BIKE MINDS Toronto Revival – Bikes and Unity

Back in 2018, BIKE MINDS was started in Toronto by Matt Pinder and Michelle Kearns as a storytelling series which was consistently popular here. However, there hadn’t been an in-person event since March 2020 because of the pandemic and the fact Matt had moved on to Ottawa which saw its own in person events. Thanks to Dani Griscti of Curbside Cycle and Rachel Wang, last night marked the first in person BIKE MINDS event in five years with the theme “Bikes and Unity” which saw a full house. Amsterdam Brewery and Fiesta Farms sponsored the event with beer and snacks.

An Engineering Perspective with Matt Pinder

While Jun Nogami may be the only other Toronto based bike blogger today, there is another blog that started in Toronto ten years ago called “Beyond the Automobile”. The blog’s author – Matt Pinder – is a transportation engineer in Ottawa who has been exposed to cycling in the Netherlands, started the BIKE MINDS storytelling series in Toronto and Ottawa, and has been calling for improvements to a suburban development in Ottawa called South Keys. I spoke with Matt on February 9, 2024 to reflect on his advocacy and professional journey over the past decade.

An Unprecedented Pandemic Year

When 2020 started, we had just returned from our vacation in Turkey and Spain. It was a vacation rich in history, good places to hike, delicious tapas, and even some cycling for good measure. At that time, we were keen to travel again and COVID-19 had yet to register on our radar. Once the pandemic ramped up in mid-March, it seemed everything we took for granted was thrown out the window.

BIKE MINDS 2020 - Using Data to Effect Change

On January 30, 2020, I was honoured to join five other presenters at BIKE MINDS; a bicycle storytelling series co-founded by Matt Pinder and Michelle Kearns. The theme of the event was "Bikes and Growth" and featured the following:

• Julia Huys - A lawyer who shared her experiences cycling from London (Ontario) to St. John's (Newfoundland) with her father
• Kevin Dunal - A corporate executive who shared his story about how he and his wife became carfree
• Ryan Shissler - Cycle Toronto's Communications Lead who shared how the bicycle helped deal with his mental (and financial) health
• David Shellnut - The Biking Lawyer who reflected on his recent assault by a motorist and shared information on what to do in the event of a crash
• Agata Rudd - An environmental entrepreneur who talked about biking 5000 km in southeast asia with her partner

My story about about using data to effect change in Toronto's cycling community. I encourage you to read the recap of all speakers on Dandyhorse and view all videos here (except for Kevin Dunal's due to technical difficulties). This post includes the video of my presentation as well as the transcript.