Volume 2, Issue 10 – June 30, 2003

“A Newsletter Published by Bike Pittsburgh to establish Pittsburgh as a city that is increasingly safe, accessible, and friendly to bicycle transportation.”

In This Issue:

* Spotlight: The Pittsburgh Helmet Coalition
* Volunteers Needed for Pittsburgh Triathalon and The Great Ride
* Free Ride Joins Bike Pittsburgh
* Mountain Bikers: Two Regular Rides!
* New Port Authority Biking Information!
* Pitt Stops

SPOTLIGHT: THE PITTSBURGH HELMET COALITION

The Pittsburgh Helmet Coalition (www.pghhelmetcoalition.org) is an important safety-focused group that provides free bike helmets to hundreds of children every year in the Pittsburgh Region. Recently, Bike Pittsburgh has become increasingly involved with assisting the Coalition to carry out their Mission.

The Pittsburgh Helmet Coalition is largely a Volunteer-based Organization, and is seeking additional support in the form of enthusiastic Volunteers who can help them at various events that are held throughout the year. There are two IMMEDIATE NEEDS which we hope you’ll be able to help out and volunteer some of your time; we’ll teach you everything you need to know!

* Observation Surveys – Every year the Coalition collects data in neighborhoods around Pittsburgh which tracks helmets usage. Volunteers are needed to observe helmet usage in various local Pittsburgh neighborhoods, and record the number of children who are (or are not) wearing helmets while riding bikes, scooters, and skateboards.

* Saturday/Sunday July 12th & 13th ~ E-Fest in East Liberty. 10 to 15 Volunteers are needed from 12:00pm – 6:00pm to assist with helmet fittings, pass out educational materials, play the “Wheel Wise” game with the children, assist with wheel rally one of the two days with the riding course, helmet fittings, inspections, and giveaways.

* Saturday July 26th ~ Northside Festival. Volunteers are needed from 11:00am – 6:00pm to assist with helmet fittings, present educational materials to parents and kids, and run the “Wheel Wise” game.

* Sunday/Sunday July 26th & 27th ~ The Great Ride. 3 to 5 Volunteers are needed from 6:00am- 11:00am to assist with helmet fittings, present educational materials to parents and kids, and run the “Wheel Wise” game.

Please contact Marcy Eustice. Program Coordinator, via email at: (meustice61@aol.com) if you can help!

Here is a sampling of the Programs offered by the Coalition:

School Assembly Programs – The Pittsburgh Helmet Coalition does school assembly programs and classroom programs on helmet safety. Educational materials are provided for the children and teachers to keep at no charge.

Wheel Rallies – The Pittsburgh Helmet Coalition partners with schools and community organizations to hold wheel rallies in conjuction with community festivals and other events. Children play the wheel wise game were they are quizzed on helmet and bike safety. Children earn prizes for correct answers, and spend time scooting, skating, skateboarding, or biking through a course with traffic lights, and stop signs that tests their traffic safety knowledge. Children are also taught how to wear a helmet properly and children are given a helmet if their helmet has been damaged or if they do not own one. In addition, educational materials are provided to parents who attend with their child.

Hang Tags – Each year in December and May, the Pittsburgh Helmet Coalition gives out hang tags to stores that sell bikes, scooters, skates, and skateboards. The tags are placed on these items to remind parents to buy a helmet.

Poster Contest – May is bike safety month! Each May the Pittsburgh Helmet Coalition judges a second grade bike safety poster contest. Submissions are accepted as early as Feburary and the winners are invited to a reception at the Children’s Museum in May.

We hope to see you there!

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR PITTSBURGH TRIATHALON AND THE GREAT RIDE

The Seagate 2003 Pittsburgh Triathalon and The Great Ride are coming up quick! Both events are in need of Volunteers to help make these annual events a success! If you’ve ever participated in an event like these, you’ll appreciate the huge amount of time, energy, and coordination needed to make everything run smoothly. A complete list of Volunteer needs for both of these events can be found in the “Volunteer” section of the Bike Pittsburgh website. In particular, here are the most “critical” needs:

* The Great Ride – Volunteers are needed to help with the Water/Rest Stops for this year’s Great Ride. Volunteers will assist with set up of rest stop area; distribute water, sports drinks, fruit and other snack items, and assist with breakdown and clean up of rest stop. In particular, the Schenley Park Rest Stop is in particular need of Volunteers.

* The Seagate 2003 Pittsburgh Triathalon – Saturday, July 12th from 1:00pm – 5:00pm at the Registration Tent – checking in athletes, handing out their bags and registering new athletes. Saturday, July 12th from 4:00pm – 7:00pm in the Hospitality Area (PARTY!) on the riverfront – Helping check athletes into the hospitality tent, monitoring the flow of people, helping the caterers if necessary making sure everyone is having a great time! Sunday, July 13th from 9:00am-12:00pm – Help assist at the Participant Award Ceremony and Hospitality Tent. All volunteers will receive food, a fantabulous event t-shirt, and the fuzzy feeling of being a good Friend of the Riverfront!

To Volunteer, please contact:

The Great Ride – Dennis Meyer (Dennis.Meyer@city.pittsburgh.pa.us)

Pittsburgh Triathalon – Bill Collinge (william.collinge@dmjmharris.com)

FREE RIDE JOINS BIKE PITTSBURGH

Free Ride – the Wilkinsburg group that recycles bikes back into the Community and teaches local bike repair classes, has joined Bike Pittsburgh as a Sponsored Project!

Free Ride can now accept tax-deductible donations of bikes, parts, and monetary contributions, all of which can be used to enable people of all ages to obtain, repair, and maintain recycled bicycles, and enhance the health of our community and environment through active living and safe bicycle transport. Free Ride offers repair classes for children and adults. Complete information on the Free Ride Project can be found on the Bike Pittsburgh website in the “Free Ride” area. Here is some quick reference information:

Located at the Multi Tool community resource space – 724 Wood Street, Wilkinsburg, PA.
Children’s repair time: Sundays 1:30pm – 5:00pm
Adult repair time/classes: Thursdays 5:00pm – 9:00pm
Phone: (412) 247-9639
Contact: (freeride@bike-pgh.org)

MOUNTAIN BIKERS: TWO REGULAR RIDES!

If you’re interested in Mountain Biking, or are already a regular rider, there are two regularly scheduled rides. These rides are easy to moderate in levels of difficulty. Regardless of your skill level, you’ll be welcomed on these rides. Complete details for these rides can be found in the Events & Activities section of the Bike Pittsburgh website near the top of the page.

Weekly Mountain Bike Rambles ~ (Every Thursday Night from 6:30pm to 9:00pm) Join Leaders from The Western Pennsylvania Field Institute (www.wpfi.org) for a pleasant ride over a different set of trails every week. You will be surprised at the diversity of trails, great views and beautiful surroundings. Each week, the Ride Leaders hand-craft a route of great views, manageable hills, and optimal conditions. Plenty of breaks are taken, and after the ride food and drinks are had at a nearby eatery (food and drinks at your expense). This is a great riding opportunity for the beginner and expert alike. Cost: $FREE! Upcoming rides include:

* July 3 – Location: Hartwood Acres, JD’s Pub
* July 10 – Location: Settlers Cabin, TBD
* July 17 – Location: Boyce Park – Silver Beaver Pavillion
* July 24 – Location: Harrison Hills Park, YMCA
* July 31 – Location: Riverview Park, near the Observatory

Visit: (www.wpfi.org/activities-wpfi.htm#start) to get detailed directions. Please call ahead (412) 255-0564 if you need a light, or additional directions.

North Park Ride ~ (Every Tuesday Night)~ Come out for an easy Mountain Bike ride every Tuesday in North Park! Skill Level (2) Novice Beginner; easy pace. We’ll meet at the corner of Wildwood Road and Babcock Blvd. Join us for a ride around various trails in the park, with plenty of stops along the way! No lights required. For more info, contact Rob Loehr at: (412) 369-7001 or via email at either (vze34gcc@verizon.net) or (rob_bubba@yahoo.net). This is an independently sponsored ride.

NEW PORT AUTHORITY BIKING INFORMATION!

The Port Authority of Allegheny County (www.ridegold.com) has just posted a new map of parks and trails accessible by system busses with bike racks. This map is a 2MB download, so please be patient while it downloads. You can find this new map here:

http://www.ridegold.com/live/pgBike.asp

Additionally, the link above lists all of the known bike racks at Port Authority stops in the bus system. Check it out!

PITT STOPS

This section of The Bike Pittsburgh Leader is dedicated to identifying local establishments that have made a committment to cyclists.

This Issue’s Pitt Stop is: Dirty Harry’s – in Verona, PA. Dirty Harry’s a full service bike shop located at 730 Allegheny River Blvd., Verona, PA, 15147. Telephone: (412) 828-2667.

Store Hours:
Tuesday & Thursday 10:00am – 8:00pm
Wednesday & Friday 10:00am – 6:00pm
Saturday 10:00am – 4:00pm
Sunday & Monday CLOSED

On the Web at: http://dirtyharrys.net

Post the miles that you ride on the Bike Pittsburgh website in the Community & Classifieds area! Just send us your monthly mileage, and if you want your name to be available as an email link to: miles@bike-pgh.org

Bike Pittsburgh is Western Pennsylvania’s only cycling advocacy, awareness, and safety organization. We rely on your support for many of our activies and initiatives. You can help us to continually transform the Pittsburgh Region into a better place to cycle by becoming a Full Member for only $12 per year. With your tax-deductible Membership Donation you will receive a Membership Card good for discounts with participating organizations that share Bike Pittsburgh’s vision, priority invitations and/or discounts to special Bike Pittsburgh-sponsored events, and the satisfaction that you really are helping to make a difference for all of us. For complete details, go to the Bike Pittsburgh website and click on the Become A Member! section.

“The Bike Pittsburgh Leader” is an occasional newsletter of Bike Pittsburgh, Inc. Bike Pittsburgh, Inc. does not rent, sell, or make available any personal information, including email addresses, that you may send to Bike Pittsburgh. If you would like to be removed from the distribution list, simply email: remove@bike-pgh.org and request to be removed.