give us a little bit of a break so I don't have to go out in the rain and check those buckets then, but we'll see how it is. And the fire, you know, the weather's warm enough now that uh the fireplace insert's kind of done for now. We'll see how that goes. But uh it was great for the entire year. I had uh put on a fire a couple of days ago because uh Garrett's uh fiance Brittany was in and she was over and I had some uh everything all set up for a nice fire for a nice crackling fire. But uh that was a couple of days ago, and it was plus nine, and I mentioned, and it was damp because when the snow starts melting, the uh the dampness really comes in, so you can really feel that dampness. And I thought, I'll take the dampness out of the house. Well, I got the f the the insert going and crackling fire. I was using um cedar so it wasn't hot and some spruce and pine. So it wasn't really, really hot because you you don't get um they don't burn as hot as the maple or the the ash or the the yellow birch or the birch that we've been burning in those cold days, but it was hot enough in there that I had to open the sliding doors to cool it down a bit because it was kind of there, a little bit too warm. But we'll see how it goes. We get some cold days or some cool nights. I'll put the fire on again just to take it out and burn some uh softer wood. And it was like my buddy used today. He said, Jerry, you know, if you could just get me a little bit of pine and then uh just crack it open a bit. And uh so I'd cut him some pine and and for days like that he'd be able to get his fire. And I think Doug used to like the uh bless his soul, like the smell of pine around, and where I like the actually the birch is kind of my favorite, but maple's nice too. They have a nice aroma when you get a little bit of the the uh smoke uh coming through. So it kind of adds to the ambience of being around and sitting in an evening and just doing your reading of your work. But anyways, so we'll see how the maple syrup goes. Fire looks like it could be done, but we'll check and see. At this time of the year, it's hard to tell because I know they're forecasting a bit of snow coming up, but we'll see how that goes. But now, the next guest that we have, I attended a show at the International Center and went around specifically to see about the show, whether I go into the show or not next year. Not sure it will. Uh it was kind of more of a tourism show than what I was looking for, as opposed to uh what I thought it was going to be. But I happened to come across uh some organizations, and uh we have uh a guest from the show that was there from Ontario by bike. We have Louisa from Ontario by Bike. Welcome to the program.

SPEAKER_03 8:01

Thank you, Jerry. It's great to be here. Thanks for inviting us, and nice to meet you at the Outdoor Adventure Show recently.

SPEAKER_09 8:07

Yeah, it was uh it was nice. It uh with lots of people there as a well-attended show. Um I and it's good to see organizations like yours there getting out the message. Now, uh tell us a bit about yourself. You know, uh tell us a bit about your background.

SPEAKER_03 8:22

Uh, well, happy to do that before we tell you a little bit about our organization and what we do. Um yeah, I've been working in the tourism field for quite a long time, uh, a number of decades. Uh started out as just um a tour guide in Europe and just my family works in tourism as well. So it's a lovely industry to work in. Lots of happy people make people happy, um, working with a variety of businesses and such. And uh it's a real passion for me. Uh, and I've paired that with uh my passion for our sustainability, um, looking at ways that the tourism industry can be more sustainable in what it brings to the traveler, and also a passion for travel and adventure, uh, health and awareness. So uh the cycling piece and our organization fits in well with my background and my interests. And I love living in Ontario. I've traveled the world and I've come back home many years ago uh recognizing that uh Ontario is a wonderful place, Canada is a wonderful place to live in.

unknown 9:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_09 9:36

Yeah, it's it's surprising. A lot of people base the world standard on what takes place right here in Ontario and a lot of the places I've been to, whether it's Kenya, Sri Lanka, Egypt, a lot of places, uh uh the the standards there are not quite the same as what we have here. And unfortunately, a lot of people think it is, but it's not really. But uh, we certainly have a great quality of life. And now, so when you work in the tourism industry, how or what do you do? Uh give us some insight on that.

Sustainable Tourism Without A Car

SPEAKER_03 10:02

Well, not only do I live in Ontario, but I love sharing information about Ontario and getting people to visit. Um so our organization is a not-for-profit organization that was formed over 30 years ago with a mission and vision to uh service more sustainable tourism and sustainable transportation initiatives and programs. So that's transportation options. Uh we started our cycling programs in uh 2007-2008, working with Via Rail and then onwards to GoTrain to get um options available for cyclists to be able to use trains uh with their bikes getting to destinations around Ontario, recognizing that not everybody owns a vehicle. And that was back then, and I can tell you those numbers have sure skyrocketed since people are uh looking to get out of the big cities or wherever they live to enjoy recreational activities, perhaps some uh tourism activities without vehicles. Um, from our program uh called the bike train, we created a program called Ontario by Bike, recognizing there was a need to connect with businesses and further develop in destinations cycle tourism. So the routes and the facilities that cyclists can expect when they're visiting uh different destinations. And we've certified businesses as part of our programming uh as bicycle-friendly, so tourism businesses. There's now over 1,700 across almost every single region in Ontario that are uh part of our program. And this helps connect the economic development at the community level to uh the tourism uh and cyclists that might be visiting uh different areas, they can choose to visit these businesses that have taken those extra steps to become certified as bicycle-friendly. So our Ontario Bow Bike program is all about developing and promoting cycle tourism and getting more people out there cycling, whether it's you know, for an hour enjoying themselves or for a longer getaway type of adventure where they take their bicycle.

SPEAKER_09 12:17

Yeah. So whereabouts are you personally located so we're international listeners know?

SPEAKER_03 12:22

I'm located in Toronto, Ontario. Uh, but our organization really works across the province uh with all different destinations, and we have international contacts, contacts, and uh cross-Canada contacts that also work in the same area that we do.

SPEAKER_09 12:40

Mm-hmm. So um and your position is a promotional um position with the organization? Like is that uh your main focus and what you do, or are you on the executive, or what is it that you do?

SPEAKER_03 12:52

Uh I'm in the executive director. I have been since 2011. We've been working at this organization for longer. So I'm in charge of a lot of things, and it's a small organization, uh small staff. So I wear a lot of hats working on you know funding, um, all our marketing initiatives, our programming to reach uh businesses. Yeah. A lot of different um activities underway and uh working with a great team and a board of directors as well that also helps lead our organization.

SPEAKER_09 13:25

Yeah, no, it's uh people don't realize that when you take on a position like that, it there's a lot of stuff that uh if uh somebody they need somebody to do it and nobody's jumping up, guess who's doing it? And that's you can be you, correct? Oh yes. Yeah. Yeah. So how many members does uh your association have? And is it just Ontario?

SPEAKER_03 13:44

Uh yes. So um for the Ontario Bow Bike program, like I mentioned, there's 1,700 businesses that are certified. That's about 42 participating regions. Um, and our programming goes towards uh industry partners. So I just mentioned those businesses and and regions, the tourism organizations we work with, but also we reach have a huge reach uh in our own community uh within the cycling world. So we have a popular e-newsletter, 17,000 people get it uh once a month. Uh we have a magazine that we print. Um, 83,000 people read it last year. Uh, we go to shows and events like the one I met you at, and we talk to thousands of cyclists. We run our own bike tours. Um, about 150 people participate in those uh uh per year. So that's the real fascinating mix between industry and the consumer talking to the cyclists. Um we love working with uh both ends of the spectrum.

SPEAKER_09 14:50

Right. So what does a business need to do to be bike-friendly certified?

SPEAKER_03 14:56

Uh well, it's quite easy to do because uh we deal with tourism businesses, so accommodations, food services, attractions, wineries, breweries, visitor areas. So most of those are pretty consumer uh service-oriented businesses, anyways. Um, we do have criteria, and I will mention the program is free for businesses to be a part of. Uh, we do have criteria that they have to meet, and it's all uh certification online can be done, and then we review the um the simple application they have to fill in. The hardest criteria level would be accommodations. They have to provide secure overnight parking for their guests for their bikes. Um, so whether they allow it into the guests' room or they have a separate lockup area within the building, um that's probably the most stringent uh uh criteria that needs to reach. And it kind of travels down the line from there.

unknown 15:53

Right.

Bikes Helmets And Proper Fit

SPEAKER_09 15:57

Oh, yeah. So what sort of equipment does does one need to get involved with with biking uh throughout Ontario? I mean, obviously it's the bike, but you know, there there's uh many other aspects uh um in just a the standard bike, is there different types of bikes for different types of environments that uh so as somebody who's thinking about getting into biking but doesn't know a lot about it?

SPEAKER_03 16:20

Oh, definitely. There's uh so many different types of bikes out there uh now, Jerry, and I'm sure your listeners can find one that suits them. Um there are uh what we call hybrid bikes, flat handlebar type of bikes that are versatile over different terrain. There's mountain bikes, which might be more geared for rougher terrain and actually going on some hardcore trails. Uh there are road bikes, which would be the traditional type of uh drop handlebar type of bikes with uh smaller tires. So they're gonna feel some bumps if you're not on uh smooth pavement. Uh there are e-bikes, which are growing in popularity. Uh about 20. Our recent uh survey says that about 28%, I believe it was, already own one or more e-bikes in their household, and 16% are considering purchasing one in their near future. Uh and there's gravel cycling bikes, which is uh my favorite type of bike, which um has drop handlebars and it can handle both roads, smooth roads, and off-road trails that have a few more bumps. So all kinds of bikes and the type of equipment that you need really varies. Um, I would say the number one thing would be to uh always wear a helmet. Uh people don't um sometimes know there is some helmet safety, how to position the helmet. You should be replacing your helmets every three to five years. There they could become compromised, especially if you've had any type of impact with the helmet. Um that it would be the most important type of equipment that I would recommend. And and generally having a safety check of your bike every year, if not a couple of times throughout the season, uh is an important factor as well.

SPEAKER_09 18:13

Yeah, the safety check and things like that. To be honest, uh I've got an old Harrow Extreme that uh edits when it came out back in 1989, I think it was, uh, was uh was a pretty high-end bike. But it's really hard to find places that you can get them repaired or brought up and and you know how do you get to check to make sure that it's uh safety and and without any problems with it. So it does your organization provide lists of repair shops and things like that that people can look up and or go to the magazine and find stuff there and details there?

SPEAKER_03 18:47

Uh on our website we do have uh quite a lot of bike stores that are certified as bicycle-friendly. Obviously, a bike store doesn't have criteria to meet. So there is a list uh by region on our website. But I would suggest you go to Google and um look up your local bike store. And we always recommend that you go to a local bike store. Um, develop a relationship with these folks. Uh they're a great source of information and they can help you out when you're in a bind. And for your bike, the hero extreme, I'm not sure exactly what that is, but you might have to uh find a specialty bike shop uh to repair that, although um many bike shops can swap in uh old parts for new parts that might not be that brand, but can get you rolling and go.

SPEAKER_09 19:36

Oh yeah, yeah. Uh well, a lot of the uh I go back to a lot where the uh you know the old rubbers on the tires uh were the brakes. Now most of them are all disc brakes uh to some extent from what I see out there, which is pretty much a standard in the industry now, right?

SPEAKER_03 19:52

Oh yeah, disc brakes are on a lot of bikes, um, and they're quite sharp and work very well. So a nice update, although they have a bit more mechanics to take care of than the simple old uh clamp brakes.

SPEAKER_09 20:06

Yeah. So uh Louisa, how when kids are first starting out, how do you assess uh a bike size for uh a child that's growing? Because uh everybody wants them to grow into the bike. Um, you know, and the way things, you know, the economy and everything is a lot, it can be very expensive for for people just to cover expenses with the the price of everything going up constantly. How do you assess for a child what size bike uh do you do you get for a child first starting out?

SPEAKER_03 20:40

Well, size of obviously goes by height, and then there is the consideration that kids are growing and they grow fast often. So most bikes have um a lever under the seat that you can raise or lower the seat. So I would recommend that you get a bike that would maybe be a little bit bigger for their um the child and make sure that there is a seat that can be adjusted. And uh when you go to size them on the seat, um this goes for adults as well as children. You need to be able to touch the ground with your feet uh while sitting on the seat for safety reasons. You can be it could be on your tippy toes a bit, but so that it is a safe touchdown for your feet for when you stop. Um, I would also say that um go to a like local bike store. Uh kids can buy a bike from a local bike store. Um, many of these offer buybacks for kids' bikes. So they might just they might trade in your bike um and give you some dollars back for that when the child grows to the next size.

SPEAKER_09 21:47

Right, yeah, I know. You know, it's it's it's difficult. We tried to because uh I used to bike a lot, and there were some trails down uh the center of Oshawa, the uh the Oshawa trail that went right by. By the Oshawa Creek. And it um ran basically from uh the north end, uh, well, pretty much the center of Oshawa, the main part of it, right down to the lake and back. And I used to take the kids uh my sons there on a regular basis. And it was hard to determine, though, the because I I see so many kids that that they're riding their bikes and I'm looking and their seat is down and their their knees are coming up almost as a seat when they're going. I think I think that's a little seat needs to be a little bit higher than that. Uh if you know what I'm referring to when you you see the kids when they're when they're pedaling.

SPEAKER_03 22:36

Oh, that goes for adults.

SPEAKER_09 22:38

Trying to get them to the right stroke length for a for a bike, right?

SPEAKER_03 22:42

Yeah, it goes for adults as well. Um, you want your leg close to fully extended uh when it's on the pedal, not folded up um with the knees bent.

SPEAKER_09 22:53

Yeah.

unknown 22:54

Yeah.

Cycling Health And Rail Trails

SPEAKER_09 22:55

Yeah, I see so many. My favorite bike was a purple monkey bike. If you ever heard of those when I was a kid back in the uh 60s and the early 70s, uh it'd be the 60s, I guess. Uh if you recall and you know what a monkey bike is with a banana seat and the big uh uh curved handlebars. Hard as heck to ride, but they looked really cool when you were a kid. Yeah. So uh how is uh uh cycling uh for exercise? Is it is it good or does it fit into the into the realm? And can you do too much? I I know my mom's mom's 91, and she was out yesterday. She did two laps yesterday, which is about uh she does about eight kilometers each time and still goes, goes, goes. Uh I don't think I'd ever get her on a bike because uh I wouldn't feel comfortable doing that, but uh it's just that uh she's at that stage now where we got her walking poles on, but she still goes like crazy. So how does cycling uh compare for exercise and and how much should you do and and how do you get ready to be able to do a long trip? Uh you know, where how often should you ride and and how far and how much should you be going?

SPEAKER_03 24:07

Well, cycling is definitely a great form of exercise, and um it's super important, I mean, any stage of your life to be active. So keeping active so you can cycle, so you can walk, so you could be with your grandkids, so you could look after your kids, super important. Um, but cycling, um, yeah, it depends on the pace that you want to set, as in how good of an exercise it will be and your cardio rate for that. So generally, I would say you could go slow, you could go fast. Um, it's all a good form of exercise, whatever you want to do. We've also heard from people that um that have changed over to cycling from other uh more cardio-intensive type of sports, uh, finding it a little easier to uh participate in cycling. Maybe it's easier on their knees. Some people have trouble with their knees, and and cycling can be a lot easier than other sports. Uh, we've also seen a lot of people like go through some miraculous transformations, cycling just you know, 20, 30 minutes a day when it's nice out. Uh, we have a really fun article in our uh latest magazine. It's called Cycling to Good Health. And we interviewed um a gentleman called the Cardiac Cyclist. He's got a fun YouTube channel. Uh he rides all over Ontario on rail trails and documents that. But uh he had some very serious heart problems, and uh he was able to, after surgery, come back to like amazing health uh through his focus on cycling and getting out there and staying fit by being a cyclist.

SPEAKER_09 25:52

Yeah, I know. Uh one of my problems is uh my brain still thinks I'm in my 20s, and I have a tendency to push it now, though. Um now that uh my my chiropractor is no longer available, bless his soul. He passed from shoveling snow. Um great guy, but I need to get my knees put back in place because they fall out of uh uh alignment a bit. And uh but uh uh with the brain still thinking I'm in my twenties, I have a tendency to push it and get out there and do too much and then regret it later on. So a slow start uh back into it uh just comes with experience, I would expect. Uh Louisa, now are there a lot of multi-use trails uh and off-road trails? You mentioned uh the individual that you were just talking about uh who did a lot of the rail trails. Maybe you can kind of explain what a rail trail is and and uh does your organization provide details of how to find these sort of trails?

SPEAKER_03 26:47

Uh sure. So cyclists love off-road trails. We're finding um the research that we've done shows it's a little bit uh more skewed to uh cyclist preferences. Uh there's a lot of safety involved, um not being mixed up with traffic. And rail trails are while there's lots of trails around more urban areas and and different areas, rail trails are a particular form of those type of trails that used to be an old railway bed where they have removed the rail tires, tires, ties, sorry, uh into um uh uh man maintained that into a flatter surface. And there's often usually gravel uh surface limestone screening, which is quite hard and compact and easy to ride. And there are a lot in across Ontario of rail trails that uh folks are gravitating towards and can easily be used for a getaway um longer than a day, or perhaps just doing a small portion of them. So, for example, uh the Simpcoe County loop from Barrie to Midland and back around, that's 160 kilometers. We have 140 kilometers fully paved, uh various trails, um not just rail trails in the Niagara called the Niagara Circle Route. Uh we have the Goderich to Guelph 132 kilometers. That used to be an old railbed, and there's a number of amazing rail trails out in eastern Ontario as well. Um, whether that's the Ottawa Valley Recreation Trail or the Cataraki Trail or the Prescott Russell Trail. Um, it just keeps going. So uh there's definitely a lot of multi-use trails in our province.

SPEAKER_09 28:40

Mm-hmm. Yeah, I see the one I regularly see riders um south of Lindsay. There's a rail trail there, and I'm not sure where it goes. I've never looked up or checked to see the details, but I I imagine do you have listings of where all these are on your with your association on your website?

SPEAKER_03 28:57

Yeah, so the uh trail that you mentioned is the Victoria Rail Trail. It goes all the way up to Halliburton, a little bit rougher after Fenton Falls. Uh, but yes, on our website, Ontario by bike.ca, we have um a page for every area in Ontario. And within that, we do list off-road trails, and folks can click on the links to access the maps to see what those trails are like and um plan their outing accordingly.

SPEAKER_09 29:27

Hmm. So are these ones that uh you need to to drive your vehicle to and then take your bike off there and then access, or is it uh are there ones that you can access from to basically a central point and then get to the mall? I guess it all varies, right?

SPEAKER_03 29:45

Yeah, yep. So I mean these trails are situated all around Ontario. Um there are some that you could maybe access from train services, such as the Go Trains in um the GTHA. Uh there's some that you could take a bus out to if you say lived in the Ottawa area or the outskirts of um some larger urban area. Um, and then there's some that you would need to drive to if you had a vehicle um and put your bike on a bike rack or inside the back of the car.

SPEAKER_09 30:17

Yeah, I the Lindsay one, I see a lot of cars showing up there with uh and they take their bikes off um off their vehicle and then they they start uh there from the one you mentioned. Uh and so it's good to get out. I I know I've uh um many times with uh my sons, we've uh had my wife drop us off, uh do a small run from basically kind of up Port Perry way back to Oshawa. And uh she was quite surprised because I knew a lot of the back roads. We stay off the main roads when my sons were quite young, and we would take the backroads and and uh a lot of different areas, and they just loved doing it. Of course, it was kind of nice because you hit the ridges and it's all basically downhill from there. So it was one way to get the get the kids out and and enjoy it, and it's still something that uh our oldest son Josh, he we got him a bike last year that uh he's still using in Toronto, and he's he's now 30, so he's still enjoying it, and it's something we instilled at a very young age.

Midroll Promos And Chaga Offer

SPEAKER_10 31:22

Back in 2016, Frank and I had a vision to amass the single largest database of muskie angling education material anywhere in the world.

SPEAKER_02 31:31

Our dream was to harness the knowledge of this amazing community and share it with passionate anglers just like you.

SPEAKER_10 31:37

Thus, the Ugly Pike Podcast was born and quickly grew to become one of the top fishing podcasts in North America.

SPEAKER_02 31:44

Step into the world of angling adventures and embrace the thrill of the catch with the Ugly Pike Podcast. Join us on our quest to understand what makes us different as anglers and to uncover what it takes to go after the infamous fish of 10,000 casts.

SPEAKER_10 31:58

The Ugly Pike Podcast isn't just about fishing, it's about creating a tight-knit community of passionate anglers who share the same love for the sport. Through laughter, through camaraderie, and an unwavering spirit of adventure, this podcast will bring people together. Subscribe now and never miss a moment of our angling adventures.

SPEAKER_02 32:16

Tight lines, everyone.

SPEAKER_10 32:18

Find Ugly Pike now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever else you get your podcasts.

SPEAKER_09 32:37

Okay, we're uh with Tristan in Bellville. Tristan, you've had some experience with the Chaga, the regular tea. Tell us about it.

SPEAKER_00 32:44

Um, so I actually ran into you about a year ago, same place you are now, and uh I uh just was like, oh you know, I'll get a bag and try it. So I think four straight days of drinking one cup of tea every day, I noticed an immediate difference like like in my body just feeling better, and then definitely drink them after drinking the night before, like alcohol. It kills hangovers big, big time.

SPEAKER_09 33:12

I'll usually have two afterwards, but what happens, Tristan, is uh hangovers are essentially a lot of free radicals in your brain, and the antioxidant level is so high in Chega that it eliminates a lot of those, and I get a lot of guys have the same thing when they've had a good night, uh, and the next day they're hurting feeling for it. And so you have the same result, right? A couple of cups in your that's right. I think it makes a big difference.

SPEAKER_00 33:34

I've taken them to basket parties multiple times, and friends of mine that don't drink tea ever will have them drink one in the morning, and even they are saying the first time they've ever had them that they notice a difference that day, that they don't feel so groggy, they're not so like blonde, kind of down, and like don't want to do anything. So I definitely recommend drinking the regular.

Travel Riding Winter Riding Buying Tips

SPEAKER_09 33:53

Okay, thanks very much, Tristan. No problem. Thank you. We interrupt this program to bring you a special offer from Chaga Health and Wellness. If you've listened this far and you're still wondering about this strange mushroom that I keep talking about and whether you would benefit from it or not, I may have something of interest to you. To thank you for listening to the show, I'm going to make trying Chaga that much easier by giving you a dollar off all our Chaga products at checkout. All you have to do is head over to our website, Chaga Health and Wellness.com, place a few items in the cart, and check out with the code CANAPY, C-A-N-O-P-Y. If you're new to Chaga, I'd highly recommend the regular Chaga tea. This comes with 15 tea bags per package, and each bag gives you around five or six cups of tea. Hey, thanks for listening. Back to the episode. Louisa, I I know a number of um um Chris uh, for example, and a number of other individuals that I've met, that they ride their bikes around the world. So what they do is they they go on a vacation and uh they'll go through the um the Italian Alps or the Swiss Alps or in France and then they ship their bikes over. Is this something that's easy to do or hard to do or and difficult to find routes to do in locations like that?

SPEAKER_03 35:27

Well, the easy part is finding the destinations. Uh there's a lot of uh areas internationally that are quite famous for cycling, especially in Europe, as you mentioned. Uh getting your bike there could be a little bit more complicated. I personally took my own bike uh on an airplane to Oregon a few years ago and had to learn a fair bit about uh you need to put it in a box. So, where do you get the box from? You have to get that from a bike store or purchase one online. You have to take the pedals off. You have to turn the handlebars so they fit within the box. Uh so once you get there, you need to set that all up again. There's a special tool for the pedals. It can be a little complicated, but I figured it out. Um there's lots of YouTube um videos to help do that as well. Uh, there are also uh bike shops that help you pack up your bike if you want to travel with it. There's companies that would ship the bikes for you. Uh, and then you might want to consider too that you do have to pay for uh uh it as an oversized luggage piece. So generally that just comes as a regular sized luggage uh piece. And you can uh this is a tip that I learned. You can stuff the box with all kinds of other um uh things that you need so that you don't have to pay for another piece of luggage. Uh but yeah, I would just I would also say consider renting a bike when you're at your location as well. Most of these um well-known international destinations have lots of rental options available as well.

SPEAKER_09 37:10

Well, I think biking as a whole in Europe is is far more prevalent than it is here in Ontario or Canada. But I I not having cycled in that part, it the only reason I say that is I see lots of exactly what you say. You can rent bikes and things like that. Whereas in Ontario, I I don't really know a lot of places come to mind that I can rent a bike from, although municipalities are getting those uh those uh you see them in Toronto now. We had them in Oshawa for a little bit, where you can uh they were by the side and you uh hook up your phone with uh payment for it. And my son uh and uh Josh and Casey were in Ottawa and rented bikes there, but uh not a lot of places that you can do all these trails with. Like I don't think you can show up in Lindsay and rent a bike up there, although I could be mistaken.

SPEAKER_03 37:58

Yeah, um I would just suggest you uh Google search that because uh there's a lot of bike rental locations in different areas of the province and wherever you might be visiting.

SPEAKER_09 38:11

Right. So at different times of the years. Now, I see these these bikes with basically when we were kids, they called them balloon tires, huge tires on them. Are they designed for for winter in the snow, or is that something new? Is it is it catching on, or is it uh just for uh heavy trails that are people are using these these special tires, if you know the ones I'm referring to, uh that uh they end up riding in the wintertime with them?

SPEAKER_03 38:39

Yeah, so you are referring to fat tire bikes. Um they have knobbly tires, they're um super wide, they're great for going on snow, they have extra traction. They can also be used on sand as well. Uh so um, yeah, there's quite a few people that use those. Otherwise, um for winter, uh if you don't have a fat tire bike, you might want to consider riding with uh getting some special tires that have studs on them so you kind of a better should you come across any ice. Uh, we also see people using these things called pogies. Um, that's basically gloves on your ends of each handlebar that you put your hands in that will keep you uh hands warm. And you know what? Cycling, even this time of the year right now, as we're um you know, approaching spring, it keeps you warm. So uh you don't need that hot, hot weather. Um you will be warm enough as you get pedaling. And uh there's like a lot of people that do winter cycling or cycle year-round or in the shoulder seasons as we call them, spring and fall. Um I just leave you with one suggestion. If you're considering getting out there cycling, I would consider uh taking your bike into the local bike shop as soon as possible, getting that spring tune up because the bike shops do get busy, and then you're all of a sudden gonna really want to ride your bike. So get ready now.

SPEAKER_09 40:07

Yeah. Well, and that that's just it. When I was a kid, I recall um somebody stole my my monkey bike um and uh replaced it with these brand new bikes that had just come out, these ones called, we called them 10 speeds. And uh it was uh uh but it came from Sears because there wasn't a heck of a lot of bike shops around at that time. But if you go into a lot of the big stores, whether you know you're talking Canadian Tire Costco and things like that, they have a lot of bikes, but it's hard to tell because realistically, you're not gonna find a lot of expertise there to give you some understanding of how to fit the bike properly or how to to uh is this a good bike or not a good bike? And quite frankly, it's it's difficult to to uh determine that when you can't find it, you have to do all your research on your own. But a lot of people would go there. Is some pros and cons that that individuals wanting to take their kids to get their bikes in those locations that they should watch out for or what to what to look for and what to kind of focus on, or how to make a good determination if it's a good bike or not?

SPEAKER_03 41:11

Um well it depends where you live. You know, sometimes there are just only those big box stores anywhere near you, but um, as as I mentioned before, it's always um a better idea to go to your like local bike shop um because they have the people there that know what they're talking about, can help you size. You can bring your bike back there for service. Many places offer you know a year, two years of free service after you purchase a bike. Um and they have all the equipment that can help get you riding as well. So, you know, in general, that's what we would recommend.

SPEAKER_09 41:47

Yeah, it uh some of the difficulties, you know, when I got that Harrow Extreme, um it back as I mentioned, uh that store is is no longer in business. And and when we got the the the bike shop that we got there, the boys buy their first couple of sets of bikes uh is no longer in business. And uh, you know, because I I imagine it's difficult for those bike shops in the winter time um until it starts to catch on more, but maybe it's well enough now that a lot of them can stay open all year long. But to generate a lot of revenue for them, their their sales times are basically, you know, spring, summer, and fall. And in the wintertime they're looking. But with the changing in the fat tires and things like that, I guess there's options there that are available for people as well.

SPEAKER_03 42:29

Yeah, definitely. A lot of people, I mean, where I live, they ride their bikes year-round. It's their form of transportation. So, you know, there they are going to the bike shops for service year-round.

Cycling Ontario Guide And E-Bikes

SPEAKER_09 42:41

So, Louisa, uh tell us give us some details about the magazine. You mentioned uh, you know, that there's quite a few uh copies go out, uh 80 odd thousand annually. Uh, and then uh what are some of the details or articles? You have regular columnists on on maintenance or sites to go to, or uh you mentioned the the exercise and the cardio aspect that I saw in the magazine I picked up at the show where I met with you. Kind of give us a rundown of the magazine.

SPEAKER_03 43:07

Sure. Um so Cycling Ontario Guide, it's a free, and we just came out with our 14th annual edition. Um, we're very proud of it, and um, it's so popular. Oh, it's so wonderful to see everybody um enjoy it and wait for the new edition every year because people really use it to get ideas of where to ride uh this coming year, and or they reference past year's copies as well. Uh so we do print 40,000 copies, uh 30,000 in English and 10,000 in French. They're distributed by us in visitor information centers. Um we send them out with Canadian Cycling Magazine, Velo Mag in Quebec. Uh, and we just really get the word out uh through that magazine. So there's some great articles. This year we have one on island hopping in eastern Ontario, we have another article. article on the best cycling loops in Ontario. We have an article featuring an Albertan couple that used to be from they grew up in Ontario and they came back on a cycling tour and rediscovered their where they grew up around Georgian Bay. And then we have a ride guide that has over 50 destinations included within the magazine and all types of different rides, whether it's family rides to mountain bike rides to more experienced rides or gravel adventure type of ride. So lots of information uh it's at can be found online ontario by bike.ca slash 2026. Uh you can read it digitally or you can order a print copy and we'll mail that out to you. So it is really popular and um we look forward to sharing it with your listeners.

SPEAKER_09 44:52

And um we've been at a lot of shows and events recently and we'll be further going forward um where we share the magazine and all kinds of uh free cycling maps that we have available uh beyond the information on our website very good so this is uh an annual magazine that you're that you've put out correct correct yeah okay so very good so it's not yeah and when I picked it up it was very interesting and that's where I got a lot of the questions from so um your now the e-bikes you mentioned as well I I know a friend of mine um he wants to get his wife out riding with him and I I think there was he was trying to explain to me because I don't know a lot about these e-bikes uh but I see different ones because I see mountain bikes now and inside uh some areas where people are going uh that are e-bikes uh completely uh electronic but uh there's different levels where there's you can do a little bit of work with it a lot of work or a lot of distance with it and I I got a buddy Rick who just picked one up and last year and he's loving it uh because it gives him long distance and uh what kind of e-bikes are there and how long do they last and what is the advantage uh for the various sta I guess grades of e-bike well I think the primary consideration uh when looking at e-bikes is uh the pedal assist type versus the ones with throttles.

SPEAKER_03 46:19

So pedal assists you're always going to have to be pedaling to pick up a little bit of extra power from the the e-bike battery. Throttle uh you just need to press a button on the handlebars to propel yourself forward. So you know generally pedal assists we recommend um and they are more versatile as in they are allowed on most city trails. They go a slower speed hence they're safer uh and uh they're generally more accepted than uh the throttle type which can tend to be heavier uh more of a motorcycle type of uh bike and um pedal assist does allow you to get a lot of exercise as well so it's not just um e-bikes versus uh regular bikes on that uh end and they come in a variety of different prices of course e-bikes do uh we often recommending spending a little more if your budget allows because um you do get what you pay for uh especially the type of battery that is on the e-bikes uh the range that the battery will allow you to go depends on uh you know if you're in economa mode versus um high speed performance mode uh it can range uh depending on the battery type and the type of bike that you've invested in but we're continuing to see e-bike ownership increase uh here in Ontario and if you go to Europe uh the percentage of people who own e-bikes is just astounding so um they're definitely the way forward and it really allows people to extend their age riding cover hillier terrain um and perhaps get out there a little bit more commuting uh uh using bikes for transportation so there's lots of wonderful aspects to uh e-bikes yeah I I I know that um you mentioned about the uh because that's what uh my friend Rick was saying that uh he did some checking in and found that um this e-bike had uh such and such a range and and the battery lasted this long and how long it took to charge it and how many amps and all those sorts of things.

SPEAKER_09 48:41

So there's there's quite a bit of uh of um information or options uh that are out there for people that uh you know if you're looking at it it depends on what you're looking for.

SPEAKER_03 48:52

Is uh is there a place to kind of go to do comparisons to find out uh about e-bikes and good comparisons and what's a good uh what's a good shall we say uh um distance or range or assistance that they can provide um yeah well you can find some information online i i would really suggest that you do some um research uh we recently came across an article uh pedallinks.com it's a Toronto bike store where they have um created an article and resource on how to choose the perfect electric bike uh they were at the bike Toronto bicycle show which was just this last weekend where there was a lot of e-bikes for sale and people could shop around I would generally recommend being careful when purchasing an e-bike uh there's lots of options online to buy them and they might seem really cheap but you don't know what you're getting you might not be able to service those e-bikes. So again consider going to your local bike shop to get that advice and consider purchasing an e-bike from them. They'll be able to service it should there be problems going forward.

Indoor Training Clubs And Resources

SPEAKER_09 50:08

Yeah I I imagine I never thought about that servicing it or you know eventually if they need a replacement batteries or and they the ability to charge them and whereabouts and things like that. So I guess there's a lot of options and that's as you mentioned it's very very popular in Europe and just starting to catch on here. Yeah. So what what sort of things can people do indoor for training or um to to get ready for the the riding season then I recall that uh I know Chris used to have uh one of his things where he could ride his bike indoors and you hook it up to this device that that uh lets you ride your bike inside just to kind of get ready for the season sort of thing.

SPEAKER_03 50:47

Is that something that's uh readily available the bike shops would have those I imagine oh yeah those are super popular a lot of people do um indoor training um during the winter months and uh they there's a couple of different setups you can get so you can put your bike on what's called a direct drive so you're putting your whole bike onto um a smaller stand or there's ones where you can take off your front wheel and attach that area to um a trainer as well.

SPEAKER_09 51:21

Many trainers now and what you really want to look for is uh what they call a smart trainer so that will allow you to hook up to different platforms which are popular like Zwift and Wahoo where you can ride with others um have a little bit of competition competition or um make some uh friends that are also riding see some different scenery so uh that's something quite new and gets people motivated uh there's also the type of bikes uh peloton type of bikes which are the standalone stand-up bikes onto themselves made specifically for exercising and uh we also see a lot of people going to um uh spinning classes at fitness gyms where they have bikes available there and uh fitness led classes uh all about peddling oh very good yeah uh again it's it's it's interesting that to you be able to take your bike inside and the the uh trainers as you mentioned um uh you can so you can take them off and I know uh one of the local presidents of the local college here actually moved up to uh Uxbridge because of the biking trails up there her and her her husband uh do that's their passion in life and they actually moved their house to a location Uxbridge because of the amount of trails that they had access to and a lot of that stuff the ability to train and get ready for it is very important to a lot of people myself included so it other than the trainers is there other specific exercises that uh you would recommend recommend that people uh try to do it uh in order to get bike fit ready well I think um you generally should take care of your general fitness level uh throughout the winter um make sure you keep moving there's all kinds of different options um how to do that and then when starting out in a season um you know listen to your body start slowly perhaps if you need to do only a few kilometers and then you can build up over the season which is um a great motivation and something to move towards okay Louisa one one of the things that um we we want to make sure that we add to it was are there clubs out there that uh people can hook up with and how do they find out information about where these clubs are and where can they get details about each of the various clubs throughout the province of Ontario?

SPEAKER_03 53:48

Well um most areas do have a local club and clubs are a wonderful thing to join they're usually low cost and they're quite social and that's a great way to get motivated to get out there cycling with other people and see different places that you might not ride by yourself. So you can find club listings on our website ontariobiobike.ca slash clubs um and you can just google your local area or if you're out riding you might see some folks from a club they often wear club jerseys or shirts that are matching stop them say hello find out where they're from and you might meet some new people I've had the pleasure you've mentioned a few times that uh you're based in Oshawa or have been in the past uh I actually ride with the Oshawa Cycling Club which is a great group of people and I've seen some amazing routes and met some incredible people um through being a part of that club which uh rides in Oshawa and all across the Durham region.

SPEAKER_09 54:48

Yeah very good well I think that uh getting into a club will give you a lot of the contacts and information of where to look for and you know you'll talk to some some veterans there I would imagine that can say this is a good spot, this is a good bike this is where you get to maintenance and watch out for this because these problems with that and et cetera et cetera and can kind of help people move into it.

SPEAKER_03 55:08

So the Oshma Club and you can find out that uh and other details about other clubs throughout the province as well right correct absolutely well coming on the podcast you've certainly given us a lot of information about bikes and about uh the your your association how can people find out more information or where can they get details or how do they reach out to you to find out uh what they need to know to get out there riding um sure so uh we can have all types of information you can find from our website ontariobybike.ca you can send us an email info at ontario by bike dotca and um pick up a copy of our magazine have a look at it online or have a look at all our resources online and uh there's lots to get you started and get your wheels turning and rolling uh as we hopefully are about to uh enjoy spring very soon absolutely it's it's just another way to get out there and and I know I've got a my Harrow I love riding it on trails and enjoy that uh used to ride the Ganarasco all the time and and other places and look forward to getting it back out when the weather gets a little bit better.

SPEAKER_09 56:22

But this is just a something a little bit different that people can learn how to get out there and enjoy things out there under the canopy. Thanks very much for being on the podcast.

SPEAKER_03 56:31

Oh thank you my pleasure have a great rest of the day.

Outdoor Journal Radio Network Close

SPEAKER_08 56:34

Yeah yourself as well I'm Angelo Viola and I'm Pete Bowman now you might know us as the hosts of Canada's favorite fishing show but now we're hosting a podcast. That's right every Thursday Ans and I will be right here in your ears bringing you a brand new episode of Outdoor Journal Radio. Hmm now what are we going to talk about for two hours every week? Well you know there's gonna be a lot of fishing.

SPEAKER_01 57:16

I knew exactly where those fish were going to be and how to catch them and they were easy to catch.

SPEAKER_08 57:21

Yeah but it's not just a fishing show. We're going to be talking to people from all facets of the outdoors from athletes all the other guys would go golfing me and Garchomp and all the Russians would go fishing.

SPEAKER_01 57:34

The scientists now that we're deforesting a lane it's the perfect transmission environment for line disease.

SPEAKER_05 57:41

To chefs if any game isn't cooked properly marinated you will taste it.

SPEAKER_08 57:47

And whoever else will pick up the phone. Wherever you are Outdoor Journal Radio seeks to answer the questions and tell the stories of all those who enjoy being outside find us on Spotify Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts