FEbruarY 2016 BCBusiness 61 courtEsY oF rocKY MountaInEEr
Cruise Control: Working up a sweat
on the way to work may be healthy but
looks less than professional when you
enter the office. Electra's battery-
powered pedal-assist townie Go! can
give you a boost. the 2016 model has
a bosch motor mounted mid-frame for
a lower centre of gravity and better
handling. available in azure, Ebony,
lime, Polished silver (women); army
Gray, Ebony, Graphite (men).
MSRP
$3,499.99 at bicycle stores across B.C.,
electrabike.com
Wear to Go: levi's
commuter line
of men's and
women's pants,
jackets and
shoes look like
regular street
clothes but are
designed for biking:
the new men's trucker
jacket has reflective details, extra
pockets for secure storage and a
concealed zip-out hood. then there's
comfort: gusseted shoulders for
extra mobility, elongated back, back
vent for breathability, and stretchy
cotton-elastomultiester fabric with
a water-resistant and dirt-repellent
finish. available in black, cougar and
Indigo denim. $158 from bicycle and
clothing retailers, levi.com
suit Yourself: Vancouver's two
Wheel Gear makes products to take
commuters from the bike to the board-
room without a wrinkle. Its signature
55-litre classic 2.0 suit bag, recently
redesigned based on feedback
from commuter fans, holds
everything from clothes
and shower gear to
lunch and laptop,
attaches to a
rear bike rack
and meets stan-
dard airline
carry-on
require-
ments.
$209 in 600D polyester with
waterproof
TPE coating
and UV protection, $279 in
waxed canvas at
MEC and
online at Two Wheel Gear,
twowheelgear.com
in the Bag: a favourite with bike
couriers, chrome bags are street-
tested, made to fit the body, adapt to a
range of cargo, protect your gear and
are guaranteed for life. the new rostov
daypack is made of military-grade
materials with a padded laptop
sleeve and internal organiza-
tion. available
in Fir/orange/
snow or Indigo/
Wrench orange.
$152.92 from
bicycle stores or
online at Chrome
Industries,
chromeindustries
.com/ca/en
Visible Difference: california-
based bontrager, which started out
making light bikes, also makes lights
for bikes. Its new Flare r tail light is
the first one
designed to
be visible in
daylight. It has
two daytime and
two night modes with
270-degree visibility up to
two kilometres away. the
battery lasts from four to 23 hours
depending on whether the light is set
to day or night mode and flashing or
steady. $69.99 from independently
owned and operated bicycle stores,
bontrager.com
Big Wheels
G e a r
How to bike to
work and get
there in style
by Felicity Stone
The benefits of biking
to work are simple. The
problem is how to avoid
arriving sweaty and
rumpled, or even worse,
not arrive at all due to a
distracted automobile
driver. Thanks to new
gear and clothing, it's
getting easier all the time.
FaCTOiD Victoria and Kelowna are the top two Canadian cities for commuting to work by bike, according to Statistics Canada's 2011 National
Household Survey: 5.9 per cent of commuters in the Victoria census metropolitan area bike to work, followed by 2.6 per cent in Kelowna. In
the Vancouver CMA, which includes 22 cities and municipalities, 1.8 per cent of workers commuted by bike in 2011.
ail light is
two daytime and
two night modes with
270-degree visibility up to
two kilometres away. the
