Grab your commuter, beaten up MTB, cargo bike, old road bike or small town fixie to experience that newest isn’t always best. We’ll be joined by comrades in Seattle, Bristol, Brighton, Berlin and more for Shift Cycling Culture’s worldwide weekend of clunkers rides. Come along in salute of love for cycling, not the bikes we own.

We’ll ride from the shop to Montrose Beach, arriving just before sunset. Route will take advantage of Lakefront Trail as much as possible. Casual conversation pace and a friendly, communal vibe. If you’re wondering whether you or your bicycle will be able to keep up, the answer is yes! No human or bike left behind here.

Lights and helmet required, but on this ride bring something to share with the group too: food, drink, entertainment, a blanket, three friends, whatever moves ya. We’ll bring our good vibes to the beach and hang ‘til we don’t want to any more.

Believe us: it will be fun — we've been there! Here are some photos from previous clunkers rides (though this is the first in Chicago).

------

Why a clunkers ride?

Shift Cycling Culture wants to make people think about the age of their gear and spark discussions about how we consume and treat what we own. Do we really need new gear and apparel? Is it out of date, or just out of trend for instance? And if it’s broken: can it be fixed, or upgraded? Perhaps it can dampen the appetite for new, new, new that we are fed with every day.

And that, my friend, is the whole point.