Campus Bike Week

The annual Campus Bike Week brings together local bike organizations, folks new to biking, experienced bicyclists, and bike educators for a week of activities that highlight the many benefits that make biking fun and enjoyable! It is a time to celebrate our bicycling community and promote biking as a sustainable, active commuting opportunity and recreational activity.

Sunday, Sept 13 - Friday, Sept 18, 2026

Schedule:

Sunday September 13:

  • Tandem Biking with BOLD (Blind Outdoor Leisure Development) and Pitt Serves* | 8:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. | (Eliza Furnace Trail Head)
    Experience tandem biking with Blind and Visually Impaired riders through Blind Outdoor Leisure Development (BOLD). As a sighted volunteer pilot, you'll help create an inclusive outdoor recreation experience while building community, learning about accessibility, and enjoying a fun ride. No tandem biking experience is required; training will be provided. Come support adaptive recreation, meet new people, and celebrate Campus Bike Week with BOLD and Pitt Serves!

This program is open to undergraduate and graduate students.

Monday September 14

  • Kick Off Festival | Location: Bike Cave | Time: 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
    Celebrate Campus Bike Week with a festival dedicated to all things biking at Pitt and beyond! Enter a raffle to win a brand-new bike as well as locks and helmets from Pitt Mobility, Pitt Eats, BikePGH, and the Pitt Bike Cave. Connect with biking-related student clubs and Pittsburgh-based organizations. Share your thoughts on campus bike infrastructure with Pitt’s Planning Department, learn safety tips from Pitt Police, and try out Pittsburgh Regional Transit’s demo bus bike rack. Plus, activate your POGOH benefit and explore how to use bike share bikes from POGOH. 

Tuesday September 15

  • Confident City Cycling Class | Location: Bike Cave | Time: 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
    The Pitt Bike Cave and BikePGH are partnering to offer a FREE three-hour Confident City Cycling Class to provide you with all the skills and knowledge to safely commute in Pittsburgh. This on-the-bike class covers basic and advanced cycling skills, best practices for solo and group riding, and includes a culminating group ride that utilizes the best of local bicycle infrastructure.

Wednesday September 16

  • Operation Illumination | Location: Schenley Plaza | Time: 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. (Bike Cave will provide a mechanic for free quick checks)
    Operation Illumination is BikePGH’s initiative to install FREE front and rear bicycle light sets for riders with unlit bikes! Stop by with your UNLIT bike to receive free lights as well as bike guides and maps while supplies last!

Thursday September 17

  • POGOH Scavenger Hunt* | Location: Bike Cave | Time: 11:00 p.m. - 12:00 p.m..
    Explore Oakland on two wheels and discover some of Pittsburgh's most popular bike share stations during the POGOH Scavenger Hunt! Participants will travel to four designated POGOH stations, complete challenges, collect clues, and learn more about navigating the city by bike.
  • Intro to Mountain Biking* | Location: Bike Cave | Time: 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
    Ready to hit the trails? Introduction to Mountain Biking is a beginner-friendly workshop designed for students who want to learn the fundamentals of off-road cycling in a fun, supportive environment. Whether you're completely new to mountain biking or looking to build confidence on the trails, this program will introduce you to the essential skills needed for a safe and enjoyable ride.

Friday September 18

  • Ice Cream Social Ride* | Location: Start at Bike Cave | Time: Rolling at 4:00 p.m. 

Join us as we roll into the sweet finale of Campus Bike Week with an Ice Cream Social Ride! Celebrate a week of biking, community, and sustainable transportation with a fun, casual group ride followed by complimentary ice cream.

You must be registered and checked in to receive free ice cream. This program is open to undergraduate and graduate students.

We will provide helmets, but if you have one, please bring it.

 

* Sign-ups for all OAP-led programs are required here: https://my.rec.pitt.edu/Program?classificationId=67ebd779-9d51-46ca-bf49-de9493a2b721#

History

Pitt’s celebration of our bicycling community started in May 2017 with Bike to Work Day, a national event that promotes bikes as a commuting option for workers across the country. Pitt’s celebration brought together bicycle commuters from across Pittsburgh for breakfast and coffee, bike giveaways, free bike safety checks, a Port Authority bus bike rack demonstration, and more! Bike to Work Day is still celebrated each year.

The following year, Pitt, Carnegie Mellon University, Chatham University, and BikePGH established Bike to Campus Day to celebrate students, faculty, and staff who commute to campus by bike – hosted in September after students returned to campus! Events and activities were planned at the three universities and promoted by our partner BikePGH.

In 2020, the Bike to Campus Week celebration became established, holding events virtually due to the pandemic. Activities included online sessions with bike experts and bike commuters focused on equipping new riders, insights on local bike routes, what to look for when buying a bike, and group ride opportunities.

Bike to Campus Week 2021 was the biggest thus far, as in-person events returned to campus. Highlights of the week’s events included the first Bike to Campus Week Festival featuring campus and local bike organizations, a Friday afternoon social ride hosted by the Pitt Bike Cave and Latin American Graduate Organization of Students (LAGOS), and Chancellor Gallagher and Provost Cudd taking to the street for a bike ride through Oakland!

During Bike to Campus Week 2022, participants were able to take a POGOH bike for a ride, learn about our friends at Friends of the Riverfront and their dedication to protecting and restoring the riverfront, visit the Pitt Bike Cave at their pop-up repair shop, pick up some used bike gear at Thirftsburgh’s gear swap, or chat with Pitt Mobility about commuting by bike in Pittsburgh! The rest of the week was filled with bike classes, a bike-focused career panel, a bike repair pop-up, a bike light giveaway, virtual bike webinars, and an info session on riding the Great Allegheny Passage Bike Trail which goes from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Cumberland, Maryland!