'Bike The Bay' Postsession (2025)
An adventure with high school students! 5 days with bikes on BART (and ferries).
What did we do?
How it started.
Bike The Bay was a new Postsession* experience launched in 2025. On this adventure, we rented Sport/Hybrid bicycles for a week, and took 22 high school students on five day trips to SF Bay Area destinations accessible via BART trains. Students learned about bicycle mechanics, physical fitness, SF Bay Area geography and ecosystems, and how to navigate public spaces and public transit safely and securely with bikes. For full participation, they earned credits to fulfill their Physical Education (PE) requirements for graduation.
What Problem(s) Are We Solving?
- OUSD students must earn 20 credits in Physical Education to graduate from high school.
- Enhance the mobility of young adults by practicing bicycle safely in urban areas – including how to transport bicycles on BART trains of Bay Area ferries and lock bicycles securely outdoors or in BikeLink garages.
- Physical activity improves student’ physical fitness, mental health, and self-esteem.
- Group adventures can improve students’ social skills, teamwork and problem-solving stamina.
Where did we go?
The five day trips are summarized and mapped below. I used the ‘Google My Maps’ document to generate line geometries for the mobile app. The daily itineraries speadsheet contains links to the actual routes, some of which were shortened to add more time for rest and walking exploration.
| Day | Trip | Points of Interest |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🌁 GG Bridge | Sports Basement Presidio, Crissy Field, Palace of Fine Arts, Golden Gate Bridge |
| 2 | ⛴ Angel Island | SF Ferry Terminal, Immigration Museum, Fort McDowell, Camp Reynolds |
| 3 | 🛣️ GG Park | ‘The Wiggle’, The Panhandle, Golden Gate Park, DeYoung Museum, Ocean Beach |
| 4 | 🌊 East Bay | Norh Berkeley BART, Seabreeze Cafe, Tom Bates Field, Bay Street Mall, West Oakland BART |
| 5 | 🍜 Eat Chinese Food | Fort Mason Park, Sports Basement Presidio, Hang Ah Tea Room, Union Square |
Learning objectives
Students will be able to…
Mechanical skills
- Measure another person’s height and select their bike size
- Measure another person’s head circumference and select their helmet size
- Perform a basic bicycle safety check
- Make saddle adjustments with quick release and/or allen wrench
- Adjust bike brake tension with barrel adjusters and/or allen wrench
- Put a bicycle chain back on the crankset (if it came off)
Navigation skills
- Read and understand daily itineraties
- Read and understand route maps, including distances and elevation profiles
- Participate in group rides between identified checkpoints
- Ride a bicycle safely on bike paths and city streets
- Transport a bicycle in BART trains and stations appropriately
- Transport a bicycle on ferries (SFBF and GGT) appropriately
- Lock a bicycle securely to appropriate structures
- Lock a bicycle securely inside BikeLink group garages
- Locate specified BART lines and stations on a map
- Identify specified SF Bay area landmarks by sight and name
- Identify specified flora and habitats by sight and name
Fitness skills
- Maintain personal hydration and electrolyte balance
- Maintain personal caloric intake for energy availabilty (EA)
- Practice personal rest and recovery habits (protein diet, water, sleep)
Budget
Coliseum College Prep Academy is a Title I school.
Grants / Scholarships
- Oakland Goes Outdoors (OGO)
- PVF Excursions Grant
- Free Muni for All Youth (18 years and younger)
- Angel Island Scholarships
- 4imprint one by one grants
- DonorsChoose
Discounts
Full budget
Note on Bike Parking: On the day of our first trip, an electrical fire broke out at the San Leandro Station – forcing our group to cross the bay using a combination of AC Transit and BART from 12th Street Station. Because we could not transport our bikes home to Coliseum Station, we locked all our bikes in the BikeLink group parking garage at Embarcadero Station. This was amazing! I’ve adjusted the budget (below) to include a $20 BikeLink card for each student next year. Students can alternatively use the BikeLink mobile app, which charges only $5 for a one-time verification fee.
Photos & Videos
Mouseover the image below, then click the ‹ and › arrows to see all photos.
Playlist (Music)
What worked well
- Free water bottles and day packs: 4imprint
- Rented 22 bikes from Sports Basement: $75 ea for up to 9 days
- BikeLink overnight storage
- Reflective bands
- Angel Island on Day 2 (hills, rentals, Wednesday)
- Morning Routine: pack your snacks, drinks, sandwiches
- 1 spare bike (for flats)
- carry an allen key
- downhill route from NBRK to WOAK
- printed agendas in pockets
- ‘text mxb’ on whiteboard
- various grants to cover some budget
- Driving a pickup truck (with ratchet straps)
- Chinese Dim Sum (pork buns, shrimp dumpling, fried rice, orange chicken)
- Angel Island before GGP (learn to handle hills)
- BART agents were very friendly and helpful
- 25 Clipper cards got us out of a pinch! (electrical fire at San Leandro BART Station)
What could work better
- Need a BikeLink card ($20) or app ($5) for each student
- Keys: Label them (number/name/size) on day 1; leave in classroom
- Lanyards with student IDs / BikeLink cards
- Instructions for riding basics
- Park at Civic Center (not Embarc) BikeLink garage before GG Park
- Create a group chat (use WhatsApp?)
- More stretching
- Each teacher should have first aid kit
- Shorten some routes
- Tire Patch kits
- Have a recovery day after GGP (not Monday / Memorial Day off)
About Postsession
* Every CCPA school year closes with Postsession – a two-week term where students may enroll in an Arts or Outdoor Education elective designed by teachers. Student earn elective or Physical Education (PE) credit for their full participation.