This May, Day One was the primary organizer and promoter for Pasadena Bike Month. This year’s Bike Month marked the return of sponsorship by the City of Pasadena’s Department of Transportation. Once again, we collaborated with the Pasadena Complete Streets Coalition to make it a fun-filled and educational month of bike rides and events.
Ice Cream Ride
One of the highlights was the return of the Bike Month Ice Cream Ride, which we believe should become an annual tradition. Happy bicyclists rode to 5 different locations to enjoy a frozen treat from ice cream shops and other vendors around town. During the ride, participants sampled Persian Ice Cream from Pasadena newcomer Kinrose Creamery in Old Pasadena, Thai iced tea ice cream from L’Moon Creamery, and vegan ice cream from Real Food Daily. In addition, The Stand donated soft serve on El Molino, and the Playhouse Village Association donated paletas from Mercadito Monarcha to Arcade Lane. If you missed the ride, you can still visit these shops and enjoy the same flavors, with or without a bike!
Ice Cream Ride in Old Pasadena
E-Bike Expo
A new addition this year was the E-bike Expo, held at Jefferson Park on Sunday, May 19, 2024. Six local bike shops participated: Around the Cycle, Velo Pasadena, Trek, Pasadena Cyclery, Incycle, and Open Trails E-bikes. The E-Bike Expo enabled attendees to see, touch, and test ride e-bikes from all six shops in one location. We saw many smiling test riders that day. Some, including Council Member Jason Lyon, bought a new e-bike after the Expo. Due to the success of the event, we look forward to hosting another E-Bike Expo next year.
E-Bike Expo at Jefferson Park
Documentary Screening
We also hosted a special screening of “The Engine Inside,” a 2023 documentary that visited the lives of 6 different people from around the world and showed how bicycles have the potential to transform lives and contribute to a better world. All the stories were compelling, from the woman who rides despite public disapproval in Cairo to the man in New York who organizes free rides and gives bikes to kids to the man in Ghana who founded a bamboo bike company and used the proceeds to build and support a school for kids in his local town. Throop Church graciously hosted the screening in their auditorium, for which we are grateful. If you missed the screening, you can watch the film on Redbull TV here.
Bike parking at “The Engine Inside” screening at Throop Church
Women of Pasadena Ride
Another new addition this year was the Women of Pasadena Ride, hosted by Liz Schiller of the Pasadena Complete Streets Coalition. The ride visited numerous sites from City Hall to the Rose Bowl, tracing the history of women in Pasadena’s history, including Loretta Thompson-Glickman, the first female African-American mayor of a U.S. city larger than 100,000 people, and Octavia Butler, the famous science fiction writer who grew up in Pasadena and went to school at Washington Middle School, now named Octavia Butler Magnet.
Popular Rides
In addition to the Ice Cream Ride, E-Bike Expo, a movie screening of "The Engine Inside," and the Women of Pasadena Ride, this year's Bike Month also saw the return of some of our most popular rides with exciting new content:
Public Art Ride: Showcased new pieces in the City’s Rotating Public Art Series, co-led by Corey Dunlap, the City of Pasadena’s Public Art Coordinator.
Tour of Pasadena African American History: Focused on the displacement of the Black community during the construction of the 710 Stub and 210 Freeway. This event was hosted by Allen Edson, current NAACP Pasadena Branch President, and Gary Moody, past President.
Remnants Ride: Traced the route of the elevated wooden bicycle highway, partially built in 1900, intended to connect Pasadena with downtown Los Angeles, previously hosted by the Pasadena Complete Streets Coalition.
Ride of Silence: We were pleased to help plan and promote this annual event.
Bike to Work Day: On May 16, 2024, we hosted a booth in front of City Hall.
National Ride A Bike Day: we encouraged everyone to get out and ride.
African American History Ride with NAACP Pasadena Branch: The Old Train Station
Looking Ahead
We’re happy to announce that we’ll be back with another round of Bike Month events in May 2025, thanks to the commitment of the City’s Department of Transportation. We plan to offer a variety of events, both new and returning, and we’d love to hear your suggestions. In the meantime, we’d like to thank the Department of Transportation, the Pasadena Complete Streets Coalition, NAACP, Old Pasadena, the Playhouse Village Association, all the bike shops in Pasadena, the ice cream shops who participated this year, Throop Church, and everyone else who participated in or supported Bike Month.
We look forward to seeing you at Pasadena Bike Month 2025!
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