Riding Tips

Hand signals are your best tool when riding. They help communicate with others on the road what your next move will be.

Video provided by the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia.

Philly’s flat terrain and gridded streets makes it a great city to ride a bike (the New York Times agrees!). Whether you've been cycling for years or this is your first time on a bike, taking these few steps will help make your Indego experience even better.

Before your ride:

Bring a helmet

You should always wear a helmet when riding an Indego bike. Make sure to bring one whenever possible when you are going to ride. If you don't have a helmet, we provide free helmets during our Learn to Ride classes hosted by the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia.

You can check out and sign up for our next Learn to Ride class by visiting our Classes & Rides page.

Check your bike

The Indego team regularly checks each bike to make sure it is ready to ride, but you should always give a bike a once-over before hopping on to prevent any issues that may come up.

Make sure to check the following:

Seat: Indego bike seats are easily adjustable. Just open the clamp on the seat post, lower or raise your seat to your desired height, and close the clamp again. Be sure the seat is straight tightly secure.
Air: Make sure each tire is fully inflated by pressing down on it. If it flattens under pressure.
Brakes: Make sure the brake cables are working properly by pressing each lever next to the handlebars. If you don’t feel any resistance.
Wheels: Give each wheel a spin to check that it does not catch against anything,

If there are any issues with the bikes, immediately report it to customer service.

Plan your route

Philadelphia has plenty of options for riding depending on your comfort level, from trails and paths to bike lanes and shared traffic lanes. Knowing the best route to take ahead of time often makes a bicycle trip easier. You can look up route ideas in several ways:

Indego’s kiosk maps and online station map
Philadelphia’s bike map
GoPhillyGo is a new online mapping tool for the Greater Philadelphia area.
Google Maps allows you to select a bicycle as your means of transportation and gives you the best route and elevation.

During your ride:

Follow the Rules of the Road Sharing the Road with Cars and Pedestrians Communicating While Riding

Follow the Rules of the Road

Don't ride against traffic. Riding along the flow of traffic helps reduce accidents and allows others on the road know where you are.
Walk your bike on the sidewalk whenever possible to avoid running into pedestrians.
Obey traffic lights, stop signs, and yield signs.
The City of Philadelphia and Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia teamed up to bring you a comprehensive guide to biking in Philadelphia.
Only one person per bike. The rack on the back of your Indego bike is for bags, not butts!

Sharing the Road with Cars and Pedestrians

Don’t weave in and out of traffic. It’s always safer to ride in a straight line.
Signal your next move. If you are turning, point in the direction you are going. This helps cars and other cyclists understand your intentions.
Use bike lanes where available, unless you are turning or it’s unsafe to do so. If the street is too narrow for cars and bicycles to safely travel next to each other, you have the right to ride in the middle of the lane.
Ride four feet away from parked cars to avoid the “door zone.”

Communicating While Riding

For additional riding tips you can visit this riding resource created by the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia.

At the end of your ride:

When returning your Indego bike to a station, make sure it is securely locked. The dock will beep and a green light will indicate a successful return.
If you’ve had any issues with your bike during your ride, contact customer service.
If you have an Indego30 or Indego365 pass, check your online profile to see data from your trip.