TRANSPORT:
Three-speed freak

In defence of granny bikes

by RAF KATIGBAK

In the summer, there's no better way to get around this city than a bicycle. And there's no better bicycle suited to this city than a good old-fashioned British 3-speed granny bike. Unlike the costly garish vulgarity of chromed-out low riders, or the single-speed impracticality of BMXs, 3-speeds are a retro throwback that actually makes sense.

Built to last, these were the bicycles of choice for the utilitarian rider from the '30s to the '60s. Touted by enthusiasts as "the most reliable shifting mechanism ever made," the totally enclosed gear system makes it relatively impervious to our nasty wet winters and also leaves no messy exposed gear sprockets to fuss with. The widespread availability of these machines today is a true testament to their dependability. Add to that the charming ruggedness of mid-century frame design and the fact that they can be shifted while stopped - perfect for the stop-and-go traffic of the Montreal's downtown core - and it's no wonder hipsters are snatching these up faster than vintage sparkle Journey T-shirts.

Thankfully, the 10-speed craze of the '80s and the mountain bike boom of the '90s makes these vintage two-wheelers easily available without resorting to the time-honoured yet seldom-successful "granny tackle" manoeuvre.

Considered obsolete by today's teched-out titanium rock shock xxxtreme Day-Glo spandex standards, patient bargain bike hunters can often find these puppies gathering dust at garage sales across the city, with sellers letting them go for sometimes as little as $20–$50. Those looking for a quick fix can visit any one of Montreal's used bike shops like D'Un Sport à L'Autre (173 Bernard W.), Gene Vélo (3235 Ontario E.) or JR Cyclery (151 Rachel E.), where refurbished bike prices range from $75 to around $150. Industrious types might want to visit Concordia's bike co-op Right To Move (the alley behind Concordia's Hall Building, 1455 de Maisonneuve) for a more economic do-it-yourself approach.

Rebel without a
gas tank

Electric scooters are sleek, sexy, environmentally friendly and legally suspect

by MICHAEL CITROME

Picture it: a motorized vehicle that can take you from point A to point B that's small enough to bring into your house, light enough to carry up a flight of stairs and you plug it in instead of filling it up.

It's not the Hoverboard from Back to the Future, but close. Electric motorized scooters, the Kyoto-friendly offspring of the Go Ped fad from a few years back, have hit the Canadian market en masse, and they're popping up for sale in all kinds of places from bike shops to flea markets.

There's only one hitch. Electric scooters, for the most part, are not road legal in Quebec. It's not because of what they are, it's because of what they're not - they don't adhere to the rigid definition of a moped as used by the Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec.

It's a shame, because electric motorbikes offer a sustainable means of transportation that doesn't add to Montreal's pollution or parking problems. So if you want to use one, you have to be a bit of a rebel - or stay off public roads.

That's exactly how Ça Roule Montréal (27 de la Commune E., 866-0633), a bike shop in the Old Port, stays on the right side of the law. "We rent the scooters but we cannot sell them because they are not legal on the roads," says André Giroux, the store's manager. "The exception is when we rent them, the clients can use them in the Old Port because it's federal property. You can also use it on a camping lot, for example."

Electra gliding

Giroux rents out three different kinds of electric two-wheelers. There's a Vespa-style electric scooter, an electrically-assisted bike that pedals for you when you need a break, and a skateboard-style electric scooter for kids called a Razor. The bigger bikes can get three or four hours of running time off a six-hour charge. That translates to about 40 kilometres, enough for most city-dwellers' daily commute several times over.

If you're interested in purchasing a scooter of your own, there is a grey-market alternative. All Wheels Inc., a Toronto retailer of all things electric and two-wheeled, has been shipping bikes up the 401 for over a year. "I'd say we've shipped about 150 bikes to Quebec this year," says All Wheels' Phillip Shaw. He skirts the road-legality issue by informing customers that his bikes are sold for recreation, not transportation. His most popular models are the E-Scooter and the E-Rider, "the low-end and the high-end," he says.

The E-Scooter is a $200 skateboard-like dealie that tops out at 15 kilometres an hour. It charges with a standard outlet and can travel about 12 klicks on a four-hour charge. If that's enough to get you to school, you can put it in your locker when you get there. Shaw says it's mostly for kids.

The $1,200 E-Rider has a 40-kilometre range and can get up to 25 kilometres an hour. It has lights, breaks and a 500-watt motor that's nearly as powerful as the 49 cc gas engines that power Yamahas and Suzukis, except you never take it to the pump.

All Wheels carries some other neat stuff like tiny choppers and racing bikes. They're on the Web at www.allwheels.ca.