Salinas Burrito Bike Rides organized by Deadend Magazine

Deadend Magazine’s inaugural Salinas Burrito Bike Ride was May 19, 2013; the second, October 6, 2013; the third, March 23, 2014; the fourth, October 5, 2014; the fifth, May 31, 2015; the sixth, October 4, 2015; and the seventh, October 9, 2016.

I attended the first and third (see some photos below), and I enjoyed the relaxed vibe and pace of riders of mixed ages on all types of bikes. Thanks to Juan and Jesus Espinoza of Deadend Magazine for organizing these fun social rides.

To catch future dates, follow Deadend Magazine:

• http://www.facebook.com/pages/Deadend-Magazine/203527824424
• http://www.deadendmagazine.com/
• http://burritobikeride.blogspot.com

Sometimes their Burrito Rides are posted on the Master Calendar for Bicycling Monterey County (shortlink:  http://bit.ly/BikeCalendar). But again, best way to stay in touch about these Burrito Rides is to follow Deadend Magazine’s news.

At the Somos Gallery gathering point, biking polite includes remembering that Salinas ordinance prohibits biking on sidewalks where posted, which includes some parts of Oldtown. Click here for sidewalk riding info, including a two-minute audio. For more about bike laws and courteous riding, scroll down.

The two women below, Jade and Luz, were among an estimated 250 people of all ages riding bicycles together on the streets of Salinas at the third Burrito Bike Ride.

Tyler, Austin, and friends were there at the third ride too, just as they’d been at the inaugural ride (pictured below).

Where do people gather?

It varies, so check with the ride organizers regarding the meet-up location for each date.

Gathering spot 3/23/14 was Salinas High School. Kudos to SHS for their cooperation and support. SHS is extra bike-friendly! Besides providing this social ride’s meet-up spot, SHS also has the first on-campus bike maintenance station in Monterey County and the first public high school bike team.

The meet-up point for the 5/19/13 ride had been Somos Media Gallery in Oldtown (street scene below). 

Rolling through Oldtown shares the fun of a social ride’s vibe with visitors and locals  out enjoying shops, restaurants, the National Steinbeck Center, and other Oldtown Salinas experiences on a Sunday afternoon.

People could see that riders of all ages, shapes, and sizes, with all types of bicycles–and plenty of especially fun custom models–were out having a genuine joy ride. On this 7.5-mile round-trip ride, the pace was relaxed, the weather was beautiful, and the Monterey County seat was alive with lots of people coming together simply to bike.

Safe, legal, courteous riding

Deadend Magazine’s announcement poster below encouraged being safe, legal, and courteous. Being such a rider is being a good ambassador for the Salinas bike community. When the public and decision-makers consider the behavior of people who bike, please help ensure they feel very positively about building more and better bicycling infrastructure.

Refer to these resources at Bicycling Monterey:

• Leyes de ciclismo de CA – Laws for bicyclists in CA (Spanish, English) – Summary
• Be Cool, Be Safe – Bike Law Summary & Advocating for Biking
• For more info: CARiding Skills, Safety, and CA Bike Laws –Tips for Children, Teens, and Adults (FAQs on more than 29 topics, including sidewalk riding in Salinas and elsewhere)

You may also find these Salinas Social Cycling guidelines a helpful reference: Salinas Social Cycling – Ride Rules

For more tips on biking Salinas,

scroll to the end of this post.

Burrito Bike Ride photos

Riding in the first and third Salinas Burrito Bike Rides was great fun for me. I missed the second, as it was the same date–see Salinas bike scene–as Ciclovia Salinas. Happy to get to another one!

I didn’t have my phone/camera with me 3/23/14. You’ll find a few photos in the @bikemonterey Twitter stream, but a nice gallery of photos in Deadend’s Burrito Bike Ride 3 photo stream on Facebook.

1. 1. Bicycling Monterey ‏@BikeMonterey 4h

      @Jvalen You & @eyebabe would’ve loved today’s burrito ride. Many of the young fixie riders you rode with at @BikeSalinas parties were there.

   2. Cath TendlerValencia ‏@eyebabe 3h

      @BikeMonterey @Jvalen @BikeSalinas Fixies and Burritos…mmm, grand combo!

Photos below are from the 5/19/13 Salinas Burrito Bike Ride

Below: These Salinas Burrito Bike Ride women on 5/19/13 show that pulling clothes from the closet that reflect one’s individual sense of style works for biking just dandy!

This boy turned his head to show his People for Bikes button. “People for Bikes? You bet, I’m for bikes! And I’m looking for more fun bike things to do.”

Keep tabs on the Salinas bike scene, which has something for everyone–and some weekends, like this one, there are more bike-related activities than one person can do!

The 5/19/13 Burrito Bike Ride was thanks to the work and generosity of hosts Deadend Magazine, Somos Media/Gallery, and friends.

Sampling of Salinas bike tips available on the Bicycling Monterey website:

• What to Do in Salinas, the Monterey County Seat
• KUSP (2 minute audio): Bikes are taking to the streets–and it’s not where you might expect
• Ciclovia Salinas
• Salinas Bike Scene: Something for everyone
• Vacation, staycation: Some cool spots in the Monterey County seat
• Keeping the Local Bike Scene Cool: It’s a multi-pronged effort – and Happy Bike Month from Salinas PD
• Salinas Youth Leading the Way in Monterey County Bike Community Firsts
• Californian: Salinas bike riders offered discounts – the HER Helmet Thursdays project
• Bike to School: In Monterey County and elsewhere
• Monterey Park Cycling: For South Salinas kids, “Your community is your classroom,” and you get to class by bike!
• Salinas 10-Mile Family Bike Ride for a Better Community
• Salinas Bike Party: A courteous social bike run
• Salinas Bike Party, a Community Event: Hot on Wheels
• Salinas Bike Party: 7 Tips for Party-Goers
• Salinas Youth and Others for Bikes: Bikes Make Life Better
• Spinning Spokes and Telling Jokes: Fixies in the 831
• Biking between Salinas and the Monterey Peninsula
• Salinas High School Cowboy Racing Mountain Bike Team
• Salinas High School Mountain Bike Team Takes First Place at Granite Bay – State Championships Ahead, May 11, 2014
• Got bike? Some Salinas High students do not–and want to ride with the cycling team!

Related post: See Lowrider Bike Show hosted by American Legion Auxiliary Post 589.

Muchas gracias

Tip of the helmet to Luciano Rodriguez and Bear Bike Shop for the heads-up about the 3/23/14 Salinas Burrito Bike Ride.