What a way to see the Las Vegas strip, then on a bike!
Highly recommended in numbers for safety reasons, for the last ten years at Interbike (the largest bike show in North America) several hundred exhibitors and show participants have enjoyed the Bike Hugger Mobile Social. A bike ride that begins at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center parking lot and travels east for six miles with colorful, highly eclectic energy along the strip to downtown area for some eats, drinks and Vegas fanfare.
A couple riding down the Las Vegas Strip in the Bike Hugger Mobile Social Ride.
Presented by Mobile Social BH, New Belgium Brewing and Tern Folding Bicycles, the 10th annual Bike Hugger Ride was well attended with some participants using new bicycles off the tradeshow floor, along with many custom (some eclectic) built bikes.
A couple of us at HaveFunBiking.com were fortunate to ride some of Tern’s folding bikes designed for multi-modal touring. This gave me a chance to test ride their new folding bike, a multi-model touring model, The bike with racks (back and front) for panniers had a custom tire pump that was a part of the seat post and the bike fits into regulation check-in luggage, as well as my 6′ 2″ frame.
A spectacular show of lights as the group rides down Las Vegas Strip
As the Bike Hugger Social Ride moved down the strip, taking a lane or two as drove their bikes in a somewhat organized group, at stoplights they visited with motorists as pedestrians on the sidewalk photographed and cheered them on.
At one of the many stop lights a rider poses with a big HaveFun smile.
A few miles into the ride the group spread out over a couple blocks with the DEUCE (the local bus that runs from the Vegas strip to the downtown area) a part of the unofficial parade.
Looking back, riders were spread out several blocks in back and in front of the bus.
Arriving in Downtown Las Vegas the destination was the Gold Spike Casino where riders received a compliment New Belgium Beer, some appetizers while enjoying the many oversized lawn games and comradery.
HaveFunBiking editor Russ Lowthian stops in front of the Gold Spike Casino and Bar where the ride ended.
Bikes of all types and styles were ridden on this after dark social ride. They included many of the standard models manufactured and displayed at Interbike and then the custom bikes like the two shown below.
A couple of the two-wheeled customs steeds used to parade down the strip.
Oversized lawn games included Jenga, lawn chess and other yard games that were enjoyed in the open air court area, in the rear area of the Gold Spike Casino and Bar.
Enjoying food and refreshments after the ride participants tested their skills playing a lawn size version of Jenga.
If you are considering a trip to Las Vegas and would like to ride your bike or rent a bike while there we found several bike lanes and routes to get around town and shops to support your next bike adventure to Vegas. For more information, here is a good website [http://www.bikinglasvegas.com/cycling-blog/visiting-las-vegas/] to plan your journey.
Enjoy