For the first time, in our short history down here in Tucson, we were an official sponsor of Cyclovia Tucson. To captivate the Cyclovians we decided to bring out some of the bicycle touring rigs we had set up for our new showroom. We brought out a Surly CrossCheck and ECR both setup with Ortlieb Panniers. We’ve dubbed the Surly Moonlander our Zombie Apocalypse bike with its fully kitted out Revelate bags setup for going anywhere.
Cyclovia Tucson is an event where they shut down a route of around 2 to 3 miles of city streets with the goal of encouraging cyclists to get out and enjoy their community together without having to worry about traffic. The event is run twice per year in the spring and fall.
All along the route there are various cycling activities as well as a variety of vendors. This year there was a paper toss, a beanbag toss, a marching band, dancing lesson and a slow bike race. While we were there to talk bike touring, as a bike shop, it was our bike pump that was the most popular thing we brought as we probably ended up airing up 3 or 4 dozen tires.
The event is really great for families. Kids are everywhere whether they are learning to ride or being transported by their parents.
This years event came right before election day. Rallying the vote was all part of the fun.
The event has a great feel of being a real festival for cyclists. Its just a great party on bikes with music and food and fun throughout the route.
And Tucson cyclists of all stripes make it out for the fun showing off their crazy bike rigs. Tall bikes, cargo bikes, bike trailers carrying everything you can imagine and parade worthy bikes like the bicycle that is a bull skeleton.
