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I have 10 strands of lights coming on Wednesday so I can rig lights on ten bikes very quickly with some clear strapping tape and AA batteries. I have several bags of candy by request. This fall has been so cruddy, the weather, the government shutdown, come out. Have fun. Oh, Vienna Inn is close to the end of the parade route. Are you thinking what I’m thinking?

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1. What and when is it?
It is the 67th Annual Vienna Halloween Parade on October 23rd
This year’s theme is Celebrating Music and Theatre Through the Decades
FABB is one of 90 groups participating.
We’ve been asked to arrive between 5:00-6:00 pm.
The parade starts at 7:00 pm.

2. Where is it?
We are lining up on Branch Avenue.
Here is a map showing how to get to Branch Avenue from the W&OD http://ridewithgps.com/routes/3498922
FABB has been assigned space #63A.

Branch Avenue is close to Elevation Burger, Donatos, Cenan’s Bakery, Baskin Robbins, Giant, and the Fresh Market. You can come early and eat dinner at any of these places. Bike parking is available.

3. Where does the parade route go?
The parade route begins at the corner of Branch and Maple Avenue and proceeds directly down Maple Avenue to Center Street. The parade turns left at Center Street and disbands at the Vienna Community Center. The W&OD is next to the community center. http://www.viennava.gov/DocumentCenter/Home/View/966

4. Who is invited?
FABB members of course! But also anyone who rides in Fairfax County and wants to make biking an integral part of transportation within Fairfax County.

5. Can I get there on the W&OD?
Absolutely! Branch Avenue is connected to the W&OD. The end of the route is at the Vienna Community Center right next to the W&OD

6. What should I bring?
Dress appropriately for the weather. Bring lights for your bike.

7. What’s in the fine print?
There is no stopping to perform
There is no handing, tossing, or passing out of any items (candy, balloons, literature)
No sparklers or flames allowed
All horse units MUST provide a clean-up crew to walk behind their animals
Come out and enjoy the evening!

8. Special Bonus Super Speed Round
I just happen to have these lying around. [ATTACH=CONFIG]3841[/ATTACH]
I have enough for a vuvuzela biking band. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate Music and Theatre Thru the Decades
Fair warning: Mr. Dirt will be limited to two vuvuzelas because he is a repeat offender.

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@jrenaut 66523 wrote:

Yeah, absolutely no need to apologize. Family comes first. We’ll be here to chat and ride when you’re ready.

This has been the toughest fall I can remember. I’m sorry.

Sometimes the best thing to do is get out there and tell yourself you’re going to ride five miles. Just five.

Being outside, pedaling, having control over the bike, makes a lot of painful stuff go away.

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@PotomacCyclist 66527 wrote:

The triathletes out there already know that Saturday is the day of the Ironman championship. For everyone else, the race is broadcast online at ironman.com. No registration is necessary to watch. Just a computer, a browser and preferably a high-speed Internet connection.

http://www.ironman.com/triathlon/coverage/detail.aspx?race=worldchampionship&y=2013

Of course, most people don’t watch every minute of the very long day. I try to watch part of each of the disciplines, swim, bike and run. I make an effort to watch the start of the race. Then I’ll peek in every hour or two and watch some of the action, on the swim, bike or run. Then I try to watch the last 20-30 minutes of the men’s and women’s races. Some years, the last miles of the run are very dramatic.

While this isn’t a road cycling event, it is one of the biggest international sporting events that involves bikes as a major element. So catch some of the action online. My biggest regret is that I’m not there in Hawaii watching the race in person. Someday.

Bar none. The triathlons I’ve done were as painful as childbirth without the drugs. And the longest I’ve done are Olympic Distance. I would rather have a root canal without anesthesia than do an Ironman. Tim Kelley has done that twice. My guess is, he’s not normal.

That being said, this is the time of year to start planning for a triathlon next season. It takes some time to get it together.

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*&%#@ I cannot believe you talked me into this. :p

Last year I:
Dropped my chain twice
Got stuck midway on a log
Fell backwards into a thorn bush
Ended up lost and was found by the sweepers

It was still fun.

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@DismalScientist 66346 wrote:

This last post really ruins the fantasy.:rolleyes:

Well, sometimes I make mistakes. But usually that involves a bathing suit top and strong waves.

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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]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]3821[/ATTACH]
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]

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Back to bikes and baskets…
Night parades are all about lights & shiny things:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]3810[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]3811[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]3812[/ATTACH]

Helmets can be bedazzled
[ATTACH=CONFIG]3813[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]3814[/ATTACH]

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.

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Happy to support this. See you there, Dirt.

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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.

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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.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]3806[/ATTACH]
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.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]3807[/ATTACH]

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.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]3808[/ATTACH]

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. 😮

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@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.

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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.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]3793[/ATTACH]

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.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]3794[/ATTACH]

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

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@Riley Casey 65853 wrote:

Tried so hard NOT to reply to this post. Really did . :rolleyes:

Yep. And I laughed the entire time I wrote it.

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I don’t like labels. I really don’t like being pushed into a category. If it comes to that I’ll become a naked cyclist just on principle.

However, when you’re talking to people who haven’t been on a bike in a quarter of a century but are “curious” and want some ask some questions, then fine, call me a cyclist.

In that situation I’ll be happy to be whatever you want to call me if it means you’ll feel free to ask questions.

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