In midtown Sacramento, you’ll occasionally see a shoal of people meandering down the road on what appear to be miniature motorbikes. Though it’s quite possible you’ll smell or hear them first.

This shoal is – in the loosest possible sense of the word – a “gang” of moped riders. They don’t have formal chapters like motorcycle or, even, motor scooter gangs, and their captains are merely required to “not be an idiot” and “have good ideas for fun stuff to do.” There’s no fancy charter or historic creed. In fact, they’ll be the first ones to tell you they’re way to lazy and disorganized for all that.

One simple phrase characterizes what these cycling cephalopods are all about. Their unofficial motto:

“Party sitting down.”

Because whether on the seat of their bikes or on the cushions of their couches, the Land Squids are a group of young, local, moped enthusiasts who simply enjoy hanging out and enjoying a good laugh with one another.

On a recent evening, four Squids sit outside of Oscar’s Very Mexican Food in Land Park chowing down. Ben Della Rosa, 27, Serene Lusano, 26, and Travis Cameron, 20, just finished their weekly ride that unfortunately was cut short by a break-down of Lusano’s bike. Mike Rafter, 36, one of the “founding fathers” and a captain of the gang, didn’t ride tonight but decided to join the others for a bite.

Each Land Squid has an interesting story behind what drew them to mopeds and, eventually, to each other.

“I needed friends,” Della Rosa said.

The others laugh, and one-by-one each Squid starts sharing his or her story.

“I got a moped because my mom told me I couldn’t have a motorcycle,” Cameron said.

He said his mom acquiesced to the idea of a moped not realizing he’d go out the very next week and actually buy one. Since then, Cameron has been a dedicated rider, and he really enjoys the camaraderie of his two-stroke companions.

Lusano mentions that mopeds are cheap. And they are.

A moped that doesn’t run but can be fixed will only set you back about $500 and will get roughly 100 to 120 mpg. According to Rafter, a brand-new moped is comparable in price to a custom bicycle but has a motor to do the legwork for you. And you’ll hit 30 mph or more.

Now for those who may be unfamiliar with mopeds, the contraption simply stated is a small motorcycle with pedals.

“Like if a motorcycle and a bicycle had a baby,” Della Rosa said.

Prior to the 1970s, mopeds were scare in the United States due to legal restrictions. Until a man named Serge Seguin wrote his master’s thesis on the European version and was then given funds from a French manufacturer to promote them in the states.

Subsequently, Seguin lobbied congress on their fuel efficiency benefits and was able to get a majority of the states to give them their own vehicle classification. Sales skyrocketed during the 1970s energy crisis, and by the latter part of the decade more than 250,000 Americans owned one.

In recent years, mopeds have experienced a resurgence in popularity partly due to both their nostalgic “coolness” and the country’s ever-rising gas prices.

According to the Land Squids, one thing that adds to their “coolness” is how much you can alter them.

“They’re extremely customizable,” Lusano said.

Cameron’s moped is a noteworthy example of this. The engine of his bike was designed to go about 30 mph. Yet due to some crafty alterations, he said his bike hit 70 mph on the Pacific Coast Highway last week.

“When you get something that tiny going that fast you feel like you’re going to die,” Cameron said with a grin.

“Travis likes to feel his mortality,” Della Rosa said.

Cameron knows it’s not the safest practice to soup up the little engines or drive at such speeds, but he’s proud of his mechanical accomplishments.

“It’s not safe,” Cameron said. “It’s cool though.”

This free-spirited, carefree mentality seems to permeate and personify many of the local crew.

Most of the Squids live in or around midtown, and they all store their mopeds together in a garage near 26 Street and N Street. Many of the approximately 26 Land Squids try to gather together weekly to either ride or watch YouTube, or maybe to just hang out at some midtown tavern.

They also get together annually to hand out awards for things like Land Squid of the year, rookie of the year, crash of the year and most improved rider.

“Which Ben, I think, won back-to-back,” Rafter said.

“I won three times,” Della Rosa shot back.

When they can’t congregate in person they still gather together and chat with one another at their online forum mopedarmy.com.

While the Squids readily acknowledge they can be somewhat apathetic when it comes to organizing and structuring regular events, they all still remain dedicated to the cause. Regardless of whether or not they actually work up the energy to ride they still cherish the friendships they’ve developed with each other.

It’s a mutual fondness that according to the crew most non-Squids don’t share – a moped, apparently, only a mother could love.

“People with kids really hate us,” Lusano said. “They’ll cup their ears, or hold their nose and shake their head at us.”