• Examples of both types of bike boxes are featured from 2:00 onwards on Hamilton’s video explaining the cannon street bidirectional bike lanes

• Make you note down your bike’s serial number, this can help you find your bike if it is ever stolen. An additional precaution you can take is to register your bike with garage 529, a free bike recovery service.

• A map of all of Hamilton’s Bike Rack locations is available through Open Data

A flat paved path stretches from princess point to Bayfront park and then further along the waterfront to piers 4 and 7. Be sure to watch out for other trail users and yield to pedestrians. The trail is also a great connector to the downtown, it can take you from the Westdale area off Longwood to Bay St which has a bike lane connecting to the Cannon Cycle Track as well as passing the west side of Jackson square. The trail is part of the Great Lakes Waterfront trail and a portion of the HamBur loop.

The Hamilton-Brantford Rail Trail is a 32km trail connecting the 2 cities through a beautiful, flat trail surrounded by nature.

Notes:

• The trail is not lit or paved with the exception of a short connection heading through Ainslie Wood in Hamilton from Ewen Rd to Studholme Road.
• This section through Ainslie Wood crosses many streets; be sure to stop at every intersection.
• To access the trail from McMaster head west along Sanders Blvd then take Westbourne Rd south to the trail just past Main St.
• Around Sulphur Springs Rd, the trail connects to the Dundas Valley Conservation area which offers amazing trails for hiking and some for mountain biking

Adjacent to Mountain Brow Blvd a 2 metre wide paved shared path takes you from Mohawk Rd E to Oakcrest Dr (a block east of the Jolly Cut). It features stunning views of the Niagara Escarpment and the lower city below.

Notes

• West of Oakcrest the bike lane ends and Mountain Brow Blvd becomes a busy artery; unless you are comfortable mixing with traffic be sure to turn on Oakcrest and follow the signed on street route.

The Escarpment Rail Trail is a roughly paved trail that connects Corktown park with Albion Falls taking you up the escarpment. The trail follows the path of an old railroad track with a slight incline the whole way when heading east. 

Notes: 

• The Wentworth stairs connect the trail to Wentworth St South, however, the stairs do not feature a bike trough. A SoBi bike station is located at the bottom of the stairs. 
• The Kennilworth Stairs on the other hand are bike accessible with bike troughs for rolling your bike up or down.

The Red Hill Valley Trail is a mostly gravel trail connecting to both Confederation Beach Park and the Bruce Trail. Its southern section is technical featuring some steep hills.

Road bikes often have thinner tires and drop handlebars. The top bar is higher up and riders are more bent over. They are lighter and thus popular among folks who want to go quickly on smooth (paved) terrain. However, with less grip, their features are less appropriate for riding on gravel and in wet environments.

Mountain bikes are moderately upright and often have thicker tires with more “tread” enabling for greater grip on dirt and gravel surfaces. They also often have shock absorption which can make going over bumps more comfortable.

Hybrids are popular with urban riders and have features between road bikes and mountain bikes (e.g. weight, tire width). They are designed to handle multiple riding conditions but features differ between bikes. Some types of hybrids are also called “trekking”, “cross”, or “commuter/city” bikes.

Some other jargon you might encounter is “fixie”, “cruiser”or “BMX”.

• Fixie refers to fixed gears, the bike is a single speed meaning that the gears cannot be changed. This makes the bike lighter but can make hills challenging.
• Cruisers are designed for sitting more upright with raised handlebars. They are oriented towards comfortable riding, feature a low top tube and are often also a single-speed.
• BMX stands for bicycle moto-cross which are designed for stunt and off-road sport riding.

Different styles of adaptive bikes such as tricycles are also available. The Everyone Rides Initiative offers a selection of adaptive bikes to Hamiltonians.

1. FRAME SIZE 

1. • no matter what style bike you choose, ensure the frame is the right size for the length of your legs. This is generally done by comparing your inseam (a measurement of the length of the inside leg from the inner thigh to the foot) to the seat tube of a bike (bar connecting the pedal to the seat). Additionally, when standing over your bike, you should have at least one inch clearance above the top tube. Generally road bikes require a slightly larger frame size compared to hybrid or mountain bikes. A frame size chart can help you find the right size

2. SEAT HEIGHT

• • Even with the right frame size, you want to ensure your seat height has your leg almost fully extended when the pedal is closest to the ground. By avoiding overly bent knees you will have more power and reduce strain on your knees. Seat height is usually easily adjustable. 

Learn about bike body positioning, fitting your bike and making adjustments. The angle of your handlebars and height of your stem can also sometimes be adjusted to improve fit. 

Other features you might come across are the: 

• Types of brakes
• Number of ‘speeds’ (number of combinations between front and back gears)
• Material of the rims (the outer edge of the wheel)
• Tread of the tires
• Suspension or shocks

Don’t be overwhelmed in a commuting or recreational setting, often many variations of the same feature are appropriate. 

If you are interested in these features: 

• Rim brakes are the most common, least expensive and easiest to maintain and replace
• A few gears often will provide flexibility for hills without too much added weight, knowing how and when to shift gears is often the most important 
• Aluminum rims are generally lighter but less durable than steel rims. Modern bikes almost exclusively use aluminum but steel rims are common on older bikes. 
• Tires with lots of tread or knobs provide greater traction for turning on sandy terrain but increases friction compared to smoother tires
• Full or Front-suspension bikes absorb shocks on rugged terrain and are common on mountain bikes but generally not needed for urban cycling

• Buying your bike rather than used can offer many benefits. You can save money while recycling a bike and reducing your consumption.
• Refurbishing a used bike can also be a great way to learn basic bike repair skills and/or customize your bike to align with your needs and style. 

Hamilton has many used bike shops and co-ops that can help you find or restore a used bike.

Remember you can often always add items to your bike to make it more convenient for you. Some items include mirrors, carriers, trailers, baskets and fenders. 

1. BASKETS & REAR RACKS

• • Adding storage to your bike can help make commuting more convenient. A front basket could be a quick and easy addition but back storage in the form of panniers or a crate/basket first requires a rear rack. Milk Crates are a popular and easy way to add storage to an existing rear rack. Using zip ties is a quick and tool-free way to install a milk crate.

2. MIRRORS

• • Mirrors can make it easier to check for oncoming traffic when changing lanes. Both handlebar mirrors and helmet mirrors are widely available. 

3. FENDERS

• • If you frequently ride in the rain or snow, fenders can make your commute more comfortable, these guards that frame your wheels to reduce the spray of water and mud onto your back and face.