64 Riders @ Pre-Ride#2 for July’s SJBP-Wed, July 8th!
June 26th, 2009 12:53 pm
Update: This ride was more like and experimental “pre-ride#1″ so THANKS for working with it and your immediate feedback earlier esp. with the “options.”  Apologies for going too long on time. We will need to start as close to 9pm as possible obviously and would ask for your help in that regard.  We are already making some route changes. Please add you comments here ASAP as we want to finalize the route and turn by turn directions ASAP.
*** We are going to need volunteers on this ride at 3-5 key points!!!
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Looking to help SJBP? Becoming a BIRD is a great way to do it! Now that we’ve tested July’s 17-mile route and think it’s great, we’d like to have a “shakedown run” with a larger test group — you don’t have to be a “volunteer.”  39 riders so far! Room for 11 more! (We’ll probably settle into three groups based on riding pace) Please sign onto the Facebook page! Some goals for our Pre-Rides:
Draft Route*

Shakedown Ride for July SJBP*

1) Great routes that minimize/eliminate “trouble” spots 2) Best possible Regroups for 1500-2000+ riders 3) Share the SJBP  ”How We Ride” culture 4) Demo ride so SJBP can be marshalled better 5) Seek rider input,  get volunteers to “own” tasks that need to be done & have fun! Bring any powered music with cool mixes 7:15-8:00 – Training session for new & returning BIRDS and others that want to learn how they can volunteer. Specific tasks will be outlined/available. 8:00-10:00 +/-  Actual ride from Dicks to SJSU and back, with stops at each regroup to compare notes. For those that want to ride back to Dicks (and not go to SJSU) we’ll split at Regroup #4. We’ll start riding no later than 8pm-perhaps as early as 7:45pm. No facebook access or didn’t sign up? Come out anyway! If anyone is a MapMyRide guru (or is a MapMyRide employee looking at this) and can add second exit paths between Regroups #4 and 5 and the End, we’d love your help: Testrides@sjbikeparty.org

Posted in Planning, Ride announcements, Routes by testrides
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01
dasfreshyo
June 27th, 2009 8:28 pm

What’s the pace of the Pre-Ride? How fast do we go? It will determine which bike I ride. Cruiser or Roadie?
Dasfreshyo

02
testrides
June 28th, 2009 12:37 pm

Great question – be cool to find out which style of ride you (and others) are looking for:
- range
- hills/elevation
- pace
- type of bike
- other

And how riders may be able to help during a SJBP. Cuz we can have a dry run of that during these pre-rides/test rides.

Please shoot an email to this new address — testrides@sjbikeparty.org

03
testrides
June 30th, 2009 10:53 am

18 confirmed so far… our ideal goal is still 50-75, with 50 new BIRDS!

dasfreshyo — Ride whichever bike you want to ride at SJBP. Don’t you normally like to go fast? We’ll end up at a few diff paces anyway and meet at the regroups.

04
Ryan
June 30th, 2009 2:30 pm

Awesome! I grew up in this area, have taken my bike on these streets many times before. The map posted on mapmyrides.com looks pretty good already. I don’t even really see any trouble spots at all, except maybe the Bascom and Camden intersection, but that’s a maybe. I am going to try to do the pre-ride, but I will definetly be there for the big night.

05
testrides
June 30th, 2009 7:03 pm

Yea, Ryan that’s gonna be an issue. We try to minimize the left turn lanes, but at least there’s two lanes. I’m hoping we might get some informal help from SJ’s finest there and a few other places. Most of the big lots are on the right where they need to be. (4 of 5) It’ll be a fun ride!

06
testrides
July 1st, 2009 6:14 pm

Is there a MapMyRide guru out there that can help?

07
Amber
July 2nd, 2009 12:33 pm

what bird meeting?

08
testrides
July 2nd, 2009 2:06 pm

It was discussed toward the end of the Mon planning mtg. To have simple quick training for new BIRDS. Before the Pre-Ride and the day of the Scalleywag Scavenger Hunt!

09
Dude
July 3rd, 2009 2:37 pm

1. Have you considered using Gmaps Pedometer to map your rides instead of MapMyRide?

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/

You can create maps (complete with mile markings), then send people a link to the map. The print nicely, too.

2. Is there a PayPal account that donations for the organizers/BIRDS can be made?

10
Amber
July 6th, 2009 7:14 pm

Dude,

we are working on that…

11
testrides
July 6th, 2009 8:23 pm

hey “dude” — re #1: I tried the Gmaps, but was not clear how to add regroups, etc, but the rendering of the map was faster. ;-) can you help with that?

12
Lyle
July 8th, 2009 7:44 am

Good luck tonight. Folks in lots of other cities are pulling for your success.

13
Sandra
July 8th, 2009 4:16 pm

So, has Saturday’s route been posted yet? And where will the BBQ take place? Thanks :)

14
V
July 9th, 2009 1:48 am

The ride tonight was great. The two best parts for me were downtown Willow Glen and the Camden ‘extra’ hill. I rode with 3 other riders from the regroup at Hamilton and Meridian down Pine to Lincoln before rejoining the main group at Lincoln and Minnesota and would say that the path we took wasn’t the best option.
One of the points that could use the assistance of a BIRD would be the entrance to the regroup at Lincoln and Savaker; if 1 or 2 people stopped at the first entrance to the credit union and told riders to continue to the next right (Savaker) it would help get people off Lincoln and into the regroup spot smoothly. Oh and Auzerais is sweet.
Thanks to the planners for a killer route.

15
testrides
July 9th, 2009 8:55 am

Thanks V! Like I said, due to rider feedback we made this more like a typical “experimental” Pre-Ride #1 style event. Anyone else have any comments about the below summary?? We aim to make the changes ASAP, perhaps by today.

Summary of feedback/considerations during the event (1) Left at Woodard, not Camden, then into shopping center, (2) Moving riders over to the LEFT sooner on Camden well before Hicks/Coleman 2 light sequence, perhaps around the ARCO, (3) More distance between regroups 1 & 2, perhaps pushing out in Regroup #2 to the old Mervyn’s lot on Blossom Hill & Meridian and eliminate Regroup #3 at Branham & Meridian, (4) Exit left across Hamilton to Meridian —original plan was to exit in front of Ballys onto Meridian, (5) Only use the Meridian to Minnesota route, (6) Eliminate regroup #5 entirely, but (7) use Savaker to Sunol as a sweet “S” turn at SPEED w/o stopping! (RR tracks between Lincoln & Sunol can be nasty).
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For the advanced riders, told to keep the straight thru section past Coleman to Meridian. Concerns are the dark road, some small tree branches and the left dark turn onto Meridian. The two uphills are short, steep but doable for advanced riders with sweet downhill. The issue with a left on Meridian (from Camden) is the riders are still going fast.
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Overall concern is how to give an option/split the ride w/o making it confusing. Volunteers around the ARCO and perhaps just past it to get MOST of the ride to get into the LEFT lane and not have them follow ADVANCED riders on the RIGHT lane. (It was confusing for the last ride, but we didn’t market it well enough before the ride and the map & directions was out too late)
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We’ll need volunteers at key points, ideally groups of at least 3 riders that will leave a regroup early to preposition themselves and ideally have a second set of volunteer riders to take over the signaling. Any volunteers?? We need volunteers to direct people DEEP into the parking lots to or at key turns such as Woodard and Savaker in addition to the area ahead of Coleman. (Not enough volunteers for the Camden to Meridian advanced route?)
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Thanks again for riding! And please put as many comments as possible here today! All suggestions may not be implemented but will be strongly considered.

16
Ryan
July 9th, 2009 9:35 am

I had an awesome time doing this. I definetly agree with all the changes posted in #15. Pine is too confusing, Woodard is easier and therefore makes more sense, and the Kooser/Camden stop is too close to re-group #1. Mervyn’s at Meridian/Blossom Hill looks like it can definetly accomadate 2,000 people.

Thanks for putting this on. Let’s do it every month!

17
testrides
July 9th, 2009 10:40 am

Sandra – Please look at the thread on the Scalleywag and perhaps there will be clarification. I do believe that you meet down there and this is more of a “treasure hunt” type of search, therefore there is no route per se.

18
Dude
July 9th, 2009 11:47 am

Are the police going to be notified in advance of the ride and its route?

19
watani
July 10th, 2009 12:23 am

1st i would like to say this this is a very very very smooth route. roadies and fixies will definitely like!

2nd regroups give us a perfect opportunity to count. when we leave a regroup, we should have at least 2 counters counting.

3rd left at woodard into parking lot is better. regroup #2 should be pushed out to camden & blossom hill. regroup #3 should change from meridian & branham to meridian & hamilton. regroup 4 should be eliminated and keeping the route from lincoln to savaker to sunol to auzerais.

4th for advance riders (climbers) taking the alternate route – perhaps we can put a message about the alternate route for them when we announce the route. maybe that’ll help a little, along with having volunteers shouting “advance riders go straight – left on meridian”. (throwin it out there).

5th my only concern is controlling the party to stay to the right when there’s more than 1 lane – so we can allow traffic to get through. i think whistles would work great here. where can i find lots of whistles?

@dude i’m sure they are aware of SJBP and are aware of our site. they’re probably riding with us and we don’t even know it. this ride is almost 2 years old. =)