Lazyass

Riding naked? That's actually legal there? Little kids see that stuff?

Beach Comber

I'm just glad this thread is light on pictures.....

RobbieTunes

I would recommend a Schwinn Heavy-Duti.

1-It's a cruiser, and I don't think the WNBR is a Grand Fondo, or even very long.

2-It's a cool bike, and if you look like I do, you want some attention focused on the bike.

3-It's got a big saddle, and you sit upright. "nuff said about that.

Have fun, take a selfie.

To answer the OP's question (posed in bold font): None of them. I respect my bikes. And I respect the public.

jyl

It is legal, and police motorcycles escort the ride and block intersections as needed.

Lazyass

Bizarre. That's indecent exposure, it even violates Portland law. Not a place I would want to raise a child.

14A.40.030 Indecent Exposure. - Printable Version

It is unlawful for any person to expose his or her genitalia while in a public place or place visible from a public place, if the public place is open or available to persons of the opposite sex.

14A.40.030 Indecent Exposure.

SJX426 

I have a couple of naked bikes:
[IMG]Pinarello Tre Cime on Flickr[/IMG]
[IMG]1983 Trek 610 60 cm (24&quot , on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]1994 Burley Duet in the raw, on Flickr[/IMG]

jyl

As you note, Portland city code prohibits public nudity. But public nudity as part of a protest is protected as free speech. The City of Portland lost on this issue in a 1985 case, Portland vs Gatewood. And again in 2008, Portland vs Hammond. The WNBR is considered a protest - see its website for details.

CITY OF PORTLAND v. GATEWOOD | Leagle.com
Judge clears nude bicyclist in Portland | OregonLive.com

"Public indecency" is illegal in Oregon, that requires some sort of sexual conduct or sexual display.

ORS 163.465 - Public indecency - 2013 Oregon Revised Statutes

Thus the WNBR has become a tradition in Portland (and some other cities) and the city and police cooperate and facilitate it. E.g. for the 2011 ride, the Police Dept issued this press release:

The World Naked Bike Ride is set to roll through the streets of Portland this Saturday, June 18, 2011, at 10:00 p.m. Riders will gather at 9:00 p.m. at Southeast Water Avenue and Salmon Street. Event organizers estimated the number of participants last year to be 13,000 people.

The Portland Police Bureau will have extra officers on hand to ensure everyone is safe and to provide assistance at intersections.

The Portland Police Bureau recommends that all riders at least wear a helmet and shoes to avoid any potential injuries.

Being naked in public in Portland is legal if it falls within the guidelines of ORS 163.465, which are included below.

ORS 163.465. Public indecency

(1) A person commits the crime of public indecency if while in, or in view of, a public place the person performs:
(a) An act of sexual intercourse;
(b) An act of deviate sexual intercourse; or
(c) An act of exposing the genitals of the person with the intent of arousing the sexual desire of the person or another person.

(2)
(a) Public indecency is a Class A misdemeanor.
(b) Notwithstanding paragraph (a) of this subsection, public indecency is a Class C felony if the person has a prior conviction for public indecency or a crime described in ORS 163.355 to 163.445 or for a crime in another jurisdiction that, if committed in this state, would constitute public indecency or a crime described in ORS 163.355 to 163.445.

I've seen the WNBR pass by several times while I've lived here. It is a very big ride (>10K people), people line the streets to cheer and party and gawk, the ride takes place after dark. I can certainly see how some would be offended, but its just part of Portland being weird, and no one is forced to attend the ride or for that matter to live here.

arex

Naked cyclists take a hard line on 'aroused' protest participant ? The Register

Lazyass

Why any local authority would allow naked adults to be exposed in public in front of children is just mind boggling. And why any adult wouldn't care that strange children see their genitals is equally mind boggling. If it was in some private setting or out on some MTB trail then whatever if that's what gets you off. But this is just wrong.

RobbieTunes

It's more of a sad comment on the "protest," as if protesting naked has any more impact than protesting clothed.
More press, maybe, more attention, but certainly no more impact.
I'd venture a guess that the event is much more, these days, about riding naked than any protest.
Far more people know the riders are naked than know (or care) what is being protested.

Generally, at that point, it's outgrown it's usefulness, and I opine, it's protection as freedom of speech.
Doesn't really matter, it's "a happening," taste notwithstanding. I think it's done in Asheville NC, too.

I can't remember the last time a citizen or corporate entity decided, "hey, I saw 13,000 people riding bikes, naked, at night, in Portland; I think I'll change."
Maybe it happens, maybe it doesn't. I doubt being naked changes that a whit.

I mean, "OK, I see you." Now, what?

davester

I think this level of outrage is a bit mind boggling myself. It's all in good fun, just like the nude runners in the annual San Francisco Bay to Breakers footrace here (which is also legally permitted). There's nothing inherently wrong with nudity and if someone has a strong religious conviction that their children shouldn't be allowed to look at naked people (a bit of an overly puritanical attitude in my book) then they are free to not bring them to the event (which is well advertised so there's no excuse for them doing so unawares).

Lazyass

Religion has nothing to do with it. I haven't been in a church in 20 years. Why any adult would not care if strange children in public see your genitals is a thought process I cannot relate to. That's creepy and just...... wrong.

delcrossv

Cheater. If it were me, I'd get a velomobile.

I'm sort of with lazyass on this one though. My kids don't need that kind of "exposure". (They'd probably be grossed out anyway).

KonAaron Snake 

I

Well played.

I find it funny that a guy whose screen name has ass in the title is complaining about nudity and appropriate conduct with kids.

noglider 

Your kids will follow your cue. If you are grossed out, they will be grossed out and traumatized. If you're not, they'll look curiously and then forget about it. I live in Greenwich Village, so this sort of thing happens somewhat frequently. The most it gets out of me is a smirk or an eye roll. Then I forget about it.

"Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society." Attributed to Mark Twain, but that could be apocryphal.

davester

There's nothing wrong with having that opinion but you can't expect everyone else to have it.

I think that a large number of people would disagree with you there. Like I said, there's nothing inherently wrong with nudity. It's more of a cultural norm, which differs from place to place, including within the US. Contrast parts of the middle east= where women can't show any part of their bodies, to a number of european countries where it is perfectly legal to wander around nude. There are many nude events such as the Portland ride all over the world that are participated in by thousands. They are certainly not "wrong."

Velognome 

Right or wrong, I think the majority of the populace in the USA, views it as improper and thus does not help in anyway to main stream bicycle riding as an alternative to automobiles.

Sidney Porter

Do you use locker rooms?

MZilliox

Ride any bike, just don't put clothes on, its exactly the same as riding with clothes on, minus the clothes part. You still pedal, you still steer, you still sit on a seat. I don't get the question, or was this more a thread to inform people you are gonna ride naked? Neat, have fun riding naked, its a fun experience. Doing other things naked is also fun, like gardening, swimming, fishing, or driving home from work. I shower naked daily.

lots of people do wear a bit of something, but lots are full on naked. i don't see the point of wearing any clothes, kinda half assed if you ask me. they don't call it a nearly naked bike ride. But some people don't want to be left out despite fears of being naked.

have fun Portland, weird for weird's sake.

MZilliox

I'm pretty sure the purpose of the ride is not to show children your genitals. the fact that your mind goes there first is sort of scary. one can choose not to bring their kids near the naked bike race, and it mainly happens at night anyway.

do you keep your kids off the internet? i hear there are genitals on the internet for children to see...

Humans are weird...

Pemetic2006

As a man I can think of only 2 reasons to do this ride.

RobbieTunes

It's a sophomoric mindset that wants to call it cool because they know deep down that they're only doing it because they can get away with it. Also, deep down, they have some reptilian urge to display. It's creepy when men do it, because they are nature's aggressors, and it's kind of sad when women do it, because they are playing to the same men. Looking good is one thing. As the scantily clad woman on page 1 supports, the imagination is far more active a place for scintillation. A well-placed cloth does far more to entice than open display. Saying "here it is" is another thing altogether, and is neither protest nor the good side of human nature.

I have to say I tend to lean towards Lazyass on this. Pardon the pun.

A local authority made up of the people and elected by the same people I describe in my response above. San Francisco, Portland, they tend to congregate.

Are they protesting clothing shortages?

Really? A large number of people? Like what % of the population? I have been around the world a bit, including Scandanavian countries, central Europe, the Middle East, the Far East, and Southwest Asia. I failed, I guess, to notice all the nude people wandering around, even where it was (apparently) legal. Maybe they're in the Arctic or something. Other than a few very isolated places, the cultural norm seems to be to cover up. Where people were not covered up, it was almost always due to a prurient reason or motive. I am unable to correlate your logic with my experience in life.

Then again, Red Foreman is my hero.

I'd give more ground on the subject if they called it the World Naked People Ride (WNPR), because that's what it is. Then again, it would sound more like what it is, instead of a bike ride, which is has a positive connotation. If it were on certain vintage motorcycles, imagine the outcry. The same people participating in WNBR would be horrified at all those "thugs" with no clothes on.

Lazyass

Of course not. But I'm pretty sure these adults going on a public naked ride in the middle of a city will end up having their genitals in full view of children. It's creepy that these adults will know this and do not care.

Fidbloke

If it took place during a cold snap, there wouldn't be much to see anyway.!

There seems to be a significant gulf between Europe and the US on the subject of public nudity. The cultural differences are also reflected in how nudity is portrayed in films and television programmes from each side of the Atlantic. In Britain, it seems that public nudity is not illegal in itself, but nudity which is aimed at upsetting or offending members of the public is deemed to be unlawful.

They're staging a number of these nude rides at various towns around Britain at the moment. It's part of an attempt to draw attention to the concerns of cyclists as road users. The only problem that I know of as yet, is a chap who became 'visibly over excited' and was asked to put some trousers on by the stewards...

jyl

Not sure how many little children are wandering the streets at 10 pm.

The protest symbolism of the ride, as I understand it, is to emphasize how naked and defenseless bike riders are on roads filled with 6000 lb objects moving at 40 mph with the driver picking their nose and pecking out text messages.

Of course it is also about fun, defiance, daring, or whatever. Can't tell you for sure as I've never ridden it. At the end of the day, it is a tradition in Portland and no one needs to join in if they don't want to.

I've signed up to be a mobile (and minimally clothed) mechanic, so my ride is going to be a (vaguely C&V) long tail cargo bike stocked with tools, tubes, headlamp, and a Silica floor pump. I guess I'll bring some bandages too in case people fall off their bike and some Mylar emergency blankets. I'll probably spend the ride fixing flats.