The all-inclusive attitude of Midnight Ridazz has proven fertile ground for fun-loving cyclists to gather for all sorts of riding and form subgroups of all kinds, but it has also set the tone for a tight-knit community that is drawn together from all corners of the city throughout the year.

“People just brand their own rides, that’s how we are in L.A.,” Roadblock notes, “Somebody just comes up with a killer concept and just leads the ride.” Some of these killer concepts have included the Friday night Ride With No Name, Taco Tuesday, and Monday Night Rehab, Robotz and Crank Mob, just to name a few.

Right now, L.A. cyclists are gearing up to host Bike Angeles, a weeklong celebration of bikes in L.A. modeled after Pedalpalooza. Kicking off with July’s second Friday ride, Bike Angeles will condense the best of riding in L.A. into one week of bike rides and events. The idea behind Bike Angeles is to show visiting cyclists the best of L.A., from its busy mid-city streets, to the miles of river path stretching from north to south, the bridges we ride over and beneath, the piers that jut into the ocean and let us party with the Pacific Ocean sea spray misting our bodies and bikes, the view from the Griffith Observatory, and the sunrise from Angel’s Point, and from crossing the bridges running in and out of downtown—and even then, one would have only seen half of L.A.

Are You Having Fun Yet?

If Midnight Ridazz had a single anthem, it would have to be “Eff You Enn,” by Funderstorm. In keeping with the all-inclusive spirit of Midnight Ridazz, every one who shows up at a Funderstorm show is part of the self-described bicycle-party band that claims roughly 2000 members. Funderstorm has played a few clubs and galleries, but their most infamous shows have been in parks renamed after the bike rides—like Crank Mob Park, where Venice meets Culver, and over abandoned train tracks running through graffiti-bombed tunnels below interstate highways that are never empty.

Check out www.midnightridazz.com for info about rides in L.A. each day

Mission Workshop