Brooklyn by Bike

May is bike month and filled with a whole bunch of events which you can access here. Here are some of our favorite events to help you navigate the schedule.

1. We’ve got a ride this month to Sunset Park on Saturday May 15th @ 3;30pm to check out Artist Open Studio Day! More info on the rides page.

2. Thursday May 6th – Hit up the Bike Culture Summit aka Bike Snob Speaks followed by Bike Night at Brooklyn Brewery for $1 drafts to benefit Brake the Cycle.

3. Sunday May 9th – Take an off-road adventure with the 5 Boro Bike Club to the Old Put and the Croton Aqueductin in Westchester.

4. Tuesday May 11th – Check out Bespoke: The Handbuilt Bicycle, presented by the Museum of Arts and Design opening today.

5. Sunday May 16th – Free + cheap bike stuffs at the Brooklyn Bike Jumble and $99 bikes from Times Up @ 99 South 6th St Brooklyn, 4pm.

6. Sunday May 23th – Bike with your dog at the Doggie Pedal Parade – Topmkins Sq Park Dog Run, 4pm.

7. Friday May 28th – End bike month by playing hooky with TransAlt and head to Riis Beach! RSVP required.

Anything you love that we missed? Add it in the comments.

Tonight! January 25: The Great Williamsburg Bike Wars: A Public Debate w/Caroline Samponaro, Heather Loop, Isaac Abraham @ Pete’s Candy Store – 709 Lorimer St Brooklyn NY, 7:30pm.

Just before Christmas, 2009, a war broke out on the bike lanes of Williamsburg. On one side: the Hasidic Jewish community of the Southside, who had advocated–successfully–for Mayor Bloomberg to remove the Bedford Ave Bike lane.  On the other side: A coalition of bikesters, whose defiance led them to re-paint the bike lanes, and threaten a topless ride in protest (it was snowed out in the blizzard of ’09). Moderating: Hasidic bike enthusiast Baruch Herzfeld.

Saturday January 30th: Haiti Benefit Race @ Tompkins Square Park followed by an after party w/goldsprints @ Bklyn Wrek Room – 940 Flushing Ave Brooklyn NY

Saturday January 30th: Transporation Alternatives Brooklyn Commitee hosts their monthly ride. Check the TA calendar for route and time closer to the date.

1. Biking Rules PSA and Film Competition – Nov 17th

Transportation Alternatives presents an evening screening of Public Service Announcements (PSAs) to promote why Biking Rules in NYC. Come see over the premiere of jury-selected PSA entries at BAM Cinematek. The evening will include prizes and a special reception afterward with free beer courtesy of the Brooklyn Brewery. Tickets are $11.

2. Cranksgiving – Nov 21st

An annual charity ride that collects food for the homeless and funds for City Harvest and the New York Bike Messenger Foundation. It’s been happening for over a decade now and has spread to at least a dozen other cities. But this is where it started, in New York City. Free registration for the race is at 2pm on November 21, and the race will begin at 3pm.

3. Weekend Bike Ride in Cobble Hill – Nov 8th

The Cobble Hill Association and Brooklyn Greenway Initiative are hosting a 10-mile casual bike ride that will start at Cobble Hill Park and pass through Brooklyn Heights, Dumbo, the Columbia Waterfront District, Red Hook, and Carroll Gardens then loop back to Cobble Hill. RSVP cobblehillbikeride@gmail.com

4. How Much to Fix My Crappy Bike?

Alright so this isn’t an event but Brokelyn sent around @Bushwickwill in search of the cheapest bike repairs in Brooklyn for his girlfriend’s crappy bike. Check it out, it’s good stuff.

Got any other bike related events I should add to the calendar? Comment below!

Last Tuesday I headed over to see David Byrne speak about cycling on a panel with Janet Sadik-Khan, Paul Steely White of Transportation Alternatives and Mitchell Joachim. Byrne’s most entertaining bit consisted of showing slides of large urban/suburban street intersections and saying something like, “What’s going on here? There’s no people!” He wasn’t the best speaker but the panel was informative and entertaining nonetheless. Janet Sadik-Khan was the true highlight but to be fair, she talked to New Yorkers about how great NYC cycling infrastructure is and how great it is going to be. How could you not love that?

Though it is technically legal, cops are giving tickets to cyclists now for not using the bike lane . Thanks to @mattupstate for the note.

I tweeted that I’d prefer if they’d start ticketing those who ran stoplights first, self included. This caused 20+ people to reply telling me that I was stupid or that stoplights are not really stops for cyclists and they’d rather see cops ticket cars parked in bike lanes. Can’t really disagree with some of that but I do know we as cyclists have got to slow down for pedestrians. I’ve made a conscious decision to do so and have noticed how pedestrians grimace when they see a cyclist approaching even when the ped has right of way. It’s not right.

In other news, there is a robot who will pedal your tandem and a line of cycling specific gear designed for women! About time, ladies…just wish the stuff didn’t look like it walked out of 1992.

More proof that NYC is continuing on a mission to become the world class bicycle friendly city…

On Saturday, September 12th, two teams of accomplished Dutch and American planners & designers will face off in a live competition, part performance art and part debate. Each team will present its most creative, compelling vision to increase bicycling in lower Manhattan and the New York Harbor District.

At the end of the evening, the judges will declare a winner, with the most innovative and practical plan for making New York, and New Yorkers, more bicycle-friendly. [via New Amsterdam Bike Slam]