Longmont Bike Night

G'Knight Ride Registration is OPEN!

2012-01-17T20:24:00.003-07:00

So the days are getting longer, well, not a lot longer, but mathematically, the days ARE getting longer. That means after our two snowiest months, February & March, plus one random blizzard (April) we'll be ready to ride! What better way to spend your easy going late April & May days than getting ready for the 2nd Annual G'Knight Ride!

This year we're bringing you a better course (with fewer turns), more food, awesome entertainment and lots of other cool things. We will also be adding a 1 mile toddler route.

Registrations are now open at a special low rate ($12/individual and $28/family). we are opening this early for those who participated last year, friends, family, and general Bicycle Longmont fans. The general public sale will open on February 15th at slightly higher rates - so register today!

The G'Knight Ride is a celebration of cycling, and is meant for cyclists of all ages, sizes, and abilities. The Ride is a great excuse to dust off that old 10-speed, mountain bike, or cruiser and hop on with 1,500+ other riders on a great evening tour.

So jump on this now and register. We'll be updating you about what's up with the G'Knight Ride on Thursdays & Tuesdays. We lots going on and you won't want to miss a minute. You can also follow the developments by following me at @mrbikenight or @gknightride.

To register head here.

Cheers!

Ryan

Bike Night Loves a Parade!

2011-12-08T23:11:00.002-07:00

Why else would we parade around on a Wednesday, right? Well I'll tell you this, it's fun to watch a parade but it's far more fun to be IN a parade!

Come out on Saturday night and ride with us in the Longmont Holiday Lights Parade. We'll line up at 4pm on Longs Peak Avenue somewhere between Terry and Pratt Streets. We are float lucky number 13.

If you'd like to come out and get your Martha Stewart on we'll be decorating and lighting the Bicycle Education And Safety Trailer at Small Planet E-Vehicles located at 724 Main Street. I hear there will be cider and hot chocolate. The first 8 people there may get free lights, rumor has it! Decorating will start at noonish.

Bring the sunscreen because we're going to top out at 40 something degrees, too!

See you Saturday Night!

Ryan

Pre-Owned Bike Love: Give Some This WEEK!

2011-11-28T20:33:00.003-07:00

Bike Love - just saying it puts a smile on your face, right? Remember that first time you came down the steps or climbed that half flight in your parent's split level ranch? That was the moment you saw that gleaming chromoly frame twinkling in the christmas tree lights and your world changed for ever. Or, maybe it was a shiny aluminum BMX bike, at that moment you didn't care about the difference between beer can aluminum or airplane aluminum, it was yours and you were independent.

On December 9th Bicycle Longmont will pass that feeling on to 400 kids. We need you to help us by contacting your friends, family and neighbors to donate any dusty kid's bikes before December 5th. Longmont Fire Stations, Lefthand Brewery and Oskar Blues' Tasty Weasel & Homemade Liquids & Solids will accept bikes until the end of day on December 5th.

Please help us out. Thanks for all that you guys are doing and for what you've already done!

Ryan

What ya upto tonight?

2011-11-18T07:42:00.003-07:00

Tonight we have a cruiser ride meeting at the Dickens Tavern at 300 Main Street at 6pm. We will cruise to the Oskar Blues Canniversary taking place at the Tasty Weasel. If you have lights put 'em on your ride and join us. There's a lot going on with this ride and at the Caniversary. We are gonna have fun!

Join us.

Ryan

URGENT: BICYCLE LONGMONT NEEDS KIDS BIKES

2011-11-10T21:07:00.001-07:00

URGENT: Bike Donations are down this year. WAY DOWN. Bicycle Longmont is in serious need of additional kids bikes for the Kid's Holiday Bike Program. We've raised money to purchase parts, tires, tubes, and tools, however, we need kids bikes to be donated. We are less than 4 weeks from the Kid's Holiday Bike Day. So, If you or someone you know has any children's bikes, stryders, tricycles, or even scooters, bring them to a local Longmont Firestation or, bring them to either Oskar Blues' Tasty Weasel or Home Made Liquids & Solids, or to the Lefthand Brewery for a free pint of beer.

If you'd simply like to make a donation for the Kid's Holiday Bike Program simply mail a check to:

Bicycle Longmont

P.O. Box 2410

Longmont, CO, 80502

Kid's Holiday Bike Program in FULL Swing! Check us out.

2011-10-17T21:19:00.005-06:00

It's that time of year again! Bicycle Longmont has launched our Kid's Holiday Bike Program in conjunction with the Ed & Ruth Lehman YMCA.

Bicycle Longmont is accepting gently used kid's bikes 20" bikes and smaller. You can drop your gently used bike off at any Fire Station in Longmont.

Longmont’s Craft Brewers are supporting the Kid’s Holiday Bike Program, too!

New this year, Bicycle Longmont has partnered with Oskar Blues & Lefthand Brewing. You can trade your kids' gently used bike for a free pint of beer at the Tasty Weasel, Homemade Liquids and Solids, or the Lefthand Tasting Room.

How can I help?

People often comment that they would like to help but they don't know anything about bike repair. Surprise! You don't need to know anything about bike repair to help.

The greatest need we have is getting all the bikes cleaned and polished. We have an air compressor that can be used to inflate tires. If you can only help with those small tasks, that will be huge!!!

Our bike repair has begun in the warehouse at Sun Construction, 1232 Boston Ave., across from Left Hand Brewery.

During the past 5 days we completely cleaned and repaired about 25 bikes. Ther

e are currently 40 bikes inside the warehouse waiting for some bike love. Never fear, though, we have an entire trailer full, waiting, too.

Charlie Daniels of the Chain Whip?

For those who can handle bike repair, we need your help again this year. Please bring your own tools and a repair stand, if possible. There are 3 repair stands at Sun but we could use several more. If you can leave one there with your name on it, we can make good use out of it during the week and we'll make sure it is returned to you.

Don’t wanna cart your tools around, and you don’t wanna lose ‘em either? We’ve got you covered!

New this year - we have a secure place to store any tools you would like to leave there so that you don't have to lug them back and forth each time you come. Check with Tom, Pati or myself for details.

The warehouse is generally open on weekends at about 10:00am both Saturday and Sunday. It will close mid-afternoon both days.

Monday thru Friday, it is open from dark:30 until about 4:00pm.

Just show up when it's convenient and stay as long as you like. There is plenty to be done. It is easy to see which bikes need cleaning and some work. Inside Santa's Bike Workshop you'll find cleaner, polish, rags, tubes, repair parts and lots of bikes needing some TLC. It is all organized better this year and all parts are separated by type.

To get into the warehouse, enter thru the chain link fence that is just east of Sun's office. Go into the building that is just northeast of the offices. Look for the "Santa's Bike Workshop" sign.

Please contact us with any questions.

Bicycle Longmont

www.bicyclelongmont.org

www.meetup.com/bicycle-longmont www.facebook.com/BicycleLongmont Education, Encouragement, Advocacy 303-709-6991

Movie Night October 12th, 2011 - 7pm

2011-10-03T21:25:00.003-06:00

Thanks to everyone who helped make the Hops & Heifers cruiser ride a bucking success. We rode nearly 18 miles from Longmont to Hops & Heifers, ending at Homemade Liquid & Solids.

It was a great way for folks to see beautiful Boulder County and to experience farm-to-can-to-farm-to-table at its finest.

In other news Bicycle Longmont keeps the Autumn rockin' with our fall movie night at the Dickens Opera House. We're going to show Breaking Away! If you've never seen this favorite, come and see what you've been missing. This is a cult favorite among Cyclists. If you have seen it, bring a newbie.

We're excited to be working with the Dickens again. We had a lot of fun a few weeks ago when Runnin' with Scissors joined us for the next to last Bike Night. The Opera House is a great venue for live events and MOVIES.

Come hang out with us for a while and don't forget to wear your favorite jersey. Kudos for an Italian cycling jersey, higher kudos if you're a Cutter and can prove it!

See you on October 12th, 2011 - 7pm at the Dickens Opera House - 3rd & Main Street in beautiful Downtown Longmont.

Upcoming events for the Bike Night Nation

2011-09-26T11:48:00.002-06:00

Hey all,

Don't forget this weekend is the Hops & Heifer's Bike Ride. We'll meet at the Tasty Weasel saturday October 1st at 10am.

Here's the details direct from the OB Website. Come join us.

Saturday, October 1st

Cruiser Ride- 10am-2:30pm

If you are in Denver for the GABF Great American Beer Festival then, catch the OB bus up to The Tasty Weasel from Denver (or you can meet us at the Tasty Weasel at 10am) for a cruiser bike ride out to Hops & Heifers farm.

The cost for this ride is $25 and covers all this below:

After a brewery tour and a fuel-up in the tasting room, we’ll head out on bikes. The ride to the farm is 8 miles. We’ll re-fuel with water, ice cold beer & snacks while touring the farm. Farmer Geoff will give the nitty-gritty about the benefits and importance of farm-to-table sustainable practices.

We’ll have an option for those who want to take a van back to Homemade Liquids & Solids after the first leg of the ride. Once back in Longmont, we’ll have lunch at Homemade Liquids & Solids before heading back to Denver. We’ve partnered up with Bicycle Longmont to help out with bike rentals for the day– let us know if you’ll need a bike rental.

The Oskar Blues Ordeal- Saturday Cruiser Ride Schedule- 8:30am-4pm

8:30am: Pick up in Denver* (if you happen to already be, in Denver)

10am-11am: Drop off at Tasty Weasel. For those not taking the bus from Denver, arrive at the Tasty Weasel by 10am. Brewery tour and beer stop. Get geared up with bikes from a local shop.

11am-1:30pm: Bike to Hops & Heifers farm Cruiser Bike Ride (8miles one-way, 16 mile round trip. Half way option available)

1:30-2:30mp: Homemade Liquids & Solids for lunch

4pm: Arrive back in Denver*

To register go HERE

Smiles all around!

* PICK UP & DROP OFF: The Falling Rock Taphouse in Denver, 1919 Blake Street

Also ON OCTOBER 12 at the Dickens Opera House - THE ITALIANS ARE COMING!

End of the Season? So, What's Next?

2011-09-22T23:18:00.003-06:00

I'll post a season recap tomorrow. Until then here is a graphic for you to munch on. We had agreat, great season - but, then, you already knew that, right?

I'll have some cool things to post about tomorrow. Until then....

Hang tight.

The Last Words on Bike Night: ONE MORE!

2011-09-18T21:08:00.002-06:00

One more, last Bike Night.

The words for this Wednesday - Let's do it one more time!

Can we pack the streets with bikes? I think so. Join us at 6:30 PM at Roosevelt Park for one more tour of Old Town. The leaves are beginning to change and Old Town has never looked better.

Last Wednesday we had approximately 15 folks ride - I think we rounded it up to 21, but nevertheless we had fun. After riding in the rain we dried off and partied with Running with Scissors at the Dickens Opera House.

We hoped to reschedule but don't think that's gonna make sense. We'll connect with Runnin' again later in the year.

Help us send 2011 out with a bang THIS Wednesday night.

See you then!

Last Bike Night?

2011-09-14T22:49:00.003-06:00

Wow. Tonight really was one for the ages. Rain, Rain, I wish it would have gone away. But, unfortunately, not so. I asked myself - "Is this how Bike Night's best season ends - with a drizzly, cold & nasty last ride??" What d'ya think?

I didn't think so either.

So next week we'll cue it up again. We'll have one more last Bike Night - maybe we'll call it the Lastest bike night. Or, whatever.

Anyway - we had a great time with Running with Scissors and we had a great time hanging at the Dickens Opera House. If you've never seen a show there or been to a concert you owe it to yourself to check it out. It ain't the nasty pool hall you might remember.

We'll pound out the details for next week. Stay tuned.

News for Wednesday = Rock STAR!

2011-09-12T12:58:00.002-06:00

Hey all,

This Wednesday is the last Bike Night of the season. The theme will be "Rock Star!" Come to Bike Night dressed as your favorite Rockstar and we'll blast around Old Town. We'll end the ride just before 7:30pm at the Dickens Opera House.

At 7:30pm We'll head upstairs for a special concert from "Running with Scissors". If you attended the G'Knight Ride then you know how good they are. A lot of people asked us to bring Running with Scissors back so here you go!

There WILL be a $5 cover charge. We are just as cheap as you, so we're trying to keep the costs down by spreading it around.

Bring $5 and your favorite Rockstar outfit and we'll see you on Wednesday!

rjk

FINAL Bike Night : ROCK the Bike!

2011-09-08T20:45:00.005-06:00

Next Wednesday we’re sending the season out with a bang. I know you look forward to Wednesday and especially Bike Night, RIGHT? Well get ready for me to blow, your, MIND.

All of us at Bicycle Longmont are teaming up to bring you the best end of season blow out in HISTORY! As a matter of fact you could call it “G’Knight Lite!” We’ve gotten together with the Dickens Opera House and the band Running with Scissors.

Running with Scissors is based in the area and they are a lot of fun. If you came to the G’Knight Ride then you’ve heard Running with Scissors. They play classic rock cover tunes, originals and they ROCK!

The ride is free as always but five bucks ($5) gets you in the door! The $5 cover helps to cover the costs of the band. Anything we raise over that will be donated to the Aspen Center for Child Development (formerly the Our Center Childcare Center). We’ve donated our end of the season blowout bash cash to these guys for quite sometime.

So get your party on, light up your ride, and join us next Wednesday September 14^th, 2011. We meet at 6:30pm at Roosevelt Park and roll around 6:40p. We will do a shortened trip around Old Town ending at the Dickens Opera House. Bring you bike lock.

Bike Night: Tonight we take a trip to Margaritaville!

2011-09-07T09:05:00.002-06:00

That's right bring the Hawaiian shirts and probably long johns as we set sail for margaritaville. See you tonight at 6:30, Roosevelt Park. 910 Longs Peak Avenue - Next week is our LAST Bike Night of the season.

Ryan

Great American Beer Festival - BL & Oskar Blues - Hops & Heifers

2011-09-01T23:47:00.007-06:00

!!!!! Registration info added at the bottom of this post !!!!!

Oskar Blues & Bicycle Longmont are wicked excited to announce our first ever Fall Cruise - Hops & Heifers on October 1 begining at the Tasty Weasel. We will begin our fun filled cruise to the Oskar Blues Hops & Heifers farm west of Longmont at 10am.

Have you ever wondered what hops look like? How they are grown and what it takes to turn these green beauties into a pale ale? Come a long on October 1st and find out. We will ride from the brewery to Hops & Heifers farm. Once there we will hear all about the operation that brings takes it from farm to pint!

This is going to be great!

After the farm tour Oskar Blues will have the Blues Bus & trailer available as a bail out. The rest of us will ride back to Longmont. We will all meet up at Homemade Liquids & Solids for eats and liquid treats.

In addition to all the cool kids from Longmont we'll get to brush elbows with GABF goers, too! We're gonna have fun.

As promised here is your opportunity to register! Registration is $25 it includes food and eats and, if you need it a bail out at Hops & Heifers to Homemade Liquids & Solids. To register: Go here.

No bike? No problem: If you're coming in from out of town we'll have bike rentals, too!

1 2 3 - BIKEMONT!

Tomorrow night - Elvis!

2011-08-30T21:33:00.002-06:00

We will ride Old Town tomorrow night - no confusing greenway adventures, just good ole Old Town. We'll meet at 6:30 and roll around 6:40. We're winding down the biggest Bike Night Season, ever! Thanks.

Remember to get your Elvis on!

rjk

Wednesday - Jersey Night - St. Vrain Greenway & Lefthand Brewing

2011-08-22T11:38:00.003-06:00

Hey all,

So here's the "situation" - Wednesday's theme will be "Jersey Night" no, not THAT Jersey rather, we will honor the USA Pro Cycling Challenge by wearing your favorite jersey.

What, you don't have a bike jersey? No worries wear your favorite sports team jersey -Bronco's, Rockies, Minnesota Vikings, Blue Sky Velo, Nuggets, North Stars, Lefhand, Oskar Blues etc. Or if you don't have a single jersey take a white t-shirt and make one.

Our route will be Roosevelt leaving between 6:30 & 6:40, going almost directly to the Greenway out to Golden Ponds and back along the St. Vrain Greenway. Most likely there will be a contingency of folks stopping at Lefthand either on the way out or on the way back from Golden Ponds.

Next week (August 31st) the theme will be "Elvis".

Followed on September 7th with Margaritaville possibly with an after ride at Santiago's on Main Street.

September 14th will be the "Last" Bike Night for the season. There will be an after party for sure, somewhere....

Put those dates in your calendar and we'll see you Wednesday.

Bike Night Kids NIght: Late Breaking News

2011-08-16T21:50:00.005-06:00

There are a lot of things going on tomorrow night. First I understand many schools have their "Back to School" nights tomorrow and Art In Public Places has their bike rack dedication at Sunset Pool, plus we're having Kids Night at Bike Night.

NORMALLY, this would be the run down for tomorrow night:

5:30 - 6:30 Kids Bike Night: Game Night @ Lincoln School located at Bowen Street & Lincoln School

6:45 Bike Rack Dedication ride begining at Roosevelt Park.

7pm - regular start

to Bike Night (tomorrow night is the 3rd Wednesday and that means late start)

So here's what we're going to do: We want to support Art in Public Places and those who need to start Bike Night Later.

If you'd like to ride to the

bike rack dedication meet at Roosevelt Park prior to 6:45. There will be someone there to lead the group to Sunset Pool. Following the dedication there will be a fun cruise around Old Town. (If you'd like to be the person leading the dedication ride send me a message on Facebook or comment here).

The kids will meet at 5:30pm and do their Game Night between 5:30 & 6:30, followed by a mini- cruise. The mini-cruise will go from Lincoln School to Roosevelt Park via 6th Avenue to Bross Street south to 5th Avenue by Thompson Park then over to Roosevelt Park via Pratt Street.

We will then circle Roosevelt Park to 8th Avenue, Bross Street, 6th Avenue and back to Lincoln School. During that time we will most likely meet the "Dedication Group". Feel free to jump into that group and continue your ride through Old Town.

There will be a break between the games ending ant the Kid's Cruiser Ride beginning. At that time if you'd like bail and go to the dedication, feel free to do so. The Dedication Riders should be passing about the time we finish with the game portion of the night. The dedication will be a lot of fun and I hear there maybe snacks.

Make sense?

So, Short update:

Kids = 5:30, Lincoln School

Dedication Ride to Sunset Pool= 6:45, Roosevelt Park

Kids Cruiser Ride = Following the game night at Lincoln School, Longs Peak & Bowen Street.

Thank You, for a successful "Thankful RIde".

2011-08-11T20:36:00.002-06:00

Lastnight nearly 100 riders joined us in our first ever "Thankful Ride". I'll send a note to 3M letting them know we've rebranded their blue 2inch painter tape "Thankful Tape".

Thanks for making that ride so great.

Next week will be the first ever Bike Night Game Night. Currently we're planning this to be in the parking lot at Lincoln School. Thursday is the start of the 2011/12 school year so we're begining the kids Game Night at 5:30pm. The Cruiser ride will start at 7pm at the usual place - Roosevelt Park at 7pm. We'll do a kids cruiser ride from Lincoln to Roosevelt and back to Lincoln.

Art In Public Places will dedicate a new bike rack at Sunset Pool that night, too. We'll ride from Roosevelt directly to Lincoln then, Sunset Pool. I suggest if your little one isn't good with hills, ascending or descending, you have him or her on a tag-a-long or trailer during the cruiser ride to/from Sunset Pool.

I'll post the games in a few days. All I can say is they will be fun.

Thanks for a great Bike Night. Don't forget to put your tape on your bike or car window.

rjk

Bike Night Wednesday - "Thankful Ride"

2011-08-09T20:42:00.003-06:00

Saturday we had between 35 & 40 people join us on our first cruise to Niwot. We began & ended in Prospect. Our route took us down Plateau Road through the Water Song Neighborhood and southwest on the LoBo trail.

We grabbed a bite and a brew at the Niwot Tavern and then cruised "downtown" Niwot. It was a lot of fun.

We're thinking about doing this again on another Saturday in September. Stars, maybe?

Wednesday is fast approaching, the theme this week will be "The Thankful Ride". This is in direct response to the tragic events that occurred in NE Longmont over the weekend.

On Saturday or Sunday a 38 yr old father killed himself after killing his 3 yr old daughter. Initial reports stated he had been divorced and in financial trouble. Evidently he found killing himself and his 3 yr old was the only way out.

Reading this story made me think about all the things I was thankful for, and, while we all struggle from time to time, suicide is never the answer. That night I posted to facebook my feelings on this subject. Following that post I walked into my daughter's room and hugged her and told her I was so thankful for her and that I loved her.

Holding her I came up with this week's theme. I know it's not super goofy, or kitchy. No, Instead of wild costumes and craziness, I'm going to bring with me a roll of masking tape and a few sharpies. I invite you to attend the ride and write what you're most thankful for on the tape then display it somewhere on yourself your bike etc. After the ride maybe it will find its way to your rear car window or bumper. Who knows.

I just think with all the tragedy around us and with this global financial mess we're all in maybe we should take one night, one Bike Night, and just proclaim for ourselves what matters most.

I'm Thankful for my daughter, my wife, and even our crazy-ass dog.

Following our Thankful Ride here's something to look forward to!

The first ever - Longmont Bike Night - GAME NIGHT!

August 17th will be a really fun end to a great summer. The 18th, the kids must report to school. Parents will sigh with relief, I on the other hand will be filled with tears as Anna begins her Kindergarten year..... Yeah Class of 2024! Yikes ah hootay.

Anyway, because the 17th is a school night. - we will begin with the kid games early, at 5:30pm. I'm hoping to use the parking lot at Lincoln School on the corner of Lincoln Street and Longs Peak Avenue. If you'd like to drive there is ample parking on 6th Avenue and Lincoln Street. Please don't park in the parking lot.

We will have lots of fun games to play on our bikes. And, we may have prizes.

Also that night the Art In Public Places program will dedicate a new artful bike rack at Sunset Pool. We will ride over to Roosevelt at 7pm to pick up any stragglers and then to Sunset Pool for the dedication.

Following the dedication we will go on a cruise around old town.

5:30p to 6:30p - Bike Night Game Night for the kids

6:30p - 7p - break for a snack and dinner on your own

7p ride from Lincoln to Roosevelt to get folks starting at 7pm (it's the third Wednesday of the month - late start night).

7:05ish - Ride to Sunset Pool for the dedication.

7:30ish - Continue the cruise.

8:00 wrap up near 5th & Kimbark.

So I hope you can join us for both rides - tomorrow and next week.

Prospect to Niwot Cruiser Ride tomorrow evening - 6pm

2011-08-05T14:18:00.002-06:00

Tomorrow night we will cruise from Prospect to Niwot. Our destination will be the Niwot Tavern. Bicycle Longmont will set up ahead of our ride and we will have a cooler of water with snacks waiting for us. If you'd like something else the Niwot Tavern is at your disposal.

The return trip will take us through Historic Downtown Niwot and back to the LoBo Trail. From there we will make our way back to Prospect. Help us save money by following this link to download and print your own route map.

See you tomorrow night.

Wendesday, August 3rd is Wacky Wednesday!!

2011-08-02T21:33:00.002-06:00

Our theme this week is delightfully ambiguous - Wacky Wednesday!

Get wacktacular this week and join us! We'll meet at the usual time - 6:30pm and start rolling about 6:40p. We'll keep it in Old Town and probably mix it up a little bit.

There will be a gift certificate for a free massage up for grabs, too.

Last week we shot back over 100 riders with 136 people joining us on Wild West Wednesday. We rolled down to the greenway in time for an incredible burst of thunder - lightening and rain. Lots of rain.

Apologies to anyone who may have gotten turned around or generally lost. We'll do better the next time we venture down that way.

Here's to the Wacky.

rjk

Saturday July 30th - ColoRODan - Cruise In - Bike Night will be there

2011-07-29T21:36:00.004-06:00

Hey there,

I forgot to mention on Wednesday about a couple of cool Saturday rides.

The first is tomorrow night at 7pm. We'll take to the Street under the steady guidance of Randy Burgess. We'll cruise Main Street with over 400 custom hot rods. We will meet at Roosevelt Park in front of the Senior Center, 910 Longs Peak Avenue, same place Bike Night meets.

Longmont's own custom & antique car club "the ColoRODans" will hold their "cruise in". We're going to join them - unofficially. We have plenty of custom and antique looking bikes out there so bring yours or whatever you ride. We'd like to put the custom bikes up front and on the back end of the cruise.

If you've ever wanted to cruise Main Street this is gonna be the time.

Next Weekend August 6th - Will be another chance to cruise. This time between Prospect & Niwot. Race Across AMerica (RAAM) is hold their first Race Across America Challenge in Longmont. There will be races leaving on Friday night August 5th from Prospect and will return on Saturday August 6th. This new Challenge series will be the next "Rock N Roll" style series for cycling. If you are into running then you might be familiar with the Rock N Roll Marathon series.

RAAM has partnered with Bicycle Longmont to do the Cruiser Ride between Prospect and Niwot. This ride will be a lot of fun. We're hoping the families of the RAAM event will join us and as awesome Longmont cycling enthusiasts we'll show them a good time.

The Cruiser Ride is free and will begin at 6pm in Prospect. We'll leave from Prospect Park near Tenacity and 100 Year Party. Our Route will take us through Prospect and adjacent neighborhoods to the new LOBO trail. Expect a 10.5 mile round trip cruise. Lights would be a good idea.

Have a great weekend!

rjk

YEEEHAW! Wild West Wednesday & Your Weekly Run Down!

2011-07-25T15:53:00.004-06:00

HAAh-dee!

This week is Wild West Wednesday! Come in yer best duds, chaps, boots & hats, life is good. It's also the kick off to the Boulder County Fair this week. So - I guess - Wild West Wednesday is appropriate. I couldn't have planned it better if I tried.

Last week we dipped under 100 riders for the first time since May 25th. Depending on how you count it that was either the first or the second Bike Night of the 2011 Season. We had 96 people join us last week. Lets see if we can bump it back up over 100.

We will make our way to the greenway for the first time this season. Usually by now we would have been there several times. However, with the worlds longest run off ending and the heavy rains giving way to the Dog Days of August, the Mighty St. Vrain is finally within its banks.

Wednesday we'll meet at 6:30pm at the Senior Center make our way to Bowen Street then south to the St. Vrain Greenway. We'll head west to Golden Ponds Park and then back east to Martin Street and into Old Town ending somewhere on Kimbark Street.

We will pass by the Lefthand Brewery so I'm sure there will be a contingent of Bike Nighters stopping off there. For the rest of us we'll continue on to Martin Street. This will be a fairly easy out and back ride.

So - This week is crazy busy in Longmont here's your weekly run-down.

The LAST Concert at Roosevelt Park for the season .
Tuesday, July 26 6:30 -8pm, Roosevelt Park
Rebecca Folsom Band – I’ve been looking forward to this Concert all summer. Hope for hot temps and lots of wind to keep the Mosquitoes at bay.

Wednesday July 27th – BIKE NIGHT – Theme – Wild West
Howdy Partners & Mams, we’re heading to the greenway for the first time this season. Git yer giddy-up and come on along. We’ll go west to Golden Ponds then east to Martin Street. The Lefthand Brewery will be on the way so feel free to stop in. If the Lefthand isn’t your thing then stay on the greenway to Martin Street. We’ll get you back to Old Town without having to climb those annoying hills.

Also on July 27, 7pm – 8pm at the Longmont Museum
Southern Exposure will be playing. They are a talented Bluegrass band.

There is also a Farmer's Market at Lefthand on Wednesday, too!

Thursday
July 28, 10:30 – 11:15am – Longmont Library
Colin O'Brien - Bluegrass Banjo

Kick off to the ColoRODan Weekend
Friday:
July 29, 5:30 – 8:30,
Car Show on Kimbark 5pm to 8:30pm
Bicycle Longmont Bike Valet Service. 6pm – 8:30pm.
Music 7pm – 8:30pm, 4th Avenue Downtown
Flash Cadillac (Classic Rock)

Saturday
July 30th
Boulder County Fair Parade & Chuckwagon Breakfast
Breakfast starts at 6am ends at 10am.

After your hearty breakfast head on down to the Farmer's Market, Bicycle Longmont will be there providing free Bicycle Valet (parking) service between 8am & 2pm. (We'll give you an extra 50% off if you bring extra bacon and/or sausage).

Parade
ColoRODan Main Street Cruise-in 6pm – 11pm.
Bicycle Longmont/Bike Night cruise starting at 7pm. Meet at Roosevelt Park near the Senior Center

Sunday
July 31st
ColoRODan Car Show and music at Roosevelt Park, Food Trucks etc.

Then we’re back to Monday……

In addition to all of these events there are a multitude of organized Bicycle Longmont Events on our Meetup page. You can check it out at meetup.com/bicycle-longmont.

Bike Night Recap - 7/20/2011 - 7pm Start

2011-07-19T19:25:00.002-06:00

Allrighty, I've taken my eyes off the wicked awesome lightning show to recap a few details for tomorrow night. First we start at 7pm. Second, the theme is Mardi Gras, I'm not sure what I'm going to do either... you're not alone. Thirdly - come early. If you've been to the Farmers Market then you've seen the work of GIna the Face Painter - she will be at Bike Night tomorrow painting faces. Bring a five or ten dollar bill and tip her well. Mainly because she's very good at what she does, and mostly because she's awesome.

Lastly - Oskar Blues gave us a bunch of Can Bling. If you don't know what Can bling is then, by all means grab a friend and come on over. There will be a prize for the person who has the most beads/can's at the end.

See you tomorrow night! Face Painter arrives at 6pm.

Ryan

Wednesday - Bike Night - 7pm Start - Mardi Gras theme

2011-07-17T21:49:00.006-06:00

Happy Sunday,

Last week we had between 130 and 135 people out in the rain. If you weren't there you missed out on what I think was one of the funnest if not the funnest, Bike Night ever. It dumped atleast an inch to two of warm summer rain while we celebrated Christmas in July. The ride was capped off with hail. White Christmas - YES!

This week we will meet at Roosevelt Park at 7pm. The theme is Mardi Gras, bring your best costume and we'll supply the bling. Oskar Blues has donated a lot of "can bling" look for a photo in the coming days. Also - there will be a face painter at Roosevelt at 6pm. Come early and get your face painted or, your child's or any combination thereof.

Also - Keep the weekend of July 29th free - specifically Satuday July 30th. We're going to take part in the "Coloradon's Cruiser weekend". City Council has or will repeal the "no cruising" ordinance in Longmont for that night. I'm planning a Cruiser ride for that Saturday night. We will meet at 7pm at Roosevelt Park. My theory is that the custom cars and other cruisers will slow traffic on Main so that we may be able to make a few passes.

More to follow.

In addition we found out RAAM - Race Across AMerica - is planning a qualifier race begining and ending in Longmont. They've asked us to do a cruiser ride based in Prospect. We're hoping to partner with the Prospect Peddlers to do this ride. Look for that on August 6th. More info to follow. This ride will be free and will most likely begin and end in Prospect.

Lots going on! See you on Wednesday at 7pm.

Ryan

Rain + Bike Night = Epic Fun

2011-07-13T22:33:00.001-06:00

Tonight we had about 130 folks out sloshing through Old Town. Thanks, for making the night EPIC!

Next Week: Mardi Gras!

Ryan

Christmas in July!

2011-07-12T15:14:00.005-06:00

Greetings,

Tomorrow night is Bike Night and that means Christmas in July! So tonight, dig through the closet and pull out whatever you can find, red/white/green/gold, maybe a little mur, whatever, just knock your socks off.

Last week we had 122 folks join us on the ride. Our weekly average so far this year is about 132 people per ride. Last year at this time we averaged 71 riders. We’re only half way through – so tell a stranger and bring a friend to the ride tomorrow!

See ya
Ryan

Longmont Bike Night tonight! 122 Take to the East Side

2011-07-06T23:43:00.003-06:00

Tonight we had a great ride. 122 riders explored the front streets and back alleys of the Historic Eastside Neighborhood. We also had some fun on Atwood Street. You can check it out here:

Next week the group decided the theme should be "Christmas in July". Dig out your Santa Hat! There maybe caroling, too.

Ryan

Hawaiian Shirt Night!

2011-07-06T07:40:00.002-06:00

Tonight is Hawaiian Shirt night at Bike Night. It's also the first Wednesday so that means we will have a free massage gift certificate up for grabs. The prize will go to the best outifit including bike decorating.

See you tonight!

6:30 PM, Roosevelt Park, 910 Longs Peak Avenue. We meet in front of the Senior Center in the turnaround area.

Bike Night: Red, White & You!

2011-06-27T19:47:00.004-06:00

Greetings,
It must be summer because there's a LOT going on in Old Town this week.

First lets jump ahead to Wednesday. Bike Night will meet at 6:30 at Roosevelt Park in front of the Senior Center - 910 Longs Peak Avenue. This week's theme will be Red, White & Blue, because it's the Fourth of July and all.

We're sticking to the Old Town as most of the Greenway underpasses are under water.

So please join us. Like I've said before - Bring a friend, Tell a stranger, and we'll see you at Bike NIght on Wednesday.

If you're looking for more to do this holiday week here's a run down of things I'm into:

Tuesday - Concerts at Roosevelt Park, Kutandara will play. They are described as fusing ancient African music traditions with Latin, jazz, gospel, classical, and world folk influences.

Wednesday - Bike Night! But you already knew that...

Thursday - Morning Concerts at the Library - 10:15 to 11am. Get your Kilt and the family plaid and enjoy some Celtic Music

Friday Night - Ride your bike to the Downtown 4th Avenue Concert Series. We'll be rockin' the Bike Valet. This weeks band is "The Receders" described as playing Funk -Jazz - R&B. Should be a good time. If not - Lefthand and Oskar Blues Brewing will be there. Which, reminds me of a friend's college band - the bass drum had a message for listeners - "the more you drink, the better we sound". Which reminds me of a saying my Great Grandmother told me - "Everything in moderation, Ryan J."

Sage advice.

Fourth of July don't forget to dust off the picnic basket you got at your wedding and bring the family to Thompson Park for the Longmont Symphony. Nothing like 76 Trombones under the elms.

Have a great week -
Ryan

Fantastic Bike Night

2011-06-23T05:49:00.000-06:00

Lastnight we had an amazing turnout for our post Bike to Work Bike NIght. Counts ranged between 144 & 150. Either way a lot of Longmonters went for a ride. We had a special surprise lastnight when the City of Longmont Police Volunteers showed up riding their mountain bikes, plus the Longmont Emergency Unit was back too. It was great having these teams of people helping out.

Thank you.

Like I said we had a great turnout. Next week, should the flood waters subside, we will tour the St. Vrain Greenway and Golden Ponds. So until then - tell a stranger bring a friend to Bike Night next week.

See you at the Farmers Market or Downtown Concert Series.

RJ

Last Minute Theme:

2011-06-22T11:24:00.000-06:00

Wear your G'Knight T-Shirt- Woohoo!

Ryan

Bike Night Tonight! 6:30p

2011-06-22T07:18:00.003-06:00

Happy Bike To Work Day,

Anna and I are readying ourselves for our big commute downtown Longmont for PANCAKES!

I hope everyone can get out and ride today. Bike Night tonight will meet tonight at 6:30p and get rolling about 6:40. We will stay in Old Town.

See you tonight and enjoy Bike To Work Day!

Ryan

Thank you!

2011-06-19T21:11:00.002-06:00

Awesome! I think that word is used far to often for far to many insignificant situations. However, the G'Knight Ride on Saturday night was, truly, awesome. Or, for all of us who remember "Valley Girl" - totally awesome!

From the organizers to the volunteers to the sponsors to all of you, THANK YOU!

More later, I'm a bit exhausted and there's only three days til "Bike Night!".

Thanks for the love.

Ryan

T-Minus......

2011-06-16T22:02:00.003-06:00

Hey all,

G'Knight kicks off in less than 48 hours. Can you dig it?

We had an excellent turnout tonight for packet pickup - over 250 folks nabbed their registration bags tonight. Tomorrow we'll be hanging out at Oskar Blues on S. Hover Street 1555 between 11 & 1pm. Drop by and pick up yours, then.

I had a great day nailing down the details for the ride on Saturday. I think you're gonna have a great time. We're really shaping things up and pulling things together. Looks like we'll have a few neighborhood parties going on, and we're going to have a lot of fun and energetic marshals rocking the corners!

Tonight we had our volunteer meeting at Oskar Blues. I am impressed with the number of folks interested in marshaling and generally helping out. If you're interested in volunteering drop in to OB Liquid & Solids tomorrow between 11 & 1p. We'll hook you up.

Lastly - Bike Night on Wednesday rocked. We had nearly or maybe a little over 150 riders. Great turn out. Wednesday was the first night we ventured to the Greenway. We are pleased to report no flooding. If you haven't joined us for Bike Night yet this year or you've taken a few years off, join us next week when we return to 6:30p. Also - July is coming that means theme nights so get your requests in early.

The first will be "Favorite Children's Book" come dressed as your favorite story book character.

See you this weekend and if not then, then definitely on Wednesday.

Happy Fathers Day and to all the mom's congratulations on enduring your dudes.

Ryan

New Promo for Bike NIght

2011-06-13T19:41:00.003-06:00

Longmont's Channel 8 has a new TV show they're broadcasting, Around Town. Check out the latest episode here. Josh and the guys at Channel 8 tagged along with Bike NIght a few weeks ago and shot some footage. BIke Night kicks in at 5 minutes, 29 seconds.

Enjoy!

See you tomorrow night at 7pm. If you've got friends who commute home later, let them know. We're starting late to let them catch up with us!

Our route tomorrow will go to the Greenways. I'll check in the afternoon for flooding, if the Mighty St. Vrain runneth over, we will be back in Old Town.

One thing to do with your kids between now and then is make sure they know how to use their brakes. We will tackle the Bowen Hill. Don't worry we'll rock Martin Street back into Old Town. We will pass by the Lefthand. Feel free to stop, I will lead the remaining group back to Old Town.

See you Wednesday.
Ryan

Wednesday - 7pm & Latest on the G'Knight Ride

2011-06-11T23:52:00.002-06:00

Don't forget, Bike Night will start at 7pm this Wednesday and we'll be rockin' the St. Vrain Greenway. Should be a lot of fun.

Also - We surpassed the 400 mark on the G'Knight ride with a week to go. Are you registered? If not get in gear.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend.

See you Wednesday!

Ryan

Bike Night Sets New Firsts

2011-06-09T12:31:00.005-06:00

Lastnight was a night of firsts for Bike Night.

Until this week I had never thought anyone would be married on Bike Night. I was honored when Randy Burgess and Libby Taylor asked me to “officiate” their wedding. Randy & Libby were officially married earlier, however their love for eachother, biking and Bike Night lead them to renew their vows publicly.

Congratulations to Libby and Randy - may you ride many miles together!

Last night beat our biggest ride ever. The largest ride prior to lastnight was 110, on the same night one year ago.

Will it be the same next week? I hope so!

  Next week the ride will start at 7pm. This is to let those folks who commute home have a chance to get to the ride. Our next 7pm ride will be July 20th. If you have friends or co-workers who can’t make 6:30p let them know we’ll meet at 7pm, start at 7:15, and will be going to the St.Vrain Greenway – unless it’s flooding.

Thanks for a great week, see you next Wednesday at 7pm. I see you on the greenways, at the Farmer’s Market or around town first!

Don’t forget to register for the G’Knight Ride, too! I’m excited that such an amazing event is coming to fruition. Check out www.gknightride.org for more information!

Hasta!
Ryan

Wednesday Bike Night - Theme: Black & White

2011-06-05T21:05:00.002-06:00

Happy Sunday!

What a weekend - finally - the first "Warm" almost down right hot weekend. Summertime for sure. Let the DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince play!

Speaking of all things Jazzy & Fresh - Bike NIght will be back on Wednesday. Something special is going to happen this week. So, please, wear black and/or white. It's gonna be cool!

It's been a heck-uva-week. I spent Thursday cruising the streets of Boulder. Riding the Boulder Cruiser ride was a lot of fun and somewhat intimidating. I hadn't ridden with them since we raised money to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

I heard from multiple cruisers they'd heard of Longmont Bike Night and were impressed with the cycling options we had here. Several people were there who were regulars with the Boulder ride and had done our ride, told me they said Longmont's ride reminded them of Boulder's ride in the '90's prior to it's explosive growth.

Boulder now draws nearly 500 riders, regularly. From a ride leader's perspective it was interesting to see how 500 people can move organically through a city like Boulder. It's really something to behold. I encourage you to check it out.

Both are very fun, but in different ways.

The most interesting thing i witnessed was the "Rave in a Box". Something to behold, for sure.

Congrats to the folks who make Boulder's Ride very unique, and very Boulder.

Ryan

Times Call Article - G'Knight Ride, too

2011-06-02T07:25:00.005-06:00

G'Morn!

There is a great article in the Times Call. The article covers the excellent turn out last night.

I hope everyone had a good time. I wanted to take a minute and give a shameless plug to the G'Knight Ride.

What are you doing on June 18th? Those of you with fathers in the household, what are you doing for Dad on Fathers Day weekend? Another tie? Grilling on the patio? Nascar?

Might I suggest - Bikes, Live Music and Beer? Trifecta - I think so.

Bicycle Longmont and Oskar Blues present the first annual G'Knight Ride. There will be two routes that will begin and end in Prospect. The first is a short 3 mile loop, ideal for the younger riders, relatively flat, and scenic. The longer route is 10 miles and will loop around South Longmont to the Historic Eastside Neighborhood, Downtown and to the Westside neighborhood, then back to Prospect.

We will have family friendly events between 4pm & 6pm. The first waves of the cruiser ride will depart at 6pm. The bands will hit the stage at 7:30pm and continue until 11p. Oskar Blues will open the beer garden around 6:30pm. Food will be available at Prospect businesses and the Denver/Boulder Gourmet Trucks will be there, too.

How much does it cost? Well, comparable rides require upwards to a $35 for registration. We're not. Our registration is $10 for individuals and $25 for families. The day of the event these prices will increase.

Learn more by going to the G'Knight Ride website. Or you can go directly to Active.com to register.

Have you already registered? Great! Tell a friend!

Proceeds from the G'Knight Ride will go to benefit the programs of Bicycle Longmont.

Ryan

107! Tied 6/2/2010

2011-06-01T22:36:00.005-06:00

Well we finished the first Old Town Century, tonight - We had approximately 107 people travel 6.4 miles - that's 642 miles, so we made it to somewhere in IA or Jackson Hole - take your pick.

Point is we had fun! Lots of first timers came out, again, tonight. I hope to see you all back out there again next week.

I want to congratulate Kelly Sanseverino on winning the one hour massage by Ms. Pati Walker, Thanks to Pati for giving BN the gift certificate! Look forward to another in July and August. I forgot to mention Bicycle Longmont members get special pricing, too.

One last thing - we're three weeks from the G'Knight Ride - if you liked our ride tonight imagine doing it with 500 others! You can find more information at the G'Knight Ride website. Registration is $10 or $25 for a family. This event will be a lot of fun for the whole family especially, Dad on Dad's day weekend. I'm just sayin'. If you're thinking about going please register soon. Thanks!

Also, don't forget to pick up your copy of the TImes-Call tomorrow, should be a good story in the paper, too!

Did I mention we had 107ish people? Nice.

Until later,

rjk

Kids Bike Safety Class, Massage, & Coolest Bike

2011-06-01T07:49:00.003-06:00

Seems like a random title, right?

Just a quick reminder - Tonight is our Kid's Bike Safety Class. The class will be held at Central Elementary School at 4:30pm. We'll be in the activity field behind Central Elementary. You can access the field off of 5th Avenue. The class will end around 6pm. So bring a camera, your bike, your kid's bike, helmet and a snack. See you this afternoon.

Also tonight the adult with the coolest bike will get a gift certificate for a free massage! So do what you can to decorate/pimp/trick out your ride. The kids will be on the prowl, choosing the coolest ride.

Thanks to Pati Walker for the gift certificate. We will give away a massage certificate once a month!

Take Care - see you in a few!

65 Riders Literally Rang in the 9th Season of BIke NIght

2011-05-26T20:51:00.003-06:00

Lets face it, last Wednesday was the first Bike Night of our 9th season. However with the conditions being what they were, I'd say LASTNIGHT, was the real first Bike Night. So, all you trivia buffs, somewhere in the future I'm probably going to ask " What year were there two "first" Bike Nights - the answer will be 2011.

Anyway, if you missed us lastnight, never fear, we'll be back next week at 6:30pm. Plus we'll be giving away ANOTHER gift certificate! This time for a free one hour massage! More to follow. I know we really don't need gimmicks like give aways to get people to spend some time spinning through Old Town, but, hey - Why not!

Lastnight we had 65 riders. That is an excellent turn out by any measure. We were lucky enough to have a reprieve from the rain, gloom and clouds. I don't think the weather could have been much better! Fun was had by all.

There were a number of first time riders, too. I had an opportunity to talk to most of these folks. It was fun and interesting to hear how they heard about BIke Night. My favorite answers were: "My friends won't shut up about it" and "You guys have passed my house every week for the last 8 years. So, I finally decided, "What the hell, so I bought this bike at the Pawn Shop and here I am."

Have you heard a better story? I think not!

The point is: Whatever brings you to Bike Night, persistent cruisers, obnoxious friends, whatever it is, you'll be welcome here! So get off the porch, off the couch, out of your car and join us this summer. To borrow a phrase I just read in Bicycling Magazine - It's about Exhilaration not acceleration. Bike NIght.

Wednesday IS BIKE NIGHT!

2011-05-24T07:32:00.007-06:00

Happy Tuesday, Cruisers.

I just checked the weather forecast. Tomorrow, we’re down to a 30% chance of rain, so, I’m hoping, crossing my fingers that, we’re back into our spring 3 O’clock shower, 6pm sun cycle.

Having said that, it’s Bike Night rain or shine, baby. Lastweek it dumped. Not in a good way. Well, on second thought, maybe it was a good thing, I’m sure there are people who have moved here from the Pacific Northwest and have been longing to use their favorite umbrella or raincoat. However, I think, it was unanimous among the three of us, who rode through Old Town the weather conditions were pretty crappy.

Tomorrow will be different, though. We will meet at 6:30pm at Roosevelt Park, I’ll do my little spiel and we’ll get rolling by 6:40ish. Our route will stay in Old Town.

We’ll see such sites as Sunset Golf Course, hopefully a sunset over the Indian Peaks and the always interesting and evolving Grant Street “Art in the Alley” project. Good times.

About Kids & Rider Safety:

Kids are always welcome on Bike Night, however if your child is riding a bike with training wheels or a stryder – you should have them ride in a trailer or on a tag-a-long/tandem. If your child is going to ride with the Bike Night group, which can be as large as 130 riders, ask yourself if you’re sure he or she knows how to ride safely. Bike Night is not a race, and is not a time to show off their mad BMX skills. Take a minute tonight and talk about bike safety with your kiddo and how to ride safely.
I’ll touch on this tomorrow night prior to our ride. The important thing to remember is your child is your responsibility and he or she should always be within your eyesight and within the sound of your voice. It’s fun to be the leader of Bike Night and over the past 8 years I’ve noticed kids really like to be in front with me. That’s great, but if your child likes to sprint between stop signs or repeatedly gets ahead of the group – I will give them a gentle reminder to stay with the group. If this happens repeatedly, I may ask your child to stay with you during the remainder of the ride and the entire next ride.
Tomorrow we will be on the streets of Old Town, where, generally there are few cars. We do ride on streets with bike lanes. These are typically busier streets. So tonight go for a walk or if you pick your child up from preschool or elementary school point out the Bike Lanes and remind your child that they should always be in the bike lane – even on Bike Night.

Wow. That was kinda heavy – The cool thing with all of this is, if you do Bike Night regularly you will see your child become a better rider – and – they will start self-policing themselves and the other kids on the ride. It’s a fun process to watch and be a part of.

Bicycle Longmont will offer another Kids Bike Safety class this year. The class will be prior to Bike Night on June 1st at Central Elementary School at 4:00 pm. If your kidinski attended last year’s, come again this year. A refresher is always a good idea. There is no cost for this class.

The class will end with enough time to grab a quick bite to eat prior to Bike Night beginning.

The following link will lead you to the League of American Bicyclists’ Bicycling Tip sheet. I’m trying to find something a little more kid friendly but, haven’t found it yet. Anyway, you’ll have to do some translating to break it down for your child, but click here. If you find a top 10 list or something please let me know. I’ll post the link here.

See you tomorrow night!

We ride, TONIGHT!

2011-05-18T00:26:00.002-06:00

Hey all,

I'm looking forward to a great ride tonight. Hopefully that "chance" of rain will pass us by.

I finally dusted off the Chopper, spruced up Andrea's Electra Deluxe, and even pimped Anna's tag-a-long. It's late so I'm gonna make this short.

Tonight we're going to keep it simple. We'll meet at Roosevelt Park at 6:30PM as usual, I'll have some fun announcements, go over a few Bike NIght guidelines and chat with the kids about riding in a group.

We'll stay in Old Town. From Roosevelt we'll circle Thompson Park and meander west through the streets and alleys to Sunset Hill. At the top of Sunset we'll hang out and catch our breath then jump on our bikes and cruise the long downhill to Francis Street. From this point we'll begin meandering east to the Historic Eastside Neighborhood. Circle Collyer Park then, end at 5th & Kimbark Street behind the Great Frame-up.

If you're coming to Bike Night for the first time and you have kids, please talk with them ahead of time about being safe and watching out for other people. The important thing is to have fun and ride safely.

Helmets are encouraged for the kids, too.

See you in a few!
Ryan

Bike Night is back on Wednesday Night!

2011-05-15T13:32:00.005-06:00

I look forward to this post each year.

I have a check list that gets me ready for Bike Night -
Bike - Check
Tag-a-long - Check
Bike bell - Check
Bike upgrades-
- cup holder - check
- light - not yet - but soon
- new seat - not yet - but soon

Good friends - CHECK!

NEW THIS YEAR!
This year we're going to try something new. Over the years more than one or two people have asked to move the time to 7pm. So we'll give it a go. Every third Wednesday we'll meet at 7pm rather than the usual 6:30pm. We'll probably get rolling around 7:15pm. The dates for these "late start nights" will be June 15th, July 20th, and August 17th.

Saturday, Saturday, Saturday!
The other new thing we're adding is a Saturday Night cruiser ride. Stay tuned for future dates. We're shooting for one Saturday each month, beginning in June. Dates TBA.

Where Did Bike Night Come From?

I hope you're looking forward to the first bike night of our 8th year as much as I am. Last year we started the season with over 70 people. That number continued through June - by the end we had an average of 75 people per ride. Our largest was 134 riders. Not bad! I can remember just a few short years ago when 5-10 people was an excellent turn out.

Bike Night started as a way for my wife and I to get to know our neighbors and other people who wanted to ride around town in a fun and friendly way. We were somewhat nervous about riding in traffic and basically wanted an excuse to get ice cream. So we started riding around. It seemed like folks always appreciated others on cruiser bikes.

Andrea and I would ride through old town to Dairy Queen and down to Lefthand Brewery. We enjoyed getting to know other cyclists we'd meet and we also liked talking to folks about our bikes. Turns out there were a lot of other people who enjoyed doing the same things.

After a visit down the road to Boulder for the Thursday Night cruiser ride, I challenged Pete at Acme BIkes to start a shop ride on Wednesdays. Without a beat he turned it around and said "Why don't you?"

"OK"

So after about a month of talking it over with friends Bike Night began in June 2003. Since then we've had the times of our lives on two wheels.

I hope you'll come join us on Wednesday May 18th at 6:30pm. We meet at Roosevelt Park near the Senior Center.

Bicycle Longmont Social - Tomorrow!

2011-05-11T22:45:00.000-06:00

Our Spring Social will happen tomorrow. The weather is going to be sketchy so that means you'll have no excuse but to come hang out with us for a bit. Besides the only thing we're competing against on TV is the evening news and we are way more exciting than that.

The only flooding you'll hear about at the Social will be talk of Bicycle Longmont flooding the streets of Longmont with recreational cyclists!

Truth be told you might hear from me about my intense fear that the St. Vrain will flood the G'Knight Ride. BUT beyond that we'll be having a lot of fun and merriment.

Please join us. All are welcome. 5p-7p at the Dickens Tavern, Downtown Longmont - 300 Main Street.

See you soon!
Ryan

Bicycle Longmont's Spring Social! May 12th, Dickens Tavern

2011-05-03T21:50:00.005-06:00

It's that time again. Time to connect with your fellow cyclists and to learn about what's happening this summer.

Bicycle Longmont will host its spring social on Thursday, May 12th at 5pm. We're going back to the Dickens Tavern. If you joined us in February bring a friend. This time we'll be in the larger, Presidents Room.

We will update you on the events Bicycle Longmont will be hosting around Longmont. We've planned a full summer that will keep you busy.

I hope you will join us, tuxes and cocktail dresses, not required.

Thanks,

Ryan Kragerud

PS 2 weeks til Bike Night, Baby!

Quick Note -

2011-04-27T20:43:00.000-06:00

3 WEEKS BABY!

Until we ride!

First Ever Bike Night Renga!

2011-04-22T07:27:00.006-06:00

I know you're just waiting to hear how the movie film fest worked out, but, you'll have to wait a little while longer. In the meantime, how about getting down with your bad - poet -self! Carpe Diem!

This morning I was listening to National Public Radio and the announcer interviewed a poet who had started a Renga. A Renga is a poem written by a community of people where each person writes their own stanzas based on the 5-7-5, or 7-7 syllable (or sound units) pattern. With BIke Night beginning in a few weeks I thought having the Bike Night "community" write a Renga, might be fun.

To learn more about what I'm talking about click here.

I'll give my weak verse first in the 5-7-5 format. The next must be a two line stanza in the 7-7 syllable format. Alternating by stanza. 5-7-5, 7-7, 5-7-5 etc. Verses/stanzas can be posted in the comments below.

Also, your verse must draw from the idea in the previous verse.

I will assemble them and the final Renga will be read prior to the first BIke Night. This should be fun!

1. Shiny Cruiser Bike,
A big crowd gathers
Waiving neighbors laugh

Excellent turnout tonight!

2011-04-07T19:45:00.010-06:00

On behalf of the Bicycle Longmont Board I have to say we packed the place! Way to go Longmont. It was an excellent turnout. You guys filled the Dickens out of the Dickens. And, what a great time. The crowd, the movie, all of it great friends and a lot of good cheer.

As you can tell we had a great time.

Quickly - I need to say one thing - THANK YOU MIKE DION! - We were given the incredible surprise tonight when Mike Dion the filmmaker of Ride the Divide showed up out of the blue to answer questions. It was a great time, made even greater by having him there. So - Mike - Thank you!

Tomorrow night will be equally as great.

If you liked Ride the DIvide come and check out BIcycle Dreams. It's similar to Ride the Divide in that you can see extraordinary human beings accomplish amazing feats. It's truly a movie that will stick with you.

If you haven't gotten tickets, tickets will be $15 at the door. However, know that there will be a panel discussion and an after party at Oskar Blues Brewery at Pike and Sunset. I think you'll get your $15 worth, really.

Having said that.... We will drop a bunch more Bicycle Dreams tickets off at Crackpots tomorrow morning. These tickets will remain $10. It's Friday and we need easy math on Fridays. So that means you get a deal so - ya' know - I wouldn't complain.

A little bit about the Panel Our panel will include Rick Boethling - Race Across America - Race Director, Terri Gooch & Tim Case both have competed in Multiple RAAM rides. We will also feature Ryan Van Duzer. Ryan has ridden across the USA a number of times and will share his insights into RAAM as well.

Also if you need to hedge your bet on the cruiser bike - we'll be selling tickets tomorrow night too at Vance Brand.

We hope to see you there.

Allrighty, it's late and time to refuel for tomorrow. S

Sleep well St. Vrain Valley!

Ryan

Film Fest Tickets are on sale, now! Get 'em while they last!

2011-03-31T08:34:00.002-06:00

Just a friendly reminder Bicycle Longmont is reaching out to Longmont's Cruiser Culture to pack the Dicken's Opera House on Thursday April 14th, for Ride the Divide. If you've checked the trailer for the movie, you know it's about mountain biking, however, it's much more than that. This movie and Bicycle Dreams are more than "cycling" movies. They are movies that are set within the cycling world but go far beyond by showing us what some ultra athletes, and not-so-ultra athletes can do. They posit these questions within us - What am I capable of? What can I achieve?

Over these two nights you will have the opportunity to traverse the U.S.A West to East and North to South.

To say that these two movies are "moving tales" is more than a pun.

Come and see. Decide for your self, what will you do this weekend? Summer? Year?

Ryan

Movie Particulars:
Tickets are available here: $10 in advance, $15 at the door

Ride the Divide (trailer)
DIcken's Opera House
300 Main Street
Longmont 80501

Bicycle Dreams (trailer)
Vance Brand Auditorium, Skyline High School
600 East Mountain View Ave
Longmont 80501

Long awaited Update!

2011-03-26T21:34:00.004-06:00

Happy Saturday, Everyone.

There is a lot going on so hold on tight. First, an apology today is not March 15th. I said on March 14th I’d have an update “tomorrow”. Usually “tomorrow” means within 24 hours you can look forward to something, however – that didn’t happen, sorry.

As you know Bicycle Longmont has a film festival coming, and it’s going to happen. Bicycle Longmont is also working to put together a cruiser ride on June 18th. There are a lot of details and agreements that were and are still needed and those have all gotten in the way of a timely update.

This is probably the fourth time I’ve started writing an update and it’s about now that I start focusing on all the unknowns and begin to consider waiting to do the update until all is known, sewed up, and tied with a pretty bow. Well, that ain’t happening. So lets boldly move forward. Here’s what I know and please spread the news.

Film Festival
The film festival is moving forward. Tickets are on sale at Bicycle Longmont’s website www.bicyclelongmont.org. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door.

I’m pleased to tell you Oskar Blues is our partner and will be offering drink specials on Thursday night at the Dicken’s Opera house, before, during and after Ride the Divide. We have a 300 person capacity so hurry and buy your tickets! Friday night, following Bicycle Dreams there will be an after party for those 21 & up at the Tasty Weasel. Oskar Blues is extending their hours to accommodate our event. Your ticket stub will get you in AND, not only will you be in a brewery after hours, but (BONUS) you will also be getting a dollar off Oskar’s Blues beer. If beer isn’t your thing, but you’d like to hang out with fellow cyclists after the show, Oskar Blues makes a great rootbeer, too.

Our other partners are Crackpots, Old Town Outfitters (opening this fall at 5th & Main Street), Old Town Realty, Lefthand Back & Body, The Dicken’s Tavern, the Longmont Clinic and the Merchants of Prospect.

We’re Raffling something!
Did you know Bike Night starts May 18th? Wouldn’t it be great to start the new season on a new cruiser? We have a Phat Cycles Cruiser that we will be raffling off on Friday night during intermission of Bicycle Dreams! Tickets will be available at Ride the Divide and Bicycle Dreams. (Specifics about times, addresses for shows etc. are below).

June 18th Cruiser Ride: Also now known as “The G’Knight Ride”.

The best way to describe what’s been going on with this is “It’s sort of kismet”. June 18th Bicycle Longmont has planned our first night time cruiser ride. As fate would have it, Oskar Blues is also holding their Brewery Festival known as “Burning Can” that same day. Burning Can is an opportunity to sample finely crafted micro-brews that breweries from across the country are canning. Among other things this is an opportunity to check out brews that are not available in Colorado. It’s pretty cool.

We began talking with Oskar Blues in February and everything came together a couple weeks ago. Oskar Blues has rebranded their “Gordon’s brew” to “G’Knight” it’s good. At the same time we’ve been trying to name our ride. The two seem to work, pretty well.

During our meeting the ride was named the “G’Knight Ride”.

Fear not, we know Bike Night is a family affair so we are planning family friendly festivities prior to the G’Knight Ride.

We need to meet with the City of Longmont to discuss our route but currently our start is in “downtown” Prospect near the Two Dog Diner. We will have family friendly activities in the park adjacent to Propects downtown area. As I mentioned the ride will begin there and proceed to Oskar Blues’ brewery, where a second wave will join the ride.

Riders will have the option to do one of two routes a long route and a short route. To see the routes check out our map in the sidebar. The long route is approximately 10 – 12 miles and the short route is closer to 2 miles.

Once back in Prospect there will be fun activities. There will be an after party that will begin around 8:30 pm sponsored by Oskar Blues and we’ll have a band, too.

This is going to be a lot of fun. As I mentioned we will be meeting with the City so the route might change but the start/end will remain the same. The projected timeframe for this event is 4pm to 11pm. The ride will begin around 6pm. The after party/beer garden will most likely open around 8:30 with the band beginning around 9:30pm.

Proceeds from beer sales will benefit Bicycle Longmont and our Holiday Bike Program.

Details about the activities and times will follow.

Thanks! See you on April 14th & 15th.

Film Festival Particulars:
Ride the Divide, 7pm, Dickens Opera House, 300 Main Street, Longmont
Tickets $10 advance, $15 at the door.

Ride the Divide movies and t-shirts will be on sale the night of the show. We will have the movie on Blu-Ray and standard definition DVD’s.

Bicycle Dreams, 7pm, Vance Brand Auditorium, Skyline High School, 600 East Mountain View Avenue, Longmont.
Tickets $10 advance, $15 at the door.

After Party – Tasty Weasel, Oskar Blues Brewery Pike & Sunset Street in SW Longmont, following the show.

Update: Rolling On!

2011-03-04T13:51:00.002-07:00

We're moving forward. This has been a great last two weeks. We've had a lot of great community support. I'd like to thank the Times-Call for the great article they printed on Monday. The article did a great job describing where we're at and what we're trying to accomplish.

From that article and from the buzz over our film series, we've had quite a few people take interest in our little endeavor. We've done some great fundraising and we've still got a little way to go.

Today I got off the phone with the film guys and just received the artwork for our posters. Expect to see those online and at your local bike shop, soon. I'll also have them on all of our sites, pages, and blogs. If you'd like to have a copy of either the Ride the Divide Poster or Bicycle Dreams poster I'll send one with the Longmont info on it, digitally. We're sort of launching a guerilla marketing campaign.

We want to pack the Dickens and Vance Brand. By the way - Vance Brand has 1,375 seats. So, We, Me and You have some work to do.

I hope you all have a great weekend and I'll be back next week with another update!

the BIG announcement - Bicycle Longmont Film Fest!

2011-02-25T16:10:00.007-07:00

Bicycle Longmont will hold a “mini-film festival” on Thursday April 14th, & Friday April 15th.

As we mentioned at our winter social, 2011 is going to be a big year for Bicycle Longmont and Cycling in Longmont. We hope you will pass the word and will help us by getting people to join us at both showings. Both movies are great and we're super excited to be showing them!

On Thursday, April 14th at 8pm Bicycle Longmont and the Dickens Opera House will present Ride the Divide. This movie has gotten great reviews and has played all over the world. We will have copies of the movie along with other Ride the Divide items for you to buy, too. This showing will be ages 21 & up.

To see the trailer go to www.ridethedividemovie.com

On Friday, April 15th, 7pm at Vance Brand Auditorium, (All Ages) Bicycle Longmont will show Bicycle Dreams. This is a documentary that follows cyclists as they race across America or RAM. RAM has a cult following and this documentary is incredible. Bicycle Dreams has won many awards including the Boulder International Film Festival in 2009. We are excited to be showing this movie.

To see the trailer go to www.bicycledreamsmovie.com

We are still in planning stages and many details remain to be worked out. However, we want you to start spreading the word and save the dates. Please join us! Bicycle Dreams will be an all ages show.

Proceeds from ticket sales will go to support the Bicycle Longmont Cruiser Fundraiser coming this Spring on June 18th and the Kids Holiday Bike Program.

Big Cruiser Ride Update

2011-02-17T14:02:00.001-07:00

Big Cruiser Ride update:
As some of you might know Bike Night/Bicylce Longmont teamed with a promoter to help put on the big Cruiser Ride this summer. We are targeting , Saturday, June 18th for the ride. Our promoter is the same outfit that puts on and coordinates the Urban Assault Rides held all over the US, previously the New Belgium Fat Tire Festivals, and the new Diva Dash in Austin TX. We’re excited to be working with these guys.
Lastnight, they presented us with a budget for the big cruiser ride, which is why I’m writing this message to you. We want to make this event free for all to participate. In order to get the cruiser ride off the ground we need to raise money to promote and organize the event. We’re hoping to get one major sponsor and two to three other sponsors. Our promoter is confident they could get 1,000, upwards to 2,000 people to this event. That’s a lot of exposure.

My vision for this cruiser fundraiser is to have it annually. To bring people into Longmont and show them what an excellent town we have. The long term vision is to grow into a festival that was our way to kick off Colorado Bike Week. Think of it like the Sturgis/Interbike/Veloswap/Handcrafted Bike Show of Longmont/Northern Colorado.

But that is a few years down the trail.

First we have to have a successful first ride. I’m throwing this out there to the Bike Night nation because I know Bike Night draws from a eclectic crowd. We need to raise approximately $20,000. That’s a lot of cha-ching. However we’re hoping, as I mentioned, we could get upwards to 4 sponsors. Our major sponsor would get naming rights to the cruiser ride and the ubiquitous banners etc. This level would be in the neighborhood of $7,000-$10,000. The other levels would be $6,999 and less.

Bicycle Longmont and the Holiday Bike Program are the benefactors of the Ride. Bicycle Longmont is a 501-C3 and the Holiday Bike Program is Bicycle Longmont’s hallmark program. We estimate over 8,000 bikes have been given to area kids since 1988. In 2010, we gave away approximately 440 bikes and took in nearly 600 donated bikes. Those we didn’t give away to area children were brought to Community Cycles in Fort Collins and other non-profits.

If you have leads or are intouch with companies willing to donate money please have them email me at rjkragerud@gmail.com.

Thanks for your kind consideration.

Ryan

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T10:44:00.002-07:00

I hope you got your new year off to a good start, lastnight.

Here's to the best year yet, and I'm hoping to see you on the highways, byways, bike lanes, greenways, and trails. Enjoy the new year by seeing it on your Bike.

Take Care,

Ryan

Holiday Light Parade = Longmont, CO 12/11/2010

2010-12-10T15:44:00.002-07:00

Hey All,

We're doing the Holiday Lights Parade tomorrow night. We'll be meeting at 4pm at Bross and Longs Peak in Old Town Longmont. The Parade will begin at 5pm followed by Fireworks. You can get more details at www.dolo.org or ci.longmont.co.us.

Also, we're decorating the Bicycle Longmont trailer at my place beginning at 1pm tomorrow afternoon. My address is 615 Lincoln Street, Longmont We need extra lights so if you have some you'd like to donate we'd appreciate it.

Thanks,
Ryan

Halloween Ride - 2010

2010-10-24T19:30:00.003-06:00

Sorry, for the late notice, but, next week is Halloween! So, we're setting up a Halloween RIde starting at 4pm at Roosevelt Park on Saturday October 30th. This will be a costumed ride, and will meander through Old Town and down to the Lefthand Brewery. We'll hang out there for a little while and meander back down town.

Bring your kids. We'll do a short ride at the beginning similar to the "kids" ride held earlier this summer. The kids ride will go from Roosevelt Park to Thompson and back to Roosevelt Park. Then we'll depart Roosevelt again destined for the Lefthand. The ride to Lefthand isn't suitable for super young riders. Just a little warning there!

Should be fun! Decorate your bike, too.

OH! Bring candy.

Ryan

Say Cheese - for a good cause!

2010-09-28T09:36:00.003-06:00

The City of Longmont would like cyclists to show up at 4pm today at the intersection of Martin Street and the St. Vrain Greenway near Best Buy/DSW/Carls Jr etc. For a photo shoot. The photos will be used in the 2011 Bicycle Route map. Join US!

$60 raised for the Bicycle Longmont Holiday Bike Program

2010-09-14T23:12:00.003-06:00

Lastweek was the last Bike NIght. For the fourth time in as many years the after-ride party was held at Abondanza's downtown. We had a great turnout despite the rain. There were close to 30 something, 30 somethings there. Bob Goff, owner of downtown's best pizzeria, donated $60 to the Bicycle Longmont Holiday Bike Program. You can learn more about that program by going to Bicycle Longmont's hompage.

Our biggest supporter has been Pete at Acme Bikes. Pete's been there since the begining - 8 years ago. Pete knows his bikes and once again stepped up with the schwag. Lots of people left the after-ride with some new things, and a few left saying to themselves "Rats. Next year, I'll get me some of that free stuff!" So if there is anything you need I encourage you to check it out with Pete first. Acme is located behind Aunt Alice's Kitchen, near Natural Grocers, BY Vitamin Cottage. (You have the vision of that freaky chica from the commercial, don't you, It's OK).

Eventhough the weekly rides ended there are a couple of rides to look forward to. We will again dawn our costumes and have a Bike Night ride the afternoon of October 30th. This is the same day as the Longmont Halloween Parade. We will meet at 4pm that Saturday at Roosevelt Park. Bring candy and we'll see who we can pelt along the way.

Should be a lot fun. BIke Night will also be representing all that is good and right in the world during the Holiday Parade, too. More to come on that in the medium distant future.

For now, Bike Night may have ended but that doesn't mean you should hang that cruiser on the wall. Keep riding, and remember!

Ride Wednesdays!

Sincerely,
Your friendly neighborhood cruiser coordinator!

See you in a few weeks.

Ryan

Last Bike Night - Tomorrow 9/8/2010

2010-09-07T21:06:00.003-06:00

Tomorrow night will be the last Bike Night for the 2010 season. We'll be back next year for another great season of cruising Longmont. This year has been an outstanding year. Lots of new people tried Bike Night, many folks returned after a few years hiatus and then there are the regulars riding every week rain or shine. Together you all made Bike Night's 8th season the best yet!

Tomorrow night we'll have schwag! Acme Bikes stepped up for another great 8th season. Acme has been there from the start and continues their support! Acme donated several t-shirts, a ringer, and what I'm sure will become highly sought after merchandise - a frog and alligator squeakers! If you like Kelly's parrot or Jennifer's sumo wrestler (or Rastler for you Iowans) you'll love these squeakers.

Perky's donated 5 gift certificates for free lattes. Mmmmm caffeinated (or not) goodness.... Visit Perky's when you have a chance and give Neil some love. I learned tonight they make most of their pastries on site along with their organic Ice Cream.... yum.

STATISTICS
This year we set a record for the most people ever on a Bike Night ride. The highest turn out was 110 people in early June. The average number of riders dropped from a whopping 73 in June to a record 55 through the season. Still those are some excellent numbers.

RIDE Details:
We will meet at 6:30 as usual at Roosevelt Park then ride through Old Town in our Hawaiian shirts, up to Sunset Hill then back to Abondanza's for pizza and beverages. We will hold a raffle for the schwag, then.

Please pass the word and let all your friends know about the last ride.

Ryan

70's & 80's and the Greenway

2010-08-31T20:23:00.003-06:00

Happy Tuesday!

I hope everyone had a great day. Tomorrow night is Bike Night! We'll be riding from Roosevelt Park to Rogers Grove. There will be a stop at Lefthand Brewery on the way back to Old Town. We won't make it all the way out to Golden Ponds this time. Maybe next year, Right?

Anyway the theme for tomorrow night is 70's & 80's. So grab your favorite polo and big handled comb and come ride with us!

Next week, September 8th will be the final Bike Night of 2010 season! Tell your friends and neighbors. Lets try and boost the ride to over 100 again.

See you all tomorrow.

Ryan

Bike Night Article: Longmont Ledger

2010-08-27T13:50:00.005-06:00

The Longmont Ledger wrote a great article on Bike NIght. Look for it in the Ledger available on Sunday in either the Post or Daily Camera, and on stands around town. I know there is a stand at 5th & Main. The Ledger is a free publication. Check it out. The article can also be found by following this link:

Have a great weekend and we'll see you on Wednesday

Trippin' Old Town this week!

2010-08-23T20:29:00.002-06:00

Hey All,

Thanks and a big SAH-lute to those who made the trek to Oskar Blues Brewery/Tastey Weasel. We had a great time and about 39 people made the ride a blast! If you're tracking your miles and you made it the whole way our route was approximately 13 miles. So give yourself a pat on the back!

This week we'll be bringing it back to Old Town. The theme this week is Plaid. Any show-tune types might want to do "Forever Plaid". Anyway We're bringing the plaid to Old Town.

Come out and join us. There are only two more rides after Wednesday. (That's 3 total including Wednesday). Next week we'll venture to the Lefthand one last time and then wrap things up the following Wednesday with a feast of Pizza somewhere. If you know cool employers looking to give away schwag - let me know. We have two less bike shops so I'm expecting things to be slimmer this year.

So, see you Wednesday at 6:30pm, @ Roosevelt and we'll Ride.

rjk

Saturday Night Dinner Cruise - August 21st

2010-08-20T11:30:00.004-06:00

I've mentioned this a few times at our regular Bike Night rides and tomorrow night is the big dinner cruise. This might be a good time to get a babysitter, detach the trailer and go for a ride. Here' s the schedule.

Meet at Roosevelt around 4pm on Saturday August 21st. Ride to the Lefthand Brewery for a happy hour then set sail for the Rib House in Prospect.

We'll leave Lefthand about 5:30pm and ride to The Rib House. We should be there by 6pm.

Following the Rib House we'll find dessert somewhere along the way back to Old Town/Downtown Longmont.

RSVP via "like" on the Facebook page or leave a comment here.

Thanks!
Ryan

Some Like it HOT

2010-08-18T16:50:00.002-06:00

Tonight, it's gonna be HOT, and not entirely in a good way!

Bring water for yourself. If you're bringing your kiddo bring water and a snack for them. Oskar Blues Brewery at Pike & Sunset does not sell food or kid friendly beverages, except Root Beer - which is pretty good.

Anyway.

Tonight's ride will be longer almost 10 miles, think hard about whether or not your wee-one can put down 10 miles at 94 degrees. If not, you can look forward to next week! We'll be in Old Town doing our regular ride.

PS No 7pm wave tonight.

Take Care - bring water.
Ryan

Tastey Weasel - Wednesday (tomorrow)

2010-08-17T12:20:00.004-06:00

Tomorrow we'll ride to the Tastey Weasel on Pike Road and Sunset Street. This will be a longer ride - lights would be a good idea. This may not be a good ride for young kids.

Riding to the Tastey Weasel will require riding on several busy streets. Our route will take us from Roosevelt Park to the St. Vrain Greenway via 6th Avenue and Martin Street, south to the Greenway. We'll connect to Lefthand Greenway and take that all the way to Sunset Street through Kanemoto Park and Creekside Park.

Our return route will bring us through Southmoor Park to Bowen Street and back to the St. Vrain Greenway.

We had a great turn out lastweek. Thanks for making the kids ride a success.

Finally, I hope all the kids who participated in Bike Night this summer have a safe trip to school tomorrow! Be safe!

Kids Ride Success!

2010-08-12T07:26:00.007-06:00

Lastnight's second annual Fleming Kids Night was a success. Many took part who otherwise might have been in trailers, tag-a-longs, trail-a-bikes or tandems. The start of the kids ride confused some riders who showed up at the regular spot. Sorry. Everything worked itself out in the end.

After the kids took their turn roaming the streets the adults and older kids took off around Old Town. We rode the usual route through the Westside to the Eastside. Stops were shorter due to the later start time. In all it was a beautiful night in Old Town. The heat broke in time for the ride.

Next week we'll take on the St. Vrain and Lefthand Greenway's as we ride out to the Tastey Weasel. Lights are advisable for this ride. Our theme will be Redneck Cruiser Ride - so have fun with that!

Thanks to everyone who took the School House Rock theme on lastnight!

August 11 - Old Town Cruise & Kids Night at Roosevelt Park - Theme - Schoolhouse Rock

2010-08-09T08:30:00.007-06:00

Greetings, All!

Wednesday we'll have the second annual Fleming Kids Bike Night at Roosevelt Park. Last year this was a huge success and everyone had a great time! Come around 6p with a picnic (optional). We'll meet inside the biking and walking path loop near the playground and rose gardens. This Bike Night is geared toward those Bike Nighter's who have had to ride out the season on tag-alongs, trail-a-bikes, their own 2wheelers, or in trailers.

Our theme will be School House Rock - in honor of all those kiddos going back to school next week.

There will be a cruiser ride at the regular time around Old Town for those folks without kids or those wishing to go for a ride without their kids. Rob (aka the Music Man) will lead this ride. Just before the grown-ups take off we'll have a Kids mini-cruise from Roosevelt Park to Thompson Park down Bross Street and back on Pratt Street. The Kids ride will end at the playground at Roosevelt Park.

Kids can bring tricycles, bikes, scooters or even skateboards or whatever they'd like to ride, kick, coast or glide on for the ride.

Hope to see you there.

Bike Night is ON!

2010-08-04T16:26:00.001-06:00

Rain or shine! Let's hope for shine!

Old Town in the News

2010-08-04T09:19:00.002-06:00

Check out the Times Call today! Neighbors in Old Town on Sherman and Grant Streets (Between 3rd and 6th Avenue) have decorated their common alley. Their home made mosaics were hung on their garages - pretty cool. Here's the link:

http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=22921

We'll check it out tonight on our way north to Perky's - don't forget your grunge attire!

rjk

GRUNGE Ride -Wednesday

2010-08-01T11:30:00.006-06:00

Happy Sunday everyone -

I hope your weekend is going well. Wednesday we'll have our first theme ride. We're going back to '90's when the Seattle was known for grunge and coffee. So dig out your flannel and/or your starbucks attire and we'll see you Wednesday. I heard the weather may cooperate with cooler temps, too!

In the meantime I've posted some photos from lastweek's ride. We had approximately 52 -55 people on the ride lastweek. If you haven't made it out for a ride do so this week.

See you Wednesday!

Old Town Tonight & Future Rides

2010-07-28T08:07:00.004-06:00

We'll be cruising the streets of Old Town again tonight and will venture north next week. I've been doing some planning and here are the rides and, ready for this, "themes" for the remaining rides!

August 4 - Next week - We'll venture north to Perky's Coffee (formerly Snow Mtn. Creamery) - the theme will be "Grunge" so dawn your best Pearl Jam T-shirt and tapp into your teenage angst.
August 11 - Old Town Cruise & Kids Night at Roosevelt Park - Theme - Schoolhouse Rock
August 18 - Tastey Weasel - Pike Rd & Sunset Street - Theme - Redneck/White Trash
August 25th - Old Town Cruise - Theme Plaid
September 1st - Last official Greenway Ride - Left Hand Brewery - Theme - 70's & 80's
September 8th - Last BN - Old Town Cruise - Bike Night Celebration - Location TBA

Special Rides - Saturday, August 21st, Meet at Roosevelt Park for a Dinner Cruise @ 4pm.
Ride from Roosevelt Park to Lefthand Brewery for Happy Hour
Lefthand Greenway to Prospect and the Rib House for Dinner
Prospect - Ice Cream place for Dessert.
Back to Old Town and the Patio at the Dickens Tavern or the Roof at 7West for an after dinner bump.

August 29th - Bicycle Longmont - Day at the Rockies - Check out the Bicycle Longmont Page at www.bicyclelongmont.org.

See you tonight!

Check this!

2010-07-26T11:36:00.002-06:00

I ran across this link while trolling the Nirve.com website. The link is www.kennydoit.org. Kenny is riding his bike across the US - a single speed cruiser, btw. Donations to Kenny Do It will be used to raise awareness and support for better school lunches across our nation and for cancer research. Kenny was inspired by the need for preventative health care and to support/promote healthier lifestyles.

Sound familiar? That movement is what Bike Night is about too. Getting out, meeting your neighbors and pedaling around Longmont. A little exercise can go a long way.

So check out Kenny's website and see if he makes it to DC!

Great Night Lastnight - 60 riders rode into the sunset!

2010-07-22T07:25:00.007-06:00

Here are a few photos from lastnight. Next week we'll keep with the Old Town cruising. Also - don't forget movies in the park at Thompson Park on Saturday - Fantastic Mr. Fox - AND the ColoRODans Car Show at Roosevelt on Sunday!

Have a great week!

Wednesday - Old Town Ride

2010-07-20T21:05:00.002-06:00

Tomorrow night we'll keep it local and stay within Old Town. We will meander from Roosevelt Park to the Sunset Overlook, take a 5 - 10 minute break and then cruise the long downhill to the Historic Eastside. Our stopping point has changed. We will now be stopping in the parking lot between 4th & 5th on Kimbark Street (behind The Great Frame Up).

Ha Det!

Strung out on the Greenway.

2010-07-15T14:16:00.006-06:00

Lastnight about 50 people rode the greenway with us. We had a pretty good time, I think. Unfortunately your leader had to much coffee earlier in the day which translated into a lot o'spunk on the ride. As a result of my inappropriately applied spunk-itude, riders were strung out and atleast 3 groups formed and a couple of kids were separated from their parents. I apologize for this.

As a ride leader i'll do a better job of slowing the group down and letting folks get caught up. Also - from now on the rides will end in the parking lot located between 4th & 5th on Kimbark Street immediately behind the Great Frame Up. It's not an ideal ending point but atleast it's public property, unlike the gas station at 6th & Main Street.

Bike Night was booted from the gas station so boycott the gas station at 6th & Main.

Thanks to Rob for supplying the music lastnight and for hosting the 7pm wave. Next week we will return to Old Town and our usual route. Spread the word.

Ryan

Wednesday Night Ride and your Old Town Social Calendar

2010-07-13T09:39:00.003-06:00

Tomorrow night we'll take to the Greenway again. I ran the length between Price Street and Golden Ponds and am pleased to report the greenway is open for business. On the return route folks can stop at Lefthand - if you plan to do so bring water or juice for the kiddos. The lefthand offers Izzes and water but that's it.

I'll take those wishing to continue, back to Old Town.

Social Calendar!
Tonight: the Concert in the Park series continues at Roosevelt Park
Tomorrow: Bike Night is on - We'll take to the Greenway out to Golden Ponds and back along the Greenway - Unless anyone has a better option - Bring water or juice for the kiddos. It's gonna be hot.
Thursday Night: The Fourth Avenue Concert series continues in Downtown Longmont
Friday: Rest and Recovery
Saturday: Movies in the Park - The Longmont Film Society plays movies at Thompson Park at dusk - cost is free
Sunday: I heard the Jazz Festival will be playing at Roosevelt Park
Wooo - then we're back to Monday....

100 People on a Rainy BIKE NIGHT!

2010-07-07T20:15:00.003-06:00

91 did something else, which left about 9 of us on the streets tonight.

We had a great time chatting and splashing through the puddles. I hope everyone had a good evening and we'll see you next week. Same time, same place.

Rain or Shine - Bike Night is ON!

2010-07-07T15:57:00.003-06:00

Tonight we'll recreate the ride lead by Randy, last week. We'll meet at the regular time. Don't forget about the 7pm wave too!

Tonight we'll drop down to the Greenway head west to Fairgrounds Lake, then back east to the new Martin Street extension. Should be fun. We'll end at 5th & Kimbark.

Cheers

Wednesday first trip to the Greenway.

2010-06-29T09:12:00.001-06:00

Tomorrow night Randy Burgess will lead Bike Night to the Greenway. If you've wondered how to bike to the farmers market or to Lefthand Brewery this will be a good ride for you.The ride will meet at the regular place and time, 6:30 & 7Ish @ Roosevelt Park in lovely Old Town Longmont.

So long from sunny Northern Minnesota. See you next week.

What's Cooler than Cool?

2010-06-23T21:32:00.005-06:00

ICE COLD -

Tonight was a cool ride around Longmont with 100 or so super cool people.

We threw a little curve ball by doing the ride backward. First we went east and then west. We tried out a new ending point which, I don't think worked out so well. As you might have heard Bike Night was booted from the Gas 4 Less parking lot, oh well. Next week the starting point will be the same and the ending point will be the parking lot on Kimbark between 4th & 5th Avenues.

Randy will be the ride leader and you'll get to stretch your legs on the greenway! Rob will lead the 7pm wave. Tonight we had approximately 100+/- riders.

The 7pm wave had 4-6 folks. That's a solid start. Especially considering the first Bike Night had only that many. So, it's up to everyone to pass the word and get those folks who wold like to ride later to show up for the 7pm wave.

Tonight we had several first timers too. These folks are pictured above!

Thanks all for helping to make Bike Night - super cool!

Bike Night tomorrow - Quick Update

2010-06-22T21:28:00.002-06:00

Bike Night's regular ride will start at 6:30p as usual. We'll also begin a 7pm wave for those folks needing a little more time to get to Roosevelt Park. One important thing about the 7pm wave - You will need headlights. Not mandatory tomorrow night - But, from the next ride on you will need lights. The 7pm wave will ride longer routes and will most likely conclude after dark. So dress appropriately bring a light and get ready to have some fun!

Ryan

HAPPY SOLSTICE!

2010-06-21T22:02:00.002-06:00

It was great to get out tonight after a productive Bicycle Longmont meeting, there were lots of friendly people on the greenway. Looks like it will be drying out nicely. I heard a rumor that the traffic signal at 3rd and Martin will be operational soon. All this means we'll be riding the greenway very soon.

We've grown a lot over the past month and with that we've been booted from our normal ending place at 6th and Main Street. So I guess Wednesday we'll have a surprise ending for you. Nothing like a summer cliffhanger. Speaking of high places I heard a rumor 7 West will be opening their roof deck tomorrow......

Also; Don't forget Wednesday is 1) Bike to Work Day 2) Ride your bike to work, 3) It' s Bike Night and 4) We have two different rides leaving from Roosevelt Park. The first wave leaves at the usual time 6:30ish. The second wave leaves around 7pm. Each ride will rome the streets of Old Town and we're going to try and br...

Beautiful night for cruising and meeting new friends.

2010-06-16T21:15:00.004-06:00

Unofficial tallies have the participation at 92 tonight. I think people had a good time. We mixed up the ride a little. Might not have noticed that, though. I think the folks at Martinis were a little annoyed but, that's OK.

I'm looking forward to the new ride starting next week. Rob Zabrecky will be leading a 7:00 PM wave that will leave from Roosevelt Park. This ride is geared toward those folks who work out of town and

have a difficult time getting back for the 6:30 ride.

We will continue to have the first ride leave between 6:30 and 6:40. No worries there. I hope the new time will bring more people out and will help make Bike Night even better. Spread the word and let your friends know they can join in at 7pm.

Thanks, Rob.

Ryan

110

2010-06-10T21:05:00.003-06:00

We did it again. Bike Night went over 100 for the second week in a row. That puts the three week average at 95!

Besides the large turnout lastnight it was exciting to see so many first time riders. I asked how many folks were riding for the first time, about 20 raised their hand. It was really wonderful to see so many new faces giving Bike Night a go. Thanks!

Bike Night has really grown over the past two years. A good turn out used to be 15 or 20, now we're attracting upwards to 110. Incredible. I think that goes to the word of mouth of riders. You guys are out there talking to eachother and to other people who might be interested in trying it out.

Last year a core group of riders formed around Bike NIght and like any grass roots activity it's the actions of that small group that help attract new people. I'd like to thank Rob, Dave, Carl, Randy, Libby, Tiffany and Wes, and of course Kelly. You guys have done a great job of helping out and building Bike Night. Thanks.

Change is inevitable and with that we'll be announcing something exciting next week at the ride. (June 23). I really want to tell you now, but we haven't got all the details worked out just yet. So stay tuned!

How 'bout that rain tonight?

2010-06-08T21:09:00.003-06:00

Wow, Can Face sing! We got over to Roosevelt Park tonight to catch a little Face time with Longmont's own FACE. Folks around me were thinking Face could be the next boy band. However, I think most of them are over the cutoff for "boy" status, so I guess they might be the first "man band". If there is such a category. Well Face warmed up and began their set and then so did the heavens. Yep it rained. The diehard's stayed behind while the rest of us fair weather fans headed off to warmer, drier places.

Speaking of rain...

Tomorrow we RIDE! Rain or Shine... Will we hit a hundred again? Who knows but I do know that we will meet at 6:30 pm at Roosevelt Park. Allow a little more time for waivers etc. Otherwise see you all tomorrow night!

The photo above is of our very first Bike Night! The picture used for the Bike Night header is last week! Spread the word.

rjk

107 Riders! Uff Da

2010-06-02T22:01:00.003-06:00

So now we know what Old Town would be like if a hundred and seven riders took part in a cruiser ride. There were a lot of people tonight. I hope everyone had a lot of fun and were respectful of one another and to other users on the streets. The kids class prior to the ride tonight was a blast too. We had about 15 or so kids take part. During class kids learned to point in the direction they plan to ride. Handle their bikes better, and to be aware of other riders.

In all we had a good time. I think in future rides we'll jetison the return trip through Roosevelt park. To many folks on a narrow path can be problematic.

Take Care,
See you next week!

Ryan

Excellent turnout lastnight!

2010-05-27T21:35:00.004-06:00

Hey All!

We had an excellent turn out for our first Bike Night of the 2010 season. Lastnight we had the most people ever on a ride. Unofficial counts put the crowd somewhere between 65 and 70 people. An excellent turnout by any measure, for sure. I hope you will continue to spread the word and bring more folks over the summer.

Next week there will be a kids' session at Central Elementary School. The mini-class will go over bike handling skills and how to ride in a group. This should be fun for everyone. The class starts at 4:30 and will end around 6pm. This should give folks enough time to grab a snack and meet up for Bike Night at Roosevelt Park.

Take care and ride safely!

Ryan

Bike Night is back TOMORROW NIGHT!

2010-05-25T13:49:00.001-06:00

Greetings Everyone!

Tomorrow’s our first Bike Night for the 2010 season!

I’m sending out this note to encourage you to show up a bit early - like maybe 10 minutes.

So far we have approximately 40 individuals and possibly 60 signed up for our first ride. The reason I’m encouraging you to show up a little early is to fill out an insurance form that is new for Bike Night and to limit the mayhem.

Over the winter, Bike Night joined forces with Bicycle Longmont, and, as a bonus, Bike Night is now covered by Bicycle Longmont’s event insurance. Like any insurance there is a form to fill out. The form is brief and necessary to cover you in case something bad happens on the ride. There is room on the form for your kid(s) too.
If filling out forms isn’t your thing, you can join Bicycle Longmont for $25. This membership gets you a membership to Bicycle Longmont and to the League of American Bicyclists. Once you’re a member you will only have to fill out the insurance form once all season. The membership to the League gets you information about everything cycling and you get two magazine subscriptions, first to Bicycling Magazine and the second, to the League’s magazine - American Cyclist.

You do not have to join Bicycle Longmont or fill out the insurance form to participate and enjoy Bike Night, however I encourage you to fill out the insurance form. Non-members of Bicycle Longmont will need to fill out an insurance form prior to each ride. The insurance covers you in case something bad happens to you, your kid(s) or in case you or your kid(s) cause something bad to happen to someone else. If you choose to ride without the insurance you will be on your own if something happens to you, your kid(s) or, you or your kid(s)cause something bad to happen to someone else.

We’ve been really lucky nothing bad has happened during Bike Night, but as the group grows larger the risk grows too, so it seemed necessary to get event insurance. I hope people aren’t discouraged from riding with us. The insurance is free, you just need to fill out the form prior to each ride, or become a member of Bicycle Longmont ($25) and fill the form out just once.

Buzz will be on hand to answer questions about Bicycle Longmont memberships.

While we’re on the topic of safety – PLEASE, impress upon your kid(s) that this ride is not a race and they should stay within ear shot or within eyesight of you.

Despite this rather formal message Bike Night is an informal ride around Old Town and occaisionally, the greenway!

This is going to be a great season of cycling in Longmont – We will have some announcements of upcoming rides tomorrow night!

Bike Night is Back! May 26th, 6:30 PM Roosevelt Park

2010-05-15T14:42:00.002-06:00

Greetings,

MAY 26, will be the First Bike Night for 2010. May 26, will kick off the 7th year of Bike Night. Dig it.

June 2nd - Will be the date for the Kids Bike Safety Class. The Class will be held PRIOR to the regular Bike Night ride. Time: 4:30 - 6pm. We're still working on a venue. At this point it looks like it might be Central Elementary in Old Town across from Thompson Park or, New Creation Church's parking lot across from Roosevelt. We need to connect with Central and New Creation. Anyone a member of New Creation? If so, shoot me a message. Thx - More later.

Also, check out our latest article/feature in Longmont Magazine!

http://www.longmontmagazine.com/Community.asp?Pubdate=5/15/2010

See you out there!

Ryan

HALLOWEEN!

2009-10-27T20:13:00.002-06:00

Costume Cruiser Ride following the Kids parade this Saturday. We'll meet at Roosevelt Park at around 12pm. The parade begins at 10am so 2 hours should be plenty of time to get through the parade and over to Roosevelt Park. I hope you can join us. Our route will take us through Old Town down to the St. Vrain Greenway and then back to Main Street through the East Side.

SHould be fun and hopefully the snow will melt by then!

Moi-ahhhh hhhahh ah.

THANKS for a great season -

2009-09-15T22:55:00.002-06:00

And just when you thought we were done. Kelly and Tiffany get a great idea: Read on.

Tomorrow night: Little Kids Bike Night!
This is for the little ones who usually ride in trailers...
Bring your trikes, bikes with training wheels or not, scooters, etc. to share/trade/show off!
Come around the same time and we'll just ride around the loop at Roosevelt Park.
Bring a picnic dinner for before/after/during!
*There will be prizes for the kiddos!

6:15ish. September 16, 2009.

Tomorrow Night - September 9th 2009 - Last Bike Night 2009

2009-09-08T10:28:00.003-06:00

Tomorrow night (9/09/09) will be the last Bike Night for the 2009 Season. Come out and join us for one last cruise through old town. We will start at 6:30 PM and ride through the West Side to Sunset Pool, back east, ending at 6th and Main. A post party will be held afterward. I will post the location this evening.

See you tomorrow
Ryan

Rain out

2009-07-29T18:13:00.001-06:00

Mother nature has blessed us with yet another night of rain. We'll meet next week same time and same place.

Pretty Quiet in the inter-web

2009-07-22T21:53:00.002-06:00

Sorry for the delay in updating the blog. I've been kinda busy. I have a quick update. Tonight was a great night. We had as many as 40 folks tonight. That makes probably three weeks in a row with more than 30 people. Unheard of. Seriously. A year ago if there were 10 people we were pretty satisfied. IT's been a lot of fun getting to know the new riders and seeing the veteran riders out and about. Dave Fox and I were reminiscing tonight about the first couple years of BIke Night. This year doesn't even compare.

So if you haven't been to Bike Night in a while (years) then come on out next week. It's a lot of fun and there are a lot of interesting people too.

Take Care -

Ryan

Wednesday - June 24th - Bike to Work Day

2009-06-22T23:11:00.002-06:00

Hey All,

Great showing last week. Lets do it again this weeks. Our route will be Roosevelt Park to the St. Vrain Greenway to the Lefthand Greenway to Sunset Street and north to the Dales Brewery at Pike and Sunset. This ride will be great as most of it will be on trails not roads.

Next week we'll return to Old Town and the usual route. If you've been on any of the previous rides you know how much fun we're having this year. If you haven't had time, make time. We're having a lot of fun.

Catch you later and stay cool.

Bike Night Tonight

2009-06-17T22:13:00.002-06:00

So tonight was a great night for Bike Night and I think for the riders. The weather was a little sketch but worked out. We made it to Snowy Mountain Creamery just in time (before the hail and rain). We had double helpings of ice cream and laughs.

Hope to see you out there next week, June 24, (Bike to Work Day!) Check DRCOG.org for breakfast stops in Longmont. You can catch me at the City of Longmont around 6:45A for free Pancakes.

Ryan