Discounts

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

Blue Heron Bikes: 10% off parts and accessories.

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

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

Events

Oct
3
Wed
International Walk & Roll to School Day @ Albany Elementary School and Middle School
Oct 3 @ 2:30 pm – 4:00 pm

All year AS&R members sell rear lights to the public, and for every one we sell, an Albany student gets one free! Over the past few years we’ve installed more than 800 lights on kids’ bikes.
This event, International Walk & Roll to School Day is the payoff – AS&R volunteers and school parents install lights on kids bikes, helping them ride to and from school and activities more safely.
As you can imagine, this is a tough task so we could use your help that morning!!
Send an email to any of the AS&R Core Group to volunteer – thanks!

Aug
17
Sat
Free Family Cycling Workshop @ University Village Park basketball courts
Aug 17 @ 5:00 pm – 7:30 pm

FamilyCyclingWorkshopThe family that rides together thrives together!
Safe road bicycling takes a lot more than balance, a helmet and a good attitude. Join the East Bay Bicycle Coalition’s League Certified safety instructors for a day of fun games, safety drills, skills building, and a neighborhood ride. This workshop is for kids able to ride a bike and who are ready to ride on the roadways with their parents. Parents and kids must attend together and should bring their own bikes. Each child receives a free red blinky light for participating!

It’s free, and it will help you and your family ride the roads of Albany and beyond more safely and confidently.

Register at https://www.ebbc.org/index.php?q=civicrm/event/info&reset=1&id=425

Sep
18
Fri
City of Albany Pop-up Parklet for the Day @ in front of Gordo's
Sep 18 @ 10:00 am – 6:00 pm

Spend the afternoon at a Pop-up Park on Solano Avenue!
Tables & umbrellas will be set in two parking stalls adjacent to Gordo’s and Domino’s for a day of community, music and relaxation. Grab a burrito, tacos, pizza, ice cream or anything from local businesses as we transform two boring parking spaces into an inviting  parklet.

The intrepid installation team for Albany Strollers & Rollers' new public bike pump at the corner of Solano & Santa Fe. The City of Albany's Mark Matherly, AS&R's Amy Smolens & Dan Lieberman and Dan's son Sander

The intrepid installation team for Albany Strollers & Rollers’ new public bike pump at the corner of Solano & Santa Fe.
The City of Albany’s Mark Matherly, AS&R’s Amy Smolens & Dan Lieberman and Dan’s son Sander

Afterwards, roll up the hill to pump up your tires at Albany Strollers& Rollers’ brand new public bike pump before heading to the final Bike About Town ride!

May
20
Fri
Bike About Town Family Rides @ Bikes on Solano
May 20 @ 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Join the fun! Photo courtesy Amy Smolens

Join the fun!
Photo courtesy Amy Smolens

Grab your bikes and invite your friends & family – it’s time for the annual Bike About Town rides!

The Albany Peloton rolls down Peralta Avenue for another fun Bike About Town Photo courtesy Amy Smolens

The Albany Peloton rolls down Peralta Avenue for another fun Bike About Town
Photo courtesy Amy Smolens

Join the City of Albany’s Department of Recreation and a bunch of your fellow Rollers as we explore Albany by bike on Spring, Summer and Autumn evenings. Each of the events will trace different routes that pass through parts of Albany you may not have biked before. All levels of cyclists are encouraged to join.
The ride begins at 6:30 at Bikes on Solano at Solano and Peralta in Albany.
We ALWAYS need Ride Guides to help guide folks around town from the front, middle and back so if you’re a confident rider please come 10 minutes early and help your neighbors out!
Come a few minutes early to pump up your tires. Ride maps are distributed, and we take off in a big group. There are experienced cyclists to lead and bring up the rear. After wheeling about for a half hour or forty-five minutes we return to Peralta Park, just across the street from our start, for light refreshments, a raffle, and general carousing.
Dates this year are Fridays May 20,  June 17, July 15, August 19 and September 16th.

Bring yourself, your friends and your family to Bikes on Solano for the Bike About Town rides!

Bring yourself, your friends and your family to Bikes on Solano for the Bike About Town rides!

Jun
17
Fri
Bike About Town Family Rides @ Bikes on Solano
Jun 17 @ 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Join the fun! Photo courtesy Amy Smolens

Join the fun!
Photo courtesy Amy Smolens

Grab your bikes and invite your friends & family – it’s time for the annual Bike About Town rides!

The Albany Peloton rolls down Peralta Avenue for another fun Bike About Town Photo courtesy Amy Smolens

The Albany Peloton rolls down Peralta Avenue for another fun Bike About Town
Photo courtesy Amy Smolens

Join the City of Albany’s Department of Recreation and a bunch of your fellow Rollers as we explore Albany by bike on Spring, Summer and Autumn evenings. Each of the events will trace different routes that pass through parts of Albany you may not have biked before. All levels of cyclists are encouraged to join.
The ride begins at 6:30 at Bikes on Solano at Solano and Peralta in Albany.
We ALWAYS need Ride Guides to help guide folks around town from the front, middle and back so if you’re a confident rider please come 10 minutes early and help your neighbors out!
Come a few minutes early to pump up your tires. Ride maps are distributed, and we take off in a big group. There are experienced cyclists to lead and bring up the rear. After wheeling about for a half hour or forty-five minutes we return to Peralta Park, just across the street from our start, for light refreshments, a raffle, and general carousing.
Dates this year are Fridays May 20,  June 17, July 15, August 19 and September 16th.

Bring yourself, your friends and your family to Bikes on Solano for the Bike About Town rides!

Bring yourself, your friends and your family to Bikes on Solano for the Bike About Town rides!

Jul
15
Fri
Bike About Town Family Rides @ Bikes on Solano
Jul 15 @ 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Join the fun! Photo courtesy Amy Smolens

Join the fun!
Photo courtesy Amy Smolens

Grab your bikes and invite your friends & family – it’s time for the annual Bike About Town rides!

The Albany Peloton rolls down Peralta Avenue for another fun Bike About Town Photo courtesy Amy Smolens

The Albany Peloton rolls down Peralta Avenue for another fun Bike About Town
Photo courtesy Amy Smolens

Join the City of Albany’s Department of Recreation and a bunch of your fellow Rollers as we explore Albany by bike on Spring, Summer and Autumn evenings. Each of the events will trace different routes that pass through parts of Albany you may not have biked before. All levels of cyclists are encouraged to join.
The ride begins at 6:30 at Bikes on Solano at Solano and Peralta in Albany.
We ALWAYS need Ride Guides to help guide folks around town from the front, middle and back so if you’re a confident rider please come 10 minutes early and help your neighbors out!
Come a few minutes early to pump up your tires. Ride maps are distributed, and we take off in a big group. There are experienced cyclists to lead and bring up the rear. After wheeling about for a half hour or forty-five minutes we return to Peralta Park, just across the street from our start, for light refreshments, a raffle, and general carousing.
Dates this year are Fridays May 20,  June 17, July 15, August 19 and September 16th.

Bring yourself, your friends and your family to Bikes on Solano for the Bike About Town rides!

Bring yourself, your friends and your family to Bikes on Solano for the Bike About Town rides!

Aug
19
Fri
Bike About Town Family Rides @ Bikes on Solano
Aug 19 @ 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Join the fun! Photo courtesy Amy Smolens

Join the fun!
Photo courtesy Amy Smolens

Grab your bikes and invite your friends & family – it’s time for the annual Bike About Town rides!

The Albany Peloton rolls down Peralta Avenue for another fun Bike About Town Photo courtesy Amy Smolens

The Albany Peloton rolls down Peralta Avenue for another fun Bike About Town
Photo courtesy Amy Smolens

Join the City of Albany’s Department of Recreation and a bunch of your fellow Rollers as we explore Albany by bike on Spring, Summer and Autumn evenings. Each of the events will trace different routes that pass through parts of Albany you may not have biked before. All levels of cyclists are encouraged to join.
The ride begins at 6:30 at Bikes on Solano at Solano and Peralta in Albany.
We ALWAYS need Ride Guides to help guide folks around town from the front, middle and back so if you’re a confident rider please come 10 minutes early and help your neighbors out!
Come a few minutes early to pump up your tires. Ride maps are distributed, and we take off in a big group. There are experienced cyclists to lead and bring up the rear. After wheeling about for a half hour or forty-five minutes we return to Peralta Park, just across the street from our start, for light refreshments, a raffle, and general carousing.
Dates this year are Fridays May 20,  June 17, July 15, August 19 and September 16th.

Bring yourself, your friends and your family to Bikes on Solano for the Bike About Town rides!

Bring yourself, your friends and your family to Bikes on Solano for the Bike About Town rides!

Sep
16
Fri
Bike About Town Family Rides @ Bikes on Solano
Sep 16 @ 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Join the fun! Photo courtesy Amy Smolens

Join the fun!
Photo courtesy Amy Smolens

Grab your bikes and invite your friends & family – it’s time for the annual Bike About Town rides!

The Albany Peloton rolls down Peralta Avenue for another fun Bike About Town Photo courtesy Amy Smolens

The Albany Peloton rolls down Peralta Avenue for another fun Bike About Town
Photo courtesy Amy Smolens

Join the City of Albany’s Department of Recreation and a bunch of your fellow Rollers as we explore Albany by bike on Spring, Summer and Autumn evenings. Each of the events will trace different routes that pass through parts of Albany you may not have biked before. All levels of cyclists are encouraged to join.
The ride begins at 6:30 at Bikes on Solano at Solano and Peralta in Albany.
We ALWAYS need Ride Guides to help guide folks around town from the front, middle and back so if you’re a confident rider please come 10 minutes early and help your neighbors out!
Come a few minutes early to pump up your tires. Ride maps are distributed, and we take off in a big group. There are experienced cyclists to lead and bring up the rear. After wheeling about for a half hour or forty-five minutes we return to Peralta Park, just across the street from our start, for light refreshments, a raffle, and general carousing.
Dates this year are Fridays May 20,  June 17, July 15, August 19 and September 16th.

Bring yourself, your friends and your family to Bikes on Solano for the Bike About Town rides!

Bring yourself, your friends and your family to Bikes on Solano for the Bike About Town rides!

Feb
25
Sat
Joe Hurlimann Memorial Ride
Feb 25 @ 9:00 am – 11:00 am

Fallen Cyclist Joe Hurlimann was taken from us last week near North Berkeley BART just after sunrise. “He was a Berkeley native who still lived in his childhood home, an avid gardener and stamp collector who had a PhD from Cal in plant pathology. He worked at UCB for 31 years, and at Truitt & White in West Berkeley for 61 years,” Emilie Raguso. Full Berkeleyside article here.

SPOKES would like to put a Ghost Bike at the scene and invites community to bring flowers and honor his life while we make public our concerns about the safety of cyclists and pedestrians in Berkeley, the East Bay, Bay Area California, and in the US. If anyone has time to give an hour or two to help organize we’d like to set the Ghost bike and then gather Hearst Street Park @ Sacramento with a brief respite. If you have access to Bagels, Cheeseboard / Arizmendi/ Peet’s coffee, Trader Joes / Berkeley Bowl (juices) , Spokes will Bring bike racks and tables. Public officials Berkeley Police , California Bike Coalition, Bike East Bay are invited to speak and Bike East Bay . Media Welcome!

Go to the Facebook page for any updates.

If anyone wants to propose a ride from Albany, please write in “comments” to this event – thanks.

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!