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

Jun
22
Thu
BikeMobile Free Bike Repair @ Albany Library Patio
Jun 22 @ 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Got a bike that’s squeaking and creaking? The BikeMobile will provide free tune ups & repairs for adults and children. The BikeMobile can fix flat tires, adjust brakes and gears, and even replace broken or worn out parts like chains, seats, and tires. The only thing they can’t do is replace missing wheels or gears. While the mechanics work on your bike they’ll explain how to keep it running smoothly!
Bike or no bike, everyone is welcome to attend to learn about maintenance, safety, and more! This is first come, first serve and space is limited.They will be set up on the patio on Marin Ave – come on over!!

Jul
4
Tue
El Cerrito “WorldOne” 4th of July Festival – with free Bike Valet Parking! @ Cerrito Vista Park
Jul 4 @ 11:00 am – 5:00 pm

The City of El Cerrito WorldOne 4th of July Festival on Tuesday, July 4th from 11am to 5pm features world-class live music (FREE!) provided by WorldOne entertainment.

photo by Amy Smolens

The festival includes family entertainment such as rides and bounce houses, plus vendor and information booths of clubs and organizations such as El Cerrito Strollers & Rollers, Arts & Culture Commission, Environmental Quality Committee, Urban Forest Committee and so many more.

Plenty of secure bike parking provided by El Cerrito Strollers & Rollers. Why not help them out for a few hours, too!

ECS&R will be providing FREE BICYCLE VALET PARKING (the festival is renting AS&R’s racks) so you & your family can ride there and know your bikes will be secure!

IF YOU CAN VOLUNTEER PARKING BIKES FOR A FEW HOURS EMAIL JANET BYRON.

Food and drink are available for purchase. Live music and other entertainment is free and encouraged for all to enjoy.
Games, rides and face painting are available (for purchase).
A free “Family Fun Zone” will be set up for those with younger children.

Sep
10
Sun
Solano Stroll – Volunteers Needed – AHS MTB Team & AS&R providing Free Bicycle Valet Parking + info table! @ Solano Stroll Bicycle Valet Parking Lot
Sep 10 @ 10:00 am – 5:00 pm

The AHS Mountain Biking Team is leading the Bicycle Valet Parking at the Solano Stroll – will you lend a hand?

Free Bicycle Valet Parking will again be featured at the Solano Stroll, but with a new twist: the Albany High School Mountain Biking Team will be taking the lead for this important service, using Albany Strollers & Rollers’ specialized racks! The new location will be on Key Route Blvd just north of Solano Avenue –  it’s near the Greenway so we’re expecting lots of drop-ins so it’s sure to be busy!!

As usual, AS&R will also have an information table near the lot where we (YOU!) will talk about and answer questions about active transportation stuff!

WE NEED YOU TO MAKE THIS A SUCCESS!

Bikes, Bikes, Bikes!! 300 + of them coming to the Solano Stroll! Please help the AHS MTB Team park them all! Photo courtesy Nick Pilch

The AHS MTB team could use additional volunteers, so if you’d like to help park bikes (we have parked 300 bikes in the past!!)  or volunteer at AS&R’s info table, please contact Amy Smolens .
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 (the first 12 to commit) WHO WORK AT LEAST A 4-HR SHIFT AT EITHER LOCATION WILL GET FREE LUNCH PROVIDED BY SUPPORTING SOLANO AVENUE RESTAURANT !!

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

Some sponsoring businesses may also provide gifts or coupons for our volunteers, too – stay tuned!

Volunteer hours run from 9am-5:30pm so it’s easy to pick a shift that works for you! Please let Amy know if you would prefer to help with the Valet Parking, the Info Table or either one, and if you have time preferences or are flexible.

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 Bicycle Valet Parking lot!

See you soon!

Dec
13
Wed
AS&R Holiday Happy Hour Meeting — special date @ Everest Kitchen
Dec 13 @ 5:00 pm – 7:30 pm

Ride on down to Everest Kitchen to enjoy a special Happy Hour discount and chat about biking and walking!

Come and talk about walking and cycling in Albany, while eating delicious Nepali & Indian food in Everest Kitchen’s Parklet! All are invited and AS&R will provide some HOLIDAY APPETIZERS to get you started!
Got a gripe, question or idea that would make cycling or walking better? Hungry or thirsty?
Take care of ALL of those needs in one place!

Sanjiv says “come on down!”

Join us for our Happy Hour at our usual location – Everest Kitchen – they generously offer us 15% off their menu, including drinks, and yes, they have plenty of bike parking! Appetizers will be provided courtesy of AS&R for this special holiday Happy Hour. This is our every other month (even-numbered months) informal get-together to talk about all things bike and ped in Albany. It’s a good chance to ask about what the city is up to and what our stance on issues is, and to meet others who are interested in issues related to human-scale transit/active transit.

Everyone is welcome but PLEASE RSVP TO AMY IF POSSIBLE SO WE CAN PLAN OUR SPACE AND SNACKS BETTER!

Have something you want to talk or ask about? Put it in the “comments” section below! Hope to see you there!

Feb
6
Tue
Kains/Adams Bicycle Blvds Strategy Meeting @ Zoom
Feb 6 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

The Adams/Kains bike project is in the County’s and City’s plans for addressing alternative transportation along the San Pablo Ave Corridor in Albany. As the pilot project approaches the 1 year mark it has gone well in many ways and is valued infrastructure to help the City meet its climate goals and help people get around with fewer cars or no cars now that the state’s and city’s zoning has been changed to allow any housing big or small to have zero parking spaces. One sticking point with the city has been the parking direction. The pilot program has reported no collisions on Adams/Kains. Many blocks in Berkeley for ~50 years have had the same traffic flow as we have now on Adams/Kains where public data shows no injury accidents have been reported in the ~9 years since data has been collected. Literature opposed to the Adams/Kains project warned of the extreme dangers to residents, delayed emergency response and promised “chaos and carnage” if it was implemented but we have seen none of that. People who helped distribute that literature have said at public meetings “things are fine the way they’ve always been” while ignoring the city’s climate goals and new zoning that removes off-street parking requirements.

“Houston, we have no problem!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yet despite all of this data for Albany and Berkeley streets, the City of Albany has said from the beginning that it eventually plans to ticket people parking in the contraflow direction and has made no indication that it plans to do like it does with so many other laws on the books – de-prioritize enforcement.  Since cars in the pilot project still only enter from one direction into each block that would mean half the cars on each block ticketed or forced to make 3-point turns on narrow, congested streets.
Aside from the city’s parking issue, some drivers still aren’t aware of the internal two-way driving patterns – aren’t aware that cars can go both directions within each block.  And all cyclists aren’t aware of the Bicycle Blvds as an option. Both of these issues are exacerbated by the fact that navigation apps don’t send cars that are already on Adams/Kains in the new direction and they actually divert cyclists around Adams/Kains in the new direction!
Additional signage (two-way arrows on the road) and updated mapping apps showing current legal patterns would help awareness. These are crucial for north-south travel along the San Pablo corridor and must be saved!
The Bicycle Blvds may go to Council as early as May, so AS&R needs to prepare a strategy for proposals for adjustments to Adams/Kains in case the city does decide to go forward with ticketing half the cars on the block with the current traffic flow. At our most recent General Membership Meeting last week, we set the evening of Tuesday February 6 for a Zoom brainstorming discussion about this important project. This is literally Albany’s only Bicycle Boulevard (yes, other streets may be marked with that name but have no supporting infrastructure) so please SAVE THIS DATE TO HELP SAVE THE BICYCLE BOULEVARDS!
We will send a Zoom link to the GREENways list.
Please RSVP or send any questions to amy@albanystrollroll.org .
Apr
27
Sat
Albany Community Expo – Volunteers (and bikes) needed! @ Albany Community Center
Apr 27 @ 10:00 am – 2:00 pm

The City’s Recreation Department is organizing its 3rd Annual Community Expo Come on over, help out, enjoy the Expo! to showcase community based organizations like ours and City departments at the Albany Community Center. AS&R will be sharing a table with Bike East Bay, displaying materials, information and a variety of bicycles (yours?) and chatting about strolling and rolling. Other groups will be doing the same and there will be giveaways, food trucks, a raffle, activities and live entertainment!

We need a few volunteers to spend time at our table and speak to community members who may have questions about strolling or rolling in Albany and beyond. We’d also like to have a few bikes to display – a cargo bike, trailer, e-bike – anything you think might pique a neighbor’s interest!

Non-profit bike shop Street Level Cycles will be there providing free and low-cost tuneups for you, so bring your old, creaky bike!

If you can volunteer or have a bike to display, please email Nick at nicky@mindspring.com

Sep
8
Sun
Solano Stroll – VOLUNTEERS NEEDED AT AS&R INFO TABLE!! – AHS MTB Team providing Free Bicycle Valet Parking! @ Solano Stroll Bicycle Valet Parking Lot
Sep 8 @ 9:15 am – 5:30 pm

Come volunteer a few hours at AS&R’s information table before or after enjoying the Solano Stroll!

As usual, free Bicycle Valet Parking will be featured at the Solano Stroll on Sunday, September 8! The Albany High School Mountain Biking Team will again be taking the lead for this important service, using Albany Strollers & Rollers’ specialized racks! The location will be on Key Route Blvd just north of Solano Avenue –  it’s near the Greenway so like last year, the lot and tables will be plenty busy!!

This is the biggest event of the year so come be a part of the fun and help out!

As we always do, AS&R will also have an information table near the lot where we (YOU!) will talk about and answer questions about active transportation stuff in and around Albany with people at the festival! WE NEED YOU TO MAKE THIS A SUCCESS! Whether you have volunteered before or are interested in helping for the first time, this event is for you!

The AHS MTB team may need additional volunteers, so if you’d like to help park bikes (we have parked 300 bikes in the past!!)  or volunteer at AS&R’s info table, please contact Amy Smolens .

Parking bikes 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 (the first 12 to commit) WHO WORK AT LEAST A 4-HR SHIFT WILL GET FREE LUNCH PROVIDED BY LOCAL FAVORITE KIM’S CAFÉ & SANDWICHES!!

Volunteer hours run from 9:15am-5:30pm (the event is 10-5) so it’s easy to pick a shift that works for you! Please let Amy know if you would prefer to help with the Info Table, the Valet Parking or either one, and if you have time preferences or are flexible.

Since 1974 , Solano Avenue and the cities of Albany and Berkeley have hosted the Solano Stroll, the East Bay’s largest street festival! The Solano Avenue Association , AS&R , AHS MTB 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!
230,000 participants and event guests visit from all over the west coast so that’s where you all come in – lots of them want to talk about cycling and walking around the area, and they want to talk to YOU!

Bikes, Bikes, Bikes!! 300 + of them coming to the Solano Stroll! We hope you’ll be there, too!

The AHS Mountain Biking Team is leading the Bicycle Valet Parking at the Solano Stroll – will you lend a hand?

Nov
16
Sat
Richmond-San Rafael Bridge Trail 5th Anniversary Ride @ Richmond BART station
Nov 16 @ 10:00 am – 2:00 pm

Our friends at “Rich City Rides” are organizing a family-friendly, all ages and abilities group ride across the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge Trail to commemorate the 5th Anniversary of bike and pedestrian access over the bridge! Meet at Richmond BART at 10am, roll at 10:30. It’s crucial that Albany Strollers & Rollers members support our neighbors and active transportation access between the East Bay and Marin County!
Many of us will take BART from El Cerrito Plaza to the start at Richmond BART so please join us!

“Afterparty” mentioned in flyer below at location TBA.

Join others from the East Bay on this fun RSR Bridge Trail ride!

Dec
5
Thu
AS&R Holiday Happy Hour Meeting — special date @ Everest Kitchen
Dec 5 @ 5:00 pm – 7:30 pm

Ride on down to Everest Kitchen to enjoy a special Happy Hour discount and chat about biking and walking!

Come and talk about walking and cycling in Albany, while eating delicious Nepali & Indian food in Everest Kitchen’s Parklet! All are invited and AS&R will provide some HOLIDAY APPETIZERS to get you started!
Got a gripe, question or idea that would make cycling or walking better? Hungry or thirsty?
Take care of ALL of those needs in one place!

Sanjiv says “come on down!”

Join us for our Happy Hour at our usual location – Everest Kitchen – they generously offer us 15% off their menu, including drinks, and yes, they have plenty of bike parking! Appetizers will be provided courtesy of AS&R for this special holiday Happy Hour. This is our every other month (even-numbered months) informal get-together to talk about all things bike and ped in Albany. It’s a good chance to ask about what the city is up to and what our stance on issues is, and to meet others who are interested in issues related to human-scale transit/active transit.

Everyone is welcome but PLEASE RSVP here IF POSSIBLE SO WE CAN PLAN OUR SPACE AND SNACKS BETTER!

Have something you want to talk or ask about? Put it in the “comments” section below! Hope to see you there!

Feb
22
Sat
URBAN CYCLING 101 – DAY 1 CLASSROOM WORKSHOP (IN ALBANY!!) @ Albany Library
Feb 22 @ 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm

DO YOU, A FAMILY MEMBER OR FRIEND WANT TO RIDE YOUR BIKE MORE BUT DON’T FEEL COMFORTABLE IN THIS URBAN SETTING? THIS FREE CLASS IS FOR YOU/THEM, AND IT’S RIGHT HERE IN ALBANY!
Learn rules of the road, how to equip your bicycle, fit your helmet, use different types of bike infrastructure, and avoid common hazards!!
This is an indoor class for adults or teens, no bicycle required to learn and benefit from the instruction.
FREE, BUT YOU MUST PRE-REGISTER HERE!

Bike East Bay’s award-winning bicycle education program offers both online and in-person classes, so register for a FREE workshop, access online blog posts and resources, and have fun on every bike trip!
EVERYTHING IS ABSOLUTELY FREE, BUT YOU MUST PRE-REGISTER HERE!
Thanks to AS&R’s Fiscal Sponsor, Bike East Bay, for running these valuable classes.