Folding Bikes - SoCal folder people, I have an idea

Why don't we get together for a charity folding bike ride? The ride will give us a chance to get to know each other, raise money for a good cause, and have fun riding our folders. Hey, it'll also make a lot of people stare at our lovely bikes (well, YOUR bikes, as mine is ugly) and hopefully be inspired to go out and ride folders regularly too.

Thoughts? Suggestions? Violent reactions?

(I got this idea from Happytime on the SoCal BF--she recently organized a charity ride in Santa Monica, and it went very well. )

That sounds fun--I'd be interested in participating (although I'm still a novice).

Off-topic but along the same lines... With the recent threads for advice on buying folders, it might be helpful to have local get-togethers where we could share our folders with others. The biggest problem I found with buying a folder was the limited inventory at my various LBSs.

Yeah, I'm a novice too--I still can't do 10mi without stopping in between, or going really, REALLY slow. :o So the route plans should take into account both n00bs and the more experienced riders. I'm thinking leisurely tour around LA landmarks rather than hammerfest up and down mountains.

Great idea about sharing bikes! I've only ever ridden on my Kent and a Speed D7 at an LBS, so getting to try out other bikes would be great. *looks pointedly at your MuSL and Folderfanatic's Brompton*

Any other people interested? Yamcha? Folderfanatic? That guy with the black Downtube that I saw on the subways one day and that girl with what looked like an R20 I saw at Union station earlier today (if they're on here, hi!)?

How about making it in OC? I saw a guy the other day on the San Gabriel River Trail on a Dahon (originally thought it was a DT, but the green paint gave it away). I wasn't on my folder, but I might be interested in joining up.

Just as long as we don't go tearing down mountainsides, I'm fine with the idea. My Brompton is rather neglected at this time as I am recovering from a nasty dog bite from a strange dog and will be off bikes for a short period of time.

Sounds like a great idea. I was thinking of putting together a bike ride in the San Fernando Valley area similar to the Lake Pepin 3-speed tour but only as a short day trip. The bike route along the Orange Line is pretty flat and easy to ride. A meeting/starting point at Lake Balboa/Balboa Park might be a nice place to begin. PG.

Good ideas so far! So possible routes are SGRT, Orange line, somewhere in LA...oh, might as well throw the SART in there too for good measure. Any suggestions on the date and time, charities we'll be donating to, or anything else?

Really cool idea!!

I know I'd have to re-gear mine if I were going to ride it very far. I'm in top gear and looking for a couple more after about 20 yards. Maybe the Mocha is just under-geared, however, given that change, I could ride my Folder for several miles. Or at least a lap around Back Bay!

Wouldn't be my choice for a double-century, but I know Bike Fridays have done it!

Oh, and Happytime's ride started in Malibu and was in the Santa Monica Mountains, not in Santa Monica (the city). Just FYI. It was a fun ride!

Rick / OCRR

Sounds like a great idea. I was thinking of putting together a bike ride in the San Fernando Valley area similar to the Lake Pepin 3-speed tour but only as a short day trip. The bike route along the Orange Line is pretty flat and easy to ride. A meeting/starting point at Lake Balboa/Balboa Park might be a nice place to begin. PG.

I LOVE the Lake Pepin 3-Speed Tour! I rode it in 2006, my wife joined me in 2007 and we're signed up as Nutters of the Realm for 2008! :)

Rick / OCRR

Rick/OCRR- You lucky bugger you. I'd luv to do the Lake Pepin tour......one of these days I will. Let us all know how the 2008 tour is. PG.

Rick/OCRR- You lucky bugger you. I'd luv to do the Lake Pepin tour......one of these days I will. Let us all know how the 2008 tour is. PG.

Yes Waldorf,

Quite so! Additionally, you are correct in saying you'd LUV it, because most assuredly, you would. It is a lovely ride in the spirit of Olde England. Even though it's in MN and WI! I will report back here after the Nutters of the Realm have completed the journey. And yes, there is a young lady who rides the Pepin Tour on a folder!

I'm sure there's a photo of her and her folder on the 3-Spd Tour site. I will attempt to locate it and edit the link back here! Yes, I found it. Unfortunately the lovely young lady is not in this photo! Here's the link for the tour:

http://www.3speedtour.com/

Rick / OCRR

I know I'd have to re-gear mine if I were going to ride it very far. I'm in top gear and looking for a couple more after about 20 yards. Maybe the Mocha is just under-geared, however, given that change, I could ride my Folder for several miles. Or at least a lap around Back Bay!

Wouldn't be my choice for a double-century, but I know Bike Fridays have done it!

Oh, and Happytime's ride started in Malibu and was in the Santa Monica Mountains, not in Santa Monica (the city). Just FYI. It was a fun ride!

Rick / OCRR

I have the same problem with my Kent--horribly under-geared. I like it going up the hills of Westwood, but going down I don't even bother pedaling. If I switch to a 52t chainring, I think that'll solve everything, but I'm too poor and lazy to do that right now.

So, back to dates for the charity folder ride...I'm thinking Saturday, March 8 for it, or if that date isn't good for you guys, one Saturday in April. Last few weeks of March is a no no since I'll be in China. Is that enough time for us to round up as many folder-riders as possible?

March 8th is the Solvang Century, so I'll be up there on that date.

April 12th is the Mulholland Double which I hope to finish within the time limit!

April 26th is the Wildflower Century (where I'll be) and the Devil Mountain Double (where I wish I was good enough to be . . . )

April 19th would work for me.

Rick / OCRR

Ok...is everyone good for April 19, or will a later date be better? Folderfanatic, will your dog bite be healed by then? (I hope it heals much much sooner than that though)

What about routes? We have to have a route where we'll be VERY visible, since a goal of this ride will be to promote folders.

Can you guys round up more folder-owning people to join? I know I'll be actively chasing down people I see riding on folders on the street to join. :p

April 19th is the weekend of the Long Beach Grand Prix. I'll be there for work. It might influence your route choice, though.

That sounds like a good date to me. Whenever it is, I'm looking forward to meeting folks from BF!

Not to steer off course again, but one of the main reasons I got a folder was for my commute. Being able to fold it up on the train, store it at my desk, transport it easily around town, etc. I wonder if it'd be a good idea to work with LA Metro, travel between stations, answer commuter questions, etc. Anyway, this doesn't have to happen for this ride, it's just an idea I've been thinking about.

That sounds like a good date to me. Whenever it is, I'm looking forward to meeting folks from BF!

Not to steer off course again, but one of the main reasons I got a folder was for my commute. Being able to fold it up on the train, store it at my desk, transport it easily around town, etc. I wonder if it'd be a good idea to work with LA Metro, travel between stations, answer commuter questions, etc. Anyway, this doesn't have to happen for this ride, it's just an idea I've been thinking about.

While I think traveling on the trains/buses answering questions and comments with the commuter is a good idea myself, I can't see if Metro would endose it. I see it as a volunteer sort of activity. That is one of the main reasons why I created the World Of Folding Bicycles series. I seem to be able to reach out to fellow passengers and others who don't use public transit here and elsewhere.

Another option would be Chuck Schmidt's Classic and Vintage ride the first Sunday of each month from the Rose Bowl area in Pasadena which tours in that local area. The route is fairly flat and is about 25 miles at the most. Haven't done it yet but I intend to in the near future. Would be an awesome site to see a bunch of folding bikes riding with classic road bikes. I understand that the start point isn't far from the Metro Goldline so using our folders in conjunction with the train would be ideal. Just my $0.02. PG.

(edit: added stuff after reading some of the above, which were posted as I was writing this)

Summary of ideas so far:

Ride date--April 19, 2008. Still tentative and very much open to pushing back further. Saturdays would be best, but Sundays are good too.

Meeting Time--7:30am, roll-off at 8am.

Route--dunno yet. Should take account both n00bs and experienced riders and provide LOTS of visibility.

On the visibility note, I like the idea of having part of the ride on one of the Metro lines--super duper visibility there, and we can have a q&a with curious people. I think meeting up near a Metro station then going to a point where we can go out and ride is ideal, which is why PolishGuy's idea of riding along the Orange line is appealing to me.

Hmm...what about we meet up at Union Station in the courtyard, have a meet and greet/Q&A there, then ride the red line all the way up to the Orange line, then start riding from there? After the Orange line I have no idea where to go though, since I'm not very familiar with the SFV area. People who live up there, any ideas?

Edit: we can also try PolishGuy's other idea--still meet up at Union, but instead of Red line to Orange line we do Gold line to the Chuck Schmidt Classic and Vintage ride route.

Open to--all people who own folders and also those who are interested in trying out one.

Promotion--chasing down random folder-owners on street. LOL. That's the best idea I can think of. I'll try posting on the Dahon forums to round up people there, but definitely try to get as many people who are interested in folders to come.

Other info--if you guys live in the Walnut-West Covina-Rowland Heights area, we can do a post-ride thing at my place and I'll cook for you or something. :)

Goals:

1) Raise money for a charity. Please suggest which charities to support--one cycling charity and one non-cycling one.

2) Promote folding bikes by riding in a very visible area.

3) Let other people take quick spins on our bikes to see what other bikes feel like.

4) Have fun fun fun with folders!

Great ideas so far. The Orange Line has a station at Balboa Blvd which is right next to the Balboa Lake and Park complex. Lots of people there on the weekends and there is a nice bikeway that goes around the park and recreation area. Plenty of room for picnicing (sp?) and high visibility for the general public on-lookers. PG.

I'd be interested. I don't ride my folder near enough. I would have same issue with the hills (2 speed).

I think that meeting at Union Square and taking the Orange Line bike path route is a great choice. And submit the ride to calendars like CICLE (http://www.cicle.org/) and Bikeboom (http://www.bikeboom.com/).




EDIT In addition to the BF Calendar, of course. You are doing it as a BF Ride, correct?

I think that meeting at Union Square and taking the Orange Line bike path route is a great choice. And submit the ride to calendars like CICLE (http://www.cicle.org/) and Bikeboom (http://www.bikeboom.com/).




EDIT In addition to the BF Calendar, of course. You are doing it as a BF Ride, correct?

Umm, yes it will be a BF ride. And I'll post it on cicle and bikeboom too, once we get the details sorted out.

On a side note, this is the first time I've tried planning something like this (like, first time ever!), and I have no idea what I'm supposed to do :o. I thought it'd be stressful but it's kinda fun!

Another option would be Chuck Schmidt's Classic and Vintage ride the first Sunday of each month from the Rose Bowl area in Pasadena which tours in that local area. The route is fairly flat and is about 25 miles at the most. Haven't done it yet but I intend to in the near future. Would be an awesome site to see a bunch of folding bikes riding with classic road bikes. I understand that the start point isn't far from the Metro Goldline so using our folders in conjunction with the train would be ideal. Just my $0.02. PG.


OK...from what I hear from my friends who have done that Vintage ride? It's a great ride and a great group but a fairly brisk pace...not many "new" riders.

If they would agree to slow down a little for us? It might be hard to stay together as a group...but I agree it would be a cool sight.

I think using the Metro system for part of the journey is a wonderful idea. I would like to exclude the need for any sort of private transportation (like a car) for the journey as some of us might not own or even have access to one. The only problem I have with riding with a group is that I might not be able to keep up with them. I tend to ride no more than about 12 miles per hour in traffic.

But don't despair. If I cannot ride that day, I will show up at the very least.

I think using the Metro system for part of the journey is a wonderful idea. I would like to exclude the need for any sort of private transportation (like a car) for the journey as some of us might not own or even have access to one. The only problem I have with riding with a group is that I might not be able to keep up with them. I tend to ride no more than about 12 miles per hour in traffic.

But don't despair. If I cannot ride that day, I will show up at the very least.

I don't have a car either, which is why my planned routes do involve the Metro.

I'm slow too, same as you, so no worries. :p

Edit: speaking of which, I made a poll on the details of the ride. Go vote!

I think for a short social ride it's better not to start too early...

I think for a short social ride it's better not to start too early...

Hmm, good idea. I don't like hauling my ass up early anyway. How about 9am meet, 9:30 roll-off? Any later and I will spontaneously combust under the SoCal sun. I've gotten used to the heat over here, but the sunlight kills me.

That start time sounds good to me.

Rick / OCRR

Update of details, from poll and elsewhere:

Date--April 19

Time--9am meet, 9:30 roll-off

Meeting place--Union station courtyard, by the fountain (on the Alameda side, not the Patsaouras plaza side).

Route--Red line to North Hollywood station, then ride along the Orange line to Balboa station, then circle around park as many times as we want.

Cause--World Bicycle Relief. It's one of my pet causes because getting more people to ride bikes around the world=EXTREMELY GOOD THING.

What to bring--fare for Metro ($1.25 for one way), check for whatever amount made payable to "World Bicycle Relief", whatever else you need to bike.

Open to-anyone who owns a folding bike or is interested in one. People who bring folders will let the people who bring regular bikes try ours out at some point in the ride.

Promotion--I'll be making fliers and passing them out around town, and I'll also post on cicle and bikeboom. I'll still chase people I see with folders, just for good measure.

Did I miss anything? If anyone wants to change the details of the ride, speak by the end of the month or forever hold your peace. I'll have to start promotion by February, see.

edit: if you're definitely going, say so too, so I know how many people will be on the ride.

Maybe you could get Dahon on board as a sponsor...




edit Joshua Dahon

Many years ago, a fellow (Tom?) organized folding bike rides in the SF Bay Area. I attended a couple of these rides, using my ancient Cycle-Pro italian folder. We has a pretty good turn out and it was a lot of fun.

Good luck on your So-Cal adventure!

Harry

Maybe you could get Dahon on board as a sponsor...




edit Joshua Dahon

Yep, good idea. Just dashed off an email to Dahon asking who I should speak to about sponsorship. Hopefully they reply soon.

Funny, I actually emailed them last week about sponsoring our ride. I'll let you know if I hear from them.

Hey There!
I'm in SoCal (well, Ojai) about once a month (with bike). I'm not sure what my April schedule is but if I'm out west I'd love to come along for the ride! Can you let me know by e-mail? -> foldher@optonline.net
My bike is a 2006 Dahon MuSL. Ojai presents some riding challenges.... don't know whether to blame it on the bike or me :) The rest of my life takes place on very flat Long Island New York....
Anyway, keep me posted please!
ME

Hey There!
I'm in SoCal (well, Ojai) about once a month (with bike). I'm not sure what my April schedule is but if I'm out west I'd love to come along for the ride! Can you let me know by e-mail? -> foldher@optonline.net
My bike is a 2006 Dahon MuSL. Ojai presents some riding challenges.... don't know whether to blame it on the bike or me :) The rest of my life takes place on very flat Long Island New York....
Anyway, keep me posted please!
ME

Sure! I'll email you, but in the likely occurrence that I forget, keep checking here because I'll always always post updates here first.

Funny, I actually emailed them last week about sponsoring our ride. I'll let you know if I hear from them.

Cool! I actually asked them if they could lend us some of their 2008 models to test ride in addition to sponsoring. Maybe if more people ask them, the more likely it will go to the higher-ups for review. I'll send a formal sponsorship letter if they don't reply by next week. Also sent an email to the great people over at World Bicycle Relief to see if they can add our ride to their website for further promotion.

Update of details, from poll and elsewhere:

Date--April 19

Time--9am meet, 9:30 roll-off

Meeting place--Union station courtyard, by the fountain (on the Alameda side, not the Patsaouras plaza side).

Route--Red line to North Hollywood station, then ride along the Orange line to Balboa station, then circle around park as many times as we want.

Cause--World Bicycle Relief. It's one of my pet causes because getting more people to ride bikes around the world=EXTREMELY GOOD THING.

What to bring--fare for Metro ($1.25 for one way), check for whatever amount made payable to "World Bicycle Relief", whatever else you need to bike....

Open to-anyone who owns a folding bike or is interested in one. People who bring folders will let the people who bring regular bikes try ours out at some point in the ride....

Did I miss anything? If anyone wants to change the details of the ride, speak by the end of the month or forever hold your peace. I'll have to start promotion by February, see.

edit: if you're definitely going, say so too, so I know how many people will be on the ride.

I would recommend purchasing a full day pass at $5.00. This would allow to hop on and off buses/trains at will, rather than limiting oneself to just one bus/train.

As for letting someone else ride any of the folding bikes, I recomend to leave this decision up to the individual owner/user of that particular bike. Some people feel more comfortable about strangers than others.

I will probably come if no emergencies come up in our family (I am a caregiver to an elderly person-there is no days off).

I'll be there!

Cool! I actually asked them if they could lend us some of their 2008 models to test ride in addition to sponsoring. Maybe if more people ask them, the more likely it will go to the higher-ups for review. I'll send a formal sponsorship letter if they don't reply by next week. Also sent an email to the great people over at World Bicycle Relief to see if they can add our ride to their website for further promotion.



You might even dash something off to Trek as they sponsor WBC....

Is it ok with everyone if I impose a minimum donation of $5 for the ride? World Bicycle Relief will be providing us w/ promotional materials, so that's why...

Also, we will have a website! http://socal.folder.ride.googlepages.com. Um...it's not quite up yet because I've been horribly sick and unable to work on it, but it should be up by tomorrow, hopefully.

Is it ok with everyone if I impose a minimum donation of $5 for the ride? World Bicycle Relief will be providing us w/ promotional materials, so that's why...

Also, we will have a website! http://socal.folder.ride.googlepages.com. Um...it's not quite up yet because I've been horribly sick and unable to work on it, but it should be up by tomorrow, hopefully.

Welcome to the club of sick people. I too have been very sick with a weird virus that is going around too. I don't mind paying $5.00 donation for the ride. I think that it is a real bargain, even with the day pass. I hope you will permit people to pay up front at the time of the ride. It makes it a bit easier to manage for some of us.

Website is up, people! Go to http://socal.folder.ride.googlepages.com

Register there please. You can't pay the donation when you register because I don't have the means of getting your credit card info, etc. Donations will be collected at the start of the ride.

I think it's only available to IE users though, because I used mht instead of html...sorry Firefox, Mozilla, Opera and Safari users! I'll work on the compatibility issues tomorrow, when my head doesn't hurt anymore.

Folderfanatic, I think I got my bug from kids...got 3 younger sibs, and teh bf works w/ kids. Nasty little buggers (uh, the germs, not the kids). Here's to us getting well sooner than later!

Website is up, people! Go to http://socal.folder.ride.googlepages.com

Register there please. You can't pay the donation when you register because I don't have the means of getting your credit card info, etc. Donations will be collected at the start of the ride.

I think it's only available to IE users though, because I used mht instead of html...sorry Firefox, Mozilla, Opera and Safari users! I'll work on the compatibility issues tomorrow, when my head doesn't hurt anymore.

Folderfanatic, I think I got my bug from kids...got 3 younger sibs, and teh bf works w/ kids. Nasty little buggers (uh, the germs, not the kids). Here's to us getting well sooner than later! Thanks for setting this up (although I can't see it yet). As for donations, one option might be to use PayPal.

Thanks for setting this up (although I can't see it yet). As for donations, one option might be to use PayPal.

Hmmm...it should be up now, so try again. Oh, and report all bugs, grammatical errors, misspellings, etc. to me through PM here, or through the website's email (socal.folder.ride@gmail.com)

I thought of using paypal, but it charges extra for using credit cards, so nope, no go. The basic account accepts transfers from other paypal accounts, but not everyone has one, so we'll just do it the old-fashioned way: checks.

My bro lives in San Diego, I haven't seen him in awhile, with this event going on, I think I got one more reason now to visit him. :)

Meeting Time--7:30am, roll-off at 8am . . . On the visibility note, I like the idea of having part of the ride on one of the Metro lines--super duper visibility there, and we can have a q&a with curious people.
If visibility is important to you, I suggest you move the meeting time back a couple of hours. I dare say there are very few "curious" people on the Metro at 8 am on a Sunday morning.

The orange line route would be very convenient for me. It's in my neighborhood. And I like the idea of this being our ride, rather than tagging along with the vintage folks.

FWIW.

Don't know about other people but I'm folder shopping!!

If visibility is important to you, I suggest you move the meeting time back a couple of hours. I dare say there are very few "curious" people on the Metro at 8 am on a Sunday morning.

The orange line route would be very convenient for me. It's in my neighborhood. And I like the idea of this being our ride, rather than tagging along with the vintage folks.

FWIW.

Yeah, moved it down to 9:00am meet, 9:30 roll-off--much more convenient for everyone. Check the website for the updated summary and other info. Still working on the compatibility though--still only visible to IE users. :mad: