Bicycle Repair Clinics

Ever wondered how to maintain your bicycle throughout the season? Mike Allen, a bicycle mechanic who works at Eastern Mountain Sports (3401 Chestnut St.) will be hosting bicycle repair clinics during the entire month of August. The clinics will range from fixing a flat tire, to adjusting gears. All of the clinics will be hands-on and each one will last one hour.

Bicycle Coalition members will be able to attend one clinic for free.

For the full schedule and more details contact Mike via e-mail: e-155bt@ems.com

Bicycle Ambassador Events: July 28-August 1

Join us at the following events this week:

--Wednesday, July 28 we'll be at the Broad and South Farmer's Market from 3-7PM.

--Thursday, July 29 come visit us at the Jefferson University Hospital Farmer's Market (11AM-3PM) or Clark Park Thursday Market (3PM-7PM).

--The morning of Friday, July 30 wraps up our Walnut St. Bridge Campaign. This will be our last day on that bridge, but we'll be adopting a different bridge next week. Can you guess which one?

--Saturday, July 31 we'll be at the SheROX Triathalon Expo at Lloyd Hall from 9AM-4PM.

--Sunday, August 1 We'll be set up on the Schuylkill River Trail near the art museum from 9AM-2PM. You can join us after enjoying a Free Day at the Philadelphia Museum of Art or the SheROX Triathlon. We'll have t-shirts, stickers, and Bike Philly registration forms right at our table.

What About the Sidewalk Riders?

Occasionally as Ambassadors we get questions or concerns about sidewalk riding and what we are doing to stop it. Sidewalk riding is illegal in Philadelphia, but the issue is not just about the law. Riding on the sidewalk doubles your chances of getting into a crash and presents a danger to pedestrians. Typically those who complain to us about sidewalk riding have been hit or know someone who has been hit by a bike.

If you want some more reasons to walk your bike on the sidewalk check here.

As Bicycle Ambassadors we educate people (drivers, cyclists and pedestrians) about the rules of the road and the sidewalk. In the past, we have held up signs informing people that sidewalk riding is illegal and unsafe. We also talk to sidewalk riders during our Walnut St. Bridge campaign, where narrow sidewalks are heavily used by pedestrians. Sometimes we work with the University City Police to educate sidewalk riders.



What we are not:
The Police -- we don't ticket sidewalk riders
The Streets Department -- We don't put up municipal signs about sidewalk riding
The Sidewalk Hit Squad -- we don't assault sidewalk riders

We hope this clears up any questions.

Sincerely,

The Bicycle Ambassadors

Bicycle Ambassador Events: July 13-19

Here are some more of our events for the coming week:

Tonight we'll attend happy hour at O'Reilly's Pub and teach an urban riding class. Details are here

Wednesday will be filled with music. In the afternoon (12-1:30PM) we'll be at the Center City Lunchtime Concert series and then in the evening (7-9PM) Waterfront Wednesday at Penn Treaty Park.

On Saturday at the Jazz & Community Festival on 39th and Powelton we'll teach multiple classes all day including Urban Riding, Fix-a-Flat and Bike Cleaning (12AM-7PM). We'll also have a presence at the Orchard Project Music Festival at Liberty Lands Park 2:30-5PM.

On Sunday we'll get down and dirty at the Mud Run from 7AM-12PM starting at Belmont Mansion Drive and Montgomery Drive.

Dead Bikes Liberated

Ever seen a skeleton of a bike attached to a parking meter, bike rack or street sign? Or maybe even a lonely single wheel still locked up? On July 9, with the help of a crew from the Streets Department we set those abandoned bikes and wheels free.


Here are the results of a full day's work:


We were able to remove 27 dead bikes in Center City. The bikes and wheels were then donated to Neighborhood Bike Works where they can be put to good use. Check out our Flickr for more photos of the bike removal. There are still many dead bikes in Center City and we'll start a second round of dead bike removal shortly.

Yours,

The Bicycle Ambassadors

P.S. Usually bikes are abandoned because either necessary components have been stolen or the owner has lost the keys to their lock. If you need a refresher on how to lock your frame and both wheels check out our comprehensive article. Some lock companies (such as Kryptonite) allow you to register a key code so that if you lose your keys you can order more, just make sure you write down your unique key code somewhere safe.

Bicycle Ambassador Events: July 6-11

Come see us at some great events this week:

Our Walnut Street Bridge campaign continues: We'll be out there on Tuesday, July 6 at 3:30-6:30PM and on Thursday, July 8 from 3:30-6PM.



Ever Wondered how to use a bus bike rack? You'll have the opportunity to practice on our very own bus bike rack on Wednesday, July 7 at Market East Station (11th and Market). We'll be there from 11:30AM-1:30PM. If you can't make it we also have an instructional video about how to load a bike on a bus.

On Thursday we're tabling at the Baltimore Avenue Dollar Stroll from 5:30-8:30. Businesses along Baltimore Avenue will be offering goods and services for just $1. You can pick up anything from ice cream to yoga lessons.

Need to wake up on your commute? On Friday we'll be on the trail at Falls Bridge and Kelly Drive serving FREE COFFEE to any cyclist who stops from 7-10AM. We'll also have air for your tires and answers to your questions about cycling. Take that, Portland.

On Sunday, July 11 you can visit us at The American Cancer Society Bike-a-thon from 6-7AM. We'll provide helmet checks, bike safety checks and free air. You can still register online or register at the starting line on Sunday.

Peace,

The Bicycle Ambassadors

Happy Hour and Urban Riding Basics: July 13th

On Tuesday, July 13th from 6-8pm O'Reilly's Pub & Restaurant (Frankford & Lehigh) will be hosting a happy hour and FREE Urban Riding Basics class. The class is a great way to learn how to start commuting by bike, or for seasoned cyclists to pick up some new tricks and tips.

RSVP To Kathryn at kdoherty@nkcdc.org before July 12th. See you there.

Yield to Bikes!

Our campaign began on Tuesday afternoon to improve cycling on the Walnut Street Bridge. We're letting motorists know that they need to yield to cyclists in the bike lane. So far we've been getting both cheers and jeers.

In the middle of the bridge the bike lane jogs to the left (the blue line above) as a right turn lane for motorists appears. Cyclists need to move left and some motorists need to move right, which can make this area tricky. Signaling as well as yielding to the vehicle ahead (according Pennsylvania law a bicycle is a legal vehicle) remain the best ways to negotiate this intersection.

We'll be back on Friday to continue our campaign from 2-4:30PM. Come say hi to us or show your support.

Sincerely,

The Bicycle Ambassadors

P.S. For information on right turns, bikes and the law check out this website from the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition: http://www.sfbike.org/?bikelane_right_turns

Bicycle Touring 101

Have you ever wanted to do an overnight bike ride but didn't know how? Well, fret no longer, here's your chance to learn!

Join Eastern Mountain Sports for an overnight cycling adventure. They'll teach you the basics of bike touring, and help you find the gear to get you anywhere.

Sign up now for the July 17th and 18th adventure! Space is limited to 10 people. Click here for more information!