Thirteen years ago, I bought my first proper bike; meaning not a cheap department store one. It was a Felt Verza City 3 hybrid which I called Rusty. While it has been through a lot over the years, I wanted to replace it with a gravel bike that’s lighter and faster than the hybrid, can handle rail trails and Toronto’s bumpy roads more confidently than my road bike, and be used for bikepacking in the future. Yesterday, I picked up my new Brodie Romax Adventure 1.0 from Fix Coffee + Bikes and marked the occasion with a ride to Toronto’s new Biidaasige Park in the Port Lands!
The Brodie has an aluminum frame with full carbon fork, hydraulic disc brakes, a Shimano GRX 600 11 speed groupset, and plenty of mounting points for bikepacking. At 9.5 kg (21 lbs), it’s lighter than both my hybrid and road bikes! While doing my first ride, I loved how solid the drop bar grips were, while it handled cracked roads, gravel, and a couple of dirt patches beautifully. Since it felt faster than my hybrid, I find it (and other gravel bikes) offer the speed of a road bike and tability of a hybrid. A couple of drawbacks I noted was none of my bells would fit the thicker handlebars and it was a real pain installing the rear bike rack. Finally, the fact Brodie is a Canadian brand gives a nod to the Elbows Up era we are currently in. 🍁
When I placed a deposit for the bike on Sunday, it was my first time visiting The Well which is a new mixed-use community with condos, office space, and a shopping mall that is one of the more beautifully designed modern establishments around.
After installing my rack, I rode towards Biidaasaige Park via the Dan Leckie bikeway installed last year. Sadly, the Portland stretch north of the railway tracks won’t be done until next year.
Here’s a new new wayfinding sign at Lake Shore and Cherry showing the Trans Canada Trail, Great Lakes Waterfront Trail, and the Lake to Lake Route.
The entrance to Biidaasige Park is at the southeast corner of Cherry and Commissioners Streets. There were a lot of others waiting at the intersection to cross to get to the park.
However, the park remains incomplete. The stretch west of Cherry Street is expected to open next summer.
Some paved and gravel paths can be found in this park which is probably the best way to break in a new gravel bike! 😉 The vegetation around is beautiful!
No shortage of seating can be found along the trails, but it is easy to get lost in this park!
The walkway next to the Ship Channel is nice.
This access trail brings you to Commissioners and Don Roadway.
There are some ring and posts next to the Commissioners Road bridge, but a lot more are needed. It’s also worth noting the trail underneath this bridge is closed.
Another look at the bridge with the re-naturalized Don River flowing through.
A few of these trail information signs can be found, but I don’t find they offer much context.
The large playground has two of these zip lines.
The owl lookout is a popular draw in this park!
A couple of sand pits which – among other amenities – make this park great for families with kids.
It’s nice to be out in the new park with the new bike! 😊
A large group of runners making their way through.
A large picnic area which has a small playground and a few barbecue grills.
One last look at the owl before heading home. Overall, the park is great with something for everyone, though Mozzie would be disappointed with the lack of fetch areas.
With the new bike in hand which I will now call Raccoon – thanks Helen for the suggestion – the time will be near to say goodbye to Rusty. When that time comes, I’ll do a reflection post of that bike to give it the send off it deserves.
No comments:
Post a Comment