It’s that time again! Time to remark on the ups and downs of another amazing ride.
First, the stats: 17.25mi, 1,535 riders (counted around 10:30pm at the Mabury overpass of I-680, since it narrowed and slowed us there). It’s almost uninteresting to remark that 1500 riders is an all-time record for us, since we’ve been growing at 50% a month for several months now, meaning we’re twice as big as we were two months ago and FIVE times larger than we were in January. Wild. We have more riders each month than the ride that started so many rides in so many cities, San Francisco’s Critical Mass. Go San Jose!
But with all of this impressive growth come some staggering problems. Enormous numbers of people earn red-light violation tickets each month (average cost = $300ish), plenty of people wipe out unnecessarily as a result of reckless riding, and littered trash is rampant at all of our stops and even along our route. This is not sustainable.
What can we do to clean up the ride, both literally and figuratively? We all want to see the ride continue – many of us think it’s the best thing to happen in this city in years. It’s not going to happen on its own. Plenty of people stepped up tonight to become BIRDs – Bike Information Resource Directors, the volunteers who keep our ride together. These people are true heroes, and we need more of you to join this cause. But that is not and will not be enough. What can we do?
Hit your comments – for the purposes of this discussion, please avoid any “people should” or “you all should” comments – stick to the “I will” sort of comment and tell us what YOU will do to help our ride, not what someone else should do. Also, of course feel free to mention tales and experiences from the ride, and photo links.
Ride on!
Yes John….Justin and I help spearhead the routes, but there are others too that are integral to this effort. We definitely need more to join us.
I’m seeking two “pre-rides” per month. One before the planning meeting; one after. These pre-rides are “shakedowns” before the rides that are meant to discover issues with the rides and come up with workarounds or even minor to major route changes.
10-20 new volunteer riders would be fantastic, from newbies to veterans! I’ll see if our admin can set up an email alias on sjbp. In the mean time I’ll contact you directly John. Thanks! S
SCOTT!!!!!
10 month veteran
i would love to help out with the test rides.
i already plan to come to the planning meeting and become a more active and helpful BIRD.
get in contact with me about the test rides.
i’ll love to give my two cents and know the route to help guide others.
thank you so much
my email is dylanpetulla@yahoo.com
keepin the SJBP sane
Up by Alameda, shows how huge this was.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zauzdU3JFr8
No flash photography? Some dude chewed me out for it. Sorry, didn’t see that in the rule book.
Overall, a great time and I will be there for the future rides. You guys got an awesome thing going and I hope it continues for as long as The Man lets it go.
Favorable Quotes:
“KEEP GOING!!”
“Awww! I can’t see! NO FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY!”
“This isn’t a photo op! Keep moving!”
“Douche bag!”
“Don’t do drugs man! Please promise me you won’t do drugs.”
“
Marone, I am sure people were asking you to turn off the flash because they were temporarily blinded… you have to think about then when you take photos.
If I almost crashed because of an awesome flash, I would be upset too.
Hopefully you got some awesome photos to share?
For anyone interested in helping out with pre-rides, please send me an email directly at sjbp.prerides@gmail.com
This is a great way to make a direct contribution to the SJBP and will really help you to help others during the ride. Plus its a great way to meet a smaller group and get great exercise!
Thanks to John Dixon and Dylan Petulla for volunteering! I’ve just sent you both an email.
This was my first Bike Party and I really enjoyed it. I hope that the problems that happened can be rectified since I want to continue to attend.
Some NOOB comments.
I think some bull horns might be a good idea. Twitter is great, but not all people have cells, or twitter, or will be willing and able to stop to read a message while riding. However if it is important, I will get it.
The red truck. The ONE red truck. If the ratio is 1/1500, we are doing OK.
Red light runners. Tell the police the route. Encourage them to ticker runners, maybe people will learn.
I don’t know what goes on in planning a route, but maybe we could test run it in advance, with maybe 50/100 riders? I would volunteer for that! That would show any problems with bottlenecks and red lights. That section on St. James was poorly chosen in my opinion. I cut up a couple of blocks to Washington St. and had a nice straight shot to 11th without any lights!
Things were more fun when people were a little more spread out, less crowding, maybe letting people go in flights to reduce the congestion? or maybe not.
Anyway, it was fun and I want to do it again!
I was trapped by your “Bike Party” in a car with my two kids going down Bascom. Apparently, I made the mistake of trying to get home at 8:30 when you guys took off. I can see from this posting that many of you are responsible riders, but the ones around me were not.
I had a sleeping baby and a scared 8 yeard-old in the backseat, while I was trying to manuever from the right lane to the left. Riders constantly shouted into my car and one even rammed my car with his bike. I tried to move left but riders blocked me on that side. I moved at a snail’s pace trying to avoid the weaving riders that seem to surround my car. I eventually moved left to find people riding on the opposite side of the road.
I was thankful to get to a left turn lane, but ended up on a street I never heard of. I was lost and shaken from this mob scene. I called the cops and reported this mayhem. I am glad that some of the riders got tickets. I think some should have gotten arrested. If you do this again, have police escorts.
You don’t realize who travels down that street. There is a hospital right there. People might be driving down Bascom to reach a sick or dying relative. What gives you the right to slow them down?
Bikes and cars need to share the road. If car drivers decided to take over the bike lanes once a month in mob fashion they would be called selfish, gas-guzzling, consumerist pigs! What do you want to be called? Selfish or enlightened. I seen selfish on Friday!
Thank you bike party for a great evening!
I took a bunch of pictures at the event. See them at:
http://tian.greens.org/SanJose/BikeParty/June09/index.html
It was my first SJBP ride and I was really pleased overall, despite all the doucheyness from some of our fellow riders. Even though it was my first ride, I tried to be mindful of “how we ride” and what the law is, and remind people as often as possible.
The problem is that when I’m in a group of 100 people at a light and yell “stay on the right” or “red light” or anything else, it gets lost in the noise of 10 or 15 or 20 people around me yelling “BIIIIKE PARTYYYYYYY” and acting like drunken/high fools. My friends and I compared notes afterwards (we were in different parts of the crowd at different parts of the ride)… most of us had the same kind of experience when stopping at red lights – being called “pussies” or “hippies” or in some cases, nearly being rear-ended or sideswiped by other riders who were either not paying attention or were trying to squeeze past us to run the red lights.
This kind of behavior would probably be best addressed with more community shaming. Again, 1 person in a group of 100 people yelling “stop for the light” will probably not make much of a difference, but 30 or 40 people would make a huge one. It seemed that the more vocal riders I came in contact with were of the “FUCK YOU I’M HAVING FUN AND IT’S ALL ABOUT ME” variety. Saw some people who were in the far left lane when the route called for an upcoming right turn – essentially blocking traffic where they weren’t “supposed” to be going – and then picking fights or yelling/otherwise accosting the drivers in those lanes. Most of the Bascom/San Carlos, Alameda, Capitol/McKee parts of the ride (in the group I was near, at least) turned out to be total blockage of all lanes. Really uncool, but hardly anyone would say or do anything to encourage the rude/inconsiderate riders to stop.
Also, with regards to the the people throwing rocks and the lady who was yelling for people to hit her – I’ve heard horror stories about both, but only encountered the lady. She yelled “fuck you, fat boy!” Yeah, I could focus on that and bitch over and over about it, but really… it was less than 1% of my overall experience. I LOVED BEING A PART OF THIS. I saw tons of people outside of their house who were loving it too… I waved and said hi, gave high fives to some folks (there were like 5 or 6 black kids hanging out on Alameda/Race in front of Togos). THAT’S what I loved most about this ride, and that’s what we need more of. Engage the community, welcome them into the experience, make them know that we’re a part of the same city and our lives are connected – POSITIVE energy. Unfortunately, most of the people I witnessed were yelling “WAKE THE FUCK UP” at residents on San Antonio as we were heading back to SJSU… or “I’M FUCKING DRUNK” or something equally repulsive – at least to the folks who were watching us roll through THEIR neighborhood. We need to encourage more VOCAL positive energy so that people will be HAPPY that we’re rolling through… rather than expecting some chaotic nonsense, like the guys throwing stuff at riders probably were.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4R5yMsZTjc
Listen to this kid. He goes from “I don’t want them to do this” to “I want to do this tomorrow” in the span of 10 minutes. He was loving the spectacle of it, the experience of seeing so many people come together for a common purpose, and in the end, he was inspired to get out and do this himself, with his dad. These 2 weren’t a part of the ride, but their story is part of ours and deserves to be honored. When we ride, we should be remembering that the community is PART of us, not just something that we are aggressively taking over for a while. Less anarchy and more inclusion would work wonders – whether it’s keeping the police in the loop, reaching out to community leaders, better/more thorough planning and execution, or just simply collectively stepping up and holding each other responsible to the overall vision.
This ride reminds me why I love this city. Yeah, we rolled through ESSJ, which is usually credited as being full of gangbangers. They’re still part of the community. Yeah, we rolled through St. James Park, which is usually credited as being the place where druggies go searching for a hook-up. It’s still part of the community. I didn’t experience any of the negative or scary or worrying stuff that reputations might have you believe about a bunch of people riding around through ESSJ. Instead, I had a great time, but regretted that we were dishing out the majority of the negative energy I witnessed, and weren’t appreciative of the positive energy that was there. People in ESSJ were great, as mentioned above in comment #49. I didn’t once feel endangered or threatened by them, but I’m sure a lot of them are more guarded after witnessing a lot of the negative energy that I saw going on in their neighborhood.
As much as we’re all worried about the perception of SJBP by others, we should be trying to honor the perception of others by the SJBP community. Riding down Alum Rock was fun as hell, but I don’t want to worry about trying to ride solo in the future and dodging a bunch of angry citizens with a chip on their shoulder who are remembering all the assholes who were causing havoc and yelling at them. I want them to remember positive people who were friendly and brought positive energy and maybe transformed their idea of who and what their community represents and is represented by.
We should stop when there are large numbers of cars waiting to go through the intersection. I found at this ride that when I was around a few other people that were willing to stop at the light we did. Half a dozen parked bikes will cork bike party, so groups of friends that take on that role at busy intersections, let me encourage you!
When I was the only one slowing down it felt wrong. I see nothing wrong with rolling through red lights when there is nobody waiting. In that case, stopping is a waste of energy!
This BP was my 5th ride. I have to admit. Its been my least favorite by far. Porbably cause the bike I was riding for that long of a distance. (and that massive hill, btw wasnt easy on a schwinn stingray) But the fact that people were riding just plain stupid. Its cool to drink and ride. But dont be idiots and get HAMMERED! CONGRATS SJBP ON HITTING 1,535 RIDERS!
Also, after the bike party. Riding down San Carlos from SJSU. Some KID, maybe 20 years old, white male. ATE SHIT. Slammed his head so hard on the pavement (in the intersection next to LA Vic’s) I thought he DIED! I was pulled up on the sidewalk trying to help my friend with her bike chain. When all of a sudden he rode over to us. HE WAS SO DRUNK I COULD SMELL IT FROM 20 FT AWAY! The kids eyes couldnt even see straight. He couldnt comprehend a single thing! Couldnt even get back on his bike. People were trying to help him to get him to stop and call and ambulence! YET HE KEPT GOING! If anyone knows who or what Im talking about. FIRE THAT KID FROM BIKEPARTY!!!
At least 1/3 of the people on this ride were new to bike party including myself and a good portion of us hadn’t read the website or ‘rules’. Without this information it’s unfair to assume we will all ride with the same intentions. Having the rules passed around or posted at Dick’s would be a good way to inform new riders ‘how we ride.’ Also a quick word on what ‘keep to the right’ and ‘red light’ means would help alleviate confusion.
Overall I had a great time and wish I knew about bike party sooner. It’s the best thing to happen to SJ in a long while. Thanks to those who make it happen.
One man’s thoughts on Light Rider…
Where to begin – to ‘Trapped’ – I’m thoroughly sorry for your horrific experience with the ride and clearly the spirit of the ride was missed on you. I have been a cyclist for a long time and when I hear the term ‘share the road’ its an insult to me and to the riders I know that have become seriously injured or have died because of wreckless and otherwise oblivious motorists. I have experienced the terror of being hit by a car that made an illegal turn and being ejected from my bike, only to have the car speed away with no concern for my well being. The feeling of helplessness and immense fear and pain is indescribeable.
I wish that feeling on no one, youself included, and as a motorist too, I try to share the road. As a cyclist I try to share the road, but there are bad motorists and bad cyclists that make the ‘share the road’ ethos a bit less impactful.
I believe the spirit of Bike Party should truly embrace ‘sharing the road’ and I’m very sorry that was not your experience – hopefully that will change.
All in all, the ride was good (from my perspective) up until the final push to SJ State… While peacefully riding, my wife and I were hit by rocks from the ‘Big Red Truck.’ I’m not usually a violent man, but when I saw her fear and saw other riders jump their bikes in fear of getting hit by the speeding truck, I turned red and geared 53×11 until I caught those degenerates. Now, I’m all in favor of peaceful resolution and abiding by the law, but I have found in my experience that bikers have no rights. I have been hit by cars 3 times and 3 times I was following the rules of the road and 3 times the cars left the scene without checking on me – 3 times I have filed reports with law enforcement and 3 times have I been ignored. This time, I would have followed my status quo for a fourth time, except my wife was hit – and that was enough for me. Without being too detailed, a stone thrown will requisite an equal or greater response, and I returned a response. I will gladly do so again if a rogue motorists (or even cyclist for that matter) decides to intentionally hurt me or my family. I would expect no less of anyone else who has had the same neglect of the law we try to abide by. To the ‘Big Red Truck’ – try it again next month, I dare you – when you mess with fire, you’ll get burned… oh, and I will have my camera rig mounted so see if you don’t get caught on camera this time (footage from the Jan Ride):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFOiU6ewbkI
In essence, I hope this ride can keep its numbers yet still have the spirit of SJBP rides past, like the one captured in the video I took in January – there’s enough room on the road for bikes and carrs alike and there’s really no need for violence and aggression… peaceful and responsible riding is oh so much more fun anyway.
One more thing before I finish, and this is to a former point made by Joe Gomez:
you’re absolutely right man – we live in a free country where you are responsible for your actions. I was responsible for my vigilante actions regarding the big red truck and will pay consequences if any come my way. The issue with that attitude as it pertains to running the red lights, is that those actions become unsafe for those around you that may choose to obey the law (cars swerve to avoid hitting a red light runner, etc). You have every right to do what you want, just be considerate of your fellow cyclists and their safety too – not a command, just a request… and I know thats the pot calling the kettle black because I clearly ignored personally and fellow cyclist safety when chasing down big red, so I’ll also be re-evaluating my attitude for the next ride as well.
Lets try to keep it safe, keep it peaceful and keep it fun.
BIIIIIIIIIIKE PAAAAAAAARTY!!!!!!!!
And one more thing…
…strippers outside the Pink Poodle – hardest I’ve laughed in a looooooooong time – great job ladies!
V,
We passed out 500 route sheets with the how we ride/rules on the back.
Did you not see anyone passing them out?
V,
You say that you didn’t get the rules. Don’t worry about it. The people who put on this ride need to realize that if they put on a ride that uses public streets without any official permission they have no authority to make rules. If they want an open to the public event on public streets they’ll have to deal with whatever the event morphs into.
i thank who ever made the bird patches and im proud to say i am one thank you i am going to put sunnyvale on it so people can see how far some of us go to enjoy riding. Im not going to let those who misbehave get to me because what goes around comes around and if they are partying let it be johhnny law will catch up to them i think theres enough positive riders that there will always be SJBP even if its 20/100 riders with no set route to go but where the road takes them. Thats an idea a random ride for SJBP it sounds crazy, but lifes wild, crazy and beautiful so why not try it. props to all bike riders
This was my 5th or 6th Bike Party, and I must say, it was one of the best yet. From the moment I pulled into Dick’s I thought there was going to be trouble. Since my first ride the number of people had almost tripled!
But what I saw on Friday was a true embodiment of the Bike Party spirit. Cyclists are truly a community, and Bike Party is a great example of this posi energy flowing. It is no easy task trying to ride with 1499 other bikers, but I was amazed at what I saw/heard. Many volunteers and BIRDs took control in leading the way. I heard calls of “You okay?” or “Need help?” when a distressed newcomer with a flat or chain problem was stranded on the side of the ride. I heard loud collective “boooooo”s when idiots decided to run red lights. I heard people encouraging each other all the way up the hill. And most of all, I heard people having fun, which is what it’s all about. I realize there was some negative energy at points, but overall, I think it was a very successful ride.
I think if we all pledge to just keep the community going and the fun coming then Bike Party will continue to exist for a long time!
admin, I must have missed it. I got the scavenger hunt flyer but nothing else. Glad to hear you guys already have that front covered. Any plans to increase the frequency of rides over the summer?
Bobbit,
regardless of whether or not we “have to” listen to the rules… we should do it out of common sense.
these rules have been set in place not to hold any one back, but to keep the ride safe and enjoyable for everyone.
they are a guideline to help keep us from getting shut down.
if everyone did what ever they wanted and there weren’t individuals trying to help keep things in order, no one would have any idea where to go, what to do and how to ride even.
not everyone at the bike party is a daily bicycle commuter and would be COMPLETELY lost without the BIRDS [bicycle information resource directors] and the people running the routes. our soul purpose is to keep it safe and sane.
so if you want to be a “rebel” than that’s fine, break the rules and bring a ruckus. do WHATEVER makes you feel good. i hope the personal anarchy feels great,
but for the most part, the people with respect for the bike party, will stick to the rules.
thank you thank you
Thanks for the great pics Tian! I’ve seen other videos of riders stopped at red lights. I’ll take some as well next time.
I’m all about easy going here, we can have fun without breaking the law. Dudes, riding a bike is being a rebel in this car addicted culture.
Lets share the road and the neighborhoods, last thing we should be doing is swearing at motorists that are just trying to get from A to B. And the swearing at people in their homes and yards is just irritating and idiotic.
A while back I was attracted to the cool SJBP attitude… if we push that and tell everyone to leave the drinking and drama at home, I think we’re all good.
BTW, if you think SJBP is going to fail, die, whatever, that negative attitude imho gets us nowhere… so please leave it off these pages.
Extra Props for the guys with the black shirts with great reflective graphics!
San Jose Bike Party is great! I love riding through the streets with hundreds of other bicyclists who are out to have a good time in relative safety given our unavoidable visibility. Let’s not forget that we get more cheers than jeers from the people we ride by. While having fun out there on a Friday night, we’re also raising awareness of bicycling and meeting new people. Yes, we’ve suffered growing pains, but let’s not let the few jerks ruin this event for the rest of us; the respectful friendly riders far outnumber the bad guys, so good guys, please don’t abandon us. I want bike party to continue, and here’s what I can do: I will introduce myself to new people at every red light. I will bring a trash bag to collect trash at meet-up spots. (Great idea to the guy who had two trash cans mounted on his panniers.) I will encourage people to stay to the right and to stop at red lights. I will be part of the peer pressure to encourage respectful behavior. I will join the organizers for a pre-ride. Thank you to everyone, especially the Birds, for this community-building creation. I love it!
Oh, one more thing. It would be helpful if the street directions that you hand out at Dick’s Center were available on the website–in addition to the map. I’d be willing to print a few extra copies to hand out.
this was only my 3rd bike party…and all 3 times have been very different…i have mixed feelings about what i have read so far and what i have experienced…the first ride (MJ) was ok, but i was put off a bit by all the drunk riders (not that i have never been bike drunk before) but there were just so many of them…i still had fun! we ended up in my neighborhood park (backesto)…that’s where the baseball diamond pic was taken…pretty cool! my second ride was awesome (troll), the only negative was getting hit by a bottle from the guy in the van just before the new overpass…they were throwing bottles and other objects at us…luckliy i only ended up with a bruised foot…too bad we didn’t have a camera…they hit a few others around us but i don’t think anyone was seriously hurt, my third ride (lite rider)…well, too many assholes on bikes…i felt bad for the first timers or the people who really don’t feel they have the best biking skills…it was scary out there…and…to the bmx asshole who ditched his bike and wanted to start a fight behind him…you smashed my finger when you shoved through the crowd…and you even knocked some riders over…jerk! they wanted to throw your bike over the fence…if you ever act like such a fool out there again…i hope someone throws you over a fence…i saw so many crashes and altho some were funny, some were very serious and scary…just a very negative vib from too many riders…this is supposed to be fun…if you wanna fight…ditch the bike and join a gym…
too many people running lights unsafely, on the wrong side of the road, jumping in and out of the group, not holding their line, and being mean to other riders and cars…
all 3 rides…the music was awesome!
let me start by saying…i hope bike party continues to grow…this is an exciting time for cyclists and for this area…i consider myself an avid cyclist…i commute to work and school, i race mtb and cross, and i just ride because i love my bikes! bike party is just another level for me…and i love the idea of it…
thank you to the organizers…you rock! something like this has been a long time coming…and i’m sure a lot of work…but you’ve done it…and it’s only going to get better…
as far as the bumps in the road…they will always be there…
here’s what we plan to do at future rides:
stop at more red lights and not give in to peer pressure (yes, we’ve been know to run a few…especially when no cars are around…or when others are yelling…just GOOOOOOO!)
bring trash bags and containers to hold our trash and others
stay as far right as possible…altho it’s impossible in a group so large…and when routes sorta funnel you into a narrow roadway
continue to be nice to other riders, vehicles, pedestrians, small animals etc.
do a pre-ride of course or attend a planning meeting if possible
like i said, i ride a lot…my friends ride a lot…this is our party right? a celebration of bikes and bike lovers…we will continue to work to make bike party safe, friendly, and fun…it’s not about taking over the road…it’s about educating people about bicycle rights, sharing the road, bike awareness, etc. (not pissing people off)
i like the idea of going over rules before the ride…even with bullhorn or portable mic?? continue twitter and posting…maybe a survey or sign in…know who your riders are…might be helpful…
and finally, as far as routes…once again you rode thru my hood (downtown) and i was so thrilled to see so many of my neighbors supporting us…bike party is a good thing…it is good for this community…let’s continue to make it happen and not be too discouraged by the rough roads we may encounter…
BIKE PARTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SJBP has no $ no funding no official support, it happens because people show up, the attitudes they bring dictate the ride.
The organizers sacrifice their time, money, personal relationships, and make themselves liable to make bike party happen.
When it comes to making individual choices about breaking laws, do that on your own time. When you ride with Bike Party you are part of an instant community, your actions endanger the entire ride. More importantly the actions of inconsiderate, drunk and rebel riders hurt the people that organize the ride. When the city looks to throw someone under the bus it will be the people who have stuck their neck out for SJBP.
I am all for supporting individual choices but not when the consequences are felt by decent riders and drivers ( bike party is not critical mass share the road).
Clean up the ride or have the cops do it for you with a price tag.
I like the stop at red lights, Last year I got a $130 ticket for corking and I got off light. When I got my ticket I was respectful to the officer he was doing his job and I was doing what I felt was right. We handled the situation like adults.
Bike Party needs to roll smoothly, if you are pissing off, fellow riders, drivers and cops, go home.
This was my first SJBP. I had gotten my bike rolling just hours before (Thanks to Hylands Family Bike Shop- they got it done for me in 24 hours!). until a few days before the ride, I hadn’t ridden a bike in almost 30 years. I HAD A BLAST! I joined in after Dick’s and I left before the end, so I never dealt w/the idiots in the red truck or any other negativity for that matter. I guess I was just lucky. I had a great time and remembered how much fun my bike was. I was by myself (well, myself and 1,499 other people) and I felt like I was 12 again. Yep, I high-fived the kids hanging out @ TOGO’s on the Alameda too! they were great. Big thank you’s to the original SJBP group for bringing such a great concept to this town, and to all the people who helped on Friday. Even though I missed all the bad stuff, obviously there are growing pains and some tough obstacles ahead. But I can’t imagine that this will be the end of SJBP. Clearly some changes will come, but that is part of life:to reassess and regroup. I’m sure this won’t die out…it just can’t! Way too much fun for way too many people. I’m joining the optimists on this one
Thanks to all the people who were respectful and followed the rules, and thanks to all the motorists that were supportive and patient.
comments:
i’m a long time rider, before this was sjbp (sj critical mass). i’ve missed only 4 sjbp rides. i’ve seen this grow from an average 35 riders/mo to now. i personally believe this will continue to grow for many months to come.
as a volunteer, i certainly do not support anyone who cannot be mature at SJBP…any party. partying doesn’t mean you have to be wasted to have a good time. furthermore, why would you want to be wasted on a bike?! if you insist to be wasted, do it from the confines of your home, not in public where you and/or others can get seriously injured. know your limits!
i know, we cannot force anyone to do anything they don’t want to do. this gathering is open to the public. HOWEVER, the public we want are responsible riders – not retards who wanna get wasted and barely control their bikes. those types can start their own bike rides/names.
the public/riders we want are those who understand and respect the phrase “share the road”. if people are yelling at you to stay to the right, move to the right so cars can get through. if you don’t, local police can ticket you for blocking traffic – and that’s a hefty fine. most of all, understand and respecting california state law for cyclists.
we all need to stop at red lights, unless, local police say other wise. usually, lights take anywhere from 5-30 seconds to cycle, which means we’ll get our green quickly. there’s no need to rush.
the majority of the riders want to have a fun, safe and peaceful ride. there are a select few that can kill the vibe, but, the vibe will be killed only if YOU allow it to be killed – quiters.
i’m sure local police departments are aware of our routes. it’s not like this is a secret web site and/or the routes are determined on the fly…like critical mass rides. some police departments have supported us, such as los gatos and cupertino, that ensured a safe environment fall all. if not the routes, they at least know we have our monthly rides. they probably have already established radio codes about us! also, some departments have the personnel to spare to provide the corking needed – some don’t.
i will:
i will continue to volunteer my time, input and money to keep this eclectic collective safe, fun and socially healthy. even if it requires bringing the east side out of me by yelling at idiots.
After reading through some of these comments, I want to make a pledge (and some suggestions to the admins) about how to address some of the issues.
I pledge to:
- use photos and/or video cameras to report shitty and dangerous motorists
- put another biker in their place (non-violently) if they’re ruining the good nature of SJBP
- pick up trash after myself and my friends at each checkpoint
- boo someone if they run a red light
The last one seems silly but civic disapproval can do some crazy shit. Our community is a dope one and I’ll do what I can to keep it fun and welcoming for all.
To the admins/organizers:
Twitter is hot, yes– but I think using a PA system or some sound system to make announcements prior to rolling out at each checkpoint can be helpful. Sum what we gotta do (ex. ‘Stop at red lights’ or ‘this ain’t the X-games!’). Make them short but sticky. Oh, and if you can have a hot chick w/ the voice of an angel to do it, that will be greatly appreciated.
Is it possible to post arrows or little landmarks (at stoplights for example or street corners) to indicate the route? Handing out 500 fliers is awesome, but it’s extensive work and pricey. Combining that with clear landmarks of where to make the turns can reduce the group from splitting up.
Thanks SJBP and your crew! You’ve got a potential volunteer here.
I will not say who jumped the divider to get away from the cop but I sure know who did LOL boy did we have some laughs about that one major props dude
I enjoyed the recent bike party 6-19-09, it was my first.
Pros:
-i enjoyed the ride, hills, city, main roads, back streets
-i met a lot of people, also really excited about 1500+ peeps, from what i hear sjbp is just getting bigger and bigger
-huge regroup locations, for those that got off route (haha like me, took a wrong turn somewhere, but navigated myself and others back to HP pavilion)
-BIRD idea is GREAT. Keep it up. With time it will be a solid system
Cons:
-encountered a small amount of disrespectful riders (pushing, running red lights, cussing in front of families/children, and most frequent: territorial/macho/showoff bikers)
-witnessed several falls w/o helmets
-a lot of bikers were racing instead of enjoying the ride. I didnt see what the rush was, considering the party was the ride, not the end of the ride.
-unsafe for children
-under-aged drinking/childish/wanna be house party on wheels
Suggestions:
-Follow the “how we ride” rules. You may think of them as stupid rules that SJBP made up, but the first 4 out 7 of the rules are LAWS.
-”Roll past conflict” My ride was very pleasant because of this one. I never encountered a “crazy lady”, “big red truck” or stuck around long enough to see sh*t go down.
I would like to say that twitter on the ride and megaphones would work, but sadly I have to disagree. While riding I am not going to be able to check my phone. If people cannot check the site/follow the simple ride rules, then they wont be able to keep up with twitter updates on or off the ride. Plus things happen so fast that the LAST thing someone is going to do is check their phone or update their twitter. And with numbers growing we are going to need something simple, fast, and easy so everyone can understand and pass it on.
Suggestions for Future Rides:
-Walkies for BIRDS. Used to report: injuries or incidents(motor vs bicycle, bicycle vs bicycle, bicycle vs pedestrian, fights, conflicts, etc)
If walkies are out of the SJBP budget then cell phones work just as well maybe even better! Trade phone numbers before the ride.
-Yellow vests for BIRDS
-Decent sized Sandwich Signs at start and regroup stations stating: the rules for the ride, location of next regroup station, length of the ride, start and end times (this makes it friendly to newcomers, people that jump in and join mid-ride, and a kind reminder to veteran riders.
-Signs that people can wear during the ride disclosing the same information listed above.
-Flash lights people can borrow and tape to their bike
-Donated helmets/reflective tape, horns, etc.
-Flags for RED LIGHTS (waive the flag to stop)
-Loud horns for when it is time to leave the regroup stations/dicks center/start the PARTY
-Cooler for water, light snacks
I hope this helps, if not I hope that it stirs up some ideas.
SAN JOSE BIKE PARTY ROCKS!
P.S. The next ride theme should be:
Super Hero CAPE Ride
I would love to see a bunch of capes flying as we ride.
If it hasn’t already been done.
I don’t know what to do about the attitudes that occurred this last ride. It may just be that school is out and Bike Party is popular enough that the frat boy/meat head contingent came out in force. I want to support the Bike Party any way I can, so I will concentrate on what I can do, CLEAN UP!
I have a home brew cargo trailer and an old plastic trash can that I can attach to it. A couple of brooms, scoops, and lights and I am ready to do clean up! Looking forward to the next ride!
#79 (Tymara): “Signs that people can wear during the ride disclosing the same information listed above.”
I actually suggested this in an email to the organizers. I work at a company that does print-on-demand stuff and I think SJBP should set up a store front with us to sell official SJBP merch. The royalties could help fund SJBP necessities, and I’m sure more than a few people would love to buy official shirts both to advertise and help support the cause. My idea was to have the SJBP logo you see at the top of the site on the front of the shirt, and a large text version of the “how we ride” suggestions (I think “rules” is the wrong word here) on the back of the shirt. Simple, but effective. If 100 people order those shirts and spread throughout the crowd, it could make a big difference. Still waiting to hear back from the SJBP folks about this, though. Thoughts, anyone?
I for one would consider chipping in on merch if it would help to fund sjbp, assuming they want to go that direction.
I did like a suggestion above, being able to print the small route slips from the site would be good and could help us if printing is an $$$. I dont know how much the run of 500 sets you guys back.
Since, we are seeing a larger volume of riders. I wonder if it wouldn’t be out of the question to see if a company such as cateye would be interested in donating head lights that sjpd could distribute to people who dont have them. This might be a way to help raise safety and awareness levels.
printable Route sheets were on the comment section (sorry last minute), emailed via the listserve, and sent via facebook.
I have a suggestion. Why dont we try to agree to were the same color shirt and have it vary colors at evry ride? This may help promote the riders who are a bit more sirous about SJBP. Just throwing out there.
I like the same color shirt idea. I like that the route sheets are emailed. Makes it convenient to print copies for our group!
I am kind of overprepared for SJBP, I carry water, tools, extra tubes and walkie talkies to regroup at rally points. It makes the ride roll smoothly and nobody from our group gets lost in the crowd!
Yes, SJBP is an open event, but like a house party, you still need to respect people! If you threw stuff @ a house party, you’d get kicked out, if you woke up my neighbors by yelling out my window toward their house, you’d get in trouble. If you stole, you’d get your arse kicked. Etc. You get the analogy.
Hey you knuckleheaded, Hipster, wanna be gangbanger, underage drinker, bad behavior, no respect FRAT boy trashtalker, wanna-be brawler, KEEP that at home!!
I don’t want to see that when I’m cruising with my lady, my kid or my pals. Don’t ruin a good night because you got dissed.
Whoever saw that BMX kid that jumped off his bike to brawl with someone. Next time, take the bike and roll it behind a tree or just hide it in the dark.
If people want to brawl, let them take their bikes off to some deserted area and figure it out there. NOT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RIDE!!
yo dasfreshyo
The difference between sjbp and a house party is that a house party is at a private home where you have the authority to make rules and throw people out. You have no such authority on public streets.
Bobitt,
Why are you so quick to hate? If you truly want to stick to the legality of public space and shirk off the people trying to keep the ride safe and smooth, why come? What are you trying to prove and what do you want out of Bike Party?
I am really truly curious what you want from participating in Bike Party.
One thing that is interesting, once you are on the ride you are Bike Party. We all are. The thing that gives this group power is that we have common goals and directives. The majority of riders want to ride safely and abide by the guidelines that are there. That way, we can keep injuries to a minimum and keep the ride going smoothly. If you don’t want to go with the flow, then start your own ride. Bike Party means something to a lot of people because it represents them.
Like I said, I am curious what you hope to get out of Bike Party. Do you have fun? What compels you to return? If you don’t have fun and all you wanna do is point fingers, then find your own group of riders and create your own Party.
(If you are filled with hate and anger because no one wants to be your friend, then come find me on the next ride and I’ll roll with you. I have fun at every Bike Party, even when I stop at red lights.)
This is for all the peps who wanted to know where I got the mashups I played during the ride. Well its from Bootie, a club up in SF. You can download the music off their site here:
http://www.bootiesf.com/
Now everyone can pull a trailer and play great tunes.
Ride on Bike Party, ride on!
Bobitt,
What you wrote is true. BP is an open event. The public is invited, but also consider and RESPECT that a few people work HARD, take their personal time to provide a route that is safe and peaceful toward the community to promote cycling as a recreational, social, healthy and FUN activity. It doesn’t need to become a political statement, a war on cars, a protest, a fight against anyone.
I don’t make the rules I don’t own the road. I don’t have the authority to say who stays and who goes. As many have posted before me, positive riders will make their voices heard. Jerk riders will be told to chill.
I believe that there are many riders in agreeance that SJBP should be a PEACEFUL event. Not a drama filled chaotic street assualt on the public.
If you want to wage war on cars, on pedestrians, disturb residents in their homes or insult police, be my guest, just do SJBP a favor and do it ELSEWHERE.
I don’t want to be near the ppl that get hit w a baton, tear gas or tackled off their bikes. It has happened. Let’s not let history repeat itself. PEACE.
Shout out to Justin for leading the “pre-ride” tonight (Thurs, June 25 at 7:00-7:15 @ Dicks) 10-20 new to exp riders tonite?? sjbp.prerides@gmail.com
I have an idea for the next theme!
EVERYONE ROCK SHARKS GEAR/TEAL AND BLUE LIGHTS..
if yer gonna drink dont bring glass and keep it cutty.respect everyone around you and stay alert and be street smart.be aware of your surroundings and youll be fine.BullShit is gonna go down regardless,,especially in SJ.But this website and all of the opinions and comments on on here will spread just like the party has been and can educate fools about this to make it a success..This wont die..But its up to each individual to act right in order to make it a better success each time.The light ride was my 3rd consecutive ride.It gets better everytime,more excitement whether positive or negative,,THIS IS ONLY GONNA GET CRAZIER,,BOTH POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE,,,tHER WILL PROLLY BE OVER 2000 PEOPLE NEXT TIME WITH MORE PROBLEMS AND MORE FUN BUT LIFES A BITCH…….grow up dumbasses and keep it cool “”BIKE PARTY!!!!!!!!
Ok, this is my 3rd or 4th post. Just a thought I was going over about the Light Ride. One of the wonderful, but chaotic moments of the ride was the first 90 seconds on Bascom leaving Dick’s Center. Why were there so many riders stopped up at the exit onto Bascom? It was honestly a good feeling to be riding on a street lane to lane surrounded by bicycles, but I was feeling bad for any cars caught behind our group.
I was wondering why there was a blockage on the right side of Bascom (bike lane/lane 3). I’m trying to narrow down the causes of the riders overflowing onto the 1st & 2nd lanes. I don’t want to piss drivers off and I do want to have a fun, safe time @ SJBP. Night riding in groups is one of my favorite past times!!
So I pose a few questions; to the speed demon racing riders, if you want to ride at the front of the pack and go fast, why don’t you leave 5 minutes before 9PM, when the ride usually rolls out and wait for the rest of us when we get to the next rally point?
Maybe the groups could line up in a parade formation in Dicks Center before we roll out to give a great photo opportunity, and we could sort of trickle onto the street.
I know these ideas seem kind of far out and as some of the Cop hating, authority confrontational riders would be offended that we’d try to corrall people. I’m just thinking it would be a good time to shoot pics and get a nice easy dispersal from our home lot.
One of my friends riding with me said “You have a good sense of how/when the crowd moves.” I guess he was referring to how I could tell when the group was ready to roll to the next spot.
Either way, rolling out in a long parade format going through Dicks would be fun. Maybe even get someone with a camera on top of the roof to shoot pics. What do you think?
I too was thinking that maybe there could be some way to let out a certain number of cyclists at a time. This would space it out and keep groups between red lights. It would also show just how many people were riding! Too bad we can’t get an arial view of it.
In a lot of sections people in my area were stoping for reds and when they did it made for nice distrete packets of cyclists lol and looked cool as well. It also forced people behind to stop for the lights.
So maybe it can be perceived as more of a parade with each section or group of cyclist led by a volunteer. This would also make sure that the route was easily followed.
just a thought.
I believe that there were a lot of people not knowing how long we really ride. They got to understand that this no little ride around the block its all over San Jose of course!
We had so much more people this time too it was awesome how many people come out and support BIKES! and love riding them. It was so much more than the first bike party i went to back in October of 2008 when it was like 250 now we have 1500 and its growing 50% everytime thats siick.
The thing i dont get is why people have to complain about other riders so much. How fast they go or what they do while riding. The thing that irks me is people dont like the fast riders. Personally i like going fast the big groups arent my thing thats how people crash and my bike cant cruise that slow its just my preference. I like speed im sorry to say haha.
Overall this ride was the best because i got to ride it with my new bike and the route was awesome especially the hill by alum rock that was fun climbing it and going down it i was going soooo fast it kinda made me pee a little.
I believe that formations and making people stay together is tough when you have 1500 cyclists. Its especially hard to keep them in a straight line in one lane and on the right side too. We just need to make sure that fights dont happen in between drivers and cyclists and cyclists and cyclists becuase we are all there to have fun and ride bikes not to act like were hot shit and better then other people.
One suggestion for next route is north we need a ride to mountain view/sunnyvale area those areas we have not yet to hit up mountain view is a different city but we have gone through los gatos and cupertino and campbell so i think north is a necessity to the next ride. Hope to see a lot more people come out and support us and support bicycle riding.
BIKE PARTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
dhug,
you peed?
Hey dhug,
I agree with you about going fast. I like to ride fast on my road bike. On my cruiser, I like to cruise! SJBP is a slow paced ride. If you want to go fast, GO FAST! Pass up all the cruisers, trikes, bmx guys etc, and sail on!
Please just don’t hit anyone on your way by! I’ve been passed plenty of times by speed dragons, flying by. Its cool.
I just don’t like when some guys split between 2 cyclists in a tight formation. That’s just rude and can get someone hurt. Plus it really freaks out newbies. Whom SJBP graciously welcomes!!
We rode to Sunnyvale’s bike bridge in May 2009, which was awesome. I don’t know if a ride farther north would be feasible. I’m in full support of starting a ride in the Mt. Vies, Palo Alto, Sunnyvale area!! I think that the Castro st station in Dtwn Mt. View would be a great place to meet up! Maybe roll through Castro parallel to El Camino Real, up to dtwn PA and to Stanford. Any takers?