WHAT’S A BIKE DISCO?
Monthly night ride and dance party. Light yourself, light your bike, and come party with us! We roll rain or shine.
THE RIDE
7:00pm - gather
7:30pm - roll out
Ride up to 5 miles - happy hour
Ride up to 5 miles - dance / supply stop
Ride up to 10 miles - party (~11:30pm—1:00am)
(see maps of previous rides on the gram-a-lam)
note: Socials may not be updated as we go. Feel free to meet up or head out along the way; but please let the Party Caboose know before you peel so we don’t wait!
HOW TO BIKE
- ACQUIRE BIKE
- Bring your bike, duh
- If you don’t have a bike there are some excellent bike-share options
- LIGHT YOUR BIKE
- Don’t forget your headlight and taillight
- HYDRATE
- Don’t forget your water
- HELMET
- Protect ye olde noggin
- DRESS FOR THE WEATHER
- All weather party
- We will potentially be out in PNW cold and rainy weather, after dark, dress accordingly
HOW TO DISCO
- PARTY LIGHT YOURSELF + YOUR BIKE
- Cover yourself and your bike in party lights (some examples below)
- COSTUME YOURSELF + YOUR BIKE
- Costumes are encouraged, but not required.
- Some months may have a theme. Feel free to dress to the theme or however you like.
- DE-HYDRATE
- Bring a drink and snack for stops 1 & 2, but expect a supply shop for BEvERages and snacks along the way.
- MAKE SOME NOISE
- Try to bring speakers that can be tuned to a safe volume while riding. If they can connect to an internet-enabled device, we are working on a system to get everyone on the same playlist…
STARTING ANNOUNCEMENTS
- The People
- Who’s Who: this ride’s Leader, Party Cabooses, Patch Kitten, and Shephard
- Buddies: identify yours, don’t leave them behind
- Pictures: please let us know if you want to opt-out
- Tune In: use this radio stream for a shared soundtrack
- Route Details
- Stops: (un)known bathrooms, lack of lock-up at supply shop
- Not a round-trip: find friends heading near your final destination
- Mobile dance with multiple stops: when a 5 minute warning is called, find your bike to keep the party rolling
- Keep an ear out for a puppet-icular song indicating we are riding soon
- We try to start by group riding counter-clockwise around an object until the Ride Leader breaks off
- Let the Party Caboose know if you’re peeling off
- Rules of the Road
- Keep a lane open when able; strive for fun and friendly, even to the metal boxes
- (and do not ride against traffic…)
- This is not a protest ride
- Ride Leader will ask for Corks / Plugs, please volunteer
- Thank them for keeping us safe as you roll by!
- Ride moves through lights as a train, once we start—keep rolling
- Ride will slow/stop after turns and atop/abottom hills
- You are encouraged to go at a pace that is safe for you on hills
- … but wait for and let the Ride Leader pass by if you get there first
- Repeat yelled messages, if you hear it again, repeat it again
- e.g., “Ped Up”, “Ballered”, “Pole”, “Left Turn”, “Car Back”
- Yell “Mechanical” if you need the entire group to stop
- This can be for bike mechanicals, body mechanicals, etc.
- Ride Leader will identify a safe spot to pull off and call “Stopping”
- Pull over as far as possible when coming to a stop, allow space for others
- Organizers will assess the situation and decide whether to roll-on within 10 minutes
- All participants must be on wheels while in motion
- i.e., pets must be in a basket or trailer, not walking alongside
- We travel at a bicycle pace and the Party Caboose tries to keep everyone above 10 mph on flats
- Lower music volume to be overheard while in motion
- Help maintain ride safety, yelled messages need to make it to each end
- Keep a lane open when able; strive for fun and friendly, even to the metal boxes
- Consent and Kindness are Key
- We are all here by choice
- Respect each other’s space
- Assume good intentions
- Leave things better than they were
HOW TO VOLUNTEER
- Regular Organizers
- Meet monthly to go over previous ride and plan the next route
- Schedule quarterly ride dates on middle-Fridays based on organizer availability
- Assigned Riders
- Ride Leader: rides at start of the line making sure the ride stays together and on track
- Leads opening announcements
- Verifies Corkers / Plugs are in place before rolling through an unsafe intersection
- Waits for Party Caboose signal before starting to roll
- Should be very visible, from ahead and behind
- Pre-rides route at least a week beforehand
- Patch Kitten: rides between front and back of line while in motion
- Carries basic bike repair equipment
- Works with Paratrooper to resolve mechanicals
- Rushes messages between Ride Leader and Party Caboose if radios not working
- Shepherd: rides next to line keeping everyone in one lane
- Makes sure there is enough space for Patch Kitten and Corkers to pass
- Paratrooper: rides at the back of the line to support a mechanical splinter group
- Communicates mechanical details over the radio and to Patch Kitten if Ride Leader unreachable
- Takes 5 minutes to decide whether a mechanical will take longer than 10 minutes to resolve
- If splitting, gathers a small group to stay with the mechnical and communicates the catch-up spot
- Cabooses the splinter group until reconnected with the main line
- Party Caboose: rides at back of the line making sure no one is dropped
- Cheers on slower riders and communicates if things need to slow down
- Blocks any vehicles from passing for line safety
- Should be very visible, from ahead and behind
- Pre-rides route at least a week beforehand
- DJ: changes shared playlist during ride to match the needed vibes
- Ride Leader: rides at start of the line making sure the ride stays together and on track
- Mid-ride Volunteers
- Corks / Plugs: stops and secures intersections by request of the Ride Leader
- Having more than one per intersection side is always nice
- Sometimes shines a light on an obstical or tricky turn
- Waits for Party Caboose to arrive before rejoining ride
- Jukeboxes: brings speakers and plays tunes, while riding and dancing
- Keeps volume at a reasonable level for the situation
- Photographers: captures the many moments of fun we build together
- Everyone can participate, but nice to have at least one person committed to this each ride
- Media will be collected, curated, and displayed on the website… eventually
- Corks / Plugs: stops and secures intersections by request of the Ride Leader
- Off-road Laborers
- Archon: creates meeting documents and updates the shared calendar
- Cartographer: designs the route map graphic for release on the week of the ride
- Social Media Maven: creates the ride event pages on various Internet platforms
- Responds to messages coming in on the various platforms