Simsbury.bike News
Welcome to Simsbury.bike. Here you'll find lots of information to help make your rides enjoyable and safe.
October News
Simsbury.bike News - Oct. 2019
Peak riding season is rapidly drawing to a close and our bike share is wrapping up for 2019, but it's not too late to bike around our Silver-level Bicycle Friendly Community decked out in autumn colors. The October calendar has a variety of greater Hartford events and organized rides, and the end of the month begins "meeting season" with the CT Trails Symposium's "Shout it Out: Trails Tourism and Marketing (10/24), annual meetings for Bike Walk CT (11/8) and the Farmington Valley Trails Council (11/15), and the Northeast Multimodal & Transit Summit (11/25). The November schedule also includes the highly recommended bike safety course, Bike Education/Traffic Skills 101, on Nov. 2 in New Haven. Select the blue Calendar button at the top of the page for complete details.
Calendar Highlights
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Th., 10/17 - Simsbury Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee, Simsbury Public Library, 10 AM. Agenda
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Sat., 10/19 - Red Stone Pub Tweed Ride, Simsbury, 9 AM
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See "Calendar" button above for complete listing.
Parks & Open Space Survey
The Simsbury Culture, Parks, and Recreation Department is planning for the future of recreation facilities & open spaces in town. Please share your thoughts regarding our shared-use trails, mountain biking, and bike programming (e.g., safety classes, mountain biking clinics, youth cycling camps, etc.) on the Parks and Open Space Master Plan survey.
www.surveymonkey.com/r/SIMSBURY-PARKSMP
Get Involved
Did you know Farmington Valley Youth Cycling has mountain, road, and cyclocross teams for boys and girls ages 8-18? No prior experience is necessary. Learn more.
Please consider helping us with our bike share and advocacy work. We have volunteer opportunities of all shapes and sizes. Contact us for more information.
e-Newsletters
Simsbury.bike News - Oct. 2019
Simsbury.bike News - Sept. 2019
Simsbury.bike News - July 2019
Simsbury.bike News - June 2019
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National Bike Challenge
2019 Challenge Updates
The League of American Bicyclists, in partnership with Love to Ride, is again hosting the National Bike Challenge (NBC) from May 1 though Sept. 30.
Locally, we have elected not to host our local NBC challenge, the Simsbury Bike Challenge, to give our dedicated participants a break from this fun but sometimes intense competition. We will consider reopening the Simsbury Bike Challenge in 2020. In the meantime, local riders may participate in the 2019 NBC. Local results may still post on the NBC's Simsbury page.
What is the National Bike Challenge?
The National Bike Challenge (NBC) is a free, nationwide bicycle advocacy and wellness program that encourages people to bike for fitness, transportation, and recreation. Participants log the miles they bicycle and compete for prizes and awards in an online community. It’s fun, motivating, and a great way to support local and national bike advocacy efforts.
The NBC runs May 1- Sept. 30 with open enrollment throughout the challenge.
Ride anywhere, any distance, any frequency,
then make your rides count!
Looking Back, Looking Ahead
Since 2015, Simsbury has logged over 300,000 miles in the NBC. In 2016 Simsbury Free Bike finished as the #1 advocacy group in the U.S. If you liked the SBC and want to see it return, please consider becoming a volunteer to help support this and other bike initiatives.
For more information, contact
Debbie at challenge@simsbury.bike.
Bike Donations
Donate a Bike
Simsbury Free Bike accepts bike donations to build and support our fleet and advocacy initiatives. Bikes must be in operating condition; however, flat tires are acceptable. They should also be name brand, not discount store varieties. We prefer hybrid bikes with 700 wheels, but hard tail mountain bikes with 26” or larger wheels will be accepted.
If you have a bike you would like to donate, please contact Simsbury Free Bike at simsburyfreebike@gmail.com to discuss. Space and staffing sometimes limit our ability to accept used bikes. Please DO NOT leave bikes outside of our shop without prior notice. This creates an unexpected workload, and in many cases, a disposal cost.
National Bike Month
National Bike Month is celebrated in May in communities across the country to showcase the many benefits of bicycling — and encourage more people to give biking a try. In Simsbury, Bike Month is truly a month-long celebration with events, rides, classes, safety campaigns, and more. Join us as we Bike to Work, Bike to School, and bike for fun! See our complete 2019 Bike Month Calendar for details.