(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)
Last time we checked in on the Tweed Ride, last year’s organizers were casting about for new volunteers to step up and make it happen. Now, after several meetings, I’m happy to report that the 2012 Tweed Ride Planning Committee has set a date of April 1st for the big event.
Tweed Planner Maria Schur says they’re hoping to get around 300 riders, “dressed in their best and riding their fanciest bicycles.” She adds that there will also be a “special surprise ride leader” this year. Hmmm, what could that mean? You’ll just have to show up and find out!
Check out the official ride flyer and more info below…
The 2012 Tweed Ride will meet at 1:00 pm at Kenilworth Park (SE 34th and Holgate) on Sunday, April 1st. After socializing, the ride will head north to Peninsula Park (N. Albina and Ainsworth) for a “high tea” stop. (Riders are encouraged to bring their own tea cups.)
After the tea stop, the ride will head south to the Hollywood District for an afterparty sponsored by the new shop in town, Velo Cult. “We’ll be celebrating, socializing and having costume and bicycle contests,” says Schur.
This will be a ride you won’t want to miss. If you need inspiration, outfit ideas, or just a better sense of what to expect at this event; check out our coverage from last year’s ride.
Thanks for reading.
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Where does one find tweed to wear? Some resources would be nice, for those of us who are clueless.
Goodwill, thrift shops, clothing consignment, etsy vintage
Tweed, is (in its most simple form), woolen, twill fabric. So, a nice wool skirt (for the ladies), or trousers (for the gentlemen), or even a kilt, when paired with a jumper (sweater) and leather shoes could be the basis for a Tweed Ride ensemble. The main concept is to take a ride with friends in a relaxed, yet classy manner. In other words, this is not a lycra friendly race environment.
I secured a great jacket at Goodwill for $10.00. Trick is look in Autumn…
Vintage, used clothing stores and goodwill are awesome but you must be vigilantly looking or you won’t find the perfect pair of knickers or jacket. Also Pendleton woolen mills has fabulous styles of skirts and such.
Look in reseale shops for tweed.
Nobody in that photo is wearing a helmet.
It’s a 19th Century thing.
Yeah, isn’t it great!
If the shot were expanded to show drivers and pedestrians, none of them would be wearing helmets either.
I knew someone would say it!
Lance Armstrong won the Tour De France three times with no helmet and beat cancer. I am sure these people can enjoy the fun without them or even get a Yakkay. Get your police off of my fun.
http://www.yakkay.com/
who cares?
helmets schmelmets
Wow, that’s a long ride for single-speed classic bikes. It will be at least 13 miles, but maybe longer, with a few small hills. Starting from home, it would be at least 17 miles for me. I can do it, even with the kids in tow, but I wonder if it might be better to do something a little shorter.
You don’t have to ride a single speed. I’ve seen many folks with multiple-geared, derailleured bikes on this ride in the past. And don’t forget about the humble three-speed, which is very appropriate for a ride like this.
I’ll be riding my 1961 Raleigh 3-speed. Classic? Definitely yes! Single-speed? Oh hell, no.
Sturmey Archer three speed hubs date to 1902 and their most popular AW hub dates to 1936.
Working up a sweat by riding 13 miles in tweed sport coats and any of the other period retro stuff that goes along with this craze, even without hills…doesn’t sound like a lot of fun after the initial look around is over. 13 blocks at 13 mph and under sounds more like it.
There’s no way the ride goes 13mph. More like ten to twelve. And there’s several stops.
If you are working up a sweat on the Tweed Ride you are doin’ it wrong. It’s not a race. You can ride 13 miles and not sweat. In wool. I do it every day. (unless I WANT to work up a sweat.)
It’s a social ride. you know, to be social and talk to people and have fun.
Ladies, if you ride in skirts and have a diamond frame, try your attire out!
Tips for riding a diamond-frame bicycle with a skirt, from someone who does it all the time:
There are two ways to get on the bike. One is to stand next to it, lean it towards you slightly, and step over the top tube. I find that this is often the easiest way.
The other is to swing your leg over the back, which is how you usually mount a diamond-frame. When you’re wearing a skirt, it’s advisable to hold the material of your skirt out of the way of the saddle with one hand. If you have your left hand on the handlebar, use your right hand to hold your skirt, and vice-versa. This is one of those things that sounds complicated but isn’t, I swear!
Once your on the bike, run your hands down over your butt, to make sure there’s no fabric caught on the saddle. It will also keep it from bunching up once you’re on the saddle.
Riding a diamond-frame bike in a skirt has one nice advantage–the top tube often can hold the fabric of your skirt up a little, which means less risk of it getting caught in your rear brakes and spokes. For that reason, I find diamond-frame bicycles to be *more* practical than step-through frames if the skirt is past my knees.
In general: tights, leggings, or a petticoat/slip of a non-slippery material, seem to “grab” skirts, and make them much less likely to fly up in the wind. Your mileage on this may vary, but that’s been my experience.
Definitely try it out beforehand, though–some skirts just don’t work well on a bicycle of any kind because they’re too tight.
Ah, Portland. Whether ’tis nobler to dress for tea & crumpets, or to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous nakedness, *that* is the question!
Oh wait, I just realized it’s on April 1st, so it is likely just an April fools joke.
So nice to see this is happening in April this year!
I believe the first year it happened, it was in January, and, like many “theme” rides in Portland, it had way too much ridiculous amounts of time standing around in sub-freezing parks, instead of doing what everyone showed up to do – ride their bikes. As a result, my toes almost completely froze off!!
BSNYC cured me of ever wanting to go on a tweed ride
I read BikeSnob too, and somehow, he has never convinced me that I shouldn’t do something I enjoy, even if it’s silly.
Oh by the way…very nice poster illustration. Original for this particular event? Unless it’s some anonymous generic copy material, someone should probably be getting a bit of credit for it…name attached or something on that order.
Thanks, Bob. The original illustration is by me! (I forgot to sign this particular signed copy!) We’ll be selling a version printed by Stumptown Printers at the after party!