History of Bike Party
From San Jose Bike Party Wiki
Bike Party was first attempted in San Jose by a small crew of wild and zany cyclists trying to organize a costumed Halloween ride in October 2005. This first attempt didn't go far, but it was enough to spark another attempt the following year, which went for a few months before fizzling out. Each of these early attempts, inspired largely by the international Critical Mass model, gathered somewhere in the range of 10-30 riders, met downtown, looped something less than 5 miles, and took place on a Friday evening around 6-8pm.
In 2007, everything changed.
During the summer of 2007, "Bike Mom" Amber moved from San Diego to live with Nick and the Yr Pants crew, bringing with her the experience of assisting SD's wild bike gang, the now dead Electric Warriors. Fellow bikers-in-arms connected quickly and set to work organizing San Jose's impending bicycle revolution.
A few major changes brought about the Bike Party we know and love:
- moving the start time to a later "party hour" of 8:30pm.
- starting in Campbell, to offer a convenient transit-serviced location to inspire folks who didn't live near downtown to join the ride.
- a renewed focus on the fun and vibrant energy of communal bike culture, a.k.a. the PARTY. Emphasizing themes, fun after events, and unique exciting routes.
- keeping the ride inclusive by consistently outreaching to young adults via myspace, facebook, fliers in hip community areas, and other technology mediums
The earliest Bike Party volunteers connected through friendships, SVBC membership, and random chance encounters. Fliers were posted at downtown San Jose's First Friday art gallery openings, as well as Good Karma, coffee shops, and dozens of local college bike racks.
The first ride took place on October 19th, 2007, and gathered approximately 25 riders. By summer 2008, Bike Parties regularly saw over 100 riders, blooming to over 200 by the start of the fall. In winter 2009, Bike Party peaked 400 riders and continues to grow. (See Ridership history for more numbers.)
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