Vienna Halloween Parade October 23rd 7:00 pm

[acc]

Light a basket in less than an hour.

Battery operated LED lights on wire are easy to wind around a basket. I order mine on Amazon. I also can find them in Michaels, but not consistently. These run on AA batteries.
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I put the battery packs in a gallon size plastic bag to keep them from sliding around. I drape a dark colored t-shirt on top to hide the battery packs. You can see the plastic showing in this photo but I’d simply tuck the t-shirt around to cover that.

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This array took five packages of lights and runs on 15 AA batteries.

[consularrider]

I’ll be a definite maybe.

[acc]

@consularrider 66056 wrote:

I’ll be a definite maybe.

Well good! I’ll post what I’ve learned about riding in high heels for anyone considering it but are too uneasy to give it a try.

I believe in research. So of course I had to acquire more shoes to conduct experiments and trial runs.

[consularrider]

No high heels for me, too hard on my knees and recently repaired ankle. :p

[acc]

This is the weirdest post ever on this forum.

Through trial and error I’ve figured out which kinds of high heel shoes work on a bike.
I discovered this mostly because when I’m finished with work I want to run out of the building like it’s on fire. I don’t want to drag my stuff down the hall, wiggle back into it, pack everything back up and stagger out to my bike. I just want to go home. Period. That’s how I started riding in heels. It was a move inspired by pure desperation.

With a costumed ride coming up I thought I’d chime in about high heels and bicycles. Of course any sort of practical shoe works, I’m just addressing impractical shoes.

Some shoes don’t work. Don’t bother. You’ll end up chasing your shoe in the middle of the street. A general rule of thumb is if you can jog a few steps in your shoes and they don’t come off, they probably will work. But these did not.
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The red ones have made it more than 20 miles back from DC but the wedge style ended up killing me the next day. Being able to flex the ball of your foot makes a world of difference.

The height of the heel doesn’t matter. I hear you gasping. It really doesn’t. You don’t put your heel down on the pavement and I haven’t had any problems getting them caught. If you can walk in it, you can ride in it. These work because they either tie or buckle.

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At the end of the day, boots work the best. They’re sturdy, you have ankle coverage, a small platform is great to keep you off the street, they’re warm and easy to ride in.

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Don’t avoid wearing heels with a bike. If that’s what you’re comfortable wearing, you can ride in them. It’s a good way to meet new people too. 😮

[elcee]

Great research, Ann, but the thread is incomplete unless you also show what pedals work best with your heels.

[acc]

I just use cheap, flat pedals. Nothing fancy. It’s dark and I don’t want to wander out back to the bike barn. But in the morning I’ll pull out Thor (mtb) and the Sparkle Bike and show you what cheap flat pedals look like. It won’t be the first time the words cheap, and flat have been used to describe me.

[Riley Casey]

Shades of Ginger Rodgers.

[dasgeh]

BTW, I have pretty big feet (8-8.5 mens) and a ton of heeled boots. If anyone’s looking to borrow.

[acc]

Back to bikes and baskets…
Night parades are all about lights & shiny things:
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Helmets can be bedazzled
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I’m sure this only scratches the surface of what’s possible.
Now that I have a stock of lights and shiny things, I recycle, reuse, and rethink each new display.
The one important thing I’ve learned is to remember I’m adding weight with every little bauble and eventually I’m the one who has to pedal it through the streets.

[KLizotte]

You have done Elvis proud Ann.

[Riley Casey]

Everyone else on the forum needs a helmet light to illuminate their way. Only Ann needs one to show off her helmet properly after dark. That needs to be in some sort of bike accoutrement Hall of Fame. Spectacular!

[dasgeh]

Ann, could you set up a light pointing at your helmet, kinda like a disco ball? Bonus points if the light rotates around your head…

[acc]

Bike Costumes 101
“Make Believe” sums it up.

Start at the bottom and work up.
The last thing I want to do is flash people.
But I’m happy to create the illusion they’re seeing something they shouldn’t. It’s all make believe.
I can’t handle my bike if I’m worried about my costume falling off, and if it does, well, I have layers underneath it. [ATTACH=CONFIG]3820[/ATTACH]
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Underneath:
Small gym shorts or short bike shorts or opaque tights or flesh colored tights underneath sheer stockings.
Flesh colored camisoles or a leotard or super dooper heavy duty strapless bra, usually all three http://www.diamond-derby.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/spectacle.jpg

Next Layer:
It’s easier to ride with a skirt off your legs. I accidentally stumbled across petticoats to put underneath skirts and they work great. They keep the skirt away from your legs, they give you a little more coverage, and they come in lots of colors.[ATTACH=CONFIG]3822[/ATTACH]

Another Layer:
If it’s cold: A thin long sleeve shirt underneath the costume. Layers trap more heat.
A jacket if it’s winter.
Sparkly leg warmers if it’s really cold.

Hats: Yes!
Gloves: Sure!
Wool socks: Absolutely! [ATTACH=CONFIG]3823[/ATTACH]

Think big and gaudy about hats, gloves, and jewelry
The same reasoning applies to makeup. Tart it up. You’re being seen from a distance. [ATTACH=CONFIG]3824[/ATTACH]

[DismalScientist]

This last post really ruins the fantasy.:rolleyes:

[Author]

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