Vow for 2012: No More Foofy gigs!
We want to feel the love at all of our events in 2012 and are willing to let some event opportunities go if they are shaping up to be foofy.
Foofy: Excessively frilly or frou-frou, typically in a manner calculated to attract attention to an otherwise unremarkable person or event. Source: Wiktionary
In the context of Pedal Powered events, foofy is synonymous with greenwashing, needless burning of Fossil Fuels to get there, or huge expense of resources to amplify a vague message.
For 2012, we vow: No More Foofy or Unattended Gigs!
We’re grateful to everyone who has reached out to us about event opportunities. And we don’t want to point fingers. But those on the crew who’ve been there week after week know we’ve had some foofy gigs in the mix this past year. We took almost all the events that came our way in the past year, turning down only an employee event for a major oil company. In 2012 we want to apply a stricter standard to avoid taking gigs that waste our time or use our Pedal Power to further a lame cause. This will hopefully save our team’s energy and resources to give our all to the products and events we believe in.
If several of the questions below raise a flag , that’s a clear sign this gig is likely to be foofy. Avoid it!
- Would we be proud to announce it in our newsletter?
- Are we comfortable doing it? In order to get the gig, do we need to promise something we’ve never done at an event before?
- Does this event producer / client have a message? And is it a message we can get behind?
The message doesn’t need to be the focus of the event. For example, our music events don’t always have a strong message, and they’re still worth doing. - Do we respect the planners / organizers and their work in the community?
- Do we need to burn fossil fuels to get there? This is a big one. We did a lot of truck and airplane gigs in 2011. Using Fossil Fuels to get to a gig raises the bar on everything else. We need to reach a good number of people in a real way to make up for burning
- Do we get to work with kids? Major trump card! Working with kids makes almost everything else passable.
- Does the client care about the event enough to want to be there in person? Enough to pedal? At many of our events, we are left to hold it down and the event contact / client is busy doing something else. Not a deal braker on its own but if 2-3 other flags are up, then this might make the gig unworkable.
No more unattended gigs. We will work to get our people there!
OK, so we are only going to do events we believe in. Now we want to avoid another pitfall: unattended gigs. There were too many events in 2011 that had awesome music, a great message, and not enough people! We will use every tool in our bag to get our friends and people out. If you want to make sure you hear about these events, join our Facebook page, and our newsletter using the icons above.
Bike Fair at Sproul Plaza. Awesome event, great music and dancing, but only 5-10 people from our community showed up beyond our crew who were working the event. Let’s grow that number next year so that we can have more great dance moments like these at our Pedal Powered events.
Read More
What are the elements of a Pedal Powered Stage?
Pedal Power Generators:
Above, two Mundo 500 generators in use at the Eugene Bicycle Music Festival. The rear wheel is elevated off the ground so that you can pedal in place and generate power.
You will need enough bicycle generators that the pedaling effort per person is approx. 50-75 Watts. Based on our experience at events, 50-75 Watts is the amount that an average audience member can continuously provide. You should also have ‘ringer pedalers’ in your crew. Ringer pedalers are strong racer or everyday commuting cyclists who can contribute up to 4 times more than an average pedaler. Whether you’re relying on ringers or the GP (General Public), you’ll need to provide enough bikes that the effort can be shared.
| Number of Pedalers | Estimated Crowd Size Possible in an Outdoor Location |
| 1 | 200-500 (with One Bike / One Speaker) |
| 4 | 500 |
| 8 | 500-1000 |
| 12 | 1000-2000 |
| 20 | 2000+ We haven’t had enough chances to test at these power levels. |
Pedal Powered Stage
Music and speech sound better through pedal power, just like food tastes better in the Great Outdoors.
Photo Cred: Janel Sterbentz
Photo Cred: Volker Neumann
Pedal Powering your next event taps you into the magic of community power, the purest and best source of power currently available.
Greenpeace’s Lauren Thorpe rocks the mic at a 350.org Climate Justice rally in 2009.
What We Provide:
- Transportation. Our roadies transport all our gear to and from your event on cargo bikes, reducing the impact of cars and trucks.
- Bicycle Generators. We transform our cargo bikes into comfortable stationary generators ready to meet power needs of the band. We make sure to bring enough generators that pedal power feels moderately challenging–everyday people can contribute, even kids down to 13. Our roadies become ringer pedalers who can boost power levels as needed.
- Coaching. Our crew includes outgoing pedal coaches who pull in your audience and motivate them to contribute. Our Pedalometers (power readouts) show pedalers exactly how hard to pedal.
- Audio Gear. We bring audio equipment (mics, loudspeakers, stands, cables, mixers, monitors, 2,000 watt subwoofers, etc.) sufficient for audiences up to 1,000 and bands with up to 8 members. *New for 2012* Vertical elevation of speakers thanks to our new line array and El Arbol, the bike tree.
- Sound Guy/Girl. Our crew experienced audio technicians who optimize the available pedal power for the most clean, clear sound.
- Comparable Output Levels. The listening levels of our events are similar to small and medium festival stages.
- Education. We display the power generated by the pedalers, and track the consumption of our equipment and update the crowd throughout the event to maximize the educational potential of the activity. If appropriate, we provide a science lesson that satisfies your audience’s curiosity about how our system works.
- Promotion. Our gear-hauling rides are social, and serve to promote your event as we hand out fliers and play the songs of your featured artists en route. We also utilize our e-communication outlets to promote your Pedal Powered event.
We do not provide an elevated stage for your event.
Since 2007 we’ve been Pedal Powering music stages, amplifying speeches, and hosting off-the-grid parties for clients and events including:
Maker Faire (see highlights: 1, 2) | Jack London Square
The Gaia Festival | Oregon Country Fair (see highlights)
Life is Living | University of Oregon | Sunday Streets (see highlights)
UC Berkeley | California Academy of Sciences (see highlights)
San Francisco Bicycle Music Festival (see highlights) - NOW
Central Park (see highlights) - The Yes Men (see highlights)
Virgin Mobile (see highlights) – The San Francisco Marathon (see highlights)
New Belgium Brewery - Propel Fitness Water - Greenpeace (see highlights)
San Francisco Mayor’s Office - Barcelona Bicycle Music Festival (see highlights)
Global Exchange - the Chabot Observatory - West Fest (see highlights) -
Bluegrass for the Greenbelt – Specialized Bicycles – the Ride to Prevent ALS
Earth Hour (see highlights) - Save the Redwoods - NYC Celebrates Water
Also, you can read testimonials from our clients.
Want to see photos from our events?
Check out the latest shots from our Pedal Powered Stage events. We update it after almost every event! Also check us out on Facebook.
Want to get a taste of a Pedal Powered Stage event?
Click play below for highlights from Rupa and the April Fishes’ set at the 2012 Bicycle Music Festival.
Rupa & The April Fishes – Bicycle Music Festival 2012 from janel sterbentz on Vimeo.
Click Here to Begin Planning Your Pedal Powered Event!
Please read on as we explain the reasons top event producers love our Pedal Powered Stage:
Pedal Power is Social.
Please note the Pedal Powered Stage is using 2008 technology in this video.
Pedal power is an ice-breaking, fresh social activity that connects strangers in an electrifying way: working shoulder to shoulder, rocking the party as a team. When it’s time for the dancing spirit to bust loose, pedal power’s movement gets people moving. Only a hands-on (and feet-on) experience this cool can transform what might have been a merely excellent event into a soul-moving, year-making event.
Musicians and Audiences Rise to the Occasion.
We can power many styles of music, including heavy metals bands. Bring us to your event and we can power your DJ/band’s needs.
Bands love playing through Pedal Power because the audience is already moving at the beginning of their set.
Two Words: Party Bikes
Our Pedal Powered Stage fleet include the legendary Bike Tree, El Arbol, seen above, as well as the Blue Whale and the Choprical Fish.
An expecting woman Pedal Powers a rock show at Barcelona Bicycle Music Festival on the Blue Whale.
Our fleet of cargo and custom party bikes are complete with on-board neon lights, bumping sound system, and pedal-power capabilities. It can immediately start cranking out tunes as we set up our stage, which usually takes about an hour.
Biked-in sound = quick deployment and unusual locations.
Turn the heads of everybody at your event as we magically arrive on cargo bikes loaded with sound equipment, set those same bikes up to power the sound system, then load the bikes back up and vanish, all without consuming any fossil fuels. The fact that we bike the bike, not just talk the talk, inspires participants at your event.
When you don’t need electrical outlets, the whole world becomes a stage! Want to rock the floor of a trade show or a big concert in a city park without lobbying the powers-that-be for permission to plug into an outlet? Want to have your wedding at the end of that pier? Want to rock a concert at the beach, amidst the redwoods, in a wildflower-speckled meadow, on the school playground, on the steps of city hall, or even in-motion with a “live on-bike” performance? With pedal-power, that power is in your hands (and feet)!
PR Building Blocks.
The pedal powered stage amplifies your press coverage! An event with a remarkable sound system gets remarked on by the press, and we’ve proven that pedal power provides that ‘unimpeachably cool-factor’ that catches their ears and turns their gears every time. Stretch your marketing dollar! Let your investment in the sound system work for you twice: onstage and off! Rock the Bike will help your PR effort with multimedia tools: videos, web, photos, tech info, and more.
Note the improved coverage in the TV20 clip below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RYL5PFrHrY&feature=player_embedded
Pro Audio Sound from Names you Trust.
Our gear selection includes:
- Mackie 8 channel and Soundcraft 12-channel mixers
– Modified JBL 635 loudspeakers
– JBL PRX Series ultra-efficient 3-way cabinets
– 2-4 Mackie and JBL stage monitors
– Custom 30′ snake
– Shure wired and wireless microphones. 10 mics available including Shure Beta 91a kick mic.
– custom, one of a kind Soul Cycles — integrated music bikes with built in neon lighting
– Monitor Stands
- Line array
Even those with the pickiest ears — musicians — rave about the clarity and commanding presence of our system. Each year at the SF Bicycle Music Festival we use the Rock the Bike system to amplify 15 different bands ranging in tone from salsa bands with full horn sections, to whispering singer-songwriters accompanied by a ukulele, and broadcast it to hundreds of sonically-spoiled city dwellers in a challenging outdoor urban setting. And every year, we get the party moving with pedal power.
**Sorry, we do not offer an elevated stage as part of our Pedal Powered Stage gear.**
Compromise on Volume, Not Sound Quality.
The clipping is right. Raw decibels aren’t the only way to measure the effect of the amplified music at your event. Most music fans want the clarity and presence that comes from using professional quality gear, but they can do without the ringing sound in their ears when they’re heading home from an event. With a modular system capable of producing anywhere between 75 – 2000 watts, Rock the Bike makes sure that the volume is exactly what you need: no more, no less.
Lower listening levels can be more social, giving people a chance to hear each other talk while still feeling “in the music.”
Rock the Body: Workout for Your Audience
With 53% of adult Californians and 22% of children considered medically obese, and many more people of all shapes suffering from respiratory disease from polluted air, immersing your audience in the magic of bike-culture with the pedal powered stage couldn’t be a more considerate or timely gesture.
Photo: Steve Rhodes
Healthy habits gain momentum when friends can move in that direction together. We’re all about getting your audience interested in bikes, and often bring extras that they can try out. Our super-duty Mundo cargo bikes can carry riders weighing up to 400 lbs, and are safe and stable. It might help rekindle their long lost bicycle-love.
Sound Guys with Soul.
With Rock the Bike you get experienced Sound guys and MC’s who are leaders in the green movement. Quit worrying about coordinating the sound guy, the DJ, the band, the iPod and the ‘groovy chill mix.’ Our team includes musicians who enjoy interacting with bands, are comfortable making announcements and MC’ing, as needed. We’re not just sound guys; we’re leaders in the Green movement. We carry plenty of good music with us to keep the event moving during breaks. Rock the Bike team members have rocked the mic at events such as San Francisco Green Festival, Maker Faire, Bioneers, TED @ Vancouver, and other green/ alt-culture events.
A Crew of Entertainers at Your Service.
We make music, we enjoy music, we dance when we hear music. Rock the Bike crew members are fun-loving, and want your guests to have the best time possible at your event. Whether you want funky hip hop flava, an acrobat, or a full band we’ve got an array of assorted talents in our crew. Check our Music section to listen to some house bands, or ask us for recommendations.
Interactive Pedal Powered Lighting Rigs
Let us bring our years of experience with Pedal Powered lighting to craft something special for your event. For fun or for education (or both!), the possibilities are endless!
The sLEDgehammer
The sLEDgehammer, an interactive Pedal Powered lighting rig. More LEDs light up when you pedal harder, converting your peak power output on an efficient bicycle generator to beautiful light. Click here to watch the video!
The sLEDgehammer’s display can be customized for your event, like a courtyard installaton (above).
More Light Displays
Above: Lines of light come from the generator bike, extending further (up to 300 feet) the harder you pedal.
Above: More lines of light on our 18′ tall Bamboo Tripod.
Above: Pedal Powered Stage LED lighting: 1 pedaler per panel.
Above: The large light-up Wattage Display shows the instantaneous power use of our Pedal Powered Stage. It averages readings to show you the power use over the last 5 seconds
The Light Bike
Above: Sir Richard Branson pedaling the Light Bike comparison station at the Virgin Mobile Festival in Baltimore, 2008.
Switching back and forth allows the pedaler to feel the energy savings of CCFL bulbs over traditional incandescent bulbs.
Soul Cycles
We have integrated Pedal Powered Lighting into several of our custom Soul Cycle rigs, including El Arbol, the Bike Tree:
The Blue Whale:
and The Choprical Fish:
If you’re looking for applications to use Pedal Power, there are two main types: Mechanical and Electrical.
Mechanical applications generally have the advantage of being simpler, cheaper, and with simpler maintenance. They include Bike Blending and Spin Art.
Electrical applications are more limitless. The options include, but are not limited to, audio amplifiers, AC Power, and light.
Read MoreWhich Rock the Bike Pedal Power Bikes are available to rent for our event?
You can green your event by renting our Pedal Power gear, reducing your carbon footprint and inspiring people at your event. Check out all our great bikes for rent, and let’s start talking about your upcoming event.
