August 2014 Ride Details

This Saturday, August 30, 2014, Kidical Mass Philadelphia will ride from Fitler Square to Spruce Street Harbor Park.

We will meet at Fitler Square, starting around 10:30 AM. We will chat safety rules and fill out waivers and then roll out at 11:00 AM. We will take the Pine Street buffered bike lane all the way to Front Street, where we will take a left. When we get to Spruce Street, we are going to make a right up onto the sidewalk, dismount from our bikes, and walk to the park. There are cobblestones on Spruce Street so we will avoid any mishaps and make sure all of our riders make it to the park in one piece! It’s a 2.1 mile ride in total.

Here is the map

Here is our Facebook Event Page for RSVPing

If you need a bike, call Transport Cycles or Fairmount Bicycles to see what they have! Both shops rent cargo bikes!

If you are driving to the starting spot, you can easily get back on to Spruce Street (with buffered bike lane once you get past the cobblestones at Dock Street).

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A few notes on safety:

–Helmets are required.

-All children must be accompanied by an adult that is responsible for their riding and behavior during the ride.

–Training wheels are not recommended due to street conditions. Independent kid riders are great: make sure they know road safety basics and are ready to listen closely and obey the rules of the road.

-Dena and Marni will lead the route.

-When we encounter vehicles blocking the bike lane (and we will!), we will “take the lane” to go around, when it is safe to do so.

-In general, we will not block intersections to go through red lights (“corking“): if our group gets split up, the front pack will stop and wait. On rare occasions, we may cork a street if there is no traffic coming or a car has offered to stop.

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A few notes on Spruce Street Harbor Park:

-There is one bike rack that is not designed to fit anything except road bikes. Please bring locks so that you can sufficiently lock your wheels and bikes to each other. We will create our own bike locking area.

-There are food and beer available but you can also bring outside food in.

-There are a few tables but not many places to sit on blankets.

-There is a fountain that kids are allowed to wade into. We recommend bringing a change of clothes/towel.

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Thank you to the Bike Coalition of Greater Philadelphia for their support!

 

Sponsor Highlight: R.E.Load Bags

R.E.Load Bags are custom messenger bags handmade in Philly! They’ve been around since the 1990s!

 

photo c/o RELoad Bags

Owned and operated by Roland Burns, R.E.Load is a household name in messenger bags. Their quality and craftsmanship is amazing. They have kept their manufacturing small and local: you can stop in the shop to check their goods out in person and see the whole operation! Many of their bags would make great diaper bags, kid bags, and family biking bags! Specifically the hip packs and totes!

Hopefully Roland and fam will be at one of our upcoming Kidical Mass rides, but in the meantime they are supporting our cause and also hitting the streets on their Bilenky cargo bike!

photo c/o RELoad instagram: http://instagram.com/reloadbags/

Thanks, RELoad for being awesome for the Philly cycling scene, and for embracing family biking and supporting Kidical Mass!

They will have a surprise on the day of the event, but if you’ve liked anything you’ve read here, you should definitely come!

Sponsor Highlight: Firth & Wilson Transport Cycles

Firth & Wilson Transport Cycles is Philly’s premier cargo bike shop. They sell bikes from Brooklyn Bicycle Co., Torker, Pure Fix, Simcoe, Babboe, Gazelle, Xtracycle, Yuba, and Soma. They sell accessories from Brooks, Carradice, Green Guru, Basil, Yepp, Nutcase, Abus, and many other brands. They also sell a few local goods including AllOneWord cycling caps!

photo credit: Transport Cycles

Their shop bike is a yellow Larry vs Harry Bullitt equipped with a BionX electric assist system and a beautiful wooden box. You can rent it!

Kids love Firth & Wilson!

Beyond the equipment, the owners, Simon and David, are down to earth and friendly. They are both custom bike fabricators, and their knowledge is obvious without being pretentious. Their shop is family friendly (there is a bathroom and they are breastfeeding-friendly). They offer test rides on their variety of cargo bikes. And Simon is THE Brooks Saddles North American Service center, offering repairs and service.

Check them out!

933 Spring Garden St
Philadelphia, PA 19123
(267) 318-7285
info@transportcycle.com

Mon-Fri 10-6 Sat 10-5

On the day of the ABCs, Firth & Wilson will be on hand with their cargo bikes for test rides. They would love to answer any questions you may have and chat with you about options and pricing! Thank you for your continued support of Kidical Mass and family biking as a whole in Philadelphia, S and D!!

July 19th, 2014 Ride Details

DATE: 07/19/2014 (Saturday)

TIME: Meet around 10:45 AM, Roll out promptly at 11:00

START: We are meeting at Fitler Square, Pine St between 23rd and 24th St

END: Seger Recreation Center : There is a small sprayground and a playground. Bring bathing suit and towel, sunscreen, water, and snack/lunch.

HELMETS, BELLS AND LIGHTS ARE STRONGLY SUGGESTED. Kids 12 and under are required by PA Law to wear helmets. The ride is know sponsored by  The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia: a waiver will be present to sign for yourself and your children.

ROUTE: 

To be determined, check back here or via Facebook

****ROUTE SUBJECT TO CHANGE

RSVP: https://www.facebook.com/events/912478098767651/

FAQs:

• What happens if there is bad weather?:  A light sprinkle we will ride, a down pour likely not. Please check back on the website and Facebook group.
• I want to drive down, where can I park?: We suggest you park at the end of the route so you can easily reload bikes and kids at the end.
• How fast do you go?: We go so slow, we could probably walk faster. No really this ride is at a slow rate, we wait for the group between lights/ stop signs.
• Kids on Training Wheels?: We suggest if your child is on training wheels, biking on the city streets might not be the safest.
• Can I come without a kid?: Yes, as long as you are pro safe streets and do not make us nervous you are welcome to come without children. Please remember though you are riding with children.
• Can I come without an adult?: Sorry, at this time we require you come with an adult who is responsible for you.
• Can I volunteer to help?: YES PLEASE. Email Us.

Second Philly Kidical Mass Ride: March 9th, 2013

Join us for our second ride Saturday March 9th, 2013 at 10:30am. This ride is a safe, fun ride for parents and children who like to bike! 

We will meet once again at Fitler Square at 10:30. We will follow the same route as last time. 

Look for updates on here or the facebook group.