Ryan Leech - Commuting for a Healthier Life!

 I'm liking this message. In Canada you guys have a separate bike lane next to the main road! Nice! In California (and most of the US) there is a 4 foot wide sidewalk and a 3 foot wide bike lane that is split off from the cars by a painted line. That's why people are so fat here, biking is scary, no protection at all. And a lot of the guys that do ride are very rude, doing things like riding 4 abreast, taking up the entire right traffic lane. That sends a bad message to drivers and thus they don't want to be like "those bikers", and consequently keep using their cars. Kids at my high school literally, no exaggeration here, use their cars to drive 400 feet. "Hmm, I can't walk, let's hop in my 750i and drive over there."

 Just so you know, most of Canada doesn't have seperate Bike lanes. We are expected to ride on the right hand side of the road, alongside all those terrifying motor vehicles. I believe its actually illegal to ride your bike on the sidewalk? (someone maybe confirm or deny?) if so, it deffinitly isn't enforced too much.

That said, theres only so much fun to be had on the road anyways. My faveorite part about commuting on a bike is finding your own ways around! All the fun that can be had between points A and B...

 too right, i do an average of 14 miles 5 days out of 7, depending what clients i have ot see in the individual day... rain, shine, ice and snow. It not only has made me fitter, but every time i come to a red light i use it as a start gate, my gates have gotten a whole load better and my sprinting will take most down, through strength. not to mention the amount of petrol money i'm saving every day. finally with my street tyres on i've had enough practice to get full on 2 wheel drift going on the tarmac, how many folks can handle that without flying a foot out in panic?! = not many! BRING IT ON, F**K 4 WHEELED BOXES FOR COMMUTING. the other guys on my job take twice as long to get across town between calls and i have only a half horse power to my name!

 +1 to knighhit. The U.S. riders might want to look into the LAB courses instead. At the very least do a little research before hopping on their bike, all fat, happy and clueless, predictably getting into a collision or a near-collision, and then getting scared of cycling and demanding the ridiculous "separated bike lanes" that are actually considerbaly MORE dangerous (most collisions happen at intersection, and a barrier like that leading up to an intersection almost ensures that cars will turn across your path when you have no way out and/or around them) and are genearlly a pain in too many ways to list. Why is it that we expect drivers to at least have some training and competence at operating a vehicle (as minimal as their competence is, these days...), but think that bike infrastructure should accommodate any incompetent, ignorant half-wit on two wheels? Remember, whenever you try to create an idiot-proof a system, you end up failing the idiot-proofness part while at the same time severely limiting the system's capability, sometimes to the point where it becomes completely useless.

 i have been told to get off the sidewalk numerous times by police, and what i have been told is "ride as far to the right as you feel safe." which is really where ever the f*ck i want i guess. i think the main reason that people don't commute is the inconvience of having a bike while commuting, i know a few business owners who give bonus' to people who bike to work, and add extra encentives. i have biked almost everyday for 2 yrs, is about 6miles a day, and in conditions that go from -50 to +50, and wouldn't hvae it any other way, i am lucky i have a boss who is understanding that is how i will get to work. if i can't i won't work there. but lots of people don't have that, and don't have facilities to change in or prep for the office in. so it is inconvienience IMO that prevents people from doing it.

 I wish it was like that across the board in Canada with seperate bike lanes.
They exist in some parts of Calgary, but it is very random. I wouldn't feel
safe commuting by bike in Calgary.

 the laws in canada state that a cyclist riding on the street is entitled to their lane and are not required to ride directly against the curb this is for obviouse safty reasons. unfortunatly one fact they did not mention was the likelyhood of getting into a car/bike collision or a bike accident trying to avoid the collision or a confrontation with a crazy driver who thinks you should ride on the side walk and "get the F**k off the road" i have been severely cut off by privately owned vehicals, city busses and even a cop once not to mention the number of times you get the spidey senses to duck and a car flies by with the mirror inches away. if you live somewhere that has bike lanes it is great, especially if they follow a efficiant route that heads in the direction you need to go but if not then write to your city let them know there is a movement and we just want to be safe when on the move.

 i frequently rage on drivers for being soo impatient all the time, if they aren't racing to get to work then they are speeding to get home. i feel if there were more cyclist on the road then riders would get more respect. Something has to change about how soo many people think that having a license is a right not a privilage. deffinately the fat people should get off their asses and pedal the fat off. And dont even get me started on cell phone drivers...^%&*# !!!

 hey wantedlonewolf...are you for real? or just a 'real' wanker! 'Pigs!?' 'tell them to just getf*cked!?' chrickey, glad you are not a role model for 'abusive' language or a PR bloke for biking...and by the way, 'abusive' is abusive, there is no special time that's ok to be abusive, so grow up or shut up! [pigs, coppas, keeerist what era are you from? Elvis IS dead, get over it] i think you are the one who was bullied in school and has an issue with power. try channeling that 'wisdom' [attitude] of yours into something constructive that might change the way all those 'Pigs' think, get involved with an activist bike advocacy for change and awareness, and folks who are upset at where you ride,smile at them and go on your merry way [ fire was never put out by petrol ] Change, starts with YOU. And if you think i am a wanker and tell me to f*ck off well, you sure know how to hurt a guys feelings :-(

 I've been riding to work for twenty years. Canberra (the capital of Australia) is quite good for riding with dedicated bike paths in greenbelts and highly visible painted lanes on the major roads.

And on my way home I can hit up some world class singletrack or do some hill climbs or sprint training if I don't have much time. Come the weekend I am ready for the dirt.

Once upon a time in Sydney I got doored - I hit it so hard I twisted the car's chassis and wrote the car off. I'm quite proud of that. Usually the car writes my bike off. And often me too.

Safe journeys folks!

 Bike commuting=the best thing on earth. For those living where it's dangerous (except places like Atlanta, that is just suicide), I encourage you to gear up with reflectors and other riders and get riding. Being careful goes real far and staying aware makes a big difference even on the rider's end. This is the only way we'll promote it enough to get things done. I just moved to a big city in NC and have been riding a good bit, it's hella dangerous compared to the smaller mountain town I came from but so far so good.

Spread the word!

 It would be cool to do some research on the likelihood of getting in a bike-automobile accident vs. an automobile-automobile accident. I wouldn't be surprised at all if you are more likely to get in an auto-auto accident. Though things like fender benders are probably counted so the injuries on bike-auto would be much more severe, but a point to ponder..

 Stever..don't know what lost little city your from, but bike lanes are not 'rare' in Canadian citys, and in fact are present and getting even more common in almost every city: Vancouver, Toronto, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Montreal etc, etc, [all have had bike lanes for years and are often being upgraded - Vancouver just had a major 'bikelane' incorporated with Bridge lanes here] and as for transit, almost every major city in Canada has bike access on transit [ i use the transit to shuttle on my Downhill riding In Burnaby all the time, as well as occasional 'in city use' ] if anyone is generalizing and being 'grossly inaccurate' it is you. and for the record, i am a bike activist in spirit, and action, whenever possible - however, i am not saying we have enough bike awareness, or a perfect system in place for bikes, but the dirty pic you painted is uninformed bs; next time get the facts instead of ranting just to see your shyte in print.

 I have to agree with "smeckma" to some degree..... allthough he seams very ignorant.

At the end of the day as long as were not flying through crowds of people doing 20mph we should just do what the f*ck we want. Im sorry but i dont know about the rest of the world, but over here all pigs just harras anyone they can to make an easy arrest. [usually because most coppa's were bullied in school, hence the reason for them becoming pigs so they feel like they now have power]

My message to everyone would be.... Remain respectfull,... Only show the same respect to others that they show you!! I.E, if some 1 is giving you shit just for riding on what they call "A footpath" tell them to get f*cked and ride on.
But dont be abusive when its not nessercary

 westbay, I hear you on the campus commute, I ride my single speed dirt jumper to class here at Sonoma State. There are some fun lines to hit around the campus, jumps, drops, and trials stuff which makes my 'commute' all the better not to mention when my roommate and I had the same class together in the mornings I would ride and she would drive and I would always beat her. The more you ride the better rider you become whether its road riding, dirt jumper, fixed gear, 29er whatever. Practice practice practice

 At chico state here in Calif, i can get to school in 5 mins. my friends drive it takes em 20 mins to find a parking spot alone! also i get to smash through traffic on my fixed gear, (my commuter). I also think that commuting on a fixed gear is descent training for mountain biking because keeps your feet constantly moving and teaches you to be on your toes if you dont have a break

 after reading most of the comments im glad that i live in a place where bikes are almost celebrated. here in portland drivers are for the most part very courteous and aware that bikes are everywhere. something like 14% of all commuting is done by bike which might not sound like much but its the highest in the US. i guess thats why there are so many sexy people in portland.

 For those that are afraid of riding in traffic, or want to become safer in traffic, consider taking a canbike skills course. http://www.canbike.net/cca_pages/cb_kcbsem.htm Its seems funny, but I grew up riding bikes in a major urban center and my dad took one of these courses and passed alot of the info on to me, when I was done High School I took a the course my self, work payed for it. It really does help to learn the rules of the road and how to be safe in traffic.

 I tried cycling to work in London, England (Wimbledon to Waterloo). I did it for three days, on two of those days I was in a collision with a car. It put me off cycling to work.
I'll give it a shot again once the evenings are brighter. There's a plan to open up a couple of cycling corridors in the city so hopefully these will make things safer. It's gets your adrenaline going alright dodging buses and taxis and men in white vans

 ride my bike a lot on the roads to get to riding spots. And most of the time im not going much slower than the cars anyways so im not too bothered about them. On all my regular cycle routes it is all on roads with extra cycle paths

 Loved this video and mini article - we have alot of cycle paths and networks in the UK which mean we get to cycle away from the hussle and bussle of traffic and crazy road users etc - unfortunatly my commute to work at the moment, over the entire 18 miles has only 1 mile of protected paths - it doesnt put me off getting on my bike and getting the miles done though - i just love riding my bike in all honestly!!!

 Hello everybody, I'm Tama from Tahiti French Polynesia, here there some bike lane, on my territory only 5% are covered, but in my view you have to focus on riding bike instead of taking you car, more miles you will ride on your bike, more persons will see you and get interested, more time you will take your car more persons on that way too, so take the best of your bike and ride, bike don't make noise, pollution, no parking, nerves stay cool, heart too, car is all the opposite.
Let's go on 1world2wheels web site. Ride free ride hard, Tama.

 I suppose this movie was shot in BC where it is extremely bike friendly. Beign in montreal I always commute by bike in the summer and walk in the winter. Although it's not very bike friendly I've only had 1 direct encounter with a car (opened door 2 feet in front of me) in a couple of years. I stopped counting the close calls though as well as the shoutings-after-wreckless-driver...

Nonetheless I'll keep on commuting no matter what.

 oh and i ride like im a car, might piss alot of people off but its easier to be seen and for the most part i ride just as fast in most sections of the city..
im not shy about it, keeps me alive.
living in a city that isnt used to commuters..

 There's only one bike lane near me, and it doesn't really go anywhere. I ride on the road to work, every weekday, all year long. It sucks when it's -35C, but you just ride faster to stay warm [studded tires FTW]. The best thing I have found for riding safely is to stay at least 3 feet out from the curb, take the lane when necessary, pay attention to what is going on around you and ride predictably.

 i do all my main transportation on my DH bike (going to friends houses, getting dinner, quick store runs, etc, where i live its a very bike friendly place just about every main road has a bike lane, and if i don't feel comfortable riding my DH bike to the store whether it's night time or what have you, i strap on my roller blades and go to the store, etc... I feel very fortunate to live in BC, where there are also many government incentives for commuting to work on a bike, one for example: if your vehicle is 1994 or older and has been insured for 12 months prior, you can be eligible to get $750 towards parts or a new bike at some stores. the only time i really drive is if i have to go long distances (town to town, or if its to wet to roller blade to work.)

 i commute 365 beyond riding my preferred disciplines.
Im in my 30s and never had a license.
Im an excellent shotgun passenger however when it comes up..
I have a stable of bikes instead of rocking a piece of shit car, have lived in vancity, montreal and toronto, right now im living in london ontario so feeling the space as im an urbanite.. gonna get my M1 in spring..
dunno if ill ever do the car thing, long story..

 im fat, im bald, and i bike every day. i dj,street, and commute. i blame biking oh and beer

 Bullcrap for the neg props. This is most definitely advertising, why does it appear on the left side of the Pinkbike homepage where Norco PAYS for placement on pinkbike. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it is a PSA (commuting = good), and it IS advertising. Are people so easily pacified by the message that they miss who's paying for it? There's nothing wrong with any of this, but to neg prop me and ncfreerider5001 to call this incorrect?? What the hell else is it? Norco shareholder meeting: "Yes, we're going to start making videos just for the hell of it, all those opposed?" Wake up.

 stop crying and start riding! here, in this crappy place we don't have any bike lanes and between the cars and motorcycles you can get just by getting out there to ride!

 Really enjoyed this, great facts, great motivation to keep commuting by bike. Even if my commuter was stolen and I have to use my SS dirt jumper which makes for interesting lines anyways. Great Video

 that was a really cool interview and outlook on urban cycling and commuting. where did bikes belong foundation get those facts? just wondering. we should all try to ride more, like this video!

 The main problem that I have with using a bike for commuting is it getting stolen at the end, living in a city where loads of bikes are stolen all the time, its just not feasible.

 I don't think the riders are being rude by riding 4 abreast. Even the police do that
when they are on bikes. It's so that a driver doesn't try and "share" the lane with the
cyclist ie. clip them with a mirror

 That's a nice vid and Ryan Leech seems like a cool guy, but if he tried that in London, that nice shiny Norco would get stolen about 5 seconds after he turned his back!

 Ryan Leech is a class act. Cheers to him and his message.

 oh and there is a city ordinance that all new roads must have a bike lane. like the old saying goes "if you build it..."

 Such a gd thing to do! someone with that much respect will surely get the message through!

 I started off commuting and now I ride Freeride and DH. I've never looked back! Maybe DJ next?

 @javla norske javal dlt794. The video was Ryan's idea. He put the Norco logo on it because he rides for Norco. You're making it out to be something negative when it isn't

 i ride my bike 12.5 miles a day and it takes 2:30 hours because i am 14 and deliver papers for a job.
and i average 20 mph
is that any good???

 Lookn foward to passing the legacy down to my kids and enjoying it with them as well!

 look at the fact on 1:59 us bikers will never have stroke or heart attack cus we ride so much

 The ratio of girls to guys at my school is 3:1, makes weaving through women on my DJ all the better.

 Nice drop of the Kiwi music.... Fat Freddy's Drop. Loving it

 Sweet video, really, congrats

 i ride all year long unless there is too much snow or extreme winds.

 Port Moody represent.