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- CommentAuthorSkidMark
- CommentTimeNov 28th 2010 edited
Posted By: ncecchiI'm pretty sure poor people all over the undeveloped world get together every friday at the end of the month to ride their expensive, flashy, and totally unnecessary tarck bikes around on dirt roads in a show of solidarity with their richer brethren in the West.
Just shows what you know because you think fucking hipsters invented everything to do with bike culture. CM started in 1992, the word "hipster" wasn't even being used ( in this most recent meaning).
Regular people on regular bikes do get together and have Critical Mass, all over the world -
- CommentAuthortypeDvorak
- CommentTimeNov 28th 2010 edited
my first group rides were these Crank Mob bacchanal-on-wheel rides and these are exactly what you guys are talking about. drunk teens, bombing hills on fg bikes with no brakes/ no foot retention. things i don't want to be a part of.
in any case, i went to the san diego cm in october and would never go again. a lot of the bikes i saw were mtbs, which was different from the very fixie-cholo/miscreant culture in los angeles. kind of neat. but it was pretty confrontational, and most of all pretty unsafe . the san diego ride was very clique-y, people rode in almost complete silence through uncorked red lights. i'm used to people warning each other of slowing pace, stopping, clear intersections to cross, and right/left turns. none of that in sd. on top of that, the group headed down el cajon and drop onto the 163 freeway in hillcrest without any consideration on oncoming traffic or for inexperienced riders.
the entire venture left a bad taste in my mouth, re-couped only because i got to hang out in this hipster-haven apartment village/complex right next to balboa. on 4th and ivy. i'd also like to state the the 163 nb and quince exit is the scariest god-damn exit i have ever been on. it almost becomes and evil dead tree rape scene. awesome. -
- CommentAuthorlickedwicked
- CommentTimeNov 28th 2010
Posted By: urchin0903i never have gone or even seen a critical mass but i like to think the more asses in the saddle the better. and lets face it self important assholes are going to be self important assholes with or with out bikes. that problems not going away.
Critical Ass -
- CommentAuthorurchin0903
- CommentTimeNov 28th 2010
so whyd you quote me? -
- CommentAuthorJoshua A.C. Newman
- CommentTimeNov 28th 2010
Hooray! It's Lickedwicked! -
- CommentAuthorpeterabbit
- CommentTimeNov 29th 2010 edited
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- CommentAuthorncecchi
- CommentTimeNov 29th 2010
Posted By: SkidMark
Posted By: ncecchiI'm pretty sure poor people all over the undeveloped world get together every friday at the end of the month to ride their expensive, flashy, and totally unnecessary tarck bikes around on dirt roads in a show of solidarity with their richer brethren in the West.
Just shows what you know because you think fucking hipsters invented everything to do with bike culture. CM started in 1992, the word "hipster" wasn't even being used ( in this most recent meaning).
Regular people on regular bikes do get together and have Critical Mass,all over the world
um... I never said anything about hipsters or even bike culture for that matter. And yeah, there are rides all over the world in DEVELOPED AREAS, no one's about to "organize" in Peru or Nambia or the poorest parts of China for that matter.
I know what Cm is and where it came from and how it started. I just don't think it was ever necessary.
I'm super confused as to why you think I'm talking about hipsters or the origins of CM??? -
- CommentAuthorncecchi
- CommentTimeNov 29th 2010
Posted By: peterabbit
trustafarians + local "news" =lamest video ever
ugh. I fucking HATE Boulder. Stupid rich kids from the midwest come to Colorado for the "heady nugs" and to "dirty up" and ruin the entire town and drive out everyone who used to live in Boulder county - people who'd be likely to pull a shotgun off the gun rack in the cab of their pickup and give that fucker blocking traffic something to think about.
Now it's just one big smug circlejerk.
End rant. -
- CommentAuthorveggie
- CommentTimeNov 29th 2010
Posted By: ncecchicirclejerk..
Biscuit anyone?
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- CommentAuthorMichael Perz
- CommentTimeNov 29th 2010 edited
Posted By: SkidMark
Posted By: Michael Perz
Posted By: SkidMarkCritical Mass meant something years ago but it has been taken over by confrontational assholes.
I don't think it meant anything even at its inception....
I don't think you can make a blanket statement like that about Critical Mass considering it has went on all over the world. Not every country's CM was taken over by either self-important hipsters or jocko frat boys (or both in the case of San Diego).
When someone creates something and assigns a specific meaning to it, the success of their action can be measured by whether or not the meaning is interpreted the same way by an outsider. And artist can pour their heart and soul into a nuanced, five page long artist's statement explaining their work to the viewer, yet that statement becomes null when said viewer walks away thinking only, "Wow. Somebody just took a shit in the corner of this gallery." -
- CommentAuthorSkidMark
- CommentTimeNov 29th 2010 edited
I can say that result of Critical Mass in Portland is that we can have group rides through the city and cork intersections and not get hassled by the Police, and with minimal friction with motorists. Big rides like Tour de Fat and Cirque du Cycling get a friggin Police escort with the Police corking the intersections.
CM died here for two reasons, one being some overzealous Police Officers harassing the crap out of it, and two being cyclists deciding that it wasn't worth the hassle considering most large group rides functioned the same way and the Police weren't tracking them. A lot of work was done on the diplomacy side of things and Portland Police got rid of Mark Kruger as head of the Traffic Division, who was the source of this and other bike harassment.
I know Portland is not a typical city. It is advertised as a bike utopia and for the most part it is, but this is because of the work that the bike community has put into it, and because of how much bike industry is located here. -
- CommentAuthorSkidMark
- CommentTimeNov 29th 2010
Posted By: ncecchi
I'm super confused as to why you think I'm talking about hipsters or the origins of CM???
Who else rides "expensive, flashy, and totally unnecessary tarck bikes"? -
- CommentAuthorveggie
- CommentTimeNov 29th 2010
Posted By: SkidMark
Posted By: ncecchi
I'm super confused as to why you think I'm talking about hipsters or the origins of CM???
Who else rides "expensive, flashy, and totally unnecessary tarck bikes"?
Gay fish do
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- CommentAuthornrunyan
- CommentTimeNov 29th 2010
legit in that the people that ride don't go 2 mph and most people aren't riding a bike for the first time. we keep up a good pace the majority of the time. -
- CommentAuthorncecchi
- CommentTimeNov 29th 2010 edited
Posted By: SkidMark
Posted By: ncecchi
I'm super confused as to why you think I'm talking about hipsters or the origins of CM???
Who else rides "expensive, flashy, and totally unnecessary tarck bikes"?
Kanye West??? haha.Posted By: veggie
Posted By: ncecchicirclejerk..
Biscuit anyone?
throw in some gravy and we've got a deal. -
- CommentAuthorbeastmaster303
- CommentTimeNov 29th 2010
Posted By: peterabbit
trustafarians + local "news" =lamest video ever
A great example of how many of the people in Boulder suck super hard. -
- CommentAuthorcyciumx
- CommentTimeNov 29th 2010
http://www.sjbikeparty.org/
Wes' disposition seemed to have turned sour sometime ago, but it is loads better now given the size of the ride (now dwindling from the weather). If "to be seen" isn't your style, but a group ride sounds good then the test rides that lead up to the actual event usually generates around 50-100 people...
Might want to stay away from me the next time though... might not like my music ;)
Biking does indeed come in all shapes, sizes and reasons Much like going to a club and getting dressed - yes - sometimes people like to get noticed... don't like it? Fine. You really shouldn't spend more than a few minutes to assemble your opinion and then promptly not think about it ever again.
That said.... I don't have any bikes I'd risk in the line of fire from new riders @ CM in SF... so I don't ever go. -
- CommentAuthorwes m.
- CommentTimeNov 30th 2010
Bike party isnt critical mass. There is way less of a confrontational agenda. I'll admit that bike party is still decent.
I quit bike party because of the ultra-aggro ride leaders. Way back in the day the entire group would stick together. If you come to a red you stop. If half the group goes through a green and it turns red then the second half rolls through too. We used the standard motorcycle run format and it was rad. Ever since the police started threatening the organizer (thats what I assume happened) the leaders have been micromanaging everyone. The last time I went one of them tried to stop me from leaving when I wanted to leave and I had to resort to "Dont mess with me, I'm a grown ass man!". That never ends well. -
- CommentAuthorxAlejandrox
- CommentTimeDec 1st 2010
Posted By: scmalexI live in San Diego, and I go every once in awhile.
I remembered it being really cool way back... its actually on of the things that got me into cycling.
There are usually ~100 people there and typically there is an arrest or two, dozens of citations, confrontations and some gnarly accidents.
A lot of people there are drunk, which is fine, but most of them can't handle it, which can be disastrous when you are riding with that many people.
Whoever leads the mass is just plain retarded! this month featured riding inside of 2 malls and a target, riding the wrong way down a 4 lane street and bombing the gnarliest hill in the city (some people got hurt pretty bad)
Its not all bad though. Its a nice way to meet people from distant parts of the county or people that aren't active on local forums and whatnot.
Also, we keep a decent pace and the ride usually lasts ~30 miles or so.
My homies and I sometimes shadow the ride until its numbers dissipate or we TRY to commandeer the mass and direct it somewhere safe.
Me and alex are friends, and yeah the San Diego one has been "interesting" each time i've gone
Drunks, High's and just plane insane ideas fill our critical mass but I'm generally ok with it,
To be fair though i've never been in a crash in it or had a problem with those aggro f***s
The only complaint i have about SD's is that its dying,
A few years back, ours was worthy of a news story every month
up 6,000 people would go,
the largest i've seen was maybe 600
but overall its fun and i'ma keep going. -
- CommentAuthorVama
- CommentTimeJan 5th 2011
Critical Mass = they slow me down just as much as they slow the cars down. GTFO of the way if you are going slow. I'm riding a bike because I enjoy it, but also because I can get places at my own pace, and skip traffic. when CYCLISTS are making the jackass traffic, I can't just skip to the right of them, and it's a bunch of retards swerving everywhere, no one following the rules of traffic. if I'm gonna get drunk and ride my bike, I'd rather it be with a couple good friends, going fast, who know how to navigate traffic and having fun... not a bunch of idiots slowing me the hell down.