New Set of Wheels

So with about three weeks to go (eek!) until my much-anticipated move to downtown Toronto, I’m making big decisions about how my “downtown lifestyle” is going to go. One of those that I made a long time ago is that I would not have a car. Originally it was due to the absurd prices for buying a downtown parking spot (which has now reached an average of about $35,000), but now with Rising Fuel Costs, it’s all the more reason for me to ditch it and go the simplicity route. There’s also a lot to be said for a car-less life. For me, my car has really just become a point of stress in my life, so while it’s a great little car and I’ll miss it a lot, I’m not really going to shed a tear when I get to ditch that expense.

That’s why I decided to go shop for a bike, which I determined would be my primary mode of getting around the city 6-7 months of the year, saving substantial public transit costs, and giving me an awesome set of legs in the process! It took me several weeks of testing a whole variety of different bikes, but I finally settled on one that, like my Mini, I just fell in love with the moment I set eyes on it.

The Trek Soho S is an “urban” bike by their classification, one that’s ideally suited for city living, and is a single-speed – meaning not gears at all. Just me, the pedals, and the road. Again, getting back to that simplicity word, there’s something so pleasant about riding a single-speed that I never really thought I’d go for. I’ve always had a mountain bike with lots of gears that could take me up a 70 degree hill if I really wanted.

Then again, I’ll be living in downtown Toronto, an area where you’d be hard-pressed to find anything more than a 20 degree incline. Surprisingly enough, through my first few weeks with the Soho S, I’ve been able to tackle big, suburban hills in and around the city with little to no issue. It takes a little more gusto on the pedals, but I appreciate the workout.