Posts Tagged ‘bikefest’

We’ve spent the past few weeks preparing for BikeFest, our yearly fundraiser and celebration of bicycling. It’s finally here (and, lucky for any slackers out there, tickets will be available at the door)! Tonight, you’ll be supporting WABA’s advocacy, outreach, and education initiatives while enjoying all of the following:

Food and libations: A taco bar courtesy of Chipotle will pair with beer from New Belgium Brewery, representatives of which will be on-site giving free tastings and running a “beer school.” A well-stocked “speakeasy” bar will provide boozier alternatives to beer. Your ticket includes two gold drink tokens.

Live music: Local group Atomic Swing Club will provide a mix of jazz, rockabilly, lounge, big band, and of course, swing tunes. There will be plenty of space for dancing.

Casino games: Your ticket includes a voucher that can be exchanged for $200 in “fun bucks” to use at the professionally run casino tables. The minimum table bid is $25. When you stack up your chips, cash them out with the dealers—you’ll receive a green voucher that you can exchange for raffle tickets (see a volunteer or the WABA Bank). You can purchase additional buy-in vouchers at the WABA Bank. Sound confusing? You’ll be a pro after a few hands.

The BikeBuild contest and auction: We’ve told you about the four BikeBuild contest entries, all of which have been put together by local bike shops just for BikeFest. Check them out and cast your vote for your favorite with the blue token included in your ticket envelope. If you really love one of the bikes, it could be yours: Just participate in the live auction!

Silent auction: All proceeds earned from your bids on experience packages and items available in the silent auction go to WABA. There’s some great stuff on offer, much of it bike-related.

Raffle: Exchange your table-game winnings for raffle tickets, or buy some from the WABA Bank. Here’s a peek at what you might win.

Dress to impress: This one’s on you. BikeFest is a snazzy affair, and you may have noticed that our poster echoes the forthcoming remake of The Great Gatsby. Wear something sparkly, jazzy, and evocative of Casablanca. Own it. We’ll be taking pictures.

If you didn’t buy tickets, a limited number will be available at the door for $55. We will only take credit cards, so please prepare accordingly. BikeFest begins at 8 p.m. at Eastern Market’s North Hall. Dress in your sparkly best. We’ll see you tonight!

BikeFest is made possible by our generous sponsors

We know, we know. We said we would close BikeFest ticket sales at 11:59 p.m. last night and that tickets wouldn’t be available at the door this evening. But we realized we can squeeze a few more of you into Eastern Market’s North Hall, so if you slacked on buying a BikeFest ticket, you’re in luck!

We will sell tickets at the door tonight for $55. You may only pay with a credit card. We cannot take your cash or check, so please plan accordingly. BikeFest begins at 8 p.m. at Eastern Market’s North Hall. More information can be found here or on our blog. We look forward to seeing you at our signature fundraising party and celebration of bicycles!

 

BikeFest is made possible by our generous sponsors

Haven’t bought a BikeFest ticket yet? You’ve only got a few hours left! BikeFest ticket sales will close at 11:59 p.m. tonight. Go for it!

BikeFest is made possible by our generous sponsors

In addition to voting to select the BikeBuild contest winner, enjoying beer from New Belgium Brewing, and taking in live music from the Atomic Swing Club, you can also enter to win raffle prizes at BikeFest! Raffle tickets will be available for purchase, or you can trade in the chips you earn while playing table games.

Some of the raffle items include:

• A bicycle purse from Give Love Cycle (estimated value: $170)
• Dinner for 20 from Chipotle (estimated value: $250)
• A bike accessory basket including a Giro helmet, Topeak handlebar bag, bike jersey, water bottle, and $25 gift certificate to BicycleSpace
• A fixie commuter accessory pack from Wabi Cycles with a $25 gift certificate to BicycleSpace
• Bern helmets (one men’s and two women’s helmets will be available)
• A gift certificate for a tune-up at BicycleSpace

BikeFest ticket sales will close tonight at 11:59 p.m., so get yours now! Tickets are $45 for members and $55 for nonmembers.

We hope you’re coming to BikeFest on Fri., May 3. That’s this Friday! The annual BikeBuild contest is back for the third year in a row.

Local bike shops and co-ops were invited to build the best, most innovative, and creative bicycle as their entry. We encouraged the shops to use recycled parts, and all bikes had to be built without spending more than $250. This year’s BikeBuild participants are The Bike House, City Bikes, Papillion Cycles, and Phoenix Bikes.

At BikeFest, you’ll vote on your favorite build. After votes are collected, all the bikes will be auctioned off. All proceeds raised will go directly to WABA and will help support another year of bike advocacy, education, and outreach.

Many thanks to the participating shops for donating skills, time, and parts. We’ll be profiling each shop here leading up to BikeFest (previously, Phoenix Bikes and The Bike House!). We talked to John from Papillon Cycles about participating in the BikeBuild contest:

WABA: Tell us about Papillon Cycles.
Papillon Cycles:: Papillon Cycles is a full-service bike shop! We mean to convey that every cyclist’s needs can be met by us, whether it is one who needs a flat fixed or an adjustment made while they wait, to someone who needs an exotic or rare bicycle refurbished, to building a unicycle for a round-the-globe adventure. We sell a wide variety of bicycles, too, and are a Giant and Breezer bikes dealer. We love our community and are excited to welcome new friends to the joys of cycling in and around Arlington!

WABA: Tell us about the bike you’re building.
PC: Well, the bicycle we are building for the BikeBuild contest is a classic, a Western Flyer. It’s a ladies’ model, or a guy’s—we’re not self conscious over here. We were inspired by the way a bicycle, this one or any bicycle, can help one create their own luck! It will have character, that’s for sure. We didn’t spend very much on this one in terms of cash, but we broke the bank in other ways! We would love to see the auction winner riding this bicycle on their most useful and widest local thoroughfare, in a bike lane.

WABA: What do you hope D.C.’s bike community looks like in 10 years?
PC: We hope that the DC area bicycle community will be bigger in 10 years. We hope it will be more welcoming and inclusive of casual and utilitarian-minded cyclists, as well as the racers too!

One thing that is always on our mind over here on Columbia Oike is car traffic. We hope that with increased participation in bicycle advocacy, laws and infrastructure will grow with the increased demand for safe, easy, healthy, fun bicycling! Cycling should be an option for everyone, everywhere.

WABA: What’s Papillon up to this spring?
PC: New to Papillon this spring and summer are free flat repair and bicycle maintenance classes! We do these every Tuesday and Thursday at 6 p.m. We are also moving next door in our same building and expanding this summer. We will have a larger selection of bicycles, as well as parts and accessories. Papillon-branded cycling caps, wool jerseys, and water bottles are also new. Capital Bikeshare is coming to our neighborhood, too!

Want a chance to bid on Papillon Cycles’ new build and bring home a new ride? Buy a BikeFest ticket today. BikeFest will sell out, so get on it!

There’s a silent auction on tap for this Friday’s BikeFest! You’ll have the opportunity to bid on a number of great experience packages. Read about them below:

The Mountainbiker: Get a private 3-hour mountain bike tour of Patapsco Sate Park by Family Bike Shop owner and local cyclocross racer Jonathan Seibold. Patapsco boasts everything from rocky, muddy hills and steep climbs to smooth single track. Estimated value: $300

Lobster dinner for six: Get a five-course lobster dinner for yourself and five friends from the River Falls Market in Potomac, Md that includes fresh lobster tails and sides like tomato, basil, and mozzarella skewers—plus two bottles of white wine. Estimated value: $300

Bike-themed art by Brody Rose: Take home an original art piece by local artist Brody Rose, entitled “MAGnificient.” The work is painted on BMX MAG Wheel—definitely a conversation piece for the experienced cyclist or eye candy for those who love bikes.

Bicycle Times package: Get a full kit from Bicycle Times magazine (in a men’s size medium), a pair of fancy socks, and a lifetime subscription to the magazine.

Vegetarian Indian meal and dessert for four: Enjoy a delicious dinner complete with homemade Indian sweets, using recipes from West Bengal in Northeastern India. (Est. Value: $200)

NPR tour and downtown pedicab ride for six: Get a behind-the-scenes tour of NPR’s brand-new headquarters (including its fancy-schmancy bike room) and a one-hour sightseeing tour by pedicab along the National Mall. Estimated value: $185

Cruise the Chesapeake Bay: Enjoy a day aboard the sailboat Sweet Caroline, during which you and three guests can swim, fish, and even learn to sail. The cruise include either a lunch at anchor on the bay or at sunset in the boat slip in Annapolis. Estimated value: $350

Throughout the evening we will hold a silent auction for guests to bid on these items, plus other experience packages and art pieces. There will also be a collection of vintage bicycle posters for auction. It’s not too late to get a BikeFest ticket. Buy one now! Ticket sales will end at midnight on Thursday.

You may have received this email, from WABA Executive Director Shane Farthing, this morning. It announces our 2013 award winners and reviews the things we’ve achieved over the past year, all of which we’ll celebrate at Friday’s BikeFest. We’re running Shane’s email this afternoon on the blog in case you missed the email, want a recap of what WABA’s been working on, or need another reminder of why attending BikeFest will be a great way to spend your Friday night.

Friends,

As we approach another bike month in the Washington area, will you join us to celebrate? Our annual fundraiser and party, BikeFest, is this Friday. I hope to see you there.

This time last year, there was no L Street cycletrack, seemingly no path forward on the Metropolitan Branch Trail in Silver Spring, and the Wilson Bridge trail access was blocked by jet-black bollards. In just 12 months, we’ve changed all these things.

The L Street cycletrack is here, and its westbound match on M Street is coming. We’ve broken the impasse on the MBT and should soon see designs for a trail crossing at Georgia Avenue. The jet-black bollards—well, they’re still there, but they aren’t jet black anymore.

Additionally, we’re about to see the launch of bikesharing in Montgomery County. In Maryland, we fought back a mandatory helmet law that would have done more harm than good. In the District, we helped to pass the Access to Justice for Bicyclists Act, which increases civil rights for assaulted cyclists. We’ve welcomed Black Women Bike DC under the WABA umbrella. We’ve launched the Women & Bicycles program, a hugely successful endeavor to address the gender gap in cycling; continued our East of the River outreach program in wards 7 and 8; and added full-time outreach and advocacy coordinators for the first time in our history.

That’s an incredible amount to celebrate, but we’re not slowing down. We work daily—and nightly—to grow and improve biking in the D.C. region. Our Adult Learn to Ride classes were on the front page of the Washington Post’s local section this past Sunday. The day before, we taught families bike safety skills at Kidical Mass’ ABCs of Family Biking clinic; meanwhile, our outreach team was busy at events in D.C., McLean, and Bethesda. The week prior, we hosted an Advocacy 101 training and were present at nearly a dozen regional meetings to emphasize the need for better bicycling in every regional jurisdiction.

Biking is booming, and WABA is working behind the scenes to make it happen. But we aren’t doing so alone. Many incredible individuals support our efforts, and I hope you’ll help us honor some of them at BikeFest.

• 2013 Advocacy Award: Veronica Davis, co-founder of Black Women Bike DC
• 2013 Advocacy Award: Evan Wilder, leader in the push for D.C.’s Access to Justice for Bicyclists Act
• 2013 Pierre Summerville Education Award: Jeff Anderson, youth bicycling advocate
• 2013 Volunteer Appreciation Award: Susan & Iolaire McFadden, dedicated WABA volunteers in too many capacities to list

We’re incredibly grateful for the support of people like these. Will you join us at BikeFest to show appreciation for their hard work, celebrate the continued growth and improvement of bicycling in the region, and raise funds to make sure WABA’s progress continues?

I’ll see you Friday.

Shane Farthing
Executive Director

BikeFest is this Friday, May 3 from 8 p.m. to midnight at Eastern Market’s North Hall. Tickets are on sale here ($45 for members and $55 for nonmembers). BikeFest will sell out and tickets will not be sold at the door, so purchase yours today!

BikeFest is generously supported by

We hope you’re coming to BikeFest on Fri., May 3. The annual BikeBuild contest is back for the third year in a row!

Local bike shops and co-ops were invited to build the best, most innovative, and creative bicycle as their entry. We encouraged the shops to use recycled parts, and all bikes had to be built without spending more than $250. This year’s BikeBuild participants are The Bike House, City Bikes, Papillion Cycles, and Phoenix Bikes.

At BikeFest, you’ll vote on your favorite build. After votes are collected, all the bikes will be auctioned off. All proceeds raised will go directly to WABA and will help support another year of bike advocacy, education, and outreach.

Many thanks to the participating shops for donating skills, time, and parts. We’ll be profiling each shop here leading up to BikeFest (previously, Phoenix Bikes and The Bike House!). We talked to Saul, a City Bikes staffer, about participating in the BikeBuild contest:

WABA: Tell us about City Bikes.
City Bikes: City Bikes is a full-service shop with three locations in and near D.C.—our flagship in Adams Morgan, another store right on the Capital Crescent Trail in Chevy Chase, and our newest location on Capitol Hill. Celebrating our 25th anniversary this year, we helped create a real cycling culture in Washington. Today, we serve every type of cyclist, from children to young adults to more mature riders; men, women, enthusiasts, and experts alike. More than anything, we believe that cycling is for everyone, and we think of it as fun. That’s why we often say: Let’s ride!

WABA: Tell us about the bike you’re building.
CB: Our entry is a Trek mountain bike that was donated to our Capitol Hill location upon the purchase of its successor. As such, it represents the type of “basement find” or used bike which often serves as the jumping-off point for a new bicycle commuter. The 26-inch wheels and steel frame provide a stable platform and the newly installed swept bars provide a comfortable riding position. Our inspiration comes from legendary, 25-year City Bikes mechanic and daily commuter Mark Winstead. We have stripped the drive-train down to its essentials, while leaving enough gears for the ups and downs of D.C.’s terrain, and added racks and other features to make the bikes as useful as possible. A true urban commuter—you might even call it a “city bike”—our entry really embodies the spirit of City Bikes.

WABA: What do you hope D.C.’s bike community looks like in 10 years?
CB: In ten years, we’d love to see even more people using bikes as their primary form of transportation, or riding for fun on evenings and weekends. With the help of services like Capital Bikeshare and sites like Craigslist, the number of butts on bikes—pardon the language—has skyrocketed. As we continue to engage and educate cyclists on the range of options available to them, proper gear, the importance of safety, and other important elements of riding, we believe that everyone will realize how cycling fits into their lives. Combined with better and better public policies and infrastructure for cyclists (thank you, WABA!), we’re confident D.C. will set the standard for commuter cycling for cities across the country.

WABA: What’s City Bikes up to this spring?
CB: This season is one of the most exciting we’ve ever had. Why? ‘Cause we’re celebrating our 25th anniversary! And we won’t be celebrating alone. City Bikes has always been committed to the community, and we can’t think of a better way to mark this occasion than with customers old and new. After BikeFest, our next big event will be Bike to Work Day (together with WABA), which means a lot to us as it encourages the commuter cycling culture we’ve worked so hard to build. From there, be on the lookout for weekly classes and rides at all three of our locations and pop-ups in places like Eastern Market and the Capital Crescent Trail. We’ll also be hosting larger events—including a big anniversary bash—and rides, and rolling out anniversary specials all spring and summer long.

We hope you’re coming to BikeFest on Fri., May 3. The annual BikeBuild contest is back for the third year in a row!

Local bike shops and co-ops were invited to build the best, most innovative, and creative bicycle as their entry. We encouraged the shops to use recycled parts, and all bikes had to be built without spending more than $250. This year’s BikeBuild participants are The Bike House, City Bikes, Papillion Cycles, and Phoenix Bikes.

At BikeFest, you’ll vote on your favorite build. After votes are collected, all the bikes will be auctioned off. All proceeds raised will go directly to WABA and will help support another year of bike advocacy, education, and outreach.

Many thanks to the participating shops for donating skills, time, and parts. We’ll be profiling each shop here leading up to BikeFest (previously, Phoenix Bikes!). We talked to Peter, a volunteer at The Bike House, about participating in the BikeBuild contest:

WABA: Tell us about The Bike House.
The Bike House: The Bike House is a community-based bicycle repair co-op in Washington, D.C. Our mission is to build a place where all people can learn about, work on, and enjoy bikes. We do this by providing free bicycle maintenance services and education through our weekend clinics, mobile bike clinic, and beginner and advanced mechanics classes. If you are having a problem with your bike, bring it to one of our clinics and our volunteers will teach you how to fix the problem yourself.

WABA: Tell us about the bike you’re building.
TBH: As a group of avid bike enthusiasts, many of us have accumulated a ton of extra parts for planned projects, so one of the main things was to parse through what was available and develop a vision based on that. After looking at all of the donations, we decided to build up an old Ross trekking frame made in Allentown, Pa. into a grocery/townie bike. One of the main draws of the Ross frame was how intertwined the company was in post World War II U.S. bike history.

I’ve wanted to build a townie bike for myself for a while because I feel it’s a great utilitarian type bike that allows whoever riding it to cut out a lot of use for their car. When presented with the WABA BikeFest build, I decided to give it a try. Luckily, the parts lined up for this and we started in on fixing it up. I would hope that anyone who gets this bike uses it to get to work, get to the store, and haul everything they need in relative comfort.

 

WABA: What do you hope DC’s bike community looks like in 10 years?
TBH: We want to see more people on bikes in every quadrant in the city. Whether it’s getting to and from work, exploring the city, or hitting the road for a long weekend ride, there’s so much to do on two wheels in D.C. The Bike House will be there to give people the tools they need to ride farther and keep their bikes happy and their wheels true.

WABA: What’s The Bike House up to this spring?
TBH: The Bike House tends to go into hibernation over the winter, but we are open again and ready to help everyone get their bikes tuned up for the riding season. Our clinics are Saturdays 12-3 p.m. at Annie’s Ace Hardware and Sundays 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Bloomingdale Farmer’s Market (which opens in May). We also will be doing various mobile clinics this year, at locations to be determined.

We are always looking for volunteers who are interested in learning and teaching bike repair, and helping their neighbors get their bikes working. If you are interested in volunteering or just learning more about what we do, please come to one of our clinics, visit our website at http://thebikehouse.org or contact a volunteer at thebikehouse@gmail.com.

Many thanks to The Bike House! If you haven’t bought your tickets to BikeFest yet, time is running out! Buy your ticket today.

Do you want to attend WABA’s most extravagant celebration of bicycling and support our mission? And do you want to be entered to win tickets to a 9:30 Club show?

Time is running out to get tickets for BikeFest, so buy yours today.

If you buy a ticket before Mon., April 29, you’ll be entered to win a pair of tickets to see Dandy Warhols at 9:30 Club. We’ll randomly pick the winner next week.

BikeFest is WABA’s biggest fundraising party of the year! Your admission to BikeFest includes:

• Two free drinks at the bar
• Live swing and jazz music
• A vote in the BikeBuild contest
• Tacos and taco salads from a Chipotle-catered buffet, plus dessert
• Casino games
• Participation in a spectacular silent auction and the chance to win great raffle prizes

Find out more about BikeFest here. BikeFest will sell out, and tickets will only be sold until Thurs., May 2 at 11:59 p.m. Get your tickets now!

BikeFest is our chance to fill the gap left by BikeDC’s cancellation. Buying a ticket to BikeFest helps us promote bicycling for fun, fitness, and transportation; advocate for better bicycling infrastructure; and educate children, adults, and motorists about safe bicycling.

Event Details
DATE: Fri., May 3, 2013
TIME: 8 p.m. to midnight
LOCATION: Eastern Market North Hall, Washington, D.C.
TICKETS: $45 for WABA members and $55 for nonmembers

BikeFest is supported by our generous sponsors