On April 23rd was the inaugural San Tan Wheelie Jam, which was pretty similar to the Tour de Fat that rolls through Tempe every fall, except with a unique local vibe. Bike parade in the morning, beer after. Food, strange bikes, cool bikes, contests, raffles, bike polo etc, etc, etc. The San Tan Brewery provided the adult beverages and it was good. The Phoenix Phreaks had a custom bike competition, with some really nice rides there - and that was what the whole day was about - bikes. Its sure nice to see a bunch of folks come together on their rides and hang out for an afternoon, watching bike type things go on. It leaves me with hope for humanity.
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| Finally saw a Sling Shot in person. I've seen pics, but never laid hands on one. He let me take it around the parking lot, and I can't say that it felt much different that any other bike with a real downtube, but I'm sure it'll all come out on the trail. I'd be curious enough to give it a try. |
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| I love me some tall bikes, and for homegrown, this one was pretty nice. I'm working on plans to get one of my own together. They ride surprisingly easy. |
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| Loved the custom seat on this tall bike. Its all hands. |
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| There were lots of clunkers around with some potential in them if the right hands could work on them. |
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| A tandem made for one? Interesting.... |
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| Safety first, ninjas. |
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| We had a nice police escort for the morning bike parade, that was supposed to start at 10:30 but didn't get off until 11:30. First year bumps, but the rest went off without a hitch. It gave me time to get my beer bracelet in preparation of returning from said parade. |
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| Got the first beer served for the day. I was proud of myself. |
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| These Driftwood cruisers were pretty stylish. I could only imagine the work that went into them. Really sharp rides. |
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| Nice lines for a wood bike. Makes me think of the bamboo bikes that I keep reading about.... |
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| Custom ride from Phoenix Phreaks. This one got my vote for the twisted forks and the hydraulic system that could drop the front end. Pretty nifty shtuff. |
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| This ride, the Orange Crush, was pretty simple, but it really caught my eye. Simplicity with just enough bling. It easy to do too much to a bike. |
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| This was a nice touch as well. |
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| Some bikes I'd never want to ride. Yes, the scissors were operable, as in they actually opened and closed. Bizarre, yet creative. |
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| Not a steelers fan, but I can appreciate the attention to detail. Pretty sharp for a team ride. |
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| Some decals were just plain rad. I like the tractor seat as well. |
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| This ain't your childhood trike. |
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| A family rolled up on this with three kids. Great way to get them all out! Fella paid only $600 for this ride too. Pretty decent deal, for the A+ shape it was in. |
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| There were even some production tall bikes in attendance. Nice step up to get on, hub on the front wheel - I wish I could have tried one. I think I'll still try my hand at welding two junkers together first. |
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| Yes! A Stone bike. Nice decals. |
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| Bike polo. Now a good ol' American pastime. |
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| Got my pedals in on a tall bike - and I like. Easy to ride and being up high sure gave a new sensation to cruising around. Be great for around the neighborhood or other bike festivities. |
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| Not every day you see a 36er. |
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| And of course there was a Wheelie competition to win a State Bicycle Company bike, in which only two fellas were the competition. This lucky guy, Jocobo or some such, won a new bike for about 15 minutes of his time. |
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| And the victory celebration! |
Had a great time at the inaugural San Tan Wheelie Jam, and am looking forward to next year. They could have a better T-shirt sale setup going on, and be on time in the morning, but all in all, super good first year. Lots of great bikes. Tastey beer. Cheap soda at the right tent. Decent food (pricey as always) and nice temps. Maybe this year I'll work on my wheelies so I can get myself a nice new bike. I sure didn't have any luck in the raffle!
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