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Finn Bourke
Professor Garcia
English 134, Section 8
17 January 2024
The One Night Each Month to Ride a Bike
Lights from hundreds of different handlebars flicker throughout the streets of Downtown
San Luis Obispo. The sound of tires spinning across the pavement and people screaming the
words “Bike Night!” echo between the buildings surrounding the streets. Hundreds of riders with
skill levels ranging from Olympic cyclists to college students who haven’t ridden a bike in over a
decade rush by. They have the energy of the Tour de France Peloton but the speed of an entry
level road race. Every single one of the participants is there for one reason: Bike Night. Bike
Night is on the first Thursday of every month in Downtown San Luis Obispo. Although some
may say that one night each month is truly called Bike Happening and that Bike Night is every
night, most people know the infamous event as Bike Night. Bike Night occurs after the Farmer’s
Market at 9:30 pm. People organize at about 9:00 pm and meet at Mission San Luis Obispo de
Tolosa in the main plaza. After allowing time for everyone to arrive and giving some time to
socialize, the “King” of Bike Night shouts into his megaphone that it’s time to go. Anywhere
from 30 to 400 cyclists take off down Monterey Street. They turn left onto Nipomo Street, left
onto Marsh Street, and then ride six blocks to a large parking lot. In the parking lot, everyone
regroups. Friends find each other, people dance, people do tricks on their bikes, and spend time
together just like other social events. After some time, someone will call out to start another lap,
and off they go. Down Higuera Street, left on Nipomo Street, and then back up Marsh Street.
These laps continue late into the night until there is no one left to keep going.
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Bike Night may just sound like people hanging out and riding their bikes, but there is a
lot of meaning behind the event. The event started years ago when a group of friends decided
they wanted to go on a late night bike ride after the Farmer’s Market. In the days following, all
their friends found out about their adventureandwanted to join them to do it again. So they did it
again. And again. Each time more and more people joinedin on the fun.allowing anyone to
come and join the fun. The event slowly grew intowhat it is today with hundreds of people and
the well known chant of “Bike Night!” Yet stilleventhough aat its core Bike Night originally
was just some buddies who wanted to go for a ride. which is part of what makes it and the bike
community so special. Bikes are just a way to be outside and it's so easy to share that with other
people. Those shared experiences build community, deepen connections, and create memories
that will last a lifetime.All that is needed to joinis a bike and a good spirit to experience the
beautiful chaos of Bike Night. Yet deep down Bike Night isn’t just a simple late night college
town shenanigan, there is a lot of meaning behind the event.San Luis Obispo local and avid
cyclist, Tobin Merriam, has been attending Bike Nights for seven years. He immediately loved
the event after growing up riding and racing bikes. As a cyclist, he explains the event as, “a
Farmer’s Market for my people” (Merriam) meaning that for that one night of the month,
everybody is Downtown.During a Farmer’s Market, similarvendors are there each week and
similar people go to the event causing them all to build a tight knit community. Similarly, at
Bike Night cyclists see each other each month which helps them reconnect.Merriam reflected
that he has friends that he has drifted from or that have moved away but eventually, they will
appear at Bike Night and he will be able to reconnect with them. The event is a way for him to
stay in touch with all of the people in his community whom he doesn’t interact with commonly.
The night is also a way to celebrate bikes. Merriam credits cycling as the reason he has gotten
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where he is today, “ Every single person in my life I met because we've met each other on a bike
ride”. Cycling is a sport that is known to have many benefits alongside physical gains.
According to the National Library of Medicine, “Some studies [about cycling’s benefits to
mental health] have demonstrated a decrease in depression symptoms, while others have
demonstrated an overall increase in emotional well-being and happiness” (Green). Merriam is a
big believer in this as well and says that whenever he is feeling down it is normally because he
hasn’t ridden his bike in a few days.
Another Bike Night fanatic, Tyler Kunkel,had manysimilar views on the benefits of
Bike Night and cycling as a whole. Kunkelis a firstyear at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and even
though he hasn’t attended as many Bike Nights as Merriam has, he has already fallen in love
with the event. Kunkel grew up riding bikes andalsohas a deep connection with the sport and
the community. Kunkel said, “I think what Bike Night really does is it helps grow and foster a
community that cares for one another” when contemplating the significance of Bike Night. Bike
Night is an event that draws so many different kinds of people of all kinds of skill levels on a
bike. More talented riders take care of people who need help during the short ride to make sure
everyone has the best time possible. As Kunkel says, “It’s truly a melting pot of everyone and the
best part of it is that everyone is having fun”. Kunkel also explained that Bike Night is a way for
people to enter the bike community at a very low barrier to entry.The ride is not physically
taxing in any way, the roads are unpopulated, and there are no technical sections where someone
could crash in. Literally, all that is needed to go is a bike and Bike Night can give a sneak peek
into parts of the bike community.The bike communityhas countless advantages ranging from
meeting amazing people to reaping the health benefits of cycling.As Dr. Green says in an article
from the National Library of Medicine, “bikeable neighbourhoods foster social interaction and
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community cohesion,” and as well “[cycling] prevents development of chronic diseases such as
diabetes, coronary artery disease, and depression; and decreases all-cause mortality”.Being a
more experienced rider, Kunkel is able to share his wealth of knowledge with less skilled riders
at Bike Night. From one of themanytimes I have beento Bike Night, I saw Kunkel wheelying
down the whole street block; shown in Fig 11. When I asked him if he could give me tips on how
I could improve staying up on just my rear wheel he was happy to help.He readily went in depth
on how I can use my rear brake and quick pedal strokes to find a balance on just one wheel.That
is just one experience of the many someone can have at Bike Night.Just like Kunkel,
Peopleeveryoneareiswilling to help each other andjust have fun together no matterwho they
are orwhy they are at the event. As seen in Fig 1,the range of people at Bike Night is large.
Kunkel is seen in the middle of the frame with a unicycle on his right and more cyclists
continuing down the street. The assortment of different people shown in this photo illustrates the
easy accessibility for community fun that Bike Night creates. This one frame is just one moment
of the thousands of moments that are created at Bike Night that make the event so special.
From my own experience, Ialsohavefounda passionfor Bike Night. I heard
about Bike Night long before attending Cal Poly Slo and
experienced one before I went to school here. Even though I barely
knew anyone there and I was a shy high schooler surrounded by
college kids, I found the event to be mesmerizing.Being around all
the college kids, I felt young, out of place, and intimidated by the
older kids yet the Bike Night community happily welcomed me and
my anxieties subsided.People who clearly didn’t ridea bike very
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Fig 1: Kunkel surrounded by many different riders while he wheelies down Higuera Street (Photo by the
author)
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often were deep within the pack and every single person I saw had a smile on their face.
Everyone seemed excited and so happy to be there in that moment. As an experienced cyclist,
most of the experiences I had on a bike that I shared with people were with other people trying to
be faster, stronger, and better than each other on the bike.I shared the sport with peers who had
been training for years and rode their bikes purely to try to be the fastest.A lot of what I
experiencedwithinthe world of bikeswas justmainlythroughthat environment ofracing. And
not just casual racing, racing at the highest level where peers would sprint for minor places in a
race just to get those needed points for the next race. When cycling, becomeslife or deathjust a
raceit losesthe real meaning behind itstarts to fade awayandwhythat meaning is whyevery
racer I know started racing their bike: biking isreallyfun. Bike Night is an incredible way to
celebrate that and remember tojust pauseslow downand have fun on the bike.To take time to
be grateful to have the opportunity to ride a bike and just enjoy those few moments of pedaling.
Not pedaling to go fast, just pedaling to be with friends and to feel the joy of riding a bike.I
cannot thank the cycling community enough for everything it has done for me but what I can do
is help other people discover the never ending fun of a bike. Bike Night truly may just be a
massive group ride with a ton of friends but there is so much meaning behind those few hours.
Bike rides help me clear my head, reflect on my life, calm down, reenergize, and so much more.
Similar to Merriam and Kunkel, we all feel like bikes are a happy place for us and a place to
destress, refocus, and recenter in our lives. Bike Night is our way to show appreciation for the
activity, hang out with our friends, and introduce more people to the beautiful world of cycling.
As Merriam says, “I think every town should have a Bike Night”. Kunkel agrees and further
thinks, “Every town could have a Bike Night yet they would all be different”. Bike Night is just
another way to get on a bike with a bunch of friends and have fun. Life becomes hard when there
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is no fun involved in it and bikes are just one of the many ways to have fun. I credit cycling for
being an outlet for me to express myself and I know hundreds of people who feel the same way.
Living in San Luis Obispo, means we have access to one of the coolest bike events out there. So
on the next first Thursday of the month, grab a bike and head to Downtown San Luis Obispo for
a night of fun riding bikes.
