The Design Exchange is having an exhibit on all things outdoor/sport either made or designed in Canada!

Called Play Nation, our friends Cervelo – of course – make an appearance as do many other great Canadian co.’s.

As the second largest country with one of the worldʼs lowest population densities, Canada is known for vast open spaces and varied geography. The importance of the great outdoors is such a significant part of our nationhood that Canadian iconography – the beaver, the maple leaf, Group of Seven, hiking in the Rockies, playing hockey on frozen ponds – is indelibly linked to the natural environment. Play > Nation will explore the ways in which our unique landmass has contributed to a national love of the outdoors and shaped our collective interest in outdoor sport and exploration. The exhibition sections will focus on Water, Winter, Forest, and Urban environments. Each section will present contemporary Canadian outdoor and sporting equipment, contextualized by historical examples of earlier models and archival material pertaining to outdoor sport and exploration. The exhibit will chronicle the transition of objects used by First Nations peoples and early Canadian settlers and explorers for survival and transportation to our contemporary use of the same items for sport and hobby. Play > Nation will incorporate a myriad of design disciplines, including apparel, industrial design, graphic design, as well as iconic designs.

As some added incentive for checking it out (as if you needed any) Orontas products are now available at the Design Exchange store!

A few days have passed and hopefully bruses have (started) to heal from the intensity that was the Northside Bike Polo Championships 2011 here in Toronto!

Big congrats to the (predominantly) hometown boys DTGP and a huge tip of the hat to all the organizers/volunteers who put on a great show for us all!

Results:
1st – Dans Ta Gueule, Puceau (Kev TO / Ngaihon TO / Hugo PAR)
2nd – Rusty Nutz (Adam / John / Piet ANN ARBOR)
3rd – Woadie and the Jets (Chris ATL /Eric ATL /Woadie PDX)

More info: bikepolo.to

(you may have missed it in you’re home town, or it may be still upcoming, so check the dates!)

Bikefest is a great way to grab some parts, donate a bike, get your ride tuned or learn how to tune it yourself. You’ll have a chance to buy, win, or use Orontas products all over the place, so stop by and check it out or register online if you want in on a specific session – IT’S FREE!

Keep your eyes peeled for the Bicycle Commons booth, which will be Orontas central!

More information can be found: here

(Actually it’s in park in a caged outdoor rink… but whatever)

It’s the Northside Qualifier tournament to earn a birth for the big one and Orontas is proud to be keeping the chains spinning all weekend. It’s sure to be a lot of fun so pedal by and check it out!

You can find more info over at bikepolo.to

To get things rolling we’ve hooked up with the good folks at Biking Toronto for a contest where you could win some free swag! Check out the details here!

There’s a full list of events in Toronto here (we’re especially looking forward to the Dandyhorse Magazine party tonight!)

If you’re elsewhere in the world and can’t enjoy the festivities with us, here is a video from our friends in Finland:

Cheers!

Today’s our second birthday!

The Canadian government was nice enough to mark the occasion with a long weekend, so we hope you’re all out enjoying it!

We’ve had an amazing year and met a lot of new faces and made a lot of new friends so we’d like to take this opportunity to say thanks to all of you for coming along for the ride!

But also, buckle up, we’ve got lot’s more in-store!

We’ll see you soon.

- George Klein & Chris Hanz, Co-Founders

Orontas is proud to be supplying the COMMON team with our line of renewable lubricants, greases and cleaners to get them off the ground. This project is about more than building build bikes, though; this is another step toward more local and sustainable manufacturing and about re-building communities.

Here’s a video of John Bielenberg talking about COMMON Cycles:

Bike Works will feature drop-in DIY bike repair space and rentals on Saturdays and Sundays from April to October for the public. Evergreen is a not-for-profit organization and works under the pay what you can model so there’s no excuse to not check it out this summer!

Bike Works launches Saturday April 23rd so head down to the Brick Works this weekend for the grand opening! More info on this weekends event can be found here.

A few weeks ago we announced that we were officially keeping an eye on COMMON, the collaborative brand project from Alex and Ana Bogousky, John Bielenberg and Rob Schuham. Well, today we’re beside ourselves to announce that Orontas has jumped on board and teamed up with COMMON for their Alabamboo project!

Alabamboo is a community project taking place in Greensboro, Alabama that will see members of the local community come together to grow bamboo for the purposes of building bikes from sustainable materials and creating a new, thriving local industry.

As part of the project, Orontas will support Alabamboo with BikeCare Lubricant, Plant-Based Lube, Waterproof Grease and BikeCare Cleaner as they kick off the inatiave with the COMMON MBA program in April 2011. Following that, Alabamboo will take off across the USA on a tour in support of the project powered by nothing but human-power, Orontas and (hopefully) some downhill gravity here and there.

Orontas is excited to be a part of a project that will bring both economic and environmental benefits to so many people.

You can donate to the Alabamboo bike tour here: http://www.indiegogo.com/ridealabamboo

ABOUT ORONTAS
Orontas is a lifestyle maintenance company. Based in Toronto, Orontas manufactures and distributes high performance, sustainable and nontoxic recreational and household products. In Spring 2011, Orontas launched their first extended product line for bikes featuring chain lubricant, cleaner, aerosol lubricant and waterproof grease. Founders Chris and George uphold the company to a high ethical standard; Orontas’ biodegradable and petroleum-free products look good while the company’s mantra speaks to DO/GOOD.