Discounts

Become an AS&R member and get discounts at local bike shops and businesses!

Blue Heron Bikes: 10% off parts and accessories.

Marie Bowser Acupuncture: 30% off your first visit.

Bikes on Solano: 10% off labor, parts and accessories.

Quad Republic Skate Co. 5% off SKATES, 10% off parts & accessories.

Offers are valid to members of Albany Strollers & Rollers and their households. Tell your friends!
Contact us with questions.

Events

May
10
Thu
Bike to Work Day – Volunteers Needed! @ Albany Strollers & Rollers Energizer Station - Ohlone Greenway & Marin Avenue
May 10 @ 6:30 am – 9:30 am

Come join our annual rolling party, Bike to Work Day!
photo courtesy Nick Pilch

Join us for the 25th Annual Bike to Work Day in the Bay Area, a party on wheels!!

As usual, there will be coffee, food, swag, bike goodies in the famous Bike to Work Day musette bags, fun and lots of good conversation & information so come on down on your way to work!
Here’s a short VIDEO that AS&R member Francesco Papalia took so you can see how fun the morning is!

Don’t miss rolling down to see all your friends and neighbors!
Photo courtesy Nick Pilch

The staff of Blue Heron Bikes and Berkeley Bikes & Skateboards will be volunteering their time, checking your bicycles for safety and road-worthiness as they have in previous years! Thanks to owners Rob Allen & Winston Jamison for spending time with us all!
Local business Kim’s Cafe  (thanks, Cathy!!) and Royal Ground Coffee (thanks, Mike!) are again donating home made pastries & beverages for our Energizer Station. Trader Joe’s El Cerrito, Barney Butter non-GMO almond butter from the Central Valley, Semifreddi’s in Alameda and GU Energy in Berkeley are also giving us generous donations. Safeway on Solano and Sprouts at University Village are donating gift cards for groceries, too!
SO YES, WE NEED YOUR HELP IN DISTRIBUTING ALL THESE GOODIES TO 600+ CYCLISTS!
Local businesses BLUE HERON, BUA LUANG, TAY TAH CAFE AND FERN’S GARDEN ARE ALL  DONATING SPECIAL GIFT CARDS OR COUPONS FOR OUR BIKE MONTH VOLUNTEERS, IN APPRECIATION FOR YOUR TIME AND SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY!!!

Plenty of food and drink for everyone, but we could use people to pick it up and hand it out!
photo courtesy Francesco Papalia

WE WILL NEED HELP AT OUR ENERGIZER STATION BEGINNING AT 6:30 a.m. through wrap-up at 9:30, as well as preparing for a big celebration.

We will need help stuffing the musette bags with goodies beforehand, picking up food & coffee early morning on the 10th, and handing out swag, food and counting cyclists all morning at the Energizer Station.
Want to help get donations of food, beverages or $ for food & bevs?  If so, please contact Ken McCroskey at kenmccroskey@gmail.com or Amy Smolens at calamari@alumni.duke.edu or leave a comment on this post.
Thanks!!

Stuffing bags for everyone who rolls by is FUN!! If you can help, please email Ken at kenmccroskey@gmail.com – thanks!

Stuff to stuff!
photo courtesy Amy Smolens

Sep
9
Sun
Solano Stroll – Volunteers Needed – AS&R is providing Free Bicycle Valet Parking! @ Tree Lot and Wells Fargo parking lot
Sep 9 @ 10:00 am – 5:00 pm

Hundreds of people from all over the Bay Area take advantage of our Bicycle Valet Parking service at two lots on Solano Avenue. Please volunteer a few hours before enjoying the event! Thanks to Floor Dimensions for donating the Red Carpet to show the way!
Photo courtesy Amy

Albany Strollers & Rollers will again be providing Free Bicycle Valet Parking at two locations: 1800 Solano Ave (Wells Fargo) and 1245 Solano (the vacant lot near Masonic.)
We’ll also have an information table by our western lot near Masonic.
WE NEED YOU TO MAKE THIS A SUCCESS!
If you’d like to help park bikes (we parked 300+ last year!!) at either lot or volunteer at AS&R’s info table, please contact Amy Smolens or  Sylvia Paull.
This is a great gig for kids, too, as long as they are strong enough to roll a bike. If students need volunteer-hours, this is perfect!

AS&R Super-Volunteer Lynn Eve Komaromi takes a well-earned Pad Thai break – thanks, Bua Luang!
Please join Lynn Eve and your AS&R neighbors in volunteering!

All volunteers who work at least a 4-hr shift or pick up & return rental racks will get free lunch provided by a supporting Solano Avenue restaurants Tay Tah , Bua Luang Thai Cuisine or Brazilian Breads – yum!!
Kim’s Cafe is providing home made iced tea at our lower lot. Some sponsoring businesses also provide fabulous gifts or coupons for our volunteers, too!
RXBAR has also donated boxes of delicious protein bars (many flavors) for all volunteers and visitors to our AS&R booth!
**NEW VOLUNTEER PERK – Sam at Ale Tales just donated discount coupons for all volunteers (or parents of youth volunteers!!)
Volunteer hours run from 9am-5:30pm so it’s easy to pick a shift that works for you!
Since 1974 Solano Avenue and the cities of Albany and Berkeley have hosted the Solano Avenue Stroll, the East Bay’s largest street festival! The Solano Avenue Association , AS&R and Check for Bikes invite you to see what makes Solano Avenue a wonderful place. The Stroll features over five hundred vendors including 50 entertainers (there’s always great music!,) 50 food booths, 150 government and non-profit agencies, 150 juried hand-crafters, a 75 entry parade, state of the art mechanical rides and much more!

Come visit AS&R at our information table then enjoy a great stroll up Solano!
Or better yet, volunteer a few hours with Sherie, Amy and your neighbors before strolling!
Photo courtesy Patsy Reese

230,000 participants and event guests visit from all over the west coast so that’s where YOU come in – many of them ride their bikes, so we need people to help park them in our lots. Lots of them want to talk about cycling and walking around the area, and they want to talk to YOU!

Volunteers like Griffin and Sylvia keep things running like clockwork at both lots
Photo courtesy Patsy

AS&R’s supporting sponsor, Floor Dimensions has donated a long Red Carpet to lead passers-by to our information table and straight up the ramp to our western Bicycle Valet Parking lot!
Please see the press room to stay tuned into what’s hot at this years event!

Bikes, Bikes, Bikes!! 300 + of them at our two lots so please join us!!
Photo courtesy Nick Pilch

Sep
13
Thu
BMX/MTB Park and Albany Hill trails on Parks & Rec Meeting Agenda @ Albany City Hall
Sep 13 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
This item was written by Parks & Rec Commissioner Bryan Marten:

Want a fun bike park like Dirt World in Richmond? Support this project at an Albany Parks & Rec meeting and/or write a letter!

On September 13th, a course/park designer will pitch several plans for a proposed mountain bike/BMX bike park in Albany. Commissioners will benefit from input and feedback from the public, especially supporters like you, to help decide which plan, if any, to advance to the City Council. Proposed location is adjacent to Pierce St Park – just below it, to the west on Cleveland St. Early discussions described a MTB component around the perimeter space and a BMX component at the interior. The designer said he likes to design with different riding abilities in mind on the same course (very easy, medium, challenging) and to provide different price points for features, their materials, etc. He has designed and built Richmond’s new Dirt World and many other bike parks.
Here is the Design and Estimate Proposal.
Any input – in person or even in writing – you can provide (even just “looks great!” or “our family would use this!” will be helpful).

Separately, input is sought for what may be the final design review for the new and improved trails at Albany Hill Park. Here are the 90% Plans.
*New ADA trail at the top parallel to the ridge line
*Improvements to existing trails at the north
*Improved, re-landscaped access points to the park where Jackson and Madison dead-end
*Stairs plus a bulbout in the SE corner where Taft hits Hillside
The city has received the monarch roosting report it commissioned and is taking its results and recent community input to limit impacts to trees near monarch habitat. Some commissioners including myself (Bryan Marten) want to also use that information to move forward with choosing a select few trees to remove to improve views of the bay, bird habitat at the mud flats, etc. This involves the city approaching the large land owner at the SW corner of the hill which the city has said it will do.

This is the full agenda for the meeting.

BMX/MTB parks are great fun and recreation for kids, teens and adults!

Editor’s note: AS&R member and P&R Commissioner Bryan Marten will not be able to attend this meeting so if any of you can attend or at least write a letter about either of these projects, that will be extremely helpful.
PLEASE WRITE LETTERS OF SUPPORT to Albany Staff Liaison Chelle Putzer at cputzer@albanyca.org and request that she send your letter to all members of Albany’s Parks & Rec Commission. Thanks!
Mar
24
Sun
FREE Family Cycling Workshop – Bring your kids…Volunteers needed! @ Cornell Elementary School
Mar 24 @ 10:00 am – 12:30 pm

Join Bike East Bay’s certified instructors and AS&R friends & neighbors for a day of fun games, safety drills, skills building, and a neighborhood ride. This workshop is for kids who are able to ride a bike and ready to take to the paths and roadways with their parents (suggested grade range 2nd-6th).
The event includes instruction on fitting a helmet, performing a bike safety check, communicating with other road users, riding in a straight line and avoiding obstacles,  as well as navigating safely through intersections, all while playing fun games!

We will be debuting the new Youth Versions of our Check for Bikes clings and stickers so you can pick some up here!!

We will also bring our bike teeter-totters and end the class with a group ride around the neighborhood together!  All minors must be accompanied by an adult to participate, both with their own working bikes and helmets. Each child will receive a free reflective vest.

AS&R will have an information table to talk to parents & kids about riding around the Albany area. You can pick up some great “Check for Bikes” clings and bumper stickers, as well as reflective leg & arm bands for safer biking.

The event is FREE but you must pre-register so for more information and to register please go here.
Hope to see you there!!

WE NEED SOME VOLUNTEERS TO MAKE THIS A SUCCESS!
We’re seeking 2-3 people to help out at the family cycling workshop.
9:30-10:15 to help with set up and checking in of participants, while instructors get a feel for the participants and check bikes out mechanically.
9:30-12:45 to speak to kids & parents about bike stuff, and help with packing up.
Contact Britt at bthesen@gmail.com if you can help out!

May
25
Sat
“Pints With Purpose” – $1 from every pint or flight ALL DAY goes to AS&R “Bike Bike Rack” at Wildcard Brewing! @ Wildcard Brewing
May 25 @ 12:00 pm – 10:00 pm

Wildcard Brewing has one of Albany’s newest Bike Bike Racks – come try it out and raise money for AS&R!

We’re excited to have brand new local business Wildcard Brewing partner with Albany Strollers & Rollers on “Pints With Purpose,” their community fundraiser in which they help out local non-profits.

Hoist a pint or flight with us and help fund Albany’s newest bike rack at one of its newest businesses!

In this Bike Month activity, $1 FROM EVERY PINT OR FLIGHT THAT YOU BUY ALL DAY WILL HELP AS&R FUND A BRAND NEW “BIKE BIKE RACK” FOR WILDCARD CUSTOMERS!

Since we’re anticipating lots of you riding over, we’ll have our Bicycle Valet Parking racks set up right out front for you and your families.  Racks will be unattended (we’ll be inside) so please bring your bike locks.
Yes, Wildcard is family friendly (they have non-alcoholic beverages including craft root beer, New York seltzer and lemon flavored sparkling water, plus plenty of games) and you can bring or order food in to go with your beer!
They even welcome leashed dogs!
Feel free to bring lunch, dinner or snacks from your favorite restaurants on Solano or San Pablo Avenues, too!
Support those who support us – hope to see you there as Bike Month winds down!!

We’ll have two of these racks right out front for your parking convenience. Please bring your bike locks – they will be visible from inside, but unattended.
Photo courtesy Mark Altenberg

Thanks to one of Albany’s newest businesses for raising money for a new Bike Bike Rack right out front!

Aug
2
Fri
FoodieLand Night Market – bike parking! @ Golden Gate Fields
Aug 2 @ 3:00 pm – 11:00 pm

FoodieLand Night Market is the perfect outdoor evening event for everyone. A must-attend for foodies, this exclusive festival overlooking the San Francisco Bay is inspired by the Night Markets of Asia. Bring your friends together for some evening and late-night sounds, tastes, and scents where you can experience a street festival this summer in the Bay Area. Enjoy authentic multi-cultural street foods, and many enticing beverages and desserts to please your palette.

…BY USING THIS! BIKE PARKING RIGHT UP FRONT!

AVOID THIS….

The great news is that to encourage alternative
transportation they are providing bicycle racks, which they’ve rented from AS&R! Ride up Buchanan past the awful gridlock and zip right to the front row near the entrance. Lock up your bike, then enjoy the delicious food! And spend the $10 car parking fee on something to eat!
Stop by to participate in a variety of carnival games, and take in live musical performances by some of your favorite artists and DJs. Shop dozens of vendor booths for everything from jewelry to artistic paintings and home decor.
Immerse yourself in San Francisco Bay Area’s finest FoodieLand Night Market to eat, drink, shop and play. Featuring over 150 vendors, you’ll experience a variety of amazing foods and drinks, arts, crafts, games, and entertainment in one great location. FoodieLand Night Market is undoubtedly the city’s hottest summer playground. Make it a dream date, a summer night out with friends, or a class reunion to remember. Tell your friends, and save the dates for both remaining FoodieLand Night Market events!

Go here for tickets for this weekend.

 

Aug
3
Sat
FoodieLand Night Market – bike parking! @ Golden Gate Fields
Aug 3 @ 3:00 pm – 11:00 pm

FoodieLand Night Market is the perfect outdoor evening event for everyone. A must-attend for foodies, this exclusive festival overlooking the San Francisco Bay is inspired by the Night Markets of Asia. Bring your friends together for some evening and late-night sounds, tastes, and scents where you can experience a street festival this summer in the Bay Area. Enjoy authentic multi-cultural street foods, and many enticing beverages and desserts to please your palette.

…BY USING THIS! BIKE PARKING RIGHT UP FRONT!

AVOID THIS….

The great news is that to encourage alternative
transportation they are providing bicycle racks, which they’ve rented from AS&R! Ride up Buchanan past the awful gridlock and zip right to the front row near the entrance. Lock up your bike, then enjoy the delicious food! And spend the $10 car parking fee on something to eat!
Stop by to participate in a variety of carnival games, and take in live musical performances by some of your favorite artists and DJs. Shop dozens of vendor booths for everything from jewelry to artistic paintings and home decor.
Immerse yourself in San Francisco Bay Area’s finest FoodieLand Night Market to eat, drink, shop and play. Featuring over 150 vendors, you’ll experience a variety of amazing foods and drinks, arts, crafts, games, and entertainment in one great location. FoodieLand Night Market is undoubtedly the city’s hottest summer playground. Make it a dream date, a summer night out with friends, or a class reunion to remember. Tell your friends, and save the dates for both remaining FoodieLand Night Market events!

Go here for tickets for this weekend.

 

Aug
4
Sun
FoodieLand Night Market – bike parking! @ Golden Gate Fields
Aug 4 @ 3:00 pm – 11:00 pm

FoodieLand Night Market is the perfect outdoor evening event for everyone. A must-attend for foodies, this exclusive festival overlooking the San Francisco Bay is inspired by the Night Markets of Asia. Bring your friends together for some evening and late-night sounds, tastes, and scents where you can experience a street festival this summer in the Bay Area. Enjoy authentic multi-cultural street foods, and many enticing beverages and desserts to please your palette.

…BY USING THIS! BIKE PARKING RIGHT UP FRONT!

AVOID THIS….

The great news is that to encourage alternative
transportation they are providing bicycle racks, which they’ve rented from AS&R! Ride up Buchanan past the awful gridlock and zip right to the front row near the entrance. Lock up your bike, then enjoy the delicious food! And spend the $10 car parking fee on something to eat!
Stop by to participate in a variety of carnival games, and take in live musical performances by some of your favorite artists and DJs. Shop dozens of vendor booths for everything from jewelry to artistic paintings and home decor.
Immerse yourself in San Francisco Bay Area’s finest FoodieLand Night Market to eat, drink, shop and play. Featuring over 150 vendors, you’ll experience a variety of amazing foods and drinks, arts, crafts, games, and entertainment in one great location. FoodieLand Night Market is undoubtedly the city’s hottest summer playground. Make it a dream date, a summer night out with friends, or a class reunion to remember. Tell your friends, and save the dates for both remaining FoodieLand Night Market events!

Go here for tickets for this weekend.

 

Sep
8
Sun
Solano Stroll – Volunteers Needed – AS&R is providing Free Bicycle Valet Parking! @ Tree Lot and Wells Fargo parking lot
Sep 8 @ 10:00 am – 5:00 pm

Hundreds of people from all over the Bay Area take advantage of our Bicycle Valet Parking service at two lots on Solano Avenue. Please volunteer a few hours before enjoying the event! Thanks to Floor Dimensions for donating the Red Carpet to show the way!
Photo courtesy Amy

Albany Strollers & Rollers will again be providing Free Bicycle Valet Parking at two locations: 1800 Solano Ave (Wells Fargo) and 1245 Solano (the vacant lot near Masonic.)
We’ll also have an information table by our western lot near Masonic.
WE NEED YOU TO MAKE THIS A SUCCESS!
If you’d like to help park bikes (we parked almost 300 last year!!) at either lot or volunteer at AS&R’s info table, please contact Amy Smolens or  Sylvia Paull.

AS&R Super-Volunteer Lynn Eve Komaromi takes a well-earned Pad Thai break – thanks, Bua Luang!
Please join Lynn Eve and your AS&R neighbors in volunteering!

This is a great gig for kids, too, as long as they are strong enough to roll a bike. If students need volunteer-hours, this is perfect!

VOLUNTEERS  (first 10 to commit at Masonic Lot) WHO WORK AT LEAST A 4-HR SHIFT WILL GET FREE LUNCH PROVIDED BY A SUPPORTING SOLANO AVENUE RESTAURANTS  Bua Luang Thai Cuisine or Brazilian Breads – yum!! Others will get FREE Bobas donated by Tay Tah !!
Kim’s Cafe is providing home made iced tea at our lower lot. Some sponsoring businesses also provide fabulous gifts or coupons for our volunteers, too!
Volunteer hours run from 9am-5:30pm so it’s easy to pick a shift that works for you!

AS&R’s volunteers park hundreds of bikes at two lots at the annual Solano Stroll! Please give us a hand this year!

Since 1974 Solano Avenue and the cities of Albany and Berkeley have hosted the Solano Avenue Stroll, the East Bay’s largest street festival! The Solano Avenue Association , AS&R and Check for Bikes invite you to see what makes Solano Avenue a wonderful place. The Stroll features over five hundred vendors including 50 entertainers (there’s always great music!,) 50 food booths, 150 government and non-profit agencies, 150 juried hand-crafters, a 75 entry parade, state of the art mechanical rides and much more!

Come visit AS&R at our information table then enjoy a great stroll up Solano! Or better yet, volunteer a few hours with your neighbors before strolling!

230,000 participants and event guests visit from all over the west coast so that’s where YOU come in – many of them ride their bikes, so we need people to help park them in our lots. Lots of them want to talk about cycling and walking around the area, and they want to talk to YOU!
AS&R’s supporting sponsor, Floor Dimensions has donated a long Red Carpet to lead passers-by to our information table and straight up the ramp to our western Bicycle Valet Parking lot!

Volunteers like Griffin and Sylvia keep things running like clockwork at both lots
Photo courtesy Patsy Reese

Please see the press room to stay tuned into what’s hot at this years event!

See you soon!

Oct
4
Fri
FoodieLand Night Market – bike parking! @ Golden Gate Fields
Oct 4 @ 3:00 pm – 11:00 pm

FoodieLand Night Market is the perfect outdoor evening event for everyone. A must-attend for foodies, this exclusive festival overlooking the San Francisco Bay is inspired by the Night Markets of Asia. Bring your friends together for some evening and late-night sounds, tastes, and scents where you can experience a street festival this summer in the Bay Area. Enjoy authentic multi-cultural street foods, and many enticing beverages and desserts to please your palette.

…BY USING THIS! BIKE PARKING RIGHT UP FRONT! Photo courtesy Mike Cabanatuan

AVOID THIS….

The great news is that to encourage alternative
transportation they are providing bicycle racks, which they’ve rented from AS&R! Ride up Buchanan past the awful gridlock and zip right to the front row near the entrance. Lock up your bike, then enjoy the delicious food! And spend the $10 car parking fee on something to eat!
ON SUNDAY BE SURE TO STOP BY AS&R’S BOOTH TO SAY HI AND TELL US WHAT YOU RECOMMEND!!
Stop by to participate in a variety of carnival games, and take in live musical performances by some of your favorite artists and DJs. Shop dozens of vendor booths for everything from jewelry to artistic paintings and home decor.
Immerse yourself in San Francisco Bay Area’s finest FoodieLand Night Market to eat, drink, shop and play. Featuring over 150 vendors, you’ll experience a variety of amazing foods and drinks, arts, crafts, games, and entertainment in one great location. FoodieLand Night Market is undoubtedly the city’s hottest summer playground. Make it a dream date, a summer night out with friends, or a class reunion to remember. Tell your friends!
Go here for tickets for this weekend.