Zoobomb
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Zoobomb is a weekly bicycling activity in Portland, Oregon during which participants ride bicycles rapidly downhill.
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[edit] Details
The Zoobomb event is a weekly bicycle ride event that meets every Sunday at 8:30 PM PST in the triangular traffic division across from Rocco's Pizza and Powell's Books in downtown Portland. Zoobomb began in Fall of 2002.
The riders make use of the Portland TriMet MAX (carrying their bikes) to travel to the Oregon Zoo stop, giving the event its name. From there, participants ride their bikes down the long, steep hills in the vicinity. This process is often repeated several times throughout the night.
There is an emphasis on unusual bicycles, first and foremost the children's bicycles or "minibikes," but extending to tall bikes, swing bikes, choppers, non-functional bicycles, etcetera.
Though many riders bring their own bicycles, the participants maintain a "Zoobomb pile". This is a sculptural tower of minibikes anchored to a bicycle rack at the Zoobomb meeting point. These are spare bikes that are used as loaners for would-be Zoobombers who don't have their own bike. The pile has become a local landmark.
[edit] Culture
The Zoobombers are made up of a wide demographic, with a tendency towards young adults. The event is treated in a very lighthearted fashion, including a large amount of socializing between rides. Riders often dress up in costume or decorate their bicycles. Parents have brought their children on rides, and a legally blind person regularly attends. Though not technically a race, there is some prestige in getting down the hill first. However, there is never shame in getting down the hill last, as safety and fun are what is encouraged, not going fast. The participants espouse a "pack out what you pack in" philosophy in an effort to maintain cleanliness in the areas where they congregate. Zoobomb tries to be a positive force in the community by providing a safe environment to have a good time and to support bicycle advocacy and alternative non-polluting transportation.
[edit] Language
The term hill is a noun that refers to the spot at the top of the hill at the Oregon Zoo. Example usage: "I got to the hill late and missed the first run down, but they'll be back up in a minute."
Zoobomb as a proper noun refers to the organization or event. Example usage: "I heard Zoobomb once stopped a robbery." "Yeah, Zoobomb does many good things!" "My grandma said she saw Zoobomb going by her house and she said they all waved hi."
zoobomb as a verb (often shortened to simply bomb) refers to the action of riding down the hill on Sunday night. Example usage: "Did you zoobomb last week?" "No, but I bombed the week before."
Zoobomb! is a greeting shouted between two persons who recognize each other from the Zoombomb event as a way of establishing familiarity. Example usage: "Zoombomb!"
zoobomber is a person who has with some regularity participated in the Zoobomb event. Example usage: "I saw a bunch of zoobombers headed down Burnside Wednesday night, they must have had a tactics meeting."
The term pile is a noun and refers to the stack of mini-bikes for newcomers to use. Example usage: "Some people consider the pile a work of art, while others think otherwise. Either way, if you're new or want to ride but don't have a bike, meet at the pile. "
The term g-racer is a noun and refers to a bike that has no pedal mechanism and thus can only be ridden downhill enforced by gravity, giving the bike its namesake. Example usage: "I saw one girl go down on a mini-bike g-racer, that is so hardcore."
The term pilebike is a noun and refers to a mini-bike from the pile. Example usage: "Nice unicorn sticker and pink seat - is that a pilebike?"
The term Hellway is a proper noun and refers to the rounte down from the hill that takes you down Highway 26. Example usage: "We couldn't do Hellway last night because construction took over the road's shoulder."
The term -bomb is used as a suffix in an improvisational manner prefaced with nearly any word. Examples: pizzabomb might be a dumpstered pizza for all to share during zoobomb; trikebomb might be the act of riding a tricycle during zoobomb; nudebomb might be the act of participating in zoobomb without attire.
The term team is used in conjunction with another word to identify a group of individuals by characteristic. Example: team hardcore is anyone who shows up for zoobomb in ill weather conditions; team standoverthere is anyone who prefers to socialize during zoobomb rather than go down the hill; team pizza is anyone who goes to collect dumpstered pizza for all to enjoy; team longboard is anyone who shows up to zoobomb on a longboard; and so forth.
[edit] Events and Related
There are several annual events hosted by Zoobomb organizers and participants, including:
- Zoobomb Century in June
- MiniBikeWinter in February
- Zoobomb Summer Olympics (aka BiffDay) in August
- Alleykitten Invitational
While not directly related to Zoobomb, the following events often have large Zoobomb attendance:
- Midnight Mystery Rides (MMR's)
- Show Me The Pink shows
- Parties involving free PBR
- Sprockette performances
Other West Coast mini-bike clubs:
- Chunk666
- Dead Babies
- Laurelwood Dropouts
- Eugene Bomb
