Smile Politely

Bike movie and music at IMC August 30

On Sunday, August 30 at 6 p.m., the Independent Media Center will host a double feature of bicycle goodness. First up is Schwinntonation, a Chicago-based musical group (pictured above). They make music from bikes and bike parts.

After the music will be a screening of Veer, a movie which “explores America’s fast growing bicycling culture by profiling five people whose lives are inextricably tied to bicycling and the bike-centric social groups they belong to. The film follows these characters over the course of a year, offering a behind-the-scenes look at their personal struggles and triumphs.” Check out a review here and the trailer below:

Tickets are $10 at the door for the general public, and $5 for members of UC-IMC, The Bike Project, or ChampaignCountyBikes.org. Parents are to be advised that Veer features some brief nudity and poor bicycle decision-making which may not be suitable for children.

The Bike Project, who’s hosting the event, makes the following plea: “The Bike Project encourages attendees to walk, bike, or take CUMTD buses to the event if possible. As the event will be ending after dark, cyclists are reminded that they should use reflectors and lights.”

And here are some other news and notes:

C-U Across the Prairie: Prairie Cycle’s big ride happened last Saturday and was a good time by all accounts. If anyone took any pictures, send them my way and I’ll post.

Performance: The roadies are striking back against the fixie hipsters, with tongues firmly in cheeks on both sides:

Smell your what?: Former Champaign Cycle employees Dan and Anona are moving to Portland, Ore., by bike, and they’re chronicling their travels on Smell My Chamois. They’ve made it from St. Louis to Jefferson City so far with updates from libraries along the way.

Mustache Ride: Sorry for the crass self-promotion, but I just wanted to get in a reminder about the Mustache Ride, starting and ending at the Bike Project this Saturday, August 22. There were 21 people who pre-registered, so it should be a good time, with mustache contest, alley cat, and then an after-party with messenger games, prizes, and music from The Villens and Viox. The after-party is BYOB, with one of the alley cat checkpoints taking care of that. Registration ($15 day of race will get you entry to race and after-party and a shirt if we have any left) starts at 3 p.m.

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