Bike Partiers – be proud of yourselves. This month was absolutely amazing.
There’s something special about the thousands of people who followed SJBP’s How We Ride to the extent that happened this month. Maybe it’s becasue of our anniversary, maybe it was the mass of new and amazing volunteers stepping up, or maybe it’s that spirit of perseverance that has carried us these three years. In any case, October’s Ride of the Living Dead was profoundly different in many ways.
- More blinking lights than ever filled the lane as we traveled, not the result of higher attendance, but of many more bikes being properly lit.
- We kept the left lanes open for the entire ride, even as we left regroups.
- We co-existed with motorists rather well, helping them into turn lanes and across intersections with stop signs.
- There were volunteers everywhere. In fact, there was at least one at EVERY turn (usually more), something that’s been desired all along. Thank you so much for pointing out the turns and keeping us safe.
- Drinking was at a minimum.
- We kept our beautiful city clean with people responisibility for themselves.
We also had a few different police agencies out, including motorcycle officers from San Jose PD and Santa Clara County’s Sheriff Department, and we hope they enjoyed the festivities as much as we all did, as we are all part of the same community.
The music trailers were very impressive as well, blasting tunes for most of the ride but cutting the volume way back when it got later. The only thing we need is more music!
Thanks again for to route volunteers for this epic, multi-start ride that took us all over the city, and special thanks to the BIRDS and volunteers (new and old) for the wonderful job you did this month. It’s very evident that your hard work is paying off.
See you in November!
(photos from the evening to be posted ASAP).
Mike G
October 15, 2010
This was the most chill and mellow BP yet, thank you guys for planning it differently and bringing everyone together at the first break spot, I think it was a cool idea!!!
(I bailed at Oakridge, long day and I was parked in that VTA lot).
There were cops everywhere all night! dozens of them at The Plant. It was nice to see them cruising up the road with us keeping people in the right lane and ticketing a few red light runners. Wish people would follow the rules better.
Thank you to all the birds and volunteers that helped make this another fun BikeParty!!!!!!!!
Angelina
October 16, 2010
I never heard of a Bike Party until today. I live on a main street and the party passed by around 9pm. My daughter and I were able to watch all of you from my living room window from the second floor so we had a good view of everyone. My daughter really enjoyed it cause she seen all the bikers lights, unique bikes and some with costumes. She must have said “hi” to a couple dozen of you guys and you responded back with a friendly “hi” back. All I could remember thinking was how nice it would be able to ride along. I was curios to see what this ride was about so I searched on the internet. I seen several older posts on another website, some negative and some positive. But from what I seen tonight. I think that it was well organized and yes you might get a couple of bikes that pass through your neighborhood with a loud music for only a couple of seconds then they are gone just as quickly as they came. But for the most part the party was pretty quiet. They just rode by and enjoyed the night. It was pretty cool. I wish that I could experience that one day.
Rider 44
October 16, 2010
Angelina, glad we could bring joy to your night. I just got back from riding with my 8 year old and she is now fast asleep in bed. We had a blast, it was very fun. Keep checking back because we are planning on having some family friendly test rides that are shorter, during the daytime, and really geared toward being able to bring along younger riders.
Sherri
October 17, 2010
I live w/i feet of Montery Hwy & along w/ my 2 sons as you did w/ your daughter above heard the Music & what sounded like people having fun, so we stop’d our movie & ran out side what we thought was the tail end of of hundreds of bikers having fun & not getting rowdy or crazy~ well 15 mintues later we went back inside & the bike riders were sill cruising by…we loved watching all hundreds bike riders & all their fun lights. .We also yelled out to many of the riders who responded Kindly & respectfully back to us….Never being rouwdy or out of control..My Husband wished i had woke him up to also see the fun..Now i have read & watched the mini clips.. maybe soon we will be joining the fun..
sanjosebikeblog
October 18, 2010
thats always my favorite part of Bike Party, when people in the neighborhoods come out of their houses and get to enjoy seeing all the bikes go by, the neighborhood kids are out on the sidewalks giving “high fives” to the cyclists, yelling Bike Party back and forth, so fun!
Rider 44
October 16, 2010
Fantastic ride. We had to bail a couple of miles after the Oakridge regroup. But we had a blast. The thing that really made it special for me was seeing all the non-birds that were really stepping up and owning the ride. Thanks you all!
The lady that was shouting down the bad behavior on Monterey, holy cow girl, you probably don’t have a voice left right now. Thanks!
The birds that were helping the people with flats and other breakdowns. Thanks!
Rich and the other volunteers cleaning up at the regroups. Thanks!
Great route Tanner. Absolutely loved the multiple start locations. I spoke with several who joined the ride along the way between their neighborhood start and The Plant. They all loved that.
Hope everyone else had as much fun as we did.
BikePartay!
kurtrl
October 16, 2010
Great ride. First SJBP for me! Great idea having multiple start locations. It was good having the SJBP start and end in my neighborhood!! And bicycle jousting!!!! That was interesting……
Community Activist
October 16, 2010
Just got home from SJSU – 1 AM. I didn’t stay for the events as it was a long day for me.
I think the SJBP leadership & volunteers did a great job. Organizationally, I think SJBP has matured to the point where it can handle any size event without problem. I know the last few months was a bit stressful but SJBP has definitely become a stronger organization. In fact, considering the group has no funding or resources, its quite model for what can be done.
It was interesting to note the high level of police presence. At one point there was a bit of a traffic jam at SJSU between SJPD, CHP & Campus Police – if law enforcement was always this coordinated we’d never have any crime. Being one of those who asked for police presence in the past, I think we probably have too much. Anyway something to consider for the future.
As we head into winter I’m looking forward to a more relaxing pace as the group naturally shrinks. It’ll be nice to have a few months of slow, family rides until next summer when the level of intensity builds up again. But next time, SJBP will be more than ready to handle anything!
SJBP is definitely making San Jose/Santa Clara County a better place to live.
Thanks
high cadence
October 16, 2010
for the record, SJBP didn’t ask for police presence. these agencies within the county simply responded to growing concerns voiced here and at their precincts. and citizens of santa clara county should raise their hubs for their awesome policing last night.
word.
Rapid Robert
October 16, 2010
What a great way to celebrate the 3rd anniversary of the San Jose Bike Party!!! I thought it was an excellent route, the enormous crowd at The Plant, a happy vibe all night, Autonomous keeping it lively on the PA at the regroups, lots of great ghouls & zombies, lots of BIRDs, lots of support for the BIRDs, and well behaved riders (in the groups I rode with all night). Happy Birthday Bike Party!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rider 44
October 16, 2010
Found wallet.
Spencer, your wallet was found in the street by a couple of birds.
I’ve got it and want to get it back to you.
I posted it on Craigslist so you can get in touch with me easily.
The posting is titled
Wallet found during San Jose Bike Party
It is in the ‘community’ section under ‘lost+found’, which is different from the ‘for sale’ section.
Rider 44
October 16, 2010
Here is the CL post
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/laf/2008865374.html
scmaggi
October 16, 2010
If there was money in it, I’m Spencer.
TimC
October 16, 2010
Awesome ride tonight.
Considering the gigantic crowd, nearly everyone was willing to do the right thing when asked nicely. The outrageously huge police presence also “helped” (sheesh!)
Thanks to the Hub for making this a night to remember. The magic of Bike Party is back!
[mod/rs: actually it was a slew of volunteers that made this and every ride possible. (this was originally posted on the ride announcement section on 2010/10/16 at 1:21AM)]
tanner
October 16, 2010
yesssssss! Keep it coming. There was so magic behind the scenes this month. So much new help. Good job everyone!
Jaytron
October 16, 2010
This was the first bike party for my friends and myself. It was awesome! I loved it.
In case anyone was wondering, we were wearing Google Maps shirts with a bike on it.
Big thanks to everyone who made this happen, I hope to go on the next one.
Also a big thanks to Chris for helping me with my rear derailleur and it’s skipping problems. Great ride all together, see you all next month!
Billy Cool
October 16, 2010
I’ll be posting pics here soon.
Last night night was so much fun, I didn’t want it to end!!!
There were a few salmon and red light runners as usual, but I saw so many groups stopping at red lights without BIRDs around, it was a joy to see. I even came up one one stoppage at a stop sign, A STOP SIGN! And a young guy said, “We ain’t here to be breaking the rules”.
Rider 44
October 16, 2010
Hopefully one of those pics could be your profile pic?
Awesome job last night Billy Cool.
Billy Cool
October 16, 2010
Still getting pics. Oh BTW, we went back to the Plant at 2:45am to get our car and we rolled through the back corridor where we did out regoup and we couldn’t believe what we saw. Not one single piece of trash or can or anything. It was as if it had just been swept. The entire alley from Home Depot to Toys R Us. We saw 1 beer can, 1 food wrapper, and 1 syrofoam cup in front of Toys R Us, and that was all. Amazing job we did on cleaning up!!!
Jared
October 16, 2010
I helped with cleanup in Santa Clara, The Plant, and SJSU. In each regroup, I stopped by while riders were still around, asking for any garbage, and bagged plenty of trash and even more thank-you’s (and one candy bar!).
When the regroups finally cleared out, there wasn’t much left to pick up–or at least that which I could see with my bike lights. I’m confident that some of the trash didn’t come from SJBP and we actually left the regroup area cleaner than when we found it.
Business opportunity: based on the number of empty single-use water bottles I collected, there’s a healthy market for re-usable bike bottles, maybe with SJ Bike Party printed on them). Truck along a 5-Gal water jug and you’ll find many happy cyclists.
high cadence
October 17, 2010
kudos to jared!!!
Rapid Robert
October 17, 2010
I did the same at Oakridge. Filled a whole bag full of trash and dropped it in a vendor’s can. Most of it was got by asking for it. Four or five responded to my calling out for “garbage, cans, roaches” by pulling stuff out of their backpacks. Very easy duty. Lots of “thanks”. No roaches (that’s what I mean about weed being the “green” choice of recreational intoxicant, pun intended).
Katie
October 17, 2010
Nice work Jared and Rapid Robert! I like when Bike Party “leaves no trace”.
Billy Cool
October 17, 2010
Jared & Bob, You guys are awesome!
Here are the pics,
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=41016&id=1828791997&l=f83c2f5c5d
whispersiren
October 19, 2010
Great BP photos!! Also enjoyed the ones of you getting your make-up applied! Would have never guessed it was you! She did a fantastic job!
Rider 44
October 19, 2010
Great BP photos!! Also enjoyed the ones of you getting your make-up applied! Would have never guessed it was you! She did a fantastic job!
Sigh, I sure wish Billy Cool used flickr so those of us not on fb could see too.
thepirateslifeforme
October 16, 2010
could have made a killing
selling flashlights at santa clara parkinglot
dora
October 16, 2010
Bike Party!
Oakridge regroup needed more time! Where was the jousting and tricks event? The regroups were bland due to little organizing for these special events. We need a flock to get to regroup spots before the crowds do. They can help set up cones to signal lounging, vendor and event spots aswell as direct incoming traffic. Much love to last nites Ravens!!!
Did we get a head count?
Other than what I’m bitching about the NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD WAS GREAT! AWESOME ROUTE!
Ian
October 19, 2010
the joust was at the top of the parking structure…
Tyler
October 16, 2010
This stands as one of the better bp’s out there. I’ll start from the top.
I need to ride the VTA more often to Bike Party. It’s great to talk to other bikers on the light rail cause you know where they are heading to-bike party.
The ride out from South San Jose was great. It looked like everyone from Chynoeweth or whatever had no problem getting out onto the road. Everyone stopped at red lights, and it was a chill vibe. I suggest that BP should do this more often by splitting the beginning of the ride into four groups, cause it gets the party started in a smooth manner.
The ride itself was nice. Not too many redlight runners from what I’ve seen, and some cars were trapped, but people stepped up and let the cars go. I enjoyed chillin at the top level of the Oakridge Parking Garage, it was a sight to see. Not too many hooligans from what I’ve seen, so that was a plus. I left after the third stop, but I think I had my fun for the night.
Another great night.
scott
October 17, 2010
@tyler – thanks for all that you do for bp
DVSteve
October 16, 2010
What a great ride! The weather was good, the costumes were good, and for the most part everything went smoothly. I got a chance to talk to a lot of people along they way and everyone was enjoying themselves. I saw lots of individual riders stepping up to help out in various ways. Thanks to all of you for helping to build community spirit and being a positive influence on those around you. This is how bike party gets done. I hope we can count on everybody’s support for many months to come!
moo
October 16, 2010
I think this was the best SJBP ride I’ve been on (been riding a little over a year). Thanks to all the BIRDs, both old and new, who stepped up to make this happen.
Scootboy3
October 16, 2010
What a great way to begin my 50th year! This is my fourth Bike Party and it was the best so far. Congratulations on 3 years! Highlight was watching bike jousting on top of the Oakridge Mall parking garage! Well, that and drag racing with the SJ police when the lights turned green. Lots of great costumes! Happy and healthy people! Last night I turned 49. I hope to do this for decades to come! Cheers to all the volunteers!
sanjosebikeblog
October 16, 2010
Awesome Ride! Great weather, great 4 point start, bike partiers riding respectfully and good regroup spots. Not enough faces painted like last years October ride but oh well! Thank you again SJBP Birds and Organizers, your hard volunteer work and brain storming powers are much appreciated! Ride On!
high cadence
October 16, 2010
nothing but awesomeness last night!
i was route captain for ESJ start. where our turnout was a little on the small side compared to last years start, but was still live and festive as last year! for me, the highlight of ESJ ride was singing “happy birth day” for SJBP. that was glorious!
awesome costumes and cool bikes. we started a red light chant, to keep it festive at red lights, but that quickly died out at our first red light lol. despite the speedy riders that broke out from us, we still managed to keep our smaller party of about 200 riders together.
the 1st regroup at the plant had a little snag at the home depot docks but, we managed a workable work-around. the main ride to SSJ was ecstatic and just as festive. i saw many BIRDs AND volunteers stepping up to help navigate our ride to stay on route and help cars to get through our massiveness.
2nd regroup, oakridge mall garage…wow!
the ride to 3rd regroup, SJSU, was simply refreshing. for me it marked the end of the night since i pushed my sciatic nerve to it’s limits. the ride through willow glen into midtown was great. riding down san carlos reaching the top of the caltrain bridge with downtown sj and a strung out line of cyclists in the right lane in the backround was…blissful. psycho donuts and pizza my heart, were my pitstops before i headed home on a natural high to nurse, replenish and sleep.
happy 3rd birth day SJBP, may we have many more birth days to celebrate! we did it everyone, WE. FUCKING. DID IT!!!
Bike Party Piper
October 16, 2010
Fuckin leet.
Jaytron
October 16, 2010
YOU are fuckin leet. The bag piping was awesome!
Billy the Kid
October 16, 2010
Last night’s ride was amazing!!
A festive, positive vibe. Amazingly few douchebags.
On the first leg from Santa Clara, I manned an intersection. Everyone stopped for red lights. When cars got caught in the crowd, we had no trouble getting them through.
In the southside, all those neighbors coming out to cheer us on!
Everyone who stepped up can feel proud that we put together a killer ride. Every bicyclist can feel good that we’re building good relations with the community.
None of this is to say we should rest on our laurels. There were still a few douchebags here and there running red lights or unnecessarily riding in the left lane. At one point I had to break up what nearly turned into a fist fight following two bikes colliding.
But despite the few problems, we should certainly feel proud of how far we’ve come and how well we minimized the problems in such a large crowd of partiers. If every ride goes as smoothly as this one, Bike Party will be a positive force in the community for a long time to come.
George the fast
October 16, 2010
Awsome ride .had a blast .can’t wait till the next month ..yeee
Doc Hawk
October 16, 2010
This was my first stint at being a BIRD. I loved doing this, and helping everyone. Can’t wait until next month! Everybody was truly great… I hope any injuries from the few minor crashes we saw were minor and will heal quickly.
Max Muchisimas Thank You to the entire group for a fabulous party time!
scott
October 16, 2010
Definitely a great vibe and ride, definitely some areas to work on (like our entry/exit issues at the Plant and not swarming cars at intersections further down like the two on Branham), but nothing that can’t be worked on and fixed… esp if we get a bunch more BIRDs.
But it’s also up to all of us to follow the “how we ride rules.” I’m guessing there were so many police out there cuz for too many months our riders were not following the “how we ride” rules and some were downright thuggish. Luckily that’s been way down for 2 rides now. Can we keep this trend, even without the police next month?
If you’ve been thinking of volunteering, finding out how easy and fun it is to do can be done at one of the test rides this month. There’s usually one the weekend AFTER bike party, so the 4th weekend (sat or sun). Look for details online here and on Facebook. I think there were 65 new BIRDs, not sure how many made it. Cool if there were 30-50 more this month.
Bottom line to me is if the ride is so great and we want it to keep going, how can each one of us “give back” to bike party? Even if it is just for the night of bike party every few months.
Michelle
October 16, 2010
Hey guys…would like to be supportive…maybe next year get someone to help at Branham/Snell intersection…I was trapped there for 4 light cycles while everyone was trying to turn left from Branham to Snell. Wasn’t pretty. Lots of people weaving in and out of the bike lane into the one open traffic lane on Branham…seemed very dangerous to me. Way too many people swerving right in front of cars without even looking. I love that there are lots of bike riders in SJ, just would appreciate it if you could respect the cars too. Thanks!
high cadence
October 17, 2010
bike party didn’t travel that far down branham. the cyclists you encountered must have been rogue cyclists going off route doing their own thing =(.
come join us!
scmaggi
October 17, 2010
Rouge cyclists going off route cause they didn’t have a map, maybe?
routescouter
October 17, 2010
@michelle –
you’re absolutely right about our issues from:
monterey highway to branham to saddlebrook (old frontier village)
as riders streamed onto branham, then had to move left…
(which is what i think you meant)
we could have used more volunteers in those intersections.
apologies for this, i helped 2 new BIRDs there at branham & saddlebrook
high cadence
October 17, 2010
dude, she’s talking about snell, further down branham past saddlebrook…some riders broke off route.
John M
October 17, 2010
This was indeed part of the early SSJ start path. Making a left early in the ride off that single lane road was a point of crowding.
The group I was with stayed for that light cycle. But yes, we should watch out for cars and not forsake drivers who become trapped by the ride.
high cadence
October 17, 2010
crap! lol
lousbike
October 16, 2010
I have to say that this was the best ride that I’ve been on. I’ve only gone three times before but the crowd last night was cool. No drama that I saw and everyone was in good spirits. I truly enjoy a positive environment and that it was. Even got some co-workers to come out and they plan to go again. Met some new friends too. Great night! BIKE PARTY!
http://www.luulaa.com
Nat
October 16, 2010
Maybe we could do the Voltron start scheme for popular (May to October) rides. Knowing the whole route ahead of time is preferred, though, because sometimes people (ok, I really mean me!) have to arrive late. The BIRD recruitment efforts also paid off. Let’s keep getting more!
Things I didn’t like: so many people without costumes, such long regroups
Things I liked: The Voltron start scheme, great regroup sites, taco trucks, few DBs, cheering neighborhoods in South SJ, great route!
Many congrats to those who successfully endeavored to bring the lawlessness down. You all have careers as VPs in charge of 3000+ employees.
CyciumX
October 16, 2010
I gave away two tubes, one roll of E. tape and a patch kit…. My motorcycle battery I used to power my music only went down to 12.24 volts from 12.85…ha ha ha, after 4 hours of use… my rear wheel only went out of true a mere 1 mm more from the 270 pounds of weight it carried and the foods vendors supplied liter sized Mexican coke… only 2 things… came to mind last night/this early morning:
1: I think its lame, that officer gave the food vendor a ticket for parking @ the Uni. It was signed for loading and drop off… really… a warning would have been nice. Its 1am. Empty. No need to be that strict… Police have an ample amount of discretion in a situation as that and do not need to prove a point to someone who is not just making a buck, but providing a very needed service.
2: I didn’t see a single announcement about those small rides leaving to go back to start points. I know they existed because on the way back I saw Steve on his ‘Bent taking a group back, but maybe a more direct way to allow people to get to those groups. Like a message or two during regroups to meet @ some monument residing at the final location to meetup with folks who will be taking off. I knew my way back… don’t know how many others would…. and seems you needed to be a tad lucky to be at the right place at the right time to know.
SteveSgt
October 17, 2010
I agree that many people had trouble finding the regroups back to their starting points. One guy rode with me back to the Mervyn’s lot in ESJ, only to learn that he hadn’t made it back to Oakridge. And that was one of the later return groups, after the light rail stopped running. (I wonder how he made it home?)
I think the split groups worked well in concept, but needs some refinement in execution. The maps should probably have detailed the regroup points more explicitly.
Ian
October 19, 2010
sounds like a call for personal responsibility….
folks you have to be able to get yourselves home safely….
don’t be afraid to ask for help.
we didn’t have an oakridge start so why would he be riding back there?
Rider 44
October 19, 2010
folks you have to be able to get yourselves home safely….
I understand what he meant. When I have the complete route ahead of time, I can and do figure out how to get home from various points on the route. Without the map ahead of time it made it harder to do that planning this month. Granted, people could have brought either a SJ map or a GPS with them to figure it out real time, but I imagine most people don’t do that.
we didn’t have an oakridge start so why would he be riding back there?
Sure we did. SSJ started at Ohlone/Chynoweth which is basically Oakridge.
Ian
October 20, 2010
We have a problem with folks who are just following along like sheep
at some point you really need to be aware and pay attention to where you are going.
The starts were posted to the web as was the end point.
and we had directions to each of the starts from the endpoint on the maps.
i guess we could have posted the returning directions to the website but i don’t think that would have helped this guy.
Rider 44
October 20, 2010
Hi Ian,
Thanks so much for all you do. Really.
I think we agree. Actually, I know we do, especially about riders taking personal responsibility. Bryan L has definitely heard me rant several times about riders taking personal responsibility.
But because of the unique aspects of this month, it did have some special challenges that made it more difficult this time. I’ve got some ideas to make it better next time.
In your October 20, 2010 at 9:23 AM post you said, The starts were posted to the web as was the end point.
I don’t think that’s right. I didn’t see where the end point was posted ahead of time.
Looking back at what was available prior to the ride in the
Ride of the Living Dead – October 15 (Ride “Game Plan” Posted)
http://www.sjbikeparty.org/archives/3295#more-3295
Under Ride Details:
steps 7 and 9 mention R3 but not where it is.
Under Summary: it mentions R3 and Then you will look for signs in the quad area… but there was nothing more specific about where the quad is located.
I definitely liked the idea of just giving the start points and then distributing the maps at R1. I do hope we try something like this again, loved the personal guest/invitation aspect of it. But if we don’t get all the maps distributed during the R1 regroup, possibly having birds stationed at the R1 exits handing them out as people ride out would help get more maps in hands. Any remaining maps could again be made available at R2. Either by birds handing them out, stacks on vendors tables, or a stack near the entrance ramp. I think this is important because as I was heading back to my car (had to get my beauty sleep so turned turned back midway between R2 and R3) I definitely saw quite a few stragglers that had obviously left R2 a very long time after the group did. I was able to help direct some, some I don’t know if they had the ability to find R3 without a map.
I think it is a good idea to post the address of the ending location at the same time you post the address of the starting location(s). Giving that info out ahead of time helps responsible people plan and I don’t think it corrupts the surprise aspect of the ride too much. I think the benefits outweigh the costs.
Then you will look for signs in the quad area… I had to turn back before R3 so IDK, but looking at previous comments it sounds like the signage was not easy for some to see/find.
Perhaps what could also be posted ahead of time on the web would be where the signs are supposed to be at R3. For example, SSJ meet near the fountain, ESJ meet near the box office, etc. That way whether the signs are there or not, people know ahead of time where to meet when they want to leave.
Regarding providing maps from R3 back to the staring point(s). I can see both sides of it. I guess as long as the start and end locations are posted ahead of time, nothing is stopping people from figuring out their own route home.
In fact, that might even encourage people to do a xerocracy like Critical Mass used to do. Again, this is only for the route home from R3 back to their starting points.
Hmmmm, that could be a good option on one of the regular rides in February or March…. SJBP provides the map from the start to R1 and from R2 to the end, but for the miles between R1 and R2, challenge/encourage riders to come up with their own route, xerox a few dozen turn-by-turn directions, then lead THEIR OWN mini-ride on the route THEY designed from R1 to R2. Probably would be best on a route where there are a bunch of cool destinations between R1 and R2 so it forces people to be creative and make decisions.
Thanks again for an awesome anniversary ride this month, those are my 2 cents worth.
David
Rider 44
October 18, 2010
My motorcycle battery I used to power my music only went down to 12.24 volts from 12.85…ha ha ha
If you made something that provides music, please show off your great work by start a New Topic thread in the forums on the right.
Forum >> Music >> Music Trailers
http://www.sjbikeparty.org/mingleforum?mingleforumaction=viewforum&f=5.0
LOTS of other bike partiers want to see and learn what you’ve done.
We need more music trailers!
Tell us about the electronics.
Tell us about the hardware for the trailer.
Tell us about whatever you want to.
That’s what makes Bike party so great.
Thanks for the tunes!
CyciumX
October 18, 2010
I made a thread on my sound system in the Music Trailer forum as requested!
Rider 44
October 18, 2010
Thanks!
CyciumX
October 16, 2010
Someone needs to teach a class on sound and equalization! I can’t believe all those nice music bikes with 6×9 and bass ports were blasting only treble!
/rant
SteveSgt
October 17, 2010
I could teach that class.
But most people just need to read the specifications for the speakers and mount them in the enclosure they’re designed for.
Pan Dulce
October 16, 2010
Last nights ride was great I liked the theme and got my face did
Can’t wait for next months theme. Whoot! Whoot!
scmaggi
October 17, 2010
Good ride. Long ride. I’m tired. But good tired. Wow, where did that stainless steel chariot music machine come from? It was awesome. With its humongous speakers, you risked your eardrums if you traveled too close behind! And that chick riding with the 3-inch heels? I guess she didn’t have to worry about her shoes slipping of the pedals.
Had trouble finding a BIRD with a map at the Plant. Then I had trouble reading the map (OK, so maybe I need a new prescription.) I let someone see my map and the turkey kept it so I had to trust whoever was riding in front of me as to where we were to turn (although the BIRDS did a good job at most of the critical turns – Thank You BIRDS.) As the ride spread out I saw a few riders making wrong turns and then arguing about which way to go, as nobody had a map. Now I appreciate the work everyone does to plan a ride, but just curious: What was the thinking behind not posting the route online and letting everyone print their own?
high cadence
October 17, 2010
if you saw the past few rides, you’d understand why no public route announcement.
scmaggi
October 17, 2010
H. Cadence: I did do the last few rides. Keeping the ride secret last time didn’t keep out the knuckleheads as many managed to find it anyway. I think the Dirt Bag behavior was down THIS ride because of BIRDS (Thank You BIRDS) and other riders making a concerted effort to discourage bad behavior. That appears to work. Knowing the start location, but NOT having a map has a ZERO effect on knuckleheads participating (I suspect they don’t use a map anyway – other then maybe to pre-plan beer stops.) So I STILL don’t get the ‘no map’ logic. What it does do is it interferes with people, who for a variety of reasons, have a need to pre-plan (time crunch, ability to ride the whole distance, start at a rest stop instead of the actual start, preplanning where to catch VTA for a ride home/back to start etc.) For some, pre-planning is essential – particularly families with kids who can’t do the whole ride. I know of one father with 3 kids who did not ride THIS ride specifically because of this.
Good ride, map aside (but I still vote for pre-posting the route.) Ok, I’m done ranting. Now I feel better!
Thanks for organizing the East Side Ride and the last minute directions for the last leg back to the east side. Is there a head count or estimate of the # of riders for this ride? I suspect a record participation, despite no maps (oop’s – I couldn’t resist.)
high cadence
October 17, 2010
there was a huge difference from august to september’s ride in regards to bad behavior. huge. bad behavior was down for multiple reasons. how can i see multiple reasons? simply because i have 30+ rides and i’ve been here since the beginning. we’ve tried many different approaches to curb bad behaviors for the past 2 years.
aaannndd i didn’t organize the ESJ ride, another awesome volunteer did that! i’m just a huge SJBP supporter so, i volunteered to lead ESJ to the 1st regroup. getting you back to the start was nothing.
moving forward, colder/wet rides are coming our way so, bad behavior typically don’t show up in large numbers. the same can be said with the good behavior riders too. we will most likely resume to public posting of routes now, but, don’t be shocked if it returns next spring/summer. we’ll see. maybe we’ll do something different again for november. who knows. we’ll figure it out soon enough. =)
i would estimate about 4k riders showed up….with out a map! that in itself is awesome! that many people still showed up and rode without knowing where they were going?! that is incredible!
see you next month! =)
scott
October 17, 2010
@scmaggi –
this is my personal opinion, but the map was not a big deal… seems like it’s frankly monko-ing after the barn door has been closed, so it’s counter productive.
in the old days maps weren’t given out… so it was a “tip of the hat” to this past (as it was an anniversary ride) and as a way to keep people away from our Rally Point at The Plant.
the big deal was the entrance that was to be used shut down, the SJPD shutting down parts of our regroup and our BIRDs not rerouting to the main interior road but the interior road closest to the stores. but you can’t fault anyone that has to make a split second decision. it is in the planning that we didn’t have a Plan D & E for these situations, lol.
btw, most people don’t print maps and even if they did it wouldn’t have mattered. it was the 2 entrances and 3 stop signs and 2 turns that needed to be staffed. so yes, if we had 10-20 more BIRDs that would have made a difference.
lets focus on moving forward. lets got 30-50 new BIRDs this month, but have fewer test rides this month. if you’ve ridden on many rides but haven’t “given back” when are you going to?!?
scmaggi
October 17, 2010
@ Scott
Read my post carefully and you will see it wasn’t a “monko-ing” complaint (whatever that is.) after the barn door was closed. It was a question as to the thinking behind not posting a map online and a comment as to how it affected some riders. I appreciated that high cadence responed to that. Cleary, thousands don’t need a map. Obviously they are less anal and “monko” then me. Map or not, I’ll continue to try to do my part by speaking out to bad behaviour and encourging others to ride, a la: “How we ride” and enjoying the ride myself. That said, I appreciate your personal opinion.
ps: My mother used to give me hell for NOT closing that damn barn door!
scott
October 17, 2010
@scmaggi –
glad we listen to our mommas, lol
maybe my comment was a bit off putting but i did answer the question as to why it was done (as far as i know, i could be wrong):
——————————————————-
in the old days maps weren’t given out… so it was a “tip of the hat” to this past (as it was an anniversary ride) and as a way to keep people away from our Rally Point at The Plant.
————————————————–
the plan to distribute the maps at the regroups imploded due to a rally point entrance getting closed and security/police issues. they were to be handed out at the rally point, at a place where everyone would roll by…
regarding the maps, it was probably a once per year thing I’d assume…
btw, things like bail out points and light rail were mentioned ahead of times.
lets talk during one of the test rides… conversations like this are better in person than online.
Rider 44
October 18, 2010
Wow, where did that stainless steel chariot music machine come from? It was awesome. With its humongous speakers, you risked your eardrums if you traveled too close behind!
Somebody must know who made that.
If you made a music trailer and wanted to showcase what you’ve done, please show off your great work by start a New Topic thread in the forums on the right.
Forum >> Music >> Music Trailers
http://www.sjbikeparty.org/mingleforum?mingleforumaction=viewforum&f=5.0
LOTS of other bike partiers want to see and learn what you’ve done.
We need more music trailers!
Tell us about the electronics.
Tell us about the hardware for the trailer.
Tell us about whatever you want to.
That’s what makes Bike party so great.
Thanks for the tunes!
yogicycles
October 18, 2010
I really want to make a music trailer, but need advice.
I have 2 (15″) DJ speakers, an amp to power them, appropriate wires etc.
I’m just not sure of turning AC power into DC power (although I saw a trailer with 2 powered ‘monitor’ speakers) and wondered how they did it. At the time they were bumping some cool Crookers house music!!!
Time to start searching…
pwr
October 17, 2010
Nice ride. I started at the old Mervyn’s lot and recorded the route and some pictures.
They can be seen at:
http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=850882
urban turban
October 17, 2010
pwr, nice photos. Is there any way for us to dl a couple of your photos from everytrail?
pwr
October 17, 2010
Sure. Click on the option to ‘See all photos and videos’ to get to:
http://www.everytrail.com/trip_pictures.php?trip_id=850882&code=
then click on any individual picture to view it.
Finally click on the option to ‘View Original at EveryTrail’ under the left side of the picture and you’ll get it in the full resolution and can download the image to your computer.
Rider 44
October 18, 2010
Agree, those are nice photos.
Can you add them to the SJBP Flickr group?
scmaggi
October 17, 2010
pwr-
Thanks for the introduction to ‘everytrail.com.’ Pretty cool websight. Might I suggest for those who have a Droid phone, the free app called “iMapMyRun” which will use the phone’s GPS to follow you and map your run/ride/hike etc. At the end, it will save your route to a map – the same web site that Bike Party uses to post their maps. The site will save all your maps and you can add Bike Party’s maps and see other’s suggested rides/hikes/runs etc. It’s an excellant and easy way to save your route. I’ve used it to obtain a map of the route I traveled for past Bike Party rides.
steve
October 17, 2010
Great ride! THANK YOU BIRDS and RAVENS and all who helped out! One of the smoothest I’ve been on despite not having a map. I know others had problems without maps, but i felt lucky to be in the right place at the right time: birds on key corners when i went through etc.
The banana girls made for all the people not in costume!! I feel kind of silly dressing up every month since most people, including birds, dont. Should BP even bother with themes anymore?
high cadence
October 18, 2010
we will always have a theme, regardless if anyone dresses up. =)
Katie
October 17, 2010
Great ride!
The vibe on Friday was fantastic. Tons of people were dressed up and ready to have fun without any drama or hostility. Being a BIRD was fun again since it felt like my actions made a difference to the ride.
THANK YOU to all the new BIRDs who have stepped up in the past couple of months!!! I used to know all the BIRDs by name or at least by face. Not anymore! Last night I saw many new BIRDs that I didn’t recognize step up and help out. I loved it! Way to make Bike Party yours! (And I’m sure we’ll know each other better over the next several rides.
)
John M
October 17, 2010
Thank you SJBP!
I loved the ride last Friday. It was refreshing as a BIRD and the atmosphere among riders was so much more positive that it has been. I too found myself introducing myself to many other BIRDS which is super cool when you think about about our recent growth in numbers. Thank you for helping out everyone!
Loved that i saw people with trash bags. I will bring a few more next time. Seeing what can only be described as the “bike chariot” put a smile on my face. With so many people dressing for the theme this night was one i’ll remember for a long time.
Katie
October 17, 2010
The Ben Hur music trailer was awesome!!
Rider 44
October 18, 2010
Somebody must know who made that.
If you made a music trailer and wanted to showcase what you’ve done, please show off your great work by start a New Topic thread in the forums on the right.
Forum >> Music >> Music Trailers
http://www.sjbikeparty.org/mingleforum?mingleforumaction=viewforum&f=5.0
LOTS of other bike partiers want to see and learn what you’ve done.
We need more music trailers!
Tell us about the electronics.
Tell us about the hardware for the trailer.
Tell us about whatever you want to.
That’s what makes Bike party so great.
Thanks for the tunes!
emm
October 17, 2010
I have been to over ten Bike Parties and this one was the first one in which I volunteered (not as a BIRD, yet) but I have to admit, it was nice to be able to help in at least some way–whether it was by whistling to move on or by telling people not to ran red lights and/or stay on the right side of the road. This, single-handedly, made the ride much more enjoyable for the simple reason that as a volunteer, you make the ride YOUR ride!
Best Bike Party I have attended! Thanks to all those that make this possible!
Happy 3rd Birthday Bike Party!
Ian
October 19, 2010
Great post… it’s always good when someone starts to own the ride
Many hands make light work thanks to all who helped
scott
October 17, 2010
@scmaggi – nothing to do with “no map” but the lack of enough new and existing BIRDs on this portion of the ride.
@high cadence – yes, michelle and john are right. that was part of the 1st leg for SSJs route. we had nowhere near enough BIRDs and I had led that ride up to Branham & Vistapark.
Not sure of attendance, but was at least 300+ probably, so can see how if we didn’t have enough active BIRDs that this could have happened.
The Branham near Monterey Hwy was a ton worse and this was the single biggest issue along with the area immediately out of The Plant.
dora
October 17, 2010
@stevesgt i’d like to take the equalization class! I’m working on getting a PA system and a trailer.
Doc Hawk
October 17, 2010
San Jose Bike Party…
More light -
Less heat!
dora
October 17, 2010
OLE!!!!!!!!!!!! Sj bike partaay!
dora
October 17, 2010
OLE!!!!!!!!!!!! Sj bike partaay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!j
dora
October 17, 2010
monkeys, barns, and bikes Oh my!
nlovele
October 17, 2010
GREAT RIDE! My third bike party! <3 I love it!
Personally, I felt that there wasn't a bike party vibe, felt more like I was cruising with my friends late at night, but that feeling was good as well (: ahah.
I loved that there weren't any "douchebags" (or none that I witnessed) on this ride! I felt a lot safer! (:
I like the concept of the different start points! There wasn't any traffic and it was less congested!
The Plant was so packed! HOLY COW. It was crazy! I can't believe it. I almost got knocked out cold by some dude tricking, but it's all good! On the way to the second regroup, my friends and I found a bird who KINDLY gave us a map! (: Teheh Thank you MR. BIRD! It was very nice of you! That map was very useful in the long run!
I loved the ride in general, but GOD those freeway overpasses(is that what they're called?) KILLED! My poor bike could barely make it over ): ahah. But it's all good. I guess I just need a better bike ): ahah or excersise more. ahah
I loved the jousting! YOU GO KID ON THAT TANDEM BIKE! (: That was epic! ahah. I liked that I was able to be dead front and center for the jousting.
I love SJBP! (: WOOTWOOT. Can't wait until next month! (: RAIN OR SHINE RIGHT?! <3
hopefully I have time to join you guys on some of the test rides (:
HAPPY 3rd BIRTHDAY SJBP!
nlovele
October 17, 2010
OHH AND WAS IT ME? OR WERE THE “POWERED BY BEANS PEOPLE NOT PRESENT?!” I missed their music trailer last last night ):
Tian
October 18, 2010
Bike Party was so awesome! Thanks everybody that made it great!
In my ongoing effort to make dressing for the ride more fun I got a great batch of pictures. You can see them at:
http://tian.greens.org/SanJose/BikeParty/ZombieRide/index.html
I didn’t help much with the maps at The Plant, but I left there with half a dozen copies of the directions in my possession. I didn’t need them much until late, when the traffic was getting thin. Then I found several people who needed a map and were so grateful.
I just gotta say, over the next three weeks we all need to vote. Please do so on election day or before!
high cadence
October 18, 2010
you rock tian. great photos. and you rode back to mountain view?! holy cow dude, how many miles did you rack up? 40?! lol
Tian
October 18, 2010
Thanks. I don’t count the miles, but my legs are still a bit tired.
Rider 44
October 18, 2010
I agree with high cadence. Can you add your great pix to the SJBP Flickr group?
Tian
October 18, 2010
Ummm… I never learned about Flickr. What are the plusses? Isn’t just seeing them enough? I put a link to my pictures on Billy Cool’s picture page. What else is there?
Rider 44
October 18, 2010
I had never used Flickr before SJBP myself. It’s an image hosting website that SJBP has a page on
http://www.flickr.com/groups/936570@N22/
Yes, seeing them is great, don’t get me wrong
, the advantage of BP photographers using flickr is that it’s then easier for ALL interested parties to go to ONE place to see all the pix. In your case, if people don’t read down thru the comments of this post, they’ll never know you took all those great shots. 
Posting them on flickr and then linking them to the BP group pool gives them much higher visibility. Also, on the right side of the SJBikeParty.org site do you see those pix under the heading “5 X 5: SJBP Flickr Group”? those are obviously from the SJBP flickr group and everybody sees those every time they go to the SJBP website. I posted some pix to flickr last month that were there for several weeks before they rotated off.
I know, that may not be enough to ‘sell’ you on it, but I do enjoy just having the one place to go see all the shots from the ride.
Yeah, Billy Cool’s picture page…. Billy’s cool and all, don’t get me wrong. (begin trashtalking my friend) But he’s another one of those zombies that doesn’t use flickr. Don’t learn from him! (end trashtalking friend)
Sorry Bill, I wish you used flickr too.
Either way, thanks again Tian for the great shots!
Tian
October 19, 2010
I just finished adding my eight best pictures to that flickr thing. Hope that’s enough.
Rider 44
October 19, 2010
Thanks Tian.
The joker in me wants to say something like, ‘I can’t believe you left out…’, but that’s just me being a rascal.
Thanks, you really took 90 great shots.
Especially the two dead tangled up in the Bianchi!
Couch Bike Dude
October 19, 2010
The Couch Bike went 43 miles!
http://connect.garmin.com/player/53194997
Qwynek
October 18, 2010
Tian rocks! Tian, great pics!
jacky
October 18, 2010
Tian, thanks so much for your pics and the story you tell so well! Keep up the good work. I always look forward to seeing the things I wasn’t able to see at the party.
Nat
October 18, 2010
We made the Merc!
http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_16364081
kalaveras4283
October 18, 2010
can’t wait for next months theme
Garrett Birkel
October 18, 2010
This month’s photo collection!
http://garote.livejournal.com/185210.html
I’m particularly proud of this jousting shot:
http://garote.bdmonkeys.net/Bike_Party-October_2010/large-35.html
jacky
October 18, 2010
Good job Garrett!
Rider 44
October 18, 2010
Excellent shots, thanks!
http://garote.bdmonkeys.net/Bike_Party-October_2010/large-39.html
is the skeleton garland we hung from the flag of our trail-a-bike.
Tian
October 18, 2010
Nice! I’m going to put a link to that page on my page about the event right now.
Scott McClintock
October 18, 2010
Very nice
Spliffer
October 18, 2010
Great work Tian!
Your photo-essays always tell a great story.
You are the un-official Bike Party photo-journalist.
****
What an amazing accomplishment with the “trash problem”.
Or rather:
– (((What “TRASH” problem??)))
Bike Party “reclaimed” the 100 percent “green label” last Friday night.
Proactive and responsible folks within the community stepped-up and quietly remove a thorn from Bike Party’s hind-side.
But wait a minute!
The real challenge is to maintain the “green label” month after month.
We can only call ourselves “green” when we consistently control our ginormous “trash footprint”.
We’ve shown that we are more than up to the challenge — let’s keep it going my bicycling brethren.
Bike Party forever!
Spliffer
October 18, 2010
Amazing composition Garrett!!
You’ve got the eye…
D. Rod
October 18, 2010
Awesome time on the October Ride! I definitely stepped up and helped the birds, i also noticed that everybody was doing that. I yelled for peeps to stop at red lights and for people to stay in the right lane. And they actually listened. Most of the time people were doing that anyways. I brought a trash bag but when i was taking it out there was no trash anywhere around me. I loved going through the South Side with all the supportive neighbors and onlookers. Even the people in the cars were happy to see us. There were a few cars that got stuck for a minute but some of us helped the car through with out any problems. In all it was a great time!
Tian
October 19, 2010
Thank you D. Rod! Helping the birds is a key step on the way to being a bird.