If you travel with a bike, as I have this past week, you know the frustration of finding yourself in a strange place in need of repair. Not that Ottawa is strange, but the ways of these people are strange to me, and so when I found myself without tools and with a broken shifter on Saturday morning I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best.

And found it. Full Cycle on St. Laurent had me back on the road in no time, after a few adjustments and without the $1,000 of parts that the first shop I tried had warned me I would need.

Oh, and as far as sexy beasts go, if you didn’t know this already Ottawa is nirvana for road bikers. Smooth pavement, bike-savvy car drivers, lots of bike lanes, cool breezes and great scenery on the ride. Compared to Toronto, this is biker’s heaven.