Protecting the Planet 1% at a Time

Posted on Apr 30th 2024 | advocacy, better world, learn, quarterly dispatch,

1% for the Planet was born from a simple concept: businesses should give back to the earth from which they profit. Founded in 2001 by Yvon Chouinard of Patagonia and Craig Matthews of Blue Ribbon Flies, the organization has since rallied an impressive network of over 5,200 businesses in 110 countries, collectively […] read more...

NICA is Expanding Youth Cycling Across the U.S.

Posted on Mar 23rd 2023 | QUARTERLY DISPATCH, NEWS, LEARN, ADVOCACY, BIKE LIFE,

The National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) is introducing youth and families across the country to the lifelong benefits of bicycling. NICA was founded in 2009 with the goal of developing mountain bike programs for student-athletes in grades 6-12 across the U.S. Its mission is to “build strong minds, […] read more...

Join the Movement in Creating a More Bicycle-Friendly America

Posted on Jan 13th 2023 | BETTER WORLD, LEARN, QUARTERLY DISPATCH,

Is 2023 the year that you’ll encourage your business, university, or community to join the movement to create a more bicycle-friendly America? If so, the League of American Bicyclists (LAB) is here to help!A decade ago, the League launched the current version of its Bicycle Friendly America (BFA) program. It’s focus […] read more...

Back to School Gear That Will Keep You Riding Through the Year

Posted on Sep 1st 2022 | BIKE LIFE, LEARN, PRODUCT,

As the long days of summer wind down, students across the land have to say goodbye to the carefree days of summertime and head back to school. So, whether you’re a second grader, a high schooler, an undergrad or a teacher, give biking to school a try. It smells better than a big yellow school bus and it can be more […] read more...

Planet Bike Continues on the Path to a Sustainable Future

Posted on Apr 22nd 2022 | ADVOCACY, BETTER WORLD, BIKE LIFE, LEARN, NEWS,

Doing business in a different way has been a part of our company culture since its founding in 1996. Environmental sustainability and social responsibility are at the core of our mission as it promotes the power of the bicycle to bring equity and positive change to people, communities, and the environment.In honor […] read more...

Don't Let the Cold Keep You Off Your Bike

Posted on Jan 14th 2022 | Bike Life, learn,

As the temperatures drop and daylight shortens it sometimes gets harder to find the motivation to keep those wheels turning. Nevertheless, if you’re able to work through your winter riding hesitancies, you’ll discover that even the shortest rides through challenging conditions can be the most rewarding adventures o […] read more...

5 Tips to Extend Your Bike Commuting into the Fall Season

Posted on Sep 21st 2021 | bike life, learn, product,

With the days getting noticeably shorter and the temperatures starting to drop, it’s time to start thinking about fall riding gear. Here are five tips to extend your riding season into cooler temperatures so you can take in all the autumnal beauty as you pedal through fall. Dress in layers – Wool for the wi […] read more...

Riding Back to School

Posted on Sep 2nd 2021 | Bike Life, Learn,

For most kids, nothing is more exciting than the anticipation and feeling of back to school time. That sense of excitement is even more palpable when the daily trip to the school yard involves pedaling by bicycle through the fresh morning air.Across the nation, schools are back in session and we have compiled five […] read more...

Brighten Up Your Community

Posted on Nov 21st 2018 | Advocacy, Bicycle Friendly University, Bicycle lights, Day light savings, Learn, Light giveaway,

This blog is written by Carly Adams at the League of American Bicyclists The end of Daylight Saving Time can do more than give you a case of the winter blues. When it gets dark earlier in the evening, commuters are at increased risk of getting in a cra […] read more...

Bicycle Friendly Driver Program

Posted on Jul 16th 2018 | Advocacy, Learn,

The League of American Bicyclists has been teaching bicycling skills and building riding confidence to people nation wide through their League Cycling Instructors(LCIs) since the 1970’s. Now the League is taking that program one step further in developing a Bicycle Friendly Driver Program t […] read more...

Rebuild your gear, shipping is free!

Posted on Mar 23rd 2017 | Learn, Product,

All of us here at Planet Bike try to be conscious of our impact on the earth and we design our products to be easily rebuildable. We offer loads of small parts on our website(132 to be exact!) so that one missing bit doesn’t mean you have to throw something away and start over with a new product. The best part? We o […] read more...

Double Wrapped Handlebars

Posted on Jun 10th 2016 | Bike Life, Blog, Learn, Product,

My name is Heath and I’m a double taper. It all started when I saw an old timer (yep, I’m talking about you Larry) cover his bars with foam tubes (think 10 speeds of the 1980’s) and a layer of leather tape overtop. A secret layer of comfort, genius! Over the years I have refined my s […] read more...

Bike Path Courtesy

Posted on Aug 10th 2015 | Advocacy, Bike Life, Blog, Learn,

It’s summertime and the living is easy. You’ve likely noticed that your neighborhood paths are teaming with activity. The path that rolls past my front door is a human highway of cyclist, rollerbladers, joggers, dog walkers, birders and skateboarders. The nicer the day, the more the path bustles. To celebrate bicyclin […] read more...

Do It Yourself!

Posted on Jul 17th 2015 | Bike Life, Blog, Learn,

A flat tire can put a big damper on a bike ride, especially if you aren’t armed with the knowledge and tools to rectify the situation. Practice makes perfect as the old adage says. Check with your local bike shop to see if they offer any free repair classes.

What’s a flat kit and why should I have one?

Posted on Mar 31st 2015 | Learn,

Our spring newsletter was released yesterday. In case you missed it, our Learn Stuff article focused on flat kits. Inevitably, it won’t cross your mind until you’re standing on the side of the road 5 miles from home with a flat tire and no way to repair it. Seasoned commuters and riders across the land have embarrassi […] read more...

Polar Vortex Biking Dress Code

Posted on Jan 7th 2015 | Bike Life, Learn,

In the midst of a polar vortex, I always like to put out a reminder on biking in brutally cold temperatures. This morning on my 45 minute commute to work, the temperature was hovering around -6F with the wind chill at -25F. However, I was completely comfortable riding in the proper attire. Hands and feet have always b […] read more...

The Best Way to Carry Cargo by Bike.

Posted on Nov 20th 2014 | Bike Life, Blog, Learn,

A bicycle is a beautiful thing and to optimize all if its benefits, we all want to be able to carry some stuff with us as we head down the road of life. So, what’s the best approach? Is it your trusty backpack, a classic highlighter yellow Ortlieb pannier or are you planning on getting your three kids to school in th […] read more...

Fender Flute

Posted on Dec 13th 2013 | Blog, Learn, Product,

I’ve been sitting on this one for a while (aka, forgot to post something). Our pals over at Problem Solvers came up with a nifty solution for the mounting of front fenders on suspension corrected forks. Well, that’s a little bit of a mouthful isn’t it? But what does it mean? The Fender Flute extends the reach of the m […] read more...

The Making of a Bike

Posted on May 14th 2012 | Bike Life, Blog, Learn, Video,

Here’s an old video from Raleigh that’s been making the internet rounds. If you haven’t taken the time to watch it, it’s well worth it. […] read more...

Instructional Video of the Year

Posted on Jan 31st 2012 | Bike Life, Blog, Learn, Video,

Problem Solvers is a dandy of a company over in MN that does what? Solves problems. They make all sorts of clever do-dads to work around common bicycle component and compatibility issues. Our pal and the man with the plan, DK, clued us in on their latest instructional video. Take a look and you’ll see why I’m no […] read more...

Increased use of bikes for commuting offers economic, health benefits

Posted on Nov 9th 2011 | Bike Life, Blog, Learn,

MADISON – Cutting out short auto trips and replacing them with mass transit and active transport would yield major health benefits, according to a study just published in the scientific journal Environmental Health Perspectives. The biggest health benefit was due to replacing half of the short trips with bicycle trips […] read more...

Preparing for Fall

Posted on Oct 28th 2011 | Bike Life, Blog, Learn,

The approach of Daylight Savings is a sure sign that cooler temperatures and dreary weather are on the way. Madison’s Fall is already well under way. The temperature when I hopped on my bike this morning was 41 degrees and there’s plenty of rain in the forecast. I’ve been a year-round bike commuter as long as I can r […] read more...

What's New?

Posted on Oct 4th 2011 | Blog, Learn, Product,

An old favorite of winter cyclists just got better. The Borealis winter cycling glove has been redesigned with a windproof outer shell and removable fleece liner to keep the cold out and keep the warm in. The removable liner helps dry time after the ride, and creates a 3-in-1 glove by using t […] read more...

CO2 Cartridge Production

Posted on May 24th 2011 | Blog, Learn, Product, Video,

I’m constantly wondering how things are made. What does the tooling look like, how big are the machines, what is the raw material before the process starts? One of our more interesting production processes is the manufacturing of CO2 cartridges. This video from the show “How It’s Made” captures the making of a cart […] read more...

The Turbo Flash

Posted on Feb 16th 2011 | Blog, Learn, Product,

Many are wondering what the heck our new Turbo flash pattern looks like. We took two short videos today to show you what it’s all about. The first is in our bike parking area (I realized there’s a strange clicking noise in the background, it is not caused by the light) and the second video shows the light in daylight. […] read more...

Warm Feet Revisited

Posted on Jan 10th 2011 | Bike Life, Blog, Learn,

As we all get settled into our winter commuting routines, I figured now is a good time to revisit our winter riding footwear choices. Here’s a little review we did last year on what works for us. One of the first priorities to be concerned with while riding or commuting in the winter is warm feet. We’ve tried a varie […] read more...

DIY studded tires

Posted on Dec 3rd 2010 | Bike Life, Blog, Learn,

Here in Madison we’re about to get our first snow of the season this weekend. Time to winterize the bike and get ready for riding in the snow! Most of us here at Planet Bike have our studded tires ready to put on but here’s a pretty ingenuous way to cheaply and easily get some traction without having to buy studde […] read more...

Spok Versatility

Posted on May 17th 2010 | Blog, Learn, Product,

It can never hurt to have an extra light on your bike. We’ve come up with some alternate mounting options for our Spok lights. Don’t feel you have to limit it to our suggestions though. You can get as creative as you’d like. […] read more...

Atomic Light

Posted on Apr 1st 2010 | Bike Life, Blog, Learn,

I’d like to introduce our new line of minimalist bike lights. Inspired by the growing DIY movement, we are offering a kit that includes the LED, battery and electrical tape. The prototype shown below utilizes a standard CR2032 watch battery, but production models will utilize liquid metal nuclear batteries. Run-time […] read more...

Employee Glove Choice

Posted on Jan 22nd 2010 | Bike Life, Blog, Learn,

When the weather fluctuates, so does our choice of gear. Next to boots, gloves are one of the most important choices to make when commuting in the winter. Keeping the extremities warm can be tough. This past week has been nice. It seems that we’re experiencing our mid-winter thaw with temps in the lower 30’s. Below yo […] read more...