By Kreesta Doucette

Back to school brings “cycle trains” of students and a welcome increase in commuters on bikes throughout Wolseley. As we move into fall and, for some, winter cycling, there’s plenty of local ways to keep yourself rolling.
Cooler temperatures are great for cycle commuters and Wolseley’s Prairie Velo shared a few fall cycling tips.
A quick bike check can save you time on your ride and make it more enjoyable.
· Check your ABC’s (Air, Brakes, and Chain). With varying temperatures, you may find your tire pressure low on cool mornings.
·Adjusting your seat height correctly ensures you get the most push for your pedal.
· Investing in some front and back (and even side or tire) lights for you and your kids can make a big difference on cloudy fall days and early mornings.
Lid! Check your (and your kids’) helmets are adjusted properly to keep your melon safe! Follow the “2V1” rule with the helmet resting two fingers above your eyebrows, the straps forming a V right under your ears, and with only one finger able to fit between the strap and the chin.
Prairie Velo
Prairie Velo opened in December of 2021 across from Laura Secord School at 967 Wolseley. The local bike shop is a passion project for business and life partners Suzanne Druwe and Brian Szklarczuk with the goal of creating a women and commuter-friendly bike store that provides wheeling options for people with different mobilities and mobility challenges year-round. In addition to standard bikes, Prairie Velo carries e-bikes and adaptive cycles such as trikes and transport bikes so people who can’t ride on 2 wheels can (re)discover the joy of cycling. In addition to friendly knowledgeable mechanics, the shop offers kids’ bikes, cargo bikes, helmets, locks, lights, and other accessories to make cycling safer and more fun. The team works with people to meet their needs to get out and about whether buying something new or breathing a little more life into something old.
Gilbert Savard, a Prairie Velo adult customer said “I am a life-long cyclist, starting when I was 12 years old cycling to school on a used CCM bike. Recently I bought an electric bicycle, determined to keep going. But, after falling several times, I no longer enjoyed my two-wheeler. Then I went to Prairie Velo. Everyone there inspired confidence and made me believe that I could, and ought to, cycle again.” Gilbert says that without Prairie Vélo for being there for him and understanding of his needs he “would be standing on the sidelines, looking at my family cycle away from me”. He bought a Trivel e-Azteca fat-tire tricycle adapted to make his journeys even more enjoyable and says “Now, I can’t wait to get on my tricycle and raise dust!”.
Plain Bicycle -Bicycle Garden Sherbrook
You may have seen people riding black minimalist bikes, or Dutch Bicycles, around the neighborhood. These bikes (also called Omafiets) are made for comfortable cycling, transport, and hauling groceries year-round.
In 2017 the Plain Bicycle project crowd-sourced the first shipping container of 200 pre-loved Dutch bicycles from Holland and has since become a non-profit owned bike shop. Plain Bicycle also carries new Dutch bicycles and bike accessories at their West End Location, The Bicycle Garden at 267 Sherbrook, beside La Creperie, and at their Forks Train Car location.
Plain Bicycle has also been involved in mode shift projects to increase the amount of high-quality bike lanes in Winnipeg. The climate benefits of cycling and active transit planning are for today and for the future so that kids can grow up seeing cycling as a fun, efficient transit option that they continue as adults.
Wolseley Wheels (WW), a local bike club, is a great option for kids 5 and up interested in learning new skills. WWs goal is to prepare kids for a lifetime of fun riding bikes. They meet twice a week starting in spring at various trail locations in and around Winnipeg. The Club is a part of Kids of Mud, the youth mountain-biking program of the Manitoba Cycling Association. Manitoba Cycling is also offering specialized kids camps throughout the summer and fall.
Emily is a Wolseley Wheels member who recently participated in Manitoba Cycling’s Association HopOn Cyclecross workshop. She then went on to a very successful first race in the Velodonnas Cyclecross at Labarriere park in early October. Emily says “Hop on helped in preparing for different skills such as hopping over the barriers in the race. My favorite part of the workshop were the games like Rooster and Rattlesnake where you had to chase your partner in figure 8s and learned how to do tight turns.”
Check out wolseleywheels.wordpress.com and https://mbcycling.ca/ for more info.