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June Flock Party

It's that time of month... Flock Party!


Here's the deal, we got a park pavilion reservation and a alcohol permit with the intentions of getting a keg from EEBC. There were some legal/insurance issues that came up, so we won't have beer. However, everyone is welcome to bring a beverage of choice for themselves and to share.


We will also have food (not sure yet, but there will be something veg/vegan friendly). We are going to encourage anyone who wants to bring something to share to do so.


Facebook Event Page


Route


Anyone running late can meet the group at 7:30p at the main entrance to Highland Park


ndromb
2011-06-16 23:26:52

Hm... anyone up for breaking off to go hit growler hours (they're open until 8)? i think i can carry at least 4 in my panniers.


salty
2011-06-17 00:01:53

I get off work in Fox Chapel at 730 so I'll try and meet up with you guys right after.


boostuv
2011-06-17 02:07:37

The route has been adjusted to accommodate growler pick-up at East End Brewing Company.


ndromb
2011-06-17 04:52:51

excellent! although i might suggest doing it in reverse to put the beer pickup nearer the end? i'm planning to get as many growlers as i can fit in my panniers but i'm not sure about any sort of cooling.


salty
2011-06-17 04:55:06

My only concern would be not making it there on time.


ndromb
2011-06-17 05:12:08

I definitely don't think we can reverse it. We would be getting there around 8p. Plus, I think we are already going to put enough pressure on the brewery.


ndromb
2011-06-17 05:16:13

I should be there for the ride, but may not stay for the party. (The only lock that I have w/ me is a cable lock. I also forgot to pack a light, so I'll have to stop by Thick or REI on the way.)


Are there any quick places to eat near Dippy? I haven't spent any in that area since '94.


myddrin
2011-06-17 12:11:25

@myddrin: Lots of stuff a couple blocks over on Craig St.


reddan
2011-06-17 12:16:19

a bag of ice in an ortlieb full of growlers should probably do the trick


dmtroyer
2011-06-17 12:26:46

I am going to try to make it to the 7:30 location. Allergies are killing me, so might be a last minute call for me.


swalfoort
2011-06-17 13:09:07

dag, this sounds like a lot of fun. unfortunately, devo sounds funner.


also: who is responsible for flyering up the bikes around cmu? thanks for at least not putting any on my bike(s).


hiddenvariable
2011-06-17 13:15:59

That was Kayla and I. Next time, If I see your bike, I'll put a few on.


ndromb
2011-06-17 13:46:45

A card for every spoke, HV.


dwillen
2011-06-17 13:53:31

at least be kind enough to write "please throw this out for me" on it.


hiddenvariable
2011-06-17 14:23:58

I still got the crate on my bike, maybe I'll pick up some snacks on the way to dippy in a few.


rubberfactory
2011-06-17 21:14:33

Just wanted to drop a note of thanks. This was my first flock, and I had a blast. Just feel bad that I had to leave the after party early (9:30).... but it had been a long day at work, I'd done a lot of riding before the flock started and I was tired.


And if anyone has any video of Nick getting on and off the green monster, please let me know. I want to show people that!


myddrin
2011-06-18 17:19:26

Definitely a fun time last night!! Fairly long ride, always a good crowd of very nice people. Lots of first timers every month! And the bbq seemed to have went off great! Cant wait for the next ride!


cpollack
2011-06-18 17:53:26

Anyone got a mileage count? (with or without the loop around Highland Park) I see the plan on the MapMyRide link above, but we didn't hold strictly to that.


stuinmccandless
2011-06-18 18:04:38

Someone said that including the loop, it was about 12 miles. Which brings it to about 20 miles total for me yesterday. Hadn't ridden that much in one day in quite a while. It was nice.


rubberfactory
2011-06-18 19:13:50

Had a blast at the BBQ and the after party. Worked sucked this morning, but oh well.


boostuv
2011-06-18 19:29:31

Man, I wish I could've finished the ride. I gave up my spare tube to fix someone else's flat and then I get a flat that can't be patched AND in the middle of the sketchy part of E Lib too. Still, it was great up until that point, and it was nice of (I think?) Marko82 to walk back to Centre with me. I'll just need to fill my pack with spare tubes for the next time, ha.


richw
2011-06-18 23:01:30

Noos! What kind of flat was it? Something close to the stem or a huge gash, blow out?


sgtjonson
2011-06-19 00:10:23

It was a tiny hole right at the base of the stem, where it goes into the tube; it took us a few minutes to even find it.


richw
2011-06-19 00:46:44

You don't need a pack full of spare tubes, just a patch kit.


lyle
2011-06-19 01:36:01

Some snaps:






ahlir
2011-06-19 02:29:28

Rich, that's sucks. I was wondering what happened. Once you said you never had a flat, I had a bad feeling that it would last long.


It was nice of you to give up to tube to Mark though.


We can still blame Ian for putting Mark on a bum bike.


Hopefully next ride we will be better equipped to cover mechanical problems.


ndromb
2011-06-19 03:51:57

Ahlir, who are you!?!?


stefb
2011-06-19 04:00:11

Rich, if you are who I think you are I feel kinda bad, I asked if you were OK and you said yes but I felt like I should have stopped anyways. I had a spare tube :-(


Ahlir, same question as Stef. Maybe we could use some flock name tags...


salty
2011-06-19 04:10:55

I feel special being the newbie and having the privilege of meeting the mysterious Ahlir. He tends to keep a low profile kind of like Batman but even cooler.


marvelousm3
2011-06-19 04:36:23

I don't recall anyone having a flat the whole time until I saw two people (then three, per comment above) got flats less than a mile apart.


I felt a little weird, wearing business clothes to a bike ride, but when everyone started getting eaten alive by mosquitoes at the picnic, I was glad I did.


stuinmccandless
2011-06-19 11:47:54

Damn, well I didn't meet mr marvelous either, I thought you were 100% spandex 100% of the time?


And i certainly don't remember seeing a monkey on a bike so I'm guessing that avatar is inaccurate.


salty
2011-06-19 14:03:55

Yeah I didn't meet mr marvelous either, unless I have before and don't know your real name? I guess I didn't ask enough unfamiliar faces if they post on the board.


stefb
2011-06-19 15:12:31

Hey, I'm lurking in the background in two out the three photos above. Apparently, I'm everywhere. :)


I felt out of place too, Stu. I was on the other side of the spectrum...all spandexed up. I think there were only 2 or 3 of us. I would say that it was because I was stopping of in the middle of my commute home... but truth be told if I even glance at a bike, I need wicking material.


Sadly, no one told me that when you loose a lot of weight, you don't loose any of those extra sweat glands.


myddrin
2011-06-19 15:34:00

I'm next to jeg in the third one.


I tend to feel out of place at these because I'm out of shape...which is why I don't really talk to many of you (also, I'm never really sure what to say to people. I'm much better at socializing on the internet). So if anyone felt like I was ignoring them or something, I wasn't doing it on purpose!


rubberfactory
2011-06-19 15:52:46

We *do* need nametags apparently. I am also terrible at introducing myself. I'm pretty sure I saw myddrin, but after one case of mistaken identity where I said hi to someone who actually was not who I thought they were (which is one of my biggest fears, I'm so embarrassed when I do that) I wasn't going to chance another... I did finally meet caitlin but only because I had a "positive id" from someone else saying hi to her.


salty
2011-06-19 18:08:40

@Salty, it was likely me if the person you are thinking of if it was a person w/ a Van Dyke off being unsociable or talking to Stu.


I am also very awkward IRL. Bad at being social, something I'm working this year as part of my new year's resolution... but its hard to break 39 years of habit.


myddrin
2011-06-19 18:13:01

I've been trying since I moved to Pittsburgh (5 years ago). Not to discourage you, I am a lot better than I was!


rubberfactory
2011-06-19 18:22:01

I almost made it. But I think I used up my daily quotient of philanthropy by the time I got to Oakland.


lyle
2011-06-19 19:18:32

@ Salty my avatar is of a Japanese anime mystical kung-fu master on a bike, that turns into a giant monkey when there is a full moon. Now picture that in all Livestrong spandex and you can't miss me.


marvelousm3
2011-06-19 19:24:00

"the mysterious Ahlir"? Don't tempt me... "Austin Ahlir, East End Man of Mystery". (If you don't think that's bad... well, don't tempt me.) My avatar is a monkey on a bike because I happen to like the image and, well, some of us have trouble getting behind this whole avatar thing. (Speaking of which, what exactly is Gravatar's business plan?)


If you're wondering who I am, I was the guy with the camera. Didn't anyone notice me? This is actually kind of interesting, since I felt a bit conspicuous snapping away. Oh, I did place myself in the photo at the EEB, I'm right there on the bottom, towards the left, holding a camera above my head.


But seriously, I'm not trying to hide and, as near as I can tell, "creepy" is not the first impression that I tend to make. But I'm probably about as shy/awkward as the rest of the people who've posted on this topic so far (I'm given to understand that only sociopaths don't have this problem). So, we're not the ones who are going to solve the problem. The folks who are already "inhabitants" of the Flock, on the other hand, are just the right people to do this: "Hi, my name is ____. What's yours? Do you post on Bike-Pgh? Cool! What's you screen name?" and [optionally] "Let me introduce you to ____". You know, just like at some party that you're hosting. I mean, don't make it a burden for yourself, but do a bit of it. I can promise that I won't blow you off. [Edit: Nick gets it, but he's too busy doing other stuff.]


ahlir
2011-06-19 20:51:39

I'm glad there was a "guy with a camera" for the ride I couldn't make :)


Ahlir, if you're on the Flickr, be sure to add your photos to the flock of cycles pool.


robjdlc
2011-06-19 22:28:38

Social butterfly, I am not.


I figure everyone knows me because I'm one of the few people with an actual face in my avatar. I also use the same photo on Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace and Twitter.


Conversely, I only connect faces with names on rides like this, and I'm generally horrible with names, so even when I actually do meet someone, it might take a ride or two, or hanging around a picnic table for an hour, before I finally process "oh THAT'S xxxxxx".


Meanwhile, I'll pass someone on the street who knows me and addresses me by name, and I'll have to piece together what I know about who typically goes where at what time of day on whichever kind of bike, and and and ...


Yeah, name tags would be nice.


stuinmccandless
2011-06-19 22:41:46

Flock actually plans on doing a fundraiser selling reflective name graphics for bikes. We came up with the idea a while ago, but forgot about it.


ndromb
2011-06-20 01:55:54

The tattoo from my gravatar is on my right forearm. Say hi.


stefb
2011-06-20 02:02:23

I fabric-painted my forum name on the back of my old Flock shirt, which worked nicely, but I don't wear sleeves once it hits 75°F or so.


jeg
2011-06-20 02:14:55

maybe we all should get spandex team kits with our names on the back of the jerseys. Its my goal to get everyone to wear spandex so I don't look like a dork.


marvelousm3
2011-06-20 02:36:42

Spandex doesn't look dorky, it's classic.


Dorky is wearing long pants tucked into your socks to keep the cuff out of the chain. Not that I care about these things.


lyle
2011-06-20 11:46:37

Spandex doesn't look dorky, it's classic.


Clearly, either we haven't met in IRL or you've blocked the memory. :)


In my book, the only time spandex looks classic is if the cyclist is going so fast he/she is only a blur.


myddrin
2011-06-20 15:20:11

Hey all you Flockers,

Thanks for making us a part of your ride - initially, w/ the keg plan, and then with the stop on the ride when that didn't pan out.

I had to duck out before you arrived, but from the sound of things, you guys just CRUSHED us. This was great, as we always like it when we see lots of new faces (and even familiar ones), so thanks for that! But I'm guessing there was a lot of waiting around on your side of the bar while we churned thru the backlog. So, our apologies for that!


Next time (if there is a next time), we'd love to dial in something special for your visit... maybe opening up during hours when we are normally closed, or anything really, to better accommodate a LARGE (for us) influx of thirsty GOOD BEER fans.


And once we've moved into the new building, you can expect to find some killer bike parking too.


Thanks again for coming in!

Cheers - Scott


scotteastendbrewing
2011-06-20 16:08:08

I was in the East End food coop on Saturday and an interesting young woman was giving tme the eye and smailing at me.


At one time, that wasn't unusual - but that time was in the '80s.


She finally said "I really like your 'flock of cycles' T-shirt."


Thanks guys for a really great ride Friday night! (And the enticing T-shirt from sometime in the past)


@myddrin the only time spandex looks classic is if the cyclist is going so fast he/she is only a blur.


+1.


And even then only if the person isn't passing other cyslists too close with no warning on the streets.


mick
2011-06-20 16:19:32

I wear spandex to appear faster than I am. I only past another cyclists once and he was locking his bike to a rack. I always say I have a sweet looking bike with a slow engine.


marvelousm3
2011-06-20 16:58:08

My dorky appearance is actually a conscious decision. I am making a fashion statement. I almost wore a necktie on this ride. The point: Cyclists do not always wear cycling attire. Bridesmaid dresses are another example.


I am here to mess with people's ^H^H^H^H^H^H^H drivers' heads.


stuinmccandless
2011-06-20 17:27:10

Scott, as long as you are making good beer you will be seeing the Flock.


Stu, good for you. One of these day's I'll ride around on the tall bike in a suit.


Also, we will have new Flock of Cycles T-shirts next month!


ndromb
2011-06-21 22:10:39

I was sad i couldn't get a growler,as i was a few dollars short and forgot we were stopping at EEB.But next time! I have consistently been making these rides since my schedule has cleared up on Fridays.I can't wait for the next ride.Nick,Jane,Kayla,Dan and everyone else involved do a tremendous amount of work that no one really sees,aside from Nick's speeches..haha.Keep it up guys,you make this city way more fun to ride in when you open up peoples eyes with how much fun they can have on a bike while still following laws,seeing new neighborhoods,and meeting new people.


cpollack
2011-06-22 06:56:24

Nick,Jane,Kayla,Dan and everyone else involved do a tremendous amount of work that no one really sees,aside from Nick's speeches..


+1


This was my first ride, but it was evident by how smoothly everything went that a lot of time and thought had gone into it.


myddrin
2011-06-22 12:01:26