The Party is going North this time!
DETAILS are POSTED, JOIN US Tonight
OUTREACH: deep into Mt View, Palo Alto & Stanford.
We want to visit places many of us haven’t ever seen on a bicycle. We want to ride streets that will accommodate us and the cars we share the road with. Join us this week as we cover some new territory.
Details:
- Start: 660 W El Camino Real, Sunnyvale, CA 94087
- Finish: Plaza del Sol 200 W Evelyn Ave, Sunnyvale, CA 94086
- Wheels hit the street @ 8:00 PM
Maps and such:
MAP (27.5 mi) Turn X Turn: Directions Long format: Download
Double sided: Directions
Facebook: link
PRE-RIDES:
CalTrain is really close, VTA light rail is a bit far.
- DT San Jose, Caesar Chavez Park: map (10.06 mi)
- Leaves @ 6:30 PM, Led by Ryan
- AMC Mercado shopping center, Santa Clara: map (6.21 mi)
- Leaves @ 6:30 PM, Led by Ian
- Campbell Community Center: proposed map (10.4mi)
- Leaves @ 6:30 PM, Led by Britton & YOU! (co-captains wanted)
PARKING:
Check map: Parking diagram
plentiful and very close, but none at the site. Please do NOT try to park at the site. Specific addresses of 2-3 places to park (and the places NOT to park) will be sent along with the route details.
WORK NEAR SUNNYVALE? Bring your bike to work; eat nearby!
VOLUNTEERING:
even more fun, contact us ASAP or look for the volunteer circles.
VOLUNTEER CIRCLE(S)
We will have a volunteer circle of bikes at about 7:00-7:15pm. This is where anyone that wants to help get the ride and regroups started and to volunteer (key intersections, keep riders in right lanes, help with trash, etc) will meet. We hope to have different “circles” outside of the main circle based on your tasks. BP runs only due to volunteers, so thank you!
Community outreach:
Cities from San Jose to Daly City are working together to make El Camino a more attractive, safe, walkable, and perhaps even a BIKEABLE road. Let’s make El Camino more bike-friendly!
- Learn more – website
- Get involved – Attend a grassroots organizing training on April 17: facebook
- Hop on board- Go to the upcoming El Camino bus tour on May 5: facebook
Bikes Belong Campaign
Bikes Belong’s new campaign peopleforbikes.org just keeps growing. We’re on the verge of reaching 10,000 signatures on our pledge to support bicycling in the United States. But, so far, we’re still missing your name.
Will you take a moment to help us reach 10,000 people for bikes? Sign the pledge now; it’s easy, doesn’t cost anything, and will only take you a few minutes to help us toward a bike-friendly future: link
Thank you for helping us reach 10,000 pledges — just the first step along the way to one million.
MISC:
FOOD VENDORS -
we look forward to the return of MoGo & QuickDog… many bars on Murphy Ave one block away – after the ride!
BIKE VENDORS -
Walt’s Cycle – get lights, spare tubes, patch kits, batteries and other “must haves” at the Start! Get there early and get what you need… they’ll even have small snacks & water for sale!
Walt’s Cycle is nearby at Evelyn and Carroll St, just east of Murphy Ave. So if you need more (from padded bike shorts and better seats to any gear or accessories to whole bikes) you know where to go. If you need a tuneup, they take time, so you’d better call first before taking it over there. 408-739-4287. Walt’s closes at 6pm!
WEATHER -
it almost NEVER rains on bike party. Weather Underground says Friday night will be “partly cloudy.” This is great cuz it’ll keep the ride from getting too cold!
corri inouye
April 11, 2010
the e-flyer for the uniform ride says the 15th but the side bar says the 16th, friday. i’m assuming it’s the 16th???
Frenchie
April 11, 2010
cant wait! starts in my city, should be good. but what is the uniform idea about?
testrides
April 11, 2010
It is Friday, April 16th! It’s always the 3rd Friday, rain or shine. But it almost never rains on bike party. Starts in Sunnyvale and heads north before going back to Sunnyvale.
Theme: Uniforms — police, fire, doctor, nursing… think of any type of job uniform or however else you interpret it!
John M
April 12, 2010
Yes, the flyer had a typo. The 16th is reflected now.
joseph
April 12, 2010
hell yeah im a sunnyvalien it should be dope
Rockin Ed
April 12, 2010
Wake up Bay Area, It is BIKE PARTY TIME this Friday! Just in time… This one should be another quality ride. The weather is looking better…
I have replaced my batteries and am ready to ROCK again, lets get busy! Count down to happy time.
walrus
April 12, 2010
so the route isnt going to be released until a day before the ride?
[moderator/tr:perhaps earlier]
Rockin Ed
April 12, 2010
Hey Walrus, we might see it late Wedensday or on Thursday. The route is still being finalized. Still plenty of time to get busy!
Hope you will make it. This will be a fun ride. Lots of bikes and bike riders where we will be. We should have a lot of happy riders.
Rock on Bike Party!
testrides
April 12, 2010
@walrus – we’ve also found that later releases minimize the drunk riders with the bad attitudes. might be a coincidence, but there seems to be a correlation.
we hope that “bad apples” don’t come to our rides. if you see others not obeying the “how we ride” please shout em down. don’t let their behavior become contagious.
we hope to have some cool stuff at the end of the ride. if you want to drink then, that’s cool. just don’t ride and drink/get drunk.
Tyler
April 12, 2010
is the mogo taco truck coming back?! nothing is better than a bike party ride with some nice korean mexican grub to down. hella excited for this ride, especially since we’re biking past stanford and all.
yoshi
April 12, 2010
Tyler, we’re going to nail the food down once our ride gets finalized!
testrides
April 13, 2010
another great set of graphics for the ads ben, sweet!
Steven
April 13, 2010
Can anyone give me exact address where we meeting in sunnyvale?
thanks!!!
[moderator- exact location will posted within 24 hours of the ride]
Britton
April 13, 2010
Yay! I can recycle my Halloween costume!
CAMPBALIENWATERTOWER
April 13, 2010
excited for this ride..not sure how I will get to the start yet, but I will be there none the less. *KEVLAR TIRES NOW* no more flats
testrides
April 14, 2010
Damn! This ride is hella fun – had a final ride thru after work – still can’t stop laughing and still have a goofy smile on my face!
3 things stood out
1) lots of great roads and tons of potential interaction with others, but we must share the road better, let cars that are stuck thru/go across
2) need for volunteers at… key intersections miles 14-18, so noone gets lost/confused
3) riders need to pay attention due to road diverters (to keep cars out) at various points from miles 14-21.5
also: we’ll probably have a couple of places (mile 14 & 19.5) where we’ll need to “hold up” the front of the group so the rest that have been stopped by the traffic lights can catch up so you won’t feel the need to blow thru lights…
we need riders to encourage ALL riders to stop at the red lights! esp. miles 12.5-13 it’s critical!
Rockin Ed
April 14, 2010
Wake up people, 2 days and counting. It is almost FUN TIME!
Tell your friends to get ready to rock with SJ BIKE PARTY!
iDTapedUpB
April 14, 2010
can someone bring some DUBSTEP to the party… if not ill make a cd and give it to you… READY TO RIDE!
iD.TapedUpB.
April 14, 2010
IM SO READY TO RIDE! BIKE PARTY IS MY THERAPY! SEE YOU THERE.
jim
April 15, 2010
dudes, we need to make these rides SHORTER. like 20mi max
Supermike!
April 15, 2010
BBBIIIKKKEEEPPPAAARRRTTTYYY!!!!!!!!!
Supermike!
April 15, 2010
and unicycle party too!
AnonyMOOSE
April 15, 2010
Can’t say I disagree with Jim… it seems like it turns into a race… if it’s any longer, by the time you reach mile 20, people in general (fat,skinny,short,drunk,bored,annoyed,kids) are pooped, myself included. Not everyone is a hardcore rider, even so I am always surprised at how long I can ride, without starting to feel uncomfortable.
The best part of the ride is through stanford so it would be really hard to cut down oregon expwy and cut all of that…
sadface
louie
April 15, 2010
Putting the finishing touches on the stereo trike. its time to SLUMP!
BIIIKKEEEPPAARRRTTYYY!!!
testrides
April 15, 2010
@AnonyMOOSE – this is such a great route hopefully you won’t notice that it’s more than 20 miles. tons of great roads (and some pathways) here.
we’re going to try to “pause” the front of the ride in 2 places, hoping it helps pull the ride back together:
Mile 14: just before the stanford quad at the oval
Mile 19: California ave a few blocks north of El Camino
we need fast riders to help the BIRDs to do this and to help out at key intersections and encourage good behavior and shout down bad behavior in an edgy yet witty way.
thx
Brian
April 15, 2010
Nice compromises on the route. Looking forward to riding; unfortunely, we will be cutting out in the California Avenue area . Ben and I could man the right turn onto park if necessary.
@ Jim And Anonymoose – If the rides were any shorter we wouldn’t be able to see as much of the neighborhoods. By shortening them down we end up on more of the busier streets. Come on the test rides sometimes and see how much planning goes into each and every ride.
Thanks for the effort put in by everybody to make this a really cool ride. Stanford is magical in the evening. PLEASE keep it clean!!
kit
April 15, 2010
It’s good to note that there are a plethora of places where this ride comes close to CalTrain, which is exceptionally bike friendly. Don’t let the distance keep you from joining the ride–you can ride to Stanford and hop on the train in PA if you need to.
However, I’m guessing you’ll be surprised how far you can go at relatively low speeds. Oh yeah!
Ian
April 15, 2010
The route has been posted and i’m excited!
Rockin Ed
April 15, 2010
Hi AnonyMOOSE, Point well taken. We have riders of all abilities that ride at different speeds, please don’t feel like you must stay up front with the “racers” Some people like the longer rides and some don’t. The map has been published so you can either join us later in the ride or cut out early if you would like. Do what ever is comfortable for your self.
I do enjoy the long ride and am looking forward to seeing my BIKE PARTY buddies again. I hope Friday @ 8:00 comes fast. I am ready to Rock and I hope to see you there!
Britton
April 15, 2010
@Jim & others
I feel that the general trend is that rides are getting longer. Not sure if it’s becoming exclusionary or not, because the general ridership is still pretty high. I do remember my first bike party, on a 26 inch “comfort” bike, and that was painful.
ALSO:
Check out this google map for a route from Campbell to the start point.
Thinking about going up that way, should anyone want to join me. I’m not too familiar with SJ’s roads, being from Morgan Hill. Could use a co-captain.
Ian
April 15, 2010
looks like mogo BBQ is going to attend too… http://twitter.com/MoGoBBQ/status/12244018443
Supermike!
April 15, 2010
Come on! not to be a show-off but im rockin’ a unicycle for crying out loud, and i would be upset if the rides were anything shorter then 20. man up and ride! and no im not a hardcore rider(maybe 10 miles a week)
testrides
April 15, 2010
All 3 pre-rides have GREAT routes… these are a fantastic way to ride and get to know others… if you’re open for a longer ride and a way to take bike party to the next level… this is it!
Yes, it adds 6-10 miles on each side, but it normally doesn’t feel like it cuz the company is so good.
For the NSJ route, where specifically are we meeting? In front of Mexicali Grill or the AMC theaters?
If anyone needs a ph # or know they’ll run late to the NSJ route, we can forward you a ph # probably.
For the Campbell and dt SJ pre-ride leaders. You guys rock! Some co-captains would be great there… the more riders the better for these pre-rides. Let’s blanket the valley with riders!
Britton
April 15, 2010
@testrides
Thanks for the love! Cool to see you updated the page. One thing, though: the link to the campbell ride is broken at the top of the page. The modified one in the comments is still functional.
testrides
April 15, 2010
@britton – it’s corrected, thx, not sure what went wrong on the link. doh!
Tyler
April 15, 2010
Mogo = FUCK YES.
Biking through stanford = EPICNESS.
TOMORROW = CAN’T WAIT.
BIKE PARTY!!!!
Ian
April 16, 2010
@testrides #33
and i don’t rock? for leading the NSJ route.
I was thinking of having the meeting be near the pots infront ot mexicali grill…
Ian
April 16, 2010
here is a double sided long turn by turn that folks can print out and bring
https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B5Odx6cBeZrcMmYwNzI2MTMtZWExMy00ODU5LTgyNDgtZGQ2NjkyMGJiN2Y0&hl=en
Please bring a few copies to share…
testrides
April 16, 2010
If you still want a uniform costume, probably not too late. Can go to costume bank of los altos, a non-profit where you can rent costumes: http://www.costumebank.com/
the rental $$ goes to the charity they support, run by volunteers, just like bp.
Ian
April 16, 2010
The last hours before bike party are the hardest… I just can’t wait any longer it’s gorgeous out!
Ang
April 16, 2010
anyone know if they’ll be selling tshirts again this time?
Rockin Ed
April 16, 2010
Well people, it is about time to get ready. Only 3 hours left to hit the streets. It is beautiful outside! I cant wait to hit the road.
Here it comes… BIKE PARTY ROCKS!
I hope to see everyone out there soon!
Jacky
April 16, 2010
I can’t wait I can’t wait! This ride should keep us alert tonight no hills, but lots of turns. Oh and Ian you do rock! Thanks for the TxT’s and the NSJ pre-ride.
Let’s Go Bike Party Let’s Go!!!
Bike Party Bike Party Rah Rah Rah!!!
(Getting into character already I guess this should be fun)
Sean
April 16, 2010
Yay for bike riding, but I’m currently listening to extremely loud music being played outside by a number of groups of bicyclists, as well lots of loud cheering and yelling. Is it really necessary to be so loud this late? I’m sure my downstairs neighbors who get up at 4am every day to go to work are really appreciating this.
timmypink
April 16, 2010
Not to be a bitch or anything but it is called San Jose bike party for a reason… I love bike party just as much as everyone else but if Los Gatos had complaints about us, Hello, Palo Alto is going to have major problems with us… duh!!!!!!
nick
April 17, 2010
@timmypink – if you’re not getting any complaints from anyone, then you must not be doing anything right.
yes, someone will always be grumpy. our job isn’t to make everyone happy, just to minimize conflict and promote cycling by building a sweet community of riders. and don’t worry, there are plenty of complainers in SJ too…every route has its compromises, and the volunteers who work hard every month to plan and test routes are amazing and dedicated, always looking for an extra test rider like yourself.
brettman
April 17, 2010
Wow, what a great turnout last night! Was great to see so many people riding. A special thanks to the Sunnyvale, Mountain View, and Palo Alto police departments for their providing us with a safe means of riding through the busy streets. I’m looking forward to the next ride… and the next one, and the next…
Clinton
April 17, 2010
Hecka fun
Erik
April 17, 2010
What a Great night of fun…thanks to all the officers that helped make this ride very smooth for all and especially the BIRDS. Thanks to all the route planners, test riders and anyone involved in making the ride so great…
clinton
April 17, 2010
funnnnnnn