Last fall, City of Vancouver employee Theresa Beer gave up her pre-1996 car to British Columbia's SCRAP-IT program and, with her $600 rebate, bought a new Norco hybrid commuter bike.
For Beer, travelling to and from work by car was never an option when she bought her home in East Vancouver, a one-hour return trip from her office. "I care about the environment and will take the bus when it's really rainy and miserable or the roads are slick and icy," the 46-year-old communications co-ordinator says.
"But I just love the bike commute. I don't have to feel guilty about how I get to work. And since I don't like gyms, I also get an hour of exercise every day."
Beer is among of the growing number of Canadians who are specifically choosing hybrid bikes for their urban commutes and errands. Hybrids combine the best characteristics of both road and mountain bikes in a sturdy upright vehicle that is also light, comfortable, fast and ideal for riding on streets and bike paths.
Most of these bikes have chain guards (to avoid snagging trousers) and a wide gear range that enables easy navigation of both steep inclines and flatter stretches. Both features allow commuters to arrive at the office without breaking too much of a sweat or greasy stains on their clothes.
"You don't have to take a shower when you get to work," says Pol Bogaert, owner of the Bike Doctor in Vancouver.
Hybrid commuter bikes range in price from under $500 for a basic eight-speed derailleur model to $1,400 for versions with deluxe internal gears.
Major brands and models include Specialized's new Globe Vienna line (the Vienna 3, which features an internal gear hub, sells for about $1,099), Trek's Allant ($649) and Belleville ($799), Giant's TranSend DX ($579) and TranSend LX ($659), KHS's Urban-X ($439) and Cidi 8 ($659), Electra's Townie Euro 8D ($859) and Amsterdam Royal 8i ($1,319), Kona's Smoke ($479) and Ute ($999) and Norco's City Glide 8 ($885).
Toronto resident Leslie Merklinger, 49, currently owns an Urbanite Commuter, a house brand that she purchased for $750 at local retailer Urbane Cyclist. The director of original production at the Food Network, Merklinger commutes year-round from her home in the east-end Beaches neighbourhood to her office at Yonge and Bloor. The trip takes about 40 minutes each way, but she says her hybrid makes the commute a snap.
"I wear work clothes about 90 per cent of the time," she says, adding that the only wardrobe items she avoids are very tight outfits. "No pencil skirts!"
Special to The Globe and Mail