Features

GREG CURNOE AND HIS MARIPOSAS
GREG CURNOE AND HIS MARIPOSAS
It was in 1974 that the celebrated artist from London, Ontario, Greg Curnoe came to our store, Bicyclesport in downtown Toronto. He was obviously very interested in cycling and very... Read more...
In Search Of Perfection
In Search Of Perfection
By Dan Bereskin. Winning Magazine  The following article was published in Winning Magazine in the early ‘80’s. It is a conversation on bicycles, art and design between Mike Brown, Mike... Read more...
The Broomwagon
The Broomwagon
Through the summer, as the Tour de France, Vuelta a Espana and Tour de France Femmes unfolded, we saw images of riders struggling up mountains at the back of the... Read more...
Mariposa Allroad converted into a commuter
Mariposa Allroad converted into a commuter
Ten years ago, we built a drop bar Mariposa Allroad bicycle with a SRAM Force 1 x group for the customer with Columbus Spirit tubing, Honjo mudguards, Rene Herse Barlow... Read more...
When Dominance Kills the Drama: What Cycling Fans Really Want
When Dominance Kills the Drama: What Cycling Fans Really Want
This summer, as the Tour de France reached the half way mark I started to lose interest. It’s a bummer as every July since I was a kid, it entertained... Read more...
Mariposa Road Integrated with SRAM Red
Mariposa Road Integrated with SRAM Red
We recently built this custom Mariposa Road Integrated bicycle with a mix of Kaisei and Columbus tubing, a Columbus Trefoil Integrated fork, Sram Red 2 x 12 speed groupset, Zipp... Read more...
Mariposa Allroad Bicycle with SRAM Force XPLR 1 x 13
Mariposa Allroad Bicycle with SRAM Force XPLR 1 x 13
We recently built this custom Mariposa Allroad / Gravel bicycle with Kaisei and Columbus tubing, a Ritchey Gravel Fork, Sram Force XPLR 1 x 13 speed groupset, handbuilt wheels with HED Rims and DTSwiss Hubs. It is... Read more...
Raid Pyrénéen: More Than a Crossing
Raid Pyrénéen: More Than a Crossing
Earlier this year, Jordi Cantal, a long time close friend from Girona, Spain asked me to send him the details of the Raid Pyrenéen and to relay any information I... Read more...
Baptized in Belgium
Baptized in Belgium
For generations the European continent has been the place for aspiring bike racers to learn, test their fitness against the best, and be seen by teams and scouts. Belgium, where... Read more...
RAID PYRÉNÉEN
RAID PYRÉNÉEN
RAID PYRÉNÉEN 1981. A few weeks ago, while I was over in Spain, a friend, Jordi, asked about me about the Raid Pyrénéen, a cycling route which crosses the french... Read more...
Integrated Mariposa Road Bike outfitted with SRAM and Enve
Integrated Mariposa Road Bike outfitted with SRAM and Enve
This Mariposa was built to climb through the Pyrenees or cruise over smooth gravel roads. The round steel tubing has a simple elegance to it and current framebuilding materials allow... Read more...
The Shop Bike: Decades old, laden with memories, for everyday use.
The Shop Bike: Decades old, laden with memories, for everyday use.
The front of the shop had an elegant entrance with large glass windows on King Street, a few doors in from Jarvis Street, in the centre of Toronto. My father... Read more...
A NIGHT WITH THE PROS
A NIGHT WITH THE PROS
Join Mariposa, SRAM & Visma Lease-a-Bike’s Ashlin Barry June 4 at Amsterdam Brewery for bikes, racing insights & prizes! Read more...
How to Prepare for Gravel Events
How to Prepare for Gravel Events
Gravel racing has quickly become one of the most exciting and demanding disciplines in cycling. Not only do gravel routes have less traffic but they also include an extra technical... Read more...
Finding Purpose in a Cloud of Metrics
Finding Purpose in a Cloud of Metrics
As I age, my body slows but perspective grows. I can no longer follow the accelerations of my son Ashlin, who is a professional cyclist, and his friends, but I... Read more...
City Bike Stories
City Bike Stories
City Bike Stories is a reflection on urban cycling, craft, and community, written by our longtime friend Tim Scott. For Tim, who worked in the shop while he was an... Read more...
Snow Ride
Snow Ride
My math homework half completed and Bob Dylan on the turntable, I looked out the window as snow began to fall. First a few scattered flakes spotted the sky but,... Read more...
The Long Winter Ride: How it has changed and what that means.
The Long Winter Ride: How it has changed and what that means.
By Michael Barry  Photography By Camille McMillan  We would meet later in the morning, waiting for the sun to rise high enough to warm the air and melt the frost... Read more...
ALAN Restoration
ALAN Restoration
Through the 70’s and into 80’s the top cyclocross racers and several pro road racers, used Italian made Alan frames as the bonded aluminum frames were some of the lightest... Read more...
How past generations optimized aerodynamics and efficiency
How past generations optimized aerodynamics and efficiency
By Michael Barry  Before the 1980’s, it would be easy to think that racers didn’t consider the effects of air resistance on their performance. Bicycles and clothing hadn't changed much... Read more...
1980s Bianchi ‘Adventure’ Mountain Bike Conversion / Restoration
1980s Bianchi ‘Adventure’ Mountain Bike Conversion / Restoration
Vintage mountain bikes can become great gravel bikes as the frame geometry is suitable, the tire clearances ample enough for large tires and mudguards and the frames resilient, comfortable and... Read more...
City Bike Restoration
City Bike Restoration
Over the years we've collected many used parts and old frames in need of restoration. Much of the old vintage equipment is ideal for building up nice city bikes as... Read more...
The invisible hand of speed: How cars and motorcycles shape pro racing
The invisible hand of speed: How cars and motorcycles shape pro racing
From slipstreams to close calls, motorcycles and cars have long influenced the outcome — and the danger — of the peloton By MICHAEL BARRY for Canadian Cycling Magazine   Vehicles... Read more...
Mariposa City Bicycle
Mariposa City Bicycle
A custom Mariposa city bicycle with integrated lighting SPECIFCIATIONS Frame and Fork: The frame and fork were built with Columbus tubing.  The frame was built to integrate the Rene Herse... Read more...
The beauty and the practicality of a well designed city bicycle
The beauty and the practicality of a well designed city bicycle
By Michael Barry Old bikes often come in the shop, built from the 1930’s to the 70’s, for small repairs or complete restorations. From use they have developed a patina... Read more...
The Race Of Truth
The Race Of Truth
With the World Championships in Kigali, Rwanda wrapping over the weekend, Michael Barry reflects on the time trial, what makes the solo event unique and what it takes to win. ... Read more...
Mariposa Allroad with SRAM Force E1
Mariposa Allroad with SRAM Force E1
A custom Mariposa Allroad bicycle built with Kaisei and Columbus steel tubing, a Ritchey Carbon Allroad fork, SRAM Force E1 2 x 12 speed groupset and Princeton Peak EVO wheelset. ... Read more...
Canada's First Cyclocross Race?
Canada's First Cyclocross Race?
From the archives-- Oct, 2017.   By Mike J. Barry Sr.   I arrived in Canada from England in 1964 with an old school mate and keen cyclist, John Bayly. We... Read more...
Riding Forward: The Evolution of the Women’s Tour de France and the Rise of Women’s Cycling
Riding Forward: The Evolution of the Women’s Tour de France and the Rise of Women’s Cycling
In this inspiring reflection, Olympian and former pro cyclist Dede Barry traces the incredible evolution of the Women’s Tour de France—from its overlooked beginnings to its modern-day revival as a... Read more...
Mariposa Allroad Bicycle with SRAM Red XPLR 1 x 13 speed
Mariposa Allroad Bicycle with SRAM Red XPLR 1 x 13 speed
Allroad Mariposa built with Columbus and Kaisei tubing, a No. 22 carbon fork and Paragon Machine Works UDH dropouts and built up with a SRAM Red XPLR 1 x 13... Read more...
The commute: Why a few minutes in nature can improve your day
The commute: Why a few minutes in nature can improve your day
By Michael Barry  For much of his last month alive, my father was in hospital. Daily, I would pedal down towards the heart of the city, following the paths along... Read more...
In The News, July 2025
In The News, July 2025
Copenhagen, the bicycle-friendliest place on the planet, publishes a biannual Bicycle Account, and buried in its pages is a rather astonishing fact: One mile on a bike is a $.42... Read more...
Mariposa Feature: Road Integrated Bicycle with SRAM Red
Mariposa Feature: Road Integrated Bicycle with SRAM Red
This Mariposa road bike was built to use the Columbus Trittico fork with integrated cable routing, a fork designed to be used with steel bicycles. Under the crown and between... Read more...
The Concrete Bankings of Woodbridge
The Concrete Bankings of Woodbridge
by Michael Barry In the early 1970’s Woodbridge Ontario, a suburb of Toronto, had its own outdoor velodrome. A 254 meter concrete oval, with 45 degree bankings large enough for... Read more...
Ritchey Forks: The Unsung Hero of Bike Building
Ritchey Forks: The Unsung Hero of Bike Building
To the untrained eye, the fork is more than just the front end of the bike. For the craftspeople who design and build bikes, forks are a crucial ingredient in... Read more...
A ribbon of pink around the boot
A ribbon of pink around the boot
After crossing the finish line, all nine of us freewheeled, having squeezed out the most forceful pedal strokes in the final metres of the event. It was 2009, and we... Read more...
Track Racing: A training ground for champions
Track Racing: A training ground for champions
Many velodromes around the world, especially those outdoors and uncovered, go unused. Thirty years ago, they were hives of activity as kids learned to ride and race while professional races... Read more...
Gravel Season: How to Prepare for Events
Gravel Season: How to Prepare for Events
With the spring thaw comes a new Canadian gravel season. In southern Ontario, Paris to Ancaster, Hell of the North and Substance Project gravel events are just around the corner.... Read more...
Mastering The Cobbled Classics
Mastering The Cobbled Classics
Every rider in the group knows what is coming: a small town with narrow streets and roundabouts, a corner, then another, then a mud-slicked cobbled farm road, and then a... Read more...
Mariposa Allroad Bicycle
Mariposa Allroad Bicycle
A custom bicycle built with Kaisei tubing and an ENVE Adventure fork. This bicycle was built up with a SRAM Force AXS groupset, ENVE handlebars, stem, seatpost and wheels and... Read more...
Celebrating Women's Professional Cycling: Breakaway Femmes Screening in Toronto
Celebrating Women's Professional Cycling: Breakaway Femmes Screening in Toronto
A documentary on the 1980s women's Tour de France that includes some notable Canadian and American pioneers of women's cycling Breakaway Femmes, is a film that tells the story of... Read more...
Riding with Purpose
Riding with Purpose
By Michael Barry Filling or killing time we scroll, read, or flick through details and photos or others’ feats and triumphs, or even weekend rides. For many, the sense of... Read more...
Orange Seal Subzero Sealant: A Cyclist's Best Friend in Winter Conditions
Orange Seal Subzero Sealant: A Cyclist's Best Friend in Winter Conditions
With below zero temperatures, cyclists need more than just a sturdy bike and proper gear to stay safe on the road. One crucial yet often overlooked component of a winter-ready... Read more...
Mariposa Single Freewheel City Bike 
Mariposa Single Freewheel City Bike 
We recently built this single free city bike for a customer to ride across the city to work each day. A single freewheel for commuting is ideal as it requires... Read more...
Michael Barry: Sports psychology does not play a big enough part in pro cycling
Michael Barry: Sports psychology does not play a big enough part in pro cycling
The former pro weighs in on an important aspect in the sport that seems to be lacking Bike racing requires grit, sacrifice, and passion. The physical demands are met with... Read more...
Are gear restrictions the answer to slowing down professional cycling?
Are gear restrictions the answer to slowing down professional cycling?
Are gear restrictions the answer to slowing down professional cycling? Perhaps not, but it’s past time that safety is more seriously addressed. By Michael Barry. Over the last few years,... Read more...
AI is influencing bike racing outcomes. How will that affect the Directeur Sportif’s role and value?
AI is influencing bike racing outcomes. How will that affect the Directeur Sportif’s role and value?
In a cycling team meeting, the best team directeur sportifs will explain the intricacies of the courses, they know where the peloton will shatter, where the winning attacks will be... Read more...
The risks of gamified training: balancing PBs with true development
The risks of gamified training: balancing PBs with true development
Former pro and current coach Michael Barry weighs in on the risks of putting too much weight into awards The lure of an award, a badge, a personal best (PB),... Read more...
Michael Barry on performance and the power meter
Michael Barry on performance and the power meter
How the advances of data have helped, and hindered the sport Bike racers at every level of the sport are now breaking records in all disciplines whether the track, road... Read more...
BEHIND THE MOTOR
BEHIND THE MOTOR
"Motorpacing is the only way to truly simulate a race in training. Over the last few months, to help our son, Ashlin, train for the World Championships in Zurich Switzerland,... Read more...