RapidRobert

I joined the San Jose Bike Party for the first time last night, and have to say: It was a party! Overwhelmingly a 20-somethings' party; thousands of them completely filling a huge parking lot with their bikes, band playing, t-shirts for sale, free donuts, more women than I've EVER seen at any bike related event. No children. People over 40 essentially not there. Fenders on half the bikes. Bike specific clothing essentially not there. Helmets on maybe 10%.

When the band stopped playing, the mass started rolling. The danger when riding with this crowd is from the drunk and show-off guys, unexpectedly blasting up through gently cruising cyclists or suddenly cutting diagonally across the flow. It's also from the fixie kids who really can't stop in time, and the girls who seldom ride otherwise and zig-zag wildly as they start up or go up hill. Sorry, all I saw doing that were girls. There weren't the dangers from cable car slots ot train tracks as with CM in San Francisco, but the huge increase in the population of the drunk and show-off guys made this, in my opinion, much more dangerous.

The crowd stoped at red lights (except for the show-off guys), and generally hung to the right on multilane streets to let cars go by. They also regrouped maybe six times in huge parking lots, resuming the party for ten minutes or so. The whole event was much more party than bike. I didn't see any police presence the whole time, from about nine when it started to roll to midnightish when it ended at SJSU.

One fight erupted at the first regrouging, but it ended fast with the crowd booing and chanting "Go Home!". Otherwise, a peacefull party that moved by bike. And the weather was beautiful! T-shirt and shorts 'till midnight. Night riding is such a fun thing to do, especially in a generally flat urban area like San Jose. It happens every third Friday of the month, and rolls out sometime after 8:30. Check it out!

isara

I did my first (and only so far) SJBP about three months ago. I had a good time, but the hooligans were really, really annoying... and it was mostly guys on fixties in front of me who were weaving and threatening to clip my front wheel. I finally raced to the front of the pack and had a much better time away from the bulk of the crowd.

I'm looking more forward to the Tweed Ride again, but I have to make some spiffy duds first!

RapidRobert

Thanks for the tip about the Tweed Rides! It reminds me of steampunk, a direction I see myself working with significantly in the future. Bike related, as much as possible. I wonder if these types of group rides are young bicyclists' reaction to the club riding experience like punk rock was a reaction to disco. Does that make sense?

I got myself to the front of the pack too, wanting the worst of the crowd behind me. But the crowd really was a very fun loving, people loving crowd. It was a good party! The vast majority are certain to have had a great time, and I look forward to doing it again next month. I just looove riding my bike at night in the summertime. It's a time machine, set to 30 years in the past.

Ty.S

The SJBP went right past my house... serveral times it seemed. For those of you on it, when you were on Meridian if you passed a young couple standing in their driveway laughing that was my wife and I.

We would have loved to have joined in but sadly, I had been working in the garage and drinking beer.. a DUI would simply ruin my summer.

Overall seemed like a pretty good turnout. When we looked for a house, we wanted to pick a cycling friendly area.. although I wouldn't have pictured this