Dress Up and Bring a Bike: Confluence Cyclery Hosts a Costume Ride Saturday
Confluence Cyclery's first Community Costume Ride rolls Saturday, October 17 at 5 p.m. from the town square. All ages welcome, with a few tips on riding in costume.
Confluence Cyclery is hosting its first annual Community Costume Ride this Saturday, October 17, at 5 p.m. Meet at the bike shop on the town square, 500 Hughart Street. All ages are welcome.
It is a short, parade-style ride through town, the sort you can manage in a witch hat and a good mood. There are goody bags for the kids and a treat for the adults, and the idea is simple: show off your costume and ride with the local biking community.
Now a word about the costume, because it matters more than it sounds. Anything that can reach the chain, the spokes or the brake levers eventually will. That means capes, long skirts, flowing robes, scarves and baggy pant legs, along with loose shoelaces. Choose a cape that ends well above the seat, pin up a hem, and strap or tuck any pant leg that wants to wander near the chainring.
Keep your eyes clear. The American Academy of Pediatrics advises face paint over masks, and keeping hats from sliding down over the eyes. Swords, wands and other long props belong in a backpack, not in a hand that needs to reach a brake. Candy buckets ride best on a back or in a basket, not swinging from the handlebar.
Daylight is getting short this time of year, so a front and rear light costs little and helps drivers see a witch coming. A strip of reflective tape on a costume is cheap too. If you are unsure whether an outfit is bike-safe, a bike shop is a good place to ask.
