Super Saturday

On Saturday, November 9 there will be a multitude of bicycling events with something for everyone.

My personal favorite is the 6thAnnual Philly Tweed Ride 

A bicycle ride that incorporates a period theme, reminiscent of a 1950's car rally. Attracting over 100 riders the Philadelphia Tweed Ride theme is England from the 1900 to 1920 so the riders do wear a great deal of tweed. The Philadelphia Tweed Ride website is full of photo galleries from previous rides, many of the men and women look as if they have stepped off the fashion runways of that era. Many of the participants have vintage bicycles or bicycles that look vintage, along with modern bicycles as well.

Philadelphia Kidical Mass

Looking for something that you can take your children with you, then join Philadelphia Kidical Mass. Kidical Mass is a variation of Critical Mass, a group ride for families and their children through Philadelphia side streets and bike lanes. While using a mass of riders to create a safe cycling experience. This ride will be a one mile ride to the Philly Bike Expo.

Philly Bike Expo

Since its first year the Philly Bike Expo the attendees have braved blizzards and hurricanes to participate in its opening day and every year the number of vendors and attendees have grown. So much so that this year the have moved from their original home at the 23^rd St. Armory to the Pennsylvania Convention Center. In addition to a very diverse collection of vendors in the exhibit hall there will be seminars books signings by Bike Snob NYC, planned rides and valet bike parking.

2012 Philadelphia Social Rides

With much of the major riding season over until the spring its time to take a look back at some of the highlights and lowlights of the past year. While there are plenty of alley cats, charity rides, races there are some that stand out more than others.

The most questionable ride that happens is the Philadelphia Naked Bike Ride, PNBR. While the ride has grown since its inception whether it achieves any of it broad based and nebulous goals remains highly questionable. The only people who benefit from the PNBR are the owners of the nearby bars at the Piazza at Schmiddts where the ride ends and after parties are held.

There are rides that are building a sense of community through good deeds and others through good fun.  Examples of rides built through good fun include the Bilenky Junk Yard Cross is an unsanctioned cyclocross where nothing about the course or the participants are regulation. It draws a very eclectic group of participants and spectators for a day of friendly competition.

The Philly Tweed ride is also a great example of good fun builds a community. The Philadelphia Tweed Ride is a vintage themed bicycle ride where the participants dress in early 1900's style clothing and take a leisurely ride through Philadelphia with a stop for a picnic lunch and dinner. Attracting over 100 participants per year of all ages this ride gives participants a chance to exercise their creative abilities as well as create the opportunity to dress up for a unique social setting.

While Philadelphia has its share of charity bicycle rides most of them are century rides run by a non for-profit that have the resources and the staff to execute such an undertaking. There are two rides that I am aware of, that have been created through the hard work of individuals who make time outside of work, school, and other commitments to plan these rides.

Philly Cranksgiving is an alley cat race where participants navigate to a series of grocery stores to purchase items from a list that are brought to a final destination. Organized by two local residents, Gary and CJ,  all of the proceeds go to Philabundance a food bank that helps Philadelphians in need. The 2012 ride raised 800 pounds of food and $1200.00, $1000.00 of which was donated by Tattooed Mom's matching the amount spent by the riders who donated food. This helped feed 2000 residents of Philadelphia.

There was a new addition this year, Gears for Gifts. An organized bicycle ride with the proceeds going to Toys for Tots. Traditionally motorcycle and car clubs holds rides of this nature so it’s always refreshing to see a new twist on an existing concept. I can only hope that this ride becomes an annual event and may some day rival the Midnight Ridazz All City Ride.

I'm looking forward to 2013 to see how many of these rides will cotinue to grow and evolve. As well as what new rides will develop.

Philadelphia Tweed Ride 2012

Thanks to a recent Facebook post the 5^th Annual Philadelphia Tweed Ride is back on for Saturday, November 17 at 12:00pm. Follow their Facebook or webpage for updates including the route as they develop.

So what is a Tweed Ride? It is a bicycle ride that incorporates a period theme for the way participants dress and accessories they bring. For a Tweed ride the theme is England from the 1890's to 1920 so the riders do wear a great deal of tweed. Along with accessories such as hats, compacts, pipes, hip flasks, pocket watches, and bow ties. Many of the participants have vintage bicycles or bicycles that look vintage; including three speeds, Dutch bikes, and the odd Penny Farthing. The Philadelphia Tweed Ride webpage is full of photo galleries from previous rides, many of the men and women look as if they have stepped off the fashion runways of that era.

This is a a bicycle ride that attracts over 100 riders and all cyclists is welcome. The ride wends its way through Center City with a one rest stop where you can converse and play croquet. The final stop is held at a local nightspot and includes the judging for: Most Magnificent Millinery, Most Marvelous Mustache, Most Stylish Steed, Most Snappy Lass,and Most Dapper Chap.

The Philadelphia Tweed Ride is everything that a social ride can and should be, part parade and part time machine this is a ride for all ages.

Where have all the good times gone?

Recently the organizers of the Philadelphia Tweed Ride posted to Facebook that they are unable to plan this years ride and are looking of volunteers to take over. The Philadelphia Tweed ride brings out a collection of the dressiest cyclists in Philadelphia dressed in vintage looking clothing and bicycles. How often can you find a social ride where at the rest stop activities include playing croquet and badminton. As one of the few rides in Philadelphia that does not make a political statement, raise funds, sell anything, or involves a cycling club. I can only hope that the Philadelphia Tweed Ride does not fade away.

In the summer of 2011 the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia held two Bike-In movies on the rooftop of Whole Foods. They showed bicycle film classics “Breaking Away” and “Quicksilver”, each time drawing over 100 people who came and went by bicycle. But this year, nothing. This year they could have done a retrospective, comparing and contrasting “The Bicycle Thief” and Pee Wee Herman's Big Adventure”. Instead the BCGP dropped the ball on yet another innovative idea that could have been used to build a community amongst Philadelphia based cyclists, as opposed to focusing on wealthy donors in the suburbs.