Bike De'Lights rescheduled for Friday, December 18.
The quantity of snow on the trails and streets that we will be using, along with the forcasted single digit temps on Friday, would make this a difficult ride for casual riders. The extended forcast for the 18th looks much better, and most of the snow should be off of the streets and trails by then. See you on the 18th.
Omaha Bikes is inviting You, to the first annual Bike De'lights ride.
The quantity of snow on the trails and streets that we will be using, along with the forcasted single digit temps on Friday, would make this a difficult ride for casual riders. The extended forcast for the 18th looks much better, and most of the snow should be off of the streets and trails by then. See you on the 18th.
Omaha Bikes is inviting You, to the first annual Bike De'lights ride.
Who: You and your family on bikesWhat: A 13-mile social ride (distance is approximate)
When: Friday, December, 11th at 7:00pm (bad weather reschedule date Dec. 18th)
Where: Ride starts at Midtown Crossing Marcus Theatre at 3201 Farnam St (Meet Inside)
Why: To spend time with friends enjoying the lights and activity of downtown Omaha
We have made the following updates. We will keep this post updated if we make any additional changes.
Update 1: The updated route (see below) is approximately 13 miles. Let us know if you think that is too long for any of the riders you would like to have join us. We are still fine-tuning the route and we can adjust a few things to bring the distance back down if we need to.
Note: Don't be frightened by the 13 miles. There are easy opportunities to shorten the ride if you or your kids aren't comfortable with that distance, or the weather. You could ride from Midtown Crossing to Field Club, and then return to Midtown Crossing. Alternatively, hook up with us at 13th Street Coffee at 8pm and just ride downtown. Either way, you'll have a great time and see some awesome light displays.
Update 2: A route map was added to replace the scarry list of turns. Riders will not need to memorize the route unless they plan to go off on their own and meet up with us at one of the stops. We will have people leading the ride and keeping the group together.
The Bike De'lights ride will be family friendly and we will all be riding together at a casual/conversational pace. We will be making stops along the way to warm up and relax. Children are welcome and encouraged to participate. The ride will take 2 or 3 hours depending on how long we stay at each stop. Bike De'lights will be a social ride, so we will not be in a hurry.
Prestart: Lounge inside Marcus Theatre
View 2009 Omaha Bike De'Lights Ride in a larger map
20 comments:
Woo hoo! Can't wait! I received the tire generator I ordered online in the mail today. Festive bike, here I come!
Shucks. Wife and I will be in Chicago that weekend.
We're available the following weekend, so we'll cross our fingers for bad weather in Omaha.
Just kidding! Have fun and we'll have to attend the next event. Plenty more to come this winter!
I found some battery powered LED Christmas lights at Walmart tonight for about $7 a strand. I got two to see how they might fit on the bike.
They are not for outdoor use, or in wet environments, but it might be OK for the bike. They take 3 C cells, so that would be 4.5 volts. In theory, one could rewrite to replace the C cells with A or AA, as it would be the voltage, they just wouldn't last as long.
I'll let you all know how this works out.
This looks like a sweet ride!
@Scott Redd - I've played around a bit with EL Wire - you can make really fun lights with it and even weave it into your spokes .. And I think its pretty safe in wet conditions:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electroluminescent_wire
I wove a strand of the battery powered Christmas lights around my top tube, down tube and seat tube. It was pretty easy, and it looks good.
Here's a photo: http://twitpic.com/r6daz
I was thinking of trying to hack the battery pack so that I could use AAs, tape them around my hub, and weave a strand in my spokes. I'm sure it would look great, but not sure if I want to go to the trouble.
Welcome to the blog, Omaha.NET.
I drove through Field Club tonight, and there's one street with a fair number of notable displays, with a few other houses with displays on other streets.
Depending on interest, perhaps we could spin through there for some sights.
We would access Field Club by crossing Leavenworth on the Turner Boulevard Trail. We'd follow the trail up to Woolworth or Poppleton. I saw some nice displays on Pine or Hickory, between 33rd and 36th. Maybe we'd make a loop before heading back to Leavenworth and then downtown.
I emailed the Field Club neighborhood association about lights in their neighborhood and got the following reply from Jill. It might be worth swinging through their neighborhood.
"Thanks Scott! I drove around the neighborhood tonight and it looks like some of the best lights (at least the most "lighted") street is Pine from 36-35 St (there is 35Ave and 35St). Woolworth has a few lights, but the majority of those who usually deck the halls have not decorated yet. For a street running North/South, 35th St neighbors usually put on good displays- tonight some were decorated but several of the usual were still missing.
Hope this helps- and stay warm on your ride!!
Merry Christmas!-jill"
We're working on refining the route and publishing a map.
Look for that in a new post later.
Also follow http://twitter.com/bikeomaha for last minute info.
I updated this post with the map that Scott did for us. We are still fine-tuning the route, so check back often.
Does anyone have concerns about the 13 mile distance of the current route?
I have some trepidation with regard to the route. My wife and I were considering towing the kids in a Burley and on a Tag-a-Long, but now I'm thinking maybe not.
However, I'm open to input and comments.
It would be two kids, ages 3 and 5.
Thanks!
~Chris
Scott had some ideas on how to either shorten the route, or have 2 routes.
I'll be towing my 7 YO son on a trail-a-bike and the other 7 YO son will be on a kids "starter" size bike.
With a larger group like this, our visibility will be very high, so we should not have any issues riding on the lower traffic roads that we will be using.
We will work something out. Stay tuned.
Just a quick note in case anyone wants to do this also.
I will be leaving my wife and kids at Blue Line Coffe and riding back to Midtown Crossing solo to get my car and pick them up. That cuts a good disntance off the ride without missing out on many lights. Plus they will have more time to warm up and drink hot chocolate while I'm getting the car.
What about getting a react organization involved, or a police cruiser as a follow vehicle. How does ice on the streets effect riding? Sound like great FUN
I'm not sure what a "react organization" is.
A police escort may be a good idea once we establish a base-line for event sizes and have a better idea of what kind of escort efforts we would need.
The Douglas... any suggestions in that department?
This is sort of a trial ride to gauge interest in a winter lights tour. Weather can be so unpredictable this time of year, so who know what's in store.
REACT is a volunteer public service group that utilizes radio communication to help in events and emergencies. You'll see them often at marathons, races, etc.
Perhaps if the ride really takes off in the future, we might need an escort or some checkpoints to help people get through safely.
Is the bike ride still on for the 11th - just checking because of this crazy weather
Barb... we will check the road/trail conditions on Friday morning and put a go/no go comment here by 12:00 Friday.
The ride is on for Friday, December 18. Please check back, or follow @BikeOmaha on Twitter for last minute updates.
Here is the final route.
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