Why Canadians Can't Bike in the Winter (but Finnish people can)

[@NotJustBikes]

The 2024 Winter Cycling Congress will be held in Edmonton (Canada) in February 2024. More information and registration can be found here: www.yegcyclingcongress.ca/

[@dannydrevo]

Here in Slovakia, we treat cyclists and drivers equally in the winter. We don't plow anything and it is safe for no one.

[@SamuelHauptmannvanDam]

xD xD xD

[@ПавелГражданкин-ъ4л]

🤔 We do plow here in Russia... Badass Slovakia😅

[@rushthezeppelin]

Sounds like a great place to own skis with skins

[@BMXunion1]

🤣🤣🤘🏻🤘🏻

[@doctorTF_2]

good for you bro.. here in hungary they just sprinkle salt everywhere but they dont realize it'll eventually freeze

[@Vednier]

Around 10 years ago in Saint-Petersburg (Russia) government representatives traveled to Helsinki, Finland to learn "secret" of Finnish clean streets at winter. That they got was bitter disappointment - there was no magic secret. It turned out that to keep streets clean and nice at winter you actually need to clean them...

[@gorelovelive5022]

Yeah, but streets are pretty okay here during winter, I live in St.Petersburg. Usually it's bad only in the morning after a night of snowfall.

[@Vednier]

@@yeahnoway111 You just didnt seen streets in SaintPetersburg. Its maybe more or less Ok in center, but on outskirts piles of snow, dangerous ice patches and dirty snow under feet is kinda "normal". As they say, "Every year our government surprised by arrival of winter". Its also very dependant on local district officials - if they care they try to plow, if not they just shrug their shoulders. Usually at spring top-hats start talks about need of new snow-plowing vehicles but towards summer all talks just melts away with snow.

[@dericksmith2137]

In Toronto Canada, they had (I think still do) salt trucks but not raw salt. They sprayed the salt after it was dissolved in water. The trick was to send the trucks out according to the weather forecasts. Spraying BEFORE the snowstorm. This prevents the snow from being ground into the road becoming ice by vehicles. Instead the falling snow just becoming slush and running off. (It’s also better for the equipment, not having to ‘scrape’ ice off the roads. Just cleaning up the slush.)

[@Vednier]

@@dericksmith2137 Salt isnt great solution. Its cause harm to footwear, metal constructions (including cars), harms animals and turn soil to barren wasteland.

[@mgjk]

@@Vednier Salt also doesn't work when you get below -20 or so.

[@rafasoares7]

And here I am... A Brazilian, in Sydney Australia, feeling weirdly invested in a video about winter snow-cycling in Canada's and Finland's winter.

[@zachweyrauch2988]

I know Australia has corrupt development too. I dont know what mistake is being made but mark my words in a decade or so you will all be standing around wondering why you didnt half bury every building or something strange like that. Canada was conned and so many of our most interesting and oldest cities have been just totally abandoned to corporate retrofitting.

[@BEZERKSTUDIOS718]

Puerto Rico is much the same, stroads everywhere, corrupt, disinterested and incompetent government, insulting bike infrastructure, over-reliance on highways, etc... Watching these videos is like looking into a portal to another world

[@urbanismogdl1092]

I feel you ! I'm here in Puerto Vallarta beach

[@rogeriosoares7222]

Kkkkkkkkkkkk mano eu moro no Amapá. Nunca faz menos de 24 graus aqui e aqui estou eu vendo esse vídeo.

[@DieFlabbergast]

Sorry, but you'll have to emigrate, again!

[@Bloodglas]

"people will ride a bicycle in the winter if the city is designed for it." I'm sure more people would ride a bicycle regardless of season if cities were designed for it.

[@trawll8659]

not only cycling, public transit like subways and buses would be a lot more effective and efficient, problem is most of North America's infrastructure is built around cars

[@andreweastwood3042]

@@trawll8659 aw jeez no way... who told you that?

[@cardiacmyxoma4073]

@@trawll8659 I agree. It just sucks that people in North America have been conditioned to sit for 2 hours in traffic while trapped in their metal boxes. I was talking to my dad a few days ago about how we need better public transport here in Halifax and he said he would never take public transport even if it was free, because it's "not manly". Go figure. I feel sorry for some people.

[@donbow450]

Cycling in the winter is cold. If there is no snow, there might be rain. Cycling uphill is exhausting regardless of the season.

[@cardiacmyxoma4073]

@@donbow450 That's why you dress for the weather then lol. Wear a jacket and some goggles. That's been working perfectly fine for me. I live in Halifax (lots of hills) and I manage just fine. I usually will get off my bicycle and walk up a hill if I feel I can't bike up. Also, the more you bike, the stronger both your quad and heart muscles get. This will allow you to bike up those tough hills. Moral of the story is this: instead of having. a defeatist attitude, try getting out of your comfort zone once in a while. I reckon you'll enjoy it. Cheers

[@JohnPaquette]

THANK YOU for NOT using background music! Such a relief that I can pay attention to your excellent content!

[@NotJustBikes]

Yup. I will never use background music, because I find it distracting.

[@michaelkurak1012]

Yes, but he makes up for the "lack" with extremely irritating music at the credits.

[@michaelkurak1012]

@J Hemphill Perhaps no one watches the credits. However, some people listen to the credits; in particular, people who have an episode running in the background while they are doing other things.

[@TerenceMichaelReeves]

@@michaelkurak1012 Hey come on that song was hilarious!

[@pablohammerly448]

@@TerenceMichaelReeves ...especially as it got faster near the end of the credits! 😳

[@kristopherjojimiyakusu9785]

I had a friend from Iceland who would always say, "There's no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing"

[@coolbeans8682]

We say the same thing in Sweden, and it even rhymes: "det finns inget dåligt väder, bara dåliga kläder". It guess it's a viking thing. :)

[@camelopardalis84]

Often heard that as a child in a Swiss city. Not from my parent, though.

[@filip4394]

Sounds very British! I've heard people say that around here.

[@ansatsusha8660]

I think that only applies to cold weather, when its 100°F and humid, its just hell.

[@camelopardalis84]

@@ansatsusha8660 Keyword being "humid".

[@henrivanbemmel]

The secret is the plowing and NOT putting salt on the paths. I have had friends who winter cycle in Toronto and their bikes are eaten away by the road salt.

[@andrewjohnson6716]

The over use of salt is a plague in Canada that damages everything including the environment.

[@Michaelsmith21588]

9:03 I like how you used a French flag for NL and a Belgian flag for Germany at the same time.

[@Emmuzka]

Winter cycling, or as the Finns say, "Cycling".

[@zenshy2139]

Or "Pyöräily"

[@w203ilux]

@@zenshy2139 onse kumma ku jotku valittaa et ei talvel voi pyöräillä. Mää ajan joka päivä kouluun mopolla ja joskus on -24 joskus on -15 ja lunta on mutta hyvin se menee sivuttainki koulumatka:))

[@veke05]

@@w203ilux Mopolla linttaaminen on kyllä hullu meta.

[@Ninjadoku3779]

Hey im Estonian im friendly as the finnish yet not drunk as em (no offense) they still stronk though, ive cycled to school in the worst conditions

[@nja7402]

Yup. With the same logic: Walking during winter time...is it uhm.. Winter walking...? A term winter cycling sounds a bit funny. First I thought that someone has created a new type of sport..or something.. but its just cycling.

[@Ix3Wales]

"the Dutch and the Germans" *shows French and Belgian flags*

[@RoyMcAvoy]

He's a master of trolling

[@Bright2Shine]

Yeea i noticed too, wrote a comment and deleted it, i dont think hes serious, he would know i guess. Still kinda funny roleplaying the "ignorant north american who gets confused about EU countries"

[@joespkr8715]

Saw it. Thought "major fail". Looked for the comment. Liked it. - German efficiency.

[@KeVIn-pm7pu]

@@موسى_7 and colors switched :)

[@Bobylein1337]

Didn't catch that as a German lol, nice bait

[@Effigyy]

as a year-round cyclist from Oulu I appreciate this video. I guess the ability to do that was something I had taken for granted and it's slightly surprising to hear that it's not common sense to do it the way we are doing.

[@notchs0son]

A lot of snow melts and makes slushy pools of snow that freeze and a city that is designed for biking can’t design it’s weather for biking

[@heidikuronen9491]

@@notchs0son Those weather conditions aren't a problem if the slush is plowed regularly and thus doesn't freeze to ice. And even when it's sloppily or irregularly plowed, you can still bike in those weather conditions with the studded bike tires mentioned above.

[@notchs0son]

@@heidikuronen9491 yea but what city’s gonna want to waste that time for such a tiny amount of people when it just losses money

[@MrLdemo]

@@notchs0son it wouldn't be a tiny amount of people if they plowed it regularly. like Effigyy said it's common sense.

[@notchs0son]

@@MrLdemo it would be common sense if it’s already common place and safe in general but you need to adapt how a city or country builds their Roads so even if the path isn’t great your fall and stumble isn’t into automotive traffic not just how often you might stumble and fall also it may surprise you but biker can become targeted simply bcs drivers feel entitled to the road way even if the bikers has just as much right to be in the center of a street as the driver. Simple incompetence is hard to correct unless you want to deal with how people are “tested” on driving and instate mandatory classes or programs.

[@torchedphoenix2159]

I remember being pulled over for biking on the sidewalk in bc Canada during the winter. It was the most infuriating situation because there’s 3 feet of piled up snow in the bike lane so I don’t know what he expected me to do, other then bike in the middle of the road. He let me off with a warning ticket but even a warning ticket pissed me off because I’m being as safe as I can, while the city neglects the bike lane, intentionally pushing snow into it. Making it impossible to use 🤦‍♂️.

[@kevinnielsen1356]

Ignorant entitled oil burners piss me off too.

[@TheWolfsnack]

@@kevinnielsen1356 ..not near as much as ignorant entitled traffic law ignoring insurance scofflaw cyclists piss me off.....

[@kevinnielsen1356]

@@TheWolfsnack Ahh, how we love to hate

[@dothedo3667]

Generally, yes, bikes are supposed to use roads with the cars if there's no bike lane. Sucks when shitty drivers hate people on bikes though.

[@torchedphoenix2159]

@@dothedo3667 Drivers are the only reason I avoid the road as much as possible. There’s three gravesites of people who got hit while biking in just a 2km radius from my house. So yeah I’m not eager to be on the roads. Especially when there is a bike lane, it’s just not being maintained and purposely covered in the winter.

[@Tapakapa]

Those slush-filled "cycle paths" give me so much anxiety 😨

[@NotJustBikes]

Me too, man. And with the amount of potholes on Canadian roads, who knows what's hidden under that slush?

[@tommiturmiola3682]

@@NotJustBikes Just my opinnion on this video: Avoid those separated bicycle lanes. Combine them with sidewalks to a "light-trafic-lane". This makes it lot easier to maintain as it is wide enough for machines needed for maintaining them.

[@crazydutchies1918]

Me and my friends drive in them as hard as possible and then brake as hard as possible. It went wrong sometimes, luckily nowadays Hollands doesn't hade snow

[@rushrush1209]

True. Especially when I'm near cars passing me. Just one slip could finish me off for good.

[@MartMonster]

@@tommiturmiola3682 there's enough smaller machines that can maintain snowed over bike paths, especially if it's 2-way. So that shouldn't be a problem if the city invests in bike paths, because they will get used if properly maintained

[@seqka711]

In elementary school I tried to make a habit of biking to school everyday, but it was just IMPOSSIBLE. When I biked on the road, I got honked at and had to dodge all the cars, ESPECIALLY all the parked cars that made it impossible to just bike on the curb. When I biked on the sidewalk, I had pedestrians yell at me and tell me to go on the road. I WAS ELEVEN. Why can't Canada just get some dang bike paths in our towns and cities already??

[@thurstonrider]

Here in Washington State most people are forgiving and yield to cyclists. But yes, there are the idiots who try and dictate to me where I should and shouldn't ride. I got honked, yelled, and cursed at a week ago for using a vehicle lane to avoid an obstruction which is legal per Washington State statutes. When cycling..NEVER let anyone tell you to get your bike off the roadways or sidewalks. Don't fight fair...stand your ground.

[@Matias-dr3ys]

here in finland its normal to cycle on the sidewalk. and in many smaller cities theres sidewalks only in the city centre so you have to walk and cycle on the road and its fine.

[@KowalskiVanishing_Point]

Or just designate alot of the sidewalks as "paths" meaning they are open to pedestrians and cyclists.

[@daisydaisy2104]

I did same for high school.. used to ride like a bike messenger from NY... but I was in a suburb of Florida... gained a reputation as the bike guy

[@kiiturii]

here the sidewalks are usually split into 2 lanes, one for bicycles and one for walkers, and if there is no designated bike lane then people under 12 are still allowed to bike on the sidewalk. Although I never followed this rule (because I didn't know it existed) and nobody ever told me to go bike on the road lol

[@starry_lis]

As far as gear is concerned, I feel I need to add there points: 1. Make sure your gloves are proper, i.e., don't let the wind right through. 2. Don't wear cotton on your skin. It will soak up when you sweat and will drain the heat right out of you when you finish your commute or make a stop. Only wool, synthetics etc. 3. Underdress. You want to be a little cold when you leave the house, so that you don't sweat profusely when you warm up.

[@HL-fk8wq]

When I was little,my dad told me that , if you feel warm when you left home for activities in winter, you ware too much.

[@mynameisreallycool1]

Thank you, especially for that third point. That's something a lot of us don't think about, especially people like me who didn't grow up anywhere cold.

[@735337707]

Winter tires. On bicycles and cars.

[@fredericmelvinokohnner4503]

I wear poly next to the skin and wool over. Dry and warm.

[@EnzoFerenczyo]

On really cold or windy days a hood on your jacket is a lifesaver, when it gets really nasty a scarf wrapped around you face and the hood tied up tight with goggles can keep you going below -20C.

[@yakub7098]

As a Canadian i can confirm i have fell off my bike multiple times slipping on (literally) 1 inch thick dumping grounds of salt on sidewalks all over the city, and 0 times on ice. Not to mention gross brown slush everywhere, and every creek/river becoming saltier than the Dead sea

[@MonkeyJedi99]

I fully appreciate the segment where you show, name and describe the super-specialized winter biking attire. - Here in the US, many people view adult on bicycles as either too broke to have a car or waiting out their DUI sentence. Particularly adults who cycle in the winter. We're so brainwashed into being a car-centric society...

[@michelleh4717]

it's so annoying. even here in vancouver where they brag about transit it's quite bad comapred to any place outside of north america

[@franklintech.8598]

There's also not enough bike paths to everywhere.

[@QoraxAudio]

Yeah, that's why there are so many fatties in America, because being lazy is seen as a good thing.

[@QoraxAudio]

@Jacko Sargs Salty?

[@theocho8689]

@@QoraxAudio what are you talking about? They're all just being body positive and keeping me employed in healthcare because they take little personal responsibility. I'm American and I love to ride but riding here in the states in taking your life in to your own hands. I've been to 87 countries so I know what it's like to ride in other places, some are worse than the USA of course. Too many inattentive drivers in the USA and they are the most important person on the road. It's sad but true. I prefer to MTB, if I have a bad accident it's usually some tree that came out of nowhere or some damn rock that got in my way. Hahaha

[@tobiasfraser6061]

As someone who lives in the US and cycles year-round due to income, I can confirm that shity infrastructure makes it infinitely more difficult than the weather, I actually prefer colder weather because I don't overheat as easily

[@GoliathFish75]

US has the worst city layouts.

[@emma70707]

Here in Seattle, you definitely see fewer cyclists in the winter (mostly rainy not snowy). I also love it because I have the bike lanes free from the Lycra people who (mostly) used to take offense at my e-bike. With the right gear, it's not bad.

[@cv990a4]

As a teen, I rode my 12-speed road-bike in my US Northeast college town in the winter - on snow, on ice, etc. It worked well and I never injured myself, but got a lot of side-eye for the practice. But roads had pretty light traffic and especially the campus, of course, had a lot of pedestrian/bike paths. So, although it wasn't specifically built for winter bike-riding, the infrastructure worked for that purpose.

[@edwardlariviere9710]

same here from canada. everyone here thinks im crazy

[@PetervanHofwegen]

"The Dutch" showing a Franch flag............ "and the German" showing a Belgien flag... Darn it...

[@Jan_Iedema]

Must. Not. Get. Triggered.

[@buddy1155]

I didn't even notice ... and I am Dutch,

[@MagicAndWires]

@@buddy1155 nu niet meer. Paspoort graag bij de gemeente inleveren

[@PetervanHofwegen]

@@buddy1155 weet je het zeker?

[@zuur303]

I came to be snarky and was one-upped, damnit!

[@johnnymula2305]

I think what impresses me the most in this video is how everyone can leave their bikes laying around without fear of it being stolen. Here in America, that would never happen. They’ll snatch it as soon as you turn your back on it.

[@nicoeggink7956]

Why? You can’t even ride them in the US, so what’s the point of stealing them.

[@johnnymula2305]

@@nicoeggink7956 i ride my Mountain bike every day to the gym. And at least 2x a month in the AZ Desert. They definitely get stolen out here. Especially in Manhattan.

[@EvaristeWK]

As a Torontonian and an avid cyclist, this video is completely spot-on.

[@tomjones6944]

@@garygjl9036 imagine taking a lane on St. Clair @ 5pm in a snowstorm :D :D I've had people try to fight me in the summer for less, just tryin' to ride my bicycle (the dufferin bus driver running you off the road is quite unprofessional).

[@lemonade4181]

​@@garygjl9036 Yeah, we just take the bus instead. Toronto is one of the few cities where people actually use the bus.

[@lemonade4181]

@David Davison Bruh, so homeless people drive cars then? Toronto has decent public transit, so you can just use the bus or train to get around. God there's even a LITERAL 30km underground tunnel system to help get around, stop defending cars. Cars make the street a dangerous place for homeless people.

[@lemonade4181]

@David Davison Well, maybe bike lanes aren't for us, but if we need to make the sidewalks larger to accommodate for homeless people throughout the city, then we can. And I know, nobody uses bike lanes in the winter, and you can't wear a toque with a helmet, so I agree, bike lanes aren't the most ideal infrastructure for a place like Toronto. Instead money should be spent on something that is used more often like streetcars.

[@surprisedmike]

@David Davison Kind of a dumb comment confounding completely unrelated issues. I've been biking in Toronto year round for many years now. Over time the number of fellow bikers has been increasing in *all* seasons and I expect that trend to continue. As the person in the video pointed out, people have preconceptions about biking in the winter in Toronto that reduces the numbers. The overall benefits to the individual, and to everybody else by reducing congestion, will make biking an increasingly popular option. The city is right to promote this as in time it will greatly reduce the need for even more really expensive infrastructure. As far as the homeless problem goes, maybe it would be better to refer to that as the opioid or substance abuse problem. Yes we should try to help these people address that issue in their lives.

[@DrTruckster]

As a person who has lived in Oulu all my life, I haven't realized how good we have it here. I have pretty much cycled 20 years of my life to everywhere 15 km north and south of the city centre. All of that time I assumed it was the norm and even had the audacity to complain about the cycling paths. I'd recommend everyone to try cycling to work and hobbies because it really helps with your overall mood and it's really healthy too. Thanks for the video! Really eye-opening!

[@Kardinaalilintu]

I second the uplift for mood. Nothing like cycling to wake you up and keep you alert and productive for the whole day!

[@Tuoppios1]

Its far better than Helsinki or Espoo thats for sure

[@JasonMcCarrell]

I love this. I cycle everywhere when it's not freezing, otherwise it's far too dangerous here in Ottawa, especially where I live, because there are virtually no bike lanes here, all street parking, and narrow 50kmh streets. a bit of slush or ice and you could die... and many do die each year. It's insanity. So I just walk or drive... I'm part of a community association now though! So once I understand more about how city stuff works, I hope to fight for bike lanes... although also while biking for at least a few trees to provide cover on side walks and to have the least parks per capita of most of Canada... fuck I live in a really shitty city.... fuck the corrupt suburban city councillors...

[@anthonyhennegan3676]

Can confirm. I live in the San Francisco area and would dread my drive home everyday, but now I started cycling everywhere and it has made my stress levels go down so much! I very rarely drive any more.

[@newperve]

It's amazing how people accept the good or bad of their life as normal. If people didn't travel we would have no idea how to improve things.

[@user-hk2rt2rf1q]

i'm from oulu and never realized that in rest of the world cant cycle on winter..

[@jonlouis2582]

Here in the US you are treated like a lunatic, or worse.

[@kswsquared]

Me here in the tropics: "What is winter? What is snow? Black ice? What's that?"

[@ph11p3540]

Because your Finnish city is a very rare anomaly when it comes to cycling infrastructure and cyclist rights. You do realize there is a major war going one between the autocentric majority against the cycling minority. Bikers do not have rights in most parts of the world. If they get run down from behind it automatically their fault not the motorist.

[@omaroma6081]

Man I wish México had the mentality of just Europe

[@aaposaren4491]

Oulu gäng

[@debrasue2793]

8:20: this is extremely accurate. if anything there's an art to **not** dressing too warmly, because otherwise you end up drenched in sweat and open yourself up to hypothermia risk. Edit: Granted, that's based on heat management over a 10-15 mile ride.

[@tnesp]

In fact, having a proper winter with temperatures below freezing and plenty of snow makes it easier to both ride a bike in winter, and to maintain routes. Cold snow is pretty grippy, clean and dry. What's problematic in terms of biking and maintenance are temperatures that go back and forth around freezing point. Ice, slush, water, slippery, wet, dirty, constant spreading of grit that punctures tires and salt which corrodes bikes. It's hard to copy Oulu without the weather. Just saying as a Finn.

[@herranton]

This. We have lots of bikers in the winter here in Minnesota. And for the most part, were just as anti-bicycle and anywhere in the USA. But once we get cold, it doesn't get warm again until the end of April.

[@ukkiesc5087]

as dutchy, that is indeed the biggest issue with snow/ice here as well. When snow falls at night, then turns into water during the day, and then becomes ice again at night, and the next day you get this layer of snow -> ice -> water, it's super slippery. The sludge is also super slippery Just ice or snow when it's dry and cold? No issues at all

[@deusexaethera]

You know what else I notice about this video about Oulu? All the outdoor lighting. That also makes it easier to bicycle in the winter -- and to do anything else outside in the winter. You guys definitely gave a big middle finger to the concept of light pollution and said "nope, if the sun isn't going to stay up 12 hours a day, we'll just make our own daytime." And you know what? I'm fine with that. It's better for people's mental health. Being able to look up at the stars is nice, but it doesn't keep people from killing themselves.

[@AbeYousef]

@@deusexaethera its actually shockingly easy to make it bright outside in winter if theres snow and cloud cover. A couple street lamps make everything perfectly clear

[@Eibarwoman]

Climate change makes it worse in North America. Even if you have the infrastructure right, how does one assure the snow quality not being melty sludge, refreezing cycles, etc.

[@stonystoner895]

One thing I've noticed about the Finns. They don't debate & argue over what needs to be done. They just do it. When WW2 was over they were the only country that payed off their war debt. When asked why they said: "because we owed it."

[@Reitz86]

SISU, the Finns are a no nonsense country 🇫🇮👍❤️

[@stevek8829]

Not exactly war debt. The Finns were forced to pay reparations because of their attempt to forcibly take land from the Soviet Union during the Continuation War despite the fact that the Soviet Union did forcibly take land from Finland during the Winter War.

[@rossdavies8250]

I think you will find that Britain was the only country that paid off all of it's war loans to the USA. The last payment was made in 2006...

[@stevek8829]

@@rossdavies8250 EUROPE ECONOMY UK finally finishes paying for World War I PUBLISHED MON, MAR 9 20159:52 AM EDTUPDATED TUE, MAR 10 20153:14 AM EDT SHAREShare Article via FacebookShare Article via TwitterShare Article via LinkedInShare Article via Email Almost 100 years after the debt was was issued, the U.K. government has finally finished paying for World War I. On Monday the U.K. Treasury redeemed the outstanding £1.9 billion ($2.8 billion) of debt from the “War Loan”, which was originally taken out in 1917 in order to finance the country’ huge debts incurred in fighting the four-year war.

[@SuperSeytan666]

@@Reitz86 Used to be, now it's just green vegan idiots mostly..

[@shadeblackwolf1508]

So to recap if people cycle in winter: 1, does your city have a cycling network? 2, does it have one in winter?

[@Chernobog958]

Underrated comment

[@milic5068]

Mine has neither :/

[@FriedTurkey]

I used to take my bike to school for over a decade, in winter and in the rain it was very exciting because on the fastest route that was an old wood bridge that ignored friction whenever it got wet. Let's just say I may have gotten to know the floor boards of that bridge quite well......

[@BenefitsWM]

And, is it "flat"?

[@77jesseday]

My city has exactly 40 miles of bike trails for 2.2M people. I happen to be lucky and live 3.5 miles away from it and it drops me off literally at work. Now for those 3.5 miles I have to ride next to cars. I've only almost died maybe 3 times in 3 weeks. Actually better than I would have thought.

[@jazztymannkoop9974]

The sarcasm in your explanation of winter cycling is amazing. As a Dutchie I was immediately triggered when our flag was turned but then I realized you did the same thing with the German flag. Making fun of the Germans and Belgiums is our favorite thing so it levels out

[@marshallrojas5943]

I’m sorry that you were raised in London Ontario I hope you recovered well and are doing better now

[@fritzkuhne2055]

savage

[@thestudentofficial5483]

I want to visit London Ontario just to feel the fleeting happiness when i leave that town.

[@derekwildash2683]

It could have been worse, it could have been Chatham.

[@hauptmanndosman]

Yup, visiting London is . . . something. 😬

[@Zraknul]

He's gone to a better place.

[@DrewHopper.]

As a person from London Ont, and living in Finland I really loved the video! I cycle year-round in Helsinki, not because I'm superhuman but because the cycle paths are amazing. The idea of riding my bike(or my kids riding theirs) on the road now seems so outrageous. Finland definitely gets it right when it comes to cycling! Hyvää Suomi!!

[@travispoulton6485]

I'm from kitchener, it's always interesting seeing people who recently lived near you so far away, what caused you to move? And how are you liking it? I've always had moving to Finland of Sweden jn the back of my mind.

[@KL-wp8ip]

I really wonder where did you find good cycle paths in Helsinki. They are really under-developed.

[@staropramen478]

@@KL-wp8ip It's pretty good in suburbs and in new neighborhoods like Jätkäsaari and Kalasatama, but I agree that there are many narrow streets in the inner city with lots of side parking for cars but no cycling paths.

[@reverandzombre3755]

i live in Winnipeg and 100% the only thing keeping me from cycling to work is dedicated bike routes. Sharing the road with cars just feels too risky to me to do everyday.

[@marischal3]

Also from Winnipeg, can confirm. Only reason I cycle to work is that I'm lucky enough to live near bike paths.

[@TS_Chick]

Also from winnipeg and the only ways to get to work by bike require crossing pedestrian priority bridges where they are either too narrow to bike safely or you get dirty looks for not dismounting -_-

[@patrick7481]

I've biked over 200,000 miles over 50 years, zero car collisions, almost all with roads. Think of yourself as a slow motorcyclist, could you "drive" your motorbike safely in the road? Most do (till they go fast :) I have seen terrible bike lanes, going downhill on Roosevelt in Seattle, bike lane between parked cars, bus stops and sidewalks, pedestrians in bike lane (and Wesstlake) possible if you bike

[@ChrisCrond]

I been doing it with no bike paths in Winnipeg, you just have to hold the lane (bus lanes are also bike lanes)

[@ericwoody22]

I agree

[@NotJustBikes]

Over a year later and the swapped flags are still triggering people. And most people only notice one of them! Edit: also the number of people who seem to think that this was a mistake and I'm just "covering" for it is hilarious. Yes, I "accidentally" downloaded the wrong flag, twice, from Wikipedia. Yes, I "accidentally" got confused by the filenames 2880px-Flag_of_France.svg.png and 2560px-Flag_of_Belgium.svg.png. Screwing up flags is the best comment engagement strategy, ever. I am going to swap, rotate, or otherwise screw-up flags literally every time it's possible, for every video, forever. 🤣

[@mr.treegarden3380]

You know how to trigger people 😂 Unbelievable that I miss the other flag from my favorite neighbors 😊 Again, Thx for your inspiring videos!!

[@Simonvbaal]

Small nation syndrome; is that a thing?

[@elijahcrousse3366]

Proud to be canadian 🇵🇪🇵🇪🇵🇪

[@GorrilazWarfare]

the less people notice, the funnier (also I noticed) also its pronounced tsu-k not TOWK

[@Simqer]

@@weatherwaxusefullhints2939 The Belgian flag came before the German flag I'll have you know.

[@rabbit2686]

Yeah. As someone who lives in Canada, it's not the cold that stops me from biking in the winter, it's the lack of bike paths and the amount of bloody snow that is just left to pile up everywhere and the town's response time to clearing it out.

[@vynnyn5489]

Yes exactly. I used to live in Philadelphia and when there was a heavy snow it was so bad entire streets of parked cars would be inaccessible for WEEKS. Too narrow streets and no where to put the snow. Can't even really walk around in winter let alone bike!

[@benkendrick8465]

That still seems like winter's fault.

[@grijsmanya7292]

Driving on snow is quite allright when you learn it, need to take your time to break and turn :) also falling on a decently flat road with snow is not at all painfull. Also bike skill! Insane

[@desertdarlene]

No to mention that even if the roads are plowed, you often still have ice to deal with. (I used to live in Detroit)

[@keith6706]

@@grijsmanya7292 They're not talking about driving _on_ hardpack, they're talking about driving _through_ snow. There's a difference, as anyone who has had to simply walk through loose snow can attest.

[@AndyGrouch]

It's funny. I've lived in Oulu all my life and I surely take the winter maintenance and biking for granted. The biggest thing why biking in Oulu is so comfortable is the fact that most of the bicycle ways goes elsewhere and far away from general traffic ways. You can get to city center from far away without ever need to cycle near heavy traffic. The ways usually goes through forest and silent neighborhoods.

[@iidamietola274]

How about bicycle theft there? I stopped cycling a couple of years after moving from the countryside to a bigger city. After the third bike I just couldn’t take it anymore.

[@KowaiMaou]

@@iidamietola274 Probably not, judging by how more than half the bicycles in that school bike park are left unlocked (Doesn't seem to be the school's private grounds.) Either way, given the fact that more than 75% of the city population cycles occasionally, as well as the existence of some sort of bicycle rental scheme, it's no wonder that bike theft would be almost non-existent.

[@hil449]

if only finnish wasnt so different and difficult...

[@AndyGrouch]

@@iidamietola274 It's pretty bad almost everywhere in the city. Maybe in the most peaceful neighbourhoods you could in theory leave your bike un locked but thieves are everywhere. But in the busiest areas your bike will be gone in a matter of minutes if you leave it unlocked. You need to have very good locking systems here if you need to keep your bike safe.

[@danbrownellfuzzy3010]

Digging a little deeper, things like this are why entire civilizations rise and fail. Someone or some group long ago in Oulu showed us an ingenious system, but the world seems to reject it. I believe what you need is philosophers to come there, take a look, and convince the world to accept this as the correct and best way. Will the the world listen? Not in a million years.

[@johhada9304]

As an amateur cyclist from Oulu, it was crazy recognizing the places in this video after just randomly stumbling upon it. I even saw my elementary school!

[@DevilsTrueLies]

Snow removal of bike lanes and pedestrian lanes was always obvious for me in Sweden. There are even sections of streets in Stockholm that are heated during winter to prevent snow and ice. And the city has trials in the winter to try out new techniques for dealing with snow and ice. I just figured it was the same everywhere where the winters are harsh.

[@veboonetapsr6812]

The heated streets are pretty common in walking areas with alot of people in Finland too

[@AThirstyPhilosopher]

Those trials and techniques are NOT used in Canada. But they sound amazing!

[@brandonking1737]

Canadians: "You can't cycle in the winter, it's too cold!" Also Canadians: *Pays $400 to stand for 4 hours in the cold to strap boards on their feet and ride down a mountain*

[@NotJustBikes]

EXACTLY!! I actually had this conversation with someone who said nobody would ever ride a bike in the winter because it's too cold *while we were in the chalet of a ski resort* after a day of skiing.

[@andrew20146]

@@NotJustBikes And I would say riding a bike is a higher level of consistent exertion than skiing, so you are more like to stay warm. In many ways, riding on a cold day is nicer than riding on an overwhelmingly hot day. You can just wear warmer clothes and go about your day in the former, the latter it is hard to avoid needing a shower afterwards.

[@RedbadofFrisia]

@@NotJustBikes lmao that would be funny if it wasn't so telling

[@jevinliu4658]

It looks like the the Canadian bicycle paths are far more slippery with all of that sludge during the winter. The Finnish path is at least compacted snow.

[@josepho3366]

To be fair, skiing is actually a winter sport...

[@JamieM470]

I can't get over how it's totally safe for children to ride their bikes to school, friends' houses, etc. Where I live in the US it's not even safe to ride a bike alone in the neighborhood where you live. Then I googled for more info on Finland and guess what? Finland has first place in the World Happiness Report. Apparently in Finland the majority of the population is happy and feels safe.

[@yeehawoniichan9266]

(: I wonder why that is

[@fcontini]

If you, in the US, doesn't feel safe, please don't ever go to Brazil. But I get your point, I'm a Brazilian that recently moved to Canada due to safety concerns and I completely get your point. Feeling safe is the bare minimum to start being happy, so it just makes sense that safer places have better happiness statistics.

[@Skerrry]

I'm not sure how accurate my image of the US is since its based mostly on TV, but I find it staggering how different it is to be a child in the US and in Finland. Here in Finland kids from 6 years up walk or cycle to school alone if the trip isnt too long. Or if the trip is too long they take the bus. No safety concerns whatsoever.

[@fcontini]

@@Skerrry that's something unimaginable to me, as in Brazil it is not surprising when 15yo kids won't walk 500 meters to school because we're afraid of what could happen. Usually 12 to 15 are ages where most kids can just take the bus or walk to school alone, but not all. Not worrying about them and letting them go alone to school at 6 sounds like a dream to me

[@paulmcknight4137]

@@Skerrry I've found in most neighborhoods where kids grow up, cycling to school is very safe in the US. The distances are usually a mile or less. There are residential streets and bike path cut throughs avoiding heavy car traffic. The problem is overprotective parents. Dutiful mothers drive their kids to school in the family SUV and come pick them up after school. I've ridden on urban MUTs for 30 years. It's gotten worse for kids. Very stupid. They become clueless wimps, or cynical, rebellious teenagers.

[@room34]

Minneapolis is no Oulu, but it's regarded as having probably the harshest winters of any major U.S. city, and there is a LOT of winter cycling here... because of the extensive network of bike trails, and the fact that the parks department is usually faster to keep them plowed than the city is with the streets.

[@pmhaeg]

Yes- and in spite of the amount of protected bike lanes, and immediate snow removal (much better than streets!) we still don't bike much in the winter! I'd like to see the creator compare % of protected bike lanes in Minneapolis with Oulu. BTW I'm a daily year round biker in Mpls - winter riding is a serious drag compared to other seasons. The salt & sand on the bike trails will dissolve your bike within two seasons.

[@harveyhaines5383]

The suburbs stink at handling it. We're in Brooklyn Park and they like to plow the road snow into the bike paths.

[@room34]

@@harveyhaines5383 Ugh… that is the worst!

[@johnthompson6374]

I would ride my bike year round in Duluth, MN. Duluth has a lot of well traveled foot paths within the city's many parks as well as sidewalks to combine together for a fun work commute. An extra soft tire is all I would ever use to keep good traction. The colder it gets out, the stickier the ice becomes. May I suggest everyone start your work day with a 2 mile downhill bike run and to stop by the local ice rink on the way home to learn how to spin 360's on your bike. Peace/JT

[@sandy_carpetsthesecond5013]

@@pmhaeg Then your city should find a better alternative to snow-removal other than salt and sand- Well that, or someone should design a wheel that can stand harsher trail conditions. Either one.

[@TheMythicalAce]

I grew up in Colorado, and the neighborhood I lived in just so happened to have a pedestrian/cycling path that ran along a creek. This path just so happened to run very close to both the middle school and high school I went to. And let me tell you, nothing got me more excited to hop on my bicycle than a fresh snow. I could avoid all major roads and ride for miles along this path, and even though it cut through the middle of suburbia, it looked aesthetic because of how the path was incorporated fairly naturally into the scenery. I now understand why it was so great, it's because I didn't have to deal with the noise and the stress and the pollution of cars every day. I got in a lot of good cardio, and it was fun. If there were more bike and pedestrian trails around that connected the city, I think it would be a fantastic first step towards rebuilding cities that make sense for people.

[@billbrasky8525]

In the Yukon, we just ride fat-bikes through the forests and hope we find the city centre somewhere along the way.

[@KandiKlover]

In the USA we’re just fat.

[@Kardinaalilintu]

That is awesome :D

[@pocketdynamo5787]

Wait... what? There's a city centre somewhere in Yukon? 😮

[@billbrasky8525]

@@pocketdynamo5787 Haha, I use the term loosely.

[@57thorns]

About winter cycling: If you are not freezing at the beginning, you will have to slow down and still arrive overheated and sweaty. It is a balance and a skill you need to acquire, but worth it for the money you save on gym membership, car fuel, public transit tickets and fewer respiratory infections. You don't have to work up a sweat to gain health benefits from moving around under your own power. And if you live in a place with decent infrastructure but bad traffic, you will save time as well.

[@paulmcknight4137]

So true about freezing when going out, pedaling like mad to warm up, then arriving at work hot and sweaty! The trick is to layer up, viz. polypro long sleeve undershirt, jersey or cotton t'shirt, fleece vest, long sleeve semi waterproof unlined jacket, fleece skull cap that also covers the ears, full fingered gloves or ski mitts if below freezing. Bib shorts work great covering the ribs and stay in place underneath lycra/fleece lined or unlined unpadded lycra tights. Add suspenders to keep them from riding down. Cover the feet with slightly heavier socks or waterproof shoe covers. Dressed appropriately by air temperature you'll stay warm at an energetic pace, but won't get to work hot and sweaty. Someone once said, "If you're not slightly cold the first mile, you're probably overdressed." Just make sure all limbs are covered, and you'll be fine.

[@deltaxcd]

Getting overheated and sweaty in winter is almost just as bad as getting cold But i think now all decent bikes are electric so you will not even get warm. if temperature drops below -a0 you need some helmet or goggles because it is impossible to withstand the cold wind blowing into your face and eyes get full of tears

[@paulmcknight4137]

@@deltaxcd I hear ya. Down here in temperate DC street eyeglasses work fine. Below freezing the wind chill sometimes tears up the eyes! It's been a while. Well, ok about electric bikes. You're gonna get really hot and sweaty if that damn battery gives out! I've always modulated efforts below anaerobic threshold, and cool down the last few minutes. Also change out of sweaty undershirt, splash some water on my face comb my hair, and good to go.

[@jbmectronic4314]

This... Its about balancing the clothing, "if you sweat, you die" they told us in the military, during tough cold in Sweden 😅. I comute w bicycle during winter, and depending on temperature I always/often adapt the clothing from day to day.

[@jbmectronic4314]

@Advanced Driving Not an option, must keep pace 😝

[@_Piers_]

The only problem I've had with studded winter tyres is when getting off my bike and realising my shoes don't have enough grip!

[@erik....]

Once when I stopped at an intersection and put my foot down it immediately slipped and I fell.. A bit embarassing. I have Schwalbe Ice Spiker Pro tires, very nice grip.

[@mcch1cken]

@@erik.... Same here, Ice Spiker Pro are the business. I feel far safer in icy conditions on my mountain bike that has Ice Spikers than in almost any kind of footwear walking around. The bike feels like a tank.

[@andrevictorgomes]

Can you put these winter tyres on a fixie?

[@mcch1cken]

@@andrevictorgomes the only limiting factor is the tyre clearance your frame and forks provide, as this will decide how wide (and tall) of a tyre you can mount. Winter tyres are typically offered in slightly wider sizes, because for the most part your typical cyclist doesn't consider riding their road bike in the snow and ice. Also, the metal studs add a bit of height to the tyre too which can sometimes interfere with caliper brakes assemblies. I doubt Ice Spiker tyres are available in sizes that would suit your typical fixie, but there may be other options you can look at.

[@mouse11011]

I live in Norway and cycle all year. One surprising benefit of winter cycling is how rough bumpy paths actually smooth out when divots fill up with snow and ice.

[@douggale5962]

I ride year round in Canada. It's even more fun in colder weather than in warm weather, because you can exert yourself hard for a long time without getting too hot, and you sometimes have to continuously pedal hard when going through deeper snow, so you get a more intense workout. It is a suicide mission to ride on a busy road though, backstreets only.

[@evanverret3150]

yeah it’s great, love not being limited by the warm weather. still unable to find gloves that keep me comfortable in -35 & cooler, they’ve gotta be real short rides lol

[@jacobrzeszewski6527]

I agree, if only it wasn’t almost all ice here in Indiana. I don’t like driving in the winter regardless because it absolutely decimates cars. Good thing we don’t have vehicle inspections because two of the three used cars I’ve owned had no rocker panels left and severe underbody rust.

[@BikingwithJP]

@@evanverret3150 I got myself a pair of 45 NRTH gloves and I've been biking out -25C they keep me warm the entire ride (hour or more). Warmest biking gloves I could find so far!

[@jcvd1826]

@@evanverret3150 You need pogies.

[@Timberbeartrail]

Do you ride a fat tire bike mountain bike or gravel

[@slackwellman5499]

I live in Massachusetts and cycle every day even all winter. Everyone else thinks I’m legitimately crazy. I agree vigorously with this video. Thanks for posting this. I love my bicycles, travel 20 miles a day, and have spent $20 on gasoline ALL YEAR. I work with “environmentalists” who drive their cars around for “fun”

[@Pinhead101]

Now imagine a peanut of that trillion dollars spend in afghanistan put into bike paths.

[@77jesseday]

@@Pinhead101 yeah but the cities would still have to maintain road that were built with federal dollars. Cities are generally pretty good at getting an F- on maintaining roads they got for free.

[@thedankgoat7972]

@@77jesseday But bike paths would require little maintenance as they are far lighter than cars and don't destroy roadways.

[@warehousejo007]

@@77jesseday and their states don't send 💰to the feds?

[@DFX2KX]

@@warehousejo007 oh, they *do*, it's just that they mismanage all of the money that they *do* keep/get back. Also while less maintenance is required for a bike path, snow removal is expensive either way. And bike paths require more attention because ice is a killer on two lightweight wheels even moreso then cars. Our cycling network is great in this city, and they plow a lot in winter. But not thoroughly enough that a bike would be safe.

[@martin.onfire]

Been living in Oulu during winter, can confirm that cycling in -20°C is surprisingly pleasant, warmer than expected and the bike path network there is outstanding, also in terms of lighting! Back in Vienna, I basically stopped cycling during any season, as the only really nice cycling paths are the recreational ones and you face traffic lights and shared lanes almost everywhere...

[@epicgames2051]

Been living in Oulu since I was born, and to be fair, the winter maintenance depends on which places get the higher priorities, which may sometimes be a pain in the butt. However, there are always Plan B routes which make Oulu the best place to bike :D

[@ilya.petersen]

Dutchman here, who cycles to work every day and works outside every day, year round. The physical movement on a bicycle warms you up as you go. I always laugh a little when I see people on mopeds being miserable in the cold. With work outside it is the same thing: we have a saying that when you're cold at work you're not working hard enough. And for the rain: when being outside all the time it doesn't seem to rain as much as you might think.

[@laurivalola1463]

As a distance biker living in Finland I totally sign this. When I was going through the whole country Oulu was a blessing. So sophisticated and easy

[@dgill441]

Could you see yourself living there ?

[@henrik.norberg]

When people ask: "How can you ride a bike in the cold winter?" I answer: "How can you ski in the cold winter?"

[@neonbunnies9596]

@Typhoid Mary the Finnish (I think) fighting in WW2:

[@adamwnt]

And it’s not even that cold since you’re moving and exercising

[@DieFlabbergast]

There's no such thing as cold weather, there's only the wrong clothes.

[@henrik.norberg]

@@DieFlabbergast Exactly. I have different clothes for every 3-5 degrees step down. At about -20C I use a ski mask and ski goggles and have no big problem biking down to -30C then it starts to be a real problem with breathing the cold air. If we would have below -30C often I would have to find a way to heat up the air I breathe but we don't.

[@adamwnt]

@@morzh1978 you should were clothes to feel slight chill all the way to the office, once you arrive with a slight cold you take hot tea or coffee and you’re ready to work. The problem is ppl not used to cold tend to wear too much clothing, but i get your point

[@ryanarmishaw3305]

I've just emailed the City of Edmonton, and some cycling groups with a brief message and a link to your video. Hopefully the city can start providing safer options for cycling in winter here, as well as a more comprehensive bike path system. I hear the same argument about it not being possible because we are a "winter city". Hopefully they actually watch your video.

[@lawrencecrocker4870]

he's got a few videos that blew my mind, im in edmonton also and its amazing how well other places deal with cycling and pedestrians. It's as if edmonton's planners dont want us walking and cycling.

[@everetthorner]

@@lawrencecrocker4870 not only this, but many vocal Edmontonians seem distrustful of any infrastructure that doesn’t make driving easier… we definitely have a mindset problem (that seems to be shifting?? Maybe??)

[@KkChoi511]

I also live in Edmonton and in Toronto all the time. I also work for municipal government. Biking and walking in winter is great, but it really comes down to infrastructure and maintaining the infrastructure. This video obviously doesn't fully understand the additional cost of maintaining these infrastructure. It is alteast 1/3 cheaper to plow the car roads vs bike designated roads based on distance travelled. Bike roads require different equipments and take longer to service them. In addition, the density is another factor. The city like Edmonton is so spread out that we are even having hard time maintaining our public transportation cost. If we decide to put more bike roads, where do we strategically put them to get the best use out of them and make sure we break even? We already tried this with downtown Edmonton, but we are having hard time getting the use out it. We get criticized that it was complete waste of tax payers' money. Can't really keep everyone happy.

[@wolfgangandrewx2416]

i lived there when i was young, rode my bike year round, and later my motorcycle year round.

[@lizwilliams14]

@@KkChoi511 I live in Regina. Most of the time you’re taking your life in your hands if you try cycling on anything but side roads or sidewalks. People in cars seem to be oblivious of anything but cars. But on the other hand I can see how expensive it would be to build and maintain cycling infrastructure - and it would have to be done ahead of time in anticipation of it being used. There was a huge fuss in Saskatoon recently. Something to do with “useless” unused cycling lanes. I think they got rid of them.

[@MeriaDuck]

2:59 I hope Dutch cities take note of that projection tech! That's cool even in normal dark conditions. This could appeal especially to the city-of-lights of the Netherlands, Eindhoven.

[@sirBrouwer]

They are being used at a few locations. mainly as a try out test but then outside of the towns and cities and more in between.

[@slebbeog]

I might remember this wrong, but I recall reading from some Finnish newspaper that a lot of countries and towns all over the world were interested on the projecting system Oulu has. I think they mentioned a keen interest from the Dutch overall.

[@Clairski3]

they have it here in Amsterdam! Meer in drukke uitgaansgebieden

[@guususus]

Eindhovuhh

[@leandrog2785]

They're probably nearly invisible in the sun though. The projector light would need to be ridiculously powerful. I think a better solution is to simply use signs that have lights on them. That way they're always visible regardless of snow, sun or darkness. For places without snow that want markings on the ground to be very prominent at night, they can simply use a small spotlight directed at those markings. This projection thing is unnecessarily complicated if the point is just to make things visible in snow or very prominent at night. Maybe not in the specific example shown in the video, since IDK about that specific situation. One advantage this has over signs is that it's visible from all directions. Also, if you have some rule which you want to apply only at night, this is great, but still you could make a sign which automatically covers itself at specific times.

[@ookkonaaoulusta]

I moved to Oulu in 1982. Even then, almost forty years ago, the people who came here from southern Finland, were STUNNED by the fact that how well the bicycle ways were built and maintained here.

[@aeyuio2315]

Se on talvella 9000x helpompaa Oulussa, kun ei ole jatkuvaa sulamis-jäätymis-sykliä, vaan tasaisemmin kunnon pakkaset. Kyllä Helsingissäkin olisi pyörätiet talvella paremmassa kunnossa, jos rahaa tartteis laittaa pääosin vain isojen lumisateiden jälkeisiin aurauksiin, eikä sen lisäksi joka helvetin viikko johonkin loskan auraamiseen, tai märän jään hiekoitukseen.

[@danbrownellfuzzy3010]

Should be on every intelligence test in the world. If you hear about Oulu and don't like it, you lose about 20 points

[@polarbog5659]

I love how this feels like a huge diss on Canada

[@JakeKilka]

Well yeah but coming from Oulu even I think snow & winter can be plausible excuses, but what about the countries which have practically no winter and still don't bike

[@KilliKonKarnage]

It's a huge diss to the rest of the Western world haha. I cycle all year round in England and enjoyingly so but I need a dutch bike

[@abchaplin]

We can take it. We need to take it.

[@jlopez2482]

I used to cycle all the time in winter with bald ass tires. Never bailed until it was all nice after winter. First major and only bail that fucked me up bad

[@paanikki]

It is a huge diss on most cities in the world. Including some cities in Finland.

[@Radhaun]

Sitting over here in the southern US like "You guys have public transportation and bike lanes?"

[@MrNicoJac]

Well, at least you've got internet, so you can see how much better socialist Europe is 😉😂

[@twotone3471]

Ha,ha, most of the US has some form of public transportation, even in Rural areas. Its how they get around being sued for not complying with the Americans with disabilities act.

[@yyyaaa3928]

@@twotone3471 haha yes "some" public transportation

[@artyomsherwin648]

We do, but since a law was made that means infrastructure is going away from separate bike paths and replacing them with bike lanes next to the road, people just consider them road as well, meaning there isn't a proper bike lane anymore. In the winter, it's where the snow from the road is dumped.

[@superdestrier9160]

You guys get snow? -West coast

[@SaigonMikael]

As someone born and raised in Oulu I can confirm it's all about smart design. The bicycle routes are amazing. Contrasting that with Saigon where I've been living since 2015, cycling here is not easy as there are no dedicated bicycle trails. You're forced to take your chances in the middle of swarms of scooters. Needless to say, it's been a while since my last bicycle ride.

[@nebblank4118]

In my city, Kelowna BC Canada. The bike lanes are " dedicated snow storage".

[@ontheroadwithyode390]

What does that even mean?

[@nommchompsky]

It means snow plows push the snow off the road and into the bike lanes and then leave it there until it melts

[@paulmcknight4137]

​@@nommchompsky Yep, back in Montreal, the snow builds up all winter and doesn't melt until mid-March!

[@qwinlyn]

In southern Ontario that’s what they use sidewalks for. I’ve had to walk in the road to go over highways before.

[@Kromaatikse]

In Helsinki, there is a dedicated municipal snow dump, and a fleet of trucks dedicated to hauling the heaps of ploughed snow away to that dump. One year it was said to pile higher than the rollercoaster at the local amusement park, and took almost all summer to melt. But they don't let it block the paths.

[@jish176fi]

Every morning for the last year and half I've been riding bikes with my now 4 year old taking him to daycare, about 1,5 kms. Winters included. That one morning two weeks ago, -27 centigrade, included. Many things in Oulu could be better, but cycling routes and maintenance is definitely well above average.

[@GoldenBeholden]

Honestly, the moment you see biking as merely a method of transportation is the moment you stop using weather as an excuse; after all, you've still got places to be.

[@klausbrinck2137]

Best explanation ever !!!

[@krob9145]

@@ligametis My work cycle commute is away from the city so it's relaxing, I can stop and collect groceries somewhere along the cycle route since there's a supermarket next to it. Weekends are for lying in late, taking park walks/picnics/ meet ups with friends/DIY/ a swim and buying the odd thing. I deliberatly choose a career where I'd have the choice not to be heading into the central city.

[@krob9145]

@@AttackStart Exactly I recall seeing a news report of a good Samaritan getting a poor man in the USA a car after observing him walking over 10 miles to work daily and eventually asked him about it. I was wondering why no one had offered him a second hand bike that's easiest and cheapest to maintain. However I don't know if he knew how to ride a bike or his local road bike ridingconditions or if he didn't know people or organisations willing to offer a secondhand bike and advice on upkeep. Growing up my friend was poor so she got bits and pieces of bike discarded by others put out in the trash and built her own bike. She believed in doing what she could to enable herself. Even where I live now they ran a summer course on bike building for teens with bike bits being donated from old bikes and at the end of the course each teen had their own bike that they'd made themselves. I hope they manage to run this course again this year in some form because it's really needed in these times. They did offer pandemic bike repair vouchers in the UK last summer to those who applied for them so they'd be able to take whatever old bike to the bike mechanic to help refurbish it. I always knew bikes could be transport since my grandfather had been a cyclist since his teens becaus it was best for his foot disability and even though he got a driver's licence he never got a car but continued on his bike. The first thing I bought when I moved out on my own was a bike just incase I needed it for alternative transport since I wasn't sure if I could afford other means of transport.

[@LindaMaricas]

I'm Finnish (not from Oulu) and I also biked to school and work most of my life (and so do my parents cause taking the car is lazy), even on the coldest of days. I guess it's just a completely normal thing here, and I've never actually realized it's not elsewhere.

[@KarlPlesz]

OMG am I ever glad you made this video. I am so tired of hearing Calgarians (who don't cycle) insisting that it's a waste of time to build cycling infrastructure because we can only cycle for 6 months of the year. They must be shut-ins who have never seen a bike path during commuting rush hour in winter - ever. I'm not even more than a casual cyclist and I know better.

[@KarlPlesz]

I just got an email notification of a reply to this comment from someone (funny that it's not visible here) that said "Nobody in Calgary is against "Cycle infrastructure" they ARE against butchering existing roadways. You're obviously not a cyclist at all." To them I say, "How can you build cycling infrastructure without affecting any roadways? I love talking to these folks. It's a good thing sidewalks already exist, because if we were trying to get them built today, the same arguments would be used against them as are used against protected cycle lanes."

[@NotJustBikes]

That's not even a hypothetical. I remember reading an article about adding sidewalks in a city in Minnesota. There were very few sidewalks in the city, so planners wanted to add some, starting near their university. The "arguments" against it were just what you'd expect: "why are we wasting all this money when nobody walks here?" "We have winter!" "Nobody's going to use them!" You could have substituted "bikes lanes" for "sidewalks" in the article and it would be every public meeting about bicycle lanes ever. "you can't justify building a bridge by counting the number of people swimming across the river."

[@moeman1933]

The funny part is that there are plenty of people who walk in the winter in Minnesota especially young students in college who can’t afford cars

[@madelineduffin1352]

I bike all year round in calgary on my yuba cargo bike. Yes it can be done, alot of getting on and off the bike to traverse the dangerous "snirt" on the roads, to the unshoveled sidewalks to the plowed city bike paths. It is easier to bike in the winter when it is really cold then the snow does not move underneath the tires.

[@thomasholland6334]

"Cold is not the issue, snow is not the issue. Winter is a lazy excuse used by ignorant people to make the discussion of safe road infrastructure (for bicycles) go away" LUV IT!!

[@typical_watcher4599]

Well, the Finnish deserves it well, after all more than 50% of their income 😮goes to government. Are Canadians willing to pay that?

[@TK2.2]

@@typical_watcher4599 umm where did you get that 50%?

[@burgerpommes2001]

@@typical_watcher4599 maby it is like 40 for top earners

[@Teesquared00]

@@typical_watcher4599 Yes, I think many of us would be willing to pay that. We already pay a lot of income tax but we also get a lot of value for that in my opinion. There are plenty of glaring flaws and Canada has as much fallibility in its human leadership as any nation, but we have also managed to do a good job on having accessible healthcare, an abundance of well maintained national and urban parks/greenspaces, decent public transit, and a reasonably effective social security net. On top of that, we are generally a safe and peaceful place to live though we have much work to do with how we treat our first nations peoples. Canada is not perfect and our income tax is high, but on the whole I'm pretty darn thankful I get to live here and I gladly pay my taxes - would pay more if I knew it was going to meaningful public services/infrastructure that benefits all. Sure call me a socialist but I'm proud of Canada and of our democratic social values.

[@donsample1002]

Maybe it was a false impression given by the video chosen, but to me it looks like Oulu DOESN'T SALT THEIR ROADS/BIKE PATHS. Biking over hard packed snow is infinitely preferable to biking through slush.

[@heysemberthkingdom-brunel5041]

This video should be mandatory viewing in city councils around the globe...

[@dannydrevo]

His entire video library should be

[@williamdion1236]

@@coastaku1954 The issue is not whether cars are fun or not. They're really fun. But it's a pricey transportation method, and other alternatives are necessary socially, economically and environmentally

[@che3se1495]

@@coastaku1954 Cars are the least efficient method of transporting people, in terms of flow. Bicycles are the most efficient. Having people bicycle over drive is just better for everyone trying to get somewhere. I disagree with the original comment though. Most modern urban councils know that cycling is the most efficient mode of transport for people, they have experts that tell them so. The problem is often the car centric residents. The council is beholden to its citizens and people that are used to driving don't want to get rid of car infrastructure for the sake of improved overall efficiency of the transportation network. They already drive a car down those roads and their independent desires overrule the benefits to society as a whole. Educating the populace would be great, but urban planning isn't high on the list for education programs.

[@qqnqqpart]

@@coastaku1954 most people just want to get from A to B. There's a relevant video of his, do check it out.

[@neilwilliamyoung]

@@coastaku1954 You must be a riot at parties.

[@Mistform]

As a Canadian who has done plenty of winter biking I wondered what this video was going to be; but you are absolutely correct. The worst part of winter biking here is that half the time I have to bike in the middle of a road.

[@knarf_on_a_bike]

I'm a 64 year old cranky old man. I commute every day, 15km each way. In the cold, snow, rain, heat. In Toronto. I do it to piss off people. It works. Such fun! But seriously, it's not difficult. Anyone can do it. Wish we had decent, maintained bike infrastructure like Oulu. Cheers to my Finnish friends. Saku Koivu, Teemu Selänne and winter cycling. 👍👍👍

[@abchaplin]

At 64, I am leading a parallel life in Ottawa and have tried to do the same, but it is so slushy and icy here that it is too damned dangerous to be out on a bike for the two worst months at our age. I no longer bounce worth a damn.

[@chrismckell5353]

What cycling or pissing people off? Lol.

[@patemathic]

In Turku, southwest Finland we got like half a metre of snow back in January. It was really hilarious to see cars stuck and skidding while cycling past them effortlessly.

[@webcelt]

You must have been protected from the skidding cars. I ride in cold, but I draw the line at ice, both because I've taken falls while hitting ice, and also because I can easily see myself getting smashed by a skidding car.

[@Suno75]

We must live in different city because my experience was just opposite.

[@webcelt]

@@Suno75 Do your streets get covered with ice at least once a winter? I don't mean for a day. Side streets can be icy for weeks as temperatures stay below freezing.

[@jounik8980]

Lääkkeet or drugs cause hallusination, 2mm snow in turku

[@c-fb]

@@webcelt yes, 2021 winter we had a LOT of snow, last winter the sea didn’t even freeze over. Turku usually sees mild winters, some snow and maybe 2-3 weeks of cold weather (-20-30c)

[@Snuzzled]

Wow! Those projected cycle path images are never something I'd have thought of in a million years, but how clever. So much more noticeable than a retroreflective sign, or even a sign with flashing lights.

[@sunghwan6031]

I live in Toronto, and this video is completely true. It is absolutely terrifying to try and bike in the winter. The snowplows which clear the road always push the snow into the bike lane, so you have to cycle through the road with all of the cars, or through a slush filled swamp. I basically just give up on biking the second the first snow happens.

[@dave900575]

I live in Massachusetts. When I was a kid there was one bicycle in the school yard in winter; mine.

[@MrFreaktal]

09:02 - Says "dutch and germans" - Shows french and belgian flag Nice job there, that must be on purpose :D

[@NotJustBikes]

Yup. That was the joke to get people to comment and it worked brilliantly. 😂

[@sr3tch103]

@@NotJustBikes I, as a german, got so triggered by this xD

[@rtx_breadskate7893]

@@sr3tch103 Same :D

[@rumpelwurzwurst4308]

@@NotJustBikes Jokes on you, I'm from there and didn't even notice.

[@misterq8080]

I was thinking on raging about it. But I hop to spend next school year in Canada so I have to be nice. hahhahah

[@everythingBLUE]

The salt in this video could de-ice several miles of bike path.

[@klausbrinck2137]

Sounds the one and only strategy of Canada, in order to promote winter cycling... ;-)

[@MikeStarr1000]

agreed... salty on a bike is a way of protecting ones self assurance

[@ArthursHD]

Too much salt is bad for plants, foundations, footwear, cars. Basically just about everything except safety :)

[@marks-0-0]

I think the point is compacted snow is safer than slushy melted snow and not as messy either.

[@markvandenthillart5739]

@@ArthursHD not to mention bikes!

[@thadmurillo2256]

There's a lot to this. I don't bike in the winter as part of my commute (Chicago area) for many reasons: - salt on road killing the chain and steel parts on my bike - hard to maintain - ice forming on drivetrain and brakes - drivers having less control when on shared roads. - added costs for studded tires - pogies are great fyi - darkness and lighting.

[@bethaniejify]

The term “painted bicycle gutters,” is my new favorite.

[@markd3131]

I notice how they don't salt the bike paths which is nice so your bike isn't destroyed

[@virginiakingsford9470]

‘The snow never bothered me anyway.’ -Oulu

[@gdkid]

I live in Ontario, and one time during the winter I missed my bus to school so I tried taking my bike. I tried to make a turn around a corner at an intersection then got caught in some slush and fell out into the street. Luckily there weren't any cars at that moment so I was able to quickly get off the road. Also luckily my mom agreed to drive me to school after I called her, thanks mom :)

[@timderks5960]

Any time I see a Canadian or American on TV saying it's "so damn cold", they're standing there with their jacket open, no gloves, nothing. Well no wonder you're cold...

[@wopmf4345FxFDxdGaa20]

And the worst thing is they are without a proper hat. It seems they don't know that significant part of the heat loss happens from the head.

[@fuzzymp]

Not Canada, most of America cries if it’s -10C lol

[@lzh4950]

Meanwhile in Singapore my countrymen started Instagramming themselves in winter wear when our temperature dropped to 23ºC (during our start of year/year-end monsoon season in recent years)

[@UniqueliAnimationsSN]

Well here in regina its just so damn cold, we talking negative 30s that feels like negative 40s. Also the wind is just horrible because of the flat land

[@fuzzymp]

@@UniqueliAnimationsSN you think that’s bad? Lmao in stoon it hit -42 feels like -55 😂

[@staropramen478]

Oulu is so strange to me, how it's one of the biggest cities in the world when you look at what latitude it lies at, but it makes sense. It's very central in the country, it's the biggest port city for northern Finland and it's a big student city, which makes sense why a lot of people would use bicycles up there and why they would maintain the paths.

[@Dewkeeper]

Northern europe is significantly further north than north america anyway, even Helsinki is already at the same latitude as the northwest territories. Gulf stream helping us out big time.

[@KandiKlover]

Nah is just not a moronic craphole like North America. How dareeeee you say bike use is for kids.

[@Kardinaalilintu]

@@KandiKlover they meant university students. Hardly kids anymore.

[@djgolf3256]

@@Dewkeeper Yeah I don't think you would want to cycle in the winter in the Northwest Territories lmao that would be a frozen windy hell

[@FenceThis]

DJ Golf yes, just like Finland where people cycle all year round

[@ZikovanDijk]

That's a great trick: you use deliberately wrong flags and languages, to get more comments :-)

[@moladiver6817]

Like this one. And mine.. 😉

[@SneakyJ1991]

I'm doing my part!

[@NotJustBikes]

And it worked much better than I could have expected. :)

[@jd-uz1ln]

@@NotJustBikes nice! Let the algorithm work for you. Lots of people can see a great vid now.

[@ZikovanDijk]

@@NotJustBikes You know what, it took me years to learn that the English term is NOT "handshoe", but a totally different word! So much about education in Germany...

[@nadiamayer11]

I found your channel yesterday and, gotta say, I'm not a cyclist, but you're changing my way of thinking. Even want to start cycling! Though here in Argentina it's very unsafe still...

[@AndreFonseca_pt]

I was in Buenos Aires and Mendoza a few months ago, coming from Amsterdam, where I bike regularly like everyone else. In Buenos Aires, even as a pedestrian it can feel quite dangerous. Let alone biking, would be suicide. Of course that coming from The Netherlands it makes it feel more extreme. But I’ve grown up in Portugal, which has no bike infrastructure. But Buenos Aires is on a different level for sure when it comes to traffic madness. Other Argentinian cities are not as chaotic, but still a long way to go.

[@marscoriad213]

I'm a Canadian, and you've convinced me to try winter cycling this year. I livein the northern rockies, so it does get quite chilly and we do get a lot of snow. But if those sauna loving Fins can do it, then I can.

[@tanekrune5873]

I live on the east coast which is prone to ice storms, so I am really eyeing up the fact there's winter tires. Those studded tires look like they would be just perfect for my area. And still a whole lot cheaper than investing in a car.

[@seantaylor2683]

@@tanekrune5873 But if you get the right car it'll make cool rumbly noises that send tingles to your jibbly's

[@tanekrune5873]

@@seantaylor2683 LoL, fair. Nice cars are great too, but the cars I can afford most definitely do not tingle my jibbly's any.

[@chickadeestevenson5440]

As a Canadian on the West coast... yeah not gonna. I'm staying inside UNTIL it snows. Sleet is the WORST

[@rachelshugart8586]

@@tanekrune5873 go for it! I bought my first set of studded winter tires for my bike last year and cycled through an entire Montreal winter 5 days a week! I got the front tire loaded on a rim so I could change it out for any clear, dry periods where a normal tire would be better.

[@CultOfAlan]

It's honestly amazing how many people argue against the most obvious thing in the world when it comes to cycling infrastructure:- You actually need to build and maintain it. If you build and maintain it:- people use it.

[@Joesolo13]

@@nunyabidness3075 "you need to build out right" rather goes without saying imo

[@jamiriikola]

Oulu resident checking in and i can attest to all this

[@Ludix147]

yagbos: yep, american cities are badly planned. But not for everyone. If you live in the city center, you should not need a car to get around.

[@thesuomi8550]

@yagbos Finland is one of the more car-centric countries in Europe. It was mostly built during the age of cars

[@thelanittaja4765]

@yagbos In large part Finnish cities developed during the age of car, not during the age of walking. Only couple the largest cities have significant amount of buildings that were built before the 2nd WW, and even then they tend to be in a very small area. Most of the development is relatively new and used to be very car centric. Finland is one of the most car-centric counties in Europe after all. Cities are mostly far apart from each other (at least by European standards). The nearest city to Oulu (population of 200 000) is Kemi (population of 20 000), about 100 km north. To the south there is Kokkola (200km, population of 48 000), and Vaasa (300km, population of 67 000). To the west there is ocean and the east there is Kajaani (180km, population of 36 600). The closest city to Oulu with a population of 100 000 or more is Kuopio some 300 km away. In addition to all that, the population density in Finland is 18 people per km^2 compared to 406 in the Netherlands or 35 in USA. Oulu's population density is about 69 people per km^2, and the region as a whole has less cars per capita than other similar areas or even large cities such as Vantaa. Most people in Finland rely on cars. In Finland there are about 2,75M cars in active use, and another 0,75M cars that are not in active use. In comparison Finland has about 3M saunas and about 2,7M households. On average Finns drive about 14 000 km every year. And -20 degrees is only a matter of what you are wearing. It's not deadly, unless you choose to wear bad clothing. I've spent a whole week outdoors (also sleeping and eating outdoors, spending about 1,5 hours inside during the whole week) when temperatures were in a range of -10 ... -30 C. I'd bet about third of the Finnish population has done the same (i.e. military service in the winter). It's not deadly unless you make it deadly. With bad decisions you can make 20 minutes in -20C deadly (for example fall asleep drunk with inadequate clothing). North america is not Europe, but it doesn't mean you couldn't make population centers more walkable. Here in Finland any population center of over 2000 people tends to have cycling infrastructure that's by the very least capable to transport kids from most homes to school on safe, separated bike paths. It's not that expensive compared to parent's driving kids to school or having a school bus/taxi service on a large scale.

[@carbrained]

@yagbos wow, what a "deadly" temperature. Growing up in rural Russia, I used to ski for hours in below -35°C when school was canceled (I've found later that many places here don't cancel school for weather at all. Ever)

[@thesuomi8550]

@yagbos eh, most of Oulu is definitely not within 10 minutes on a bike

[@markachternaam5207]

Love the video! Do you have any resources on the opposite weather conditions: tropical? In tropical cities people prefer cars partially because of airconditioning. Would be great to see what kind of solutions tropical cities have that help cyclists deal with heat and humidity. For example, after our office installed a shower we saw a huge uptake in cycling commutes.

[@markachternaam5207]

I have just found a channel about cycling and urban planning in Singapore. Highly recommended to anyone interested in the topic: kzbin.info/door/4Fu_PxKyYXszbDDhxrbxoA

[@emma70707]

The worst part of biking in hot weather is being stuck at a traffic light. Haha. At least on an ebike, the air moving at you is sufficient cooking unless it's particularly hot. When it is, I just wet my sleeves and torso before heading out and bring water. Some coworkers do use the showers we have at work, but I'm usually fine with just a baby wipe and some extra deodorant (perks of an ebike, again).

[@Cora.T]

I generally deal with heat by wearing light breathable fabrics and even bringing a change of clothes, specifically clean underwear. But there are also specially designed clothes that "funnel" away your sweat so you won't get clammy, and they look just like a regular tanktop ( a bit sheer, so you put something over them )

[@ChefofWar33]

Lmfao. A fucking shower? At an office? One of the dumbest things I've ever heard.

[@eholland3964]

I ame a dutch student living in Oulu at the moment, and I can totally agree with this video. The cycle paths are great and most of them are away from the road.

[@JennyDarukat]

I've cycled to school and work my entire time living in my home town in northern Germany (basically Netherlands, in terms of weather & topology) despite snow and ice. Unless the city really drops the ball and you end up with patches of ice or thick snow like you mentioned, it's absolutely not a problem. Rain is worse by far. Nowadays it doesn't snow or freeze regularly anymore in the winter of course, so that kinda takes care of that.. now we get 6 months of shitty wet autumn instead 😬

[@Grort]

Having done winter cycling in Edinburgh and the Scottish Highlands, I think about the only thing that really stopped me was when the wind got too painful, mostly in the Highlands since the city tends to act as a good windbreaker compared to valleys which channel the headwinds directly into your face.

[@Quasihamster]

"There's no such thing as bad weather. There's only insufficient preparedness." German saying.

[@ChimkenNuggers]

I know exactly where they learned that.. Might want to try winter clothing in Russia, just in the case your military operation takes a little longer than expected.. lol

[@anarfox]

In Sweden we say there's no bad weather, only bad clothing.

[@danielbum912]

​@@anarfox that's how I know the saying in German as well. I suppose it's more a matter of attitude rather than where you come from.

[@stormveil]

It appears to be an international saying by now. heard variations of it in Norway and in Britain as well. 'only inappropriate clothing.' People always complain about the rain in the UK but with a good coat I don't mind it at all.

[@Grisu1805]

@@anarfox That's also the version I know! (German)

[@TheMasterOfNone]

Been riding bicycle all year around my whole life, I'm from southern Finland :) When it gets close to -30 degrees celcius your face starts paralyzing after a while but then again it's not very different from just walking around in a cold weather like that for a prolonged duration. Normal winter days like -5 to -15 celcius is very comfortable though. Driving in the snow is fun.

[@greatheightsu]

Man that would be pretty biking through Oulu at night after a fluffy snowfall. Love the deadened air.

[@dragade101]

I like how Oulu actually lights their cycle routes (from your clips, its about 100% to infinitely more than what I'm used). Maybe there are places that you can ride in Oulu that you need a light at dark but that is significant contrast to having to light up enough road so you can see down poorly lit streets/paths/bridges/etc. Like my experiencing of riding in the evening or night is being a lone fish having to assume no car can see you; regardless how many lights you bring.

[@OliverJazzz]

In Finland you need to have a light front and back in any case because of general safety, if you don't you might get fined.

[@dragade101]

@@OliverJazzz I'm more speaking from riding on roads with 0% artificial light and that you have to bring a strong enough bike light to see ~20m (not the legal requirement of the minimum light but what is actually required to see and ride)

[@surfernorm6360]

I noticed and Liked the lights too!

[@99Cafer99]

@@dragade101 I have an 15 year old bycicle with an old incandescent-lamp mounted at front. It lights up the way sufficently in complete darkness, even when you drive as slow as an pedestrian walks, as I still use an dynamo. Maybe the german mentality of regulating almost anything, for example the minimal requirements of bycicle lights and dynamos, helps. Some LED-lights are just crap, because they are focused on an very small area (When in an car, usually the drivers eye so you can't see anything anymore. Which leads to the question, how the bycicle rider expects to see anything of the road he drives on.). What you want at night is an broad shining light which shines on the road and not in the eyes of other traffic participants or the sky and suddenly there is no need for it to be bright. And please, use at least any kind of light. I almost rode over an byciclist twice at night with my car and almost crashed into one while on an bycicle 4 times. You are almost invisible at night without any lights and without even reflectors; especially when you ride your bike like an madman.

[@dragade101]

@@99Cafer99 I'm looking to ride about 40km/hr so I want the LED that can throw light straight ahead of me. It does have some light pipes to light up the side of the housing and provide a bit of ambient/mood lighting but the goal is having something that a motorcycle might want. Any LED light can be amazing if the right lens+reflector is correctly used

[@marttiturunen7796]

As someone living in Oulu, literally the only time I would think of avoiding cycling is in the spring because when snow starts to melt it will freeze by the next day and it will be horrible, but otherwise I've cycled to most places.

[@epicgamerman420]

if that's the case toronto is screwed. unlike the other cities, the weather here could be -20 one week and 3 the other

[@eclipse4507]

@@epicgamerman420 Well luckily there's an answer to that, studded tires. They're not really that necessary in packed snow and such, but incredibly useful on ice.

[@yuxian20]

I love this utopia where you can just stand your bikes without fear of them disappearing

[@Arjay404]

This is the same thing as with the excuse of "The Dutch only cycle that much cause it's flat" No, it HELPS but it's not a requirement. People will cycle more if it's flat just the same as if they would if it was nice weather, but it's not a requirement to get people to cycle. A well developed and connected infrastructure is much more important.

[@OntarioTrafficMan]

People who say that flatness is the cause of Dutch cycling have clearly never cycled in the Netherlands, because flatness allows it to be so unbelievably windy. When I lived in Toronto wind was never an issue because the bike paths are often in ravines (trenches) below most of the ground level, and lined with trees so there's never any wind. Every day my commute would take exactly the same time. But in the Netherlands, my commute time could double if the wind is in the wrong direction, which is why for over a year I commuted by train even though it would have been a reasonable bike ride if the wind coöperated.

[@rendomstranger8698]

@@OntarioTrafficMan There are only 2 wind directions in the Netherlands. Wind straight in the back and headwind. And wind straight in the back means headwind on the way home. While we don't quite have hurricane strength wind, the wind is more than 10km/h for a good 20% of the year. There fairly regularly are days here where I cycle over 25km/h in the morning and less than 15km/h in the afternoon because of how strong the wing is.

[@Aviertje]

@@rendomstranger8698 I disagree. Headwind on the way there means headwind on the way back. And wind in the back when going there still means headwind on the way there. The wind always screws cyclists over somehow. No exceptions.

[@Arthemax]

Not to mention that other flat areas have much lower cycling rates, like regions of England for instance. Flatness can increase the cycling by a certain percentage compared to hilly areas, but if the other prerequisites aren't there, the flatness doesn't help.

[@turkey4957]

The Netherlands is such a boring flat country I can't imagine living there as opposed to such incredible places as the Western US with the Rockie mountains and Grand Canyon and red rock arches of Utah

[@TransparentPickle]

i like this channel because he just roasts his own country

[@TheKitMurkit]

Not the best of the reasons to like this channel

[@hurri7720]

No please, don't look at it like that. To mention things that can be improved is not roasting your own country it's in fact what has been behind all progress around the world from the very begining. Best wishes from Finland from a guy who used a bike all year to go to school in Helsinki until 18 when he got a car. Michael Moore's "Where to invade next" is quite fun but there are those Americans too who indeed feel and get very upset as they have this mad idea that he is only roasting the country and that patriots just keep quiet.

[@josepho3366]

That’s called being self-aware.

[@hurri7720]

@Bob H , a bit too late perhaps.

[@kawaiidere1023]

I live near his home country and honestly, most of his roasts apply to my country as well

[@panzerveps]

I used to be a winter cyclist in Oslo, Norway, but then they started to salt the bike lanes. Even with daily cleaning and proper maintenance, it cost me around €400 in repairs after just 3 months. Now I commute by bus in winter instead.

[@SA_bluemonday]

oh my goodness that´s a real shame! You bikers there should speak out to the officials of your city about that! Maybe they´re trying to help and don´t realize that they´re doing more harm than good. I hope they don´t start doing that here in Helsinki

[@Karjis]

Salt is the cancer for any transport equipment. It is sometimes so hard to understand that simply clear the snow away well and leave it there! No salt (destroys everything from bike parts to dog feet) and no sand as it just punctures tires and acts like roller bearing with bike. Salt is also nice way to make nice dry asphalt to act like wet glass if temperature drops after salt is spread. It is horrible in all ways.

[@panzerveps]

​@@SA_bluemonday The answer was more salt. I've given up, but the public transport system in my city is quite alright, so I'll stick to taking the bus until it's road bike season again.

[@woffordwolf2071]

@@Karjis Salt also kills the nearby plants

[@Lainfan]

400!? How expensive are bike repairs in Norway? I feel your pain though, I had a bike I used daily for a temp mail delivery job during christmas in Netherlands. It rusted away from the salt/snow combination within a few months after the snow was gone. This was however without proper cleaning, and I learned my lesson. But I just bought a bike from another person for 50. Repairing would have cost me around 100 euro.

[@aatee5840]

I live in Turku, Finland and when the winter properly hits in about November-December I stop commuting to work on an electric unicycle and start biking. This goes on as long as there is ice on the roads. The streets are nowhere near as well maintained here as in Oulu. Been cycling to school/uni/work for 30 years+ , studded tyres make it so easy that it's similar to summer riding, however these few years I haven't bothered to swap tyres at all. When cycling with summer tyres on ice, one learns the different types of ice/snow that are either not at all problematic or are near-deadly. The worst are the black ice that looks like asphalt but isn't (also traction, isn't), and you only see it if you can expect it (expect it from a slight shine in the asphalt, or if there has been a bit of moisture on the street and then sub-zero temps again). The other is when the snow melts a bit and overnight freezes again and then in the morning melts a bit again -> previous bike or car tracks become frozen solid and then additional little bit of water on top makes it the most slippery of all ice types. This will catch your front tire and if that happens there is nothing you can do to save it. However, when it's really cold, under -20C the ice that forms has good traction bc of its surface properties. Also, packed snow is perhaps the best for biking. You learn to watch the street surface and to determine when it's a problem and when not. Even if the surface has absolutely no traction at all, it's bikeable as long as you continue straight and do not try to turn,brake,accelerate or do anything other than to continue forwards. The problem is when there is good traction and downhill and you gain speed and suddenly end up in a no-traction zone. Then you're f*d. You learn these fast, though..

[@justinwalker5274]

I lived in Edmonton for 8 years and biked year-round. While it's cold as balls in Edmonton in the winter (-40 is not uncommon), there's not much snow. As you mention, you don't really feel the cold if you're dressed for it. I did have a 'winter bike' with studded tires but I probably didn't really need it. Edmonton is a very bikable city, at least in the Downtown/University areas (Belgravia/Strathcona/Garneau/etc). The grid layout of the city also helps because even if there aren't cycle paths, there is always a small street parallel to the major roads that you can bike on without having to compete with cars as much.

[@JasonBehrmann]

People in Montreal bike during winter more often than in other parts of the country, so, yes, we do bike in winter (some of us). The city is expanding winter cleaning activities of bike paths in order to encourage more citizens to bike year-round.

[@Boby9333]

People tell me I'm crazy/don't know what I'm talking about when I say Montreal should push for more densification in the eastern and western part of the island so building new metro station would be way more financially viable or build/have more dedicated & protected bike lane especially in the center of the island. Those two things will make public transit & biking much more viable and many more people would use those means of transportation. I live right next to the blue line metro extension and work next to the airport. It take somewhere between 1h15min and 1h30min in public transit vs roughly 16KM distance by car with about 20-25min drive, even at 5pm it doesn't take me more than 30-40min in car. If the metro line had like 1 more train per hour, a station closer to my home & better transit toward my job I could easily cut 30min of transit which would be much more acceptable for me but most shift at my job either start at 1,5,6am or end at 11h30 or 00h30 which mean I can't even utilize the metro. I'd very much like to use public transit as it would allow me to do some of my lobby while commuting like reading a book or playing on my nintendo switch but the current service isn't quite as fast as I'd like or isn't there at all. Also with my current housing situation it's cheaper for me to have my car then renting closer to my job. Montreal is a mix between okish/decent public transit and a car city like most North American city and the vast majority of people who use public transit are either those who can't afford a car or those who live in the suburb, work the typical 8am to 4pm and so save time by using train, metro and bus instead of being stuck in traffic.

[@EtienneLeNigen]

I think we should also mention about the precipitations, in Montreal I just check wikipedia and from November to March (in mm): 93.6, 101.5, 73.6, 70.9 & 80.2, while in Oulu 36, 30, 31, 26 & 26, so there's like 2 to 3 times more snow in Montreal than Oulu and that's a big challenge and it's quite expensive. The temperature is quite similar, but Oulu is still a little bit colder, it's probably even helping, because when the snow starts to melt, then it becomes ice and ice is an issue for cycling when you consider there's not enough cycling path to provide you the safety required.

[@Boby9333]

@@EtienneLeNigen The added cost is more about snow removal than just pushing the snow and dropping salt to melt the ice. Also Montreal is doing a pretty bad job at that. In the following link you'll see a street from down town Montreal the city take too much time to put some salt/don't put enough and almost every winter you have cars sliding uncontrollably. kzbin.info/www/bejne/gmWlpnmop9p_iNU

[@alexseguin5245]

@@Boby9333 The city should certainly have night metros. I believe this was the case until at some point in the 1990s where they stopped (and blamed the homeless). Otherwise, I find the transit pretty good, especially with the REM opening soon. The other suburb trains suck though. Don't even have train on the weekend, you often have to wait an hour off peak hours. It's good though that the city is moving in the right direction.

[@chelseawhite7117]

I love the rhythm of these videos. It’s like interesting facts and insights, more facts and insights, *positively savage tear-down of poor city planning/management*

[@geekygirl2596]

Yep

[@danbrownellfuzzy3010]

Or you see really innovative solutions they came up with 3000 years ago when everyone used donkey carts. I say look to ahead, there's a billion drone cars coming like it or not plan for that next.