Pier to Pier

Last week's ride was one of the warmest and nicest of 2007! A decent crowd of 25 to 30 bikelovers turned up at Grandview Park to ride, and after a short discussion, we concluded that the balmy weather should be celebrated with a visit to the sea.



Our first destination (a place I only discovered a couple of weeks ago on the MC3 ride, despite having lived in this city my whole life) was the Crab Park Pier..





We then cruised into the downtown core and over the Burrard bridge heading beachward. Somewhere along Cornwall a lone rider zipped by in the other direction. "Hey Fixie!" we called out to him... a few minutes later he caught up to us, curious about what the hell we were doing - we filled him in on the joys of midnight mass. "I'm not really here to stick around, just on my way home" - an hour and a half later, sitting down to food he was still on board.

After some debate at the Jericho parkinglot, it was decided that the night was too nice to just huddle by the jericho concession, and we soldiered a little farther west towards the Jericho Pier.




Finally we rolled back to our old haunt, the Naam for tasty midnight eats and company. As usual they were super accomodating, considering we rolled in unannounced with 20 or so people at 2 am.

All in all, a great ride with lots of oldschool riders and a few new faces (including Jesse of OCB and a girl on a cyclocross race bike!)

Our next ride is Thursday April 26th, so start thinking of where you'd like to roll to.

Also, if you don't already have plans this saturday and sunday (or if you do, break 'em, cause you dont want to miss this), East Van Bike Polo brings you Vancouver's first ever International Urban Bike Polo Tournament: Last Riders of the APoloclypse!



The fun starts at noon, and look out for DJs, BBQ, and EIGHT different teams up from the US to play, as well as east van's own out for blood & glory! The event will also be held in conjunction with the fixed gear Summer Series' second event - T.R.A.C.K., a game of trackstand horse. Prepare to be amazed by some sizzling tricks as local fixie kids pull out all the stops to try and prove they are the chosen one.

Thats it for now.. See y'all on the streets.

Midnight Miles

As you may or may not know, I'll be skipping continent in just over a month. I'll miss you midnight maniacs, but I'll try to get over the greif while I'm drinking cheap yet delicious wine, descending alps at hair raising speeds, and seeing Daft Punk in France.

Anyhow, I've started a blog to chronicle my adventures, so if you are interested in what I'll be upto, you can check it out here: http://midnightmiles.blogspot.com/

Thats it really.

See y'all on the streets.

Turning point

Though the second March ride coincided with the vernal equinox, the groundhog of summer seemed to have seen its shadow that day. A hardy and enthusiastic crew of 15 or so riders showed up at Grandview Park in a cold drizzle.

It was decided to head for the downtown core to stir up the Granville strip, and find something to eat while we were there. We commandeered a large portion of Numero Uno Pizza for bike parking, and got our sidewalk drink-slash-people watch on.


Since March was a five-Thursday anomaly, we've been deprived of our midnight ride for longer than usual. In recent weeks, the weather has become noticeably warmer - which will translate to less clothes and more bikes. That said, if you like bikes and bikers, Midnight Mass is the place to be! See you at Grandview Park this Thursday, April 12.

The Bike Rider's Ball!

If any of you have ever been over to visit the Victorians/Recyclistas, you know this won't be an event to miss. Those cats A) know how to party, B) know how to throw down hospitality, and C) have a beautiful city with tons of great riding. Lots to see and do on this weekend, plus a fun ferry ride with a bunch of mad bikers. The ride in from the ferry is freaking gorgeous too (too bad the trip out on our side is craptastic - Translink, we're looking at you).

Bike Rider's Ball '07
Friday April 27 – Wednesday May 2

FRIDAY the 27th

History Mystery Bike Race
Riders meet at Centennial SQ between 7-8pm, race starts at 8pm. A low level competitive scavenger race through the downtown core where you'll need skill, style and strategy.
Prizes to be won!

The Bike Rider's Ball Art Show
Doors open @ 8:00pm
The Project Arts Community - 614 1/2 Fisgard Street, second floor. Sliding Scale$2-$10
Come check out some local artist work and their deep love for all that rolls on two wheels.


SATURDAY the 28th

East Van Bike Polo................In Victoria?
Come join the East Van Polo kids for an afternoon of mallets and madness. Learn how to make your own mallets, get the rules to the game, and play!
Meet at Topaz Park from 1:oo – 4:00pm
Note: don't bring your most favourite bike.

Bike Prom Ride And Party!!!!
Prom outfit required!
8:00pm Meet at Centennial SQ. Come early for a pre-prom ride to the party location.
10pm Bike Prom @ Recyclistas Community Bike Shop - 25 Crease Ave.
The greatest bike prom of '07. Bicycle dance styles from the hottest bike dancers: The Brakes, The B:C:Clettes and Victoria's Velo Vixens. Live music from Masala, a 14 piece samba style band, and the one and only DJ Ruairi Lazers.


SUNDAY the 29th

Biker Riders Brunch
Party a little too hard last night? Didn't party hard enough.? Come on back to the shop for a pancake breakfast at 11:00am
Not out of bed yet? Freshen up with a ride and a jump into Thetis lake.
Bring your trunks! Ride leaves @ 1:00pm


Go home! Sleep well! Love yer bike!
Check out Fridays art collection at The Project Arts Community.
May 1 & 2 from 5:30 – 8:30pm

Coming to party it up Victoria styles? Need a place to stay? Email bikelabsociety(at)gmail(dot)com if you do. See you at the Prom.

Parisian Nights

Perhaps its that I leave for parts unknown in a month and a half, perhaps its the regular emails I've been recieving
from friends in Barcelona and Israel, or perhaps its that I just bought
my touring bike today... but I find my thoughts turning to Europe more
and more lately...

So what a wonderful surprise to find out that Paris
has become the latest city to discover that night time is the right
time and join the Midnight Bicycle League with their own incarnation of
Midnight Mass...

Mike Kushnir, former midnightmasser is living in Paris right now and apparently spearheading the formation..

thanks to inspiration from “midnight simon”, me and a bunch of the bike squat folks are starting up a parisian chapter of midnight mass, the legendary vancouver institution that sees 30+ bike kids mass at grandview park in east vancouver to go on a late-night jaunt through the streets of our fair city.

If you're on the continent, or plan to be in the near future, drop these kids a line and go explore one of Europe's greatest cities by moonlight and bikelight!

Come to think of it, if you are doing any travelling in the near future, why not see if there's a Midnight riding city on your route!

-Victoria BC Midnight Mystery Ride - 2nd Friday of the month.
-Portland Oregon Midnight Mystery Ride - (site appears to be down for now - midnight//at//riseup.net for more info)
-Tallahassee Fla. Midnight Mass(!) - (apparently) First Friday of the month.
-London, England Friday Night Ride - First Friday of the month.
-Los Angeles California Midnight Ridaaz - 2nd Friday of the month. The site also functions as a hub for creating and promoting other group rides in the LA area --

Use this site to create and promote your own rides.

Anyone can create a ride. This is how it works, you got some friends? You make a bike crew... You got a bike crew? You throw a ride. Check out our suggestions or make up your own rituals... We just want to ride. The true hope of the Midnight Ridazz everywhere is to spread bicycle culture, promote safety and to share the road with motorists in a spirit of good will (and yes, party our farking icicles off while doing it.)

-- So if you're down in the area, its a great resource.

These are the few that have come across my radar - likely, by no means an exhaustive list. So travelling massers, get out there and represent for the old hometown, and help spread some delicious vancouver bikelove around the globe. We've got a slice of culture here unlike anywhere else - and if my ambassadorial experiences in Victoria, Seattle, and Portland are any indication, bike culture is best when shared.

(hat tip to Charles for the Paris link!)