Biking in Toronto has a pretty shit reputation. With dozens of traffic fatalities and thousands of bike thefts each year, the drawbacks might not seem to outweigh the economic and environmental benefits of choosing to ride in the city. But don’t get discouraged. If you are prepared with the right knowledge and equipment, riding in the city can be an incredibly rewarding and effective way to get around.

Whether you’re a seasoned city-smart cyclist or a near newbie, I can offer tips that will teach you the basics required to drive, thrive, and survive-from choosing a bike to making sure it doesn’t get stolen. Everything suggested here comes from years of personal commuter experience as a cyclist, and hundreds of concrete kilometres traveled.

As always, read these directives with a critical eye. Remember-the best way to determine what works for you is to get out and ride.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT BIKE. Like wearing leather loafers on a morning jog, commuting on a vehicle not intended for commuting can be a pain-literally. Of course, you can ride anything you want, but for the optimal commuting experience, a vehicle suited for the city fares best.

Toronto is incredibly flat. And this should influence the sort of bike you ride. Since you will not likely be going up many hills, having a bike with gears in the double digits is not imperative. Nor is it important to have a bike with large tires or suspension. To be sure, we have potholes and streetcar tracks, but this does not warrant getting a bike with all-terrain gimmicks. Most of your riding will be done on well-groomed pavement.

If you already have a mountain bike, replace the knobby tires and replace them with some more felicitous. Almost every bike store sells slicks-tires with a smooth tread, designed for commuters. They are cheap, and maximize your efficiency on the road by reducing your rolling resistance.

Urbane Cyclist (180 John St.) prides itself on selling perfect consumer bicycles. Their bikes have conservative paintjobs, hand-picked components and a refreshing air of practicality about them. Starting at around $600, they are considerably more expensive than a bike from a mainstream department store, but they are infinitely more pleasurable to ride. For a wide selection of new, no-nonsense bikes, check out Bikes on Wheels (309 Augusta Ave.) or its sister shop, Curbside Cycles (412 Bloor St. W.). Both are within easy walking distance of campus.

If you’re looking for something a little bit more personalized, talk to Keith at Cavern Cycles (179 Queen St. E.). He specializes in single-speed and fixed-gear bikes, and is the brains behind many of the most attractive and dependable rigs on the streets. If you want to buy a used bike, Cavern’s the place. They usually carry a small selection of unique and affordable commuter bikes. Same with Bikes on Wheels. You can also check the postings on the Urbane Cyclist message board, which often has bike ads up. Another good internet resource is Craigslist (http://toronto.craigslist.org/bik).

U of T students and faculty also have the added boon of The Bike Chain, a student-run bicycle repair shop that operates out of OISE’s underground parking lot. Its aims-“to break down the barriers to bicycle-commuting at U of T,” according to coordinator Carlene Martin-serve campus cyclists’ needs especially well, with workshops on bicycle maintenance and repair run by experienced mechanics every weekday afternoon. These mechanics also do repairs with bike parts sold at cost, providing students with a frugal alternative to bike shops.

Avoid pawn shops and other sketchiness at all costs. If the store looks like it sells stolen bikes, it probably does. Yes, you might get a great price at one of these places. But you might also have the bad fortune of purchasing a bike that was stolen from a student (or worse: a courier). Ride your new acquisition around the city, and you risk an ugly encounter.

MAINTAINING YOUR BIKE. Taking care of your bike is easy. But you need to stick to a regular maintenance schedule. Doing so will prolong the life of your equipment, and prevent you from sending your bike to the shop every month.

Your first enemy is dirt and salt. Keeping it from wrecking your two-wheeled investment is simple. Just clean the thick, black debris off of your chain, crankset and derailleurs (the gear-changing mechanism attached to your chain). Then put a drop or two of proper bike-specific oil on your chain. This oil is relatively thick, and helps prevent dirt from grinding with your metal components. My preferred lubricant is Phil Wood Tenacious Oil ($9, Urbane Cyclist).

Your second enemy is water. After riding in wet conditions, it is imperative that you wipe down your bike with a dry cotton cloth immediately. Every bike has parts that can rust. Once those parts have rusted, it is usually time to think about replacing them. That costs money. Instead, dry your bike after you ride it. It will save you a lot of trouble in the long run.

CARRYING YOUR STUFF. Some commuters like to use messenger bags to transport their goods. Messenger bags hang over one shoulder, and have an extra strap which wraps around your front and snaps into the strap over your shoulder. Compared to conventional backpacks, these bags can be significantly more comfortable while riding.

Sweaty backs are neither comfortable nor attractive, and wearing a backpack while riding makes you prey for an attack. Tall and stout, backpacks typically smother your back, making it difficult for your glands to take a break. Compare this with a messenger bag. Messenger bags prevent your back from getting soaked while riding. Designed to rest on your lumbar while riding, these bags have minimal contact with the other parts of your body. This gives them the uncanny ability to keep your back dry, even on the hottest of days.

Another virtue of messenger bags is that they make it easy to look over your shoulder. When cruising the streets, you regularly need to check your blindspot, but with a backpack, it can be awkward to turn around to see whether a car is about to run you over. With a messenger bag, however, it is quite easy to look at the pretty people you pass, since the load-bearing strap only goes over one of your shoulders.

The problem with messenger bags is that they are considerably less comfortable to walk around with. For this reason alone, I opt to use my backpack more than my messenger bag. Walking more than a couple of kilometres with five classes’ worth of books in a messenger bag can be torturous.

Another alternative for carrying your stuff is the pannier. Panniers are bags that mount directly onto rear or front racks affixed to your bicycle. Anyone who has taken multi-day trips on a bicycle will be familiar with these, as they have the benefit of being able to hold volumes of gear and keep your centre of gravity low, all while keeping your back completely relieved.

Unfortunately, panniers are not that convenient for bouncing about the city. You need to take them off everywhere you go, and lug them around by hand. Otherwise, you risk them getting ripped off your bike. This can be a headache if you have more than a few books in your panniers.

LOCKING YOUR BIKE. Good locks are essential to the urban cyclist. In general, the more money you pay for a lock, the less likely you are to have your bike ripped off by a bike thief. Buy the most expensive lock that you can afford. And get two if you can. No lock will prevent a professional bike thief from taking your bike, but having two locks might just encourage him or her to go looking something a little bit easier.

Choosing where to lock your bike is a subtle art. I find that locking your bike in conspicuous places is best. Pick the thick metallic railings of Sid Smith over the shady, hidden parking spots to the side. A thief would be foolish to break out a pair of hydraulic lock cutters by the front door of the Arts and Science building.

Once you pick a place to lock up, make sure that you do it properly. Use your U-lock to go through your front wheel, frame and the post you are locking up to. If you have a second U-lock, or a flexible cable lock, use it to lock your rear wheel to your frame.

The fancier your bike looks, the more likely it is to be stolen. This is practically a law. Outfit your bike so that it does not attract those with a taste for glitter and gold. If you already own something flashy, making it less inviting to thieves is easy: take the stickers off. This makes your bike non-descript, and gives it a lower resale value, all while retaining the integrity of the frame.

If that sounds too drastic, you can cover up the stickers by wrapping a used inner tube around your frame. Not only will this preserve the crispness of your stickers, but it will even protect the paint on your frame from getting chipped when you lock up. Need a used inner tube? Ask a bike store. They have hundreds lying around.

STAYING ALIVE. Before getting on the road, be certain to outfit your bike with a loud bell, and ring it incessantly. This is a socially acceptable way of capturing the attention of motorists and others. Besides, the law requires it, and you can get a steep fine for not having one. (Tip: a little ring combined with a little smirk can work flirtatious wonders with cute pedestrians.)

Your outfit should also feature lights. They are mandatory if you ride when the sun goes down. The fine is twice as high as the fine for not having a bell, and motorists are far less likely to notice you without them. Why risk it?

When riding on major streets, stay a few inches away from the sewer grates. They are slippery, and have a reputation for eating thin tires. If you see parked cars in the rightmost lane, be cautious. You might get the ‘door prize.’ By moving well away from the parked vehicles, you gain the time and distance you need to avoid getting hit by a swiftly opened door. To be sure, this puts you a little bit closer to the moving traffic, but a motorist on the road is more likely to pay attention to you than a one just about to get out of his or her vehicle.

Streetcar tracks are another problem. The trick is to cross them at as near a 90 degree angle as possible. Do not feel pressured by nearby cars to cross tracks at an uncomfortable angle. They can wait. Cross them only when you feel comfortable doing so. Exercise extra caution when approaching wet tracks. They are even more likely to make you slip.

In general, if you do not make eye contact with a driver, assume that they have no idea you are out there. Especially beware of negligent motorists on cell phones. You can almost be certain that these talkers are oblivious to your existence. Do not, however, let the negligence of motorists upset your confidence. Just expect it and watch out.

Finally, wear a helmet. No one likes them; no one looks good in them. But helmets can prevent serious head and spine injuries. Just wear one. Your friends will thank you.

WHERE TO RIDE. The biking culture is closely connected to the coffee culture in Toronto. Many of the best coffee shops in the city are havens for couriers, commuters, and people who enjoy talking about bikes. To get a real taste of Toronto bike culture, jump in your saddle and get ready to sip on some of the best espresso in the city. There is an abundance of good coffee within a 15-minute biking radius of campus. One of the best shops happens to be incredibly close to campus, located right in Kensington: I Deal Coffee (84 Nassau St.). For more of an adventure, ride west on College St. until it turns into Carlton St. and eventually ends. This brings you to Parliament St. Turn left, and ride for about one minute. This gets right to Jet Fuel Coffee (519 Parliament St.), one of the busiest bike hubs in the city, and home to some of its finest espresso. Order a Jet Fuel, or one of their massive lattes (both $3), and I promise you rich, palpable happiness.

If trail riding is more your thing, take a trip down to the Lakeshore. To get there, go south on Spadina Ave. until it ends. Turning right will take you west; turning left will take you east. There are paved bike trails for kilometres in each direction. The directions are similarly scenic, so flip a coin and ride, ride, ride. Alternatively, you can head west on Bloor St., which will take you to High Park in about 20 minutes. This is the spot to watch old men ride expensive Italian bikes.

I personally like night riding. My favourite place to do it is in the Liberty Village, just south of King St. W., between Strachan Ave. and Dufferin St. The twisty, well-paved roads there are well-illuminated, and surrounded by a host of interesting industrial architecture, like the old Irwin toy factory and the BMG headquarters.

Emilio Reyes Le Blanc is a fourth-year philosophy specialist, and senior editor of Noesis, the undergraduate journal of philosophy. He rides a bike with no gears and no brakes.