So Far, So Good. The Similkameen Princeton to Hedley is a welcome 46 kilometre jaunt through the parched ranchlands of the mineral-rich Similkameen valley. This is haunting country that has seen the goldrush come and go. Its a peaceful descent all day, and the Torq glides on. The little town of Hedley is dressed up in its Sunday best, with a late summer farmers market offering up boxes of pears, sundried tomatoes, savoury breads and cucumbers, among other tasty treats. A quick stop for a cup of tea in the Hedley museum's proper teahouse, and then its off to the Gold Dust Pub. The Gold Dust The pub is a classic Western Canadian pub, built to last. Its a solid wood exterior with a wrap-around porch. ...

Miles Howe's updates from the road as he pedals his electric eZee bike across Canada and plays musical gigs along the way.

Day one of the tour begins with a ride from Nanaimo down Vancouver Island to Duncan. Its a beautiful gradual descent of about 50 kilometers passing into and through the traditional territories of the Stz'uminus First Nation. A bittersweet goodbye to this wondrous section of Vancouver Island. Big trees, mist covered mountains, and fresh produce everywhere. Late blackberries hang ripe, and unkempt orchards offer up a bounty of apples, pears, plums and more to the discerning gleaner.

Wow. That's a mouthful. My name is Miles Howe. Among other things, I'm a musician. Starting on Wednesday, September 8th, I'll be riding an Ezee Torq across the country, from Nanaimo to Halifax. I estimate that this trip will take about two months. Let me first thank and acknowledge the Snuneymuxw First Nation for having me as a guest on their traditional territory over this past year. I have appreciated the hospitality. Recent History... So I was fresh off of a musical bike tour of Vancouver Island featuring Jon Bone and Matt Belcourt, righteous players and fellow brothers of the tribe of long distance cyclists. From ...

Mechanical Doping? Cancellera Suspected by John Symon www.pedalmag.com June 1, 2010 - Rumours have been circulating that very sophisticated electric bikes are possibly being used in the pro peloton. Former pro rider and now Italian sports writer, Davide Cassani, managed to procure such a machine reports EITB. Cassani shows off an electric bike - that looks like any normal race bike - on this YouTube video and claims that he could win a stage at the Giro on such a machine that's capable of reaching speeds of 50 kmh. He suggests that ProTour riders are using such machines and that Fabian Cancellara's (Sui) Saxo Bank recent spring wins could be ...

In Transit by Adrienne Beattie METRO CALGARY May 31, 2010 9:00 a.m. This week, Canadians are being asked to get to work without driving solo. My commute is a little more than 40-kilometre round trip — an inconvenient haul on transit, too far to cycle and I can’t find anyone committed to carpooling. So I called the folks at Green City Motors, got hooked up with an electric bicycle and found my answer to the commuter challenge. I’m wary of cycling in the city and haven’t done much of it. My heart was pounding when I strapped on my bicycle helmet and hit the streets of Southwood bound for my office in West Hillhurst. ...

By Bill Vance; photo courtesy the City of Toronto archives In 1893, a scant seven years after the patenting of the world’s first practical gasoline driven car by Germany’s Karl Benz, Ontario’s capital city produced its first motor vehicle. Toronto’s original car came about through the collaboration of an innovative engineer, a visionary lawyer and the fine craftsmanship of a local carriage builder. Frederick Featherstonhaugh was a successful patent attorney practising in Toronto. He lived west of Toronto in Mimico and was futuristic enough and prosperous enough to have one of the first electrified homes in the Toronto area. Electricity was gaining importance ...

Electric bikes are very cool and there sure are lots of them to choose from - problem is, most of them are junk. Almost all of the production comes out of China and the quality controls shown in most brands have proven very poor to date. Even good brands seem to have good batches and bad batches depending on where they are assembled and where the components are sourced. Good batteries, bad batteries, good controllers, bad controllers, good wiring, bad wiring - the consistency just is not there.

Ever wondered why Europeans seem to be in so much better shape than us Americans? Well, instead of driving everywhere, they bike around town. The good news is that one of their secrets, the eZee electric bicycle, is now available in the U.S. eZee electric bicycles photos eZeebike announced Wednesday a major expansion of the eZee brand of electric bicycles into the American market. The eZee brand is already popular in Europe, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa. eZee bicycles are just like regular bikes except they're equipped with an electric motor that helps power the vehicle to ease the pedaling during long rides or rides ...

France's Cycle Network - 2000km by Ezee Forza By Cycle Author Richard Peace In late 2007 I rode an Ezee Forza for 2000km plus through what has to be some of Europe's most glorious and varied scenery, on France's rapidly developing AF3V cycle route network, whilst researching a guidebook to the country's best routes. Towering Alpine peaks, Europe's longest beaches and biggest forests, some of the world's best vineyards, the glitz and beauty of the Cote D'Azur - the Forza easily powered it's way through all these and more. With a spare battery I was able to achieve 50-70 miles ...