716 Transformers: The Bike Expert

GObike Buffalo founder and executive director Justin Booth builds community via bicycles. He’s often seen around town riding his bicycle (“A GT hybrid with a 3-speed internal with a coaster brake”) or working in a downtown coffee shop. GObike, founded in 2008, is headquartered at 313 Broadway where it operates a dedicated retail space selling used and new bikes. GObike also operates a Community Workshop in a former Police precinct building in North Buffalo. Twelve full-time staff, plus part-time consultants, oversee programming: bike master plans for adding miles of bike lanes in Buffalo and Niagara Falls, advocacy to ensure accessibility and safety for all commuters (pedestrians, cyclists, those who use public transit, and drivers), traffic safety education for all “road users,” and more. GObike teaches community members how to repair and build bikes and consults with companies interested in offering bike parking to employees. They also lead the annual summertime SkyRide, a GObike fundraiser, when cyclists get to ride over the Buffalo River on the Skyway. To inspire cyclists to hit the streets and trails their website features several themed rides complete with information about distance and duration. “GObike’s focus is empowering neighborhoods to make their own decisions about what will work for them regarding mobility options,” Booth says. “We work behind the scenes on policies, and we’re making it safer for people to walk and bike.”

716 Tips

“Ride your bike along the Niagara River Greenway to Niagara Falls. It follows the shoreline from Buffalo to Niagara Falls and you get to experience some of the most beautiful ecological sites on the best protected trails in Western New York. You can start at Outer Harbor State Park and follow the signs and trails. It’s 26 miles each way.”