tour de tif

it was a freezing cold morning i woke up after a few hours sleep with a hellish hangover. lying in bed i got a text from zero saying he wasn’t coming due to freezing fog then my radio alarm went off and blaring outta the stereo was “we’re on the road to nowhere”…not a very good start to the day

Moh send some enthusiastic texts which spurred me outta bed and out i went into the freezing dark morning.

There was a real good turnout though and the  iddle/touring group set out at 9.30pm and headed towards Wigan. I don’t think I have ever been so cold. Within minutes my fingers and toes were like ice bricks.

the fog surrounded us so we had zero visability and riding was real hard work as it felt like we were in a tunnel. It was nice to chat to new and old faces along the route though and we shared nuts and fruit and moans of coldness.

All in all it was a great ride god know how people rode those hills on a fixie but they managed it..well done! I arrived home like an icecube and i felt like i was hallucinating from tiredness and a frozen mind…after a bath and a few cups of tea i finally defrosted.

thanks to charlie and the others who spent so much time organising a great ride x x x

november critical mass

so it was another amazing critical mass with around 170 cyclists winding around our city, a mass of lights, bikes and smiles…

after the ride we stopped off for some mulled wine at the christmas market..mmmm.

next mass is on BOXING DAY hope you can make it x

Student Direct Article

read it here

SPREAD THE WORD

SPREAD THE WORD!

Help tell everyone else about I Bike MCR by printing out these flyers and posters. The flyers are the right size so that you can wrap them around a top tube and staple the ends. In a lunch hour you can stple flyers around about 200 bikes whilst nibbling your sandwiches. ace! As for the posters put them up in cafes, takeaways and the streets.

GET THEM HERE

Memorial

a cyclist was killed last week on Wilbraham road in Chorlton

see: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/7740727.stm

Flowers, bike wheel and quote have been placed in the place where the accident happened.

I Bike MCR Meeting minutes

I Bike MCR Meeting 20/11/08 The names in brackets are the people leading the actions/ events. If you want to help with this action/ event please speak to that person. I BIKE MCR FESTIVAL 2009 The festival will run from 27th March- 24th April 2009 (inc.)

PUBLICITY

The publicity group will work on creating a fluffy and generic flyer, poster, programme and sticker that will advertise the whole festival.

They will also make publicity according to different themes/ audience including kids/ school, park event, fixie/alleycat/jousting This publicity will be ready by February.

In the mean time we shall have a “teaser” flyer with the dates and the website on so we can start telling people that it is happening again ASAP.

The publicity gorup will let everyone know when the publicity is ready for people to distribute it and will also look at different events in the UK that we might want to promote the festival at and then ask (via the email list) if people attending these events can distribute I BIke MCR Festival flyers there. For example at velodrome events, Bike Polo Tournaments etc. The new website is being overhauled and will be online in the next week or so.

EVENTS

We decided that the timetable was good apart from we are now swapping the Ladies Day to 12th April and the mountain biking, open toolbox, Cornerhouse film event and ride it sunday to 5th April.

The Opening night will feature a plethora of entertainment and will be an extravaganza that we hope to hold at an event such as the contact theatre/ zion centre (nes to contact these venues).

It will (hopefully- nes to confirm) feature things like magnificent revolution pedal powered cinema, Rollapalluza, Ben Mellor/ poets/ performers, The Spokes Bike Dance Troupe, Bike Art/ installation, DJs and Bands etc.

The Park event will be going ahead and will take place on Saturday 28th March in Platt fields Park. with: bike polo (Dan) welding tall bikes (nes) bike maintenance workshops (nes) race around the lake (james wise) Treasure hunt (anna) The Spokes (Emily/ Jo) Mural on the bogs (anna) BMX race (nes to ask Andy and Chris)

**We need people to steward- give out programmes etc. and to marshal the race. Please get in touch if you can commit to volunteering**

**Also if your cycle/ transport campaign group would like a stall in the park on the day also get in touch**

Bike Jousting to take place on Friday 24th April (nes and chicken) Venues TBA on the night due to worry of being told off!!!

I BIKE MCR STRUCTURE AND CHANGES

We have decided to organise the whole (not just the festival ) of I Bike MCR by having working groups that work together to oversee/organise different jobs and aspects of our stuff.

We have come up with the following working groups: Publicity (inc. website, flyer design etc.) Funding (inc. writing funding bids, sourcing funding) Events (inc. looking at what event we want to organise, finding people to organise them or organising it ourselves, sourcing equipment and tat required for event) Each of the groups will meet up separately whenever they, as a group, decide to meet. Then at least one member of each group will attend the (now) monthly I Bike MCR meeting to feedback on their progress/ updates.

* Anyone is free to join the groups.

* The groups will decide things by consensus (See: http://www.seedsforchange.org.uk/free/consens and http://www.seedsforchange.org.uk/free/consflow.pdf )

* The meetings will be facilitated by a different person each time (see: http://www.seedsforchange.org.uk/free/facilitationmeeting and: http://www.seedsforchange.org.uk/free/facil.pdf)

* The venue for the working groups can be anywhere they decide but the monthly I Bike MCR meeting must be somewhere quiet. Nes is currently looking into finding a free/ cheap space we can use as last nights meeting in the pub was too noisy for some people to fully participate in discussion. If you can think of a venue please contact them and find out details and let Nes know ASAP. We can always drink beer after the meeting!!!

* Not only the people in the working groups can do work for the working group. I.e. If someone wants to organise an event they don’t need to be in the events group. They do need to communicate with the group and the group will supprt them.

Also not only the publicity group need to flyer. It’s something we can all do! See: http://www.ibikemcr.org.uk/publicity.htm

WE WILL HAVE I BIKE MCR MONTHLY MEETINGS EVERY FIRST THURSDAY OF THE MONTH. THIS IS BECAUSE WE HAVE PLENTY OF TIME TO DISCUSS THINGS/ ORGANISE STUFF BEFORE CRITICAL MASS AND BECAUSE IT’S AND EASY DAY TO REMEMBER!!!

If you would like to get involved with a working group please go to one of the meetings listed below, or the next I Bike MCR Monthly Meeting or email info@ibikemcr.org.uk for more info. I have put the updated timetable for the 2009 festival below with names next to the people that are coordinating the event.

Please contact them if you want to help organise or participate in the event.

Thanks Nes

Timetable

The festival will run from 27th March- 24th April 2009 (inc.)

The timetable is looking a bit like this BUT DATES MAY CHANGE:

Bike Art Blitz
During the whole festival we shall be running an art exhibition literally
in our city. Put up your bike art for everyone to enjoy without the
complications of walls and ceilings! Then send in pictures of it with it’s
whereabouts so we can show it off on the website. Then on the 24th April
Critical Mass will ride to each arty site to visit and admire your work.

Friday 27th march
6pm Critical Mass
8pm-2am Opening Party with Roller Race (TBC) (nes)

Saturday 28th March (date TBC)
From noon til 6pm
I Bike Platt Fields park (anna)
An event in Plat Fields including: A race round the lake, bike confidence
classes, bike maintenance workshop, mallet making workshop, welding tall
bikes skill share, bike polo demo and class, The Spokes Bike Dance Troupe
performance and auditions, Bike Treasure Hunt around the park and much
much more!

Sunday 29th March
Kidical Mass and Mural Painting on the Fallowfield Loop (anna, nes + monica)
A family bike ride with lots of kids so pretty slow pace along the
fallowfield loop ending with mural painting under one of the bridges with
a tea party picnic. Everyone welcome (even if you’re childless!)

Friday 3rd April (craig nasty)
6pm Registration, 7pm Ride. Meet behind the Sandbar, Grosvenor Street Hell
Of the North West Alleycat Race/ Bike Treasure Hunt.

Saturday 4th April (nes)
8pm meet at The Sandbar
Moonlight Ride around Cheshire/ Dunham Massey

Sunday 5th April
Noon Mountain Biking in Delamere Forest (caroline)
2pm Open Toolbox. A workshop/ tool share for people wanting to fix up
their bikes (nes)
4pm Film at the Cornerhouse (nes and emily)
6pm GMex Ride It Sunday! (liam and rich)

Friday 10th April
Timetrial/Race (Jak?/MMU Cycling Club??)

Saturday 11th April
Beer Ride (nes)
A ride in the Peak District with lots of beer stops

Sunday 12th April (Jo, nes, emily)
Ladies Day- with Clitical Mass, ladies bike maintenance class, The Spokes
Bike Dance Troupe auditions/ performance, followed by a talk and films
about biking and women and Female DJ’s and bands.

Friday 17th April
Keirin Race Night (nes)
No not a proper one, instead we get to watch footage of keirin racing and
bet on who we think will win. Those who pick the correct winner will win
the pot!

Followed by a game of F.I.X.E.D to practise tricks for tomorrows Yo Fixie

Saturday 18th April (craig nasty)
Yo Fixie. A fixed only comp with events inc. Trackstand, Skid, Elimination
Race etc.

Sunday 19th April
Bike Polo Tournament- Teams from all over Europe invited (dan and nes)

Women’s Mountain Biking (Caroline)

Friday 24th April (anna)
5pm Get to Central Library for a workshop in Bike Art- make your bike look
beautiful for our bike art parade around the city

6pm Critical Mass- critical mass/ bike art parade- Dress up your bike and
win a prize for the most beautiful bike. The ride will stop at different
pieces of bike art created in our city during the festival (see “Bike Art
Blitz”)

8pm Closing Party with BIKE JOUSTING COMP (nes, chicken)

LOST/ ROBBED…FOUND???

Hello just a request for people to have a look out for some Lost/ Stolen preoperty…

At the Halloween Party at Jackson’s Boat my camera went missing. Please can people check the didn’t pick it up by mistake, that they don’t have 2 cameras by accident or that it didn’t get put in your bag by accident. It would be so sad to think that someone stole it and I kinda refuse to believe that one of our lovely massers would do such a thing so I’m sure someone has mistakenly got it…don’t worry if you have it would be great to get it back as now I have no camera for work to take pics of the kiddies bike to school day or any i bike mcr events etc. which is very sad.

The camera looks like this but with paint on it:

Also Kotaro’s bike was STOLEN it looked like this:

It was a lovely Bianchi and you know I saw a scally with ginger hair on a bike just like it this afternoon and he was riding it real slow so I thought “hmm that’s odd” as i overtook him on Cheetham Hill Road but didn’t want to be too discriminatory against scally looking geezers. I didn’t know Kotaro’s bike had been robbed then either but thinking back it was a pink and green bianchi.

PLEASE PLEASE KEEP ON THE LOOKOUT FOR IT. If it was his bike the guy was riding it means it’s still in MCR. Kotaro, please post some distinguishing marks or something so if someone finds it they can identify it or something. Though I guess if the robber sees that they’ll cover em up..any ideas on what people should do if they see it?

I Bike MCR meeting this Thursday

I bike mcr meeting at 7pm at the sandbar, grosvenor st, on Thursday 20th November to talk about:

*the i bike mcr festival 2009 inc. timetable, venues, funding, publicity,
website, any new events ideas etc etc.

*a fund raising event (big party with bands, dj’s etc. etc. BEFORE the
festival- prob February),

If you can’t make the meeting but have ideas or suggestions or offers of
help email them to me and I’ll bring them up for you at the meeting

big love

nes

A very busy weekend at the end of november

So it looks like the last weekend of November is gonna be well busy. see below for details:

Friday 28th November

6pm Central Library
Critical Mass bike ride.
A ride arouhd our city to celebrate the bicycle as a form of transport.
Followed by:
* a couple of cups of lovely warm wine at the xmas market, then off to
* Subvurt goes Holistic:

Kings Arms (near Salford Central Train Station) SUBVURT benefit gig for Christie’s complementary therapy team

7 jon K dj

8 david leach

8.45 john stammers & band

9.20 wendy and her friends

9.30 mark burgess

10.10 tanante

11.00 bobbie peru

11.30 jon k dj

doors open 7pm and its only a fiver
Saturday 29th November.

Tour de TIF : 80 mile tour of Greater Manchester

Starting from Swinton Town Hall to Manchester Town Hall via the town halls
of: Wigan, Bolton, Bury, Rochdale, Oldham, Ashton, Stockport, Altrincham,
Sale and Trafford

Voting for the £3 billion Transport Innovation Fund starts on 25th November.
A yes vote would massively increase the quality and quantity

of public transport and opportunities for cyclists. Cleaner, cheaper and
more convenient public transport options will take cars off the

road and make cycling safer and more enjoyable. Come with us on a ride
round the whole of Greater Manchester and dare to dream what it could be
like.

The start will be at Swinton Town Hall, (officially called Salford Civic
Centre), Chorley Road, Swinton, Salford M27 5AW. The finish, 80 miles later will be
at Manchester Town Hall, Albert Square.

There’ll be 3 groups to cater for all abilities (within reason) so whether
you’re a club cyclist, a leisurely tourer or a dawdling commuter there
should be a pace to suit. If there isn’t then there’s a web page here:
www.cleanairnow.co.uk,
where you can find out the estimated time of arrival at each town hall
for each of the 3 groups.

The slowest group will set off at 8.30, the middle group at 9.30 and the
fastest group at 10.30. There’ll be a broomwagon too to pick up

those that can’t go on any further and either fix their bikes or drop them
off at the next railway station.

There will be a warm place to get changed, wait for your friends, have
a cup of tea and sit down at the Friends Meeting House, 6 Mount Street,
Manchester, M2 5NS from 2-5pm.

Participants don’t have to cycle the whole route – please join in at the
start, along the way or for the final section into Manchester. Ride
as much or as little as you want.

For more information check the website www.cleanairnow.co.uk
e-mail: tourdetif@googlemail.com

Sunday

2pm Bicycle Polo Practice- text 07866734351 to confirm whether or not you can attend by NOON then at 12.30 I’ll text everyone back to let them know if there are enough people wanting to play

6pm GMEX Ride It Sunday #3

Ride It Sunday #2

So last night we met at 6pm at the Gmex with our lovely bikes and warm gloves for a nice ride out to Worsley for a nice pint outside a lovely pub. It was a real nice ride- chatting and riding, a nice pace too.

Afterwards we all went home to the Sandbar where we continued our rants about bicycles and alleycats and such… yep much fun had…

Upcoming rides:
30th November, location to be confirmed.
14th December, location to be confirmed.

see here for more details of the next one:

Ride It Sunday Facebook Page