A new gang on Main

They go by Bike Gang or the Cruiser Club, but many locals simply know them as the crazy kids on bicycles that can be seen taking over the roundabout at Seventh and Main on Friday nights.

These young adults forgo the world of beer pong and cliché juvenile misconduct to embrace a more vintage fad — a bike ride around town.

Some time ago, Canyon View Vineyard Web/graphic designer Josh Anderson picked up an Alternative Press Magazine. While he was reading an article about a punk rockers bike race, he found himself distracted by a sidebar about a group called the Midnight Ridazz.

The Midnight Ridazz was started in Los Angeles by eight guys who opted out of the typical Friday night bar scene in favor of a less trendy alternative. Since February 2004, this group has gathered together on bicycles to conserve gas, meet new people and have fun without the use of substances. Today, there are more than 1,300 Ridazz that take to the streets of Los Angeles on the second Friday of every month. The group maintains that it is not political, commercial or non-inclusive. It is not a protest of any sort. It is simply a lot of fun.

“The idea was very inspiring to me,” Anderson said.

To get started, he recruited the help of Canyon View Vineyard’s Young Adult Ministry Director Nate Ralston.

“Nate Ralston was like the rocket that really got this to take off. He decided on the time and place and really worked to get people interested,” Anderson said. “He would yell at anyone with a bike to come join us as we ride by while he honked his clown horn.”

And take off the group has. Although it started with just a few friends of Anderson and Ralston, the event has grown to more than 20 people in recent weeks.

Unlike the Midnight Ridazz, the gang meets every Friday at 8 p.m. at the corner of Sixth and Main.

Ralston didn’t want people to have to rush straight from work to ride; this involved a later starting time otherwise it would defeat the purpose of the ride being relaxing. Friday nights presented the perfect opportunity because not too many people have to get up early on Saturday mornings, which allowed the group to meet later in the evening and ride for as long as they wanted.

The riders do a couple laps around Main Street to get started and then head out for the evening. There is no place that is off limits to these young adults, except the sidewalks, of course — the law requires bikers use the streets. They venture all over town for a couple of hours, ending their ride at a local restaurant or bar and grill.

Ralston has a described the group as an amoeba. They just follow whoever is in front. Riders can leave or join at any point, and there’s no limit on what kind of bike you can ride. Some bring old fashioned chrome cruisers, while others opt for traditional road or mountain bikes. The only thing that is required is a light because it is illegal to ride without one when it is dark.

Anderson and Ralston both emphasize even though the group’s name has the word “gang” in it, there is absolutely no negative connotation associated with it. The gathering is not religious or political or up to no good, nor is it restricted to any one age group or type of people.

“I want to stress that this event is to mix different social groups in the Valley. One of the problems with the suburb cultures is that we’ve programmed life. ‘My Monday 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. slot is for my yoga friends. Tuesdays are for my music friends.’ While it’s understandable that friends form common interests, I find it odd how unnatural American social life has become. The bike gang is a chance to be part of a group of people for no reason other than to be there with people.”

The Bike Gang appeals to locals not only because it offers a chance for social diversity. It is also a non-threatening chance to be outdoors, a way to conserve energy, a fun approach to exercising, and one of the best ways to behold the beauty of the place we live in.

Anderson and Ralston would love to grow the group to a hundred people or so and invite anyone to join them.

Anyone interested in becoming a part of the Bike Gang, should simply show up to the corner of Sixth and Main on Friday nights at 8 p.m. Bring some water, a light, and, of course, your bicycle.

“What could be cooler than to be a part of 100 people riding down the street on two wheels (or rather 200 wheels in this case)?” asked Ralston.