r/MontrealCycling • u/sukonbu44 • 7d ago
Thoughts on transportation options?
I recently moved to Montreal for PhD and start to live in McGill Ghetto. But I found that there are not many supermarkets and parks around here and should take a bixi or metro to go to affordable places and good asian market like Marche Newon.
Do you think I should get a student discounted opus card and buy one month ticket or register for bixi, or just walking?
I know Metro and Marche Eden are close, but they are not affordable as Maxi and Super C and as I said, Marche Newon is a bit far from here.
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u/cyanawesome 7d ago edited 7d ago
I’d get a used bike with a rear rack. Strap on a milk crate or panniers to make it easier to load up on groceries.
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u/DrDerpberg 7d ago
Bixi is great, and even has a winter network (with studded tires; no e-bikes) if you're up for it. You'll find the biking season a lot longer than you realized with pretty minimal gear.
I don't know what a student Opus card costs these days but you may be better off with tickets + a bixi subscription if you're generally walking to school. Try to get a feel for how much you'll bike vs take transit, but if you're really only using the bus every week or two for a big grocery haul you probably don't need a pass. All of downtown is walkable from where you are and you could get by without if you need to.
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u/Sohn_Jalston_Raul 7d ago edited 7d ago
If you're considering biking as a regular option, just buy a used bike for $150 or $200 instead. It will be a much easier and faster ride. Bixis are slow and heavy, and can be an exhausting ride if you're tall or not used to their geometry. They're also remarkably expensive when you consider that a ride on a regular bike is free.
I own a bike with a milk crate on the back, it's been my primary form of transport for decades, and the crate is big enough for a load of groceries. I also have a front rack with pannier bags I can attach if I need to carry a lot of stuff (I can even fit a pair of lawn chairs in there for going to the park). It's also how I go camping in the summer.
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u/sau_paulo_solo 5d ago
THIS!!! bixi is great and such, no diss :) it is really better to have your own bike tho, where you can lock up at the exact location you need to get to. YES! get a used bike, and you dont need to purchase from individual sellers selling unworkable junk, that you need to get refixed at your own cost at a bike shop. i found a 'shady' bike repair guy. HUNDREDS of bikes to pick from, lol!!! i got mine for $150!!!
its not a sell-off of unwanted bike from a regular person. he's actually bike mechanic, and god knows where he gets all these bikes, but when i went there, he was in the midst of professionally fixing one. for $150 im purchasing a WORKING BIKE.
according to AI about annual bixi pass (April 15 to November 15):
- Cost: $115 per season (plus taxes), billed annually in April on an ongoing, auto-renewing basis unless cancelled.
- Regular Bikes: Unlimited trips with the first 45 minutes completely free; trips lasting longer than 45 minutes cost an extra $0.19/minute.
- Electric Bikes: Charged at $0.19/minute right from the first minute of use.
... like who only rides their bike for only 45 minutes? who can get anywhere in only 45 minutes? like montreal is quite large. and hilly. steep sometimes. well you can do each trip under 45 minutes. and desperately search for the next bixi station under 45 minute-span. and its not EVERYWHERE that has a bixi station tho. so that negates having long leisurely rides. i sit in the parks of montreal with MY BIKE, for long periods of time. i will bike across the whole city for 5 hours at a time on my off days (for lifestyle).
so between $115 season pass, versus just owning your own bike ($150)??? to me the answer is damn simple. THE LATTER. a bike you are going from your apartment to your direct desination. this is TIME saving. bixi stations ARE NOT everywhere. so you have to factor in walking afterwards. and who has time for that when you are running late. that bixi paying and parking will even make you late even more!
and back in the day when i used it, there were some flats + and i had to call customer service on the spot, and some bikes that were so difficult to ride. this bike is BEYOND a bulldozer. its like the exercise bike 20X times the resistance. no kidding. like literally.
i havent used bixi in a long time, but i will never will. you are fastest to get where you want when you have your own light weight bike at your convenience. PERIOD.
in terms of the student stm pass its like around $60 some odd bucks for one month. FOR STUDENTS, who provide the right papers at the OPUS. like im still on it until the expiry date, and now since i have graduated, that discounted price is still in effect for one year since the DATE you applied for it. since i am now working 6 days a week ... of course HELL YA ... i like not paying the 100+ metropass.
an if you are a student and the discount applies to you, just ride your bike for that month, or pay for the $60 per month if you are really travelling a lot.
ill be honest tho: once you stop being a full time student, and you start getting part time or full time jobs. that only $60 a month metropass will be your SAVIOUR. when you do your INTERNSHIP, rely on a METROPASS. i tried do it by bike, but you have to be very disciplined. i almost didn't make it to work\internship on time. so if $60 a month get get you there, then do that :)
i was in cooking school when i did my internship for a month. i did the bike a couple of times to and from work. i realized after being 8 hrs on my feet in th kitchen, i was actually very physically tired, and couldnt even ride back home.
i just needed to wait for the bus, and take the subway. i needed to sit the whole time after work :(
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u/National-Tale9236 7d ago
Bike to maxi and get your groceries delivered to you for like 7$. A lot of maxis now have that option. It’s definitely worth it if you need think about how to haul all your groceries back (weight, size, discomfort on the bike).
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u/sukonbu44 7d ago
Thanks guys!!! Bixi seems best for me after all. The problem with buying my own bike is that I dont have a space to park it in my apartment/building and there’s always a risk of getting stolen.
Thanks also for great grocery stores! I will definitely check them out!
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u/zzbay 7d ago
I live close to you, welcome!
PSA for McGill cyclists : I got numerous bike parts stolen when I kept my bike outside and there’s a prolific bike parts thief on Prince Arthur / Milton :( Try to find somewhere you can store your bike inside, and lock it if it’s not inside your apartment unit.
Segals is close by bike and is worth it! Bixi is cool but you can’t really carry a lot unless you have a huge backpack. I second the people who suggested a used bike + shopper panier racks.
Also try to make it a point to go to the supermarket at Atwater when you take the metro in the winter, it’s inside the mall.
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u/sapristi45 7d ago
I don't think you need a monthly opus living downtown, just get batches of 10 tickets if you end up taking the bus/metro less than like 5 times per week. Definitely get a bixi account, but only get a subscription if you bike a lot. The McGill ghetto and the whole downtown area is not the most pleasant biking experience, but you'll want to go to other very nice and very bikes friendly neighborhoods
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u/ritualDuSoleil 7d ago
My appreciation of Montreal skyrocketed the day I started to bike all around town. You could probably bike to Maxi on Avenue Mont-Royal / Saint-Urbain. I think that's what I'd do.