Unlike the Hell's Angels, this gang prefers messenger bags to leather vests and conversation to barroom brawls. It is a gang without a leader and it is very easy to infiltrate, in fact, they welcome it each Friday.

The group is known as the “Happy Riders” and they hop on their bicycles and glide around town each Friday during happy hour. They extend an open invitation to “all those living in Salem, Oregon who love to ride bikes and lift a pint at the end of a long hard week.”

The structure of the group is rather informal and new riders are welcome to just drop in at one of the regular meeting places.

The primary meeting points are the Word of Mouth Cafe, Boone's Treasury, Venti's Cafe, and Brown's Towne. The open arms mantra of the group gives new riders a chance to join the group at one of the locations and meet some people with similar interests.

“They just come by here, it's basically a pub crawl on bikes,” said Dino Venti, owner of Venti's.

According to the Google Groups website for Happy Riders, the group meets at the Word of Mouth cafe located at 17th and Market Street before 5 p.m. and then heads to Venti's about 5:30 p.m. to catch the tail end of the happy hour.

There may be up to a dozen or more people riding at one time, and as the weather continues to improve, the numbers will most likely grow. With 38 registered members to date, the goal is to keep an open door for those who wish to ride alongside. They use the postal service adage of “Rain, Snow, or Shine” to define their group's determination and love of riding bikes and drinking good beer.

As an additional opportunity to glide around town, the Happy Riders sponsor the Salem Breakfast on Bikes event. It takes place on the last Friday of each month and meets at Winter and Mission streets on July 31st. The B on B group provides free coffee, pastry, and fruit for bike commuters and the event is sponsored by some of Salem's establishments including LifeSource, Cascade Baking Company, and the Salem Bicycle Club.

Although the primary focus of the Happy Riders is to provide Salem with a hip social meeting ground, the online forum and conversations among riders also help spread the word about bike-related issues. With the new footbridge at the waterfront and the soon-to-be created Minto Brown connection, Salem is positioned to become one of Oregon's prime bike-friendly locations. This group's desire to simply meet up and enjoy a pint of beer may provide a momentum that could help Salem grow into its promise as a future bike mecca.

For those interested in getting involved with this gang of Happy Riders, visit Venti's Cafe at 325 Court St. and inquire.