Velo Vivid Spectacular - 3rd Edition!

Its that time of year again!  Get your tyres pumped, your bike all shiny and source your lights now to join us for this years ride to Vivid Festival 2014.  We do this ride to encourage the bikelists of Sydney to be more VISIBLE while riding at night, the reactions from the Vivid crowds make it all the more fun.  This is our third annual Vivid ride so lets make it even more spectacular!!!

Where:  Meeting at 6pm for a 6.30pm start at the front of Fisher Library at Sydney Uni

When: Sunday - 25th May 2014

Route:  Through Glebe, along the Glebe Foreshore then past the Fish Markets along Prymont waterfront.  Crossing Prymont Bridge and heading past Barangaroo to The Rocks.  Ends at Circular Quay!

Bring:  Bike decorated with lights, helmet, lock, money for a drink or two.

**All riders ride at their own risk**   RSVP to our Facebook Page to stay updated!

This is a social slow-paced easy ride.  Upon reaching Circular Quay you are welcome to explore Vivid yourselves or join us at a local pub (yet to be decided).  Invite your friends, lovers, Grandmas, and obscure associates!

Everyone welcome!  Please come ready to ride.  This is an illuminated bike ride meaning the more ridiculous lights, high vis, and glow that your bike has the better.  Think battery-powered fairy lights, glowsticks, led lights, high vis wear, EL wire.  All cheaply available from $2 shops and Ebay.

I have included links below to help you get lights, find images from other years for inspiration. 

Links for ideas

A Vivid Night of Lights

Vivia la Vivid

Light Rant 

Looking forward to seeing you light up the night!

Vivid Bike Light Spectacular

Guess what bikeling friends...?  Its time for the Vivid Festival again in Sydney which means we are organising our Vivid Bike Light Spectacular!  For those of you new to our Vivid ride - check out pics from our last Vivid event here: http://featherbrigade.blogspot.com.au/2011/06/vivid-night-of-lights.html

This year we are doing things a little differently.  For starters it will be a longer bike ride, starting from Sydney Uni.  We will wind along the waterfront of Glebe and Prymont before bedazzling Darling Harbour and then whizzing around Walsh Bay before heading up to the Rocks and then finding a suitable stopping point near the MCA.  There we will have a vote for "Best Decorated Bike" and "Best Decorated Person" with prizes (oooh).  After that the fun you have is up to you - check out the lights of Vivid on the festival walk (and don't forget your camera).  We will have a follow up competition on our blog for the "Most Creative Photo" from the night, so happy snapping!

Ideas for lights - think battery-powered fairy lights, glow sticks, light sticks, twirlywhirls, wheel lights, light up toys, solar powered lights.  Let your imagination take over!  Our favourite was the glow sticks taped to wheel spokes - very effective.  We found our lights at Kmart, $2 dollar shops and Ebay.

Ideas for high vis - wear your high vis in different ways, snap bands, arm bands, Tron stripes... the possiblities are endless!!   We ask that you come ready to ride on the night so we can all admire each other and then GET BIKELING!

Feel free to contact us via facebook or through the blog if you have any questions.  We look forward to seeing you there, no matter what 'type' of bikelist you are and  - SPREAD THE WORD!

Vivid - Night of Lights!

Huzzah, it's that time of year again where Sydney dresses up in colourful lights for The Vivid festival. We have decided to do the same for our bikes and are planning crazy bike decorations with fairy lights and glow sticks for our own vivid ride in to see the sights! If you would like to come along our Facebook event page has all the details required. We would love to see you!

Photo sourced from travelpod.com

Photo hand-selected from the Daily Telegraph

Photo dug up from mecho.com

Photo uncovered at wandermelon.com

The photos from previous years look marvelous. This year, the Opera House lights up again, as well as a fire/music display at Campbell Cove, light sculptures at Circular Quay and Customs House. The Rocks Market will also be on.. great to pick up an easy dinner to eat while watching the lights. So rug up warm, bring your friends and join in the fun!

www.dvice.com

Photo unearthed at bidorbuy

Photo delivered from prime.org

Photo sourced from bog

Supposedly from sites.google.com

Photo from a dude on flickr

Photo again found at prime.org

So have we inspired you to break out your inner-raver? Or at the very least to come along? Remember to RSVP here bike-lovers!

Bike in Lights!

Summer in Sydney is sweltering... What good reason could there be to go for a bike ride in 33deg heat and 78% hummidity? To see your name in lights of course for the Sydney Festival or in our case our crocheted monkey Milky Joe's name!

To get there was a sweaty but enjoyable ride. S-boy practised his Tour de France waterbottle moves...

Whereas I just glistened...

We arrived and camped out in the 1 metre patch of shade we found. Phew!

While we waited for the big moment to arrive Milky happily posed for pictures.

And tried on new names that sounded cool...

Then it was time... Milky Joe SUPERSTAR!!

Then just for fun, our bike names came up...

(Florence miraculously appeared in spirit!)

Then ta da... The coolest bike gang in the world...

Oh the exhilaration, the overwhelming 15 seconds of glory. How can we ever top this? Oh thats how... by hitting the pool as soon as we got home. Good work Milky Joe!

P.S. I have to include a photo of this guy who we spotted on the way home. This is not the first time I've seen him but it is the first time I was quick enough with my camera to capture him. He rides around Darling harbour with the mask on, the mirrors and the flags creating a stir by tooting randomly at people. Nuisance or bike advocate? Hmmm...

Pish Tosh xx

Bike Valet Team is GO!

Oh, Sydney Festival, how I love how it transforms the city every summer. Parks become gig venues, streets host art installations, bands and artists from all over the world descend on the city so that every night something is happening. There is a really laid-back sense of pride that our city can be so beautiful and livable.

In the spirit of promoting a sustainable and livable etc. city, K-star and I decided to give a little back to the Syd Fest and volunteered for the fabulous free Bike Valet service that Bike Sydney arranges. (At the very least we thought we'd be able to get a bit of shameless self promotion done...) The bike valet corral is located behind the main stage at the Domain and central to most of the events and venues, you can roll along and drop your bike off and not have to worry about finding a pole/tree/bike park ring.

Yogi was our fearless leader and provided us with lollies, crackers, and ensured we had the skills to park bikes without hurting anyone/thing.

K-star and I soon got down to the serious job of parking bikes, with clipboards and surveys and all. We made sure to practice being efficient and professional.

Then we actually parked some bikes...

Meeting bike people is always fun and there was such a broad cross-section of the cycling community out and about on Saturday evening. If we parked your bike let us know! Did we do a sufficient job? Were we professional, efficient, and friendly? Were you a little freaked out about leaving your bike with some (strange) girls who had flowers and feathers stuck in their hair?

Were you slightly more relieved to see some more responsible looking people valet parking with us, like our previously mentioned supervisor extraordinaire Yogi, and our other valet volunteer Martin?

Martin (bemusedly) looking on as J-bot practices her clipboard/inter-personal skills

Once the lights went down and the music started up, we found we had plenty of time to entertain ourselves and others with some disco light action. Martin's superb photographic skills came into play when we decided we needed a photoshoot.

Our valet parking shift was over before we knew it. If you're thinking about volunteering I highly recommend it. Hang out for a few hours, make some friends, and if you're at all like-minded, dress up a bit! A great night out!

j.xoxo

The Light Brigade!

The last day of holidays... Sigh. We were determined to make every minute count. And as you will see, we did!

J-Bot's hint for a good ride - pump your tyres regularly!

A lovely ride in. Cruisey and chilled.

First destination: The Art Gallery of New South Wales.

Then we headed down to Circular Quay. Had a lovely bicycle stack not captured on film. So here is a re-enactment...

Nothing major hurt. Ummm actually no my ego is quite bruised. Here is how I pictured I looked falling off. You will have to ask others if I looked nearly this elegant.

(picture courtesy of city girl rides)

What do you need after a bike stack? Duh pub lunch! Where we practiced looking 'Forlorn' just for the sake of it.

(S Practiced Beer Forlorness)

C-gee joined us to head to the Mirazozo. With not much to do while waiting in line we practiced being (you guessed it) 'Forlorn' while waiting in line. And took photos of the outside.

Check out my bag... Its a flamin' coconut!

Before heading in to the Mirazozo we were given a map.

Well we felt like we were in another world but believe me, it still didn't require a map.

For those of you not in the know about Mirazozo Luminarium let me fill you in. It is a sculpture inspired by nature, geometry and Islamic architecture created by the Architects of Air. The lights inside are created by the daylight shining through the coloured plastic. Take your camera in and play with all the fantastic things you can do with light. Remember to experiment with movement and angles. Be creative and adopt far out poses.

Or just chill out.

Then dance baby, dance!

Or start your own indie-electro pop band.

There are no photos of us heading home, because the rain was bucketing down. However we, the Feather Brigade, did discover the true meaning of the word 'Forlorn'...

Its just too bad we had such a good time regardless that we still couldn't help but smile!

Pish tosh xx