...another crank mob thread
Thread started by
bicioso at 03.24.09 - 12:10 pm
its hard to follow all the thread about it and im jsut going to throw another one out there....
had a conversation with someone about crank mob and they basically were saying how they thought it was horrible and it got me to writing....
i dont think that it is horrible just misguided and a little naive...although some would say that this in itself is what makes it great...being adventurous and optimistic (we need people like this)
both the organizers are great guys and are doing good things for cyclist on the west-side
however i believe that at its present state crank mob comes off as counter productive to the efforts of many to create a friendly/respectful dialogue between cyclist, motorist, and the city.
this of course is nothing new, this is an argument that has existed since the first critical mass rides in san francisco. in los angeles it has lead to the view that cycling proponents working within the city have become complacent bureaucrats in the pockets of a pro-motorist agenda, while the new "urban cyclist" want immediate and radical change now.... and if not now then yesterday (basically uncompromising, immature, and ungrateful). its a serious cluster fuck with both sides- but i digress.
that the lessons of early midnightridazz rides are not heeded by crank mob is beyond me.
disbanding as a centrally organized ride and giving it to the people was the solution that midnightridazz choose, and that crank mob has become so popular- in #'s that rank up there with the old school rides- surely attest that this move was successful. so successful in fact that it recreated itself albeit in a new uncharted local that had been tangential to the early "urban cycling" scene- west LA (yeah im talking about big massive party rides and dont mean to slight SMCM,VCM, or CubCamp, etc...). basically the weest side is blowing up (and has been) in ways that it hadnt before and that the east side already did and matured (not that it doesnt have its problems).
now what to do?
disband as some have suggested?
....its hard to see something you have worked on and cared for go.
take up the midnight ridazz model and create weekly westside rides?
.....seems like this already exist (pier pressure rides, etc.), but maybe with the lack of crank mob many invested people and noobs will take the initiative and launch their own rides in the spirit of crankmob, much like those rides that came after midnightirdazz disbanded and franchised out.
continue on and address problems as they continue to rise?
....may a suggest NO liquor store stops. at best they mean an hour wait for people to run in and get booze they could have already brought with them. at worst you have thefts, vandalism, and police action.
create a police force within the ride?
....debatable how effective this can be, especially without any legitimate power to wield. how far can social ostracism truly go. and really if so many (even if its a few bad apples) dont share your same concerns for how the ride is behaving...maybe something is terribly wrong. police force within the ride, yes a solution, but is it only a solution to the behavior or the attitude/belief? (if that makes sense?)
i didnt mean to write so much but obviously i did.
this is in no way meant to disparage crankmob organizers and i hope that it is taken as a sober view from a semi-uninterested third party troll (shit the last "party" ride i went to was- ironically- the warriors ride that ended in pan pacific park.)
as roadblock put it...you got some hard decisions to make and wish you all luck
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Thanks for writing buddy.
It's really important to realize that a ride is only made up of the people that are on it. Cmob used to be very respectful, rule following, and as safe as any other ride. You really can't blame anyone but the actual 'Riders" on the ride for the negativity. The FUN guidelines are stated in every of Cmobs ride postings and so are the general rules for the ride. It's the 'rider's" choice to follow.
Bottom line is that no matter how large the group, people shouldn't steal, shouldn't tag, and should ride safely.
C.R.A.N.K. MOB has become a social experiment these days where we try to persuade, train, and teach new riders the ways of RIDAZZ, but when it's 1 Rida to 10 riders it's very hard to spread the tradition. Now it's about figuring a way to send this message clearly and positively.
I have faith that things will work out and i have a really good feeling about what C.R.A.N.K. MOB will be in 3 months.
richtotheie03.24.09 - 12:29 pm
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yeah, we've allowed crank mob to get too fucked up. those enormous lines at albertsons always made me smile, but that's just not possible with that many people.
if people want to drink, new rookie riders will ride too slowly to stop for booze and then catch up, therefore staying more sober. stronger ridazz will be able to stop and catch up as they like.
and keep riding. that's what it's all about anyway. not tagging or stealing at the stops. CRANK MOB needs a makeover if it stands a chance. let's take it as far as we can.
tortuga_veloce03.24.09 - 12:46 pm
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Ridazz Roulette!