This is one of the Hard Times Bike Club's hangouts. Formed four years ago by a couple of guys and a welding torch, tonight's group is 25 strong. The bike club has no dues, no regular meetings or rides - that would be much too organized for a group with so many homeless members, drifting members, members without phones and members dedicated to pursuing liberty. Meetings happen by chance. They may, on occasion, gather for a parade.
Tall bikes inspire viewers to gawk, rather than smirk.
In Uptown a few weeks ago, a lone club member whizzed through the traffic of beautiful people. The biker, sporting dirty denim, hovered over the stopped cars at Lake and Hennepin like a raven gliding to a stop. Even a lone rider on a tall bike can induce visions of a skeletal Cirque du Soleil mutinized by Alfred Jarry. The difference with high bikes is that once a rider pushes himself or herself into motion, he or she must clamber up the frame, hop on and quickly start pedaling. Practicing this feat can be a hairy experience accompanied by numerous dangerous tumbles on the way.