Calendar FAQ

Going to events

Who organizes these events?

Anyone! The calendar is free service for community members to use.

Please note: Shift hosts the calendar as a public service. Rides and events are posted to the Shift calendar by community members, not by Shift. Rides and events posted to the Shift calendar are not sponsored by Shift or Shift’s fiscal sponsor, Umbrella.

Are rides free?

Most events are free. If there’s a fee, it has to be listed in the description.

Do rides return to the start location?

It depends. Some rides do, and some don’t. Ride leaders have the option to indicate whether the ride is a loop or not, and can also provide info about the end location. Contact the organizer if you’re not sure.

I have questions about a specific ride. How can I find out more info?

Use the contact info on the event listing to contact the organizer.

A ride leader didn’t post any contact info. How can I contact them?

We recommend that all ride leaders include at least 1 public contact method, but not all do. If you have a question for a ride leader but don’t have a way to contact them, email the Shift calendar crew. We can’t share the ride leader’s contact info without their permission, but we can forward your message to them. The ride leader may then choose to respond or not — it’s up to them.

Posting events

Who can post events to the calendar?

Anyone!

What info do I need to provide about my event?

To post an event you need to provide at least these basics:

  • Title
  • The name of the organizer
  • Start date & time
  • Start location

The more info you provide, the better! It helps people figure out if the ride is a good fit for them.

Do I have to use my real name?

You can, but you don’t have to. You need to identify who is organizing the ride, but it could be a nickname, a nom de velo, or the name of an organization.

What if I don’t have all of the details ready yet?

You can post it, but make sure you update the listing before the event. You can use “TBA” for a start location if you don’t know yet where it will start, or if you want to keep it a secret until closer to the event.

Can I post events that have fees?

Yes, but you must mention that in the description. If you don’t, people will assume the event is free.

Is my contact info public?

Only what you want to share. You can choose what contact info you want to include on the public listing. You aren’t required to share any contact info publicly, but we recommend including at least one way for people to contact you — email, phone, or web link.

Do I have to provide my email?

Yes, we need a real email address so we can send you a link to manage the listing. But you can choose to hide it from the public listing.

What do the different audience types mean?

Briefly, event audience means:

  • General: most bike rides
  • Family friendly: distance, content, and pace is appropriate for kids
  • Adults only (21+): drinking or other adult activities (nudity, etc)

Check out the details in our Code of Conduct for more info.

How do I edit my event?

Use the link that’s emailed to you. It acts like a password — anyone who has it can manage the event, so keep it private. If you can’t find the email we sent you that contains the edit link, contact us and we’ll help you out.

How do I reschedule or cancel my event?

Edit your event using the link that’s emailed to you. Scroll down to the date picker, and find your ride date. Change the menu next to your date from “Scheduled” to “Cancelled.” You can also add an optional note in the “newsflash” area to let your riders know the new plan.

If you’re rescheduling to a new date, click on the new date in the date picker to add it. You can also add an optional newsflash message to the new date.

Screenshot of date picker with cancelled date and rescheduled date. June 27th is cancelled with newsflash “Moved to July 11”; July 11th has newsflash “New date.”

Can I post bike-related events that aren’t bike rides?

Yes, but we ask that you clearly indicate that the event isn’t a ride, or you may get folks showing up who expect a ride! Things like bike swaps, meetings for bike-focused advocacy groups, and other non-ride bike events are OK to post to the calendar. We recommend using the “newsflash” area to indicate that the event isn’t a ride, and also mention it in the description.

I’m having trouble posting a ride or making changes. Who do I contact?

Email the Shift calendar crew if you need help.

Subscribing to the calendar

The Pedalpalooza events can be added to your computer or smart phone’s calendar. As new rides are created, they will show up on your calendar automatically (usually within 24 hours of the ride being posted by the organizer). This is a convenient way to stay up to date, but remember these are community driven events: any and all events will be visible when you view your calendar.

On many devices, clicking this link — webcal://www.shift2bikes.org/cal/pedalpalooza-calendar.php — will open your calendar app automatically, and the app will guide you through the steps to subscribe.

For Android devices (or for Google Calendar on iOS devices) you will have to subscribe manually.

Android and Google Calendar:

  1. Copy the Pedalpalooza calendar link above. (On Android, by pressing and holding the link until the “Copy link address” menu appears, and then selecting that option.)
  2. Visit Google Calendar and if asked log into your Google account.
  3. On that Google Calendar page, paste the link you copied into the “URL of Calendar” box (press on that box and hold until the “Paste” menu appears, then choose that option).
  4. Finally, click the “Add calendar” button.
  5. 🎉 (Now find a ride you like, and bike on over!)

For additional help with Android and Google Calendar, please see this Google support page under “Use a link to add a public calendar.”

Other common cases:

  1. iPhone Calendar App - use the instructions under “Set up a calendar: Subscribe to an external, read-only calendar.”
  2. Mac Mail - follow the instructions for “Subscribe to a calendar.”
  3. Outlook - follow the instructions for “Subscribing to a calendar.”
  4. Thunderbird - follow the instructions for subscribing to an “internet holiday calendar”, but use the pedalpalooza calendar link from above. ( Pedalpalooza is basically a holiday anyway, right? 😊 )

Glossary

Here are some acronyms and phrases that might be used in a ride listing: