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

Apr
6
Sat
Urban Cycling 101 Classroom Workshop @ Barrows Hall, UC Berkeley
Apr 6 @ 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Learn to bike safely and confidently with this FREE class!

Learn to bike safely and confidently with this FREE class!

Want to ride more but don’t feel confident enough? Know anyone else who fits this description (partner, spouse, parent, teenage or older child?)

Here’s a FREE bicycle skills class, courtesy of Bike East Bay (with support from the UC Berkeley Police Department.)

Learn basic rules of the road, how to share the road with cars on busy streets, how to equip your bicycle, lock your bike, fit your helmet, and avoid crashes by riding predictably, visibly, and communicating with other road users by your actions and signals. Every workshop has the same content so you only need to attend once. For adults and teens, no bike needed.

Please note: All of Bike East Bay’s UC Berkeley classes are open to the public, but are also part of the BEST (Bicycle Education Safety Training) program allowing ticketed cyclists to have their fines reduced.

Class is FREE but please register here.

Apr
14
Sun
Free Walking Tour of El Cerrito’s Gambling Past @ Macaroni Grill
Apr 14 @ 11:00 am – 1:00 pm

Take a journey to the area once known as No Man’s Land and learn about the era when El Cerrito was known as a wide open city at a free walking tour, led by Chris Horn of the El Cerrito Historical Society.
From the teens into the 1940’s El Cerrito was a center for gambling, dog racing, drinking, and vice. The Rancho nightclub was opened in 1933, less than a month after the end of prohibition, in the historic Castro Adobe. An array of nightclubs sprang up on San Pablo Avenue. The walk will pass by the site of some of these clubs including the Rancho, Hollywood Club, the Wagon Wheel, the Kona Club and It Club.
Meet in the El Cerrito Plaza parking lot, near Macaroni Grill.
Details: davidsweinstein@yahoo.com .

Apr
25
Thu
AS&R Happy Hour Meeting – Eat, drink & problem-solve!! @ Everest Kitchen
Apr 25 @ 5:00 pm – 7:00 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.
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 Kitchenthey generously offer us 15% off their menu, including drinks, and yes, they have plenty of bike parking! 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.

Note that this will usually take place right before a Transportation Commission meeting, and will also be a good chance to talk about anything coming up on their agenda.

If you would like to discuss something at the Happy Hour, request a Happy Hour agenda item via email or Put it in the “comments” section below! Hope to see you there!

Transportation Commission Meeting @ Council Chambers, City Hall
Apr 25 @ 7:00 pm – 10:30 pm

The monthly Transportation Commission Meeting, the Fourth Thursday of every month, is a great place to make your ideas known, find out about the transportation issues and projects in Albany, and help improve things for cyclists and pedestrians in and around our town.

Register and get Zoom link on the City website here.

The agenda will be posted on the City website here.
Come on down!

May
2
Thu
Musette Bag Stuffing for Bike to Work Day 2019 @ Sports Basement
May 2 @ 9:00 am – 11:00 am

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

You’ve enjoyed picking up the famous Bike to Work Day musette bags, chock full of swag & snacks. Help stuff those musette bags for our Energizer Station so hundreds of your friends, neighbors and passers-by can enjoy the fruits of our labor!
Local businesses BLUE HERON, BUA LUANGTAY TAH CAFEFERN’S GARDEN and BIKE LINK ARE AGAIN DONATING SPECIAL GIFT CARDS OR COUPONS FOR OUR BIKE MONTH VOLUNTEERS, IN APPRECIATION FOR YOUR TIME AND SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY!!!

You’ve seen Lucy & Ethel in their famous assembly line – help us make ours more fun & successful by joining us!

This important pre-Bike to Work Day event is a ton of fun for all ages. Fast-paced assembly line is a great experience for kids. Snacks provided.
You’ve been getting the bags for free for years, now see how it’s done and boost your karma! Let Elizabeth Vahlsing know if you can help out.

The musette bags are always filled with swag but they don’t stuff themselves! Help get them that way!

If you want to connect with others to bike or BART to Sports Basement, leave a note in the Comments section of this post.

May
4
Sat
El Cerrito Trail Trekkers’ 6th Annual Hillside Festival @ various (check schedule and map)
May 4 @ 8:30 am – 8:30 pm
The sixth annual Hillside Festival will feature a wide variety of activities, with events throughout the 100-acre Hillside Natural Area: nature hikes for young people; a geological hike and shorter geological stroll; the Dog Scouts; a young persons’ hike led by Boy Scouts; walks to learn about native plants, birds, insects and wildflowers; a walk with a city firefighter focusing on preventing wild land fires; a hidden poetry-geocaching walk; a history hike; meditation in nature, and more.

Hikes range from strenuous to easy.
**CHECK SCHEDULE FOR SPECIFIC EVENT TIMES!! Download the full schedule and map to events at https://ectrailtrekkers.wordpress.com/hillside-festival-2019/

Locations vary, including
Motorcycle Hill
, where Navellier and Blake streets meet
Madera Elementary School, 8500 Madera Dr.
Madera Circle Entry, between 1540 and 1560 Madera Circle
Regency Gateway
, at northern end of Regency Court
King Court Gateway
, at end of King Court.
Schmidt Lane Trailhead, near the end of Schmidt Lane, west of the Recycling Center
SO CHECK SCHEDULE FOR LOCATIONS

Sponsored by El Cerrito Trail Trekkers and El Cerrito’s Environmental Quality Committee. Free.

The festival is free but maintaining and restoring the Hillside is not. Please make a tax deductible donation to this effort with a check to “ECCF,” with “Hillside Restoration” in the message line. ECCF is El Cerrito Community Foundation, our fiscal agent. Send to Pam Austin, 834 Kearney St., EC 94530.

Urban Cycling 101 Classroom Workshop @ Barrows Hall, UC Berkeley
May 4 @ 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Learn to bike safely and confidently with this FREE class!

Learn to bike safely and confidently with this FREE class!

Want to ride more but don’t feel confident enough? Know anyone else who fits this description (partner, spouse, parent, teenage or older child?)

Here’s a FREE bicycle skills class, courtesy of Bike East Bay (with support from the UC Berkeley Police Department.)

Learn basic rules of the road, how to share the road with cars on busy streets, how to equip your bicycle, lock your bike, fit your helmet, and avoid crashes by riding predictably, visibly, and communicating with other road users by your actions and signals. Every workshop has the same content so you only need to attend once. For adults and teens, no bike needed.

Please note: All of Bike East Bay’s UC Berkeley classes are open to the public, but are also part of the BEST (Bicycle Education Safety Training) program allowing ticketed cyclists to have their fines reduced.

Class is FREE but please register here.

May
5
Sun
El Cerrito Trail Trekkers’ 6th Annual Hillside Festival @ various (check schedule and map)
May 5 @ 8:30 am – 8:30 pm
The sixth annual Hillside Festival will feature a wide variety of activities, with events throughout the 100-acre Hillside Natural Area: nature hikes for young people; a geological hike and shorter geological stroll; the Dog Scouts; a young persons’ hike led by Boy Scouts; walks to learn about native plants, birds, insects and wildflowers; a walk with a city firefighter focusing on preventing wild land fires; a hidden poetry-geocaching walk; a history hike; meditation in nature, and more.

Hikes range from strenuous to easy.
**CHECK SCHEDULE FOR SPECIFIC EVENT TIMES!! Download the full schedule and map to events at https://ectrailtrekkers.wordpress.com/hillside-festival-2019/

Locations vary, including
Motorcycle Hill
, where Navellier and Blake streets meet
Madera Elementary School, 8500 Madera Dr.
Madera Circle Entry, between 1540 and 1560 Madera Circle
Regency Gateway
, at northern end of Regency Court
King Court Gateway
, at end of King Court.
Schmidt Lane Trailhead, near the end of Schmidt Lane, west of the Recycling Center
SO CHECK SCHEDULE FOR LOCATIONS

Sponsored by El Cerrito Trail Trekkers and El Cerrito’s Environmental Quality Committee. Free.

The festival is free but maintaining and restoring the Hillside is not. Please make a tax deductible donation to this effort with a check to “ECCF,” with “Hillside Restoration” in the message line. ECCF is El Cerrito Community Foundation, our fiscal agent. Send to Pam Austin, 834 Kearney St., EC 94530.

May
9
Thu
Bike to Work Day – Volunteers Needed! @ Energizer Station
May 9 @ 6:30 am – 9:30 am

Come join our annual rolling party, Bike to Work Day!
courtesy Francesco Papalia

Join us for the 26th Annual Bike to Work Day in the Bay Area, a party on wheels!!
As usual, there will be coffee, food, swag, bike goodies in Bike East Bay’s 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!

We had plenty of food & drink, thanks to our supporting businesses and great volunteers!
courtesy Melanie Mintz

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!
Semifreddi’s of Alameda is again donating plenty of freshly baked rolls & buns for all of you! We’re also getting generous donations from Kim’s Cafe  (thanks, Cathy!!,)  Trader Joe’s El Cerrito, Safeway on Solano, Safeway Community Market and Sprouts at University Village so all the passing cyclists will have plenty to eat and drink!!
In addition to the great Bike East Bay musette swag bags, we’ll have our own safety items like clings, lights and reflective bands, and lots of great conversation about cycling and walking!

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

SO YES, WE NEED YOUR HELP IN DISTRIBUTING ALL THESE GOODIES TO 600+ CYCLISTS!
Local businesses BLUE HERONTAY TAH CAFE , FERN’S GARDEN and BIKELINK ARE DONATING SPECIAL GIFT CARDS OR COUPONS FOR OUR BIKE MONTH VOLUNTEERS, IN APPRECIATION FOR YOUR TIME AND SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY!
WE WILL NEED HELP AT OUR ENERGIZER STATION BEGINNING AT 6:30 a.m.

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

through wrap-up at 9:30, as well as preparing for a big celebration.
We will need help STUFFING THE MUSETTE BAGS with goodies, soliciting donations, shopping beforehand, picking up food & coffee early morning on the 9th, and handing out swag, food and counting cyclists all morning at the Energizer Station.
If so, please contact Elizabeth Vahlsing at evahlsing@earthlink.net and 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 Elizabeth at evahlsing@earthlink.net – thanks!

 

May
15
Wed
AS&R Meeting – You’re Invited!
May 15 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Have a gripe, an idea or some input about anything that would further cycling and pedestrian conditions here in Albany?
Then join us at our next meeting (every other month – odd-numbered months) where we discuss policy and projects, and talk about what’s going on in Active Transportation in Albany.

The racks at St. Alban's Church have gotten plenty of use already!

Plenty of bike parking at our meeting location, St. Alban’s Church!

Have something you want to talk about? Request an Agenda Item in “comments” (scroll down to the bottom for the next meeting).

Look forward to seeing you!