My first critical mass

[lamontagne]

I know, not exactly expo, but an interesting experience none the less. I'm been riding for...well...ever, but I've usually been solo or small groups. So last Fri, I was surfing facebook and saw that the Phoenix Critical Mass was that night, and thought "that sounds like it could be fun". I asked the boss (the pregnant wifey) for the night off and headed out.
I was greeted by a group of about 40 folks in the staging area. They were a fairly diverse group. A few in full spandex on carbon road bikes, several hipsters on fixies, a few BMX bikes and several cruisers. I believe I was the only one on a 29er MTB.
After a quick safety meeting, we were on our way of an 11 mile tour. The pace was very casual. It was a very different experience riding enmass in a travel lane with traffic. I suspect more than a few drivers were less than pleased, but we got quite few compliments too. The route was more or less a figure 8 through downtown with one left turn on a major road. This was the one critique I would make about this ride. To the 3 folks on bikes who tried to stop traffic while a group of bikes makes a left turn, are you crazy? I know the purpose of critical mass and what it stands for, but that was stupid, not mention the confusion created when the cars started doing things you dont expect them to, like driving around you.:smiley_drive: The rest of the ride was fun and terminated at a park in downtown. Afterward, backtracked to a bike-pub crawl that was happening in the area and made some new friends there, but that is a another story altogether.
So a few lessons learned here;
1..clipped in is not best here. Too much stop and go.
2..bring a better headlamp.
3..bring or arrange a designated driver. The one beer I was allowed was woefully inadequet.
This ride is the last Fri of every month, maybe some expo folks could me next time?

 

[Flagster]

Keep a lookout for Kermit's "fixie traps" if you ever venture outside PHX

 

[jaxs1984]

I'm glad you joined and had a good time Its a little different in Chicago. We usually draw about 2000 and own the streets. It is a spectacle.

 

[Christian P.]

yep, fun time. been in the one in SF quite a few occasions, sometimes on my bike, sometimes stuck in the traffic in my car...

 

[lamontagne]

2000 bikes in the streets? That sounds like a potential for far too much hooliganism.:bike_rider:
Next time we visit family in Chicagoland I will try to time it around this!

Keep a lookout for Kermit's "fixie traps" if you ever venture outside PHX

I venture out as often as I can, do tell?

 

[Christophe Noel]

As a long time cyclist I hope someday Critical Mass rides meet their end. While some communities do well to organize a reasonably positive event, most CM rides do little more than create additional tension between motorists and cyclist. I think the majority of CM rides are a negative reflection on cycling and most often frequented by those whom I would hardly call avid riders.

I say boo to critical mass.

 

[EMrider]

As a long time cyclist I hope someday Critical Mass rides meet their end. While some communities do well to organize a reasonably positive event, most CM rides do little more than create additional tension between motorists and cyclist. I think the majority of CM rides are a negative reflection on cycling and most often frequented by those whom I would hardly call avid riders.

I say boo to critical mass.

Fully agree. It is bacically a mob of cyclists ignoring traffic laws and riding in an unsafe and annoying manner. Fun, maybe. Smart, heck no.
R

 

[Christophe Noel]

Fully agree. It is bacically a mob of cyclists ignoring traffic laws and riding in an unsafe and annoying manner. Fun, maybe. Smart, heck no.
R

I actually have a great deal of ire for those hooligans (not avid riders) who hit the streets one day a month just to piss off motorists then park their bike until next CM ride. Meanwhile, avid riders like me, are on the road with all those motorists they antagonized the night before. Mega annoying.

Just this week San Francisco had a CM ride. A close riding buddy of mine said it was once again a negative reflection on riders as those CM hooligans flipped off cars and blocked traffic. No avid rider ever does this. EVER.

 

[lamontagne]

Flounder, I agree with you as well. There shouldn't be a need for this type of event.

As previously stated, I have never participated in a critical mass, here in Phoenix or anywhere else. So I can not comment or make comparisons to these other events. The vast majority of this ride followed all traffic rules, with the exception being the one incident that I mentioned and expressed my disagreement with. So as far most of the critical masses that encourage a mob mentality, this was not my experience.

I wish I could call myself a "avid" cyclist. My family comes first, work second, I ride when I can.

Anyhoo...

Maybe this could be an opportunity to get more civic minded people involved to make a POSITIVE difference?

 

[Joash]

If any of you are looking for an awesome, free, fun for the whole family bicycle event, check out Los Angeles' Ciclavia this Sunday.
http://www.ciclavia.org/

 

[JeepMI]

I too went on my first critical mass last friday, mine being in Detroit. I had a lot of fun, but I have to agree that it causes unnecessary tension between motorists and cyclists and it did get dangerous at times. I'd say there was at least 300 people there, and no body followed traffic laws, and most people didn't even bother to stay to the right or in a bike lane when possible. The only reason we didn't have people getting hit by cars is because of the people that stopped at intersections and stood in front of cars waiting for us to pass. One cyclist did come close to being hit by a bus when the driver pushed his way into our crowded group. Like a said, it was a ton of fun, but definitely not the smartest idea. Some of the neighborhoods we were riding through were interesting though, a lot of places that would be unsafe in a small group or alone at night in Detroit, but I was comfortable because of the groups size.

 

[keezer37]

Never heard of "Critical Mass" before this thread but it sounds like something giving bicycling a bad name. I am always mindful to be courteous to drivers even when they are not so to me. Except that one guy on the motorcycle. Share the road my ***. But I figure the good/bad I do toward one driver may be reflected on the next cyclist that that driver sees.

 

[LR Max]

It does. Just youtube "Critical Mass Accident".

I've done many organized rides and while they try to obey the law, when you've got 50~250 bikes, you get in drivers way. I have no idea how there hasn't been more issues with this here in Atlanta. ATL has horrible drivers.

 

[Christophe Noel]

As a competitive cyclist, I've been to over a thousand events. Most of them are way out in the sticks or in areas where closed roads will cause the least amount of inconvenience for motorists. There's always an awareness to not cause conflict if possible. CM rides do the opposite. The round up as many riders as possible and make an effort to clog as many roadways as they can. It's a bummer.