The Oregon Manifest Handmade Bike Show (October 10-12 in Portland) is shaping up to be an event you won’t want to miss. I’ll be writing much more about the show in the days to come (not to mention complete daily coverage once it’s here).
Local bike apparel company, Rapha, has announced they’ll bring back their Roller Races event that was a smash hit when it was held during the North American Handmade Bicycle Show back in February.
This time around, in honor of the Oregon Manifest show and Portland’s cyclocross season, Rapha will host the “Cross Roller Race” event. Here’s how they describe it:
“…Cross Roller Racing is a highly competitive and thoroughly costumed night of 500 meter on-stage roller sprints combined with running, dashing and jumping through a 250 yard indoor cross course, complete with barriers, run-ups and Zoo-Bomb bikes.”
Sounds awesome. First prize for the ladies is a ‘cross frame from Sweetpea Bicycles and the guys will compete for a ‘cross frame from Signal Cycles.
More Cross Roller Race event details here.
Also check out OregonManifest.com (recently added was the favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe of local framebuilder Jordan Hufnagel).
sweeeet, free frames from Sweetpea and Signal? i hope a lot of ladies and gents start pedaling their butts off.
great. more money for rapha. we are just pawns in their game. why are they charging $$$ to get in? cancer is to body like rapha is to cycling.
these events don’t just happen on their own, it takes time and money to make it happen. you also evidently didn’t notice that you get 1 free drink with your entry: From the event web site:
“Entry is $10, with the first drink free.”
so, yeah, maybe you hadn’t noticed this yet, but usually going out an doing organized things costs money. You could promote your own free event and see how that goes.
we promote our own events all the time for free and they go great.
just saying.
first I’v heard of the zoobomb bikes being part of an event there? Does this mean there will be a team zoobomb as well?
that looks awesome!!
Oh money, F’ing money….
Filmed by Bike is a fundraiser for the Multnomah County Bike Fair, which is a main reason that event is free.
Events are complex. Anytime anyone wants to talk with me about the ins and outs of events and why it’s hard to do them free, buy me a beer (prefer bourbon, actually) and let’s shoot the shit.
But! As a consolation prize to the broke- and thrifty- and cheap-asses, the screening of Filmed by Bike Retro – Presented by River City Bicycles on Friday October 10th as the Opening Night Blowout of Oregon Manifest is FREE. See websites for details.
Dutch,
Talk to the librarian. Free entry can be attained to those who bomb…
Messenger (#2), you clearly don’t realize that you’ll be missing out on at least $20 worth of fun!
Oh, and cancer? Come on, now. I wonder if you were referring to how Rapha has donated a portion of profits from previous Roller Race events to Leukemia research charity, Leuka (http://www.leuka.org.uk/)? They can’t be all that bad!
See you there!
one question.
can we hook up our mini bikes, and race with those?
isn’t rapha a london company with incredibly expensive gear? surely, they could sport the cash
Rapha Scmapha..
I’m glad this is happening and will not miss it. Sounds like the roller race they held during the NAHBS was a great time.
Wow. Lots of Rapha hate out there.
Clarification:
I meant the terms cheap-asses, thrifty-asses and broke-asses affectionately. I’ll have a “who is cheaper” brawl any time.
Thanks.
Ayleen
Rapha has F’d so many people in the last few years. especially the WHOLE bicycle messenger community. they promised to sponsor one of the hugest events th cycle messenger world championships. after their logo was on everything they never returned emails or anything. not one thing from them.
so, caroline. by cancer i mean a malignant growth or tumor to the cycling industry. sure they might donate some money here and there but there is no excuse to kick the bike messenger comunity in the face like that!
and seth….i dont know one “DRINK” that costs $10, well ok maybe in NYC. but still my point is they are still making money off this. i have run A ton of FREE spectator events in my time. they work Great! you can easily make your costs back by selling beer alone and keeping the event free.
its funny you all are sticking up for rapha. i personally know how much money they make and i know they can afford it…. i am also surprised a community based city like portland supports an overpriced clothing company that makes their stuff in SE ASIA.
cheers!
Messenger is exactly right, and said what I held back from typing.
And they continue to bastardize Messenger events, such as “Gold Sprintz” (Roller Races) for their own profit and recognition, while basically rolling over the top of those they should be thanking and wholeheartedly apologizing to.
On another note, if you are a messenger, or care about their welfare, you know where you should be on the evening of October 10th, instead of at the above event.
Dante’s. 9:30.
Important, good hearted, caring stuff going on.
Nuff Said.
Please feel free to email me for the details.
johnnyrocket29@yahoo.com
No one owns the concept of roller racing. Personally, I think it’s hella funny to see people from such vastly different interests and attitudes pedaling their butts off at a roller race. I’ve been to enough of the messenger “free events” and they often just degrade in no time to beery circus of bad hygeine and anarchy. How awesome… Not.
The whole Manifest Oregon show costs money to produce. It’s a big event, multiple days and rent and utilities don’t come cheaply for such a big chunk of space.
Would you rather the bike builders take out a loan just to put their works on display for people to look at? It’s an art show, man. Do you think bike builders are just rolling in cash? How is the space supposed to get paid for?
If you don’t want to play, don’t pay. I’ve got no great love for Rapha, but I also have no great love for the holier-than-thou messenger culture with their thinly disguised elitism and arrogance. It’s a bit of the pot calling the kettle black…
… maybe with a white stripe.