Canberra By Bike

A 2025 Cyclonats Festival of Cycling Culture event, presented by Canberra by Bike Design Company and Smith's Alternative

Stories and songs about how cycles have made positive differences to people from all works of life across the ACT, and beyond.
Our November edition features cycles that differ from the traditional two-wheeled variety.
Storytellers Leela, Ulrike, Kevin, and Mike all ride recumbent tricycles. Sian can ride a penny farthing.
You'll also hear about the power of the Community Toolbox Canberra - a tool lending library - because you don't need a drill, you need a hole in a wall.
Make new friends and connect with old ones as we gather for the communal experience of storytelling. Got a story you want to share? Pitch your tale to us via email.
Our event is inspired by Bike Story Night, started in Texas USA by Valerie Ruiz.

Leela and Ulrike will share their stories of how they've replaced car trips with bike trips for their physical, mental, and financial health.

Mike uses a unicycle to play hockey, and a tandem he rides with his beloved, Cathy. Sometimes Mike takes his recumbent to Bunnings.
Siân’s talk is called ‘a life behind bars’. She’s been a cycling tragic for more than 60 years. Sian started racing in 1970 and is currently in the middle of the umpteenth comeback to competitive track cycling as a Masters competitor.
A successful coach of junior, elite and para competitive cyclists at state, national and world levels, Sian also helps children and adults learn to ride.
She’s a two-time winner of Cycling Australia female cyclist of the year, and also received an IOC Women in Sport Award for contribution to women’s cycling in the Oceania region. Sian’s an AusCycling coach education course presenter and assessor, and has served as Directeur Sportif for National and International Women’s professional and semi-professional road teams. And in her alleged spare time, she restores vintage bicycles, especially those built before the 1970s.

Kevin's talk is called “It’s definitely cycling, it’s definitely not riding a bike.”
He's a retired Canberra public servant who's been riding a recumbent tricycle for more than 20 years some 140,000 km across all types of paths, streets. and tracks worldwide. His most recent trike adventure in England and France began and finished at London Heathrow Airport this year. It stretched over 3,200 kilometres north to Cambridge, south to Bordeaux, west to Plymouth and east to the Loire Valley.
Kevin will share stories from the road shaped by his unique perspective with his “bum 8 inches off the road.”

Grab your friends and come roll outside to celebrate Acca Dacca returning to Australia for live shows.

This one's for people who can't tickets to their Sydney shows. Choose what songs you want on our playlist, and we'll blast them from our PartyBox speaker on our cargo bike.

New to our bike parties? You must bring your own lights, and have a plan if you get a flat tyre or other mechanical fault.

Also, wear layers as it gets cold at Lake Burley Griffin. For an idea about what to expect, here’s one we prepared earlier during Halloween.

We ride from the Street Theatre to Lake Burley Griffin's central basin, heading clockwise. We stop at the majestic Ouroboros sculpture by Lindy Lee at the National Gallery, before returning to the Street.

We welcome all people on all cycles and scooters. The route is about 7km, and there are toilets at multiple locations along the way.
This is a mostly flat ride, except for the inclines over Parkes Way, and the approaches to the Commonwealth Ave and Kings Ave Bridges.

You can go your own way, or you can experience the joy of our famous bike parties by rolling around Lake Ginninderra, blasting your favourite Fleetwood Mac songs with your friends.

You create the playlist, so let us know what you want. Otherwise it'll be 'Silver Springs' on loop, and you'll never get away from the sound of the woman that loved you. (Was I just a fool?).

New to our bike parties? You must bring your own lights, and have a plan if you get a flat tyre or other mechanical fault. Bring something warm in case it gets windy by the lake.

This route around Lake Ginninderra is mostly flat and is on shared paths. There are inclines approaching the Lake Ginninderra bridge.