Last Friday, a large number of riders fully embraced the spirit of SJ Bike Party by dancing & dressing in their “formal” wear, from elegant to zany. As more people get into the monthly themes the more enjoyable our rides become. Impromptu dancing used to occur randomly at Bike Party regroups. Glad to see it again! Hope it continues!
This was SJBP’s third outreach ride into Stanford and Palo Alto. This time the route traveled via Sunnyvale and Mt. View, filled with communities that are very welcoming, as we headed towards Stanford.
Active participation from four police departments (Sunnyvale, Mt. View, Stanford and Palo Alto) was a welcome sign. Thank you! It was not expected, but was as always, very much appreciated. Your professionalism always shines through.
The weather was finally much better and resulted in a sharp rise in ridership this month (1500-2000?). It’s great to see so many new faces mixed in with many that have been going to bike party for a long time. It is encouraging to witness the enthusiasm of the newer riders… as well as seeing many residents and restaurant patrons on sidewalks that enjoyed watching all the cyclists pedal by.
Many great BIRDs (our volunteers) helped with the ride as always, but it is clear that we need more. Test Rides and the Volunteer Mixer (always 10 days before each SJBP – this month it is Wed, June 8th) are the best ways to get more involved in SJBP.
As often happens, some quirky accidents occur with riders, mostly with new/newer riders. But this time more with the experienced riders. Thank you to all those that help out others in need. This is part of what we mean by “Leave no rider behind.”
Unfortunately a rider was hit by a car as while the ride passed through Sunnyvale. The police mentioned the rider was riding into oncoming traffic, even though he/she should have heard at least one BIRD yelling to “stay to the right” and “get out of oncoming traffic.” Most likely we won’t have the benefit of so much police presence on most of the rides the next 3-5 months. So it’s up to us to make the ride safe and keep it all under control.
As in any “Prom” there are some that drank too much or crashed the party. SJ Bike Party welcomes all, but if you want to be stupid drunk, abusive to others around you, ride illegally, trash the start & regroups, etc… please stay home! As a ride, San Jose Bike Party wants to be respectful of fellow riders and the communities we ride through. (we did have an issue with trash again)
Discover how much fun riding & sharing the road with pedestrians and drivers alike, can be! We need ALL OF US to spread the word that Bike Party is about building community through bicycling by having fun.
Next month is a “70s” theme. Everyone should get your costumes ready, bring (positive) party attitudes and if you can, come to a test ride or volunteer meeting. Better yet, if you have 2+ rides under your belt/skirt, etc. become a BIRD… there are many ways to help as a BIRD.
To keep this great bike party buzz going, please try out a few of these (you’ll find you enjoy bike party even more):
- share fun sjbp stories, pics and videos here & on our facebook page
- visit your local bike shop and get ready for the next ride & mention bike party – some bike shops give discounts (lights, bike tubes, padded shorts, gloves, etc)
- test rides and volunteer meetings will be published soon – join one!
- get your costume & dancing moves ready for the next ride (“70′s ride”)
- try making a music system for your bike rack (you can recycle a small PC woofer, tweeter setup) or create a cool music trailer
- volunteer – at key intersections, pick up trash (ravens)
- when driving to sjbp – park elsewhere – keep the core start area “car free”
- cheer good behavior, boo bad behavior
- help a BIRD out, back ‘em up
- learn, live & share the SJBP How We Ride rules
paloaltan
May 20, 2011
Disruptive and hateful
I saw hundreds of bikers. More than half didn’t have lights. Many of them did not even slow down, let alone stop, at the stop sign at Serra and Campus Drive intersection. They disrupted the traffic, the cars had to stop and give way to bikers who violate the law by not stopping at stop signs.
Some of the bikers went on the sidewalks. They draw their bikes on to me, at least one of them intentionally.
I heard them call male students faggot and female students pussy on Serra street. Not one or two, they were raucous bunch. They were more like a gang scaring, harassing and bullying pedestrians.
There was not a single police officer in sight to help with the harassment.
I am an avid biker myself. I love biking and have been biking to work for the last 7 years. However, biking enthusiasm is no excuse to intimidate, verbally assault and bully other people.
Thanks for organizing the disruptive, reckless and hateful event.
Spliffer
May 21, 2011
-Paloaltan: with all due respect and concern for your “alleged unsavory encounter” with our group, I would like to issue an invitation for your to join us at our next Bike Party gathering.
When you get to see SJBP from the inside, you will see the “beauty, the genius… the cleverness of a group that exemplifies the “spirit” of community and togetherness.
Yeah, we are a little loud and, we take up some space on the street but, it was just for one evening or maybe two in one calendar year that we roll through any one region of the South Bay.
A thousand apologies to you for our “very brief” disruption of your evening; however, please bear in mind, that Bike Party is the “De facto”: greatest, safest, most diverse and “funnest” party on wheels in America today.
We are “thing of beauty” when seen from the inside.
Now that you have discovered our “online-home”, please don’t condemn us… join us…
Peace and Bike Party forever!
paloaltan
May 21, 2011
No, thanks.
There was a lot more than traffic disruption or noise. These were a bunch of thugs on bikes urinating on the street, harassing pedestrians and yelling sexist and homophobic slurs at pedestrians.
You can’t sugar coat their behavior as a “party”. There was no party.
It was a group of young men who took to the streets to harass people.
If these thugs beat up a guy or rape a woman next time, are you going to call it a box match or sex party too?
0.o
May 22, 2011
I’m really not certain how people being loud and belligerent on a Friday night is even remotely akin to beating people up and raping women.
This is downtown Palo Alto were talking about, not the Congo.
I think if anything, your comments here are what are disruptive and hateful.
You can’t take the actions of a few individuals within the group as being representative of the group as a whole.
For instance, if I took your attitude as a general meter for describing all Palo Alton’s I probably would stop going to school here.
But I know for a fact that there are in fact nice, understanding Palo Alton’s, just as I know that the bike party was a mix of different people.
We live in one of the most diverse places in the entire world. We are suppose to have one of the most liberal, open, and understanding ideas of what humanity looks like. If you can’t accept that there are in fact bad apples among all groups and take it in stride; you may want to consider never leaving your house again. Because that’s what people are like no matter where in the world you go.
Cheers
anti-matter
May 26, 2011
Seems like it’s the same old stories with sj bike party and their juveniles causing mayhem. Summer’s coming around soon and I have a hunch there will be more people complaining about SJ Bike Party.
please be safe out there people.
prkya7@wmrr.edu
May 23, 2011
Everytime someone calls out SJBP about the unsavory elements of your events, you always change the subject. Your ask people to join you (I don’t like being called a slur so why would I join you? Why don’t I just string myself up on a fence now and save you the trouble?). You also end up saying, “It’s not our fault, man, blah blah peace love, bikes, blah blah”. You talk and don’t say anything.
Just answer this one question: What is SJBP going to do about the drunks, angry, and possibly violent people who show up? Just answer that one question and it could greatly diffuse the situation.
Spliffer
May 23, 2011
@prkya7@wmrr.edu
It is against the law to operate any kind of vehicle, including a bicycle, while intoxicated.
Bicyclists are cited all the time for riding under the influence.
So, if a bicyclist shows up inebriated to Bike Party, or any other venue, him/her is in violation of the specific vehicle code governing such action and will suffer the consequences of that willful and ill advised action.
Most bicyclist in attendance to Bike Party carry mobile units, we also have folks with head-cams and all types of gadgets, plus, when you throw in the significant number of photographers in tow, I think most of the angry and violent types are discouraged from acting up — if you will.
Please note that Bike Party has been a family friendly event for years. I’ve seen families riding with kids as young as six months to youngsters as old as Methuselah.
Everyone in the community is accepted nobody is rejected. Exclusivity is anathema to Bike Party.
However, I am no apologist for Bike Party. We do have our challenges particularly this time of the year when attendance is huge and will remain that way through the fall.
We have put out a call to recruit, train and activate all BIRDs.
BIRDs are: Bicycle Information and Resource Directors.
These are internal group of volunteers tasked with the responsibility of getting all bicyclist safely and efficiently through the designated route. They are also trained in using good judgement in diffusing and resolving potential conflicts within the ranks.
BIRDs are Bike Party’s most prized and respected volunteers because they operate in real time and need to be skillful in carrying out their responsibilities.
SJ Bike Party can never have enough BIRDs. There is always a need for more BIRDs and if anyone have an interest in BIRD training come on out to a Test Ride to get the training for you will be welcomed with open arms.
gilroy biker
May 23, 2011
Nicely put..apoligies for any breif inconvenience to anyone involved
perlasum
May 23, 2011
@ paloaltan,
From reading through all the post below, it’s my opinion that many people have taken a defensive stance to your comments about Bike Party.. .
“Thanks for organizing the disruptive, reckless and hateful event”
Perhaps before making such a severe and harsh judgment and or comments it would be best to really know and understand what Bike Party is about.. speaking as a volunteer it is offensive as well as frustrating for an outsider to pass judgment when the volunteers “some more than others” go to great lengths to make Bike Party a community event.
Bike Party for the most part is a huge success and opens the door to educating riders on a myriad of levels and opportunities related to bicycling as a way of life..
Volunteers also recognize and address bad behavior, as a non-exclusionary event/activity we cannot control or be responsible for the ignorance of others.. what we can and attempt is to regulate, monitor, and promote a positive vibe for Bike Party as a collective…
We encourage and recruit any person(s) who wishes to not just enjoy Bike Party occasionally but participate in making Bike Party a fun and safe event for all to enjoy.
Thank you for visiting the site, perhaps you will take the time to see Bike Party for what it really is..
Qwynek
May 23, 2011
I’m sorry I did not encounter you on Serra. I’m sorry you were victimized. Thank you for writing your encounter. When we are pedestrians, we feel vulnerable to all forms of wheeled transport as they can potentially cause us harm. The particular stretch you encountered us is dark, and being alone can in that area can heighten your sense of danger. Walking alone at night in general feels dangerous.
The portion of the ride that I rode going to the Oval actually stopped at the stop sign where Campus intersects Serra to allow vehicle traffic to proceed. Each volunteer’s sphere of influence extends only so far.
The daytime traffic at Stanford is just as dangerous. There’s about the same percentage of inconsiderate cyclists on campus when I drive through there to pick up my friend from work.
On future rides I will be on the lookout for terrified pedestrians.
My experience when we arrived at the Oval was that most pedestrians were curious about the group, and stopped to inquire about the activity.
I want you to know that there are riders in SJBP who will help you confront poor behavior. And better that you confront it with us, than on your own.
dan
May 20, 2011
A thousand, more than a thousand, cyclists just rode by my house! Very cool. Can’t be there in June, but I’ll be there in July.
Tian
May 21, 2011
I had a great evening! I talked to an MVPD guy I know at the Costco regroup. He said there were a few accidents, but overall it worked out well. He liked the tone of the crowd a lot to. I enjoyed that conversation. Thank you bike party!
I took 223 pictures. It’s going to take me a few days to process them. Look for a comment in this thread from me in a couple of days with that.
Diane
May 21, 2011
The Formal Ride was one of the most fun bike parties ever! I loved the long stretches of road and I’ve never seen so many partiers stopping at the red, not riding crazy and being so friendly and happy together. I’m sorry to say I think its the big police presence when we ride in Sunnyvale/Mt.View/PaloAlto that keeps drinking and weed smoking to adult-responsible levels which makes the rides safer and people more congenial. Having the ride farther north may also weed out the dangerous drunkards & DB’s.
Diana
May 21, 2011
Last night I was at the Borders in Palo Alto when my son and I saw the festival of lights riding by on bikes. It looked so fun! We stood on the corner to watch and everyone was friendly and having a blast! We would have joined in if we had our bikes with us. When is the next ride because we would love to join the party!
Billy the Kid
May 21, 2011
I’m sorry you encountered some of the douchebags who crashed our Bike Party last night. I understand the annoyance and the offense you must take. But please don’t conclude the entire event was hateful. There were thousands of Bike Partiers who were keeping things positive, being considerate to pedestrians and others while celebrating the joy of cycling. The few trouble-makers are a problem we continue to work on.
Billy the Kid
May 21, 2011
Ah, this was acutally for Paloaltan.
scott
May 21, 2011
@paloaltan – thanks for taking the time to post it, i hope you never see this again. while most people did like us, we had some non-sjbp style riders join us. this should not be acceptable.
@spliffer,etc – i think his views of the ride are shockingly spot on!
we had tons of new riders, too few BIRDs and far too many BIRDs either didn’t have their patches nor were actively BIRDing.
we have work to do to correct this. so let’s stop attacking the messenger, apologize and roll up our sleeves and get to work.
at the next test ride (imho) we need to focus on getting mre BIRDs, getting our BIRDs more active and to figure out how to reach these new riders, many that did not listen to this BIRD or other BIRDs.
Billy the Kid
May 21, 2011
Diana, it’s the 3rd Friday of every month. Details posted on this website.
Moya
May 21, 2011
Paloaltan–
As a regular SJBP rider and a volunteer for the group, I can say that I also witnessed the name calling and general harrassment of not only pedestrians but also car drivers. This is NOT the kind of behaviour that we want on our rides and, as volunteers, we are always trying to tamp it down. As you might appreciate when there is a large crowd of people there is always some small subset who are only interested in rebellious, often anti-social behaviour. Unfortunately the anti-social folks are not consistently the same people each ride…if that were the case it might be easier to convert them (or ostracise if necessary) to our “the way we ride” rules. I did not recognize last night’s trouble makers from previous rides, and was thinking it might be that they came out because they were local to the cities we covered in last night’s route, but I’m not sure. Ultimately it doesn’t matter where they’re from, I guess. We need to get better at minimizing their impact on the neighborhoods we ride in, as well as the (ongoing) black mark they create on the otherwise positive reputation of SJBP.
To that end, if you have any suggestions for how we might accomplish that, please let us know. We do call people out for behaviour that is contrary to the bicycling image we are working to create, but as you can know people who don’t want to listen or don’t care will, ultimately, do what they want. I do want to assure you that your complaint is valid and that the issue is something that we are continually trying to work on, especially now that the weather is getting nicer and our crowds get larger.
wrong message
May 21, 2011
Most of the bikers I’ve seen did not have lights and did not stop at stop signs. These bikers were not only breaking the law, but also putting their lives and others in harm’s way.
SJ Bike Party is sending the WRONG MESSAGE about the safety and traffic regulations. They are sending the message that it is OK to run stop signs, to not have lights at night, to behave recklessly in traffic and not obey the traffic rules.
It is also NOT OK to organize a bike party and not have any safety prerequisites for participation (ie. bike lights) and registration. In addition, for these types of events that impact traffic, it is imperative to ask for help from the local traffic police for the safety of the bikers. On the street I live where bikers ran stop signs and caused near-accidents, there was not a single police officer to help out with the traffic.
It was a sad night for the safety of cyclists.
scott
May 21, 2011
@wrong message – there was a shocking number of riders w/o any lights whatsoever. people can get cheap bike lights, powerful LED flashlights, etc. it’s about choices…
steve
May 21, 2011
A lot of complaints have been made about lack of lights….
With all the food vendors that follow our ride I’m amazed that some entrepreneur isn’t selling bike lights… they could be sold out of a trailer easily! If cheap lights are made available from ride to ride it increases to chances that people will buy them and use them from ride to ride. Maybe Birds could carry lights and sell them to riders too. Could we get lights – possibly donated – that could be handed out by Birds for free?
Cyn
May 21, 2011
I attended last nights bike party and it was such a blast!!! The dancing at the stops was so fun! I do believe that the police being in all areas helped make it safe, but regardless there was still a few accidents. I understand that there was some bikers that did not have lights or ran red lights. Keep in mind that Bike Party does do their best informing riders on the do’s and don’ts of riding safe!!! The Birds did a great job at red lights and trying to educate riders while on the ride. Overall, I loved the theme and the route was great for the weather!!! Thanks!!!
Spliffer
May 21, 2011
So “Paloaltan”, you witnessed all this from the confines of your automobile?
How can you make such serious charges with barely a 15 to 25 minute encounter with Bike Party that is rolling by your car?
I have no desire to debate whether these “allegations” are perhaps the “exaggerations” of one of the few “irate residents” — like you — who visit our site from time to time to express dislike or, complain about our efforts at “building a sense of community through bicycling” .
I grant you, that in a community event — like Bike Party — that attracts 1500 to 2500 bicyclist, you will not find all “saints”, however; we are made up of very “upstanding and responsible citizens” from all walks of life among our large and all encompassing group.
I hope you accept the apology in the spirit it was offered and, I also hope you never encounter Bike Party again because our routes and locations change from month to month.
Peace and Bike Party forever!
wrong message
May 21, 2011
Cyn said:
…
Keep in mind that Bike Party does do their best informing riders on the do’s and don’ts of riding safe!!! The Birds did a great job at red lights and trying to educate riders while on the ride.
@Cyn
It is clear that the efforts of Bike Party organizers are not sufficient.
It wasn’t “some” bikers. More than 50% of the participants did not have lights at night. How can you even claim that the organizers are doing their best? Vast majority of the participants did not have bike helmets either.
FAIL!
The SJ Bike Party is simply telling people they can get away with running stop signs and not having light at night. They are undoing the efforts by Californians who try to improve the safety of cyclists.
Last, but not least, it is ILLEGAL to bike without a light at night in California according to California Vehicle Code section 21201. (http://dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d11/vc21201.htm)
Spliffer
May 21, 2011
“Wrong message”, I think you need to get your “facts right”.
We passed the 50% compliance with lights more than 2 years ago.
In fact, the subject of a conversation I had with a few veteran BIRDs last night, was how much improvement in compliance we have made with lights and, how the well lit the trail of bicycles stretched out along the course when we were on Campus at Stanford.
All of your observations and criticism relate to subjects and problems of ongoing debate and are work in progress within the Bike Party Community.
So you need not exaggerate, nor overstate your points because it destroys your credibility.
Peace!
Cyn
May 22, 2011
@ wrong message:
Speaking from my experience riding with SJBP, I can tell you that I have learned how to ride in a safe manner thru their postings. As for the lights I agree with you, riders should have their lights on while riding. I would like to take the time to thank you for your posting and know that this is something that SJBP is consistently working on and it is improving!!!!
Rapid Robert
May 21, 2011
@Wrong Message: The vast majority of those riding last night were adults who are free to ride with whatever hats they want, or no hats at all. And SJBP does everything they can to encourage more riders to use better lights and ride safe. If you take the time to read through the archives of Ride Reflections here, you’ll see that.
I strongly disagree with the hang-up on rolling through stop signs. Nobody wants a group of 2000 bicyclists to each come to a complete stop at each and every stop sign through any city. Can you imagine the time it would take? We stop at the red lights. We stopped at all the red lights along University Ave. last night, and I witnessed two people getting stopped for blowing through red lights before we got to Palo Alto. The blowing of stop signs, however, is in everyone’s best interest when the group is large. For individual riders, it’s seldom a good idea. If someone’s at an intersection, we should and do stop to let them pass.
San Jose Bike Party is the best thing ever for bicycling in the bay area. We wake a few babies and those couple of parents complain. We offend a few fellow citizens surprised and put off by our pursuit of happiness with a simple rolling party on bicycles, and we apologize for that. We delay a few motorists and they complain. OK. I’ll consider that next time a motorist cuts me off turning right while talking on a cell phone.
chrisrubb
May 22, 2011
I agree wholeheartedly with you regarding the slow roll through the stop signs. Some people stop at every traffic stop and some don’t. The great thing about having the large crowd is safety and the ability to be noticed by cars (of course be aware of your surroundings at all times – especially if you notice your not riding with a crowd anymore). Coming to a complete stop at every single stop sign even when it is safe to roll through is more dangerous in itself. Stop and go-like traffic in the dark can be tough to negotiate for one, because riding in a crowd makes it hard to see and prepare for the coming stop signs. Secondly everyone follows very closely. With the varying levels of age and experience of riders it’s just better if we treat this like a once a month parade (keeping it moving as much as is safely possible) with the proper safety suggestions and gear.
It was my first ride and I didn’t know exactly what to expect. I rode a for a while in the crowd (got a little impatient at times), a little bit behind the crowd and aggressively in the front (and along side too) – pretty much all of it. I did admittedly run some traffic signals and stop signs and rode aggressively but never putting anyone else in danger. i got the M-O now of SJBP. it’s a lot of fun! a great time, chill parade like bike ride. probably not a great idea if you want to go out for an aggressive hard ride. when you come, don’t expect to be riding with experts. prepare for inexperienced riders and and keep your spidey senses sharp and patience for less experienced riders (and moth*f$^kin idiots who try to pass people in the crowd too closely you wanna kill yourself, go ahead scram). it’s an awesome idea if you wanna chill ride and follow all the different kinds of music playing, meet some cool peeps, and above all find other people who love bicycling.
Francisco
May 21, 2011
@ paloaltan
Bike party was great . Really fun .
And there was a lot of police men if you were there through out the whole thing you would of been surprised . Most police Ives ever seen
Bikepartyalloverpaloaltan
May 21, 2011
Best bike party ever . Forget paloaltan .if he cared so much then why doesn’t he go to a sjbp meeting?
DJ
May 21, 2011
Great times last night,
FYI: Paloaltan is just a HATER!
He/She’s judging the entire Bike Party off the actions of select group of individuals. I saw no verbal harassment going on around me. I’m sure we brought more smiles than frowns to the people in cities we have passed through.
jorge
May 21, 2011
the bike party was aweome is the next one gonna start off in sunnyvale you should have on all around sunnyvale
Spliffer
May 21, 2011
Despite the early rash of criticism from a couple of residents to kick off the reflections of “The Formal Ride”, there were many good things that stood out last night.
The Sunnyvale, Mt. View, Palo Alto and Stanford police departments performed admirably and should be commended.
The coordination and team work in handling the large contingent of bicyclists attending Bike Party was superb.
I am always impressed by the professional law enforcement every time Bike Party travels to this area.
Several scofflaws were appropriately ticketed and that police action served as a deterrent and set the tone for the whole night.
Overall it was a fun route and spirited Bike Party. I even enjoyed the ride back to the start point where I got a great workout with a small , tight and fast moving peloton.
jon
May 21, 2011
Bike party was cool as always. Many thanks to the dj bikers & volunteers especially on Park Ave & Middlefield. One issue is the long lay overs. They get tedious, and I think they help cause issues/problems.
With regard to Palo Altoan. His entry is at 10:41, bike party was just beginning to leave Stanford. We were at the beginning of the restart at the same PA was writing his bogus negativity. I didn’t see anything uncool at any time. A lot of single gear & bmx’ers don’t have lights. Going down Oregon Expressway, riding in all of the lanes w/o lights. Pretty stupid. But the motorists were cool.
Overall reaction to Bike Party by the public was great. People asking how to get involved. A nice vibe.
paloaltan
May 21, 2011
Spliffer, are you for real?
No, I witnessed all that while I was walking, I was not in a car.
How can you call my experience into question? Why would I get so upset, google this event I haven’t heard of before and come here to tell you that SJ Bike Party thugs were harassing Stanford students? Because, simply, biker thugs did harass kids walking by.
It’s a shame that you don’t even admit responsibility and offer a solution to the problem. Instead you go ahead and try to discredit me.
SJ Bike Party maybe should set up a group of 20-30 volunteers to assist the participants focus on having fun and prevent them from harassing passers-by.
Since when a mob harassing a young woman or a man at night called building a sense of community?
As for the police taking care of out-of-control thugs, no, I did not see a single police officer on Serra street last night. Hundred of bikers rode along Serra and they were yelling slurs at pedestrians. No wonder you get messages from irate citizen, well-deserved.
Rapid Robert
May 21, 2011
We rode past thousands and thousands of citizens last night. Two have complained here. There was a huge police presence with us last night, and the group was especially well behaved because of it and the vibe of the formal theme. No, this was a very good thing for the community as a whole despite the few instances of people behaving rudely in a big partyin’ crowd. I saw a few scrunched up faces, but the vast, vast majority were cheering us on. This is realized in our continued growth, the increase in rides of this type, and the absence of negative press such was/is common with the purposely disruptive Critical Mass rides.
paloaltan
May 21, 2011
There was a huge police presence where exactly? Not a single officer on Serra street…
lol@ The group was especially well-behaved when police was around.
Not so much on Serra street. Also, what does it say about the kind of people in this bike ride?
Why is everyone here trying to ignore/minimize the harassment this bike ride’s participants committed? It did happen and it was wrong and it shouldn’t have happened.
For you it may a big party, but for the woman and the Stanford students harassed in the middle of the night, it probably was not.
What’s fun about harassing people who are minding their business, walking home, etc? Are you guys gonna grab baseball bats next time for partying? Keep your thugs on leash. If they only behave like humans on police watch, then make sure you have police on every corner next time. Nuff said.
Ian
May 21, 2011
just for the record there were police on serra street… it was motorcycle cops.
i was passed by more than one of them as they were controlling the crowd.
Please don’t make such sweeping generalizations.
3 more PaloAltains
May 21, 2011
Thanks SJBP, this was our first ride and we could not stop grinning. We rode from south Palo Alto to the start and greatly enjoyed the mood and pace.
We will be back.
Spliffer
May 21, 2011
Paloaltan, San Jose Bike Party has always enjoyed a very pleasant relationship with Stanford University.
We have had about 3 Bike Parties pass through Stanford and they have all been pleasant and well received.
Yours is the first ever complaint we have ever received from a Palo Alto resident.
We were being cheered — last night — by students on our ride through the campus and, we received many inquiries about our group. We usually pick up some bicyclists from Stanford, who join Bike Party when we roll through Palo Alto.
Some students were dancing to our music mixes on the street.
We also enjoy a cordial relationship with The Stanford Police Dept.
You sir, need to do more research before you attempt to slander and tarnish the image of a great community outreach organization, that is SJ Bike Party.
Apparently you have some ulterior motive to blow some situation out of proportion to mask some ulterior — perhaps — nefarious motive to tarnish the image of Bike Party.
We do encounter folks like you from time to time, who will contrive a negative story-line for the sole purpose of “impugning the reputation of an all volunteer, community organization” — perhaps because you feel Bike Party should never roll through “your neighborhood”.
My final message to you is please “quit hating” and “start making a difference in your community” and you will make this world a better place.
That is all Bike Party has done since the first day it was formed and, we, the volunteers of San Jose Bike Party plan to continue manifesting that community spirit every-time we take to the streets.
Peace and Bike Party forever!
steve
May 22, 2011
Wow Spliffer,ease up on Paloaltan. As it got later into the evening (after midnight) it seemed like the Bike Party crowd had transformed. I remember saying to my friend as we were riding to the third stop: whoa the riffraff has appeared! As we suddenly were surrounded by a group of young white lightless punk kids yelling profanities. There’s nothing we could have said to have stopped them. It would have just ignited more conflict. We just let them insult us and ride past. But I felt uneasy and I can definitely see where Paloaltan is coming from.
I love BP and what it stands for so its easy to get defensive and try to justify or deny the true reality which is that we cant control people and unfortunately our event attracts the wrong kinds of people… its not helpful to attack Paloaltan evenif he/she attacked first. I think its important to get feedback.
Moya
May 22, 2011
Steve — I actually did say something to those boys when they started yelling profanities at a woman in a Prius on the El Camino. They just looked at me and rode quickly ahead, apparently to cause more trouble, possibly including that which PaloAltan witnessed. My experience does rather prove the point that people intent on causing trouble are going to do so regardless of our efforts, and even with a police escort for the majority of the ride. I can honestly say that at that moment I certainly wished we had a sure-fire way to cull the troublemakers from the herd!
paloaltan
May 22, 2011
dude, why would i try to tarnish the reputation of bike party?
It’s an event not many people have heard of anyways. I don’t have anything against biking en masse and stuff. I’m not telling you not to have your party.
BUT
You have to understand that no matter how joyous of an event you think you organized, it served as a meeting point for delinquent youth to create a mob and harass people on May 20.
Instead of blaming the victim, accept that there was a problem. To accept that problem exists would be a good starting point to solve it.
@Ian: Why do you guys keep saying there was police on Serra? I WAS THERE. There was not a single police officer in sight. It’s a long street, even if there may have been one at one end, I did not see a single one of them and certainly the mob was feeling free enough to harass passers-by. Clearly the police coverage did not extend to the part of Serra between Galvez and Campus drive. Again, I was there.
I don’t hate or anything, you stop mudslinging right there. If there is any hate, it was the thugs in the group of bikers you organized and sent to campus.
[mod/rs - let's end the discussion here - let's agree that others may note have seen what "paloaltan" saw. i for one was not there but do find his comments credible and plausible based on what i'd seen earlier that night]
joebob
May 21, 2011
to the paloaltan , if you really had such a negative experience from those individuals last night then you should have just contacted the appropriate authorities instead of wasting your time typing away on this website. I’m sure the majority of the bike party riders were behaved to a point but when someone has a problem like you did then call the police. I was behind the group and infront of the group throughout the ride and saw more police then I have ever seen along the whole route. As for Serra st there there too many people for officers to come thru and that’s for their safety. So next time you have a bad problem with a group or individuals yelling profanities at you or your friends just call the police. I’m sure some local law enforcement agencies may read thru this site and are probably laughing at your problem and why your posting here instead of calling them for such bad behavior of a select few out of a group of 4,000. Call 911 next time you I’ll informed citizen..
scott
May 21, 2011
@joebob –
i understand where you’re coming from, but we need more peer pressure to get these jerk type behavior out of bike party. or it will only get worse.
as usual we need 2-3x as many BIRDs and we need the average riders to both back up the BIRDs and to cheer great things and jeer bad behavior.
we shouldn’t be putting the pressure on a concerned citizen (whether he/she is a cyclist or not) but on policing our own behavior and shaming these thugs/wanna be thugs out of sjbp. (my 2 cents)
Tian
May 22, 2011
On the topic of lights: There was a woman selling clip on red blikies for $2 each at the start. She was doing a brisk business, even though there are better kinds of lights out there. Cameron was giving out flashlighty Animal Ride headlights to anyone that asked him for one. Individual people are doing what they can. If you want to add your resources to the project feel free!
For a while Walt’s Cycles was selling from the back of a wagon at regroups. The problem was they didn’t get enough business out of it to keep it up. It’s expensive to pay people for their time at these things. The moral of that story is, if we get another reputable vendor to show up at pre-rides and regroups vending tubes, tires, lights, and so forth at a fair price buy their wares!
Sam
May 22, 2011
Some guys were making jokes about me wearing a helmet that night.
I can’t seem to figure out why they say that.
I mean, did they not see how many people bailed that night?
yogicycles
May 22, 2011
Great Ride. I met a lot of cool people before the ride and during the ride. I felt the sense of Community that is a goal of Bike Party: so mission accomplished!
In Palo Alto, it was great to see folks coming out of the bars/restaurants and seeing us having a fun FREE time! I invited a lot of them to the next ride too.
To Paloaltan:
I would say the number of punks with negative behavior must be 1% or less of the BP population. I have no idea how many folks were on the ride (2000?), but I’m guessing those who are yelling negative things are less than 20 people.
Please don’t judge an entire event based on a few assholes (and I know that is tough to do).
I have heard Racist, Sexist, and Homophobic slurs at sporting events, in the classroom, at the office, at Stanford University at other events, etc. etc. It’s not ok, but we should not blame the whole institution for the acts of a few outliers. In fact, I would bet the majority of the BP also think these guys were being assholes, and don’t want them ‘representing.’
Peace
paloaltan
May 22, 2011
You’re right, vast majority of the crowd was peaceful and were having fun.
I am only pointing out that some people in the crowd were there for more than just biking, socializing and having fun.
Jahlaen
May 22, 2011
On the subject of “reputable vendors”, I will like to take this moment to give a warm Bike Party welcome and, a “shameless plug” to: MONA’S FRUITS –the newest food vendor who made a big splash last Friday.
I enjoyed the tastiest — electrolite filled and muscle lubricating — fruit bowl at the Stanford regroup, purchased from this charming vendor.
It is not all about the “delightful fruits” but, this vendor cleverly includes some nutrition dense veggies, pieces of “fresh coconuts”,
and an optional generous portion of lemon / lime juice.
Actually the best thing about “Mona’s Fruits” is the price: it is “awesome quality” at a very “reasonable price”.
Bike Party has always had an “outstanding” line-up of food vendors!
With the recent addition of the nutritious and delicious “Mona’s Fruits” we’ve achieved “perfection”.
Bike Party keeps getting better and better…
whispersiren
May 22, 2011
I so totally agree!!!! WOW sooooo tasty!
Katie
May 22, 2011
As is often the case, most of our riders were respectful, following the “how we ride” rules, and having a great time. At the same time, there was a small percentage of riders who were reckless, riding unsafely, and representing San Jose Bike Party in a very negative way. It breaks my heart every time I hear that a few punks are ruining people’s night with their poor behavior and tarnishing the reputation of our ride.
As the weather gets warm our numbers will swell even more. Bringing out more riders is great because we get more people off the couch and onto a bike, but we also get more rowdy riders at the same time. To prepare for our summer numbers WE NEED MORE ACTIVE BIRDS! If you want to help keep the ride fun, safe, and friendly, sign up to be a BIRD. Come to a test ride. They are super fun and a great way to meet other riders! Come to our Volunteer Mixer. The next Volunteer Mixer will be on June 8th, so save the date and check the website as it approaches for more details. If you are already a BIRD, wear your patch and be visible and vocal.
I have seen Bike Party and its volunteers do amazing things for the cycling community. Lets continue that trend.
joebob
May 22, 2011
how many people were out on the ride? What was the count?
John
May 22, 2011
Another great ride! Lots of great costumes. As with any large group, there will always be some problem children trying to spoil the fun, but they are thankfully a very tiny minority.
Somethings that need work:
1) Too many bikes without lights. Lights are a cheap way to avoid becoming roadkill.
2) Ride straight. I had a couple of close calls with random weavers.
3) Glass bottles. There were a few dropped leaving the second regroup. If you want to bring beverages, please use plastic bottles or cans.
Brian
May 23, 2011
It shouldn’t matter what they are made of. They shouldn’t be dropped off but thrown out properly. Respect the ride and the poeple that organize it!
John
May 23, 2011
I agree completely they should be thrown out properly. Leave nothing behind but tire tracks.
I described them as ‘dropped’ since they appear to have hit the ground full (wet spot surrounding the broken glass). I also saw several people passing bottles back and forth, which is just a drop waiting to happen.
Bridgette Esparza
May 22, 2011
My son Justin (ATNMS BRAND) has been involved with SJBP for about 3 years. I have seen first hand what SJBP, the people, the environment, the experience has done for him. It has turned his life around and now its turning my life around as well. In the beginning it was like “bike riding?” well, okay, i guess, have fun! Now I devote weeks to the theme of the ride making whatever fun ideas come to me. Fridays Formal Ride I made the prom backdrop for pics, I had punch, corsages, boutinneres, a bubble machine going…… I lose money on every ride, and I will be doing it again next month! To the haters; I see and understand your issues and complaints but please before you go on any further take the time to ride with us, you will come away a different person, I promise.
jacky
May 23, 2011
Bridgette, thank you and Justin for all you do!
Brian
May 23, 2011
I must have been riding near the people that PaloAltan encountered. I had been asking them to change their behavior or leave the ride since we turned onto Park Boulevard from Ventura. There were a group of 4-6 younger people (men and women) yelling Bike Party Mother F!Ukers and just being obnoxious. I asked them several times to refrain from using such expletives as it was not in the spirt of BP. I only met resistance and as I pushed them they became more belligerent. This may have helped cause some of what PaloAtltan experienced. Unfortunately, when there is one (non marked Bird) and a group of individuals that feel challenged the group bands together to overpower there threat. This may have been what happened but I did try to squelch their behavior. I actually left the ride at the Seirra regroup because I was tired of BIRDING the few but consistant degenerates. The icing of the evening was the individual that was pulled over for blowing a red at Charleston and El Camino and given a ticket. I have had run ins with that individual on more than one ride and I hope he enjoys his $400+ ticket. We were all applauding the officer when we went by.
Paloaltan. Because this is a community event and open to everybody we cannot stop people from coming but we as a community do try to alter their behavior to fit our motto as much as possible (even though at times I would love to use force on a few). Cut society some slack and realize the people you encounted were a small segment of the total population. If we were all alike the world would be dull anyways.
Keep the rubber on the road and make a difference (that is what BP is TRYING to do).
Rapid Robert
May 23, 2011
I saw that kid get stopped. His couple of buddies did stop because they saw the cop, and yelled for him to stop too but he didn’t hear them. Cop took off, everyone cheered. I’m really glad to hear that wasn’t his first offense and really hope he got the ticket(s) he deserved.
Richard Masoner
May 23, 2011
Sorry I couldn’t make this ride but I ran into some mahvelous bike party people just before they left for the pre-ride from San Jose City Hall.
For those who shot photos, please consider submitting a few to Rate My Velo. It’s a website devoted to promoting non-athletic wear for cycling, but right now it looks more like a girl-watching site; they really need photos of people of color and well dressed men on bikes. It was created by the guy who runs The Urban Country out of Toronto.
CyciumX
May 23, 2011
With Bike Party you get 2,000 people with idle hands and feet something to do thats free and active….thats good for a community anyway you want to spin it. The keyword here is -community- and that means, well, pretty much everyone. Would the unsavory bits of our community still act the way they did if their parents were riding along side with them? We are all citizens. We are not police and therefore the only way to actively police ourselves is to participate en masse…. Bike Party is a very real, very logical example; If you aren’t part of the solution – you are part of the problem -have a nice day.
Jahlaen
May 23, 2011
Wake up Bike Party!
It’s strangely gloomy and awfully self-critical in here.
The RAPTURE didn’t happen on Saturday and we will have many more Bike Parties to get things right.
Where is that Bike Party idealism?
What we need now are some reflections from last Friday night of Bike Party joy and uplifting stories.
I am sure there are many more personal reflections like we’ve gotten from:
- 3 more PaloAltains — who couldn’t stop grinning on their first Bike Party experience
and;
- Bridgette Esparza’s — spiritually uplifting story
Let’s not lose sight of our mission and positive force in the community by focusing too much negative perceptions.
Yes, we have problems but, with that Bike Party can do spirit, we always seem to succeed in getting through them to thrive and get better because of — and in spite of — our challenges.
I vote for changing the tone of the reflections on The Formal Ride to get stories from last Friday’s Bike Party revelers before we close out this month and move on to better days — now that the RAPTURE was a total failure and the world did not end.
[mod/rs: good suggestion J, done]
Camera Dude
May 24, 2011
OK, heres one. I’ve been following Bike Party (this page) since discovering it last August. I have to admit this was my first ride with Bike Party. While I’ve been commuting by bike (on and off) for over twenty years, I told my friend who jioned me on the ride that this was the most fun I’ve had on a bike in years! I know there are challenges for Bike Party but personally I saw no red light runners or any problems whatsoever. Maybe I was just lucky, but the trouble makers have to be a very small percentage. What I did see was 2000? people of probably all walks of life coming together with 2000? of thier closest friends to enjoy the Ride. Amazing! I will be back. I cant wait!
b5125125
May 24, 2011
thanks bike party peeps
Kiddo1205
May 25, 2011
This was the first Bike Party I have ever attended, and I have only seen one Bike Party on the streets prior to this… I *never* in my wildist dreams thought I would ever be able to complete the length of ride that I had heard that Bike Party does, but I did…and then some…! (after arriving back at the start point, I rode back to my car… in campbell… ) but anyways, just WOW, it was SO much fun… road rash and all =) needless to say, I WILL be back =)
Tian
May 25, 2011
I took lots of pictures on that ride. You can see them by clicking on this URL:
http://tian.greens.org/SanJose/BikeParty/FormalRide/index.html
Thanks again to everybody for making the evening wonderful!
Jahlaen
May 25, 2011
Tian, as SJ Bike Party unofficial photo journalist, your attached labor of love, is your best work to date.
Like Bike Party, you keep getting better and better.
In my opinion — Bike Party’s Monthly Reflections is never complete until your photo essay is posted.
Your outstanding photo essay in combination with the positive experience of ‘Camera Dude’; plus, Kiddo 1205′s awesome journey — I think — inspires and fires up the whole Bike Party Community.
Ian
May 25, 2011
this ride had some of the best pictures we’ve had in a while
mig the softer biker
May 25, 2011
Tian,
Thank you for sharing the good set of pictures.
Say, how could I post a few pictures? Any suggestions are very much appreciated.
mig the softer biker
K
May 26, 2011
Flickr works best, SJBP has their own page
http://www.flickr.com/groups/936570@N22/
mig the softer biker
May 28, 2011
Dear K,
Thank you for your good guidance. I uploaded some good pictures in Flickr but I cannot manage to upload them in the SJBP site where anyone could see them.
Cheers
ridenaked
May 27, 2011
cuasing trouble is fun. thats why i do it. sorry if it ruins your day
Richard Masoner
May 28, 2011
@mig On the SGBP Flickr group page, click ‘Join’ if you haven’t done that yet. Then, on your individual photo pages, click ‘Action’. That’s a dialog under that to add your photo to a group. Select that, you’ll get a search box. Start typing bike and you’ll see bike party group. Select and you’re done!
mig the softer biker
May 28, 2011
Hi Richard,
Yeap! your are right, it works! Thanks a cyclebunch.
mig the softerror biker