Just one glance at the mega-popular CicLAvia -- the shut-down-some-streets-and-ride-your-bike event that's taken off in the last few years -- reveals a trend that's been in the works for some time: Bicycling merging with other forms of entertainment and pop culture goodness.
Of course, pop culture and biking have been ol' pals since the first old-timey man was filmed riding one of those bikes with a big wheel and a tiny wheel (it's called a penny-farthing, which we're sure you already knew). But with big events like CicLAvia, and the tendency for many people to show up in costume or with stuff tied to their bikes, can one see bicycles showing up in other quarters?
Like? Well, an '80s-style prom, for instance. The Los Angeles County Bike Coalition is throwing a mousse-hair'd, tulle-skirted party for bike buffs on Saturday, Feb. 23. Place: American Legion Hall Post 206 in Highland Park.
There are just two main points to know about '80s Bike Prom. One? Show on your bike. Two? Show in a glittery dress with puffy shoulders or a wide-lapeled tux and a sequin-studded cummerbund. And don't forget the can of hairspray, the better to make your 'do big and puffy again once your bike helmet comes off.
A bike valet, the crowning of Bike King and Queen, and the requisite photo booth -- yeah, we love forever -- will be part of the spoke-spinning haps.
It seriously cannot be long before bike culture begins to show up in other offbeat places. The all-bike buffet, which you have to wheel your bike through? The all-bike drive-in? (Wait, we think that one's been done.) Biking while singing show tunes?
The all penny-farthing ride of the LA River? Oh yeah. Let's do this.
The Scene
Want to find new things to do in Los Angeles? The Scene's lifestyle stories have you covered. Here's your go-to source on where the fun is across SoCal and for the weekend.
It's only a matter of time, pedal people, once the hoop-skirted '80s gowns make an appearance. Only a matter of time.
