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Fall is the perfect time to hop on a POGOH bike and explore Pittsburgh’s colorful streets and riversides. From a relaxed East End cruise to a scenic riverside loop or a quick jaunt near Bakery Square, these one-way routes make it easy to enjoy the season on two wheels. Grab a POGOH bike, a warm coffee, and soak in all that autumn has to offer.
Check out a few of our favorite routes below!
Start @ N Homewood and Tioga POGOH Station
End @ Penn and Whitfield POGOH Station
The East End Cruiser is a delightful 4.3-mile ride through Pittsburgh's vibrant East End neighborhoo, perfect for a leisurely autumn outing. Start your journey in Homewood, at the Everyday Cafe for a morning (or afternoon) for some ride fuel. As you pedal through the tree-lined streets, enjoy the fall foliage and charming architecture. If you're in the mood for a mid-ride pick-me-up, stop by LV Coffee Project for a seasonal latte or a light bite. End your ride at in the heart of East Liberty with nearby shops and cafes. This route offers a perfect blend of relaxed riding and local flavor.
Start @ 52nd and Butler POGOH Station
End @ Penn and 33Rd POGOH Station
The Riverside Loop is a scenic 7.6-mile ride that hugs Pittsburgh's waterways, offering stunning views of the river and surrounding autumn colors. Begin your ride at in Upper Lawrenceville where you can shop local thrift favorite, Five and Dime or a specialty shop like Alma Mercantile - both located on Butler St. As you pedal along the riverside, enjoy the crisp fall air and the reflective waters. This route offers a blend of nature and urban charm, ideal for those seeking a moderate ride with picturesque views.
Start/End @ Penn Ave and Putnam POGOH Station
The Bakery Sq Ride is a short and sweet 3.1-mile route, perfect for a quick autumn outing. Pop by KLVN Coffee Lab, a specialty coffee roaster and café located at 6600 Hamilton Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15206. As you ride through the neighborhood, enjoy the changing leaves and the vibrant atmosphere. Along the way, you might pass by East End Brewing, another local favorite offering a variety of beer options brewed on site. End your ride back at Bakery Square, where you can explore local shops and enjoy a well-deserved treat. This route is ideal for those looking for a leisurely ride with local flavor and charm.
Schools are back in session and it seems like more bikes are rolling than ever. Fall is one of POGOH's busiest seasons as university students return to campuses around Pittsburgh and look to 2 wheels to get to class, explore Pittsburgh's riverfront trails, and hit restaurants, museums, football games, and everywhere in between. The energy is high and so is our daily ride count!
In 2024, the University of Pittsburgh community accounted for more than 70% of POGOH's annual rides. Over the last few years this partnership has grown significantly and challenged our operations crew to make sure stations are stocked, the e-assist bikes are charged, and that we have stations where university students and staff need to go. In 2026, POGOH will be launching new stations around Pittsburgh, many of which will directly support our university community. Want to learn more about the upcoming expansion and how it can support your commute? Check out POGOH's expansion page!
POGOH is also challenged to make sure that new riders know how to safely and confidently navigate Pittsburgh's streets by bike. We're partnering with our friends at Bike Pittsburgh along with our awesome university communities for Bike to Campus Week, Sept 7-12 to offer a comprehensive week of classes, group rides, events, and other fun bike-y festivities.
You can also pick up a BikePGH Bike Map at any POGOH station to help you navigate the city. Online maps are great, but only the BikePGH Bike Map has all of the bike lanes, neighborways, trails, and other infrastructure on your route. You can also check out the official Biking 101 Guide to learn more about urban biking and Pittsburgh specific rules and regulations.
Currently, POGOH partners with the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University to offer students, staff, and faculty free and unlimited 30-minutes rides with POGOH. For those at CMU and Pitt, here's how to get signed up and get riding!
University of Pittsburgh students, staff, and faculty receive unlimited 30-minute rides. New Pitt riders, CLICK HERE to sign up!
*All riders MUST register via the website to connect their Pitt benefit. The app will not recognize the email domain, and riders will not receive the appropriate discount.*
Already have a POGOH account? Login to your account on pogoh.com, select "Subscription", and select your Pitt Membership at checkout.
All CMU students, staff, and faculty receive unlimited 30-minute rides with POGOH. New CMU riders, CLICK HERE to sign up!
Complete the registration for an Annual Membership using your Andrew ID email address (ending in @andrew.cmu.edu), and follow the instructions to verify your email, and your discount will be applied.
Already have a POGOH account? Login to your account on pogoh.com, update your account to your @andrew.cmu.edu email if it's not your primary email already, and follow these steps:
POGOH is celebrating Bike to Work Day with a system-wide Free Ride Day! Pay As You Go customers can enjoy free 30-minute trips from 7am-7pm. Standard rates apply after 30 minutes ($4.50/30 minutes for pedal bikes, $6.00/30 minutes for e-assist bikes). Download the PBSC App and create an account to get started.
Are you new to POGOH and would like some help getting registered? Stop by Field Day at 3706 Butler St on Wednesday, May 14th, from 11am-1pm, and grab a free cup of coffee! We'll be there guide you through POGOH's registration process in person and answer any POGOH or biking related questions you may have.
How can you take advantage of the free riding? You just need an active POGOH account. Free ride time starts at 7am and ends at 7pm on May 15. All rides under 30-minutes taken during that time are FREE.
Contact hello@pogoh.com
Our friends at BikePGH have a whole host of special things going on to celebrate Bike to Work Day on May 15th! CLICK HERE for their full menu of events!
By: Sara Khalil
Director of Operations
In April of 2015, Pittsburgh did not have bike share. I sat in my environmental justice class at the University of Pittsburgh convincing my classmates in a final presentation that bike share in Pittsburgh would change the world. I was absolutely blowing steam at that time, but turns out, I was right.
In May of 2015, I joined a team of less than 10 individuals who launched the first bike share in Pittsburgh, called Healthy Ride. Everyone wanted to know, “What is bike share?”
Bike share is, to me, freedom. It’s independence. It’s fun. It’s for those who care. It’s for those who know there is more to life than ourselves. Bike share is an industry that values community, something that has shaped my life forever moving forward.
When we launched, I was a part time field team member. I worked for $10.50 per hour moving bikes in a van from station to station. We started to see real life customers at the stations. I knew bike share had the potential to transform Pittsburgh. People could now choose if they wanted to drive or bike.
Until that time, I was riding a $10 bike from craigslist. It was a brown Huffy. I did not own an air pump or chain lube, so that should tell you something about the mechanical state of the bike. Looking back, I had no major issues with it. I only rode a mile or two from Friendship to Oakland most days, and if the weather was bad I’d just catch the free university bus. My transportation plan at that time was, keep it as cheap as possible, and my Huffy allowed me the freedom to stay out past 11pm when the buses stopped running.
By my second year at Bike Share Pittsburgh, I knew we were taking off. We saw 76,286 trips completed by customers. I was moving up in the company, and began dispatching our van around town and responding to our customers. We got a crucial grant to expand our station footprint. Customers began requesting bike share stations in their neighborhoods via an online mapping tool we created. The demand was bigger than the grant award.
In 2017, we innovated the station network by using a small grant award, testing a completely new way of using our hardware, and installing MORE, smaller, stations. We knew small stations weren’t perfect for every situation, but a 16 foot long station gave us the ability to be in more places that our customers needed us. We carved out a new path for others in the industry using this type of technology.
By 2019, our Executive Director envisioned something different for Pittsburghers. Enter the first conversations around an electric bike. At this point, JUMP had an electric model that was out in the streets for a while. Bike designers were beginning to innovate, and think of how we can use electric bikes in the public right of way sustainably. And we had questions. We went out to all of the major bike share designers and asked, “how do you plan to charge these?”. Turns out, very few hardware providers were thinking about it, so we pushed for it.
In 2020, the entire world closed down on March, 16th. Bike Share saw little usage, but it was still utilized, primarily by essential workers. Below is a graph of ridership duration changes during the “red zone” of the pandemic. People were taking longer trips on a bike.
By May of 2020, our trip numbers were mirroring 2019 numbers. We figured out ways to keep staff safe, but working. We sanitized so much that year our grips got sticky and all needed replacement. By August of 2020, we expanded a program with the University of Pittsburgh to allow all students and faculty to ride free for 30 minutes. Bike share was becoming many folks' top choice of transportation.
This moment in time gave us the opportunity to think about our future. Where did we want to go? Who did we want to serve?
In 2021, we decided to sunset Healthy Ride, for a new system we would call POGOH. The decision to transition was not taken lightly. We had invested public dollars into Healthy Ride, and to sunset it would mean Healthy Ride equipment would no longer be rented. But, we needed to make the shift to create a sustainable model for ebike charging moving forward. POGOH gave us the ability to add ebikes to our system, and the ability to charge these ebikes at the station. We were also able to accommodate shorter riders, with a smaller wheel size that provided more flexibility.
In 2022 and 2023, we removed Healthy Ride and installed POGOH stations across the city. We showed the industry that it is possible to transition systems, and do it gracefully. We purchased equipment, and our own staff assembled it in a warehouse. We operated both systems for about two weeks during the transition. We all made it, somehow. And our customers showed us how much they appreciated the introduction of the ebike in Pittsburgh. In 2023, we saw trip numbers double. We saw greater diversity in riders. We saw adoption in communities that previously were not interested in “a big heavy bike”. Ebikes enable more users to complete trips on a bike.
As we’ve grown over the years, we’ve managed to maintain long term employees, build local partnerships, innovate in our industry, lobby for federal and state resources for public transportation, and invest in communities we live in, and serve. POGOH isn’t just about bike trips. We are local community ambassadors. We are in our city fighting for change, change that will benefit everyone who calls Pittsburgh home.
As I write this today, April of 2025, we are still the industry leader for sustainable ebike charging, with 20 electric charging stations installed in the public right of way. In larger markets, like New York City, operators have technicians swapping batteries using dozens of cargo vans per day. In Pittsburgh, we swap approximately 20 batteries in an entire day. Our vision for a sustainable bike share operation is in motion and we are sharing our knowledge with other operators.
We plan to add 40+ charging stations this year, which means over half of our network will charge an ebike the moment you dock it. Let us know where you need POGOH next: Station Expansion Suggestion.
I hope to celebrate with some of you at the 10 year anniversary party, May 31st, at Trace brewing.
And please remember to be kind to one another. We are nothing without our community.
-Sara
The 2025 Le Tour de Donut is shaping up to be the most exciting edition yet, and it wouldn't be possible without the incredible support of our partners! Allow me to introduce this year’s partnered bakeries, highlighting their unique origin stories and baking methods that help to make their stops on Le Tour de Donut a one-of-a-kind experience.
Address: 1137 Perry Hwy, Pittsburgh, PA 15237
For donut lovers in the North Hills looking for a gluten-free option that doesn’t compromise on taste or texture, Baked True North is the go-to destination. This North Hills-based bakery has mastered the art of gluten-free baking, creating donuts that are light, flavorful, and every bit as satisfying as their traditional counterparts.
Founded by Lauren Marts, in 2016, Baked True North was built on the principles of quality ingredients and handcrafted goodness. Since opening their brick and mortar in 2022, Baked True North has acquired a reputation for delivering delicious baked goods that cater to those with dietary restrictions—without sacrificing flavor. Their gluten-free donuts are fried fresh each morning and have quickly become a favorite among Pittsburgh locals, proving that you don’t need gluten to enjoy a perfect donut.
Located in the North Hills, Baked True North is committed to providing a seemingly endless variety of safe, delicious options for those with gluten allergies. Their approach ensures every donut is made with care, using high-quality, gluten-free ingredients to create flavors ranging from their glazed old fashioned to their coveted seasonal specialties like the apple fritter.
photo via Instagram: @bakedtruenorth
Address: 4763 Liberty Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15224
For over 40 years, Paddy Cake Bakery has been more than just a place to satisfy a sweet tooth—it’s been a cornerstone of Pittsburgh’s Bloomfield neighborhood. Established in 1983, this beloved bakery has withstood the test of time, bringing joy to generations with its handcrafted cakes, cookies, and of course, donuts!
In May 2021, Paddy Cake Bakery entered an exciting new era when Theresa Richter, a dedicated family member with a love for baking, took the reins. Purchasing the bakery from her uncle “Paddy”, Theresa embraced the challenge of preserving its cherished traditions while also bringing fresh energy and recipes to the table.
In honor of POGOH blue, the featured donut flavor at Le Tour de Donut will be a blueberry lemon fritter. This spring forward flavor combines the tart brightness of fresh lemons with the sweet burst of juicy blueberries, all wrapped in a perfectly fried, golden-brown fritter. Whether you're fueling up to hit all four checkpoints on Le Tour or simply indulging in a well-earned treat, this limited-time fritter is a must-try for donut lovers and bike enthusiasts alike!
photo via Instagram: @paddycakebakery
Address: 5613 Hobart St, Pittsburgh, PA 15217
Pigeon Bagel began as a humble pop-up in 2017 before finding its permanent home on Hobart St. in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood in July of 2019. Founded by Gab Taube, the shop quickly became a hot spot bagel destination, known for its dedication to quality hand-rolled donuts. Over the years, Pigeon has continued to evolve beyond their specialty bagels, bringing new and exciting offerings to its loyal customers.
On Valentine’s Day of 2024, Pigeon introduced their first ever round of donut sales to customers. The response was overwhelmingly positive, inspiring the team to make it a monthly tradition. Each month, customers can look forward to a brand-new donut flavor, crafted with the same care and attention that defines everything Pigeon creates.
For this year’s Le Tour de Donut, Pigeon is keeping it classic with a perfectly executed glazed donut. Simple yet irresistible, this timeless treat showcases the shop’s commitment to high-quality ingredients and expert craftsmanship, and is the perfect way to experience the magic of Pigeon.
photo via Instagram: @pigeon.bagel
Address: 720 N Homewood Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15208
For over four decades, Dana’s Bakery has been a cornerstone of Pittsburgh’s baking scene. Originally opened in 1979 by Joseph “Joe” Simmons in the Hill District, the bakery quickly became known for its delicious pastries and warm community atmosphere.
In the 1980s, Joe relocated Dana’s to Homewood, where he welcomed a new team member—Sandra “Sandy” Bundy. After nearly a decade of working side by side, Joe and Sandy realized they had more in common than a love of sweets. Their partnership in the bakery blossomed into a lifelong connection, making Dana’s not just a business, but a labor of love. Together, they crafted generations of cherished recipes, with locals lining up for their signature treats.
When Joe passed in 2022, Sandy was determined to keep Dana’s Bakery thriving. With the support of her niece, Dawn, she has carried on the bakery’s legacy with a new name “Sandy’s Boo Delights” ensuring that the sweet traditions Joe started live on. Through hard work and dedication, Sandy and Dawn continue to make Dana’s Bakery a cherished part of the Pittsburgh community.
photo via Instagram: @sandy_boo_delights
With such a fantastic lineup of local bakeries, Le Tour de Donut 2025 is sure to be a delicious and memorable event for all who participate. From gluten-free delights to classic glazed perfection, each partner bakery brings its own unique touch to this year’s tour, highlighting Pittsburgh’s rich and diverse baking scene. Whether you're in it for the ride, the donuts, or both, this year’s event is a true celebration of community, a love of bikes, and of course, novelty donuts. Don’t miss your chance to taste these special creations— grab a POGOH, bring your friends & family (and your appetite), and enjoy the sweetest ride of the year!
See ya on April 26th!
By: Erin Potts
Director of Marketing & Outreach
I have had the enormous privilege of working with Bike Share Pittsburgh since March 2015.
In the 10 years I’ve worked with Bike Share Pittsburgh, we’ve accomplished some big things. We not only launched Healthy Ride in May 2015, but also underwent a complete equipment replacement and rebranding, becoming POGOH, just 7 years later. I don’t know any other single bikeshare system in the US that can say they launched a bikeshare program in their city twice. And say this with pride. Our ability to adapt and grow is a testament to the hustle and the ingenuity of our small, but mighty non-profit and incredible team of passionate and dedicated people who’ve worked at Bike Share Pittsburgh over the years.
I’m a pretty nostalgic person, so as we approach our 10 year anniversary of bikeshare in Pittsburgh, and I celebrate my own 10 year anniversary in my role on March 16, I’ve put together a little highlight reel of 10 of the most awesome moments, projects, and milestones at Bike Share Pittsburgh, at least, in my opinion.
My Top 10
10. Debuting the first bikeshare bike at the Highmark building
Less than a month after I started working at Bike Share Pittsburgh, we held our first press conference at the Highmark Building to showcase the very first Healthy Ride bike, and announce the upcoming launch of Healthy Ride. I remember the bike arrived on a plane that same morning from our partners at nextbike in Leipzig, Germany.
9. Launching Healthy Ride at Open Streets PGH
With 500 bikes ready to roll, we celebrated the official launch of Healthy Ride at the first Open Streets that took over Penn Avenue. We had over 150 bikes set up in Market Square, and our partners at Highmark Health and Allegheny Health Network joined us for a massive 8am group ride to open the route. I remember renting my very first Healthy Ride that morning at 42nd & Butler near my then apartment, and being VERY excited when it worked.
8. Unicorn Bikes
Coming from a background in the arts, one of my favorite things is to watch what other people do with our bikes when given creative license, making bikeshare into rolling public art. The Healthy Ride Art Bike project worked with local artists to design and custom paint a small fleet of bicycles, and each year, POGOH’s very own creative team designs custom bikes to celebrate some of our favorite holidays like PRIDE, Halloween, and the winter holiday season. Unicorn bikes are ridden 4x more often than all the other bikes in the fleet, which speaks to the awesome impact of these beautiful pieces of bicycle art.
7. Traveling and Learning from Bikeshare in Other Cities
I have had the awesome privilege to travel each year for the North American Bike and Scooter Share Conference (NABSA). NABSA has brought me to both familiar and new cities including Chicago, Montreal, Portland, Austin, Indianapolis, Hamilton and Toronto, Philadelphia, Guadalajara. It’s been so much fun seeing how other cities operate bikeshare and learning from each, but the best part has to be traveling with my coworkers and riding lots of bikes together in a new city.
6. Becoming POGOH
I’m not sure there’s been a single other bike share program that has launched twice under the same organization, but we sure did. Healthy Ride was an awesome start, but growing our system to be an electric bikeshare program was priority enough to move from one hardware provider to another. That meant we had the opportunity to build an entirely new brand that reflects Pittsburgh and the inherent fun in using a bike to hop from place to place.
5. Bike or Treat
Halloween is personally my favorite holiday, and subsequently, Bike or Treat is the longest running bikeshare event in Pittsburgh. It started in 2015 with just a few dozen people dressing up to ride bikes and enjoying a few rounds at Threadbare Cider. Since then, it’s become the most ghoulishly good time, and the best Halloween-themed bike event. Please, if you know of other super fun Halloween bike events, please let me know, cause this one is by far my personal favorite. It’s the best day of the year.
Lots of people ask me what POGOH means, so I’ll tell you: we wanted to reflect Pittsburgh in our name, embedding PGH into the core of our identity because that’s who we are and who we serve. Now, some people say that the O’s are like bicycle wheels, but I see POGOH as a nod to the pogo stick; an active means of jumping from place to place, a jaunty way to liven up your day, and a joyful tool for bouncing around ‘tahn.
4. Making an affordable bikeshare program for all
Our team has worked a lot over the years to build pricing structures and programs that make bikeshare affordable for all. With Healthy Ride, we launched a unique partnership with Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) to allow anyone with a ConnectCard to receive free, unlimited 15 minute rides with their ConnectCard. While transitioning to POGOH, we weren’t able to continue this offer, but created a unique membership that significantly reduced the cost of an Annual Membership to only $10 / year and a longer ride time to avoid overage fees. Even with the recent pricing increase, we’ve maintained the Mobility Justice Membership as-is to continue to support these riders, and provide a low-barrier to entry for new folks.
3. Community Ambassador Program
In 2017 we took a page out of Philly’s bikeshare playbook and built our own Community Ambassador Program; since then, it’s become our strongest program that gets people on bikes in their community, and supports our mission of building an equitable, inclusive program for all. This program has allowed us to work with some incredible individuals and nonprofit organizations who want to work with us to get more people active, engaged, and enjoying their community by bike.
2. Group Bike Rides
This is an obvious perk of the work that we do. While I’ve biked all my life, I got into urban biking by going on group bike rides when I was in graduate school in Salt Lake City. I can say with confidence that I would never have done it by myself. Group rides are a catalyst for new riders to gain confidence in biking on the streets and introducing new people to the joy of using a bicycle to get around.
1. Working with such an awesome, passionate group of people
Ultimately, these 10 years have been so amazing because of the incredible individuals who I’ve had the extraordinary pleasure of working with, biking with, and getting to know.
Anyways, that’s a pretty long love letter to bikeshare and this organization that’s kept me both entertained and challenged every day; enough that I’m still here 10 years later.
Thanks, Pittsburgh! I love yinz.
Attention Homewood Community change makers! Are you a registered nonprofit organization with a vision to transform lives and uplift your community? Here’s your chance to make a difference in 2025!
We’re excited to announce a mini-grant opportunity tailored exclusively for nonprofits serving Pittsburgh’s vibrant Homewood neighborhood. These grants are designed to spark creativity and provide resources for impactful programming that enriches the lives of Homewood residents. Whether you’re looking to expand a youth mentoring program, host cultural events, or pilot a new initiative, this is your moment to shine.
What’s on the Table?
Selected nonprofits will receive funding up to $1,000 to support programs that align with the needs and aspirations of the Homewood community. The grants aim to:
Amplify impact: Support a variety of projects, including recreational opportunities, community resources, and/or other educational programming in Homewood.
Strengthen community bonds: We encourage applicants to find ways to incorporate POGOH in your application, through tabling, free promotional codes, group bike rides, and future partnerships. POGOH will prioritize projects/events/activities taking place between May and September 2025 that are community-focused and can offer impactful programming with their Mini Grant.
Who Should Apply?
If your organization is:
How to Apply
Craft a compelling application that highlights:
Key Dates
Let’s Build the Future, Together
Homewood is a neighborhood rich in history, culture, and potential. This mini-grant program is more than funding—it’s an investment in the people, dreams, and organizations that make Homewood extraordinary.
Don’t miss this opportunity to bring your ideas to life and contribute to a thriving, connected community in 2025.
Ready to apply?
Please submit the following Homewood Mini Grant Application
Contact Information:
If you have questions, please contact Brother Lloyd, the Equity Initiative Manager at lloyd@pghbikeshare.org.
Learn More at a Live Info Session:
There will be an optional information session on April 16, 2024, from 6:30 - 7:30 PM on Zoom so that you can hear more about the program and ask questions. Register here for the Zoom link.
Let’s turn big dreams into reality—one mini grant at a time!
Written by:
Brother Lloyd Cheatom
Equity Initiatives Manager
Prior to wrapping up 2024, POGOH teamed up with the Pittsburgh Babes on Bikes to host our very own winter ride and layering clinic. The goal was to help get folks geared up, excited, and ready to put in those training hours ahead of the highly anticipated and quickly approaching Frigid Bitch race which will take place on February 15th.
To be sure that our riders were provided with the proper pre-ride sustenance, we started things off with some good old fashioned Oliver’s Donuts, NA Brews from Two Fray’s, and of course, hot coffee from our friends at De Fer Coffee and Tea.
The Babes’ very own, Laura Davidson Brienza, kicked off the clinic with a handy presentation covering some safe group riding skills as well as how to lead, marshall, and sweep on group rides. Some key takeaways from the presentation were the importance of knowing the route, keeping the group together, maintaining consistent communication amongst the group especially when leading or sweeping.
Peg Schmidt and Elise Yun from Peony bikes led the group through an all encompassing winter weather layering session covering everything from the tried and true merino wool base layer to insulated barmits. While people’s cycling temperatures can vary widely, a good roll of thumb is to plan to be colder than you’d think, especially your hands and feet. Also, with the right bike storage setup, you can always pull over to add or subtract a layer!
For more information on the Frigid Bitch training rides and race registration, visit
The ride portion of the event kicked off around 3 o’clock. Skies were blue and the sun was shining but temperatures were low (26° to be exact…) which gave the group the advantage of having an opportunity to test out their layers. However, there was an overall energy and joy amongst the riders as they all got geared up to roll out.
Written by:
Anna D'Acierno
Engagement Manager
1,396,869 Total Rides since 2015
2024 was another record year for Pittsburgh’s bikeshare program. Can you believe that you all combined for 464,383 rides last year, more than doubling 2023's 211,000+ record? Incredible! At POGOH, we're super grateful to be a part of your daily life.
University of Pittsburgh students, staff, and faculty accounted for 70% of all POGOH trips in 2024!
POGOH Top 100
100 dedicated bikeshare riders combined for 48,878 rides in 2024!
POGOH Top 10
POGOH's top 10 riders combined for 8,300 trips! That's 5,000+ more trips than 2023's top 10!
POGOH's #1 Rider took 1,128 trips in 2024!
Thank you to all of our riders, partners, and our Title Sponsors Highmark and Allegheny Health Network.
We are so excited to grow with all of you in 2025!
Let's just face it. The ideal biking weather of September and October are long gone. November was pretty chill, but now it's December and it's downright chilly. It might be the most wonderful time of the year for gathering in cozy spaces with friends and loved ones, but maybe not the most wonderful time of the year to pedal to those gatherings. With the right gear, though, winter riding can be a lot more enjoyable than you might think. To prove it, since these two guys pedal into the POGOH office every morning to maintain the rental fleet, we pulled Steve and Bobby aside to show you some of the ways they protect themselves from the harsh winter weather.
Winter riding is a game of layers. You want to be warm and protected from the elements, but also keep sweating to minimum. Insulation layers can be sweaters, hoodies, or anything that might be worn comfortably throughout the day. Wool is great for insulation and moisture management.
You'll want a solid outer layer. Something to cut through the wind and keep you protected from precipitation. Bobby is kitted out with waxed organic materials from head to toe.
Keeping hands and feet warm is a big deal. Even riding without gloves in the 40 degree weather can be brutal, so you definitely don't want to find yourself gloveless while cruising in sub freezing temperatures. There are a lot of glove options out there. Even an inexpensive pair of insulated work gloves from your local hardware store can get the job done.
As for your toes, warm socks and weather resistant footwear are a must. Wool socks and boots are pretty common for POGOH staff that ride to work. If you're not into boots, shoe covers a great idea to help stay dry.
Protect your head and face. It isn't just cold air that can sting your face. Roads are so heavily salted this time of year that there is almost a perpetual cloud of dust in the air being kicked up from other vehicles. That salty air can exacerbate skin dryness and irritation, so wearing a gaiter to cover your neck or pull up over your face is always a good idea. You'll be warmer and a little less salty when you get to where you're going.
Find a hat or beanie that fits under your helmet. Chances are your helmet was designed to allow ample air flow. While that's exactly what you want most of the year, frigid air on your head, ears, and neck can really ruin your riding experience. Steve doubles up with a cap under his helmet and a fleece gaiter that covers his ears. He can also use the gaiter to cover as much or as little of his face as he needs, depending on the weather.
Last, but certainly not least, you're definitely going to want to protect your eyes. Not only will the cold have you in tears in mere minutes, but remember the salty dust could we mentioned earlier? Imagine getting that in your eyes. Squinting is only going to do so much. Safety glasses, sunglasses, or ski goggles really come in clutch while commuting.
Are you committed to commuting with POGOH through the winter? Send a pic to marketing@pghbikeshare.org and for a chance to be featured on our socials!