Personal Info
Hi There!!! My name is Morgan D'Antonio and I live just outside Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Here are a few of my thoughts on riding.
What I ride.
This section could also be titled "What? Morgan rides?" but we'll not be mentioning here that I'm a tad
outa shape right now. Hey, it was a long winter okay? (If Zapata Espinoza can admit that he's not riding
enough then I guess I can too) When I do get out and ride though, I'm always very pleased with my circa
1994 Kona Kileaua! Actually, I'm completely sold on Kona bikes and products and can easily say that
I would recommend anything in their lineup. I've talked two friends into buying similar bikes (one was a 1997
Kileaua) and I'm still friends with both of them. Nuff said.
My bike sports a number of oddities in it's spec, some of which made Kona famous and some of which I added on
my own. Parts that I'm particularly happy with and would recommend include, but are not limited to:
- Continental Double Fighter tires! Best tires I've ever used on AND off-road.
- Marzocchi air/oil suspension! The XC-51 I think (a long gone model).
- Bontrager Ti bar with Kona's Dewey Too Bar Ends. (They won't break!)
- Vetta HR-1000 Heart Rate Monitor/Cyclometer. (Knowing how close you are to your A.T. is hard to live without)
- 4130 Tubing. (That's heat treated dubble-butted Cro-Mo Steel incase you aren't a techno-geek retro-grouch)
If I could take back any change I made to the bike that would be:
- The Tioga Clipless Pedals. (Do they even make these any more? Sheesh!)
Anyways, I now have many thousands of kilometers on the bike and still love it. Shoot, at 26 lbs. with a suspension
fork who wouldn't? For a pic of the bike head over to my Photo Gallery. (Ya, I'm that proud
of my bike.)
Where I ride.
All I have time to tell you right now is that the Dundas Valley Conservation Area is not only bike
friendly, but it has the most complete selection of every type of trail you could ever hope for.
Whether you are looking for smooth hardpacked rail-trail or the nastiest narliest singletrack, there is
something there for your level of riding and more.
Hmmm, come to think of it, I'm nuts to tell you any more! I will, however, say this one important point:
Ride with Care and Control at all times !!!
You should never be riding recklessly, but please take extra care in the DVCA since it is a
popular spot for families (ie. small children who won't see you riding up on them) and equestrians (ie.
big huge animals who won't see you riding up on them and can kill you with a single kick).
Now that I've laboured the point of riding safely in the DVCA and bored you with the rules (go to the
advocacy page
for more rules), I would like to give you some good news. The rainy season of spring is slowly coming to
an end and with the winter snows gone and the trails drying up nicely....
The Dundas Valley Conservation Area trails are OPEN!
So get out there and have a good time, and...
Follow the rules of I.M.B.A.
Where to go for the best service in Ontario.
Well, perhaps not in ALL of Ontario, but if you are in the Golden Horseshoe area or specifically near
Waterdown, Ontario, then do I have a store for you! First though, I should say that this is
not an advertisement nor am I being compensated in any way. It just happens that there is a
shop that has such good owners and employees, and service, and stock, etc., etc., that I just have to
stand up and tell the world. If you live near Waterdown and you want a new bike or to get into mountain
biking then you really ought to drop by Bicycle Works! Say "Hi" to Paul and Jeff and Niel and
DON'T tell them Morgan sent ya (what do I care?). These guys are on Highway 5 (Dundas St.) just west
of the intersection with Mill St. (a.k.a. Waterdown Rd.)
If you are just down the road in Burlington, you might want to also drop in Brant Cycle. They are
at a new location at the corner of Brant and Fairview. You'll find a HUGE selection of stuff but bigger
store means less personal service as well. At least that's the way I see things since Mark left that
store. Oh well.
On a very recent very bright note, I've heard a rumour that Mark, formerly of Brant Cycle and
just a plain old all around cool guy now has his own shop in Dundas. Spin Cycle
is located at 242 Governor's Road just a kilometer or so down from the
main entrance to the Dundas Valley Conservation Area. (Thanks Ian for the info update!)
As I understand it Mark's store does not sell bikes. That he's leaving for the bigger guys.
What he does do is sell everything else (accesory wise) and can fix or upgrade your rig.
If for nothing else, stop by to find out what they have for group rides and help to support
a young business-person.
Most of the other shops in the area cater to lower end market bikes that aren't suitable for true off-road
mountain biking imho. There is one shop in Dundas Ontario that shall go nameless but I will say "ask them
about the trail closing issues before you buy a bike from them." Smarten up boyz!
Could he still have more to say?
Well, I always have more to say (about bikes), but sometimes I also defer to other people's opinions too. People
like my friend Oliver, who didn't even ride when I first met him, but can now out ride me and out spend me, so
I'd better refer you to his web sight as well. Check out:
It would really make me happy if you checked out my central homepage:
and while you're at it you can also drop by my extremely low-tech:
and just to show I can actually program HTML, check out:
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This page last updated August 6th, 1997