Comments on: Join a bicycle convoy

By: Brian

Brian — Fri, 16 May 2008 04:44:29 +0000

Anybody out there in las vegas?

By: Dominic Dougherty

Dominic Dougherty — Wed, 07 May 2008 00:15:07 +0000

We have a “BikePool” event here in Long Beach, CA.
Every Sunday a group of riders meet and ride to the Farmer’s Market.
There are currently 3 pick-up locations, where businesses give discounts and incentives to riders. It’s a lot of fun meeting folks you wouldn’t normally interact with on the wednesday evening road ride. We get our shopping done, socialize, and help local farmers.
http://www.lbcyclists.blogspot.org

By: Dominic Dougherty

Dominic Dougherty — Tue, 06 May 2008 20:36:35 +0000

In Long Beach, CA we have a Farmer’s Market bike convoy.
Currently there are 3 pick-up locations that offer discounts to riders.
We get in a ride, get our grocery shopping done, and help our local economy by buying locally grown foods.

http://lbcyclists.blogspot.com/2008/05/farmers-market-ride.html

By: Peter

Peter — Tue, 06 May 2008 19:43:38 +0000

I’ve heard the term ‘bikepooling’ before, but whatever works!

http://googlemapsbikethere.org/2008/04/28/bikepooling/

By: Siouxgeonz

Siouxgeonz — Tue, 06 May 2008 17:36:46 +0000

Okay. What does it take to make one of these things happen? Have there been unintended consequences?

When we were chatting up bike to work week, I suggested that I could drop in at the Starbucks that’s opened near me (I am not sure I have ever darkened the doors of a Starbucks, given that I don’t drink coffee and if I did I would not pay that much for it, but it’s a reasonable location at teh East end of town and I work just past hte West end of town) and have some copies of good E-W routes handy for people who wanted to depart at different times, but also lead a convoy of sorts. I s’pose it would be a little like leading a ride – remind people of expectations of group riding (tell ‘em that yea, I’m going to stop at stop signs and signal potholes, etc)… it’s a 6 mile traipse.
What should a person think about ?

By: Mike Myers

Mike Myers — Tue, 06 May 2008 16:34:21 +0000

I would be a convoy of one, here.

By: Ghost Rider

Ghost Rider — Tue, 06 May 2008 15:22:15 +0000

God, that sounds like a blast…it’s too bad that my start and finish times for work fly against everyone elses, or I would totally create/join a convoy!

Sometimes I don’t have to be at work until 5:30PM, and I get out way after dark. Everyone else is already home…

I wish luck and happy riding to everyone else who takes part in this great idea, though!!!

By: Cafn8

Cafn8 — Tue, 06 May 2008 14:55:27 +0000

I’ve often thought I’d like to get involved in some sort of convoy/ buddy system for my commute. It would help form a safety standpoint, a motivation standpoint, a tech support standpoint, and I could probably think of other benefits. The problem is finding people headed the same direction as me at the same time as me.

The people I meet going in the opposite direction (not many) may or may not be commuting, but who cares? They’re going the wrong way. The ones going my way that I’ve slowed to talk to (very few) are usually people who don’t work as late as me and are just out for a ride after work. If there were any cyclists going my way, who like to keep a similar pace as me they are, by definition, people I’ll never meet on a normal commute.

Does anyone have any suggestions for how to meet those people, or find such a bicycle convoy if one exists? By the way, I live in New Jersey and ride Bloomfield-Wood Ridge-Bloomfield 3 seasons out of the year.

By: benshead

benshead — Tue, 06 May 2008 13:31:49 +0000

Providence, RI has two bike trains planned for its upcoming Bike-to-Work Day. Check it out here: http://bikeprovidence.org/2008/04/29/bike-trains-2008/.

By: Charlie D.

Charlie D. — Tue, 06 May 2008 13:07:17 +0000

Boston is doing bike convoys for Bike Week as well:
http://www.baystatebikeweek.org/events.htm#SafeRiderConvoys