Jeremy Fisher chased cross-continent adventures and now chases balance bikes

by David McPherson

Growing up a latchkey kid in Hamilton, Jeremy Fisher remembers carefree afternoons with his buddies exploring his neighbourhood on two wheels. The preteens didn’t talk about meeting up, but somehow found each other and roamed as a pack. “Biking for me as a kid made me feel like I was Arthur Fonzarelli and the Dukes Of Hazzard all rolled into one,” says the three-time Juno-award nominee. “Cycling meant freedom and discovery.”

Fisher’s first bike was a BMX painted with the hometown TigerCats colours. The two-wheeler had a little horn resembling a CB radio attached to the handlebars. Every bike Fisher has ever owned has a story. Cycling is a constant in his life. He didn’t own a car until his early 40s and the only other job he has ever held, besides as a working musician, was in a bike shop. The songwriter started mountain biking in his teens on a Norco Kokanee, which his dad still has and rides. “That was a great bike,” Fisher says. “It has a heavy, solid steel frame by today’s standards, but it has a really cool retro look.”

North American touring

Some of Fisher’s best memories occurred while touring North America by bike. His adventures started in his early 20s when one of his best friends, who was attending the University of British Columbia, called and said he planned to drop out of school at the end of the term and ride his bike home to Hamilton. Fisher was a budding musician; he played in a few cover bands, was writing music for some local theatre groups and had just finished a diploma in music at Mohawk College. He aspired to go into writing film scores, but these dreams could wait—he didn’t give his friend’s offer a second thought. “My life has never been the same since,” Fisher says.

On this first bike tour across Canada, Fisher’s bank card stopped working in Moose Jaw, Sask. With no way of withdrawing any more money from his account, he spent his last $5 on an all-you-can-eat Pizza Hut buffet. Then, using the entrepreneurial spirit he still relies on today (after 20 years working as a musician), Fisher collected 600 cans and bottles, which he strapped to his bike with bungee cords. After cashing in the empties, he bought a used guitar and started busking. “That’s really how my performing and touring music career started,” he says.

During that same trip, Fisher and his friend stopped in Ashland, Wisc. – a port city on Lake Superior of fewer than 10,000 people. They ended up staying for six months, building a shelter in the woods and camping for the winter. After a short sojourn back in Hamilton that spring, the next summer Fisher rode his bike from Ontario to Seattle, busking on the street, singing a mix of covers and originals, to make ends meet. He learned to survive on a can of tuna and day-old bread. “Cycling completely upended me and put me on another career path,” says the songwriter. “I was addicted to the cycling tour lifestyle and all of the unique people I met, like an oyster farmer who lived on an island near Tofino. It was just so invigorating and visceral.”

Bike and lifestyle modifications

Today, Fisher lives in Ottawa. Due to the pandemic, the songwriter, like all those working in the arts, has re-examined his career goals. While he still does some producing work from home for other artists, the singer-songwriter has shifted his focus to writing and performing music for children. “With COVID-19, I’ve put some stuff on hold,” he says. “I started to make kids’ music when my first daughter was born. That is now turned into a TV show I air via YouTube on Saturday mornings. It was supposed to just be a side project, but now it’s all I do.”

As a father of two, Fisher has found cycling has changed for him. “Most of my exercise is chasing my four year old on her push bike,” he laughs. Still, the songwriter owns a Surly Cross-Check, originally built as a touring rig 17 years ago. He has modified this bike for city riding by outfitting it with upright handlebars, a big Brooks saddle and an eight-speed Shimano hub in the rear. When he can, he loves going on leisure rides with his family or by himself around cycle-friendly Ottawa. “In my experience, there is nothing better for meditative thought and exercise than cycling,” Fisher concludes.