Tonight: Gear Up For Bike Month 2013

Bike Month is an annual celebration of the bicycle and all the reasons we ride: commuting to work or school, for errands, for recreation or competition. An event tonight sounds like a great way to start gearing up for Bike Month:

Join Downtown On the Go at Broken Spoke to hear about plans and events for Bike Month 2013. The City of Tacoma, Pierce County and Pierce Transit have been hard at work planning the Bike Swap and other favorites, as well as many new community events. Learn how to join the Commuter Challenge and talk to other cyclists about routes, gear, challenges and successes. Plus, $0.50 off any beer if you ride your bike!

Tacoma Green Drinks: Bike Month 2013

When: Thursday, April 4, 6:00 p.m.

Where: The Broken Spoke, 1014 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way, Tacoma

Details: www.greendrinks.org/wa/tacoma or on Facebook

Bike Month kicks off May 1, so that gives you just about a month from now to dust off the old bike, get a tune-up, and maybe get in a ride or two to get ready for the month-long Bike Commuter Challenge and other fun events.

The Bike Commuter Challenge, sponsored by the Tacoma Wheelman Bicycle Club and Tacoma Bike, is back again for 2013. The goal is to challenge yourself and your co-workers to bike to work. Sign up as an individual or a team to participate, and log your bike commutes. Log at least five trips in May, and you’ve got a chance to win an overnight getaway to Portland with travel on Amtrak, along with other fabulous prizes including gift certificates to Tacoma Bike.

Another fun event that we always look forward to is the annual Bike Swap. This is the perfect chance to trade up you ride before Bike Month starts, or for those who are bikeless, to invest in a shiny set of wheels to get you excited to start riding. This year’s Bike Swap will feature a free bike corral for anyone with just one or two bikes to sell—with a new section this year just for kids bikes, scoots, and trailers. You’ll also find low-cost adult and children’s helmets, and free helmet fittings with Downtown on the Go, bike experts from GeoEngineers to offer advice and minor repairs at the bike corral, and get free flat tire repairs with Tacoma Bike Children’s Bike Roadeo.

5th Annual Bike Swap

When: April 27, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Where: University of Puget Sound Memorial Fieldhouse, N 11th Ave and Union, Tacoma

Details: See the Bike Swap Facebook event page

So, who’s ready to go dust off those pedals?