So far this year, we've had a few fun full moon rides...

March- Howl!

April- Pink Moon

May- Karaoke! (Rained out.  Sad face.)

And it's that time of the month again!  Full moon will be rising, and we will be riding and howling.

This post explains what inspired us to start riding during the full moon, our bike soul sisters, the Ovarian Psycos.

Sunday, June 23
Moon Spinners
Meet at Midtown Freewheel on the Greenway at 9pm, roll out at 9:30

The Great Lunar Cycle Art Print by Aaron Thong

Tina is going to lead a full moon ride, beginning at Freewheel Midtown.  Meet at 9p, roll at 9:30.  The ride will go west on the Greenway, around the Grand Rounds and back to the Greenway. This ride is slow and steady, "Muppet speed," and is open to everyone!  Bring lights, a helmet, and maybe a beverage or snack.  Come HOWL at the moon with us!

RSVP on Facebook 

3rd Annual Group Camping Trip

UPDATE: This trip is now full!  Check out our calendar for more events.

You can do this. 

Pack smart, think light. 

Don't wait until the morning of to pack.  Go on a test run with your gear for a few miles around town.  You'll probably end up realizing you don't need that third pair of shoes, the cast iron skillet or the full size shampoo and conditioner.  Use the fact that this is a group trip to your advantage!  Why carry three 15mm wrenches when you only need one?  A good strategy is to partner up with one or two people (don't be shy!) and figure out who has the lightest tent.  One person could carry it out, and another person could carry it back.

I will add a generic pack-list to the bottom of this post, for your reference.**

The plan.

You are responsible for yourself. 

We are here to support you, but you are responsible for yourself!  Know when to hydrate, when to eat, and when to ask for help.  =] 

My friend, Jeremy has a transit blog called Critical Transit. He is a smart cookie, has a lot of perspective on transit, and does a podcast on interesting topics. The interesting topic in Episode 33? Grease Rag! We get a lovely introduction in the beginning, and I start yammering and overusing "like" at about 28 minutes to 55 minutes. Shoutouts to Sunrise Cyclery, Recovery Bike Shop, Spokes, and The Hub Bike Co-op at the U of M!

Listen to Critical Transit Podcast 33

Grease Rag is so important to me. I've met so many friends, gone on so many adventures, and learned so much about myself in the last few (almost four!) years. I try not to get too sentimental in this interview while talking about what we do and our model, but I can't tell you how proud I am to be a part of this group. Thank you so much for allowing me to speak for you.

54:33 I don't know if you can tell by how excited I am about Grease Rag, but that's where I think the ticket is.  I think we need to start supporting each other and creating a community where we do what we want. We feel good about it.  We bike how we want, we work on our bikes how we want, we talk about bikes how we want. We do it our own way, and that's totally cool.

Love,
Low

FIVE!  

Count 'em, FIVE Open Streets events this summer!

Open Streets is a free event that invites everyone to enjoy Minneapolis streets without the presence of motor vehicles.  Fun for kids, adults, neighbors, and everyone that owns the streets!

A wide range of volunteers are needed to staff the events. Volunteer roles include:

• Street Monitors: Help with set up of intersection barricades and intersection monitoring
• Roving Ambassadors: Hand out schedules, administer surveys, and create a friendly atmosphere
• Clean Up Crew: Help ensure the street is clean and there are places for trash throughout the day
• Set Up/Break Down Crew: Help with moving materials before and after the event

We are also seeking teams of volunteers (4-20 people). Join the dozens of volunteers already signed up -- register to volunteer at one of the four events.

Shifts will run approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes in length. Choose from time slots throughout the day.

Use these links to sign up:

Minneapolis Open Streets:

• Lyndale Avenue South, Sunday, June 23, 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
• Central Avenue Northeast, Sunday, July 28, 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
• Minnehaha Avenue South, Sunday August 11, 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
• Lowry Avenue North, Saturday, September 21, 11:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.

St. Paul Open Streets:

• Hamline Avenue- Marion Street, Sunday, September 15, 11:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.

Thank you, Jules over at the Surly Blog, for posting a set of "Pedal Pumpers" that represent some of the varations of what a "real" cyclist looks like!

Here are a few pics of my co-workers, friends, and random cyclists who happen to work close by. Some are thin, some are thick, some are short, some are tall, some are hairy, some are smooth, some tattooed, some with freckles, some scarred, some are oddly unblemished, but one thing I know for sure – all ride bike

The topic of "Pedal Pumpers" is a photo of a woman with the tagline, "You don’t get legs like this pushing a gas pedal!"  While I undertand the initial outrage around, "Why would you use a fashion model when you could have used a cyclist?"  I don't agree with the comments that proceeded to participate in body shaming as they took down the model for not being a "real" cyclist based on how her body appears in the photo.

The ad and subsequent comments remind me of those well-meaning, but ultimately insipid, "This is what a real woman looks like," memes where the "real women" are all classically beautiful white women on display as an answer to the starving models we see photoshopped on magazine covers. (But the real women shown are certainly not fat.)

There is no such thing as a "real" woman*!

Similarly, there is no such thing as a "real biking body." If you bike, and you have a body, ding ding, you have a biking body!

I found this (NSFW- language) photo on Facebook, and posted it to the Grease Rag group, adding, "Want a hot bike-body? Put your body on a f*cking bike!  However you do it.... You're doing it right."