How would you dress in 1985? Find out when San Jose Bike Train rolls this Wednesday, October 21, 2015 on the day Marty McFly, Doc Browne and Jennifer Parker arrive in their Mr Fusion powered flying DeLorean Time Machine.
What is San Jose Bike Train?
Bike Train is a social, casual pace (10 – 12 MPH) morning bike commute from near downtown San Jose to destinations north along the North First Street / Guadalupe Freeway corridor. The ride takes place on the completely car-free Guadalupe River Trail. People of all body shapes on all types of bikes wearing any kind of apparel are welcome — we won’t mock your down-filled vest, pleated acid wash jeans, Kaepa shoes or the popped collar on your polo shirt. Brightly colored cycling kit are equally welcome, too.
We roll 8 AM from San Jose Diridon Station, then pass through Bel Bacio Cafe in Little Italy immediately after to pick up people waiting there. If you want coffee prior to Bike Train, please arrive early and order before Bike Train passes by — we don’t always wait!
If you need a place to park your DeLorean or your hoverboard, free, all-day parking is available at the designated flying-car landing zone on Autumn Street next to the Target store on Coleman Avenue. Please let me know to look for you if you park there, and please read this information for directions and other details.
As usual, please let me know ahead of time if I should look for you at either Diridon or the coffee shop in Little Italy. I ride a filthy gray Specialized Roubaix road bike and wear a bright orange bike helmet and wait next to the Amtrak bus shelter at Diridon Station until the 8 AM departure. You can inform me either via a comment at the bottom of this page, via Twitter, or via the San Jose Bike Train Facebook page.
A Bay Area Connection
Long time Caltrain riders might remember conductor “Dangerous” Bob Widin when Amtrak owned the personnel contract to run the trains. He was a property master for the “Back to the Future” films in charge of firearms and explosives. Spielberg himself gave Mr Widin the “Dangerous Bob” nickname in a mock knighting ceremony.
“Bike to the Future” image credit to Andrew Boone and used with his kind permission. 1985 Performance Bike catalog cover from this Flashback Friday post at the company’s blog.
Pretty sure that catalog is still somewhere in my parents’ house, marked up by me and my older brother.