Clothing-optional bike rides
Encyclopedia
Cycling
Cycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...
event in which nudity
Nudity
Nudity is the state of wearing no clothing. The wearing of clothing is exclusively a human characteristic. The amount of clothing worn depends on functional considerations and social considerations...
is permitted or expected. There are many clothing-optional cycling events around the world. Some rides are political, recreational, artistic or a unique combination. Some are used to promote topfreedom
Topfreedom
Topfreedom is a cultural and political movement seeking to advance gender equality by the recognition of the right of women and girls to be topless in public on the same basis that men and boys are permitted to be barechested. In addition, topfreedom advocates seek recognition of the right of...
, a social movement to accord women and girls the right to be topless in public where men and boys have that right.
Body art
Body art
Body art is art made on, with, or consisting of, the human body. The most common forms of body art are tattoos and body piercings, but other types include scarification, branding, scalpelling, shaping , full body tattoo and body painting.More extreme body art can involve things such as mutilation...
(such as body painting
Body painting
Body painting, or sometimes bodypainting, is a form of body art. Unlike tattoo and other forms of body art, body painting is temporary, painted onto the human skin, and lasts for only several hours, or at most a couple of weeks. Body painting that is limited to the face is known as face painting...
) are common forms of creative expression, as well as costume
Costume
The term costume can refer to wardrobe and dress in general, or to the distinctive style of dress of a particular people, class, or period. Costume may also refer to the artistic arrangement of accessories in a picture, statue, poem, or play, appropriate to the time, place, or other circumstances...
s, art bike
Art bike
An art bike is any bicycle modified for creative purposes while still being ridable. It is a type of kinetic sculpture. The degree of artistic creativity and originality or new functionality of art bikes varies greatly, depending on the artist or designer's intentions .-Examples:* The annual...
s, portable sound reinforcement system
Sound reinforcement system
A sound reinforcement system is the combination of microphones, signal processors, amplifiers, and loudspeakers that makes live or pre-recorded sounds louder and may also distribute those sounds to a larger or more distant audience...
s (such as public address
Public address
A public address system is an electronic amplification system with a mixer, amplifier and loudspeakers, used to reinforce a sound source, e.g., a person giving a speech, a DJ playing prerecorded music, and distributing the sound throughout a venue or building.Simple PA systems are often used in...
systems/bullhorns
Megaphone
A megaphone, speaking-trumpet, bullhorn, blowhorn, or loud hailer is a portable, usually hand-held, cone-shaped horn used to amplify a person’s voice or other sounds towards a targeted direction. This is accomplished by channelling the sound through the megaphone, which also serves to match the...
, and boombox
Boombox
Boombox is a colloquial expression for a portable cassette or CD player. Other terms known are ghetto blaster, jambox, or radio-cassette. It is a device capable of receiving radio stations and playing recorded music , usually at relatively high volume...
es), musical instrument
Musical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...
s as well as other types of noisemakers.
Many of the political rides have their roots from Critical Mass
Critical Mass
Critical Mass is a cycling event typically held on the last Friday of every month in over 300 cities around the world. The ride was originally founded in 1992 in San Francisco. The purpose of Critical Mass is not usually formalized beyond the direct action of meeting at a set location and time and...
and are often described or categorized as a form of political protest
Protest
A protest is an expression of objection, by words or by actions, to particular events, policies or situations. Protests can take many different forms, from individual statements to mass demonstrations...
, street theatre
Street theatre
Street theatre is a form of theatrical performance and presentation in outdoor public spaces without a specific paying audience. These spaces can be anywhere, including shopping centres, car parks, recreational reserves and street corners. They are especially seen in outdoor spaces where there are...
, party
Party
A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, or recreation. A party will typically feature food and beverages, and often music and dancing as well....
-on-wheels, streaking
Streaking
Streaking is the act of running nude through a public place.-History:On 5 July 1799, a Friday evening at 7 o'clock, a naked man was arrested at the Mansion House, London, and sent to the Poultry Compter...
, public nudity
Public nudity
Public nudity or nude in public refers to nudity not in an entirely private context. It refers to a person appearing nude in a public place or to be seen from a public place. It also includes nudity in a semi-public place, where the general public is free to enter, such as a shopping mall...
and clothing-optional recreation
Naturism
Naturism or nudism is a cultural and political movement practising, advocating and defending social nudity in private and in public. It may also refer to a lifestyle based on personal, family and/or social nudism....
and thus attracts a wide-range of participants.
Events
Nudity
Nudity is the state of wearing no clothing. The wearing of clothing is exclusively a human characteristic. The amount of clothing worn depends on functional considerations and social considerations...
is encouraged, but not mandatory, on all rides. Some people ride in their underwear
Undergarment
Undergarments or underwear are clothes worn under other clothes, often next to the skin. They keep outer garments from being soiled by bodily secretions and discharges, shape the body, and provide support for parts of it. In cold weather, long underwear is sometimes worn to provide additional...
.
Political and often artistic rides
- Critical Ass
- Hemp Ride Starting in 2007
- World Naked Bike RideWorld Naked Bike RideWorld Naked Bike Ride is an international clothing-optional bike ride in which participants plan, meet and ride together en masse on human-powered transport , to "deliver a vision of a cleaner, safer, body-positive world."The dress code motto is "Bare as you dare"...
An international event (Since 12 June 2004)- World Naked Bike Ride SeattleWorld Naked Bike Ride SeattleWorld Naked Bike Ride Seattle is an umbrella reference for Seattle's collection of local World Naked Bike Ride-affiliated events including WNBR Downtown Seattle , the permaculture-oriented Gardens Everywhere Bike Parade, WNBR Seattle Night Rides, WNBR West Seattle, Seafair Cyclists and Hemp Ride...
- World Naked Bike Ride Seattle
- Manifestación Ciclonudista Mundial in SpainSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
(Since 2001) - Body Pride Ride in Seattle (Since 2005)
- Gardens Everywhere Bike Parade (GEBP) Starting in Seattle on 29 August 2009.
- Naked Bike Rides by Against War/Artists for Peace in VancouverVancouverVancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
(3 January, 3 April, 27 June and 6 September 2003) - Critical Mass Ciclonudista in ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
- Nacktradeln.de
Recreational rides, not overtly political
- Nackt RadtourNackt RadtourNackt-Radtour, Karlsruher FKK Rad-Classics and Karlsruher Nacktradeltour are references used to describe annual naked cycling tours in Germany, many of which happen around Karlsruhe. Organizers describe the event as recreational rather than political. Full and partial nudity is encouraged, but not...
Naked cycling tours in GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
(since 2000). - The Naked Bike Ride at the University of VermontUniversity of VermontThe University of Vermont comprises seven undergraduate schools, an honors college, a graduate college, and a college of medicine. The Honors College does not offer its own degrees; students in the Honors College concurrently enroll in one of the university's seven undergraduate colleges or...
, a bi-annual event held at midnight after the last day of classes each semester
Mostly artistic, non-political rides
- Solstice CyclistsSolstice CyclistsThe Solstice Cyclists is an artistic, non-political, clothing-optional bike ride celebrating the Summer Solstice...
in Seattle. (Since 1992, with bodypainting since in 1998?) - Critical Tits at Burning ManBurning ManBurning Man is a week-long annual event held in the Black Rock Desert in northern Nevada, in the United States. The event starts on the Monday before the American Labor Day holiday, and ends on the holiday itself. It takes its name from the ritual burning of a large wooden effigy on Saturday evening...
in the Black Rock DesertBlack Rock DesertThe Black Rock Desert is an arid region in the northern Nevada section of the Great Basin with a lakebed that is a dry remnant of Pleistocene Lake Lahontan...
in NevadaNevadaNevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its... - The QueenQueen (band)Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
video for Bicycle Race.
Topfree events
TopfreedomTopfreedom
Topfreedom is a cultural and political movement seeking to advance gender equality by the recognition of the right of women and girls to be topless in public on the same basis that men and boys are permitted to be barechested. In addition, topfreedom advocates seek recognition of the right of...
is allowed but full nudity
Nudity
Nudity is the state of wearing no clothing. The wearing of clothing is exclusively a human characteristic. The amount of clothing worn depends on functional considerations and social considerations...
is not allowed, or is discouraged:
- Sydney Body Art RideSydney Body Art RideThe Sydney Body Art Ride is a community-driven art event which raises funds for children's cancer research while promoting healthy sustainable living. It is held annually in the middle of February in Sydney, Australia...
in SydneySydneySydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. (Since 2005) - Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Dyke MarchDyke MarchDyke March is a mostly lesbian-led and inclusive gathering and protest march much like the original gay pride parades and marches. They usually occur the Friday or Saturday before LGBT pride parades and larger metropolitan areas have related events both before and after the event to further...
Related bike ride events
- Critical Ass is a variant of the Critical MassCritical MassCritical Mass is a cycling event typically held on the last Friday of every month in over 300 cities around the world. The ride was originally founded in 1992 in San Francisco. The purpose of Critical Mass is not usually formalized beyond the direct action of meeting at a set location and time and...
bike ride, where participating bicyclists ride in their underwear (also known as underwearing) or in the nude. In June 2004, 22 world cities participated in World Naked Bike RideWorld Naked Bike RideWorld Naked Bike Ride is an international clothing-optional bike ride in which participants plan, meet and ride together en masse on human-powered transport , to "deliver a vision of a cleaner, safer, body-positive world."The dress code motto is "Bare as you dare"...
, an international Critical Ass-style event. Regular Critical Ass rides have taken place in New York City, Chicago, Seattle and other locales throughout North America. - Some Critical Mass rides themselves have had incidents of full or partial nudity. Seattle Critical Ass is an example of one such ride.http://naked.wikia.com/wiki/Seattle_Critical_Ass
Activists
Known activists include Daniel Lorenz JohnsonDaniel Lorenz Johnson
Daniel Lorenz Johnson is an American permaculturist, artist, activist, community organizer and writer who has worked for the advancement of various progressive/social liberalist causes through interdisciplinary, collaborative projects involving grassroots politics, media art and popular culture...
, Jennifer Moss
Jennifer Moss (activist)
Jennifer Moss a.k.a. "Gennifer Moss", "Bush Lady", "Ojai's 'Pastie Lady'" and "Ashland's Naked Lady" is a peace, sustainable living, social nudity and topfreedom activist living in Ojai, California who is best known for inline skating and cycling naked.She has also used her attention to promote...
, Simon Oosterman
Simon Oosterman
Simon Oosterman is a New Zealand political activist, trade unionist, and anarchist. He is best known for coordinating the Unite Union campaign Supersizemypay.com which targeted the fast food industry and contributed to the abolition of youth rates, a $12 minimum wage and the , and for his...
, Conrad Schmidt
Conrad Schmidt
Conrad Schmidt is a social activist, filmmaker and writer living in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada who is best known for his role in founding the Work Less Party of British Columbia and for creating the internationally known World Naked Bike Ride protest.-Biography:Schmidt was born and raised...
(WNBR founder) and Terri Sue Webb
Terri Sue Webb
Terri Sue Webb is an activist living in Bend, Oregon, who was one of few activists in the United States active in The Freedom to be Yourself campaign. She has been imprisoned and released multiple times for public nudity. On several occasions, she has remained fully nude while incarcerated, often...
.
Filmography
- Solstice: A Celebration of the Art of Bodypainting produced by James W. Taylor/Circle Rock, 2004. Includes clips of the 2003 Solstice CyclistsSolstice CyclistsThe Solstice Cyclists is an artistic, non-political, clothing-optional bike ride celebrating the Summer Solstice...
- Radtour-Classics 2001: Nackt-Radtour in und um Karlsruhe am 14. 6. 2001 A film by Karl-Heinz Kreutler.
See also
- Individual and political action on climate changeIndividual and political action on climate changeIndividual and political action on climate change can take many forms, most of which have the ultimate goal of limiting and/or reducing the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, toward avoiding dangerous climate change.-Political action:...
and Soft energy pathSoft energy pathIn 1976 energy policy analyst Amory Lovins coined the term soft energy path to describe an alternative future where energy efficiency and appropriate renewable energy sources steadily replace a centralized energy system based on fossil and nuclear fuels.... - BohemianismBohemianismBohemianism is the practice of an unconventional lifestyle, often in the company of like-minded people, with few permanent ties, involving musical, artistic or literary pursuits...
and CountercultureCountercultureCounterculture is a sociological term used to describe the values and norms of behavior of a cultural group, or subculture, that run counter to those of the social mainstream of the day, the cultural equivalent of political opposition. Counterculture can also be described as a group whose behavior... - NaturismNaturismNaturism or nudism is a cultural and political movement practising, advocating and defending social nudity in private and in public. It may also refer to a lifestyle based on personal, family and/or social nudism....
- List of public outdoor clothes free places
- Reclaim the StreetsReclaim the StreetsReclaim The Streets is a collective with a shared ideal of community ownership of public spaces. Participants characterize the collective as a resistance movement opposed to the dominance of corporate forces in globalization, and to the car as the dominant mode of transport.-Protests:Reclaim The...
- Culture jammingCulture jammingCulture jamming, coined in 1984, denotes a tactic used by many anti-consumerist social movements to disrupt or subvert mainstream cultural institutions, including corporate advertising. Guerrilla semiotics and night discourse are sometimes used synonymously with the term culture jamming.Culture...
and Direct actionDirect actionDirect action is activity undertaken by individuals, groups, or governments to achieve political, economic, or social goals outside of normal social/political channels. This can include nonviolent and violent activities which target persons, groups, or property deemed offensive to the direct action...
and Flash mobFlash mobA flash mob is a group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual and sometimes seemingly pointless act for a brief time, then disperse, often for the purposes of entertainment, satire, artistic expression...
and Smart mobSmart mobA smart mob is a group that, contrary to the usual connotations of a mob, behaves intelligently or efficiently because of its exponentially increasing network links. This network enables people to connect to information and others, allowing a form of social coordination. Parallels are made to,... - Nude beachNude beachA nude beach is a beach where users are legally at liberty to be nude. Sometimes the terms clothing-optional beach or free beach are used. Nude bathing is one of the most common forms of nudity in public. As beaches are usually on public lands, any member of the public is entitled to use the...
- Nudity in sportNudity in sportNudity in sport is uncommon but has not been totally absent from ancient or current sporting activities.-History:...
- Naked hikingNaked hikingNaked walking, also known as naked hiking or freehiking, is a sub-category of the modern form of social nudity....
- Public nudityPublic nudityPublic nudity or nude in public refers to nudity not in an entirely private context. It refers to a person appearing nude in a public place or to be seen from a public place. It also includes nudity in a semi-public place, where the general public is free to enter, such as a shopping mall...
- Utility cyclingUtility cyclingUtility cycling encompasses any cycling not done primarily for fitness, recreation such as cycle touring, or sport such as cycle racing, but simply as a means of transport...