6:00am | To signal their support for a bike-friendly city, more than 145 businesses throughout Long Beach offer bicyclists a discount or deal every Saturday. Some of the business participants, such as The Factory and Viento y Agua, offer their discount every day they’re open. From 15% off bike shop accessories to 20% off a restaurant tab, cycling groups and occasional bicyclists alike are finding a diversity of offers at BikeLongBeach.org.
The program is growing weekly and appears to be the largest citywide discount program for bicyclists in the nation. It sprouted out of the city’s Bike-Friendly Business District program in the neighborhoods of Bixby Knolls, Cambodia Town, Retro Row, and the East Village Arts District and expanded citywide when merchants throughout the city asked to participate.
Bike Saturdays is popular with cycling groups who ride to Long Beach and take advantage of the program after a ride to eat or shop. Conventioneers and other visitors are picking up on it, as well. However, it’s most popular with Long Beach residents who enjoy a relaxing bike ride on the weekend with their family or friends – or with a date.
“My girlfriend and I love to bike around town, and when we heard about the Bike Saturdays program we were really interested,” says downtown Long Beach resident Sean Warner. “We use the long list of participating businesses as a way to check out new bars and restaurants. We just hop on our bikes and enjoy a discount. In fact, I like the program so much I started volunteering for it to help get the word out.”
The program attracts hundreds of participants each month to the many stores that participate. The bigger the discount and the more the business promotes it, the higher the customer response. “Being a coffee shop, we’re always trying to get very involved in the community, and this is something that Long Beach is clearly passionate about – and we are too,” says Michelle Cross, manager of It’s A Grind in Bixby Knolls. “Since we’ve started it, every Saturday we see eight to 10 news faces.”
Visit the Bike Saturdays page to see the list of promotions and plan your next ride destination.