SCUL explained

SCUL (formerly an acronym for Subversive Choppers Urban Legion) is a Boston-area bicycle chopper gang that builds and rides mutant bicycles, chopper bicycles, and tall bikes.Spun off of a group called the Flying Donuts,[1] SCUL was founded in Boston in 1995.[2] It is organized in a paramilitary fashion with a hierarchical ranking structure, distinct naval/space terminology and a sci-fi atmosphere.[3] [4] Members adopt nicknames[5] [6] and ranks are reset each year. Advancement criteria include receiving a high five from a bystander and crushing cups.[7]

SCUL conducts "missions" every Saturday night starting at 10:30 PM[8] from April Fool's until Halloween.[9] A typical mission involves routine patrolling of the local "star-systems" (cities), getting high fives from civilians they pass[10] and crushing discarded soda cups on the street. Occasionally, they will stop to hone their "flight skills" with some friendly bicycle derby. Centuries (100-mile rides), Intergalactic and Interuniversal Missions (across state or country borders) have also been completed.

On August 25, 2005, the Coolidge Corner Theatre premiered the film SCUL: Operation SuperPosi.[11] SCUL was featured on the PBS television show Design Squad in an episode called "Skunk'd" (named after Skunk, the founder and fleet admiral of SCUL[12]).

SCUL is composed of four divisions, Metro Alpha Division (MAD) of Somerville, Massachusetts, the Star Chaser Division (SCD) of New Bedford, Massachusetts, the Rural Combat Division (RCD) which is based in Maine, and the Southern Beta Division (SBD) of Providence, Rhode Island. Currently the Metro Alpha Division and the Star Chaser Division are the only active divisions.

SCUL is housed by hackerspace Artisans Asylum[13] where it maintains a bicycle repair and modification facility, and members offer classes in welding and bicycle maintenance. SCUL is loosely allied with the Rat Patrol and is similar in some ways to other bike gangs such as C.h.u.n.k. 666 and the Black Label Bike Club.[14]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Bike to the future. Weiner. Andrew. 2000-10-19. Boston Phoenix. 2009-11-03. Boston, MA. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20100821105502/http://www.bostonphoenix.com/archive/features/00/10/19/scul.html. 2010-08-21.
  2. Book: Furness. Zack. One Less Car: Bicycling and the Politics of Automobility. 2010. Temple University Press. Philadelphia. 978-1-59213-614-8. 154. https://books.google.com/books?id=WV4QSnRqNwEC&dq=Subversive%20Choppers%20Urban%20Legion&pg=PA154. DIY Bike Culture.
  3. News: Tucker. Karen Iris. Mutant Bike Gangs of New York. Village Voice. March 14, 2006.
  4. News: Lynch. Andrew. Bike Culture: A Roundup. Brain Pickings. June 9, 2010.
  5. News: On Biking: this group of nerds rides choppers. Boston.com. November 17, 2010.
  6. Book: Damon. Maria. Postliterary America: From Bagel Shop Jazz to Micropoetries. 2011. University of Iowa Press. Iowa City. 978-1-58729-957-5. 197–200.
  7. Web site: SCUL - Boston's Chopper Armada . Momentum Magazine . 2009-11-03 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20091003205218/http://www.momentumplanet.com/cities/scul-bostons-chopper-armada . October 3, 2009 .
  8. News: Subversive Choppers' Urban Legion. WBUR. July 20, 2006.
  9. News: Lynch. Tyler Wells. I Infiltrated a Mutant Hacker Bike Gang. Motherboard. September 3, 2014.
  10. Book: Voss. Gretchen. Outside Magazine's Urban Adventure Boston. 2003. Norton. New York. 0-393-32355-2. 28–30. 1st.
  11. News: SCUL: Operation SuperPosi (2005). https://web.archive.org/web/20150219210448/http://www.nytimes.com/movies/movie/346001/SCUL-Operation-SuperPosi/overview. dead. Movies & TV Dept.. The New York Times. 2015. 2015-02-19.
  12. News: Patterson. Amanda. Nerdy bike gang marauds lightly. JSONS. June 3, 2005. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150219221737/http://www.jsons.org/news/view.php/490771/Nerdy-bike-gang-marauds-lightly. February 19, 2015.
  13. News: Lee. M.G.. On a Mission with SCUL, Boston's Oldest and Most Mysterious Bicycle Gang. BDCwire. August 13, 2014.
  14. News: Reidl. Andrea. Skurrile Mutant-Bikes: Freakshow auf zwei Rädern. Spiegel Online. December 10, 2010. de.

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