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You Can Stop Worrying about People Riding BikeTown Nude—They Had Special Seat Covers for the Naked Bike Ride

They were a public safety godsend.

(Sam Gehrke)

By Dana Alston

Thousands sweated through the World Naked Bike Ride last Saturday, a tradition that gave many a reason to stay indoors. The overbearing heat made seat covers a necessity—even for Biketown (pronounced Bike-y-town).

Related: Butts, Balls and Boobs: Photos from the Portland 2017 World Naked Bike Ride

The Portland Bureau of Transportation came prepared, covering bikes throughout the city with specially-made seat covers and a free ride code for anyone who wanted to join in. "Take a ride on us," they read, with a link to the Biketown app and a unique code under each one. Each code worked only once, thankfully.

PBOT spokesperson Dylan Rivera says the covers were a "playful way to engage with the community of bike riders."

Playful, but also, ya know, safe. This was the first crisis involving mass nudeness for BikeTown, which arrived in Portland last July. The Bureau's staff had to brainstorm the idea when confronted with the horrifying prospect of sweaty naked people riding public transit.

It's a good thing they went with seat covers, because the bike ride itself lasted from dawn till dusk. Imagine the safety concerns involved with that many exposed body parts. Seriously, think about it. Then delete it from your memory forever. Yeesh.