You are hereSocial Cycling ATX Presents: Thursday Night Social Ride
Social Cycling ATX Presents: Thursday Night Social Ride
Keith just posted up the good word on tomorrow's Social Cycling ATX Thursday Night Social Ride, so all y'all facebookers have already read this, but for the social media challenged here what's happening:
Hello, Social Cyclists. It's almost Thursday, so let me give ya'll the plan. This week, it's about showing off.
We are a very diverse group, to say the least. I can say that the only types of bikes I haven't seen on our rides are boneshakers (the original fixie) and recumbents (it's both a chair and a bike). But there are definitely a couple of groups that I notice more than others.
Before the ride, I notice you deep-v riding, no brake-having fixie riders. All of those cool track stands and bar spins your pulling off on the bridge are definitely catching my attention. Good stuff.
But once we start riding there is a different group that I pay attention to the most. It's all ya'll backward baseball hat-wearing, curb grinding, bunny hopping bmx'ers. You scare the crap out of me sometimes with that stuff you're pulling. Ya'll folks are nuts, in the best of ways. Props.
So it begs the question... who's the better group of riders? Who can pull off the tricks to show just whose daddy is whose? This week we are riding over to Metz park and that is exactly what we are going to find out. It's a trick off!
Both of you groups of riders I just mentioned need to come this week with your "A" games. Once we all get to the park, it's on. Each contestant will have a predetermined time to pull off as many money shots as possible. The crowd noise will determine the winners. As always, Ozone Bike Department supplies the prizes. Prizes will be given to the top three contestants. Thank you Vitus, Tommy and the whole gang over there at Ozone. Ya'll are appreciated. Brad, don't you have enough of of those gift certificates for a complete bike by now?
After we finish playing around we are going to ride around some more and end up at the Jackalope where they are treating us to some good beer for you people who like that kind of thing. They are throwing down kegs of Pyramid for us then after those are gone we get a couple of more kegs of the High Life. Also, any pint in the whole place is only $2 for you folks who like to do your own thing. Your ride leader will be giving you a wristband at some point late in the ride. You will need to have these to get free beer.
For the brand new people (and there have been a bunch of ya'll lately, good job!) here are the basics:
We meet at the Pfluger Pedestrian Bridge Every Thursday at 7:30 and hang out. We start riding at around 8ish. We ride with traffic and not against it. To be more specific, we stay in one lane and stop at red lights. We are a huge group, so we break ya'll into smaller ones that meet up on the routes we make. LISTEN TO YOUR RIDE LEADERS. They know the routes and are looking out for your safety, plus they are really nice people. We ride a a social pace, which means slow enough to talk to your neighbor and listen to the music bike's tunes. Be nice to your fellow Social Riders and by all means... TIP YOUR BARTENDERS for all of the free beer we get at the after party.
A helmet is always a good idea, but I will leave that up to each of you. You are responsible for your own safety. Bring lights, lock, a valid ID for the after party and some tip money and you should be covered.
See everyone at the bridge!
Free beer, trick comp, prizes, bike riding, socializing, damn, Thursday night's gonna be AWESOME! As Keith said, make sure you keep the tips flowing so they keep the beer flowing. Oh, and for all you beer snobs that turn your noses up at Texas Tapwater (aka. Lonestar), the bar's throwing down kegs of PYRAMID beer for us this time around, so even YOU and your high fallutin' tastes can get in on the action.
Keith and I chilled at the Jackelope over a few beers last night (following the LOBV dinner/meeting), and he filled me in on all sorts of awesome things he's planning for the future. I'm not gonna steal his thunder, but y'all better watch out. Big things are coming our way. BIG THINGS. All I know is that there's never been a better time to be a biker in Austin, and Keith's one of the reasons for that. Thanks man, I appreciate everything.
first, thanks to the atxbs editorial staff. secondly, thanks to everyone that comes out on the rides. the social ride is what it is because of ya'll. all of you riders make it easy for me to want to hook you up. it's the easiest job in the world.
see ya'll tomorrow night. the contest should be very cool. tell all of your friends and lets make this one HUGE!
He said "staff".
...no really. ha!
You cheap fuckers better tip hard core for Pyramid and the Girl in the moon! No boneshakers, no 'bents (Doug?!) and NO ORDINARY bikes (aka P-fars)! Drink some decent beers for me you motley crewe! But tricksters can also include flatlanders, trials, and artistic cyclists, just to name a few. BRING THE HEAT! and someone bring a f'in camera cause i want to see this shit.
My recumbent has made it to at least one of the Thursday Night Urban rides. I guess Keith didn't notice me :)
I am ten ninjas!
I wanna see your 'A' game tonight with a 'recumbent-endo' and shit! ( i'll hold your camera for you!)
The only trick that recumbent can do is not fall down -- and sometimes it can't even do that. And besides, when I hurt myself it doesn't heal as fast as it used to -- so I'll probably leave the tricks to the kids.
You know what I really want? A Penny Farthing built with modern parts and techniques. THAT would be awesome! And they are made -- but they cost so much that it's not likely to ever happen. Oh well.
check out this company. they call them boneshakers. can't find out what the difference is between the two. thinking maybe boneshaker is the brand name.
http://www.hiwheel.com/
so cool. wish i had one.
And there's others out there. But look at the prices on that site -- they're around $1500 to $2000.
Though I'd go for something not trying to be a replica, but more of a modern (well, 1950s would be fine) redesign. For example, I'd prefer pneumatic tires -- or at least good solid rubber tires -- don't really want my bones shaken. And I'd probably go for a smaller main tire size, with an internally geared hub to increase the gearing. And standard brakes. And I forget where, but there's somewhere that makes and sells them built up like that.
Perhaps the thing to do would be to buy the main tire and rim, and then make the rest yourself from stock parts, either canibalizing other bikes (and perhaps a unicycle) like you do for a tall bike, or bending bars yourself and such. Doesn't look like there's too much to it.
Either way, not gonna happen for a while at least.
Keith kicks ass.