Critical Mass

[Diomedes]

Anyone going?

Its on Friday at 5:00. Goes from End of the Line to Sluggos. Looks like me and a few other U club members are going to grab some club road bikes and head down there to check it out.

Should be interesting, as this will be the first CM I've ever been around.

[carl]

DON'T WEAR YOUR PORC SHIRT.

[Endo]

yea i was just told about this as well...but the person told me that it would be starting at 4:30. he said it was a "positive" critial mass ride...not the 'in yo face' types you hear about in the big cities. still, don't wear your porc shirt.

Supposed to be a quite a few riders at the event.....and, there’s beer involved--Something about a keg. Sounds like a blast.

If anyone has more details on this please feel free to post.

[losdog]

DON'T WEAR YOUR PORC SHIRT.

yes, don't. wear a B.U.M.P. shirt instead:D

[Diomedes]

No worries about negative PORC publicity. I was a little uncertain about what to expect, since I've read enough negative things about CM on bikeforums, but this was a pretty laid back event and everyone I met was nice and pretty easygoing.

The ride did shut down intersections for short periods of time, but most everyone I saw was courteous; both drivers and riders. During the first part of the ride, bikers were pretty bad about hogging the entire road and blocking up traffic badly, but towards the end the mass got a lot better about sharing and for the final stretch up Cervantes, we left one lane almost entirely open for cars.

Plenty of interesting bikes... including some that probably should not have been on the road. Read: no brakes at ALL. (this was not a fixie) The rider braked by dragging her foot along the pavement... and she was wearing slip on shoes... made for some interesting downhills.

I had enough fun that I'll try to make it back for the next one and the one after that, so long as it doesn't start to attract combative types and folks out looking for trouble.

[just joe]

It was fun. Free beer was what I was in it for. :tup: Like you said, there was a few who were not to happy when we clogged the intersection other than that I'm looking forward to the next. I believe its at the end of every month, so the next one will be a Halloween ride which is going to be real silly. Bring a costume.

[smokebikeseveryday]

everyone should show up. i dont think that i would go to extreme of hiding the presence of cycling clubs involved in a community event. if you have a feeling that something is going wrong, then you should step up and say something using positivity to control the situation. when you see someone being an ass, you tell them they are being an ass. the only way most of the people at a CM would know proper road rules and does and donts is from other riders. the whole point of a CM is to let riders and drivers alike know how the road works and who is going to share it with them. be positive. wear your shirts with pride and authority. if we had mor ecycling club relationship with the rest of the comunity then we wouldnt have as much of a rogue feel to the whole thing and not as mush stigma around it.

[egordon]

The problem is the Drivers and Bystanders will never get it. The fact that most drivers seeing a massive group of bikers half wild costumes ect wont see it as you and the other riders see it Is why we dont want to Display PORC during this event. Most drivers at 5pm on Friday would see it as more of a political statement. I dont agree nor dissagree with Critical Mass, but I dont want to see PORC getting a bad rap..

[smokebikeseveryday]

then the whole point of a porc presence is to turn something like a critical mass into something peop;e can relate and respect. if you see people that are affiliated with said groups then people start to realize the purpose of things like critical mass. a cycling group like porc, i believe , is way of being political with a fellow group of backers and supporters. i feel that a group like porc could have such a positive impact on the cycling community and by nature a "cycling group" in america is radical by the very core of its roots. anyhoo. i wont go waving a porc flag around if the general community doesnt want that but i do encourage others to do soo with pride and content.

[smokebikeseveryday]

next on is on halloween!!!!!!!!!!! you could always dress up like a porc member. haha

[egordon]

Problem is it only takes one bad egg to spoil a dozen...

[smokebikeseveryday]

next critical mass is tomorrow at 5!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! be there at 4 30 and ride at 5. we need as many people as we can get soo i expect to see some of pcolas finest showing us how its done.

[brettk]

what a waste of time. it seemed like it was going to be fun, but then it just pooped out.

[Diomedes]

Eh, seemed like the crowd was small compared to last time. The two new folks who we brought had a good time though.

[Diomedes]

Christmas CM is today. Meet at End of the Line before 5:00. Lights might be a good idea.
I'm bringing my mtb this time and plan to do a bit of urban riding before/during/after if anyone is interested.

Maybe it won't be subcritical mass this time.

[PensaKona]

Critical Mass this friday 2/27. Meet @ End of the Line Cafe @ 4pm like usual. Please bring lights if you plan on riding, we had a little issue with this last time*ahem*.

And yes, it is a political statement of sorts. If you enjoy sitting on the sidelines about sustainable transportation than stay there. Plenty of us enjoy getting together and making a statement about the cycling community in Pcola. Not just the crit riders or MTBers, the Whole cycling community needs to unite.

Really, would you rather be stuck in a car (aka cage) or on your bike? Maybe this is the wrong forum for this.