October 2026

Autumn has arrived, and with it the best riding weather of the year in the Valley. The mornings are cool and the evenings are coming earlier — so give your lights and reflectors a quick check before your next evening ride. FCBC has a full month ahead: a wrap-up of a landmark year in Sacramento, our local observance of World Day of Remembrance, and good news about the bikes finding their way into the hands of people who need them.

In this month's Newsletter:

• A wrap-up of the state legislation that will shape bicycling in California for years to come.
• World Day of Remembrance — join us Saturday, November 14 at Woodward Park for our local observance of a global day of remembrance.
• A look at what has been accomplished so far with support from the REI Cooperative Action Fund.
• Bikes in, bikes out: your donated bicycles are reaching people who need them.
• Open seats on the City of Fresno's Active Transportation Advisory Committee — and how to step up.
• Board elections are coming: nominations open at our October meeting.
• Coffee Outside returns Tuesday, October 6 at Trolley Park.

LEGISLATION WRAP-UP: A LANDMARK YEAR FOR CALIFORNIA'S BIKES

Thanks to Nick Paladino for another thorough advocacy report from our Advocacy and Legislative Committee. This has been one of the busiest sessions for bicycling in recent memory — and this week it became a landmark one, as the Governor signed into law every bill FCBC has been tracking, including three that were on his desk.

SB 1167 (e-bikes), the comprehensive e-bike bill co-sponsored by CalBike and partners, has been signed into law. The bill draws a clearer line between legal electric bicycles and the mopeds, motor-driven cycles, and electric motorcycles that have muddied the waters for riders and regulators alike. It updates labeling and disclosure requirements for manufacturers and sellers, strengthens protections against false advertising, and adds new operational safety and law-enforcement reporting requirements. It is widely regarded as the most consequential bill of the session — and it is the clarity FCBC has been asking for.

AB 2346 requires sellers and distributors to disclose key e-bike information at the point of sale, and recommends that riders under 16 stay under 15 mph. It also gives local authorities the ability to set 10, 15, or 20 mph speed limits on bike paths and multi-use trails, with clear signage requirements.

AB 2168, sponsored by CalBike, revises the Active Transportation Program so that safe-routes-to-transit projects rise to the top — including better access to school bus stops and to transit in underserved and rural communities. This is the shift toward building real networks, not isolated segments, that advocates have been pushing for.

Also signed into law: a bill directing the California Department of Education, in consultation with the CHP, to develop a standardized e-bike safety training curriculum for grades 7 through 12 by March 1, 2028, and to encourage partnerships with local law enforcement and parent-facing training demonstrations. That is a real investment in teaching the next generation of riders how to ride safely — a mission that sits right at the center of FCBC's work.

Bicycle fatalities are trending upward statewide, and growing ridership without better infrastructure is a recipe for more of them. That is exactly why this work matters, and exactly why local advocacy matters. These laws take effect over the months ahead — watch this space for what they mean for riders here at home, and if you would like to be part of it, our Advocacy and Legislative Committee is always glad to have more voices.

WORLD DAY OF REMEMBRANCE — OUR LOCAL OBSERVANCE, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14

Every year, on the third Sunday of November, people around the world observe World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims. It is a day to remember the people killed and seriously injured in traffic crashes, to honor the families and first responders who carry that loss, and to call for the changes that prevent these tragedies. The observance began with the road-safety charity RoadPeace in 1993 and was adopted by the United Nations in 2005; this year the international day falls on Sunday, November 15.

FCBC is again joining with the City of Fresno's Active Transportation Advisory Committee (ATAC) to hold our local observance, and this year we are gathering one day early, on Saturday, November 14, at Woodward Park. Moving our event to a Saturday — and from City Hall out to the park — makes room for more of our community, and more of our local leaders, to be with us. This will be FCBC's fifth year taking part.

The centerpiece of this year's observance is a revived "Ride/Walk for Your Life": a ceremonial-pace ride of about two miles, open to every skill level, paired with a walk on the trail for anyone who would rather be on foot. It is a chance for our community to move together — in memory, and in hope. Fresno Cycling Club is also planning a longer ride for more experienced riders as a possible addition to the day.

The Board will take up formal approval of FCBC's role in this event at its October 12 meeting. Watch next month's newsletter for details, and please plan to join us on Saturday, November 14. Our thanks to ATAC Chair Nick Yovino and to ATAC's World Day of Remembrance task force for their partnership.

WHAT YOUR SUPPORT HAS BUILT: THE REI COOPERATIVE ACTION FUND

FCBC was honored to be awarded a grant from the REI Cooperative Action Fund, under the program "Connecting Fresno's Communities to Cycling." As we reach the midpoint of this award, I want to share with our members what this support has helped make possible so far.

Because the award is unrestricted, it goes where our capacity is thinnest — and in a volunteer-run organization, that means it goes to the work itself. With this support, FCBC has kept donated bicycles moving through our hands and back out into the community, through the local organizations and partners working directly with us to get bikes in the hands of people who need them. It has helped us keep youth bike safety education going, from bike rodeos to hands-on skills and maintenance sessions. It has kept our community events free and open to everyone, including the Coffee Outside meetups that bring riders together for the simple joy of riding. And it has let us begin something long overdue: a simple attendance count at every event, so that we can honestly measure our reach and report back on it.

Connecting Fresno's Communities to Cycling — that is exactly the work. Thank you to the REI Cooperative Action Fund for believing in it, and to every member and volunteer who makes it happen.

Stay tuned in the coming months to learn about some of the big plans FCBC has next year for experiencing the outdoors on bike.

COMING UP, AND WAYS TO HELP

• Bikes in, bikes out. Your donated bicycles keep finding their way home. This month, kids' bikes and adult bikes went out through the local organizations and partners working directly with us to get bikes in the hands of people who need them — people for whom a bicycle is not recreation, but transportation. Every one of those bikes will be put to vital, everyday use. If you have a bicycle you would like to donate, email us at info@fresnobike.org with a photo or two, and we will let you know whether we can put it to good use.
• Reedley Lions Club Bike Rodeo. FCBC Board members and League Cycling Instructors Jeremy Doyel, Edie Smith, and John Liu spent an evening in Reedley on September 29 helping lead a kids' bike rodeo and fixing the flat tires and loose parts that stand between young riders and a safe, fun ride. About 40 kids had a great time sharpening their bike-riding skills over six stations after being fitted for a helmet and a bike. Our thanks to the Reedley Lions Club for the invitation, and to everyone who gave their evening, including the many Lions Club Leos, to make it happen — it was a great night for kids on bikes.
• Open seats on Fresno's Active Transportation Advisory Committee. The City of Fresno's Active Transportation Advisory Committee (ATAC) is where community voices help shape the city's walking and bicycling decisions — and there are seats open right now. If you care about safer streets, better bike lanes, and a Fresno where more people feel comfortable riding, this is your moment to step up and help our city and its cyclists succeed. I would love to see FCBC members in those seats. Learn more and apply through the City of Fresno's ATAC page.
• Board elections are coming. At our October 12 Board meeting, FCBC will form its annual Elections Committee and open nominations for the 2027 Board. Every position is open to nominations — Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, Membership Coordinator, and Member at Large. Anyone may nominate themselves or another individual, as long as the person nominated is a current FCBC member. New Board members bring new energy and new ideas to a working Board that sets the year's rides, events, and advocacy. Watch for more information next month — and good luck to all running for positions!
• Coffee Outside. Tuesday, October 6 at 7:30 AM, Trolley Park. Bring your cup of coffee (or even your mobile brewing method) and join us for a morning ride and conversation. Easy commute, good company — early, so it fits into your morning commute. I'll be commuting to my college class after Coffee Outside — come ride along!
• Holiday Lights Ride & December Member Meeting. Save the date: Sunday, December 13. More details to follow in next month's newsletter.

Next General Membership and Board Meetings

The next General Membership and Board meetings are scheduled for Monday, October 12 at 6:30 pm and 7:00 pm, respectively, via Zoom. The General Membership meeting is for members and nonmembers to meet with the Board prior to the official Board meeting, to ask questions or raise issues for the Board to consider. Board meetings are restricted to members only.

If you would like to participate in either or both meetings, email us at info@fresnobike.org and we will send you the Zoom link. We hope to see you there!

Membership

If you are not yet a member of FCBC or need to renew, please visit https://fresnobike.org/join to become a member or renew your membership.

Happy riding, and keep an eye out for kids on bikes now that school is back in session — and with the shorter days, keep those lights on.

Have a comment or suggestion? Contact us at info@fresnobike.org.

Thanks for reading!! -Tori Smith
Membership Coordinator, Fresno County Bicycle Coalition