Linus Bicycles

I must be at the top of the most annoying people Vancouver---I choose to live here, yet I complain about the city all the time. The rain gets to me before November comes around, the small town vibe makes me feel claustrophobic, the lack of care or nostalgia for anything old makes me long for European cities with more character and charm, and I constantly roll my eyes at the runners, bikers and kayakers who are out in the pouring rain at 5 am every morning. BIG eye roll on that one, still. However, on rare occasions, the sun comes out, the ocean wind slows to a pleasant breeze and no other city beats Vancouver.

photos: J&M

When I first moved here and would take my beautiful dog Felix out for a walk, I would stare in disbelief at the beach and the mountains, as if waiting for someone to pull up the fake blind. This weekend was one of those rare occasions when I think that I couldn't possibly ever move away from Vancouver. For those of you who are patiently waiting for me to relocate, don't worry too much, it never lasts that long.

photos: J&M

My two days off this week (in a row! what a treat!) were gloriously filled with picnics, BBQs, walks on the beach and...bicycle shopping. While we were out walking in our neighbourhood on Sunday, we came across a friend of ours proudly flying down a cobblestone hill on her brand new shiny red bicycle. Now, I haven't ridden a bike in over 15 years if not more but, with its brand new basket and bell, even I couldn't resist taking it out for a spin. It was a bit of a clumsy first try but it is true what they say about riding a bike, it only took a mere moment before I had the wind in my hair like a kid and, with the patience of a child as well, I immediately wanted a bike of my own. That very night I was online researching pricing and options and the next day I was at Rain City Bikes taking one out for a test ride. Apparently, I have grown up a little because I did not take one home right away. It will have to wait for me for a few weeks because tomorrow, I'm leaving for Italy! My man are I are taking a little vacation and I can't wait. I plan on posting photos of our trip, but we will have to see if I can find the time to do that while we are away or if I will post a best of Italy photo series upon our return. In the meantime, take a look at the Linus bike that I am going to get (that is, when I return and have paid off my trip so... 2013 maybe?).

Linus Bicycles

photos: www.linusbike.com

Now that I have my mind set on bikes, I see them everywhere on the streets, at the beach and online too. Re-nest has just posted an article called "8 city bikes that will make you want to cycle forever," just in time to make my sudden desire for a bike grow to reach the uncontrollable stage where I cannot guarantee if I can wait for a reasonable time to purchase one. Hello there, trusty credit card.

Bowery Lane Bicycles

Gary Fisher Bikes

Vanilla Bicycles

photos: www.re-nest.com

I also remembered that I had saved an interesting post from Design Sponge a while back, one that played with the idea of decorating with bikes. You can find it here.

all photos above via Design Sponge

I promise to take many, many photos of my new bicycle when I buy it. I will even buy a basket to carry my little dog around in like this. Until then, have a great couple of weeks and I will tell you all about Rome and Tuscany very soon.