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We had just recieved Canada’s first Brompton G-Line when Ty, from My Other Bike is a Bike contacted us to ask for a test ride. We checked out his Youtube channel and fell head over heels. Ty’s videos are quirky, quietly political, and often meditations on what makes cycling in the city so enjoyable. We sat down with Ty to ask him some questions about My Other Bike is a Bike, about riding in the city, and about his experience riding a Brompton.

In one of your videos you say you’ve been in Toronto since 2016. What made you decide to move to Toronto? What do you love about Toronto?

Before I was in Toronto, I was in Guelph for school and then for a few years after for work. I moved here as part of a career change. I never thought I would live in Toronto, but it turned out to be the right fit for me. There are so many things I love about living here. I love the variety, whether in food, arts and culture, community, and things to do. I have a lot of varying interests and being able to find people and community who share those interests and values means a lot to me. And of course, everything is a quick bike ride away from me. I can get anywhere I need to on my bike within a pretty short amount of time, and have a good time doing it.

Were you always a cyclist? If not, what got you into cycling?

I suppose I was! I didn’t think of myself as a cyclist until my bike became a part of what gave me autonomy. For me, that happened when I got a summer job in between semesters that required me to commute 12km one-way, work outside for 8 hours, and then commute 12 km home. I remember friends saying I would be exhausted and it would be too much—I would be tired the whole summer!  Growing up in a car-oriented suburb of Kitchener, biking 25km a day seemed intimidating (especially on roads where people drove 60+km/hr. ) But I was determined. It turned out fine, and I quickly grew very proud of that commute. It was the beginning of something beautiful.

You said you were in Japan. Did you take your Brompton? If so, did you tour on it or take the train?

Yes! This was a big deal for me as I had bought the Brompton not long before the trip. I had to amp myself up to take a new, expensive bike across the world (being a bit of an anxious traveler doesn’t help, either). But, honestly, it went so smoothly. Our main goal was to ride a pretty famous route in Hiroshima Prefecture called the Shimanami Kaido, which made up about 1/3rd of our trip there.  We were credit card touring and were able to leave most of our stuff at one hotel, so I didn’t have to worry about loading a ton of stuff on the Brompton. The rest of the time, I biked to explore Kyoto and Tokyo. It was awesome!

What were the highlights?

One thing to note! I had been warned that in Japan you can’t take your bike onto the train. Folding bikes are *okay* so long as they are *covered*. I was prepared to do this (although nervous, because the transit system, while *very good*, was intimidating and busy) but never ended up having to: there is a shipping service that handles delivery between cities called takkyu-bin (read about it here!). I left my Brompton at our hotels and it was forwarded to our next location. I was nervous to do this with my new bike, so I duct-taped an air tag to the luggage-block of the Brompton and I was able to watch it move across the country in real-time.

Taking a bike on a plane… What’s your method?

Ugh, yeah. This is what stressed me out so much at first on our trip. I had previously taken my Brompton to Portland, but my friend Chad had lent me a re-purposed hard-shell luggage to carry the Brompton. It worked great, but I didn’t want to bring it to Japan. I watched so many videos, read blogs *and* posted questions about what to do online. I ended up going the Dimpa bag method, using corrugated plastic to try to protect the bike (and even getting pipe foam to wrap the pedals). A hard case was more appealing, but I didn’t want to lug it from place to place. And since we were moving around so much during our trip, I suspected it would be a nuisance. So, the Dimpa bag worked out. It did get a bit worn out, but being in a metropolitan area, I found an IKEA and got another Dimpa bag for the trip home.

Your videos offer a very approachable editorial on present politics. There are many good reasons to ride a bike, but your main reason is that its fun. What makes your daily commute fun?

Thank you, that’s very kind! I have so many reasons why I ride a bike. Those reasons can shift over the week, or even during a single ride. And I love that! It’s hard to pinpoint what exactly makes a commute fun. In the obvious sense, just being outside and moving my body is never something I regret. But on top of that, I feel like it puts me into the community. I see people’s faces, I see shops around town that I want to see or check out, or I pass through old neighbourhoods that feel like visiting an old friend. And all of that makes me feel like part of the city. I’ve never felt any of those things while driving a car in Toronto.

How does riding in the safety move from feeling safe to feeling fun?

This is a tough question. It depends on many factors. In brief, I would say:

• I feel safe in protected bike lanes. 
• Years of riding experience make me *feel* safe, but;
• So long as I’m riding in traffic with cars, I know I am less safe.

Regardless, I must stress the importance of being a defensive cyclist to any new cyclist wanting to ride in Toronto. Sadly, that means assuming that drivers will roll through stop signs, park in bike lanes, run red lights, be on their phone while driving and so on. I compartmentalize my commuting and errand-riding into a special box where I’m always on high-alert, especially when the route doesn’t have bike lanes. No listening to music and I try not to rush. Always trying to think a few steps ahead. I still have *fun* riding these rides, but it’s a different *kind of fun* than, say, going on a group ride through The Brickworks, or riding along the lake on a car-free trail with a friend. 

You rode the Brompton G-Line. How does it compare to your present Brompton?

Yes! I had such a fun time taking that bike out for a spin. I was a little sad to go back to my Brompton. The G-line was quite a departure from my Brompton. It rides so smooth. The extra stopping power of the disc-brakes is great, and I appreciated just having one shifter, all gears being in the internal-hub. There are a lot of improvements across the board. I would need to spend more time with this bike to be sure of it, but the only trade-off seems to be the bigger size.

There are riding groups that meet, people who collect Bromptons. What do you think is the reason for this?

You’re absolutely right. Something about these little folding bikes just makes me smile. I don’t know what it is, really. It might be that they sort of represent something that seems like it shouldn’t really be possible, but it is. It shouldn’t be possible that a bike can fold this small, and so elegantly. It shouldn’t be possible that I can load this thing and go touring on it. It shouldn’t be possible that I can bike to the train station, ride the train for a few hours, and ride out all in minutes of folding and unfolding.

Maybe because of that, people go to such great lengths with these bikes that you can’t help but be pulled into the community. Whenever I see someone riding a Brompton, I say *Nice Brompton!* (even when I’m not riding mine!). I used to ask strangers who had Bromptons what they thought about their bike before I had one—everyone had such good things to say, and they were always happy to chat about it. Now, strangers ask me about it when I fold or unfold it! They are the impossibly-possible bike, a true delight.

You like to sketch! Have you ever drawn your bike? If so, care to share an example?

I do! Funnily enough, I often find myself avoiding drawing my bikes because…well, drawing bikes is quite hard for me! But I will share this tiny sketch from the corner of my sketchbook, commemorating the day someone stole my back wheel last summer when my bike was parked on Dundas.

It might seem like a strange thing to draw, but I wanted to remember that moment and all it represented for me: the impairment of my autonomy by a stranger (perhaps out of desperation), the opportunity to lean on friends and the community to get the parts I needed to replace it (thank you, Steph, for the rim!) and the opportunity to learn and practice the skills needed to replace the entire wheel. It was a crappy moment, but I think I managed to turn it into a good experience.