Notes from the the 2022 Cruiser Classic

Justin hucking it off the gully jump. I wonder if the people in the car noticed.

Words+ Photos: Mike Blanchard

Rust: Seems like it’s been only a few months since the last Cruiser Classic which, if you have never heard of it, is a super-fun bike ride of mostly Klunkers and single-speed bikes. However people show up with every kind of bike from crazy modern mountain bikes to kids’ bikes bought the day before at Walmart.

A fair number of loons show up in costume and there are prizes for enthusiastic participation given by the ride organizers, The Good Times Crew. The Crew are a somewhat shadowy bunch of folks who are dedicated to mountain biking, having fun and getting folks out on two wheels. See our article Good Times At The Cruiser Classic for a more in-depth view of the Good Times Crew.

They also raise money for organizations doing good things for the cycling community. In the case of the Cruiser Classic the ride raises money for BONK trail stewards, an organization that builds and maintains bike trails. So … a good cause.

Someone is having fun. Plenty of bad-ass women on the Cruiser Classic.

The ride is a one-day event of about 10 miles on the Pioneer Trail running from Skillman Horse Camp to the Harmony Ridge Store on Highway 20 above Nevada City. There is a lot of emphasis on fun, which means a lot of beer and other mood lubricants.

What would be a mostly downhill breeze on a modern bike with suspension can be a bit of a challenge on a Klunker, a 20-inch bike (and there were a number of these ranging from Schwinn Stingrays and BMX bikes to the aforementioned Walmart kids’ bike) or some of the other less appropriate bikes. One guy in a Grinch plushie suit rode a three-speed Free Spirit girls’ townie bike and was even seen chucking it off the jumps on his skinny road tires. Said Grinch won an award for the most determined participant, or something very close to that.

Rik Pape takes the plunge on the Widow Maker.

I have mentioned Klunker bikes a couple of times. For those of you who are not up on the latest trends, they are a uniquely American form from which the Mountain Bike was hatched. They emanated from Marin County in the 1970s and were originally built from mostly pre-war cruiser bikes souped up with better wheels, bars, crank sets, brakes and eventually, derailleur setups.

The single-speed version of the Klunker has become an art form unto itself. Certain parts and frames have begun to command significant prices, and there can be a whiff of snobbishness about the whole deal at times, but in general it is a genial scene. The Klunker has become the ’32 Ford of the bike scene. If you want a more detailed history, check out the film “Klunkerz” on Amazon Prime.

But I digress. There are several competitions during the ride, including a dirt time-trial and a bike limbo event. Style and a willingness to sacrifice body count for a lot in these games. Awards are handed out after the ride for the winners of the events and for things like the crustiest bike, heaviest bike, best build, best costume/s and things which don’t mean anything but somehow mean the world at the same time.

Alan Cook, your genial MC (and chef) for the Cruiser Classic.

This will have been my third time riding the Cruiser Classic. I came up from Sacramento with a group of friends and we camped Friday and Saturday nights, which is really the best way to experience the event because it is more than just the ride. There are so many interesting people involved, gearheads of every stripe. It is a big gathering of the Nor-Cal bike community who work diligently at having a good time.

After the ride the organizers put on a solid meal, and following the awards and raffle they show cycling movies and film shorts (If you have not seen “The Tour De Pharmacy,” do yourself a favor and watch it).

This year was the fourth of the new era of the Cruiser Classic. The event was started 24 years ago by some guys from Chico. Eventually it died out, but the Good Times Crew had the gumption and foresight to bring it back and it has turned into a real highlight of the bike scene in Nor-Cal. Guys build bikes especially for this event. Heck, I know guys who build a new bike every year just for this event.

The after-ride highlight is the raffling off of a custom bike. This year a single speed ripper supplied by Proper Bikes with super rad parts donated by Chris King and Paul Industries among others. After the raffle it is time to cut loose-er and so, that’s what we did until the next morning when it was time to pile in the truck and go home. See y’all next year.