Blog written by Leonard Bonarek, former Bicycle Coalition Staff Member
I moved to Philadelphia in 2008 as a person who hadn’t taken a bike ride for transportation since I was a child. Within months, I had been sucked into the local bike scene, first through volunteering at Neighborhood Bike Works and later at the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia. My activities spanned the “Soft Tofu Ride” to “The Pretzel Ride” to the “Bilenky Junkyard Cyclocross” (yes, a now-discontinued bike race that was held inside an actual hazardous junkyard in Northeast Philadelphia).
Then in 2010, the Philly Bike Expo arrived. It was small, it was cramped, I knew the majority of the participants, it was cold and damp, it was held in a venue that answered the question “can buildings get the flu?” Folks, don’t get me wrong, it was amazing and lovely and reaffirming. But it was also -though not intentionally- not very inclusive.
By 2019 I had gotten a masters degree in urban planning (largely influenced by my experiences in the bike movement) and was a staff member of the Bicycle Coalition, charged with organizing a seminar entitled “Women Leading the Bike Movement.” For years now, the event has been held at the Philadelphia Convention Center, a venue that is larger and more geographically accessible. This has enabled Expo organizer Bina Bilenky Trahan to make the event far more accessible to people beyond the hardcore (mostly male, mostly white) “bike people.”
Today the event is an annual can’t-miss, and will be my first experience with being an Expo volunteer. In addition to having over 100 exhibitors, an amazing array of shiny bikes, bike art, a children’s test track area and food trucks, there is a seminar series covering topics from the technical to the emotional, and a robust choice of events to attend, from mixers and happy hours to group rides.
That guy who moved here in 2008 didn’t own a bicycle. Today I have 6 bikes in my garage, including a DIY electric cargo bike. While this may not be the journey that first-time attendees take, it’s been a heck of a ride and there is a turn off point for any type of person who’s interested in cycling, including adults who haven’t yet learned how to ride a bike. I look forward to seeing you there!
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Tickets for the 2025 Philly Bike Expo are live! If you’re a BCGP member, check for your exclusive promo code in this month’s Members Only newsletter. Not a member yet? Become one now.
We’re so excited to see you all at the Expo again this year. You can find us at the “Laws We Need to Make Our Roads Safe” seminar at 3pm on Saturday with Piscitello Law and Ayeshia Poole & Jasmine Hoffman, primary advocates for Jay Alert.
If you want even more policy/advocacy in your Expo experience, check out this talk on how Pittsburgh crowdsources data from bike riders to understand hazards in their bike network, Saturday at 1:30pm.
We’ll be tabling both days too! Pop on by our table and say hi!