Philadelphia Social Rides - 2016

With warm weather approaching people will be turning to thoughts of love. The love of bicycling. For those of you who are looking for way to socialize and ride your bikes there many options available in Philadelphia.

Social rides last 5 to 20 miles depending on the ride, at a pace that allows for a wide range of bikes and fitness levels. Social rides usually have a “no drop” policy, that ensures that everyone who is in the ride makes it to the finish. Ensuring that no one gets lost or left behind to a flat tire or mechanical breakdown. These rides provide a final destination where you can socialize and have something to drink and eat.

The list below breaks down the Social Rides currently available in Philadelphia by daytime and nighttime rides.

Daytime Rides

Philadelphia Open Ride - https://www.facebook.com/phillyopenride/

On of two new fledging social rides in Philadelphia, Philadelphia Open Ride is the creation of Pope Ride organizer Alexandria Schneider. She lead off her first ride with a fall leaf tour of Philadelphia complete with a picnic with the best view of Philadelphia, the Belmont Plateau. In December there was a Toys for Tots ride that I hope will become an annual tradition. Ms. Schneider appears to have some new rides lined up for the spring and we look forward to seeing what they are.

Norman’s Irregular Bike Rides - https://www.facebook.com/groups/517736488374969/

Norman’s Irregular Bike Rides is the other addition to the Philadelphia Social Ride scene. In the fall it held the Day of the Donut, a tour of Philadelphia’s best donut shops. With warm spring weather on the way we are sure there will be more rides to come.

Women Bike PHL - https://www.facebook.com/groups/womenbikephl/

Founded by Katie Monroe of the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, Women Bike PHL is a private Facebook page for women cyclists with over 2100 members. It is a forum to ask for advice about all things cycling and to promote the rides they host. The goal of Women Bike PHL is to inspire more women to ride a bike and support and encourage them along the way

Take Your Time Bike Ride - http://tinyurl.com/pnlu3tj

Departing from Rittenhouse Square on the second Tuesday of every month around 6pm. These rides always finish a different destination each ride. Starting in April and ending in October these rides alternate between coed and women only.

Philly Kidical Mass http://tinyurl.com/oan2vp3

Kidical Mass Philadelphia is part of nationwide movement seeking to promote family friendly bike rides and bring awareness in our cities that kids are traffic too. Riding as a group Philly Kidical Mass provides safety in numbers by using routes that incorporate bike lanes and low traffic streets that are 1 to 4 miles long. Kidical Mass rides often end at local playgrounds giving you the opportunity to socialize while your children play with new friends.

Cranksgiving Philadelphia http://tinyurl.com/pf2hgvc

Held in November close to Thanksgiving. Each rider has to purchase food from a shopping list at predesignated supermarkets and then arrive at a final destination. All of the food is donated to Philabundance. For those of you who want to race there are prizes for top finishers in several categories and a special award for the individual who brings the most food. In 2014 Cranksgiving Philadelphia had 100 participants who brought 1200 pounds of food and $700 in cash. The final destination is Tattooed Mom’s on South St and they double the amount of food brought in.

Philadelphia Tweed Ride http://tinyurl.com/mxkt492

Held in the fall around November, the Philadelphia Tweed Ride is the dressiest social ride in town. Attracting 100 riders on average the Philadelphia Tweed Ride dress code asks its participants to dress in clothing from 1900 to 1920 England. The attire ranges from vintage clothing to vintage inspired, with bikes to match. Winding its way through Philadelphia this ride becomes a parade of its own. Complete with a stop for a picnic, post ride drinks and awards, the Philadelphia Tweed Ride is the ride of the social season.

Nighttime Rides

Philly Full Moon Bike Ride http://tinyurl.com/n9vfype

Come howl at the moon with the Philly Full Moon Bike Ride. Held on the full moon of every month this ride departs from the Philadelphia Art Museum in the evening. Well attended, the Full Moon ride makes sure that no one gets lost or is left behind, and finishes at a local bar for drinks. Rides are held year round so dress for the weather and bring lights.

Philadelphia Bike Ride - https://www.facebook.com/phillybikeride/

With rides falling on either the third Friday or Saturday of the month. Philadelphia Bike Ride tours through different sections of Philadelphia.

Philly Bike Party http://tinyurl.com/ot2l67t

Come dance the night away with the Philly Bike Party. The Philly Bike Party rides are usually on the third Saturday of the month and is 6 to 8 miles long. Along the way the ride makes several stops to socialize and dance.

Lets Go Ride a Bike

With warm weather approaching people will be turning to thoughts of love. The love of bicycling. For those of you who are looking for way to socialize and ride your bikes there many options available in Philadelphia.

Take Your Time Bike Ride - http://tinyurl.com/pnlu3tj

Departing from Rittenhouse Square on the second Tuesday of every month around 6pm. These rides always include a different destination each ride. Starting in April and ending in October these rides alternate between coed and women only.

Philly Full Moon Bike Ride http://tinyurl.com/n9vfype

Come howl at the moon with the Philly Full Moon Bike Ride. Held on the full moon of every month this ride departs from the Philadelphia Art Museum in the evening. Well attended, with a no drop policy this ride ends up at a local bar for drinks. Rides are held year round so dress for the weather and bring lights.

Philly Bike Party http://tinyurl.com/ot2l67t

Come dance the night away with the Philly Bike Party. The Philly Bike Party rides are usually on the third Saturday of the month and is 6 to 8 miles long. Along the way the ride makes several stops to socialize and dance.

Philly Kidical Mass http://tinyurl.com/oan2vp3

Kidical Mass Philadelphia is part of nationwide movement seeking to promote family friendly bike rides and bring awareness in our cities that kids are traffic too. Riding as a group Philly Kidical Mass provides safety in numbers by using routes that incorporate bike lanes and low traffic streets that are 1 to 4 miles long. These rides often end at local playgrounds giving you the opportunity to socialize while your children play with new friends.

Cranksgiving Philadelphia http://tinyurl.com/pf2hgvc

Held in November close to Thanksgiving. Each rider has to purchase food from a shopping list at predesignated supermarkets and then arrive at a final destination. All of the food is donated to Philabundance. For those of you who want to race there are prizes for top finishers in several categories and a special award for the individual who brings the most food. In 2014 Cranksgiving Philadelphia had 100 participants who brought 1200 pounds of food and $700 in cash.

Philadelphia Tweed Ride http://tinyurl.com/mxkt492

Held in the fall around November, the Philadelphia Tweed Ride is the dressiest social ride in town. Attracting 100 riders on average the Philadelphia Tweed Ride dress code asks its participants to dress in clothing from 1900 to 1920 England. The attire ranges from vintage clothing to vintage inspired, with bikes to match. Winding its way through Philadelphia this ride becomes a parade of its own. Complete with a stop for a picnic,  post ride drinks and awards the Philadelphia Tweed Ride is the ride of the social season.

Bilenky Junkyard Cross http://tinyurl.com/nxb8cma

The Bilenky Junkyard Cross closes out the social riding cycling season. Held in December in the junkyard abutting Bilenky Cycle Works, the Bilenky Junkyard Cross has one of the most unique courses around. Utilizing  items found in the junkyard you can expect to climb over cars, weave through auto parts and tires, and splash through puddles of unknown fluids. Each year the merry elves at Bilenky Cycle Works add their own course modifications. Pits made from sofa cushions or leaves and seesaws.

"We Are Traffic" - Movie Review

”We are Traffic” Ted White Director, 50 minutes

Before there were Bike Parties, Slow Rolls, and Full Moon Rides. There was Critical Mass.  Like all of these current rides Critical Mass was never a protest. They rode with the slogan of “We aren’t blocking traffic, we are traffic”.

The Critical Mass rides were “the perfect combination of do what you want, but be a nice person”. It was an opportunity for cyclists “to experience what it is to be the majority. To experience what it is like to be safe and surrounded by other cyclists. That’s what Critical Mass is”.

The documentary film “We Are Traffic” tells the story of the of the first Critical Mass rides and the growing pains that came with it. Through interviews with many of the original organizers you’ll find out how the idea behind Critical Mass evolved. You’ll see how they announced the rides in era before the internet, how they handled riding in traffic, and dealing with participants who were more interested in confrontation.

“We Are Traffic” also covers what happens when the media, police and local government officials decide that Critical Mass is a protest and may border on civil unrest. The backlash that occurs, local government’s attempt to co-opt Critical Mass for their own needs, and Critical Mass regaining control.

If you participate in any kind of social group ride, like Kidical Mass Philly, the Philly Tweed, Ride, some variation on a bike party. Then “We Are Traffic”  is the movie for you, it will give an understanding about how social group rides were established and the thought process that goes into creating them. For others who think Critical Mass rides are nothing more than a protest designed to disrupt traffic this will be an education.

Uploaded to Vimeo.com by the director, Ted White you can watch it free of charge at the link below.

http://vimeo.com/85439215

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http://tinyurl.com/kmpe8yk

Tweed Ride Philadelphia 2013

On Saturday November 9^th the Philadelphia Tweed Ride held its 6^th annual ride and I rode along with 100 participants. A Tweed Ride is vintage bicycle ride that uses the early 1900's in England as its theme. The ride started gathering at 11:00am behind the Philadelphia Art Museum at The Waterworks. Which attracts the attention of many of the tourists and locals out to enjoy the day. The participants dress in looks that are either vintage or modern twists on vintage clothing.

At 12:00 the ride set off on its route through Philadelphia with questions from onlookers about what we were doing, was this a parade, and why were we dressed up. Rolling past businesses and residential neighborhoods often drew clusters of people taking pictures or shooting video on their cell phones.

A stop for picnic on Washington Park gave everyone a chance to rest and enjoy snacks before moving on to the final destination, Rembrandts, where prizes were awarded for various categories to participants. This included Dapper Chap and Snappy Lass as voted on by the participants and other categories awarded by judges were part of the ride.

Dapper Chap as voted by the judges
Wearing an authentic British cycling outfit accessorized with a monocle

Dapper Chap as voted by the participants

Snappy Lass

Best Picnic complete with a Tandem bicycle

Best Mustache
Created by growing a beard and trimming it a week before the ride

Was this as fun as it sounded, yes. The organizers have also created a low key fundraiser for Philabundance with $800.00 donated by the Tweed Ride participants with the simple pass of a hat. If you would like to stay informed about future rides including a possible spring ride please like the Tweed Ride Philadelphia Facebook page. To see more pictures by other photographers go to the event page. 

Philadelphia Bicycle Weekend - Spring 2013

The stars have aligned in Philadelphia and the Oracle of Delphi, currently residing at the offices of the Philadelphia Bicycle Journal, has declared that Saturday, May 18 and Sunday, May 19 will be the official Spring 2013 Bicycle Weekend. What does it take for a Bicycle Weekend to be declared I hear you ask? It takes a perfect storm, a combination of social rides and friendly competition.

 On Saturday, May 18^th the Annual Kennsington Kinectic Sculpture Derby at will commence at 12pm. The KKSD is not a race; it’s a parade with a human-powered vehicle that has an artistic theme. It’s about fun and ingenuity, making the most unique vehicle is the goal. Think of parade floats on bicycles, or mummers on hand crank driven pirate ships, or anything you can dream up. Award Categories include- Best Art, Best Costume, Best Engineering, People's Choice, Best Breakdown and a special secret judge award. People get to vote for their favorite entry at the event. Last year there was even a webcast option if you couldn't be there in person, hopefully it will be available this year.

The second half of the Philadelphia Bicycle Weekend will be on Sunday, May 19. The organizers of the Philadelphia Tweed Ride are organizing a spring ride. While they have not announced the details, they are most likely planning a Seersucker Social. Similar to a Tweed Ride a Seersucker Social has an American feel to it with a look that goes back to the 1920's to the 1930's. With a fashion style reminiscent of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel “The Great Gatsby”. All you need is clothing that looks vintage, it doesn’t have to be vintage. Watch for updates on their Facebook page or their website. There will be a follow up article on Philadelphia Bicycle Journal once the details are made available.

Philadelphia Bicycle Weekend - 2012

Here in the hallowed halls of the Philadelphia Bicycle Journal we are pleased to announce that Saturday, November 17 and Sunday, November 18 will officially be the 2012 Philadelphia Bicycle Weekend. Why, because we said so. This weekend will have something for everyone.

For those of you who are looking for a social ride and with the opportunity to dress up there is the Philadelphia Tweed Ride on Saturday, November 17. A leisurely ride through Philadelphia with over 100 bicyclists all them dressed in clothing dating from the 1890's to the 1920's.  Not sure if you have the proper clothing, look through some of the pictures found here you may already have items in your closet that will work. If not a quick trip to a thrift shop or consignment store will have you properly outfitted.

For those of you who want to challenge yourself at a competitive level on Sunday, November 18 there is the Philly Cranksgiving Ride. Departing from Penn Treaty Park you will be navigating to a series of predetermined supermarkets. At each market you will purchase an item of food from a list supplied and then bring everything to a final destination, Tattooed Mom's on South St. The proceeds are donated to Philabundance and this year Tattooed Mom's will match all donations.

With the weather predicted to be in the 50's it should be perfect bicycling weather.