Bicycling in parades, a strategy

[Jim Baross]

Bicycling advocates sometimes - not often enough - get themselves included as an official or impromptu group in various official or unofficial parades to promote bicycling, their group or organizations, and because it can be fun to show off ourselves and our various types of bicycles and bicycling.

I participated in the local Memorial Day neighborhood parade yesterday, along with approximately 40 others, adults and children, on a wide array of bicycles. 

We used a parade strategy that allowed us to stay upright while bicycling, even when the parade moved at a slow, pedestrian pace or when it stopped temporarily. We did this by riding in a counterclockwise circle, up one side of the available space, then turning to backtrack along the other side. Everyone could stay upright. Everyone could travel at their own pace, either passing others carefully or allowing them to pass. The circle moved forward as the parade group in front of us moved, or our circle stayed in place while we kept circling when the group in front stopped. Added benefits included doubling our exposure and interactions with the crowds along the edges - high-fives, bubble-blowing, handing out bicycling info cards, etc. 

The process requires some minimal coordination among participant bicyclists, but even the children got it quickly. More coordinated/advanced groups might try strategies such as riding a figure-eight pattern or all-together track-standing. 

What else?

Enjoy. 

Jim Baross

CABO President

[David Takemoto-Weerts]

At the annual UC Davis Picnic Day parade which winds through campus and downtown, the US Bicycling Hall of Fame always enters a group of penny farthing riders. This year we had eight, originals and replicas. The parade has a lot of starts and stops, and the high wheelers typically ride in circles during the pauses. They're always a crowd pleaser with most in period apparel. 

David Takemoto-Weerts

Lead Docent/Collections Manager

US Bicycling Hall of Fame

Davis, CA USA

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[Jim Baross]

Mounting and dismounting an adult-sized Penny-Farthing would be especially troublesome in a parade!

My P-F replica - neumatic tires, freewheel, and a rim brake - with only a 36" sized wheel is hard enough!

Jim Baross

CABO President