Sweet Deals & Good Times, Vancouver! Vancity’s Bike To Shop, August 13 - 21, 2022

To encourage residents to shop at local businesses and venture out by bike, The City of Vancouver is hosting “Bike To Shop” from August 13th -  August 21rst, 2022. This week-long celebration aims to promote knowledge & instill confidence in people who may be new to cycling & shopping by bike.

Neighbourhoods taking part include Strathcona, Downtown Vancouver, Kits on Broadway, East Village, Wesbrook Village, UBC Point Grey in Vancouver, Steveston in Richmond, and Austin Heights in Coquitlam. 

Shopping local for diverse food delights, unusual gifts, housewares, apparel, books, flowers, art, music, sporting goods, craft beer / cider, homemade toys… is fun & convenient when done by bike!

Register for Access to Free Promotions, Sweet Deals, Links to Resources & Network with a Community of People throughout Vancouver and surrounding regions. 

Resources include safe cycling tips, route planning, secure bike parking facilities, and how-to demonstrations for easy bike carriage via panniers, baskets, and backpacks. 

Zygg Subscription Ebikes is providing a free one day rental for participants of the Bike to Shop program. The rental hours are 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The bike must be returned by 5:00 p.m. Our liability policy, as well as this registration form, must be filled out prior to pickup. 

To receive the free e-bike rental, riders must show up to the Zygg Vancouver Shop at 397 Alexander Street, with both forms filled out, and their eventbrite ticket for Bike to Shop. Zygg’s rider experience team will make sure you know all the features of the bike and are confident to ride away & enjoy!

Register your business and get Tips on How to Attract New Customers.

Some tips to make Shopping By Bike or Ebike a breeze:

  1. Plan Your Day & Your Route : Pick out some key destinations, then leave plenty of time to explore beyond that, before you set out. Know the weather forecast, and any closures or construction delays. Take your time. No rush.

  2. Dress For The Weather : Waterproof shells or Rain Ponchos are your friend, especially in windy & wet Vancouver intervals. Comfortable shoes for riding, then browsing, are a must.

  3. Take A Load Off : Let your bike’s frame do the work. Make sure you have a basket or bike rack to support saddle-bags or panniers. The easier it is, the more great stuff you can bring home. Every Zygg subscription ebike model has a solid rear bike rack for attaching your loot!

Here are some cool items, sourced locally, to get you started:

Rain Gear:

City Cycle at 648 Hornby and 1344 Burrard (located near both Stanley Park and Granville Island) is a one-stop-shop for cycling enthusiasts. Check out their stylish jackets and shells by Gore for men & women and rain pants. 

Comfortable Shoes:

Steed Cycles at 969 Marine Drive in North Van has hip, everyday, dual-purpose walking & cycling shoes by Crank Brothers, Five Ten, Ride Concepts and Shimano.

Panniers and Baskets:

JV Bike Shop is an independent bicycle store located in the heart of downtown Vancouver at 329 Expo Boulevard. Besides a line of great bikes, repairs & bike rentals, they have cool gear! Must-haves are their waterproof, lightweight & practical panniers from Basil, EVO and Axiom. They also stock backpacks and messenger bags by Brook and Basil, and lots of baskets to fit every type of bike frame, and rear-rack. 

And, The Spotted By Locals, Vancouver site is chalk-full of informative, real-person reviews forterrific, local finds throughout Vancity.

Don’t miss out! Register today for #ShopByBike, Vancouver and start planning your pursuits with a group of friends. #cyclevancouver #vancitybike #gobybikebc #ridevancouver #vancouvercycling #vancouvercyclist

Explore Toronto’s Urban Parks By E-Bike This Summer!

Ride out into the wilderness in your own city! There are vibrant bike paths and scenic routes in every corner of Toronto. A huge benefit of riding by ebike is the ability to travel further & faster, exploring regions & terrains that may have seemed out of your reach or too challenging in the past. Zygg’s subscription ebikes for personal riding have a robust battery range for going long distances; several levels of pedal-assist for extra support / propulsion; a comfortable “step-through” design; a rear rack to hold your panniers; and integrated lights for those early morning or dusk cycling conditions.  

The City of Toronto has compiled maps, route-features and trail etiquette.

We have highlighted a few for inspiration: 

One of the longest trails in the westend of the city is The Humber River Park Trail. You can start your relatively flat, 13km (one way) ride at Étienne Brûlé Park (near to The Old Mill, TTC Subway Station) and then follow the Humber River Recreational Trail down to Lake Ontario. Étienne Brûlé Park is named after the first French explorer to venture beyond the St. Lawrence River into Upper Canada (Ontario). The area was once a major trade route for the Indigenous Peoples of the region. 

Known for its scenic beauty and abundant wildlife, the shores of The Humber are home to cardinal, hawks, cormorants, Blue Heron, deer, coyote, foxes, rabbits & groundhogs. The lush setting includes cliffs, meadows & ponds filled with native plants, flowers & fish. There is also the photogenic Humber Bay Arch Bridge & historic Old Mill Bridge, and unusual underpasses with colourful graffiti. Check out the beloved #lovebots!

Yash Nico’s ride-along video, posted in 2020, gives you a terrific glimpse into Cycling The Humber.

If you want an even longer ride, (and why not, if you are touring via ebike?) you can add another 20km deep into the city’s north along The Upper Humber Trail.

Or, trek even further by taking The Martin Goodman Waterfront Trail over to Woodbine Beach for a swim. Popular with cyclists, inline skaters, joggers & walkers, this 23 km section starts at The Humber Bay Arch Bridge and connects the city’s lakeshore past High Park, Sunnyside Beach, Ontario Place, Harbourfront Centre, Cherry Beach, The Leslie Spit, and Ashbridge’s Bay. In total, The Martin Goodman Trail is an impressive 56km long, ending at The Rouge River in Toronto’s east end.

Wow, you’ve made it to The Rouge!

Rouge National Urban Park is Canada's first and only national urban park. Comprising over 79 square km of green space from Lake Ontario in the south to The Oak Ridges Moraine in the north, it is the largest protected urban area in North America. It is home to amazing biodiversity, with some of the last active farms in the Greater Toronto Area, Carolinian ecosystems, Toronto’s only campground, one of the region’s largest marshes, a beach at Lake Ontario, fabulous hiking and cycling opportunities, and human history dating back over 10,000 years, including some of Canada's oldest known Indigenous sites. Spend the day, or a few days! 

  • A note of caution: if you picnic or camp in The Rouge, make sure to keep all garbage and food-stuffs packed, sealed and protected, as black bears have been spotted in the area. Park’s Canada has a guide on what to do if you encounter a black bear or coyote in the park.

One of the lesser known wilderness areas for you to discover by e-bike is The Meadow Way.  The Meadow Way is an ambitious, evolving plan, aimed at transforming a hydro corridor in Scarborough into a verdant, 16km stretch of urban greenspace & meadowlands (filled with butterflies, birds & wild flowers) that will become one of Canada’s largest linear urban parks. Already in full-swing, cyclists & pedestrians may travel from the core of downtown Toronto to The Rouge National Park without ever leaving nature. 

Toronto Star Urban Affairs columnist and U of T lecturer Shawn Micallef drafted an ode to The Meadoway’s significance, entitled “Corridor of Connectivity”, as part of a Park People’s 10th Anniversary feature. Park People is an non-profit organisation dedicated to the development and preservation of sustainable parks in urban centres across Canada. It is a beautiful, informative read. 

These are simply a few of our favourite, summertime ecycling routes. Now it’s your turn to get out and tackle the trails, Toronto!  #gobybike #bikeTO #parkpeople #urbanwild

A Fantastic Gig for International Students: E-Bike Food Delivery Rider

For the past 2 years, Zygg Subscription ebikes have been a popular choice with Bike Food Delivery Riders in Toronto. Food delivery via e-bike allows you to go faster & further & take on more orders over more hours, without the sweat. Now with Zygg Vancouver up and running, we want future Bike Food Delivery Riders in both cities to feel welcome, especially International Students and New Canadians. Zygg is here to help.

Delivery by ebike is an excellent option for students. It allows you to choose your hours, fit work within your own busy schedule, earn a good wage, get some exercise and have fun exploring your new city. Is it the right gig for you? Are you eligible to work in Canada? Zygg wants to answer some of your main questions, reveal some expectations and share key links to get you started:

  • Are You Eligible To Work In Canada?

All of the main food delivery partners and employers like Skip The Dishes, DoorDash, Uber Eats, Fantuan, and the more independent ones like GoodFood or Ninja, require that you have a Social Insurance Number (SIN). Once you sign up, you will also need to upload a legal photo of yourself for I.D. onto your profile and make sure that you do not need sponsorship. If you are an International Student, there may be rules and restrictions for the hours you are able to work. Check out the Government of Canada website for details of working on and off campus, and after graduation.

For example, while on a student VISA in Canada, you are only permitted to work a total of 20 hours per week during the semester. You are permitted to work longer hours during summer break, so if you sign up to deliver by bike this summer, you can earn lots more money! All of the main delivery programs/apps pay you directly into your bank account, not by cash, so your hours and earnings can be traced by your SIN. You will also need to pay taxes, the following year after you have worked. (As in, if you worked in Canada during the summer of 2022, you will need to file your taxes as a “Self Employed” person in the spring of 2023). The good news is that some of your expenses, like bike costs,  subscription fees and accessories, as well as part of your food costs while you are working, may be deducted from your taxes. Zygg recently put together resources to help you get through the tax process.

  • How Much Money Can I Earn As A Bike Delivery Rider?

Depending on what program you sign up with (and some people sign up for more than one), there are different pay structures. You should check out each program’s fee structure, how they calculate your earnings, and how you collect bonus or premium fees & tips. You can expect to earn between $16 - $25 an hour in Toronto and Vancouver, with the average being between $17- $22. Below, we have put together a list of links for several food delivery companies, which include details of those fees or minimum starting pay. Some even provide uniforms, bikes, bags, or the option to rent an e-bike or bag through the company. 

Here is a forum on how much money you can expect as an Uber bike delivery rider in Canada.


  • How To Get Signed Up

Every city has its own food delivery partners. Here are the main ones to consider if you are looking to become a bike food delivery rider in the Toronto and Vancouver area. In order to choose which one is best suited for you, get to know each service & their requirements (minimum age, smartphone apps, pay structure, levels of experience) so you know what to expect. A direct link is provided with these details and how to sign up. 

Also, check out any online Student Groups or Forums to help you through the steps, like this one on How To Sign Up As An Uber Driver/Rider In Canada.

  • Get Yourself a Good Bike!

You will need a safe, reliable and well-functioning bike.The great thing about a Zygg Ebike Subscription: you do not need to buy an expensive ebike, you pay as you go, and Zygg keeps your bike in top condition. In both Toronto & Vancouver, there are presently three models of ebikes dedicated to delivery riders. All the ebikes have a long range (battery charge), lots of gears, several levels of pedal-assist/power, and have integrated lights & a good locking system.

  • Get Yourself a Bag!

You will need a good-sized, professional thermal food bag. You can buy your own, however, some companies either provide bags on loan or for purchase. Zygg delivery riders tested a selection of custom Zygg Food Delivery Bags earlier this year. The most important features requested were: “ A strong, durable, sizable bag; padded straps for comfort; a way of carrying the bag by hand, and also the ability to attach to the rear bike rack; and, reflective strips for visibility. 

* The custom Zygg delivery bag is currently sold out. 

  •  Get Yourself A Helmet:

Not only is wearing a proper bike helmet the safe thing to, it is also the law when riding an ebike in Toronto. In Vancouver, if you don’t wear one on any style bike, you can get a $29 fine, each time. You can purchase one directly through Zygg when you pick up (or they deliver to you) your ebike. 

Zygg compiled a great list of pointers on how to keep a good rating as a bike delivery rider and how to earn more money through more orders & tips.

Book an appointment for a test-ride in our convenient Toronto and Vancouver locations. We’ll get you all set up! Zygg cannot wait to see you out on the road this summer.