“Bikes, Bakes & Buds.” That’s the motto of Minneapolis’ Piecycle, a cycling club focused on building fun and inviting biking experiences for riders of all levels. Piecycle founders Levi Mills and Terri Lindenbaum organize chill (“pastry pace”), family-friendly group rides around Minneapolis that start and/or end with delicious baked goods.
Levi says, of the club membership requirements: “Do you like to bike? Eat pastries? Or, have you seen a bike? Looked at a piece of pie before? You’re in. You’re the club.” To date, Piecycle has hosted over 25 rides to various Minneapolis bakeries, cafes, farmers’ markets and other destinations. Most rides have been in the warmer weather months (March through November), but they’re looking at doing some winter group riding, too. I’ve been on several Piecycle rides myself and interviewed Levi and Terri to learn more about the club’s origin, adventures and lessons learned.
The origin of Piecycle began with Levi, Terri and their respective families hanging out in a backyard one summer day a couple years ago, talking about how they wanted to get more involved in the cycling community in Minneapolis — for the sheer joy of biking, for advocacy around bike infrastructure and to find new friends with shared interests.
Terri says the large number of cycling groups and long-term members of the cycling community in Minneapolis can be intimidating for some newcomers. Levi and Terri work to make the Piecycle rides welcoming and inclusive for any and all riders. Terri takes on the role of greeting new riders at each ride to help them feel at home. For those who may be more introverted, the bikes themselves act as a great ice breaker, community builder and knowledge builder — offering opportunities for folks to ask one another about their bikes, what they like, what they don’t or what gear they have.
Terri and Levi both live in South Minneapolis, so many of the routes have started and/or ended on that side of town due to logistics. However, they try to crowdsource destination ideas from other riders as much as possible and meet folks where they’re at. This happens through Terri’s conversations with riders at each ride, asking which neighborhoods they’re arriving from, what their favorite destinations are. For example, their most recent ride started at Theodore Wirth Trailhead and ended at Dancing Bear Chocolate in North Minneapolis.
Because Piecycle gets a lot of very young riders, they work hard to find routes that will be safe for everyone — often opting to take a longer route to stay on a protected bikeway or quiet side streets to make sure everyone is comfortable. Once they identify a route, Levi uses his graphic design and marketing skills to mock up beautiful Instagram posts to announce the ride.
One of Terri’s favorite memories is a ride last spring “where we previously had been getting maybe 10 to 15 people max on any ride, but suddenly 50 people showed up for our inaugural ride.” A member of the Bonesaw Cycling Collective offered to marshal the ride, and since then Piecycle has had organic marshaling and ride support from several people in the local cycling community. Terri also loved the first ride where her 5-year-old son was able to ride his own bike with the group for a full ride. “I was actually able to ride with him because I wasn’t leading that ride. I was so proud and he was so proud of himself for riding 7 miles,” she says.
Levi’s favorite memory was a ride last July in the midst of the Tour de France, a theme that they leaned into heavily with a nod and a wink by taking a ride to Patisserie 46, a local French-style bakery. The theme was fun, the weather was perfect, and the route allowed for a lot of conversation among riders along the way. Once they arrived, Levi says “space was tight and everyone just sat on the ground in a circle — adults, toddlers, older kids — all just talking to each other, drawing with chalk, eating. It felt like a real community moment.”
The biggest challenges Levi and Terri have faced with Piecycle are logistical: As busy parents of young kids, aligning their families’ schedules to get rides on the calendar can be a challenge. They’re also working through the tension of scaling with larger rides. Levi says, “It’s really cool to have big rides, but the logistics are more challenging. You need to have more of a plan for marshaling, need to be more selective on routes, and find ways to ensure the vibes are still good — that everyone feels included in such a large group.”
Some special partnerships have happened as a result of the Piecycle club, including connections with other cycling groups (like Bonesaw Cycling Collective), bike shops (Perennial), local businesses and farmers’ markets that have reached out for collaborations. They’ve also talked with people who live far outside the Twin Cities metro (and even outside Minnesota) who are looking to learn from Piecycle’s approach to start a similar cycling club in their own area.
Piecycle’s impact on both the members who participate and their broader community continues to grow and includes examples like:
- One member took over a bike bus at their local school this past year (a bike bus is a group of kids all riding their bikes together on the same route — often to school)
- Kids have gained courage from being in a group where other kids are riding (both balance bikes and regular, pedal bikes).
- Adults who were avid cyclists (road racing, cyclocross) prior to becoming parents, have found ways to make their love of biking a family activity via transportation-focused biking and group rides.
- Adults and kids have made friends with others who like to get around by bike and learned more about what options (re: bikes, gear) are available to support their biking-as-transportation efforts.
For anyone nervous about joining a Piecycle ride, Levi is reassuring. “I cannot overstate the casualness of it. It’s not a Peloton. Regardless of your ability, you’ll probably be able to ride with us.” Terri adds, “If something happens with one of our riders on our ride, we will stop. It doesn’t matter how many times.”
If you want to see it for yourself before committing, check out the video below from a recent Piecycle ride to Sift Bakery. To learn more and stay up to date on upcoming rides, be sure to follow their Instagram and sign up for the email list. The Piecycle website also includes a link to sign a one-time ride waiver.
The future of Piecycle, according to Terri, “is to get any and all riders who are bike curious to come out on a ride. People who are nervous or not confident about biking, stressed or pressured — this group is for you. Come check it out. We have fun and eat good treats.” Levi adds: “There are a lot of reasons to bike — from transportation planning, to climate, to health — but the focus of Piecycle is about creating experiences that help people find joy on their bike and in community with others.”
Photos courtesy of Laura Groenjes Mitchell.