Amy’s Foray into Winter Bike Commuting… When Everything Went Wrong! (Part 1)

Posted on Feb 25th 2020 | Bike Life,

So, how’s that bike commuter thing going? Well, first of all, everything went wrong! There’s a saying that when you are on a path the universe will do everything in its power to keep you on that path, so I was seriously doubting I should be on this bike path. A series of unfortunate events began about a week after […] read more...

FALL 2019 SUPER COMMUTER – KENT FACKENTHALL

Posted on Oct 28th 2019 | Bike Life, News, Super Commuters,

Bicycle commuting is often considered an urban phenomenon, but we realize that not all Super Commuters live in Metropolis and battle car-choked streets to get to work or hit the neighborhood market.  That’s why we are happy to report that our latest Super Commuter is more of the pastoral variety.  That’s righ […] read more...

NICA IS ABOUT MORE THAN PUTTING KIDS ON BIKES

Posted on Oct 28th 2019 | Advocacy, Better World, Bike Life, Events,

This past weekend, the Wisconsin chapter of the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) held its state championships in Waterloo, WI just 40 minutes outside of our hometown of Madison, WI. If you haven’t yet heard of NICA, this organization is doing some amazing work in growing the next generation of cyc […] read more...

HALLOWEEN GIVE-A-WAY CONTEST

Posted on Oct 28th 2019 | Bike Life, Blog, Events,

Here at Planet Bike, Halloween is one of our favorite times of year. We love costumed cyclocross races, trick-or-treating with the kids, carving pumpkins and radiant rides through the fall colors. It’s also a fun time of year to see bicycle enthusiasts use our products in unique ways. This year, we want to hear from y […] read more...

The Commute Diaries: Amy’s Journey Into Becoming A Regular Bike Commuter

Posted on Oct 8th 2019 | Bike Life, Blog,

What’s the best way to start a new habit? I don’t know, but I’m going to find out on this journey. I get overwhelmed by the idea that it only takes 27 days to start a new habit, 27 days IN A ROW that is! I struggle with the idea of that kind of commitment; I have a child, I have a job, I have side jobs, I have appointm […] read more...

Announcing Planet Bike’s Best Shot Photo Contest Winner

Posted on Aug 8th 2019 | Bike Life, News, Quarterly Dispatch,

In May, we launched our first “Best Shot” photo contest. We received many artistic submissions and after much deliberation, we’re happy to announce that Joe Korbuszewski is our winning photographer. Joe captured his image at the gateway of the Olympic Peninsula near Gig Harbor, Washington while riding his nearly-origin […] read more...

Planet Bike’s New Super Commuter Is…

Posted on Aug 8th 2019 | Advocacy, Bike Life, News, Quarterly Dispatch, Super Commuters,

A Super Commuter rides through every season, in all types of weather, day and night. Choosing the simplicity, health and pleasure of bicycling, a Super Commuter simply prefers to ride a bike.Planet Bike has been recognizing Super Commuters from across the country for the past 15 years. Never before have we awarded this […] read more...

200+ Neighbors and Families in South Tucson Transform School Crossing with Tactical-Urbanism Traffic Circle

Posted on Jun 12th 2019 | Advocacy, Better World, Bike Life,

This post is brought to you by the Living Streets Alliance – Tucson. Planet Bike is a proud supporter of the Living Streets Alliance who has a mission to promote healthy communities by empowering people to transform streets into vibrant places for walking, bicycling, socializing and playing. […] read more...

Planet Bike Staff Volunteers at Free Bikes 4 Kidz Madison

Posted on May 5th 2019 | Advocacy, Better World, Bike Life,

In 2008, Terry Esau started Free Bikes 4 Kidz (FB4K) out of his garage in Minnesota. The mission was to “Give kids in need access to a bike they can call their very own.” With that unassuming goal, FB4K has made a huge impact! The organization has expanded with satellite chapters in eight state […] read more...

Planet Bike Spring Super Commuter Nominations Open!

Posted on May 5th 2019 | Bike Life, Events, News, Super Commuters,

The Planet Bike Super Commuter is back! Those of you who have followed Planet Bike though the years are aware of our tradition of honoring dedicated cyclists who ride their bikes in everyday life throughout the seasons regardless of conditions. What is a Supercommuter? A Supercommuter rides through every se […] read more...

Announcing Planet Bike’s “Best Shot” Photo Contest

Posted on May 3rd 2019 | Bike Life, Events, News,

Have you captured the sights and scenes of your daily bike commute, recent bike tour or urban bike adventure? We want to see where you explore with Planet Bike product! We are excited to launch the Planet Bike bi-annual photo contest. Starting now through June 31st we will be accepting photos of your adventures […] read more...

High School Mountain Biking League in Wisconsin

Posted on Dec 13th 2018 | Better World, Bike Life,

The High School Mountain Biking scene has seen huge growth over the last few years. NICA now has programs in 25 states and over 18,000 students participated in 2018. Our home league in Wisconsin has an amazing scene and a new video from IFHT films showcases the incredible family like atmosphere of the State Championsh […] read more...

Chicago Bicycle Ambassadors

Posted on Sep 27th 2018 | Better World, Bike Life,

Since 2001 the Chicago DOT has helped fund the Bicycle Ambassadors program which includes a squad of cyclists who educate the public on traffic safety and encourage biking, walking, and transit. We have supported the outreach efforts of the Ambassadors for many years, and for 2018 we partnered with them by providing […] read more...

5 Tips to Successfully Ride Your Bike to School

Posted on Aug 31st 2018 | active transportation, Back to School, bicycle, Safe Routes to Schools, Bike Life, Blog,

Going back to school can be a difficult transition for families and riding a bike to school can bring ease and joy to this time of year. There are many benefits to biking to school including; encouraging independence, reducing stress and improved behavior to name a few. In this blog post we sha […] read more...

Six Great Reasons to Join the National Bike Challenge

Posted on Apr 25th 2018 | Advocacy, Bike Life, Blog, Events,

Thinking about signing up for the National Bike Challenge this year? There are six days remaining before the start of the National Bike Challenge so with a little help from our friends at the League of American Bicyclists  we made a list of six great reasons to join! (All photos are provided by participant […] read more...

30 Days of Biking in April

Posted on Mar 29th 2018 | Bike Life,

The month of April is almost here and with it comes the 30 Days of Biking Challenge and Pledge. Now in its 8th year, the challenge is a way to encourage people to try to get out and ride their bike every day in April. Even the shortest of rides counts – a quick spin around the block, a ride to the nearest coffee sho […] read more...

Support Your Shop

Posted on Nov 2nd 2017 | Bike Life,

We rolled out a new website several weeks ago which has made it even easier to find our products at bike shops in your area. All the product pages offer a “Buy Local” button which will prompt you to enter your zip code or city/state. […] read more...

Badger Rock Middle School Launches Riding for Focus Program

Posted on Oct 23rd 2017 | Advocacy, Bike Life, Blog,

Last week Badger Rock Middle school in our home town of Madison, WI was one of 20 middle schools across the country to receive a Biking for Focus grant from The Specialized Foundation. The grant provided 20 bikes, helmets through the Specialized Foundation and curriculum that was developed with Stanford University. Ri […] read more...

Youth Bike Summit Recap

Posted on Oct 19th 2017 | Advocacy, Bike Life, Blog,

A few weeks ago we posted a blog about the 7th annual Youth Bike Summit (YBS) that took place on October 6th – 8th in Arlington, VA. Planet Bike has been a long-time supporter of the YBS and we are always excited to see the results and growth of the summit each year. Keynote presentation session Mo […] read more...

Transportation – The Future is Now

Posted on Oct 11th 2017 | Advocacy, Bike Life, Blog,

I had the pleasure to attend and present at 1000 Friends of Wisconsin’s recent Transportation: The Future Is Now conference in Madison, WI. In a nutshell, I spoke to how Autonomous Vehicles will slowly create a bump and then a tidal wave of biking and walking in our communities. Once a person replaces their old car wit […] read more...

Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day

Posted on Oct 3rd 2017 | Bike Life, Events,

My family recently took a trip up to Marquette, Michigan with some other biking families to explore and ride some of the amazing mountain bike trails the area is well known for. We brought the kids to the trail head one day to rip around on the pump track and ride some of the shorter loops through the woods. […] read more...

40,000 Miles and Counting

Posted on Aug 18th 2017 | Bike Life,

We recently heard from a loyal customer in Texas who swears by our Protégé computers and we just had to share his story.Gary Files was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in February 2008 and vowed to take control of his health through diet and exercise. In May of that year he made a commitment to ride and began lo […] read more...

Life in the Bike Lane

Posted on Aug 11th 2017 | Better World, Bike Life,

New York City, known as the melting pot of the world, has seen the number of bicycle commuters increase rapidly over the past five years. Although still a fraction of the total transportation population, bicycling has outpaced both population and employment growth within the city. New York now has more bicycle […] read more...

Learning to Ride

Posted on May 17th 2017 | Bike Life,

Learning to ride a bike is a big deal. The experience has a sort of monumental and mythical quality to it. It’s one of those classic experiences you’re supposed to remember forever, symbolizing a sense of independence and accomplishment. We can probably all envision the scene – a parent running behind a child […] read more...

National Park Week

Posted on Apr 17th 2017 | Bike Life,

At Planet Bike, we obviously love riding our bikes. We use the bicycle for multiple reasons – transportation, recreation, racing, urban exploring, and family outings just to name a few. Aside from our daily use of the bicycle, we are always on the lookout for unique experiences to enjoy on our favorite two-wheel […] read more...

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 […] 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 Sinyard […] 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...

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...