Events: National Bike Month 2024
Here in the United States, May is National Bike Month. Started in 1956, National Bike Month aims to showcase the health benefits of cycling as well as encourage people of every age to give cycling a try. Within the month there is National Bike to Work Week (May 13-19) and National Bike to Work Day (May 17). As of publishing time, there is no indication of National Bike Hour.
May is the perfect time to visit the local bike shop. For the established cyclist, May is the time to gauge the service department’s lead time. While winter service could potentially feature same-day turnaround time, summer months can leave riders without a bike for a week or more. Getting the bike prepped for the summer riding season is one of the best ways to gear up for Bike Month and beyond. A simple tune-up could be the only thing needed to encourage a bike ride to work.
For new cyclists, May can be the time to find deals on last year’s stock or get a jump on the new year models. Many shops will try to outfit you and your bike for the first couple hundred miles. There has been an even broader spectrum of bike styles to meet the needs of discerning riders. It’s always a fun day when it’s new bike day.
Recently a customer brought his fifteen year-old bike in for service. He was quoted hundreds of dollars to update the bike. Catching us all off guard, he immediately agreed to the service. When asked why, he stated his workplace insurance provided a stipend for sporting equipment and/ or gym memberships. He pushed his stipend toward his lifelong steed and walked out with a refreshed bike days later. National Bike Month does more than just discovering cycling- it showcases the health benefits of cycling, even if it means reading the insurance paperwork during enrollment.
Meanwhile there are initiatives to promote cycling safe corridors. One of the concerns potential riders express is safety, and rightfully so. Some cities are cycling forward while others are car-centric. Here in Philadelphia, improvements can be seen in the prevalence of painted bike lanes as well as the closure of Martin Luther King Boulevard (weekends April - October). Initially closed to traffic during Covid, enthusiasts lobbied to maintain boulevard closure beyond, granting access to center city. Advocates are lobbying and gaining ground to make cycling safer through protected infrastructure.
Throughout the month of May, let’s celebrate the small things in cycling. If one person per day in each community decides to have a go on a bike, imagine the impact felt by the end of May. Those who stepped away from riding could throw a leg over the bike again to relive the thrill associated with pushing the pedals. Imagine further of a group of people riding to work next week when they would have driven. Or research the elementary school group ride featured on social media that shows dozens of kids being led down a suburban thoroughfare to get a couple of miles in each morning on their way to school. Let’s showcase not just the health benefits of cycling, but the endless enjoyment of powering a bike to a destination. May the bikes reclaim the streets again.
