The Bike Fun Library is real! And there’s a ride tonight to kick it off

(Image: Eric Thornburg/@no.lens.cap)

Remember the idea we posted about a few weeks ago to create a loaner library for ride leaders?

The woman who started the GoFundMe, One Hwang, and the rest of our wonderful community, ended up raising $560 ($60 over the goal). And now the Bike Fun Library is an actual thing.

The Bike Fun Library is a set of equipment that anyone can check out via an online reservation form. The great folks at Go By Bike are hosting it (online and off) and as of right now it consists of a Burley flatbed trailer and a mobile sound system. Other items will be added in the future. In addition to the website, there’s also a Bike Fun Library Facebook page.

There’s a ride tonight (5/10) to kick-off this new community resource. With Pedalpalooza just weeks away, tonight’s ride is geared toward helping people become better ride leaders. You might think all these great social bike rides just happen on a whim; but the really good ones are planned well in advance by people who pay attention to the details. Things like: having a good sound system, having a leader and a sweep rider if it’s a big group, a plan for how to handle red lights (“cork” traffic or nah?), what to do if jerks show up, and more.

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In recent years there’s been a concerted push from Shift and the community more broadly, to make sure that Pedalpalooza rides are as welcoming, inclusive, and supportive as possible. Tonight’s Ride Leader Empowerment Ride will be led by Maria Schur and Sole Fiumefreddo — two women with lots of experience riding with large, diverse groups. Maria has been chosen to lead this year’s Pedalpalooza Kickoff Ride (June 1st!) and Sole is one of the founders of Corvidae Bike Club.

Maria says tonight you can expect to learn things like how to handle on-ride harassment, how to de-escalate conflicts with auto users, and general tips on how to promote bike fun.

The ride begins at 7:00 pm at the Go By Bike valet in South Waterfront (3303 SW Bond Ave). More details on the calendar.

— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org

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