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

  1. ACQUIRE BIKE
    • Bring your bike, duh
    • If you don’t have a bike there are some excellent bike-share options
  2. LIGHT YOUR BIKE
    • Don’t forget your headlight and taillight
  3. HYDRATE
    • Don’t forget your water
  4. HELMET
    • Protect ye olde noggin
  5. 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

  1. PARTY LIGHT YOURSELF + YOUR BIKE
  2. 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.
  3. DE-HYDRATE
    • Bring a drink and snack for stops 1 & 2, but expect a supply shop for BEvERages and snacks along the way.
  4. 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

  1. 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
  2. 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
  3. 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
  4. 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

  1. 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
  2. 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
  3. 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
  4. 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