5th Annual Cincinnati Bike Show

The Cincinnati Bike Show, host by the UC Bike Kitchen and UC|sustainability is always held during Bike Month. But if you remember this past May, it was crazy weather wise. The day of the show dawned cool and sunny but as the time approached for the show to begin the snow was driven sideways by the wind and mixed with sleet. The was not a fun ride to the bus I can assure you and the show was rescheduled TBD.
Well TBD finally rolled around and it was a brilliant amazing day this time.











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Cincinnati Bike Month

May is actually National Bike Month, but we're talking Cincinnati/NKY here here. If you need a reason to get on a bike this month, I really hope you get on one this month, there are multiple events almost every single day in May.
Don't have a bike? That is still no excuse, every Tuesday you can ride a Red Bike for $2!
There are long rides, short rides, beginner rides, beer rides, flower rides, donut rides!!. And if you find an event you like, they've made it easy to remember with a link to auto add the event to your calendar.
Browse the long list of events in cronilogical order on Cincinnati Bike Month's CALENDAR.
And some pictures from the Cincinnati Bike Month kickoff party and ride last night.










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the iron price

Do you watch Game of Thrones? When people ask me if a tattoo hurts I always tell them you have to pay the iron price. But this post is about riding bikes. Specifically, riding them up hills.
You can't pay the gold price, there is no way to buy yourself a ride up the hill, even if you have an expensive lightweight bike, you still have to pedal it up on your own.
What does riding a bike up a hill have to do with anything?
Hills are where the glory is, do you know who the best sprinter is?
No? But I bet you've heard of Pantani and Armstrong!
But we don't ride hills for glory, we're just normal people. We're riding them for ourselves.
The only way to know if you can do something, is to pay the iron price and do it!

Shoutout to the woman who took pity on us 3/4 of the way up Ravine and hit us with the hose!

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art bikes hit the street

Celebrating their 3^rd anniversary, Cincinnati Red Bike commissioned three local artists to change perceptions of what a bike is. I also love the fact Red Bike took up the challenge with ArtsWave that art isn't just inside or static. Art is a living breathing creation with a life of its own.
From Red Bike,
"The initial run of ART BIKES is the first of future creative collaborations between Red Bike, ArtsWave, and area artists to enhance community connection to art and transportation. The three artists who contributed to this project are Amy Watson, Jessi Jumanji, Christian Schmit, through their mix of perspective and talent as a painter, sculptor and fabric artist."
These bikes are being deployed today and everyone will have the opportunity to ride run. How amazing is that?
They don't mention the timing, but I can't help but notice that Blink Cincinnati is coming up in a few weeks and these bikes will fit right in.
Frank Henson the Patron Saint of Cincinnati Cycling with Nancy Strassel, Vice President of the Board of Red Bike and Executive Director of Red Bike Jason Barron at the Art Bike launch party.

Red Bike riders are encouraged to find the ART BIKES in the wild; take pictures and videos of yourself riding the ART BIKES; and share them on social media. #RedBikeArtBikes
Red Bike is greater Cincinnati’s bike share network of 57 stations and 442 bikes covering two states and four cities: Cincinnati, Covington, Newport, and Bellevue. For more information click HERE.[where: 45202] best place to learn how to live downtown cincinnati ohio the ethos of Cincinnati
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Northside Bikes

With MOBO located in Northside, the 4th of July parade is always the best oportunity to see a bunch of really cool bikes and characters.













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Ride for Reading

Judi LoPresti of Northside's Spun Bicycle and Libby Hunter of Word Play started the Ride for Reading five years ago. Ms. LoPresti and Ms. Hunter began the ride in reaction to the news that Cincinnati is fourth in the nation for childhood poverty. I love the teamwork involved in this. For Ms. Hunter getting books into the hands of elementary school children for their homes dovetails with her work at Word Play. And given Ms. LoPresti's involvement in the cycling community what better way to deliver books than by bike?
I had been wanting to be involved with this ride for the last couple years so this year I just took a vacation day to ride with everyone. I'm betting we cranked an actual ton of books, 3600 books for 360 kids, from Coffee Emporium downtown to Fredrick Douglas Elementary in Walnut Hills. Sure it was fun seeing friends, grinding up Gilbert and all the camaraderie that goes along with it. What I wasn't expecting is what waited for us at Fredrick Douglas Elementary. The kids were all waiting in the parking lot and cheering as we rolled in. We unloaded the books and they all made a dash for the books. I was just standing there grinning at it all when I felt something bump into me. I looked down and a young girl was giving me a hug so I reached down and squeezed her back.
I can't even tell you the emotions running through my head at that point. My mind raced back a couple years when I rode around Oyler Elementary School in Lower Price Hill.
Have you ever seen it?
Its beautiful.
Ornamental.
On either side on the entrance is a statue, one a young boy and one a young girl, each reading a book. Looking at them I felt this intense sadness that in a neighborhood of abject poverty, there are kids who may have never seen a person read a book until they saw those statues.
Helping to deliver those books and seeing how excited these kids were to have a book of their own made me feel pretty awesome.
So thank you Judi and Libby for organizing this ride for five years and giving me, and everyone else, the opportunity to be involved.


Ms. LoPresti and Ms. Hunter receiving a proclamation from the city. How awesome is that?








Guys, next weekend Friday to Sunday has 14 events happening! Find a ride that suits you and get on that bike!
The calendar is here.
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