Bike Erie is a leader, facilitator, guide and advocate for efforts and developments that help to make Erie safe, accessible and enjoyable to bike and walk. We prioritize educating and supporting people as a way to accomplish transforming Erie into a more bicycle-friendly place. Through workshops, classes, online education, and other programs and activities, we help people in Erie to develop and access the knowledge, skills and tools they need to bike and walk safely, confidently and responsibly.
Check out our calendar to find out about and take part in upcoming workshops, classes, programs and other activities.
Check out our Resource and Online Education pages for a great collection resources to learn more about bicycle safety, skills and healthy transportation and recreation in general.
Programs, Services & Activities
Educational Workshops & Classes
We will offer various workshops and classes on an ongoing basis, so be sure to check out our calendar for upcoming opportunities. In addition to curriculum from the League of American Bicyclists, some of the workshops and classes we plan to offer include:
– Fix-a-Flat: How to Change a Tire – Bike Repair 101
– Safe Riding 101 – Urban Riding Basics
– Adult Learn-to-Ride – Winter Riding 101
Improving & Increasing Bicycle Education in Erie
League of American Bicyclist LCI certified instructors are formally certified to educate people on bicycle safety and skills. Currently, there are ZERO in Erie County. It’s our goal to annually offer the Traffic Skills 101 course and LCI Seminar to individuals living within Erie County. We believe that establishing a strong base of LCI certified instructors will enable Bike Erie, other organizations and our community to better prepare, support and encourage everyone to more safely bike for transportation and recreation.
As a result of achieving the certification, individuals will be able to teach (Smart Cycling) curriculum including: Traffic Skills 101, Traffic Skills 201, Group Riding, Commuting, Bicycling 123 Youth, Bicycling 123, Safe Routes to School, and they will be better apt to teach additional curriculum that Bike Erie offers.
The League of American Bicyclists is one of the largest and oldest national bicycle education and advocacy organizations. Their LCI certification is the most well-known and respected bicycle safety education accreditation. To our knowledge, there are currently only two individuals in all of Erie County (280,000+ people) who are LCI certified. Having an ample LCI certified instructors within the Erie community is not only important to encouraging and education people on bicycle safety and skills, it’s a key step in achieving Bicycle Friendly Community status.
Pedal Mettle – A Youth Bicycle Education Program
Pedal Mettle is a program that focuses on educating youth on safe biking skills and bike repair while providing the youth with the resources necessary to be successful. The program helps youth to better understand the importance of exercise and healthy living, as well as self-sufficiency and sustainability. The youth learn responsibility and teamwork in a positive and enriching setting while being educated on how to set goals. They also increase their confidence and experience a great sense of accomplishment from repairing their own bicycle and helping one another. Upon successful completion of the program, the youth receive the bike that they repaired, a helmet, bike lock, and bike lights.
History: Pedal Mettle was started in August of 2014 and is based on the earn-a-bike model and other successful youth education and bicycle repair programs that exist throughout North America. Passionate volunteers like Kristine Nelson, the Sisters of St. Joseph Neighborhood Network, and Bike Erie worked together to create and operate this program. For more information on Pedal Mettle, to donate bikes or otherwise, please email Gloria Shotwell: gshotwell@ssjnn.org or call (814) 870-9021.
Bicycle Education & Repair Center (AKA bicycle cooperative)
Bike Erie worked with the Sisters of St. Joseph Neighborhood Network (SSJNN) to start Erie’s first formal bike cooperative in the spring of 2015. The Bicycle Education & Repair Center (BERC) is a place for everyone in the Erie community to come to learn how to repair and to access the tools that are needed to repair their bikes. Our hope is to grow the co-op into a successful city hub for bicycle education and repair.
The cooperative will be based on other established bicycle cooperatives, collectives, education facilities and programs from across the U.S. and world. We’ve visited and talked with many bicycle cooperatives and similar organizations throughout the U.S., including Recycle a Bicycle of Harrisburg; Spokefolk in Fredonia, New York; Velocity Bicycle Cooperative of Alexandria, Virginia; the Bicycle Collective in Salt Lake City, Utah; and others to learn what it takes to successfully run a bike cooperative. There are well over 100 bike cooperatives and related organizations in the U.S. and approximately ten in Pennsylvania alone.
Bike Right – Ride Bright at Night Initiative
As part of our Bike Right – Ride Bright initiative, we’ve worked with the Erie County Department of Health to purchase and begin distributing and installing front and rear bike lights to individuals who need them. In 2014, we helped install nearly 40 bike lights. Pennsylvania State Law says that individuals biking at night must have a front light on their bike as well as a rear reflector – in addition, we encourage people to utilize a rear blinking red light.
Ride of Silence – A Global Memorial & Awareness Ride
We facilitate a ride in downtown Erie in honor and memory of individuals who have been injured or killed while biking. The purpose of the event is to bring awareness to people who utilize a bicycle so that conditions become safer for bicyclists and all road-users. The Ride of Silence is a global event that takes place in May every year.