The Fucking Bike Club

Do This Thing

2012-01-16T21:20:00.000-08:00

I just got an email from Pedals2People, and in that email it told me about a fun January event happening on the 28th.

The first annual Gloomsday ride should be a fun. Starting at the P2P shop, there will be three lengths of rides to choose from. You can pick your poison, so you can get to the bar and pick your poison.

There are more details at their Facebook Events Page. Hop over there and tell them that you will most definitely be attending this event. (link below)

Gloomsday

First Fiasco 2012

2012-01-15T15:10:00.000-08:00

(click card for pictures)

It's official. 2012 is underway with the first Full Moon Fiasco of the year behind us. I initially had a very short route planned out, but with the un-January like weather, I thought it would be nice to throw some lefts and rights in there to lengthen our time in the saddle. It worked out pretty good. We rode a circuitous path through town to end up on East Sprague at Jones Radiator.

It was almost a year since our last visit to Jones, and I would like to go more often but there are so many of us and so little of Jones. It's tough to pack us all in there. This ride was a perfect amount of people for them to serve. Tom set us up with a DJ and enough servers to keep us from getting thirsty. They have big plans for the coming year, so we may have to make a non-full moon, summer time ride to check that out.

Thanks for coming out everyone.

50+ riders; 30º and sprinkles

First Ride of the Year

2012-01-05T00:54:00.000-08:00

A new year, and still I am way behind. I hope I can rally from this pretty soon.

Anyway, already time for a Full Moon Fiasco. Join us for the first ride of 2012.

Meet at The Swamp

Monday Jan 9th at 8:00pm

Festivus 2011 Wrap Up

2012-01-02T11:47:00.000-08:00

(click card for pictures)

2011 was a crazy busy year for me and the FBC. I was constantly hustling to make it all come together at the last minute. I could not have made it all work without the hard work of some Lifetime Members For Life. I'd like to think that 2012 will be different, and I will be organized. That is probably not the case.

The Festivus ride this year was a lot of fun, even though there were a few issues that kept us from having the outdoor games that are always fun. Hell, I didn't even get a chance to set up my bike frame tree this year OR decorate my bike. Not even a fancy Christmas sweater. I was probably the least festive looking attendee.

We certainly did not have a shortage of willing participants that happily donated presents. So many in fact, that I neglected a couple. I forgot to call back. Sorry about that. Below is a list of folks that helped us out this year. I can't thank you enough for your donations.

Chrome Bags - Gave us another kick ass item. This year, a bag!
Knog - Another bulging envelope of goodies from Australia.
Elephant Bikes - Glen gave us some great shirts, hats and hoodies. Let this guy build your next bike. Totally worth it. They are beautiful.
Wapparel - A new contributor to FBC. These guys are the best. T brought us some great tees and a hoodie.
Neato Burrito - Patty's famous Gift Cardboards! Ask Tim for the 'Brown Mound'.
Anvil Coffee - POUNDS of coffee. You can find it around town, or call Mark and tell him to update his website.
Garland Theater - Dena hit us up with movie tickets again this year.
North Division Bicycle Shop - Loyal contributor to every Festivus with a huge bag of fun.
Cycling Spokane - John is the luckiest finder of road finds. He gave us another gem this year.
2 Wheel Transit - Some things donated, some purchased by an anonymous donor.
Hop Shop - Gift certificates for a few beers. Can't go wrong there.
Beyond Decals - Not a donation, but definitely cheap. Silas hooked us up with another batch of stickers in some interesting colors. I still have a few that I will bring to the next ride.

I'd also like to thank the crew at Tailgaters for their awesome hospitality. They made us feel right at home, even provided us with access to their comedy stage for our present give away.

Thanks again to everyone that contributed to the Festivus Ride this year, and to all of my friends that help to make the Full Moon Fiasco happen every month. I hope that 2012 is as successful as 2011.

100+ riders; 18º and clear.

Tomorrow I will post for the January Fiasco. By the way, it's Jan 9th. It's Next Monday. I told you I was behind.

UPDATE: HOW COULD I HAVE LEFT OFF NEW BELGIUM BREWING? These guys came through with some great last minute donations. Awesome stuff from some awesome people. Sorry I left you off, guys.

Festivus 2011

2011-12-01T18:08:00.000-08:00

click image to get your own

It's time for Festivus!

I've had a time trying to get this event off the ground. From venue issues to prize aquisition, it's been a struggle. But with the help of some valuable lifetime members for life, this thing is going to happen.

I am sad to announce that we do not have the same venue space to hold the outdoor games. I know quite a few of you were looking forward to the Slow Race and the Obstacle Course. However, we will still have the Tire Toss game and some other things going on indoors. There will be no shortage of prizes, so all you have to do is show up and get a spoke card (one dollar donation greatly appreciated) for your chance to go home with some really great stuff during our number calling giveaway spectacular. I even have a super special giveaway for a super special someone.

I would also like to encourage you to wear something festive. Go nuts. There is a prize for it. I may even make up a reason to give away a prize.

As for the flyer shown on the left, you can click it to get to a PDF if you would like to print it to hang just about anywhere you like.

The Swamp

Saturday, December 10th

8:00pm

Fiasco 52 Wrap-Up

2011-11-12T17:40:00.000-08:00

(click card for pictures)

Winter. It's official. Today I'm watching it snow, and making plans for the Festivus ride even before finishing the wrap-up post for the November Fiasco. First things first, I'll get on with telling those of you that didn't make it out because the temperature dipped below 60º.

This ride was along one of our favorite little rides where we slip through Brownes Addition to the Sandifur Bridge, push up the trail on the other side to come out on the west end only to circle back around to the fountain to regroup before heading over to nYne Bar & Bistro. The ride was a ton of fun, and I think everyone had a good time. It was a small enough group to stay close together, and move pretty quickly. Maybe it was just really cold, and everyone wanted to be back indoors with a delicious beverage.

nYne is an old friend of the FBC. I had to come up with a venue last minute, and they were more than happy to have us again. Thanks as always, ladies.

34º and clear; 65 riders

Festivus Fiasco

Like I said, I'm making arrangements for Festivus. By that I mean that I am beginning to beg for donations. We will need prizes for all the fun games and contests we will be having next month. If you have anything that you would like to donate for prizes, please shoot me an email. I will come get them from you.

Fiasco 52

2011-11-01T22:41:00.000-07:00

Holy hell, it's already time for the next Full Moon Fiasco. I guess with winter rapidly approaching, the days are getting shorter. So much in fact that some days seem to be missing all together. Either that or my time management skills are deteriorating. No matter. Let's go for a bike ride.

I don't have a fancy theme for this one, but I do have a fun route. Weather permitting, there will be a small hill, but nothing you can't handle. You went up Post last time, and owned it. Anyway...

The Swamp

November 10th, 2011

8:00 pm

FBC Alaska

2011-10-27T13:14:00.000-07:00

I got this in the emails a couple of weeks ago. I thought you might like to see some news from the newest chapter of the FBC. In Alaska.

Thanks for the kind words, Kaitlin. Keep up the good work.

I wanted to send you a quick note of thanks for being a positive and
inspiring influence in my life.

In the spirit of FBC Spokane, we had an inaugural FBC, Alaska chapter,
ride last night with an astounding 6 riders joining in on the
festivities. Pretty good for 35 degree weather.

We met at our local Kenai River Brewery for some beer sampling before
departing to a super secret surprise location (St. Elias Brewery for
some live music and additional beer drinking). Helmets, lights, warm
clothing, common sense, and beer-drinking were encouraged. Stupidity
and jerkiness were discouraged. All present automatically became
lifetime members for life. New friends were made and much fun was had
by all.

Thanks for bringing positive energy into the community and more fun
into the world, Have a happy full moon ride tonight!

Sincerely,
Lifetime Member for Life, Kaitlin Vadla

(PS, feel free to share this message on your blog - I think it's
beyond super that you have brought so many people together with the
FBC. Many happy full moons to you and all FBCers everywhere!)

Crossing The Streams

2011-10-23T17:57:00.000-07:00

(click the card for pictures)

I was pleased to see so many new riders for this Full Moon Fiasco, and so many great costumes.

Game 4 of the World Series is about to start, so I'll get right to it.

We started our ride at The Swamp with the lightest of sprinkles, and a million red lights to make our way toward the fountain. After making a few dizzying circles around it, the Lifetime Members For Life started North toward the Post Street hill. There were a shocking number of cars driving up Post Street, and the only reason I can think of is they were leaving the hockey game. It made that right at the top a little tricky, but just about everyone made it without getting yelled at by some impatient driver. There was one dude on a bike that thought sitting in the middle of the road and stopping traffic was a good way to straighten this out. I tried to politely ask him to not do that, but it came out in a string of obscenities. My bad.

Our destination this time was the Garland Theater and Bon Bon. I had a few plans laid out that didn't quite work, so our friend Dena fixed everything. She set us up at Bon Bon, provided the DJ, set up the theater so we could watch Ghostbusters and got the crew from Pizza Rita to come over and sell cheap slices last minute. Good on ya, Dena. And also a big thank you to the staff of Garland, Bon Bon and Pizza Rita. You guys are the best, and I owe you all big time.

LOST: Set of keys.
If anyone found any keys during the ride, please comment here and we can make sure they get back to the owner.

125+ riders; 42º partly cloudy

Fiascoween V

2011-10-02T13:20:00.000-07:00

This is going to be awesome.

Fiascoween is coming up so it's time to put together a kick ass costume. The only restriction is your imagination. Though it would be a good idea to tell your imagination that we will be riding a bike. You may also want to mention that we will be going up a very short climb, because I know how your imagination can get if it doesn't know that sort of stuff.

You, and your imagination will probably notice that the ride will not be held during the full moon. I wanted to have it earlier, but Terrain is going on that night, and I would rather be down there at that. As a matter of fact, you should all go. It's a good time.

FIASCOWEEN V

Wear a cosutume

Food, dancing and fun.

Friday October 14th
8:00 p.m.
The Swamp

Not Without Its Problems

2011-09-14T20:22:00.000-07:00

(Click card for pictures)

I can call the Cosby Sweater Full Moon Fiasco 50 a success based on participation of sweater wearers, even though it was a little too warm to be wearing a sweater. And because The Swamp and Jack and Dan's were both above board with their hospitality. However, the ride itself was wrought with issues.

I knew with the recent article in the Inlander's Annual Manual, we were going to have many new riders. I did not know that it was going to be such an issue with behavior on the road. Even with my rather loud requests to maintain a single lane, riders were all over the place. There were several that decided to sprint ahead, not knowing where they were going, just to run right through many red lights. What's even worse is the few that stopped in the intersection in front of cars, and directed several other riders through a red light. The new riders, not knowing any better, followed suite and dashed right around them and turned at the wrong street. I did my best to tell them not to, but mob mentality took over, and the line of bikes continued to flow the wrong way. My usual stop at the fountain turned into a passive aggressive refusal to stop, and I led the ones that followed on a pretty swift trip down Centennial trail to Jack and Dan's.

Look guys, I can't stress enough that the FBC has worked hard to maintain quality relations with the city and they have been top notch about our little monthly ride. If there are those of you that don't care about that sort of thing, I'd rather you didn't come out for the rides. I'm counting on those of you that know how we do it to tell those that don't. I can't instruct each and every one of almost 200 riders every month.

If you have any questions, please refer to The Rules.

As for our destination bar, Jack and Dan's was a kick ass destination. Life got a little busy, and I neglected to find a destination. With a lot of help from Mark of David's Pizza/Famous Ed's, we secured the bar. There were plenty of people on staff, and plates of nachos were too big to finish. We will go back.

150+ riders; 65º and clear

September Fiasco

2011-09-06T22:20:00.000-07:00

A couple of super fun things this weekend.

Spokefest. It's Sunday, and you should come out and ride. I've been there every year. Totally worth it. If you are strapped for cash and bettering local commerce isn't your thing, you can jump in and ride the route for free. I'm just sayin'.

Anyway, the reason I called you is to mention that Monday is the Full Moon Fiasco. We will be meeting at our regular time, and riding to a place. The theme for this month you ask?

The Cosby Sweater Ride
Wear your favorite Cosby sweater.
Monday September 12th
8:00pm
The Swamp

Does your bar want to host an FBC Event?
Send me an email. I would love to rain down upon you many thirsty riders with moneys.

I Brought My Pencil

2011-08-18T21:25:00.000-07:00

(click the card for photos)

Another remarkable turnout for a Fiasco. Even with the threat of going uphill, over one hundred riders crowded into and around The Swamp for our 49th Full Moon Fiasco.

Breaking tradition we skipped the stop at the fountain, and headed straight up the South Hill. Well, not exactly straight. We zigged over to Adams to take a less difficult, but still easy to follow route. Adams is my favorite way to get up there with the exception of a few blocks at the top. Without hundreds of riders behind you, it's easy to pick your way around the harder stuff with a half dozen right/lefts. Finding High Drive, we followed that all the way over to Hatch, 57th and finally made it to Famous Ed's at 57th and Regal.

Mark and his buddies from David's Pizza have taken over at the former Hangar 57, and have made some vast improvements. One of which is adding David's Pizza to the menu. The staff went nuts making sure everyone was served and served well. I can't thank Mark and his staff for making the Back To School Ride a success. Mark and I have some plans cooking already for upcoming rides.

As for all the Lifetime Members For Life, I was excited to see how many of you came out for a longer, uppier route. Thanks for coming out.

150+ riders; 55º and remarkable.

August Fiasco and GR Wrapup

2011-08-05T20:06:00.000-07:00

Another successful ride. This one was a trial run of a girls only option for the FBC. The Good Doctor had several requests to host a girls only ride that had the same set up as the Full Moon Fiasco. The same except for two things: no full moon and no dudes.

They started at The Swamp, of course, and headed through town to Pacific Pizza. I'm not sure how well it went, only that there were some that got lost and found. Some got found, lost and found again. And all of them had a great time.

20+ riders; 60º and Outstanding

August Full Moon Fiasco #49

Saturday August 13th

The Swamp

7:00pm

We will be starting an hour earlier and going UP. But don't let that prevent you from coming. I know you can do it, and it will totally be worth it. With beer specials and a full bar, I'm sure you don't want to miss out. By the way, did I mention it is the
Back To School Ride

Pack up your pencils and notebooks, grab your trapper keeper and put on your special outfit for the big day.

All Girl Ride

2011-07-22T19:38:00.000-07:00

This summer The Good Doctor wants to try something new. She is having an all girls ride Saturday July 30. The format is essentially the same as the Fiasco. Meet at The Swamp, and ride to an undisclosed location. It will be an easy ride for any level of rider, and being the first one the attendance should me small.

Gentlemen, if your lady friend wanted you to come, she would not have requested a girls only ride.

ALL GIRL RIDE

The Swamp

Saturday July 30th

8:00pm

Birthday Magic

2011-07-20T21:14:00.000-07:00

(Click the card for photos)

The Birthday Ride was without a doubt the best Fiasco we have ever had. The attendance was rivaled only by the Knog Ride a couple of years ago.

Knowing that I wanted to make this one special, my friend and Lifetime Member For Life, T contacted me about getting Wapparel involved this time. What a great idea. He went to work organizing gifts, coming up with an image for the spoke card and a flyer. All I had to do was design the cards and tell you guys to show up.

T worked hard convincing some area businesses to contribute to the Birthday Fiasco. Below is the list of new friends of the FBC, and what they gave us.

The Hop Shop - Two $10.00 gift Certificates
Vin Rouge - Two $10.00 Gift Certificates
Soulful Soups and Spirits - Two $25.00 Gift Certificates
Birds Eye Tattoo - $100.00 Gift Certificate (Buck Holland)
Pabst - Embroidered Chrome Bag worth about 200 bones!
Wapparel - dozens of Coozies, t-shirts, a hoodie, stickers, and paid in full for the spoke cards and flyers!

I would also like to thank:

Beyond Decals for making some more of the FBC vinyl stickers for us. They went fast, so we may do it again for the Festivus Fiasco. If you need inexpensive, quality stickers, start here.

Litz's Bar & Grill for always kicking ass every time we go there. These guys go the extra mile to make it easy for 200 people to get served.

The Swamp for getting as many Lifetime Members For Life in the door as legally possible.

AND the one (1) entry that I got for the Sketch the Fiasco Contest. I had some camera issues on Fiasco 47, so I offered to give away prizes to those of you that submitted sketches of that particular Fiasco. I got one. So the lucky winner got all the prizes that I would have given to the first through third place winners. Good job girls. Thanks for the drawing. It can be found as the only entry for that months ride.

And as always, thanks to the Lifetime Members For Life for making the FBC what it is.

51º and outstanding; 215+ riders

Birthday Fiasco

2011-07-03T20:39:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe we've been at this for FOUR YEARS now.

It's time for the Birthday Fiasco. That means it's really your birthday, and you get the gifts! Through much hard work by some of my favorite Lifetime Members For Life, we have a long list of stuff to give away at the destination venue. You don't want to miss out on this one.

Your spoke card will be your opportunity to get into the drawing for some really great gifts. Be sure to show up early to get one. ALSO, we will have some of the highly requested and long awaited FBC Stickers. They only cost one (1) dollar, so really you will only be out two bucks for a sticker and a chance to win some awesome prizes.

The Swamp

Friday July 15th

8:00pm

Stuff Happening

2011-06-19T13:52:00.000-07:00

Here is a fun thing that happens before the next fiasco. Go to the link for more information.

Spokane Summer Parkways
http://summerparkways.com/

"is an idea inspired by an event in Bogota, Columbia called Ciclovia (meaning “bike path” in Spanish) and similar events in other parts of the world. The focus is on recreation, fitness, and community when we close 4 miles of roadway to automobiles and open up the streets to bikes, pedestrians, skaters, and other human-powered transportation."

"In 2011, we’ll be expanding Spokane Summer Parkways to include three different neighborhoods, one of which will host our first night-time event!

Summer Parkways takes place:

Wednesday, June 22, 6-9 PM- Comstock/Manito Neighborhood
Sunday, July 24, 10AM-2PM- North Hill Neighborhood
Sunday, August 14, 10 AM-2PM- Northwest Neighborhood

Don't forget the contest for July
Sketch The Fiasco Contest!
Deadline is July 1 @ 5:00pm

No Pictures of 47

2011-06-19T12:19:00.000-07:00

Seriously, how bad could my luck have been to have a completely useless camera for the fiasco? My Mom and Dad were there and everything. I'm real sorry because I know most of you just come to the blogspot to find out when the event is and the pictures of the aftermath. You aren't here for my eloquent retelling of the night. I won't bore you with a bunch of crap about how we avoided most of the rain, the awesome route we got to take or the amazing time we had at The Swamp and Far West Billiards. What I am going to do is offer those that attended an opportunity to win prizes in the first ever

Sketch The Fiasco Contest!

That's right! What you do is sketch moments of the Full Moon Fiasco 47 and label them so we know when and where it happened.

Sketch as many as you want
Single panel format preferable, but I'm not turning anything down
I don't care how bad it is, you have a chance to win.
Originality and Funny count.
email your entries to:
fbcspokane [at] hot mail {dot} com
Be sure to include all appropriate information with your submission:
name
email address
title of entry
description of entry

What you will win will be determined the night of the Birthday ride on July 15th.

Deadline for entries is 5:00pm July 1st.

I will then post all the entries in a flickr album just like with all the other Fiasco photos, along with the title of the piece and the description you include. I will not post your name or personal information with the images.

If you have other images of any of the past fiascoes, please draw them out and email them to me with the appropriate label. They aren't applicable for this contest, but you may get something for your trouble during the birthday ride in July.

If you have any questions, please email them to me at the address above. I am really looking forward to seeing all the great photos of Full Moon Fiasco 47.

Daytime Party, Upcoming Fiasco

2011-06-01T17:58:00.000-07:00

Since we have not been able to have summer like weather yet, let's jump start it with a daytime party. The Elk has been working hard to get ready for Elkfest, and in their efforts they have taken those car parking spaces in front of the building and turned them into bike parking spaces. Rad. To celebrate, they have invited the FBC to come drink their beverages. There will also be an opportunity to win a New Belgium Cruiser! Everyone that shows up on a bicycle will get to enter for a chance to win!

The Elk (directions)

Sunday June 12th at 1:00pm

Outdoor Beer Garden
Chance to win a New Belgium Cruiser!
A Band (probably)
Beer and Drink Specials

This marks the first time Spokane has allowed the taking of parking spots by bicycles, so come support this landmark event. There should be Champagne for something like this!

The Full Moon Fiasco 47

And as soon as you sleep that off, it will be time for the next Fiasco. I am in the final throes of graduating college, so I have been a little busy lately. I don't have a theme, but I do have a fun route planned. So meet me at The Swamp for a bike ride.

The Swamp
Wednesday June 15th at 8:00pm

I'll see you Sunday to kick this thing off.

Prom 2011 Was Magical

2011-05-15T18:59:00.000-07:00

(click card for pictures)

Flickr
is
being
a
dick.
Here
is
a link
to
the
photos.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/fbcspokane/sets/72157626730033456/

With much fanfare and multiple postings, all the Lifetime Members For Life (LMFL) were reminded this months Fiasco was going to be on Saturday. Not only was it moved a couple of days, but it was also time for the Prom Ride.

The weather this time of year and potential for super rad costumes brings out quite the crowd. I new it was going to be big, but this was a little surprising. We towed a long train of riders from The Swamp to the fountain and then on to nYne. We were here in November. For the twenty of you that went on that ride, you will remember that it was an epic night of karaoke awesomeness.

nYne was set up and ready for our huge crowd. They provided food and booze as fast as they possibly could while the DJ mixed up some great stuff to dance to, and a patient crowd cued for their beverages. I'll have to hand it to the LMFL for their patience in the block long line to get in the building. There was a crazy long line at the bar as soon as we all got there, but that didn't happen again all night. The staff worked their asses off. All in all, it was a great night. We even had a couple announce their engagement right there on the dance floor. Excellent. I'm pretty sure that is a first for the fbc worldwide. You heard me, I said worldwide. We now have a small contingency in Korea. KOREA!

160+ riders; 54º, partly cloudy and fucking windy

May: The Busiest Bike Month

2011-04-29T18:47:00.000-07:00

There are a ton of bike things going on. Below I will post a couple of them. But first, I will tell you about the most important one of them all.

Prom Fiasco!

Time again to get out you fancy finery and jump on your bike. We will be meeting early again this month. I will probably remind you again. This is just a heads up to get out there and find yourself something sparkly for the ride.

Meet at The Swamp

Saturday May, 14th

@ 7:00pm

As for the rest of the May bike happenings. Here are a few things that have arrived in my email, Twitter feed and Facebook.

(Click image for FB event.)

PEACH and Fresh Abundance

County Fair

Saturday May 30

Sorry I couldn't get this up sooner. This is a fun ride that takes less time than you think. I have followed the Google maps bike route out there before, and it was not disappointing. There are also some trails that lead down that way from the South Hill that are pretty spectacular.

(Click image for FB event.)

NeighborWoods Launch Party

Bike event

Saturday May 7

This looks like another fun one. This is what I got in my email:

What: We’re pulling 2 or 3 trees from Pedals to People to the new Spokane Public Market, where we’re having a tree planting party with a DJ, wine-tasting, taco truck, etc…
When: Saturday May 7^th, Meet at Pedals to People at 4:30. The bicycle-tree parade starts then and will proceed to the Public Market.

They will have a trailer and some saplings for you to pull to the Public Market. Should be a good time.

(Click stolen image for FB link)

And as always, May is when Bike To Work Week is. This year, it looks like they are expanding it to take over the entire month. Hazzah! And by they, I mean the formerly known as Bike to Work Spokane, now Spokane Bikes. There is the Kick Off Breakfast, Energizer Stations, an Awareness ride; Seriously, there is a lot of stuff. I'll just put up a link to their Facebook page from here.

Anyway, if I don't see you guys out there at some of these events, I will certainly see you at the Prom Fiasco.

First Spring Ride The Funnest

2011-04-24T18:36:00.000-07:00

(click card for pictures)

Seems like I begin each wrap-up post with an apology for posting so late. This one is no different. I've been stupid busy lately, and haven't been able to stop drawing stuff to take the time to type. I don't see that changing for a couple of months. Anyway, on to the wrap-up. It will have to be short a sweet this time.

We started an hour early and I'm glad we did. The weather was outstanding and the sunset was just as good. Because of the early time, we were able to drag our asses up Post St. to the Garland Theater and Bon Bon. Dena was nice enough to open up just for us, and show a movie. The movie? Oh yeah, we watched Rad. That's right. The one with Uncle Jessie's girlfriend from way back in 1986. I'm sure you all have been scouring the internet looking for a copy of the movie, only to find that it is not available on DVD. Though, with the right resources, you can find a friend that can get their hands on the finest quality bootleg copy on DVD. Bonus points and a huge thank you go to N&G for letting me borrow it for the night. It is safely in my possession, and I will get that back to you real soon.

The only issues that we had on the ride was an incident at the fountain. When we rolled through, we made our circles around it. There were four or five drunk college kids causing some douchbaggery. In their efforts to be cute, they knock over a rider, busting her saddle. She was a trooper and rode it as far as she could, and the Good Doctor put a quick fix on it that Speare would consider a permanent solution. Love ya, John.

Great times. I'm looking forward to the rides this summer. Speaking of which, next month is the Prom Ride. Start looking now for your finery for the ride. I'll post some more details as I invent them.

100+ riders; Low 35º and clear.

Fiasco 45 Is Here

2011-04-09T11:48:00.000-07:00

Winter and Spring are in negotiations about what is about to happen. My money is on spring. And with that, it's time for a ride of a little length and much fun.

I don't have a theme for this ride, but that doesn't stop certain groups from putting one together on their own. And I love it. If you feel like putting together a theme, and you would like others to participate, feel free to mention it in the comments section below. If not, surprise me.

And not to surprise you, I have two things to tell you that are important.

1. We will be going up for a small portion of the ride.

2. We will meet at 7:00 p.m.

That's right. We are meeting at The Swamp an hour earlier this time. We have a LMFL with a new GoPro and I would like to see what it can do with a little more light.

I'll see you then. Dollar donation if you have it.

Sunday April 17th

The Swamp

7:00 p.m.

Free Tune Up

2011-03-26T12:34:00.000-07:00

My buddy Ryan sent me an email asking if I could remind the Lifetime Members For Life about an event happening at the pedals2people garage on E. Sprague. Of course I am glad to help this cat out any way I can.

click photo for more information at p2p.org

You can get more information at the p2p website, but this tune up event will be happening Sunday April 3rd from 12 to 4. There will be all sorts of folks to hang out with, and a couple of kick ass restaurants. I can imagine that there will be beverages after the event as well.

Anyway, go on over there and get a free tune up and free fun.

Super Turnout For First Spring Ride

2011-03-24T14:40:00.000-07:00

click card for pictures

Full Moon Fiasco 44 was the first ride of the Spring season. There were more riders than expected, but I should expect more riders. I was happy to run out of spoke cards.

As always, we were greeted with a smile at The Swamp. We filled the place to capacity, and those that didn't make it in the door were willing to wait around outside for the ride to start. We actually got moving on time with a slight delay to set up a new addition to the FBC Spokane. A Lifetime Member For Life got a new GoPro camera, and was stoked to try it out. We'll have to work on how to light the ride better, but for a first run it went well.

We also had another photographer join us on our ride. I will be adding his photos to the Flickr page. Thanks, Shane, for coming along and taking some great pictures.

Our ride this month took us to an old friend at The Hub. As usual, we had too many people to all get inside, but I didn't hear any complaining. Everyone waited their turn, and bought pitchers in threes and fours.

As for the Supermoon, it was super bright, but I don't know about bigger. We were just super glad to be able to see it after a super cloudy winter.

100+ riders; 33º and Clear.

Next month is special. We have been invited to a place we have not been before. I am not one to turn down an invitation to a party, so here we go.
We will be starting an hour earlier.
This will give us plenty of time to weave up there, as well as provide a little more light for the new GoPro Show.

I'll post more updates as the event gets closer, but you will want to be prepared to go up.

Spring Is In The Air

2011-03-09T22:07:00.000-08:00

And by spring, I mean lots of cold ass rain. And some snow. And some wind. But spring, yes spring is right around the corner. The other corner. There it is. You found it!

Anyway, March is here and it is time to ride The Full Moon Fiasco 44. A theme was suggested to me by a loyal Lifetime Member For Life. Anthony said that this month, to mark the arrival of spring, or to make sure we stand out against the snow and wet roads, that we should all wear green!

Brilliant!

So meet me down at The Swamp on Saturday March 19th at 8:00pm wearing the finest green you can find, and if you can swing it bring me a dollar for a commemorative collectible keepsake heirloom limited edition rare spoke card.

Season Ticket Fiasco

2011-02-24T11:26:00.000-08:00

(click card for picture link)

February treated the Full Moon Fiasco just right. It let us get in a fun ride before the weather turned to bull shit again.

We were treated with nothing but hospitality at The Swamp for our 43rd ride. I know I say it every time, but it's hard to believe this has been happening for almost four years. After a few dozen beverages and some hazing about the Inlander picture, we headed out for a cold, but clear ride to the Season Ticket.

Clearly a sports bar, the Season Ticket offers enough TV's and seating for that game you have to watch with 125 other people. There is a patio area, pinball and enough beer selections to satisfy everyone from your friend that brews his own to that guy that doesn't care what it tastes like. I'm looking at you Bud Lime.

They loved having us, and I hope to go back there sometime during a game of some kind. Should be awesome. And speaking of awesome they have plates of nachos that make Jon's beard look small. Oh, and they taste good, too. The nachos, not Jon's beard.

Next month should be warmer, but as I write this there is approximately 8 inches of snow on the ground. What the hell do I know?

75+ riders; Clear and cold, 26º

Hey Gang!

2011-02-12T15:16:00.000-08:00

Looks like the weather is going to do whatever the hell it wants to. Who cares, right? Let's all go for a bike ride, what say?

Meet at The Swamp on Friday, February 18th at 8:00pm.

If you can, bring a dollar and all your friends. Pay attention on the route, and stay close. We may make a couple of twists.

Who's excited!?!

Another Solid Showing

2011-01-27T16:14:00.000-08:00

click card for photos

Winter temperatures and potentially slick streets have little to no effect on the Lifetime Members For Life. Our January Full Moon Fiasco was another fun ride.

Again, Joe and his devoted crew served us well at The Swamp for our 42nd monthly ride. Can you believe it? Our fourth birthday is right around the corner, as well as warmer temperatures. I am looking forward to that. Hopefully we can have some longer routes, and some daytime rides. There are a couple in the making, but I am going to leave the organization up to some LMFL's. You know who you are. Don't worry, I can still churn out some spoke cards. Speaking of which, thank you to all you devoted donators (that's not a word). Without your generous contributions, I don't think my cheap student ass could be turning out these cards. Thank you immensely. Thompsen, I saved one for you.

This month took us to our great friends at Jones Radiator. A really new place, open since November I think, Jones offers one of, if not the best draft selections in the area. Monday is vinyl night, where you bring a record and they play it for you; Tuesday is free glassware night, and you get to keep the designated glass that you used to enjoy your beverage. I'm sure that the rest of the nights will have an equally interesting reason to go other than the delicious selections on tap, and tasty treats from the kitchen. There are some of you Lifetime Members For Life that won gift cards to Jones. He told me he hasn't seen any yet. HINT! Check out their Facebook page for further details on fun time to be had. Kick ass place. We will go back. Thanks, guys! I'll leave out the part about christening a new bar with a technicolor heave, but I will say that it was not me.

We also had a photographer that is doing an internship at OutThere Monthly. He decided to come out and take some kick ass pictures. However, I have not received said pictures from him yet, so clicking on the spoke card above will take you to the usual flickr page where you can see the ones I took. There will be an update soon with a link to his photos once I get them and put them up.

60+ riders; 21º and partly cloudy

Start The New Year Right

2011-01-08T12:06:00.000-08:00

Full Moon Fiasco 42

Wednesday January 19th

The Swamp @ 8:00pm

Vacation is over and school is in ass kicking mode. In fact, I had to get a worried email with an inordinate amount of question marks from a Lifetime Member For Life to remind me that the next ride is just over a week away.

We all need a hump day break, so come out and ride to a place that the FBC has not been to before. Dress warm.

Festivus 2010

2010-12-23T15:46:00.000-08:00

click card for pictures

The Good Doctor and I are on a well deserved vacation, so I apologize for the late posting. There were also a ton of pictures to format thanks to Lifetime Member For Life, Hank. He was the one with the big fancy camera getting all up in your grill. Thanks, Hank.

Festivus went with out a hitch. The Swamp held us for an hour or so before we ganged up our decorated bikes and headed down the familiar streets through Browne's Addition, around the roundabout at The Elk and over to the fountain at the park before heading up to the Steam Plant. The GM, Tim let us take over their parking garage and set us up with a full bar outside and pretty much gave us free reign. Big thanks go out to Tim and the staff at Steam Plant for their hospitality.

As you know, the Festivus Ride is a chance for me to ask friends of the FBC to donate goods and services to give away during the raffle and as prizes for the events. Well, this year we had some excellent prizes. Below is a list of the places that were able to help us out with donations. I can not thank you enough for your contributions to this little bike club.

These are not in any specific order, just wrote them down how I remembered them:

Anvil Coffee - Mark roasts his own beans here in Spokane, and does a damn fine job. He was able to donate 9 bags of coffee to the cause. He is roasting out of The Shop. They were unable to donate this year, but you should go visit anyway.
Garland Theater - My buddy Dena gave me no less than 120 free movie tickets! That meant that everyone went home with at least one free movie from the Garland. Sweet! Looks like the FBC may be planning to visit them soon.
Neato Burrito - I never can say enough nice things about Tim and Patty. They always help us out. This time, we got some gift cardboards for a few free meals. Go there. Go back. Go again.
North Division Bicycle Shop - Another place that does not hesitate to contribute to the FBC. I got another box of fun stuff which included a pair of Clif Bar flip-flops that went out as the DFL prize for the slow race. Good on ya, Eric.
Chrome - Chrome is a big time name in messenger bags that has expanded their merch to include all sorts of clothing. One item in particular, is the coveted jersey. A limited release item that is not for sale. I was astounded to receive this as a donation. There was only one thing to do, once I eliminated the possibility of keeping it for myself. I gave it to a hard working lieutenant of the FBC. Thanks for all your hard work, Anthony.
Knog - A not so recent addition to the list of friends, Knog has been able to donate to two Festivus Rides and actually came to visit during the summer of 2009. That ride is still the largest at 225 riders. They sent us some great swag all the way from Australia. Cheers.
Cycling Spokane - John was one of the original five that came to the first Fiasco to have riders other than The Good Doctor and I. He is also one of the luckiest at road finds. A few day before the Festivus, he found a folding Buck knife in the road. He donated that knife as a prize this year, and I donated a sharpening of said knife. That prize also went to Anthony so he could protect that jersey.
Artemisia Acupuncture - A new Lifetime Member For Life, these guys donated a free consultation and treatment. This was another one I was tempted to keep, but you know I can't do that.
pedals2people - Always willing to help out cyclists in need, p2p donated a full year of membership to the shop. That's a pretty sweet deal. I forgot to get the information from the winner, so if you could email me so I can tell them who won. Thanks.
Jones Radiator - Freshly opened neighborhood bar, Jones Radiator donated a fist full of coupons for menu items. I hope to get a chance to take the FBC over there fairly soon. They could also use a proper website if you are willing to donate some time to them.(same goes for Anvil Coffee)
REI - A half a case of water bottles were donated, and I had a great time throwing them into the crowd. You could always use a new water bottle or three.
Kaya Goods - Lars donated some ingenious prizes. He brought along about six or seven dog leashes with an attached bottle opener. Nothing makes me want a beverage more than walking my crazy ass dog. I neglected to call out numbers for them to be given away, but it worked out because The Good Doctor cruised the crowd asking who had a dog and giving them one of the leashes.

I want to thank every single one of you for coming out to make the Festivus Ride a success. You guys are the greatest. Have a fun holiday, and I will see you at the January Full Moon Fiasco.

100+ riders; 24º and clear

FESTIVUS!

2010-12-09T11:19:00.000-08:00

In a week we will all be riding our bikes to the fourth annual Festivus ride. This will be the 41st Full Moon Fiasco, and only the 6th to be moved to a date not on the full moon. Enough stats, let's get on with it before I get all misty.

Just to let those new Lifetime Members For Life know what Festivus is all about, here it is in a nutshell. This is a time to decorate your bike and your person and your favorite person with whatever festive adornment you can get and wassail through town from the Swamp to our destination party (which has a full bar, food, kick ass DJ and heat). It is also a chance for me to pass out free shit.
I have been lucky enough to secure some really great items from local shops and not so local shops, to give away as prizes for your participation. What sort of games are you going to have? I'll tell you, impatient reader.

Bike/Person Decoration - Possibly multiple categories
Ring Toss - The longstanding tradition
Obstacle Course - New to Festivus, and I'm still working this out
Slow Race - New and just for the fixed gear crowd

I even have a special presentation to make during the award ceremony. You don't want to miss that. So...

The Swamp 7:00pm
December 17th
Get a Spoke Card for your chance to participate.
Please make a one (1) dollar donation.

It's not too late to make a donation to the Festivus Ride. Sunday would be too late though. Send me an email and I can come get some items from you, or you can huck them on my front porch on your commute to work.

Hey Gang

2010-11-28T19:05:00.000-08:00

If you have been keeping up on fbcbook, you have noticed that I have been begging for donations. I have gotten a great response from the fans there, so I thought I would go ahead and post it here on the blogspot as well. Don't be surprised when you get an email, too. I am nothing if not thorough.

There is no donation that is out of bounds. Last time we had some sweet major prizes from some national/international friends such as Knog, Chrome and REI. As for the local guys, North Division Bicycles, The Scoop, Neato Burrito and Fresh Abundance has always been there with some fun, valuable donations. I know I'm leaving some folks out, but you can check out the full list on the Festivus 09 Wrap Up.

If you have a business or know someone who does that would like to make a donation to FBC Spokane, shoot me an email. Link on the left. In return, you can expect at least one link to your business and some really great karma. If you want I will give you a hug.

A couple of notes about the ride:

We will be starting an hour earlier. We meet at 7pm on Friday December 17th at The Swamp.

There is a contest for best decorated bicycle. Depending on participation, available donations and the whim of the judges, there may be split categories for best use of decoration, best use of lights and an overall winner. So get to the dollar store and grab some decorations.

If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to send an email or just post it in the comments. I'll do my best to answer. Also, I will be updating the blogspot with some progress as we get closer to the date. Who's excited!?

Troopers

2010-11-24T15:15:00.000-08:00

Keep your card
in case I come up with something special.

(click card for pics)

Other than having entirely too many spoke cards for the event, everything went great for the first Pilgrims & Indians Ride.

The snow kept a lot or riders from coming out, but the riders that were there were ready for a good time. I wish I could give each of you a prize for riding. Tell you what, go knit yourself a snazzy toque and say it's from me. You deserve it.

I had planned for a longer route, but it included some precarious bridges and I didn't feel like fishing riders out of the river so we took a straight shot through town. While it was not without spills, all the riders jumped right up with a smile and got right back to pedaling. I turned around to see one rider fall while still hanging on with one hand, get up and continue without loosing forward momentum. I think a cushion of winter clothes, 3 inches of snow and beverages contributed to his resilience. To see a pilgrim, Indian and a turkey in a laughing heap in the snow was pretty good, too.

We soon arrived at nYne, a bar and bistro on Sprague that has been asking to have the FBC visit for a while. I was hoping for a larger crowd for our first visit, but karaoke, a regulation baseball hoop, great service and a capacity of well over 150 will have us back for a summer ride. Thanks for having us.

20+ riders; 20º and snowing

December will be the Festivus Ride.

Big.

Important.

Fun.

Do not miss this one.

Cranksgiving Was Taken

2010-11-14T20:47:00.000-08:00

Well Lifetime Members For Life, it's November and time for the 40th Full Moon Fiasco. This month will be the Pilgrims & Indians Ride. You are encouraged to dress as any of your favorite Thanksgiving super heroes and come ride. Get there early for spoke cards as there will be fewer than last time.

We will be meeting at our usual spot of The Swamp on Sunday November 21st at 8:00pm. Be prepared for a medium ride as we make our way across town to our awesome destination. If it snows, well, we will get to ride in the snow.

Fiascoween IV Wrap

2010-10-28T21:58:00.000-07:00

(click card for photo link)

I'm half way to getting a real, honest to Zeus degree and my work load is pretty dense. I'm fairly confident that they have little regard for the bike club. Having a few things under control, I finally have some time to work on the photos and get a short wrap up post on the blogspot.

I suppose I look busy because a valued Lifetime Member for Life volunteered to handle the heavy lifting on this ride and I am most thankful. You will recognize him as Mario in the photos. He confirmed the destination bar, got the FBC in for a one dollar spoke card donation and even curated a few prizes for the costume contest. Good on ya, Mario!

This month we celebrated our fourth Fiascoween with a visit to Seaside. Formerly about fifteen other bars, this iteration celebrates the Sounders game by packing the place and apparently, 'Mario' invented a drink there that works out to be Sounders colors. I may have my stories crossed, but I'm pretty sure that is accurate. They also have some great shows there. The FBC was lucky enough to hear one of those bands. They were high energy and adept at their instruments. I don't remember their name. If you do, please leave it in the comments. The Seaside was accommodating and friendly to all the riders and stayed on top of getting drinks poured. And they weren't stingy when it came to mixing a drink, either. Thanks guys.

I think the only issue we had during the ride was due to the 2nd Avenue work going on. It does a great job of dividing one side of town from the other. In an effort to avoid crossing and riding headlong into a giant pit of gravel, we skipped stopping at the fountain and went straight to our destination. Well, the front half of the ride did that, the back half took off for the fountain, but were quick to realize what happened and got there about ten minutes behind us. Thanks to The Good Doctor and Joe for rounding up the strays.

We had a visit from the VoteBot. In an effort to increase the amount of young voters, the VoteBot came out to tell us about a fun event on the 31st. All the information you could want and more can be found here.

As the second largest, I think Fiascoween IV was a successful 39th ride. Thanks everyone for being on your best behavior, except for that one chick.

180 riders; 43° and partly cloudy.

Fiascoween

2010-10-10T21:00:00.000-07:00

Time for the fourth annual Fiascoween!

You were warned in the last post that you will need to get out there and get your costume ready for the ride. I should have listened as I have yet to acquire a costume. Don't worry, I'll think of something.

This year, the destination will have a band. It will also require a payment at the door. Your spoke card is your ticket in. The spoke cards will be first come first serve and are the usual $1.00USD. If you don't get a spoke card, it will cost whatever they charge at the door. I should have enough, but get there early and get a card.

We will be meeting at The Swamp on Saturday the 23rd at 8:00p.m. I can't wait to see all the great costumes.

Late Wrap Up

2010-09-29T23:54:00.000-07:00

(click card for photo link)

The Back To School Fiasco marked my last days of summer as I have indeed started back to school. Because of this, the blog post has been put in the bottom of the pile of stuff I have to do. Sorry for the delay. I know you want to see the pictures and so you shall.

I thought we were going to get rained on and it sort of sprinkled, but nothing we haven't seen before. It stopped before we left The Swamp and just served to make everything sort of shinny.

After a brief detour around the gaping hole in 2nd Ave, we made it to the fountain to regroup and head down the Centennial Trail toward Gonzaga. I was running my mouth and got a little distracted and instead of taking a left into campus and riding over the storied speed bumps, I decided to climb up the bridge that leads over Hamilton. As I was descending this concrete and steel rainbow, I realize my error. There were other options at this point, but I thought it would be more of an adventure to let more than half of the riders make it over the bridge before I started leading them back up and over. As we were riding towards them, trying to convince them that they did not have to go over the bridge, they refused to turn around and climbed up and over, and up and over again viewing it as a Simon Says moment. Awesome!

We made it mostly error and injury free to The Bulldog where they were more than prepared for us. I would like to thank The Bulldog and their staff for being so awesome every time we go there. You guys make us feel at home and have some pretty sweet prices. Be sure to go check them out when there is a game to watch and significantly fewer bike people in there.

MC+♥ from The Shop, was kind enough to drag all of his gear out for us and entertain with some sweet sounds even though he was a bit under the weather. He started feeling better with a little of the brown bottle cure. We are always glad to have you. Also a thanks to Joe for making the calls to get the FBC set up there.

125+ riders; 43° and cloudy

Coming Up:

Fiascoween! Be sure to get your costume together for the fourth annual Fiascoween Ride on Saturday October 23rd. There will be a costume contest and prizes. As it stands now, there will be a band as well. Stay tuned. I'll have further details as we get them nailed down.

Back To School

2010-09-13T18:35:00.000-07:00

It's September and that means this Full Moon Fiasco will be the Back To School Ride. You are only limited by your imagination as to what you will wear. I am pretty sure your outfit should include dancing shoes.

This ride will not be as challenging as last time, though I understand that you had a pretty good time even with the ride up Post.

Meet at The Swamp, Thursday September 23rd at 8:00pm. Be sure to get there early for a spoke card, they go fast for a one dollar donation.

REI Bike Expo

2010-09-02T09:54:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone is registered for Spokefest this year. Today is the last day to get the reduced rate for registration! Should prove to be a fun ride. I'm trying to talk myself into the 40+ mile option, but the good doctor and I may have only enough time for the 20+ mile option.

I got an email today asking the FBC and its Lifetime Members For Life to attend the REI "Bike Expo" on Saturday, September 11 from 12:00 to 4:00. That's the day before Spokefest, and the way I figure you will be headed to Mountain Gear to pick up your registration packets. Why not head over to REI and hang out with some other bike folks and tell them of the fun adventures of the FBC and convince the roadies we aren't critical mass. Then we may go get a snack and beverages.

Here is an excerpt from the email:

We’re calling it Spoke-ed Day: Be Ready for SpokeFest and Beyond! My goal is to 1) make sure people have a safe, fun ride on Sunday; our bike techs will do a free safety check on bikes, a sales specialist will help ensure correct fit and Fat Tire Trail Riders will assist folks with proper helmet fit and 2) to give people the tools and information to stay involved with cycling after SpokeFest is over. That’s where you come in! I understand that your group is involved with mountain biking in the area. Your presence and promotion of your club would raise awareness of who you are and what you do, and help to get more people involved in the mountain biking scene in Spokane.

In addition to the organizations mentioned about, we will have all the local trails on site (Centennial, Fish Lake, Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes, Haiwatha and Riverside State Park) and we’ll be hosting several local biking clubs.

I hope to see you there and at Spokefest, but for now I am going to go work on the Back To School spoke cards so I don't end up with the same problem as last time.

Save Eight Dollars

2010-08-30T10:57:00.000-07:00

I just remembered that Spokefest is coming up and if you register before September 2nd, it's only $12.00. If you wait until the 3rd, it will be twenty damn dollars! Get over there now and register for a fun ride with a ton of bike riders.

I would like to point out that you don't need to be registered to ride, but your fee goes to fund the yearly event of Spokefest and other bike related things around Spokane. And you get some swag, too. Spend the money, it's worth it.

By the way, the date for Spokefest is September 12th and will include the 9 mile shortcut, the 21 mile classic and the new 47 mile option. All of the rides are starting at 9:30. That's a.m. guys.

Fiasco 37 Wrap Up

2010-08-28T18:18:00.000-07:00

(click the card for pics)
I was surprised to see such a large group of riders after I mentioned that we were climbing a pretty good hill. Pleasantly surprised. That opens up several new possibilities for the rides next summer.

Tuesday was the 37th Full Moon Fiasco and was dangerously close to being the first one to not have spoke cards. Without crying about it, I had some timing issues keeping it from happening, plain and simple. I couldn't even find the time to pick them up so Joe had to do that for me and brought them to The Swamp right on time. Whew! Thanks Joe.

The route and destination bar this month was courtesy of Anthony and his uncanny ability for convincing a bar to have 150 cyclists take the place over AND give us drink specials. He is full of some great ideas, so you can count on some inventive themes coming up. The bar chosen was Swinging Doors which is on Francis. That means we have to go up Post. Not having to lead the ride this time, I was able to cruise in the middle and on my way up Post, there was some serious carnage. Walking up, taking a break in the grass and some even turned back all together. Swinging Doors was staffed appropriately for such a crowd and served up some delicious fried goodness along with cold beer and a bunch of really large televisions. You want gizzards? They got 'em.

I only have one regret about this months ride. Since the Bikestravaganza, the FBC Spokane has received interest from many new riders which is great, but they are not familiar with the rules of the FBC.

Here are the rules:

Don't be an asshole.

I had to mention this before after an incredibly large ride a year ago and the following rides were picture perfect. I am going to paste a portion of that entry here.

"I would like to make it abundantly clear that we are NOT, regardless of numbers, a critical mass. We are not out there to purposely get in the way of motorized traffic. We make our best effort to keep it to one or two lanes where applicable and we certainly do not plow through red lights. The way the FBC Spokane draws attention to the shear number of cyclists in the city and the need for better ways to get around is to follow the rules of the road. Nobody likes an asshole so don't be one. If you feel like you need to continue riding against traffic, purposely slowing in front of motorized traffic, going through red lights and otherwise making people angry with your bike, the FBC does not want you. Go get yourself run over on your own time, not mine. If you are hurt in a traffic accident while riding with the FBC and it is your fault, it will likely be the last FBC Fiasco and I don't think you want that. I certainly don't. Finger wagging over."

I hope everyone is on board with that because I would like to continue to enjoy the accepting attitude of the city, its representatives, businesses and appointed officers. We seem to be doing something right, let's not jack that up.

The next Fiasco will be the Back To School Ride. Dust off that plaid, pull out the band uniform or whatever school attire tickles your fancy, and wear it to the next Fiasco which will be September 23rd.

150+ riders; 46° and clear.

I Totally Forgot

2010-08-20T16:47:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that I forgot to tell you about going to Litz's after the Bikestravaganza.

The Lifetime Members For Life followed me along a circuitous route to one of our favorite places to go. Litz's, the hard to type bar and grill, has always treated the FBC Spokane like family and this time was no different. Among the things that I forgot this summer was a phone call to arrange a possible destination for the ride following the Bikestravaganza. I didn't make that call until a few hours before the event expecting to get a deep sigh and a reluctant yes, I got the exact opposite. They were very excited about us coming even though I had no idea about attendance. I told them 'Anywhere between 20 and 200' and they were fine with that. In fact, they called me back two more times to make sure they had their shit together for our visit. The only thing that disappointed me was that I wasn't able to bring more people. Next time guys. And I'll call earlier. Thank you Litz's Bar & Grill for your hospitality every time.

Reminder: Fiasco 37
Tuesday August 24th
The Swamp 8:00pm
Bring some gears
(through great hassle, I will have spoke cards, bring a dollar please)

That Went Well

2010-08-17T21:20:00.000-07:00

Last night was the Bikestravaganza and it sounds a lot more exciting than it actually was. We listened and watched as both positive and negative aspects of trying to make your corner of the world a better place to ride your bike as illustrated through what is going on in Portland. Although dry on the surface, it is full of the juicy bikey goodness of swag and print items. I am glad to have had so many Lifetime Members For Life there to listen and make donations to keep them going. allons-y Elly and Joe! (That's French)

Full Moon Fiasco 37

Tuesday August 24th, meet at The Swamp at 8:00pm and try to bring a dollar donation for the spoke card. We are headed to a new destination this time and I am excited. It will be a route similar in length to the Birthday Fiasco but will incorporate a little tougher climb. I advise you to bring some gears. Don't worry, we aren't in a big hurry so take your time because we will wait for you at the top. I say we, but you might be waiting on me.

You will also receive a card from the Spokane Marmots Hardcourt Bike Polo Club. This is not the official spoke card of the Fiasco.

For Sale

2010-08-10T17:08:00.000-07:00

I don't want to do this, but they need good homes.

I am selling a restored 1976 Schwinn Super le Tour 12.2 and a 2004 Fuji Track. Both of which were lovingly cared for and ridden quite a bit. The Fuji is in like new condition. Both are clean and house trained. Neither of them claw the furniture or require much food.
Click the photos to take you to their craigslist spots. Most of the information you would need is listed there, but if you have any questions feel free to email me and I hopefully can answer them and provide more photos if you need them.

UPDATE Aug 28, 2010: SOLD AND SOLD! Thank you to everyone that expressed interest in these two favorites, and a thank you to the two friends that bought them. I know they will go to good homes and be well taken care of for years to come.

August Event

2010-07-31T22:56:00.000-07:00

A little something that I slid into the wrap up post for the birthday ride is the upcoming Bikestravaganza on August 16th at the Community Building.

You might just want to follow the link to get the details of what will happen at the event, but I have it on good authority that yours truly will be invited, if not forced to say a little something in front of a bunch of people. You don't want to miss an opportunity to watch me flounder for things to say, but I'm pretty sure it will go so much smoother with all of you there.

We should also do our best as Lifetime Members For Life to make a showing of how many of us love to have fun and ride bicycles here in Spokane. There have been some comparisons to some bike thing going on in portland and I would like to show everyone that attends this event that FBC Spokane is unique and contrary to popular belief, not critical mass.

Please come.

If enough people comment on this blogpost, I will make spoke cards.

The Bikestravaganza is sponsored in part (or whole) by SpokeFest Association, but there is a suggested donation and I am assuming that it is about three (3) dollars.
(the spoke cards will be free)

August 16, 2010
7:00pm - 9:00pm (with short fbc ride to follow)
Community Building

Might as well wear something nice. I'll see you there.

Birthday Cuppins

2010-07-28T17:14:00.000-07:00

(click card for photos)
I think I may have recovered completely from another successful Full Moon Fiasco. This one was the third birthday of the FBC and it couldn't have been any better.

Of course we started at The Swamp and big thanks go to Joe and his staff for pouring the beverages as best they could surrounded by a bunch of hot and thirsty bike riders. We stayed our hour and got to our bikes for a fun ride down Riverside, across Sandifur Bridge, across town on Broadway and through the park to the fountain where a few riders opted for a trip through the water. Refreshing. From there it was a short trip on Main for our second trip to The Globe where we pretty much had the run of the place being a Monday night. I called The Globe a week before and she didn't even bat an eye when I told her there would be well over one hundred people. There was extra staffing which included a door guy and full kitchen. Kudos, The Globe. You have done well and we will return.

I was surprised to see that one of the Lifetime Members For Life made a few cupcakes to pass out at The Swamp, another two riders brought birthday hats for everyone. I also brought a gift for everyone. A pair of the best friends a person could have made a slew of cupcakes and invited us over to slather them with homemade icing and watch Rad. Now seriously, could you think of a better use of your time? Anyway I pulled a trailer with the mystery box of cuppins, opened it at The Globe and they disappeared. Awesome.

For a closer, the Veggie Crew and I made our way over to The Library where we continually asked about getting in the pool but only aggravated a cool bartender. We may have to go there for a fiasco but probably a cold ride.

Thanks to everyone for making donations for the spoke cards. That goes toward keeping the spoke cards coming, delicious cuppins and other fun things for all you Lifetime Members For Life.

125+ riders; 65° and clear.

BIKESTRAVAGANZA:
Off the Chainring in Spokane

An upcoming event that you should attend is the Bikestravaganza at the Community Center. Click the title for a link to the Facebook event. You can get details after the jump. "...a traveling road show of bicycle talk, movies, zines, and transportation activism and advocacy." Bring less than five dollars for the door and have some fun. This should be a good time and a bunch of people have gone to a bit of trouble to get it together which includes the SpokeFest Association. If you haven't participated in SpokeFest, be sure to register for the ride coming up in September.

We may have to ride to get some beverages after the show.

Happy Birthday FBC

2010-07-20T11:31:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that this little bike club has been going on for three years. All you Lifetime Members For Life have been the best. I mean it. The FBC wouldn't be anything without you.

For this Full Moon Fiasco we will be meeting at The Swamp at 8:00pm on Monday, July 26th. Be sure to get there early enough to get yourself some beverages and a spoke card.

We will be taking a real ride. None of this straight to the bar stuff this month. The weather has been too nice lately and I want to take advantage of it. I won't tell you the distance because that tends to discourage some of the new riders, but I will tell you that we will be climbing one moderate hill. You fixed gear daily drivers should be able to pound right up it. I'll see you at The Swamp.

Prom 2010: The Best One Yet

2010-06-28T14:52:00.000-07:00

(click card for pics)
Every time I think that the FBC Fiascoes can not get any better, a ride like this one happens. The Prom Fiasco was another in a long line of really great rides. My goal was to just make it happen and I had a bit of last minute help that made it not just happen, but made it really special.

Joe and his staff at The Swamp deserve a huge thank you for making special arrangements for our larger than large crowd by having door security and an outdoor cash bar. Some of you guys have asked why we meet here all the time and that is the reason. They are great people giving that extra effort to make it great for an overwhelming group. We spent a little extra time there and headed downtown to ride by all the Hoopfest activity and show off our tuxedo shirts and miles of chiffon. If you are not familiar with Hoopfest, follow the link and learn all there is to know about 3 on 3 basketball.

If you know me you know that I hate to do something last minute and this ride had so many last minutes, I didn't have a destination until two days before. That's not so bad when you are going to a bar with a few friends, but I love calling a bar and telling them that I would like to bring 200 people. Tim at the Steam Plant really came through for me on this one. When we were struggling to have a steady starting venue, he offered up the Steam Plant about the same time we settled into a location. Tim then realized with our earlier start for the Prom Ride, he would be able to have our super awesome dance party. Destination resolved!

DJ+♥ was able to step in and take over the task of making the FBC shake a booty and he did not disappoint. From pop 80's to the obscure to show tunes, he was able to mix it up for a great prom night, along with Purple Rain as the closer.

Another last minute addition was the Decoration Committee. Jacque, BS, The Good Doctor, N/G and new LMFL, Cindy. They were able to transform the basement into prom headquarters. Well done guys. I owe you big time.

To Tim and the staff at the Steam Plant for roping off an area of valuable parking for 150 bicycles, for accommodating 200 drinkers and for staying way past your usual closing time; a well deserved thank you goes out to you and I would love to do it again real soon.

To supplement the photos that we took, there are a couple of galleries of photos from Lifetime Members For Life below. If you have a gallery of photos, put a link in the comments section so we can all see them.

Thank you all for coming out and having a good time on bicycles and for your dollar donation for the spoke cards. I know it was a short ride but really, how far do you want to go while wearing a tux? Next month is the Birthday Ride. Stay tuned for updates about that one.

57° and clear; 150+riders.

It's time for Prom!

2010-06-18T13:15:00.000-07:00

That's right. It's time for the FBC to get dolled up and ride the Fiasco Prom. This is always a blast and I expect this time to be no different. So get down to Classy Rack, Value Village or just pilfer through your closet and put on your finest for a ride.

I am still working on a destination bar and time is short. It may turn out to be a familiar spot that can handle some last minute FBCness or a new venue entirely. Wish me luck. Either way, be prepared for some short climbs, we will be doing our best to avoid downtown due to Hoopfest.

I will see each and every one of you at an earlier time than usual. We will be meeting at The Swamp at 6:00pm and we will be leaving at 7:00pm. Get there early enough to get your spoke card and if you have a dollar donation that would be extra sweet of you.

Any questions or help with the venue, feel free to leave a comment, email or just call me.

Update:
In my haste to put this up, I neglected to mention the date. That's not important, right? Anyway, the ride will be
Saturday, June 26th
The Swamp
6:00 p.m.

Delayed Entry

2010-06-06T18:35:00.000-07:00

(click card for pics)
Wow, I think this is the longest it's taken for me to get a chance to post the pictures of the Fiasco. I have had my ass handed to me by some school projects and just haven't had a chance to post, but here I am on a Sunday with almost the entire quarter in the rear-view and a batch of pictures for you.

I am excited to learn that most of the issues with the capacity at The Swamp are mostly worked out. Their new capacity is 100 customers which includes the now much smaller back patio. This makes me happy. Though I am still in the market for a destination for our next ride. More on that later.

Many thanks to The Swamp for once again letting us take over for an hour or so. Also to the Lifetime Members For Life that are always ultra rad! Most of all a big thank you to Litz's for their hospitality every time we go there. I called earlier in the week and asked if they would mind another visit from the FBC and they were stoked to have us. After I told them about the theme, they decided to decorate the place and put there employees in Hawaiian shirts. Super cool!

The next fiasco will be PROM. We will be starting earlier in the evening June 26th. Get out there soon and get your garb together for it, but I will have more information on that in a couple of weeks. Right now I am looking for a destination bar. Preferably one with lots of space, an outdoor place to have drinks and a full bar (not just beer). I know this doesn't sound so hard, but I am thinking we will have more than 150 Lifetime Members For Life. Wedging that many people into a bar is pretty tough. If you have any suggestions, feel free to email me at the fbc address. which is fbcspokane followed immediately by the at sign then hotmail and a dot and a com. Got it?

50 degrees and cloudy; 125 riders.

Fiasco 34: Tiny Bubbles

2010-05-19T17:14:00.000-07:00

Okay gang, you have a week to get ready for this one. The weather has gotten its shit together and it looks like we are going to get some summertime. To mark the beginning of the season, this months Full Moon Fiasco will be a Luau! Some Lifetime Members For Life are working on getting a free band to play at our free location for cheep drinks so cross your fingers for everything to work out. For those of you that don't drink beer, fear not, our Luau location will have a full array of drinkables. Maybe you can even get a little umbrella.

I'm pretty excited about this one and you should be, too. So go raid your closet for a flowery shirt or a grass skirt, and put on your favorite Luau wardrobe, get on your bike and meet at The Swamp Parking Lot at 8:00pm Thursday May 27th. We may not all be able to fit inside but we can still start our ride there. The ride will be pretty flat so put some air in the tires on your cruiser.

It Didn't Rain!

2010-05-02T11:22:00.000-07:00

(click card for photos)
I was so certain that we were going to get doused again. I was also certain that not very many people would show up for the ride because of the rain. I should get my certainometer calibrated because it was wrong both times.

I had big plans for taking a longer route down to Peoples Park and back up the other side and around the North side, but that fell through and we were left with a short ride. I thought that would be just fine considering the weather was sketchy at best. Turns out the weather was great and that the Lifetime Members For Life are on board no matter the conditions or length of ride. I can't thank you guys enough for that.

We met at The Viking again and took our short ride to The Hub. If you haven't been there before, it's a small place with a few locals on any given night, scratch cards, cheap beer and the friendliest crew in all of Spokane. The Hub ranks in the top five of places friendly to the FBC.

The Baby Bar is quite possibly number one on the list. We left The Hub and headed there to finish out the night. It was Patti's birthday and I thought what better gift than to bring 50 of my friends to her party.

50 degrees/cloudy; 75+ riders

There are a few Lifetime Members For Life that don't understand why I don't have a theme for every ride, so they make one up for their crew and really follow through. That. Is. Awesome. Last month it was Waldo costumes, this time it was all denim. So for the next Fiasco they have convinced me that it would be a great idea to have the Hawaiian Shirt Ride. There are plans in motion to get a band and a location set up for the Luau so this should be a good time. Those in the know should keep it a surprise for the rest of the LMFL.

Also, I saw a few of you taking pictures. Just to let you know that the FBC is on Facebook and you are welcome to post your pictures there.

Thanks everybody, I'll see you at the next Full Moon Fiasco!

P.S.-- LOST KEYS IN THE HUB PARKING LOT.
ARE THESE YOURS?
Let me know and I will have them at the next ride. Or if you need them sooner, we can arrange that, too.

It's Wednesday. Conditions Are Perfect

2010-04-17T22:30:00.000-07:00

Put on your business socks, it's time for business.

Wednesday April 28th marks the 33rd Full Moon Fiasco and as far as I can tell, the weather is going to be stunning. Once again we will meet at The Viking at 8:00pm and take a ride through town. You may want to saddle up a bike with gears on it or at least be prepared to make one short climb. Don't worry, we aren't going South, this time (that's foreshadowing). We may even have a couple of destinations this time. I'm still working that out.

It Was Awesome

2010-04-01T09:33:00.000-07:00

(click card for photos)
This month we started at The Viking. A great bar with a million tap handles of every beer you can think of. Well, maybe not a million or even whatever you think of, but still, a good selection. I called a few days prior to taking a hundred thirsty cyclist and they were all about having us and were willing to staff accordingly. That's really awesome. Thanks go out to The Viking and their quality staff, I hope everyone tipped appropriately.

As for our ride, we took a bit of a longer route to get to our destination bar, nothing crazy, just a 3+ mile ride through some of our old haunts. Normally, it's a pretty straight shot to The Empyrean from where we were, but this time the weather was great and everyone was stoked so I made it a meandering route. There were very few mechanical issues. Started in the parking lot with a flat repair, one bike got rear ended at a red light, a jacket got twisted into a bunch around a rear wheel and a first timer on a borrowed bike was stuck in a ridiculous gear, but she got there nonetheless.

Now if you are planning on taking a few friends on bikes over to The Empyrean, be sure not to put them anywhere near the parking lot of the Downtowner Motel. If you do, a sketchy little dude with large pupils will come out and nervously grind his teeth at you and 'request' that you not 'take up his parking spots'. We were in no parking spots because we all know how busy the Downtowner Motel gets on a Tuesday.

I had no idea we were going to get to hear a band but we did and they were good. Green Light Go played for us. They are a local band with horns and drums and fast.

Do you have pictures of the ride?
Post them on the fbcbook page.
Everyone loves the pictures.

75+ riders; partly cloudy, windy, 40 degrees.

-By The Way:

>First Friday. Its a time to check out some galleries and local artists for free. A small group of us are gathering at Neato at 6:00pm to hit some of them if you are interested. A few more details can be found here.

>There is also an event the night before Bloomsday if you kids are interested. Stay tuned for details about that.

New Start

2010-03-23T11:23:00.000-07:00

I have heard that there may be some changes made about the capacity of The Swamp so we may get to go back there, but this month we are starting at The Viking. The Viking has always been receptive to the FBC and I expect this time to be no different. In fact, I just got off the phone with them and they are stoked to have us and should be staffed appropriately for our large crew. However, they will not be extra staffing the kitchen, so if you want a snack you may want to bring it with you or be prepared to wait a little while.

As with all the Full Moon Fiasco rides, we meet at 8:00pm and ride at 9:00pm. We will take a circuitous route to our final destination which will involve several traffic lights, mysterious turns, ride-bys of certain locals and multi-lane traffic crossings. I implore you to be very careful and do your best to obey the rules of the road.

Tuesday March 30th | The Viking | 8:00pm

To Neato!

2010-03-01T12:04:00.000-08:00

click the card for pictures
If you've been following along, you will know that there is still an issue of capacity with The Swamp. The FBC went there to start again this month simply because I ran out of time to plan something else. I would like to thank all the new riders and veterans for their ever increasing patience while this gets sorted.

The weather cooperated again this month and let us have a dry ride. We took that opportunity to head through Brownes Addition to the roundabout at The Elk and down 1st to the fountain at the park. I like to stop at the fountain because that gives us a chance to catch everyone up after stopping at all those red lights along the way. I was surprised when I got to the fountain and turned around to find 75 cyclist standing there waiting for me to do something. So we took off for Neato Burrito.

Tim did the FBC a solid by opening up the restaurant side to accommodate the large crowd. On Sundays they close the Neato side and the Baby Bar in the back is the only thing open. Tim went to a lot of trouble to open up AND have food cooked for us. Next time you get hungry, ride over to Neato and give them money for some fabulous food. Also, be sure to check out his band Whiskey Dick Mountain.

It's getting warmer out there so be aware that there may be some auxiliary rides during the summer. There are things in the works for some Earth Day stuff and there are always the pedals2people tune ups that are fun as well. Be sure to shoot me an email if you find out about some bikey sort of thing that you want the world to know about, I just might post it right here.

Next month we have a destination solution (FOR THOSE THAT KNOW, DON'T GIVE IT AWAY! I WILL CHANGE IT) but as far as a starting location, that is still up in the air. If you know of a place that will happily serve 100 bike riders let me know. I will give it serious consideration.

I Have No Idea

2010-02-21T16:14:00.000-08:00

The spoke cards are still not printed, it's only one week until the 31st Full Moon Fiasco and I still have no idea about what we are going to do for a starting venue.

I suppose I haven't given it my all to try to find one due to the amount of homework I have and the simple fact that I don't really want to go somewhere other than The Swamp. Joe and the staff have all been extraordinary and it's a shame that we can't fit everyone in the place due to some issues with the landlord that I still don't fully understand. So here is how it is going to go this month. We will meet at The Swamp at 8:00p.m. Sunday February 28th. We will shove as many paying customers in there as we can legally. We will take a short ride through town to another venue. Because it is going to be on a Sunday, our options are limited, but I am sure we can come up with something.

Try to bring a dollar for a spoke card and dress warm; I appreciate your donations and your comfort.

Getting My Art On

2010-02-04T20:21:00.000-08:00

Some of you are already familiar with First Friday. The once a month event when Spokane galleries open their doors and invite you to come around and ogle their stuff. More often than not, that includes cheese and wine. As a fan of both, there is no question that I will be downtown tomorrow night. You should come check it out, too.

There are several things going on so here some that I plan to check out:

Avenue West - A gallery space next to long time friend of the FBC, Far West Billiards. I have been meaning to stop by but have yet to make it over there.

Raw Space - I was told about this one on campus today and it sounds like a good time. "showcasing new, emerging and established artists from our community"

RiVerSpeAK - This is where I plan to start the night. Located at the new Empyrean location (2nd and Washington), t says on the Facebook Events Page "nest-themed artwork from various local artists (all members of the RiverSpeak Collective) will be for sale, with 50% of the proceeds to benefit RiverSpeak. Pick up your handmade RiverSpeak Zine + CD, available on donation (give what you can).

So if you are looking for something to do tomorrow night, here you go. These events start at 5:00p.m. and end at 9:oop.m. on Friday. I am looking to head to one of my favorite drinking establishments as well tomorrow.

Not officially as the FBC, I will start at RiVerSpeAK at 5:00 and make my way toward the rest in no certain order. See you down there.

Fiasco 30: The Cold Shoulder

2010-02-02T16:59:00.000-08:00

(click card for pictures)
Even with the recent developments with The Swamp, the FBC managed to make this Full Moon Fiasco a great event.

I mentioned in the last post that Joe, of The Swamp, has been given instruction by his landlord to have no more than 49 patrons inside the building; that includes the patio. This sort of cramps Joe significantly and puts some of their customers out in the cold and that includes the FBC. I was worried that those that came to ride would be sorely disappointed when they learned of this. Boy was I wrong. The Lifetime Members For Life that were unable to get into the building, waited patiently for 9:00 to roll around so we could take a short ride. I even told everyone where we were going and they still stuck around to ride the long way just to get to Sunset Junction. For those that do not know, Sunset Junction is approximately 100 yards from The Swamp. We turned that into about a three mile ride through downtown and Brownes Edition, through the roundabout at The Elk and on to Sunset. No spills, no mechanicals, an overall success.

At our destination our long time friend Whiskey Dick Mountain was waiting for our arrival to put on a kick ass show for the economical price of free. I would like to thank them for doing that for us and for Patrick setting it up. Thanks.

As for our plans for February's ride, I don't know. I am hoping that things get straightened out at The Swamp because they have been the home of the FBC Spokane for two years now and always welcome us with open arms. We enjoy being there and spend a significant amount of money there. Joe and everyone there are great and serve us just as fast as they can. Again, I hope this all gets taken care of so we can continue to visit at least once a month. I will be sure to keep everyone up to date as information trickles in and if there is a change in starting venue, I will be sure to let you know. Thanks again for your patience on a cold night.

85+ riders; 34 degrees and partly cloudy

Issues with The Swamp

2010-01-29T19:51:00.000-08:00

So I just got off the phone with Joe Kaler of The Swamp and he tells me that he is having some issues with his landlord about capacity. It seems as though there is somewhere in his agreement that says that no more than 49 people can be inside the building at any given time. This poses a problem not only for the business that Joe normally gets but the FBC numbers are significantly more than 49 every time we meet.

Here is how it is going to go this month. I will be there early enough to beat the early birds and direct them to our next destination. We will try not to linger at The Swamp but if they have the room, by all means go in and have drink.

Joe and the other employees are heartbroken about this and hope the issue is resolved damn quick. This is not Joe's fault. They certainly have been very accommodating to the FBC every time we have gone there for the past two years. This will be the 30th Fiasco and let's hope it's not the last to be at The Swamp.

All that said, get ready for some good times at our destination. Ride to The Swamp well before 9:00pm and I will tell you where to go. At 9:30, I will leave and join the party. Oh, and I do have spoke cards even though this month it's all jacked up.

It's A New Year

2010-01-21T21:16:00.000-08:00

Dang, it's been a while since our last ride. Who feels like having a Full Moon Fiasco? I know I do.

It may be a new year but we are doing things the same way. Meet at The Swamp at 8:00pm on Saturday January 30th and try to bring a dollar for a spoke card donation. We'll take a short ride and go listen to loud music for the low, low price of Free Fifty-Free. Sound like a plan?

Some of you may have heard about the events that took place after the Knog Ride in July, though if you have not you may want to keep it that way. I can't stress enough the you should always be careful while on your bike.

Support the FBC Spokane

2009-12-09T21:17:00.000-08:00

I churned out a couple of designs a while back and didn't really push them. I have them on CafePress so I can concentrate on the design and not worry about keeping a thousand shirts laying around next to equipment to print them and envelopes to mail them. Instead I post a design and pick out what it will be printed on and when you buy one for twenty bucks, I make one (1) dollar. Not ideal but if you own a screen printing shop and want me to make some serious fliff, I will take your call. For now, if you absolutely have to represent the FBC to the visiting family this holiday season, now is the time to get a shirt to do that. You don't want to pass up the opportunity to explain to your family what FBC stands for.

I would also like to mention that some dude in St. Louis has lifted one of my designs and is using it to represent his blog post about a FBC ride he attended in St. Louis. I'm glad that I can create that and have you boost it. Thanks bro.

Festivus Wrap

2009-12-07T12:52:00.000-08:00

(click card for pics)
After a weekend of sleep and getting a break from Festivus plans, I guess it's time to wrap it up with a sincere thank you to everyone that came out in some pretty cold weather and the businesses and Lifetime Members For Life that could make donations.

I never imagined that when I started asking around for some donations that I would get such an outpouring from local and non-local businesses. Listed below are some of the friends of the FBC. Be sure to check out each of their websites and if they sell stuff, buy it.

Knog - What can I say about these guys. From the great stuff they gave us when they came to ride in July to the bag of fun they left for this one, everything is above and beyond. Be sure to check out their latest catalog for the 2010 products (clickable link at the bottom of their page). There are some pictures from their visit earlier this year. I'm disappointed my picture wasn't in there but I have the need-for-attention chromosome. Just counting what they gave me for the Festivus Ride, I had over $120.00 in prizes.
Chrome - Another great supporter of all things bicycle. You will find their link to the left like most of those mentioned here. I have carried a Chrome bag for a real long time and it has been through the wringer. Everything from snow to sand and mud to dust, this poor bag has kept it's end of the bargain and kept it's contents safe and dry. Unless you count that time I filled it with ice and beer. It performed that task admirably as well. Chrome sent me a box of goodies including their Hip Pouch that cost $40.00 and a couple of t-shirts and some really big stickers. Another group that sent me $120.00 in stuff. A great bunch of folks. Now if I could just get them to come off a pair of those knickers...
Fresh Abundance - Most of you are familiar with the organic grocery store from our Fiascoween party there, but if you haven't been there yet you should go. They carry local and organic foods and they also deliver. Their prize to the FBC was a membership for a year. Giving the winner delivery for a year and one free box of fruit and vegetables. At $85.00 it would be a bargain at twice the price. Thanks to Jacque and BrightSpirit.
N. Division Bicycles - These guys have always been good to me and the FBC. From a good price on a couple of awesome bikes to donations for the Festivus two years running. They are a bit out of town but it's worth the trip. If you are going by bike, I have a handy little route mapped so you don't have to mess around with Division. Thanks to everyone there, especially Brenda who was the one that rummaged around to get some items put together for me. I guess all the stuff they gave me was worth about $50.00.
Water's End Massage - Lifetime Member For Life, Rick gave us this one. I really wanted to keep this one. A real massage would have been great after all the stress that went into putting this one together. However, it went to a LMFL that probably deserved it just as much. Thanks again Rick for this one. Rick, if this one has a website, email it to me.
The Scoop - A repeat offender for the FBC. They constantly provide support in one way or another when it comes to the Fiasco. One month I lost our venue (because they are douches)at the last minute and Patrick came through with a call to his business partner down at Far West and got us set up there. I can't even mention the countless times I have been to The Scoop to moan about this or that and they listened attentively over several cups of coffee. Thanks Patrick and Elissa. Gift certificates and t-shirts for a total of about $70.00.
Neato Burrito - And the Baby Bar. Someone else who goes above and beyond to help out the FBC. Tim and Patty are always there to lend a hand in the form of advertising, a venue for the smaller rides, a kick ass band and for the past two Festivus Rides, multiple 'Gift Cardboards'. About $50.00.
Slick Rock - First time donation but no less important. Mark gave a pair of gift certificates, each one a free meal for two. It's the Slick Rock on the north side. About 50.00.
Hank - This is a gift from a private donor. Hank decided that the FBC would get more use out of a $60.00 gift card than he would. How could I argue. Hank is the one that made the FBC video a while back. I'm going to do a bit of arm twisting to get him to come to more rides. We miss you Hank.
Litz's - How could a bar be more accommodating to the FBC? Everything ran as smoothly as possible. Everyone was polite and served with a smile. There were even snacks set up, which I heard were delicious because I was a little too busy to get any before they disappeared. When I started calling out prizes, they show up with a stack of t-shirts and hats for me to give away. What a pleasant surprise. We will definitely be back during one of the warm months for some beach volleyball.
MC Southworth - It seems as though Mike is always willing to play some loud music for us in any situation. I think this makes three or four times we have had him DJ for us and judging from the wall to wall smile on his face, I think he enjoys it somewhat. Thanks Mike.

Some other thank yous need to go out to some LMFL as well. Jacque was the one that took the reigns to get the venue set up. He'll tell you that it wasn't that much but one less thing for me to do is a big thing.
Lisa was the rock upon which I could smash my head. She handled the paperwork and organizing all the prizes. Also manning the Ring Toss station, she kept up with all the minutiae that I could not. She's the greatest that way. She was also able to recruit some help from Robin and Diane to get voting organized and some pictures taken during the award ceremony. There were very few businesses that gave me the run around, a cold no or no response at all and all of them are here in town. If you feel that it would effect your shopping habits, I can provide you with that information upon request.

This post is long enough already so I will spare you the details of the pre-ride, ride and post-ride and move right on to the next ride. THERE WILL BE NO NEW YEARS EVE RIDE. There are just too many amateurs out there in cars to get the FBC out there on bikes. I don't want to be responsible for your safety on a night like that. However, if you are planning on going out somewhere that night and you happen to be going on your bicycle, pass it along and maybe we can all end up at the same place at the same time. But it's not an FBC ride.

The next FBC Fiasco will be the first ride of 2010. Saturday, January 30th. Thank you to everyone that has made another year of Fiascoes successful. As always, you make this work so if you have any suggestions or gripes feel free to use any of the multiple ways of contact.

Riders: 100+; 19 degrees and cloudy.

Time For Festivus

2009-11-24T13:04:00.000-08:00

I have been so wrapped up in school that I have forgotten to bombard you with reminders about the Festivus Ride.

If you are unfamiliar, the Festivus Ride is just like the Full Moon Fiasco in that we meet at The Swamp and ride to an undisclosed location only this month there will be many, many prizes.

Last year we were lucky enough to have it at Northern Lights and they set us up nicely outside and pretty much gave us free reign but I did not know that they were going to charge a gratuity on EVERYONES tab! That's right, if you bought one (1) drink, they charged a gratuity. You probably didn't know, so you tipped them as well. It was a dirty trick that will not happen again and I apologize for it happening then. Though that issue has been resolved, we are unable to have it there again this year due to prior bookings and blah, blah, blah; you don't care.

We also had to bump the date of the ride up to Friday the 4th instead of Saturday because of the Zags game. I was reminded of this by Jacque who has been a faithful Lifetime Member For Life and has gone above and beyond by tracking down an appropriate venue for our shenanigans.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN

Get there early for a spoke card. This will be your key to participate in the reindeer games. Please try to make a one dollar donation for the card. There will be a few opportunities to earn yourself a great prize as well as a giveaway later in the evening. To give you a hint as to what will be offered as prizes, I have over $300.00 in gift cards and merchandise to give away.

Some of the events include but are not limited to:

Bicycle Decorating Contest

Best Overall
Best Use of Lights
Best Decorations

The Ring Toss Game

First. Second. Third.

The Givaway

Several Great Prizes

Decorate your bike.
Ride to The Swamp.
(directions in sidebar on left)
Friday December 4th, 8:00p.m.

Get there early for a spoke card and find me, they go fast. Any questions don't hesitate to send an email.

Festivus Begging

2009-11-07T18:25:00.000-08:00

I have few breaks in my school schedule to allow me to work on Festivus planning so I have to start now to think that I can pull this off.

If you are not familiar with the FBC Festivus, it is a decorated bike ride that terminates at an event with bicycle themed games and prize giveaways. Last year was a overwhelming success with several businesses and individuals making donations. This year promises to be much larger and I am starting my annual begging for prize donations. Here is what I posted on Facebook:

With the Festivus Ride being so early in December (5th), I am working on donations for the event.

There are several events planned that include podium prizes (1st through 3rd). These events would include but not limited to the same ones from last year, such as the bike decorating contest with two categories and possibly an overall winner, the frame toss event and the very popular ring toss game. I would like to have others like maybe a slow race or some fixed gear stuff. Some of the 1st place prizes last year were pretty big, including wine from Caterina, a big gift certificate from Fresh Abundance, gear from North Division Bicycles, free stuff at The Scoop and Neato Burrito.

If you or someone you know would be able to donate something from your business or local bike shop, the FBC Spokane would certainly appreciate it. So much in fact that I would be able to post your logo or link on the blogspot, linking to any possible online information or a website and generally go on and on about how cool you are. Also, if you have a banner that you would like to display at the event you are welcome to do so, granted that you are responsible for bringing, hanging and removing.

Since all of this sounds like a good idea and you would like to participate, you are welcome to contact me here on facebook or the other FBC email address with what you would like to donate and information on how I can retrieve you donation:

fbcspokane(at)hotmail(dot)com

Thanks for being a fan. You make this whole thing work.

Like I mentioned in the post on Facebook, please contact me at the above email address and I can make arrangements to meet with you to collect whatever sort of donation you would like to make.

The Lifetime Members For Life really do make this whole thing work.

Super Secret Success

2009-11-01T16:28:00.000-08:00

(click image for pics)
While eating my traditional post-fiasco breakfast of a bowl of croutons and lager, I could not get over how awesome the night was and that my head was pounding me with the force of a thousand Bing Crosbys.

This time our destination was Fresh Abundance. At first you may think that a bike trip to the grocery store is nothing out of the ordinary, but it was Fiascoween. Friend and Lifetime Member For Life, Bright Spirit runs the place and had this great idea of using some empty space behind the building to host a couple of bands, an outdoor beer garden, two fire pits, beer, wine and snacks. And do it all without charging a cover at the door. I'll have to say, she and her staff pulled it off magically. It was a great idea handled as smoothly as possible and I had nothing to do with it. Now that you know you can safely get there by bicycle, be sure to go by Fresh Abundance some time and buy some organic groceries.

Big thanks also to Quarter Monkey and B-Radicals for playing and even wearing costumes. I'll have to admit that one of the guitar players should have won the contest based solely on committing to shaving a bald spot on top of his head. That's dedication.

For the costume contest I just let the crowd decide and they narrowed the field first to about 15 participants then it was down to two. The Garden Gnome and Zombie Superman. Really, how do you pick? Again letting the crowd decide, there was overwhelming support for Zombie Superman who won a Sigg water bottle with the FBC logo on the side.

If you have pictures of Fiascoween you can link to them in the comments section or on the facebook site (link above, left).

I would also like to thank the weather for being extra awesome.

125+ riders; 45 degrees and clear

THE NEXT RIDE

The Fiasco on the horizon will be the Festivus Ride December 5th. For those of you that were able to participate last year, you know what a big deal this one is. I am in the process of contacting local and non-local businesses to get donations for prizes. There will be several events this year, all having podium prizes. I will also be looking to get volunteers to man these stations during the games. Don't worry, it shouldn't cut into your beer time or prevent you from participating in any of the events. So if you or a business you know of would be willing to help out the FBC this year, feel free to contact me. I am pretty busy with school this time around and could use all the help I can get. I will post more information as I get it. Any questions, email them.

Fiascoween III

2009-10-21T17:02:00.000-07:00

Fiascoween is approaching rapidly and you still don't have a costume? Shame on you. Get into that box of crap that you never did unpack when you moved in two years ago, and find something to wear. If that doesn't help, or you have taken that box to donate, go buy it back from Classy Rack. For an extensive collection of Fiascoween gear, you can always go drop some coin at Value Village and get yourself a snazzy outfit.

I mentioned before that if you have some crazy, elaborate face decoration planned, be sure there is a way we can identify you so you can get in and enjoy all the adult beverage choices because this is a 21+ event.

Speaking of the event, we will be meeting at The Swamp, Saturday Oct 31st, at 7:00p.m. and having some fun there before getting saddled up for a ride to the Fiascoween III: Super Secret Party. There will be a band, wine by the glass, draft beer, snacks, an outdoor beer garden (as well as indoor, you pansies) and a costume contest. I don't know what sort of prize I will be able to give away for best costume, but I will come up with something.

The FBC received a mass mail out and got this about an event going on before Fiascoween, along with a flyer (I did not make it):

It is time to rock the November ballot with Spokane's first ever Trick or Vote!

The Washington Bus and Eastern Washington Progress are throwing the only Halloween rally in town. We will gather in our costumes at 3pm to do some training, and then go into Spokane neighborhoods to turn out votes (and get candy in the process)! We will offer people some info and will encourage Approving Ref. 71 and Rejecting 1033.

Here are the details:

What: A FREE Halloween canvass for equal rights and a better Washington! Youth and family friendly, all-ages event. Everyone is welcome to participate.
When: 3-7pm on Saturday, October 31st, 2009
Where: 17 W. Main Ave. in the Community Building Warehouse (Green building with ROW Adventure Center in the window. Right next door to Merlyn's.) Some free parking is available on E. Main across Division.

Doorbelling is one of the most effective ways to reach voters on important issues, AND it's fun! You get to explore a neighborhood, meet interesting people, and get more mileage out of your costume! Volunteers will go out in pairs, but larger groups are also possible if you want to Trick or Vote with your whole posse.

When people are done with canvassing (routes will be provided on clip boards) we will have a volunteer appreciation social after people get back to the warehouse. Then you'll be out the door with plenty of time to enjoy other holiday functions.

To RSVP:

Reply All to this email so our Volunteer Coordinator Suzy can put you on the list!
RSVP to Trick or Vote on Facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=149280051427
Sign up as a "Zombie Captain" to bring at least 5 of your friends. Send your team's email addresses to Suzy at shalberstadt@gmail.com.

So there you go. The important thing is that you make it to The Swamp Saturday Oct. 31st at 7:00p.m. to join in the fun. Get there early to get a spoke card and if you can, donate a dollar

Fiasco 28: Two Thumbs Up

2009-10-06T16:56:00.000-07:00

(click card for pics link)
I'm a day late on the post but my book learnin' is coming along just fine. Thanks for asking.

The new owner of the recently reopened Magic Lantern Theater, Joe Davis, invited the FBC to come watch a movie and have some beverages. We struggled over the movie selection and when we found it extremely difficult to find a proper copy of Rad, Joe opted to show two very popular 80's films and they did not disappoint. In the small theater he was showing Breakin'. IMDB describes it as:

"A struggling young jazz dancer meets up with two break-dancers. Together they become the sensation of the street crowds. Features ICE-T in his film debut as a club MC."

Why would you not own this movie? As for the large theater, we were shown Quicksilver:

"Jack Casey (Kevin Bacon)used to be a hot-shot stock market whiz kid. After a disastrous professional decision, his life in the fast lane is over. He loses his nerve and joins a speed delivery firm which relies on bicycles to avoid traffic jams of San Francisco, is attracted to a fellow bicycler, Terri, and befriends Hector, a budding entrepreneur. Can Jack regain his nerve and his self-respect, and rebuild his life on a more sound basis?" also from IMDB Written by Reid Gagle

I don't know what a 'speed delivery firm' is but you have to enjoy this movie. If not for the disturbingly odd fitting pants on Kevin Bacon then for the handleba-rection. That's right. Watch the entire movie for a one second moment where you will laugh yourself into wetting your own ill fitting britches. Also, the comments from the peanut gallery where pretty good, too.

Again, thanks to Joe Davis and the attentive staff at Magic Lantern for the free movie and delicious refreshments. And another thank you to our friends at Doma Coffee for their contribution to our great night.

After all that, we still had to go ride our bikes. Being that we started earlier and in a different spot, it was only natural that we head to The Swamp. We always start there but we never stick around long enough to enjoy the band. This time we did and it was awesome as usual. Unfortunately, I had to leave early. That shit won't learn itself.

Clear, 46 degrees: 125+ riders

ALERT...ALERT...ALERT...ALERT...ALERT

FIASCOWEEN

Here is your fair warning about the upcoming ride. We are having a ride on October 31st. Due to the November full moon falling on the 2nd, we will move it up a couple of days to Fiascoween.

Also, get out there and get your costume. There are several outlets for stuff you can buy but you have enough crap in your closet you can throw together. Be advised that you will have to pedal in this getup and if you have extensive headgear you may be asked to remove it briefly for getting carded at the party. Did he say party? He did in fact say party.

We will be attending a super secret party just for the FBC. So if you find out about it, do me a favor and don't go blabbing it around town. There will be kegs, wine, a band, snacks, an indoor/outdoor beer garden, a fire pit and a costume contest. Please wear a costume. Don't just show up in sandals and socks and say you dressed like your Dad. Though, if you show up in ONLY sandals and socks, now that would be a costume. Small, but a costume.

CALENDAR:
OCTOBER 31ST - FIASCOWEEN

NOVEMBER - no Fiasco

DECEMBER 5TH - FESTIVUS

DECEMBER 31ST - BLUE MOON/NEW YEARS EVE

If you need something to do in November, there will be a revival of the popular Fixed The Race series. That will happen on November 3rd at 7:00pm from the Riverfront Park Fountain. Their blogspot.

October Fiasco Plans

2009-09-26T17:21:00.000-07:00

Here's the skinny.

The FBC will be MEETING AT A DIFFERENT LOCATION and AT AN EARLIER TIME.

Fiasco 28 will start at The Magic Lantern at 7:00p.m. We have been awarded the special privilege of taking over the place and showing movies just for us in both theater rooms. There will be refreshments for the thirsty. Doma will provide coffee, there will be beer and a limited amount of the hard stuff. We don't have to pay for the movie, but bring your milk money for drinks. Also, if you have a donation for the spoke cards I would appreciate that as well.

Also, as a special bonus, there may be a raffle at the end of the movie to take that movie home with you. You don't want to miss that.

From there we will take a short ride to someplace else. See you there.

The Magic Lantern, Sunday October 4th, 7:00pm

Fiasco 27 Wrap Up

2009-09-06T11:24:00.000-07:00

(click card for picture link)
This one was the Back To School ride and all the Lifetime Members For Life were encouraged to wear their favorite back to school clothes. We rode up a little past 8:00 and I was a little disappointed when I saw through my neon Coca-Cola shades and flowing blonde locks that the few people that were out front did not participate.

We made it inside to find that there were the loyal few sitting around their beers dressed as professors, Catholic kids, cheerleaders, jocks and others. Now this is more like it. As it got closer to 9:00, the crowd was too much for The Swamp to accommodate and some had to wait outside. Not for long though, it was time to bounce. Thanks to The Swamp for letting us take over the place for another night and their hospitality. Also, I can't thank the Veggie Crew enough for printing up the stickers to pass out (email me your phone numbers, I lost them). They look great. I still have a few if someone needs one. Last but not least, Mariah was nice enough to lug a big ass megaphone for me to use for the announcement. Thanks again, Mariah. Off we go.

For those of you not familiar with Pig Out In The Park, it is what it is. An opportunity to go downtown with a giant crowd and eat overpriced food with music. It's a good time and the FBC was about to ride right through the middle of it to get to our destination. There were a few circles around the fountain and some high fives from BBQ fingers and we were off to Caterina Winery.

As we make our way through the funnel that is the back entrance to the parking lot, we could hear that Whiskey Dick Mountain had already started. If you have not heard these guys you should make it a point to get to one of their shows and give them some money. The show they did for the FBC was free. You could just go eat and drink at Neato Burrito and Baby Bar (First & Lincoln), they can get your money that way too. Also, be sure to go to Caterina sometime when there aren't 200 other people there. Live music, wine, beer and a rocking patio. Patrick lined up some great drink specials for us, a cash bar outside and handled the volume of people as well as possible.

175+ riders; Low 47, clear

SPOKEFEST

Last year was the first one and it was a good time. I can only imagine how much more fun this one will be. It is not too late to register, but it will cost you 20 bucks now. Don't let this discourage you from participating. I'm pretty sure you can show up downtown on the morning of September 13th and ride your bike with us. You'll still get to ride but you won't get the cool schwag, coffee and pancakes. Bring your friends and look for other Lifetime Members For Life. We will be the loud ones having the most fun.

STUFF YOU MUST KNOW

The October Full Moon Fiasco will be at an earlier time and start at a different place. Everybody got that?

We are going to have a Fiascoween celebration on October 31st, Halloween night. Make your arrangements now.

Are you a bar that wants to be visited by 200 bikers? Are you a band that wants to play a free/donation based show for 200 bikers? Are you a Lifetime Member For Life that has some suggestions or comments? Do you want to give me $1200 for school? Feel free to use the links on the left to send an email or follow on Facebook or Twitter. Also, check out the link to Knog, they have a few pictures on the main page of their recent visit to Spokane.

FBC Out.

One Week Til Fiasco 27

2009-08-28T23:47:00.000-07:00

Holy Crap, Kids! There is just one week until the 27th Full Moon Fiasco! Do you have your back to school clothes ready? Do you have a dollar for a spoke card? I hope so.

As usual, we will be meeting at The Swamp at 8:00p.m. on Friday September 4th and taking a short ride to a ROCK SHOW. Tell me you are not excited and I will tell you that your pants are indeed on fire.

Trail on the 395

2009-08-23T17:04:00.000-07:00

(click sign for pictures)
Yesterday was one of the rare daytime rides of the FBC. Rarer yet is the 11:00 a.m. start time. I was pleasantly surprised to have a turnout of about 25 or 30 riders.

Taking the Centennial Trail as far as we could, we had to continue on streets to get to the trail head North of Francis and Freya. From there, the trail was not your typical rail trail. There were turns and climbs that made the trip all the way out there more fun. Though we did get free hot dogs and a bottle of water, I don't think they expected everyone to be so thirsty because they ran out of water about an hour into the thing. The car show was cool and being able to hang out in the middle of the interstate was fun. As far as the ceremony, it was your typical flatbed of politicians where everyone said that they were going to make it short and went on to congratulate themselves on a job well done for the next fifteen minutes. Thanks to Skip for our pizza and beer at Pacific Pizza. I don't think I would have made it up the hill without it.

NEXT FULL MOON FIASCO

I was in the store a few days ago buying paste, a Trapper Keeper and some scratch-n-sniff stickers when I realize it is time for the Back To School Ride. Along with a dope ass theme ride, we will also be able to enjoy drink specials and a rock show at our destination bar.

So get those band uniforms, cheerleader skirts or your plaid out of the closet. If you are one of those that needs a new outfit for the first day of school, get down to your favorite thrift store and stimulate that economy 50 cents at a time. You've got just under two weeks to get some school shopping done. This will be the 27th Fiasco and it will take place on Friday September 4, 2009 at 8:00p.m. As usual, we will meet at The Swamp. Put it on your calendar.

Here's Something You Can Do Today

2009-08-21T10:25:00.000-07:00

To keep you from biting you fingernails all day in anticipation of tomorrows morning ride, you can cast an easy vote for one of my best friends and Lifetime Member For Life, Beth Mort.

There is an opportunity for Pedals2People to receive a huge grant. If you are unfamiliar with what they do, check them out at the link above. I know she would really appreciate it as would I.

GO HERE, REGISTER, VOTE(rate)

As for the ride tomorrow, meet at the fountain downtown and we will leave at 11:00 a.m.

Performance

2009-08-12T17:14:00.001-07:00

New Trail Ribbon Cutting

2009-08-12T11:49:00.000-07:00

Saturday August 22nd will be the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Children of the Sun Trail. I can't tell you how many emails I have received about this. Apparently they would like The FBC to attend. They also suggest that I try to give them an idea about how many people may show up. That's not going to happen. What is going to happen is that we will be leaving from The Fountain at 11:00a.m. I know that's not exactly a regular FBC time and getting some of you to wake up that early on a Saturday is a challenge, but see what you can do.

We will be riding North on the Centennial Trail to Lincoln and Freya. Hopefully we can find somewhere up there to grab some lunch and a beverage before our ride back.

For this and other bike stuff, check out the Bike To Work Spokane site.

Sat. Aug. 22nd 11:00a.m.-Fountain

Hillyard Festival

2009-08-10T17:00:00.000-07:00

(click photo for more)
Saturday August 7th, 8th and 9th was the annual Hillyard Festival. Saturday Pedals2People was there with a booth set up to work on bikes. This was the second tune up where we got to use the new bike trailer set up. They worked like a charm. A couple of the trailers are loaded with a canopy, parts and promotional items. The others are independent tune up trailers complete with an array of tools, stand and table. When we all come together it's a bit like Voltron.

There was even a Rat Rod Show on the way home. Of course now my thoughts about building one are reignited so if you have a 32 Ford laying around that I can have, you let me know.

It Rained. Big Deal

2009-08-07T12:27:00.000-07:00

(click card for pics)
Before I left the house I was all about checking the weather over and over. Led to believe that the rain would miss us all together, I relaxed, grabbed my bike and watched as it began to rain. Shit.

It soon stopped but I was convinced that this ride would not be as successful as the other summer rides with their counts over 125 people. I made it to The Swamp and more and more bikes started to show up. We were all enjoying our pitchers on the patio and having a good time when it really started to come down. There were more of us than there were places inside. When that filled up a few of us stood out under a small canopy and others just stood outside in the rain. Troopers. There were oohs and ahhs with every lightning strike and a cheer would go up with the thunder crash. And I was worried that no one would show up and those that did wouldnt' have a good time. What was I thinking? Though when I started rounding everyone up for a bike ride, I got a few curious looks and even a "Really?". Well, we came for a bike ride, let's go ride our bikes.

The first half of the ride was a little damp with some sprinkles but it went through town without indecent. We were able to stay in one lane, stop at red lights and otherwise play well with others. Lane choice and turn instructions, even potholes and obstacles were pointed out to others. I also notices more lights on this ride. Thanks to all the Lifetime Members For Life and their efforts to maintain a safe and fun environment. Some of the LMFL's stationed themselves at strategic points along the route so everyone would know where the hazards were. Standing in the cold rain pointing out slippery steel, noble.

After we regrouped at the fountain and made our way down the Centennial Trail, we made it to that bridge with the half wood planks, half diamond plate steel. There has to be a reasonable explanation for the two different surfaces, but as far as I can tell the metal side is designed as a way to throw people off their bikes in the rain. For that, it is a successful design.

Litz's was ready for us thanks to BS stopping by and giving them a heads up so there wasn't any waiting around for brews. It's a great place for all the things you expect out of a bar along with beach volleyball. Thanks to them and their awesome staff.

I was even presented with an awesome jersey by what I will now refer to as The Veggie Crew. They really went above and beyond by creating a few FBC baseball style jerseys and giving me one. You guys shouldn't have done it, but I love it. Thanks to the entire Veggie Crew.

If you have pictures, you can post a link to them either in the comments section here or on the FBC page on Facebook. (link above)

150+ riders; Low 63, scattered showers and cloudy

A COUPLE OF THINGS:

Last month on The Knog Ride, there were some spills along a road that runs through the GU campus. At the time of the ride, this road had new, incredibly tall speed bumps that were not painted and perfectly camouflaged against the black asphalt, causing some wrecks. One particular wreck sent a man to the hospital with several serious injuries. I did not see the incident nor would I be willing to comment further on said incident. Though, if you did see him go down, he is looking for witnesses. He is a reader of the blog and I welcome him to post his information in the comments section.

Saturday is the second day of The Hillyard Festival at Harmon Park. I have yet to attend this event, but I will be there with Pedals2People wrenching on kids bikes from 10-2. Feel free to stop by and say hello, enjoy the festival and the popular beer garden. It would be great to see friends of the FBC when the sun is out. There is apparently a hot rod show there as well so bring your camera. (Harmon Park on the Map).

August Full Moon Fiasco

2009-07-29T11:45:00.000-07:00

The Knog ride was successful to say the least. We had a record turn out and a great time. I can't thank Mike and Moto enough for coming to ride with us.

Now that the euphoria has worn off and we are all enjoying a moment of sobriety, it's time to start it up again with the Full Moon Fiasco.

Meet at The Swamp Thursday, August 6th at 8:00 p.m. and I'm sure by then I will have determined a destination. Maybe.

Welcome To The Map Spokane

2009-07-25T16:51:00.000-07:00

(click the card for pictures)
The Knog Ride was an overwhelming success. I guess I could end it right there, but you probably want a little more than that.

For a little set up for those of you that don't know what I'm talking about, you can check out the post from a while back. For the rest I want to start by saying thank you to all of you for coming out and riding with us on a non-full moon occasion. Thanks to my lieutenants of the FBC for making everything go as smoothly as it did. Joe set us up with the destination and got Mike to DJ for us, though I was told it wasn't an arm twisting effort to get him to throw down some music. Silas made those awesome stickers that I was passing out until I ran out. I hope you got one. I still have some bumper stickers though. Don't forget Joe Kaler at The Swamp and his loyal staff for letting the FBC take the place over and disappear as quickly as we appeared. And of course Lisa. She was my worry wart about some of the little things that I tend to overlook and all those little things would have added up to create a possible catastrophe if I had let them go. Thanks everybody.

As far as our guests, Mike and Moto, I can't thank those two enough for even considering FBC Spokane for one of their destinations out of all the potential places they could have gone to ride with some great bike clubs, they chose to come here and ride with us. That's awesome. I have on good authority that of all the places around the world that these two have visited over the past two weeks, we had the largest turn out. Surprising given some of the places the have gone. I would start to list them here, but I think you might want to wait for the book. That's right, Moto is putting together a book with all the exploits of their world tour in it including their ride with us. They have promised to keep me in the loop when that will be available. Until then, you should check out his photography HERE and HERE. As for Mike, you should check out the products he let me give away HERE and at your LBS.

It should be said that with that many people that there is a higher likelihood of assholes. We did not have a shortage. I should have mentioned it earlier in the night when I had the mic but I was a little preoccupied throwing free stuff. I will mention it here.

I would like to make it abundantly clear that we are NOT, regardless of numbers, a critical mass. We are not out there to purposely get in the way of motorized traffic. We make our best effort to keep it to one or two lanes where applicable and we certainly do not plow through red lights. The way the FBC Spokane draws attention to the shear number of cyclists in the city and the need for better ways to get around is to follow the rules of the road. Nobody likes an asshole so don't be one. If you feel like you need to continue riding against traffic, purposely slowing in front of motorized traffic, going through red lights and otherwise making people angry with your bike, the FBC does not want you. Go get yourself run over on your own time, not mine. If you are hurt in a traffic accident while riding with the FBC and it is your fault, it will likely be the last FBC Fiasco and I don't think you want that. I certainly don't. Finger wagging over.

On a down-your-throat-media note, The FBC is now on Twitter as well as Facebook. You will notice some new additions to the sidebar where you can follow along on either and with Facebook you can post your pictures of FBC events, get reminders of events and participate in the suggestion box of possible destinations for the FBC. As with the Twitter, I will probably use this to let you know last minute plans for being somewhere downtown for a beverage or a show that isn't a FBC Spokane sanctioned event. You can even send me your email address and get on the mailing list for a reminder about updates to the blogspot.

There are some new designs I have drawn for The FBC as well. You have seen one design already in a previous post but now I have it in a safe-for-work version as well. Clicking on the appropriate design will take you to a separate page for each item.

Thanks for making this the biggest ride yet and for those of you that were able to make a one dollar donation, you help me keep this going.

200+ riders; low 64 and clear.

A New Design

2009-07-12T00:48:00.000-07:00

Inspired by the flyer and spoke card for the upcoming Knog Ride on Friday July 24th (see post below for details), I put together a new tee shirt design on Cafe Press. I know it's a little steep for a shirt but you know you want to show off that you are a Lifetime Member For Life by wearing it on your clothes.

I have a plan for making a Safe-For-Work version of the design if there is any interest in it, but this is what I have now, so get on over there and pick one up. You can even get the design on a SIGG water bottle which I think is the coolest thing ever. And if this design doesn't do it for you, there are some others to pick from in the sidebar on the left. Click the picture to go to the Cafe Press site for this design.

The Knog Ride

2009-07-09T17:55:00.000-07:00

So I contacted the brand manager from Knog, the company that makes those little silicone lights, for a possible donation for the December ride that we lovingly call Festivus and have Feats of Strength and Decorating contests and give stuff away. He returned my email with an emphatic 'yes' and I then received a package of stuff to give away to Lifetime Members For Life. Awesome.

A few weeks ago we began our correspondence again with what I think may be one of the coolest emails I've ever gotten. Here are some excerpts: (note that he speaks in both a cool and warm burnt umber tone.)

"... I am currently working on the KNOG marketing regime for 2010. The core concept is 'Where ever you find, bikes, people and KNOG - the party is happening'. As part of this I am doing a two week global photo shoot with Tokyo based photographer and cycle rider Motoyan, we are checking out real people and real bikes...

The end result will be a book about cycling around the world - and yeah - sure, partly it is a marketing thing...it ends up on the desk of every bicycle company and bicycle journo in the world..."

So a few questions
what's the set up at the FBC??
Who will come for a ride?
...plenty of KNOG schwag for the people that wanna come for the ride / event ... and if we could hook up at a bar or FBC club . . . then KNOG would also be happy to throw some money on the bar."

Is that cool or what? I quickly responded and told him we would be glad to take on the responsibility of being real people and having real bikes. I was also able to answer the questions with what I assumed was good enough to not make him change his mind. I was also intrigued by the "...throw some money on the bar." line. So the ride is on!

We will be meeting just like always. The Swamp, Friday July 24th at 8:00p.m.

The route is an easy one so I encourage you to bring your art bikes and whatever strange (non-motorized) two wheeled thing you have and enjoy the short ride. You may also notice that there is the mention of it being a marketing campaign of sorts. That means that the photos taken will be plastered all over the world, so if you feel that you don't want that to happen to your face, I suggest that you try not to be there.

If you have the option, please feel free to download and print the flyer above in either color or black and white, and hang it all over the place. If you would like a safe for work poster, email me and I can attach one for you.

See you in a couple of weeks. Excited yet?

Maxwell House is a Douche

2009-07-08T13:41:00.000-07:00

I was hoping for a repeat of the first birthday of the Fiasco by going back to the Maxwell House, playing some volleyball and eating cupcakes. I called and got a dude that told me there would be a group that night and we couldn't come. I asked when they would be done and he said 9:30. Perfect, that's when we would come by. He further turned me down by saying that there would not be enough people working to facilitate that volume of people. I asked if they could call some people in and he said that they couldn't do it. That's when I said: "So what you're telling me is that you are turning down the business of 100 customers. On a Tuesday." He again said no.

That's when the owner called me back and said with some uncertainty that they would do it: "I guess we have to." No, you don't and no you didn't. I told them never mind and that we would be going somewhere else, thank you very much. So if you get a chance to go to the Maxwell House, change your mind and go play volleyball at Litz's.

As for our destination, I called my friend Patrick up at The Scoop and he set me up with Andrew at Far West and they were more than happy to have us even on short notice. Amy and Jason(?) served hard and fast on the drinks and were even able to stow a cake that Lisa delivered earlier that evening. Plenty of room with pool tables and real, metal dangerous darts. If you have followed the blog from the very beginning and judging from the turnout on the first five rides, you haven't, you would know that Far West was the destination bar for Fiasco One. Since then we have increased our numbers from two to 125. Not too shabby.

Riders: 125+; 52 degrees and clear.

Tomorrow I will post about the ride coming up on July 24th which includes a printable flyer to spread around town. Thanks for coming out everybody and I will see you on Friday the 24th.

Happy Birthday FBC

2009-06-30T20:31:00.000-07:00

Come help us celebrate our birthday with a bike ride under the full moon on Tuesday July 7th at 8:00p.m.. I know it's a Tuesday but you know Monday is going to be bad enough that you want to enjoy your Tuesday, right? Besides, the weather is going to be awesome and the FBC will be two years old! Can you believe it? We will not have a theme this time but don't let me dissuade you from showing up in your birthday suit.

I will also make an announcement regarding a pretty special ride coming up on the 24th. You don't want to miss that.

Get on a bike and come to The Swamp on 1904 W 5th Ave at 8:00p.m.

Prom 2009: Record Attendance

2009-06-07T15:34:00.000-07:00

(click card for pictures)
This years Prom Ride was a huge success thanks in large part to the prom committee and their efforts to get all of this put together. Jacque, Nikki, Greg, Stephanie, Beth, Joe, Mike, and whoever else Jacque got to help him decorate. More on that later.

We began like any other Full Moon Fiasco at The Swamp with some quality entertainment by QuarterMonkey and a rockin show for the FBC. We were also treated to the awesome hospitality of Joe Kaler and the crew there where they even had reserved parking for all of our bikes. Too bad we couldn't stick around longer, but we had to get the prom on the road and make room for more paying customers.

We took a short ride through Brownes Addition and east through downtown to regroup at the fountain where I still didn't tell everyone where we were going. Not until we crossed over Hamilton and took a right did everyone realize that we were going to Northern Lights.

I was as surprised as you when they carried out a table covered in cupcakes. Nikki and Greg didn't just make cupcakes, instead it was a carefully designed bike trail of cupcakes complete with little plastic bikes, beer cans, wrecks, bikes going the wrong way, cops and some stuff I'm sure I missed. I ate a policeman.

Our DJ for the night was Mike and he rocked us with an expansive collection of vinyl and mp3's. There were very few requests that he didn't have. Though to be honest, the requests were some random 80's crap that no one should have in the first place.

As far as pictures, you can reach the FBC pictures by clicking on the spoke card above. Michael took some really great pictures and you can get to them HERE. If any of you have pictures you would like to show off to all the other Lifetime Members For Life, you can post a link to them here in the comments section or head over to the FBC Facebook Page and post them there.

And if all that wasn't enough, Hank shot some video of the event. It should show up at the bottom of this post.

As always, keep an eye out for updates about next months ride as it will be the two year birthday of the FBC here in Spokane.

Thanks everybody.

125+ riders, clear and cool Low 51 degrees.

Saturday June 6th at 7:00 p.m.

2009-06-05T11:12:00.000-07:00

To make it real clear that we are meeting an hour earlier this time because it is the Prom Ride and you want everyone to see those fancy duds you spent so much time on.

7:00 p.m.
The Swamp
Saturday

So if anyone shows up and says that they thought it was at 8, I will know you are lying and I will set your pants on fire.

Prom Ride and Photos Sorted

2009-05-28T15:33:00.000-07:00

I finally got the gallery sorted and it is now on Flickr. You can click the "FBC Gallery" link to the left and it will take you there. Be sure to check out the Prom photos from last year. Fun.

Speaking of prom, you have a week-ish. Take your Sunday best out of the plastic and meet us at The Swamp at 7:00 p.m. Saturday June 6th. We will ride a lap downtown and regroup at the fountain for a quick trip through the park to our prom party. Thanks in advance for all of the Lifetime Members For Life that are helping me pull this off.

I suppose I should get started on the spoke cards.

Prom Ride update

2009-05-22T10:13:00.000-07:00

Do you have your prom dress yet? How about your cummerbund and bow tie? If not, you had better get on the ball. There is rumor that fine deals can be found at Classy Rack, Volunteers of America and Goodwill when it comes to getting that just right outfit for a night of riding your bike, dancing and general merriment.

View Thrift Shopping in a larger map

WE WILL BE MEETING AT AN EARLIER TIME. BE AT THE SWAMP AT 7:00P.M. JUNE 6TH. THAT'S A SATURDAY.

I will do my best to make enough spoke cards. And if you can, make a donation of one dollar.

P.S. I'm having a little trouble with the picture links so if you are trying to view last years prom, you can't and neither can I. Don't worry, I'll get it sorted.

Next ride clues

2009-05-19T13:41:00.000-07:00

I don't have a lot of information yet about the next ride.
I can tell you that it will be the long anticipated
Prom Ride.

You will need to muster all your strength at thrift store shopping and get yourself a tux or dress or some sort of fancy dancy garb. You have until June 6th to do so. I suggest you get out there now and get on it. All the fancy shoes that go with toe clips will be snatched up PDQ.

I am still working on a destination venue which means I am working on route as well. Finding something that will accommodate over 100 riders is a fun task, but with the help of the prom committee, we'll get it taken care of.

So get out there and get your attire and make sure it works on your bike. It's only a couple of weeks away.

Hank Makes Bewitched Portrait

2009-05-12T14:16:00.000-07:00

Moving pictures of Fiasco 23. Thanks Hank.

FBC Fiasco #23 from h greer on Vimeo.

Fiasco 23: Landmark Event

2009-05-10T11:44:00.000-07:00

(Click the card for pictures.)
Our 23rd Full Moon Fiasco turned out to be our largest one yet. I'm glad it went well because I had several reasons for it to all end badly.

My first problem was with our scheduled destination. I had mentioned in a previous post that we would be going to see a show and that the ride length might be a little longer. My vague statement led some to think we might go as far as Stateline to see "A Show", if you know what I'm saying, and I think you do. That was not the case nor would we be going to see any show. That plan fell through, but we will probably try again later in the year. After that, I started my search for a new stop and luckily The Good Doctor remembered that it was Zags graduation and that every place on that side of town would be packed to the gills, leaving no room for the FBC. All but one.

I called upon my destination guru Joe to help out with his uncanny ability to suggest the perfect spot. He did not disappoint. He mentioned the Illinois Avenue Bar and Grill. The FBC had not been there before so I checked it on a map and it was right off the Centennial Trail. Perfect.

Another call I made was to the Illinois Avenue Bar and Grill to warn them of our arrival. She asked how many and I told her 'a bunch'. 'How many is a bunch?', 'I don't know. 40?'

We left The Swamp where I announced through a road cone to the Lifetime Members For Life that we would be riding to the fountain in the park where I would then tell them where we were going. My though being that we could get our giant crew through the many annoying stop lights on 3rd, collect ourselves and take off down the trail as a menacing pack of riders. It worked out. After we hit the trail we all had a great ride except for one dude that took a header into the bushes. Oh, and on the trip back somebody went ass over tea kettle after hitting a pole. She had some cuts but her blinky light didn't break.

Arriving at Illinois Ave, it didn't take long to realize that my bunch had more than doubled. A conservative estimate from bike counters was over 100 riders. The regulars weren't too keen on a bunch of kids on bikes showing up and packing the place out. To quote one of the more vocal ones: "You're fucking it up for the rest of us!" He was also missing some parts in his grill and wearing a safety vest, cowbell and an orange afro. Apparently a big fan of The Shock and not a fan of cyclists or dental hygiene. The staff started to loose their marbles. Who can blame them, there were a hundred of us. For the most part our crew kept their cool, remained patient and tipped well. I figure if everyone there spend $10.00, the staff shouldn't be too upset. One thing I would suggest though if we get to go there again, bring a couple of bus tubs for empties or our own sleeve of plastic cups.

From there we moved on to the Baby Bar. The usual scene with music and booze and good times all around. Of course I had to duck out. Grandpa gets tired and it was time for some sleepy go night night.

I want to thank all of you that were able to make donations for the spoke cards. It helps more than you know to be able to print these things. I won't let you down. Thank you. Thank you.

Also, The FBC is now on Facebook so if you have pictures or video of the ride or comments to make, you can post them on there.

100+ riders, Clear and cold Low 36 degrees

Monday May 11th is the kickoff for Bike To Work Week. I know it may be hard for some of you to drag out of bed at 7:00a.m., but there will be FREE coffee and pancakes and all sorts of bike people and stuff to check out. If you are the industrious type, you can come down at 6 to help set up tables and chairs with the rest of the bike zombies.

Hoe. Lee. Shit.

2009-05-08T13:06:00.001-07:00

Kids. Don't do drugs.

Nothing Like Last Minute

2009-05-07T16:21:00.000-07:00

It looks like we will not be going to the show this time around. We will be going to a tried and true establishment for some beverages. The only clue I can give you is that the FBC has not been there before. I'm sure some of you Lifetime Members For Life have been there though.

So that cash you set aside for the cover can now be spent on refreshments.

I'll see you at The Swamp at 8:00pm this Saturday (May 9th).

May Full Moon Fiasco

2009-05-04T15:13:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the late post, but I am still trying to get my ducks in a row around here.

It's time for the Fiasco. I mean really close to time for the Fiasco. So close in fact that it is this Saturday, May 9th. Be sure to ride a comfortable bike and bring some cash for a cover. Since the weather is going to be great, we are going to make this ride last a little longer and try not to climb any ridiculous hills. I wish I could tell you where we are going but it is a secret and I'm sure there are some cheaters out there that would skip the ride all together and go straight to the show. So this time the destination is secret until we get there. You better follow me, I may be the only one that knows where we are going.

On a different note, the spoke cards that I enjoy making and you enjoy collecting cost some serious coin these days. I hate to ask, but if any of you could make a donation for the spoke cards, I would greatly appreciate it. I'm not looking to make money off of it, I just want to be able to propagate the spoke cards. You don't have to if it cuts into your beer money. Really, I understand.

SATURDAY MAY 9TH
THE SWAMP
8:00P.M.

West Central Tune Up Event 2009

2009-04-27T12:06:00.000-07:00

This year was just as much fun as last year.

Pedals2People set up a bicycle tune up station in the parking lot at the West Central Community Center at AM Cannon Park. We repaired over 40 bikes and got people rolling into the sunshine. Hank made a video at the event and Lisa took a bunch of great pictures. Click the picture below to follow that link.

2009-04-18T13:23:00.001-07:00

Bike Happenings

2009-04-17T18:22:00.000-07:00

Saturday April 25th:

West Central Neighbor Days - AM Cannon Park 10:00 am - 2:00 pm

Pedals2People will have a booth set up for free bike tune ups. There will be music and food. I hope the Greek food guy is there again this time.

Empyrean Coffee House - Pedals2People Benefit Show 9:00 pm - 11:00 pm

Come make a donation and enjoy some beverages from New Belgium Brewing. Hang out with bike folks and have fun.
So, there you go. A couple of fun things happening on a Saturday so I know you can make it out.

Holy Deuce!

2009-04-10T21:35:00.001-07:00

(click the card for pictures)
What a great turn out for the 22nd Fiasco. Not only where there just a bunch of people, there were a bunch of new people. For all of you that came out for your first Full Moon Fiasco, you are now lifetime members for life. Congratulations!

Our route was accidentally stellar. We bombed down Riverside to get to the river crossing and the winding little trail up to N Summit. Instead of taking a right, someone at the front decided that we should go left. So it was left we went, through some fun-in-the-dark gravel over to Monroe. It was then only a matter of safely crossing to get to a less busy street and make our way to The Hub. We have been here before and were lucky that they enjoyed our company enough to let us come back. I called earlier in the day to let them know we were coming since last time we packed the little place with almost 80 riders. I told them we would be bringing about 35 or 40 this time. Boy was I wrong. Nevertheless, they took us with open arms and filled us with see-thru beer until we felt like a lateral over to The Viking for some darker selections and one kick ass juke box. I put many dollars into it.

Again I would like to thank The Swamp, The Hub, The Viking and the lifetime members for life for their patience and understanding when clearly, I am a liar when it comes to head counts and spoke card production.

75 Riders, Clear and 41 degrees.

REMINDER!

Sunday the 12th at 1:00 p.m., The Steam Plant Grill will be hosting a donation worthy good time. Pedals2People is having their annual Paris-Roubaix viewing party. Come down and watch the race, drink some beverages and have fun with bike people. You can find more information, as if you need it, HERE.

The Deuce Deuce

2009-03-31T11:24:00.000-07:00

It's time for Full Moon Fiasco 22. Come on down to The Swamp and take a ride. We will be going to visit an old friend of the FBC and this time I will tell them we are coming. Though, that doesn't give you many clues. No one ever knows we are coming.

Thursday April 9, 8:00 p.m. at The Swamp. The weather forecast for the 9th is clear and 35. That's good news.