400 bikes, 70 locks, thousands of smiles

Posted on Apr 7th 2017 | Advocacy, Bike Life,

March 29, 2017 was the culmination of six month’s hard work by Andy Quandt to bring Free Bikes 4 Kidz to Madison, WI. We gave away 400 bikes and helmets, 70 Planet Bike locks, and thousands of smiles. Turning run down bikes into gold feels good. Nigel Hayes of the Wisconsin Badgers men’s basketball team was on h […] read more...

More kids on bikes

Posted on Mar 29th 2017 | Advocacy, News,

Planet Bike has been a long-time supporter of youth cycling initiatives. We are thrilled to be a sponsor of the National Youth Cycling Research Initiative. Read below to find out more information on this exciting new project:The Youth Cycling Alliance (YCA) announces the National Youth Cycling Research Initiativ […] read more...

Neuroscience, Bikes, and Kids

Posted on Mar 24th 2017 | Bike Life,

At the 2017 National Bike Summit in Washington, DC earlier this month I learned about many new and innovative bike programs happening around the United States. One of the programs that caught my attention dealt with the intersection of neuroscience, bikes, and kids. Mike Sin […] read more...

Rebuild your gear, shipping is free!

Posted on Mar 23rd 2017 | Learn, Product,

All of us here at Planet Bike try to be conscious of our impact on the earth and we design our products to be easily rebuildable. We offer loads of small parts on our website (132 to be exact!) so that one missing bit doesn’t mean you have to throw something away and start over with a new product. The best p […] read more...

2017 Wisconsin Ride Guide

Posted on Mar 16th 2017 | Bike Life, Events,

Bicycling plays a prominent role in our home state of Wisconsin. From the many rail trails and other paths that are prevalent through much of the state, to the numerous bicycle related industries that call Wisconsin home; we take bicycling seriously here in Wisconsin. We also have a terrific advocacy organization in […] read more...

It’s the Little Things

Posted on Mar 6th 2017 | Bike Life, Blog, Video,

We all know the genius of the Dutch transportation engineers that have created a people-focused transportation system beloved by bicyclists, pedestrians and car drivers. It’s not just separated bike lanes and low car speeds that make cycling safe and fun in the Netherlands, it’s the little things too. Today, I fou […] read more...

Planet Bike Helps Launch Youth Cycling Alliance

Posted on Dec 21st 2016 |

Over the last 20 years, Planet Bike has been committed to supporting organizations working for sustainable transportation solutions. An importation part of that mission has been to encourage youth cycling. Over the years we have partnered with organizations such as Trips for Kids, the Youth Bike Summit, BikeWorks […] read more...

Superflash USB Update

Posted on Nov 29th 2016 | Product,

The legendary Pow! Blink, blink, blink of Planet Bike’s Superflash tail light has been keeping cyclists safer and more visible for over a decade. Since its inception, we have worked to continually improve the tail light’s function and durability and a couple of years back we introduced a rechargeable version. Now, t […] read more...

Fat Bike Fenders and Tire Gauge

Posted on Oct 25th 2016 | Product,

We’ve come out with quite a few new products this fall. I’ll be highlighting them in the coming days/weeks. First up is our fat bike specific gear. For the last three years (maybe more!) we’ve been getting questions from shops and customers about when we were going to make fat bike fenders. We spent a fair amount […] read more...

Double Wrapped Handlebars

Posted on Jun 10th 2016 | Bike Life, Blog, Learn, Product,

My name is Heath and I’m a double taper. It all started when I saw an old timer (yep, I’m talking about you Larry) cover his bars with foam tubes (think 10 speeds of the 1980’s) and a layer of leather tape overtop. A secret layer of comfort, genius! Over the years I have refined my s […] read more...

Blaze Headlight Updates

Posted on May 27th 2016 | Product,

Over the past 9 months or so we’ve rolled out a bunch of updates on our Blaze headlights (both battery operated and USB rechargeable models). The biggest change has been to include amber side lenses to increase the side visibility of the lights. This allows the light to be visible from 275 degrees and the use of […] read more...

Backbone of bicycle education

Posted on Mar 18th 2016 | Advocacy, Blog,

The League of American Bicyclists 2016 National Bike Summit brought together over 500 people from across the country and society to talk bikes. For the first time in a long time, this year’s Summit welcomed and highlighted League Cycling Instructors (LCIs), the backbone of bicycle education in the United States. LCIs […] read more...

Don’t get nasty. Get bicycle friendly

Posted on Mar 18th 2016 | Advocacy, Blog, Events,

The League of American Bicyclists’ Bicycle Friendly America program is growing up. The BFA program ranks states, communities, businesses and universities as Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum in terms of bicycle friendliness. At the 2016 National Bike Summit (March 7-9, 2016) the League began an extensive listening pe […] read more...

Soglin Spotting

Posted on Mar 17th 2016 | Advocacy, Blog,

The National Bike Summit brings many people together who share a love of bikes and how they help make our cities great places to live. I was pleased to see that Madison Mayor Paul Soglin was on the Summit agenda. Again. Madison, WI is built on an isthmus between two lakes. Planet Bike is headquartered in Madison a […] read more...

2016 National Bike Summit

Posted on Mar 14th 2016 | Advocacy,

The League of American Bicyclists 2016 National Bike Summit has concluded in Washington, DC. This year more than 535 bicycle advocates and industry folks from across the United States converged in DC to discuss the future of the League and the bicycling movement, federal lobbying and much more. As was noted duri […] read more...

Radical parking

Posted on Mar 10th 2016 | Advocacy, Bike Life, Blog,

When I visualize a big city, one of the things I see is cars: cars on the road, cars in parking lots, cars on the sidewalk and cars underneath all new condo buildings. I was in Washington, DC this week for the National Bike Summit. I was lucky enough to borrow a bike from my friend Jeff so was able to explore the ci […] read more...

Aluminum fenders for every bike!

Posted on Feb 19th 2016 | Product,

Winter is still far from over, but the warm temps for this weekend have us already thinking about spring. Melting snow means lots of cold puddles which can make for a messy ride. But a good set of fenders can make riding through slushy puddles a mostly clean (and dare we say fun) endeavor. In November we released a bu […] read more...

Planet Bike’s Gift Guide for the Picky Gentleman

Posted on Dec 11th 2015 | Product,

I’m picky about the products I use. I want something that will last and I can use for years to come. I test a lot of different products and it’s a rarity when I don’t find something I would change about a product. My wife tells me that I’m difficult when it comes to gifts. If you have someone in your life like me the […] read more...

Riding Towards Winter

Posted on Dec 8th 2015 | Bike Life, Blog,

Autumn can be an exhilarating time for traveling by bike. It can also be a little unpredictable. Daylight hours are quickly waning, the temperature is fickle and rain can string together for days. Dressing for the season is challenging but keeping your bike running smoothly can be just as difficult. We’ve pulled toge […] read more...

Fall 2015 Super Commuter – Ray Scheinfeld

Posted on Nov 22nd 2015 | Super Commuters,

At the confluence of the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers sits Philadelphia, a city that’s quickly making a name as one of the most bike friendly cities in the country. Philly is also home to our fall Super Commuter, Ray Scheinfeld. The City of Brotherly Love has a developing bike infrastructure that boasts 150 mile […] read more...

Supermarket Streetsweep

Posted on Nov 4th 2015 | Blog, Events,

We’re happy to be on board again as a sponsor for the Supermarket Streetsweep. For the past 9 years this race has produced thousands of pounds of food and thousands of dollars for the San Francisco and Marin Food Bank! […] read more...

Grateful Red

Posted on Oct 8th 2015 | Blog, Product,

We introduced a slew of new products at Interbike last month, one of the most interesting being the Grateful Red. It’s the evolution of our ever popular Rack Blinky 5. For the most part it looks the same as its predecessor, but looks can be deceiving. The Grateful Red is built on the same case but the internals are v […] read more...

Pickin’ & Skiddin’

Posted on Sep 22nd 2015 | Bike Life, Blog, Video,

This is too good to not share!

Love to Ride

Posted on Sep 4th 2015 | Blog, Events,

Here at Planet Bike we’ve been participating in the local Madison Love to Ride Challenge. The Love to Ride Challenge is a movement that has been spreading across the world and aims to encourage more people to try riding a bike to see how much fun and beneficial cycling can be. The program creates a sense of community […] read more...

Godspeed, Deb.

Posted on Aug 21st 2015 | Blog,

It’s not often one meets a person that literally inspires you to be a better person. Someone that makes you believe you can accomplish great things. Such a one has passed, and I am sad. From dancing to lobbying Congress, she taught us to take chances with joy in your heart. To learn more about this dynamo, go to BR&am […] read more...

The Jay Petervary Story

Posted on Aug 20th 2015 | Bike Life, Blog, Video,

JayP is quickly becoming (has become?) a living legend in the endurance bike world. Here’s a short and sweet clip on one of his adventures abroad. […] read more...

Summer 2015 Super Commuter – Ron Lessard

Posted on Aug 12th 2015 | Blog, Super Commuters,

As a young adult, Ron Lessard moved to Princeton, NJ to study the art of casting sculpture in bronze at an area foundry. He immediately fell in love with the area for its tree-shaded lanes, historic charm and natural beauty. He came to town in a car but for more than two decades he has been enjoying life in Princeton […] read more...

Bike Path Courtesy

Posted on Aug 10th 2015 | Advocacy, Bike Life, Blog, Learn,

It’s summertime and the living is easy. You’ve likely noticed that your neighborhood paths are teaming with activity. The path that rolls past my front door is a human highway of cyclist, rollerbladers, joggers, dog walkers, birders and skateboarders. The nicer the day, the more the path bustles. To celebrate bicyclin […] read more...

Heath's Trek 930 Xtracycle

Posted on Aug 7th 2015 |

Heath rode this bike years ago before retiring it to his childhood home and taking off for college. Years later he discovered it was still hiding in the barn. A little elbow grease, some updated components and an Xtracycle Free Radical kit was all it took t […] read more...

This is awesome!

Posted on Aug 5th 2015 | Bike Life, Blog, Video,

Many avid cyclists take the very act of riding a bike for granted. We’re really glad to see more and more adult bike riding classes popping up around the country! […] read more...