Bakersfield's Bike Culture
Trails & Nature
When the automobile was invented horses became a thing of the past, an outdated method of transportation that was more expensive than the newer option. As the usefulness of horses declined so did its supporting industries. In a year's time stablemen, farriers, veterinarians, and related professions saw a massive drop in business as a direct result of the new technology, this would lead to the decreases and, in extreme cases, abandonment of infrastructure once used for the monolithic industry horses once used. Nowadays these projects are used by different mediums of transportation most notably, bikes, Bakersfield is a biking haven for new and experienced riders alike as it contains just as many paved trails as it does offroad ones. The tradition of biking in the city of Bakersfield is one that goes back nearly two decades for a non-profit titled Bike Bakersfield a collection of riding enthusiasts who run a shop in the city that provides services like Valet Bike Parking, Report A Road Hazard, Bike Kitchen, Earn-A-Bike Program, Volunteer, Bike Buddy Program, among others. These programs help encourage young riders as well as bring in new ones and are viewed positively by the local community. One of Bike Bakersfield's events takes place near the Rathbun Branch library in Bakersfield and uses the river beds once walked by horses to host bikes of all shapes and sizes. The repurposed walkways were once home to a cozy 35,000 residents in 1950 who once occupied them mostly on horse or carriage, these residents would never imagine the same city housing 400,000+ residents less than a century later.
Biking Events
Another tradition setting Bakersfield apart is its biking culture, the city has more than 400,000 residents residing within city limits. Cities the size of Bakersfield are generally known for a specific industry, tradition, or culture and Bakersfield is no different, the residents of this median-populated city ride bikes at a surprising rate. According to the Kern Council of Government's study "Safe Routes in Kern County for Cyclists in Disadvantaged Communities," there are more than 30,000 weekly trips on bikes by pedestrians of the city, as this number continues to steadily rise, Bakersfield's council pushes toward new initiatives to promote a safer way to ride around the city. Among these initiatives is the promotion of biking events to the city's riding community, Bike Bakersfield is a locally run organization that has been running bike rodeos since 2008, the events promote riding to all age demographics by gathering large groups of cyclists for multi-stage obstacle courses and maintenance events. Such events promote visibility to the general population as well as safety for the riders
New Residents
New residents of Bakersfield should expect to share the motorways with bikes day and night, the city's layout makes cycling the preferred mode of transportation for those looking to escape high gas prices. As the price of gas rises so do the amount of bikes sold and that is no coincidence, even though most American cities lack the infrastructure to make cycling a viable form of daily transportation, Bakersfield is not among those cities. Bakersfield has designated bike trails around nature-rich areas as well as biking lanes on some roads. While not having the same amount of riding facilities or infrastructure as large cities, Bakersfield does more with what it has than most cities of its size. Another major initiative meant to promote riding in Bakersfield is the bicycle transportation network, the project has both proposed as well as realized biking-friendly additions to the city such as designating multi-use paths, bike lanes, and making new trails. New residents may need a place to store their bikes, Derrel's Mini Storage has you covered. We offer personal storage as well as corporate storage in a variety of sizes, to get a better idea of which unit best suits your needs check out the size guide on our website. Derrel's also offers RV storage, boat storage, and vehicle storage at 5000 Ashe rd as well as other locations in the state of California.
