Got any dating by bike tips for a magazine article?
Chainlinkers,
A bike magazine asked me to share people's advice on
"How to catch the eye of that special someone on the bike path this Valentine's Day," including tips on how to meet other cyclists and go on a date by bike, for example:
- On a bike date with someone who rides slower than you? Let them ride in front so they can set the pace.
- Bike-friendly transit makes it easier to date people who aren't die-hard riders. Say you meet up with a transit rider for a blind dinner date and you hit it off and want to go somewhere else for a movie or drinks - you can bring your bike on the bus or train and ride there together, or throw your bike in the trunk of a cab.
FYI, below is an old piece retelling people's bike and transit-related romance tales.
Anyone got any advice or stories to share?
Thanks!
John Greenfield
Metra-sexuals
Public transit and bicycling can be routes to romance
By John Greenfield
[This piece also runs this week in New City magazine, www.newcity.com.]
It might seem like living car-free would make dating difficult. But as Tom Cruise and Rebecca De Mornay’s steamy El-train scene in“Risky Business” shows, alternative transportation can actually rev up your love life. Here’s testimony from Chicagoans who really “get around.”
Aurora Butterfly, a poet and co-organizer of the World Naked Bike Ride, says she’s had her share of make-out sessions on deserted Metra cars. But the CTA’s #66 Chicago Ave. bus was where she first flirted with relatively well-heeled suitors. “One was a voice-over artist who was deliciously beautiful, and the other was a successful animator and e-entrepreneur who looked like Batman,” she reports.
“Since it was the morning commute, they were too tired to lay it on thick,” she says. “It was more of a hunt-and-peck, secret glance style of courting, peeking over the marketing textbook.” Dating professionals was a nice change from her usual starving-artist types, says Butterfly. “They were
thoughtful enough about the environment not to drive downtown even though they owned cars,” she says.
“Pete,” a musician, was entering the Damen Blue Line station soon after 9/11 when he saw an
older lady standing on the stairs, wailing. After a young woman helped him get assistance for the senior, the two of them talked on the platform about how after the Trade Center attacks it seemed important to look out for other people.
On board they chatted and complimented each other’s eyeglasses as other passengers looked on. She gave him her business card as she got off the train, saying she’d love to go out some time. “I swear one guy in the train gave me a thumbs-up,” says “Pete.” Three weeks later he finally got the nerve up to call her, she invited him over to her apartment, and one thing led to another.
“Hannah” and “Dan” first met while building chopper bicycles at sessions organized by the Rat Patrol bike gang. She’s Jewish; he rolled with the Scallywags, punk-rock Christians whose members ride double-tall bikes and are sworn to celibacy before marriage.
The two mechanics got to know each other better on the Perimeter Ride, an all-day, all night, 100-mile bike tour around the city, ending with skinny-dipping in Lake Michigan. Needless to say,
“Dan” gave up his vows. Nowadays the couple lives together at the Hub, a housing co-op owned by riders from Critical Mass. Vive le velo love!
A bike magazine asked me to share people's advice on
"How to catch the eye of that special someone on the bike path this Valentine's Day," including tips on how to meet other cyclists and go on a date by bike, for example:
- On a bike date with someone who rides slower than you? Let them ride in front so they can set the pace.
- Bike-friendly transit makes it easier to date people who aren't die-hard riders. Say you meet up with a transit rider for a blind dinner date and you hit it off and want to go somewhere else for a movie or drinks - you can bring your bike on the bus or train and ride there together, or throw your bike in the trunk of a cab.
FYI, below is an old piece retelling people's bike and transit-related romance tales.
Anyone got any advice or stories to share?
Thanks!
John Greenfield
Metra-sexuals
Public transit and bicycling can be routes to romance
By John Greenfield
[This piece also runs this week in New City magazine, www.newcity.com.]
It might seem like living car-free would make dating difficult. But as Tom Cruise and Rebecca De Mornay’s steamy El-train scene in“Risky Business” shows, alternative transportation can actually rev up your love life. Here’s testimony from Chicagoans who really “get around.”
Aurora Butterfly, a poet and co-organizer of the World Naked Bike Ride, says she’s had her share of make-out sessions on deserted Metra cars. But the CTA’s #66 Chicago Ave. bus was where she first flirted with relatively well-heeled suitors. “One was a voice-over artist who was deliciously beautiful, and the other was a successful animator and e-entrepreneur who looked like Batman,” she reports.
“Since it was the morning commute, they were too tired to lay it on thick,” she says. “It was more of a hunt-and-peck, secret glance style of courting, peeking over the marketing textbook.” Dating professionals was a nice change from her usual starving-artist types, says Butterfly. “They were
thoughtful enough about the environment not to drive downtown even though they owned cars,” she says.
“Pete,” a musician, was entering the Damen Blue Line station soon after 9/11 when he saw an
older lady standing on the stairs, wailing. After a young woman helped him get assistance for the senior, the two of them talked on the platform about how after the Trade Center attacks it seemed important to look out for other people.
On board they chatted and complimented each other’s eyeglasses as other passengers looked on. She gave him her business card as she got off the train, saying she’d love to go out some time. “I swear one guy in the train gave me a thumbs-up,” says “Pete.” Three weeks later he finally got the nerve up to call her, she invited him over to her apartment, and one thing led to another.
“Hannah” and “Dan” first met while building chopper bicycles at sessions organized by the Rat Patrol bike gang. She’s Jewish; he rolled with the Scallywags, punk-rock Christians whose members ride double-tall bikes and are sworn to celibacy before marriage.
The two mechanics got to know each other better on the Perimeter Ride, an all-day, all night, 100-mile bike tour around the city, ending with skinny-dipping in Lake Michigan. Needless to say,
“Dan” gave up his vows. Nowadays the couple lives together at the Hub, a housing co-op owned by riders from Critical Mass. Vive le velo love!
Views: 170
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on
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I don't have anything to add but I really enjoyed this post :-)
Lorena Cupcake said:Oh, man, I already get teased by my friends incessantly for how easily I get weak in the knees for bike kids. I'm pretty sure any advice I give is going to be way too incriminating.
It's nice to have some cheap shitty blinkies hanging around you can lend people; before I basically started living out of the same messenger bag every single day I was always riding over to people's houses and not realizing I'd forgotten my lights until I was leaving in the pitch black. I'll ride with people who just don't own lights, as well, and lend them mine because they're making me nervous.
Discuss red light preferences before riding with someone. I know a lot of dudes who just mash through every stop no matter what the traffic is like. I tend to be a bit more laid back in my riding style, and totally appreciate when someone holds back a bit on my behalf and doesn't run every red light like they have a organ in a cooler in their Chrome bag.
I tend to lead a lot when riding with people; I'm not horrifyingly slow but I'm not particularly fast and a dude with a foot of height and 50 pounds of muscle on me is pretty much always going to be hard for me to keep up with. Either they ride too fast or they overcompensate and we look like one of those pairs of Chad and Trixies riding their shiny new REI bikes a half-mile per hour on Sunday afternoons.
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Hey John,
Here on the near SW side we have some unique bicycle romance techniques you might want to write about.
In particular, I think a description of the "18th street bike glance" might be a good fit for your article.
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Permalink Reply by BalloonBiker on
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Bring emergency tools so you can play knight/Dame in shining armor and fix a flat or adjust a bike seat should anything go wrong. Being prepared is hot!
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Permalink Reply by Lorena Cupcake on
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Oh, oh, I make little social calling cards for making friends and hitting on dudes. It'd be costly, but I've thought about making a business card that was also a spoke card. It would get you laid for sure.
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Permalink Reply by Alice on
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I met my husband on a Chicago Cycling Club ride many years ago. It was great for me because we got to know each other looking our worst - helmet hair, sweat, no make-up, lycra, you get the idea. The first time we saw each other in normal clothing it was akin to being dressed for an inaugural ball. On the personal appearance front, you've got no where to go but up!
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Permalink Reply by Julie Aberman (Hochstadter) on
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Love your story!
Alice said:I met my husband on a Chicago Cycling Club ride many years ago. It was great for me because we got to know each other looking our worst - helmet hair, sweat, no make-up, lycra, you get the idea. The first time we saw each other in normal clothing it was akin to being dressed for an inaugural ball. On the personal appearance front, you've got no where to go but up!
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Permalink Reply by shar on
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oh my god... literally laughing out loud.
good tips Lorena.. I will keep that in mind
so I am assuming "for sure" is a guarantee of getting laid?
totally keeping that in my back pocket
Lorena Cupcake said:Oh, oh, I make little social calling cards for making friends and hitting on dudes. It'd be costly, but I've thought about making a business card that was also a spoke card. It would get you laid for sure.
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I will not be held responsible if a spoke card with your name and number (and perhaps a flattering drawing of yourself) does not get you laid, but I would certainly be surprised.
Hey, at least you know they're not going to lose your number, right?
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Permalink Reply by dan brown on
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what a great thread.
my tip is this : helmets can be a great ice-breaker / conversation starter. some helmets are SO COOL
they are just begging to be discussed ! and how sexy is a hotty bike geek talking all about their
helmets.
BTW - I have 4 or 5 different helmets ; you never know what mood you will be in before you saddle up.
Dan
p.s. giddyup !!!
shar said:oh my god... literally laughing out loud.
good tips Lorena.. I will keep that in mind
so I am assuming "for sure" is a guarantee of getting laid?
totally keeping that in my back pocket
Lorena Cupcake said:Oh, oh, I make little social calling cards for making friends and hitting on dudes. It'd be costly, but I've thought about making a business card that was also a spoke card. It would get you laid for sure.
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Permalink Reply by cutifly on
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Usually the woman who are attracted to me on the tall bike are heavy drinkers, smokers and/or like to take pills. Also, really feel a need to talk about the bad relationships with their father and how they were forced to ride the bike and how they resent it but do not know what else to do. The younger ones don't present themselves as often these days either and now there is just an over proportion of men to still straight woman in bike culture. Now, I only like to go out (date) the chubby social workers or Jewish chicks with a decent career. Just like in my twenties ! Ignore the fact I usually have to impose myself on them to ride the bike at all because usually they are too tired out after work and having to give me attention. Ha Ha. Wonder how drunk ye all be tonight @ Chainlink Gathering.
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Permalink Reply by Joe Willis on
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remember to carry deodorant, towel (there is a joke here somewhere), and cologne. No one likes the stinky kid! This time of the year is great for a fall ride in the woods as well.
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Permalink Reply by Martin Hazard on
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If you meet a biker chick, go out for drinks, and she gets so hammered she rides into a parked car, dont point and laugh- help her up.
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