Big Wheels

At its best, April means perfect bike-riding weather: neither too hot nor too cold, with budding trees, singing birds and sprouting bulbs all around. The bikeways green up, and everyone’s wearing a smile under their helmets. This month’s Second Saturday Block Party on the 3100 block of East Colfax will be a paean to all that rolls, as Fabric Lab and all of its street mates, including the Shoppe, Plastic Chapel, Neopolitan and, a piece down the road, Rockbar, host the Artcrank Poster Party for Bike People, an affair that melds the concept of the Minneapolis-conceived Artcrank bike-art poster show with a veritable circus of bike- and not-so-bike-related street fun.

Organized by dedicated cyclist Josh Wills, husband of Fabric Lab’s Tran Wills, the party, which runs from 7 to 11 p.m. tonight, will include a fashion show on wheels (with tricks!); a cupcake-eating contest; a live bike-building hosted by the Fahrenheit Collective; free safety and maintenance checks and a bike giveaway by the folks at Salvagetti; and a bicycle carnival, along with the poster show of works by more than forty local artists. "Many of the artists will be in attendance, and it's a great opportunity to meet up with old friends and make new ones,” says Wills. “Plus, it’s a perfect time to plan out your summer cycling adventures while being surrounded by bicycle-themed art that’s all priced under $40!" And when it’s all over, it won’t be: Broox Pulford of XROCKSTHESPOT will lead a community bike ride into the night, down Colfax and beyond, with tavern and club stops along the way.

Tune up, cycling fiends, and cruise to www.artcrankpostershow.com for details.
Sat., April 11, 7-11 p.m., 2009