Critical Mass (bicycling topic)

[Napoleon]

We have some bikers here. Does anyone participate in their local Critical Mass rides?

This is what Critical Mass is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_Mass_%28cycling%29

[G.]

We have some bikers here. Does anyone participate in their local Critical Mass rides?

This is what Critical Mass is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_Mass_%28cycling%29

(my reply isn't going to be real popular...)



Sounds like a bunch of *******s.

I love bikes, I love riders, I give wide berth, etc.

I am sick of having to lock up the brakes due to bikes on the road ignoring traffic laws.

I'm NOT talking about coasting through a stop sign or other minor inconveniences. I WATCH for riders, and I understand that they do things differently than other vehicles.

There's a road I drive often. Speed limit is 55, if possible. It tends to be bumper-to-bumper at 55 mph during rush hours. There is a completely blind intersection, that can be a bear to try to cross when there's traffic. A loosely-organized bike club solved this difficult intersection; they blast right through. I am not making this up.

http://goo.gl/maps/jZjqA

If this link works, imagine following in a line of cars that just accelerated to 55 mph. You are most likely following too closely to the car in front. Out of your left vision pops a fast bike zooming between cars and continuing on. Scares the crap outta ya. And of course, they yell at the cars.

(Note: they don't do this much anymore. I wonder who got hit?)

Most riders I know agree that these guys are *******s (and yeah, they've ridden with them). Sounds like Critical Mass guys.

[cameraman]

I gotta admit that a large percentage of the Critical Mass riders in Utah are *******s. This town's a mess when it comes to the whole bike vs car deal. The car drivers here are terrible bordering on criminal in their behavior towards bikes and as a result a percentage of the riders have gone full guerrilla in response. *******s abound all the way around.

[Gnam]

In San Francisco, they are known as critical mass-holes. They ride the last Friday of every month during rush hour. They like to block intersections so the riders don't have to stop. It is quite the parade, or mob. Since the militant ones feel safe in numbers, they dispense street justice to any car they feel isn't respecting them. Most people are just there to ride bikes, but the event is designed to antagonize motorists.

Sometimes the Hells Angels do a similar ride. No one complains. ;)

[Opposite Lock]

I love bikes, I love riders, I give wide berth, etc.


:thumbup:

And Gnam, "critical mass-holes" is an apt term. I'm stealing that. :D

I think I’m about as pro-bike as they come. I’ll skip my pro-bike “resume” (CV?) for now, other than to say that I’ve been a cyclist for a long, long time, (30+ years in this city), and even made my living off of it for a few years in the early ‘90s. Biking is still one of my main means of conveyance, the cornerstone of my exercise program, and probably my favorite pastime.

But I’ve never been able to embrace the critical mass-hole thing. For one thing, I prefer my anarchy to be DIS-organized. The way I see it, if you want to celebrate being empowered by riding your bike, then Just Go Do It, you don’t need a couterie of whiny obstructionists to help you reinforce your tepid convictions.

For another, while I support many biking clubs that get together for group rides, I really can’t stand the “look-at me/us” aspect of the mass-hole element, and the whole traffic obstruction deal. I have lived in a high-rise in a downtown major metropolitan setting for the last 12+ years, close to where the local mass-hole rides originate, which has afforded me a bird’s-eye view of the first few several blocks of dozens of these Friday night rides. I have witnessed way too many examples of poor (anti-social) behavior by the mass-holes, (and I’m self-editing heavily here).

Another thing I hate about the so-called “critical” mass-holes: they ride reeeally slow, and most of them have crappy, stupid bikes. Mass-holes, if you’re really trying to raise public acceptance and tolerance and respect for cycling, Stop Being Mass-holes. Get real bikes, ride like you need to get someplace, or at least like you mean it.

I’m not sure that promoting cycling is really the goal anymore with this group. (Again, imho, if you want to promote cycling, for whatever reason, Just Go Do It.) When the “movement” first started, “promoting cycling” might have been believable. But for the last few years, it seems to me that a substantial portion of the participants are just the members of the “Occupy movement” :gomer: that weren’t too stoned to balance a bike.

In summary, I offer this image to the “critical” (although "critical" is laughingly debatable) mass-holes:

499


Next rant: Why there aren't enough doilies for most designated bike lanes, (especially 2-way bike lanes on 1-way streets), from the perspective of a high-mileage non-car-owning urban cyclist. ;)

[opinionated ow]

I've never heard of such a thing happening in Australia...but we do have our equivalent irritants on bicycles. In our case they're inner urban greens voters who ride their 'retro' treadlies bolt upright in cat/bag lady clothing moaning when a removalist truck happens to slightly edge into their bike lane. For the most part, cyclists in this country are pretty good about road rules.

[Gnam]

Jeremy Clarkson's advice is to infiltrate the cyclists' ranks with normal people. :D

http://road.cc/content/news/84512-jeremy-clarkson-tells-his-readers-get-their-bikes-not-bother-helmet

[Napoleon]

Interesting.

Well it seems to be a lot better received in Cleveland then some other cities.

Even though they do do the "corking" thing and move as a group so that traffic does get obstructed they don't start until well after rush hour (7pm) and everyone is waiving and saying "happy Friday" and otherwise on their best behavior so that it seems to be received more as an impromptu St Paddy Day parade. I have never seen any problems between bikers and divers.

By the way, last Friday Cleveland had 858 bikes do it.

500

[Tifosi24]

I am sure this goes on somewhere in the Twin Cities, but my general goal is to stay away from the Urban-D/Hipster cyclist. These folks are just in it to get a rise out of people and make things more difficult to regular cyclists. There are a few of these rubes out in the 'burbs that think it is a good idea to ride on a highway, but most of the guys/gals out here stick to the shoulder or bike lanes. I agree wholeheartedly with Opposite Lock, the general obsession with old bikes these days are bordering on the insane. *Rant On* I wish my dad's old Ventura hadn't have broke its frame, but I wouldn't be spending $300-$400 on Craigslist for a 35 year old Schwinn that has rusted components just so I can look like a good hipster or turn said bike into a track bike and then ride it on downtown streets (no doubt blowing through stop signs and red lights) *Rant off*.

On a positive note the new bike is working well, now I need to decide whether to turn the old straight bar road bike into a regular drop roadie.

Edit: Maybe things aren't going as well with the new bike. I keep getting flat tires on the rear. Yesterday, I went to go out with the family for a leisure ride and it was flat. I checked later and I didn't feel or see any punctures in the tube. I just went out, and the tire is flat again. This is a bit annoying because I have picked up more punctures in three weeks then I had in over 10 years with the old bike. Any advice on what folks think caused this last one would be appreciated. I am getting close to swapping out tires with my old bike even though the older tires are probably a few hundred grams heavier.

[cameraman]

Edit: Maybe things aren't going as well with the new bike. I keep getting flat tires on the rear. Yesterday, I went to go out with the family for a leisure ride and it was flat. I checked later and I didn't feel or see any punctures in the tube. I just went out, and the tire is flat again. This is a bit annoying because I have picked up more punctures in three weeks then I had in over 10 years with the old bike. Any advice on what folks think caused this last one would be appreciated. I am getting close to swapping out tires with my old bike even though the older tires are probably a few hundred grams heavier.

You probably have something (thorn/wire) stuck in the tire that keeps re-puncturing the tube. My son had that problem after riding through a bunch of dried out rose bush clippings some asshat had dumped in the street.

[opinionated ow]

I am sure this goes on somewhere in the Twin Cities, but my general goal is to stay away from the Urban-D/Hipster cyclist. These folks are just in it to get a rise out of people and make things more difficult to regular cyclists. There are a few of these rubes out in the 'burbs that think it is a good idea to ride on a highway, but most of the guys/gals out here stick to the shoulder or bike lanes. I agree wholeheartedly with Opposite Lock, the general obsession with old bikes these days are bordering on the insane. *Rant On* I wish my dad's old Ventura hadn't have broke its frame, but I wouldn't be spending $300-$400 on Craigslist for a 35 year old Schwinn that has rusted components just so I can look like a good hipster or turn said bike into a track bike and then ride it on downtown streets (no doubt blowing through stop signs and red lights) *Rant off*.

On a positive note the new bike is working well, now I need to decide whether to turn the old straight bar road bike into a regular drop roadie.

Edit: Maybe things aren't going as well with the new bike. I keep getting flat tires on the rear. Yesterday, I went to go out with the family for a leisure ride and it was flat. I checked later and I didn't feel or see any punctures in the tube. I just went out, and the tire is flat again. This is a bit annoying because I have picked up more punctures in three weeks then I had in over 10 years with the old bike. Any advice on what folks think caused this last one would be appreciated. I am getting close to swapping out tires with my old bike even though the older tires are probably a few hundred grams heavier.

I'd say your tyre is worn out. That usually is the case in that situation

[Andrew Longman]

I'd say your tyre is worn out. That usually is the case in that situationYes. Old inner tubes dry out and get a bit/a lot porous. It can sort of leak all over instead of one spot. Valve might also need tightening.

As for the mass thing I never heard of it. We have tons of cyclist around us but it is rural enough to not really be in conflict with cars. I once had a deer hit me while i was on a bike though.

[G.]

As for the mass thing I never heard of it. We have tons of cyclist around us but it is rural enough to not really be in conflict with cars. I once had a deer hit me while i was on a bike though.

I missed that story in the meat smoking thread. :p

You can't just leave us hanging - what happened?

[Napoleon]

Tifosi24, I assume you are experienced with changing tubes and tires so this likely does not apply to you but last year I changed my first tube when a valve went bad and rapidly went through something like 3 tubes because I was either slightly pinching or twisting them when I installed them. I finally got the hang of it and the last one I put in has held for the last 15 months. If it is not that then it must be some foreign object sticking through the tire or in the rim.

[gjc2]

I was either slightly pinching or twisting them when I installed them.

Either spray the inside of the tire with silicon or use corn starch in the tire before you put the tube in. Also, before you put the tube in the tire inflate it enough for it to keep its shape.

[Napoleon]

^^^^

Not inflating it was the mistake I was making.

[Tifosi24]

Thanks for the help. This will be a troublesome fix one way of the other. The wife isn't much into cycling, so my trying to figure out these flats are driving her nuts. Surprisingly, I am not too experienced with punctures because I lived a pretty charmed life over the previous 15 years. The only flats I got were blowouts that damaged the tire, so the local shop were the ones making the changes, not me. My best guess from the suggestions would be some type of debris on the inside of the tire (even though I clean the tires after every ride), because the bike was just purchased new back in March, so I would be surprised if the tires are worn out.

[Andrew Longman]

I missed that story in the meat smoking thread. :p

You can't just leave us hanging - what happened?I had a friend who lived about 30 miles up river from me. On Friday nights on his way home from work he would stop by and pick up my canoe. On early Saturday morning I would ride up to his place, throw the bike in the canoe and paddle home - usually drowning a worm on a line as I go.

One week I was pumping away on the bike about 6 am on a lonely stretch of Rt29 which has steep cliffs/hillside on the right and the Delaware on the left. I was busy head down trying to make time when I guess I startled this buck because trying to get away he lept from the hillside onto me. We both went flying across the road, arms and legs flailing in shock and disbelief.

In mutual embarrassment we quickly gathered ourselves and scampered away. :gomer:

[Napoleon]

We both went flying across the road, arms and legs flailing in shock and disbelief.

:rofl:

[gjc2]

^^^^

Not inflating it was the mistake I was making.

I learned that the hard way too.

[G.]

In mutual embarrassment we quickly gathered ourselves and scampered away. :gomer:

:laugh:

Was there a clear winner in this battle, or did you call it a draw?



Glad there weren't any injuries.

[Andrew Longman]

:laugh:

Was there a clear winner in this battle, or did you call it a draw?



Glad there weren't any injuries.I was glad to leave with only my ego bruised. I'm thinking the buck was in the same place.