Teach Ridazz Culture
Thread started by
Glo Rider at 08.15.06 - 6:18 pm
I love the idea of making the ridazz find out about the rides by visiting the website. This give you a chance to inform all of us about the culture of the Ridazz. What's cool, and what's not.
If we always gave a lane to cars when they were around, and didnt' ride though uncorked lights, the police may be more inclined to look the other way, although I'm sure that none of them would ever be happy to see us rolling through corked lights.
I love the party, and adding rules for the ride goes against the basic spirt of the night, but if we keep blocking lanes and freeway exits for too long the police will bring it all to a grinding halt, and I would hate that most of all.
But even with 1000 riders, if we obey the traffic laws, I don't think the police will have the right to bust us. I personaly don't want to stop at every red light, but sometimes in higher traffic spots, it might be a good idea. I think adding the paragraph about this at the top of the web site is a good move, but maybe a more prominent version would be usefull.
Anyone have more thoughts about this?
Peace
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we can no longer ignore traffic laws at this size.
we must obey all traffic laws. this is not a "fuck thee government" ride. it never was.... this is a get out and ride ride. a party on wheels. we used to be loved by motorists now we are feared and hated. now we must give them something to love again.
Roadblock08.15.06 - 6:21 pm
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I totally agree. And although doing manuals and doing backward circles on our fixies in the middle of the street looks cool...it really aint.
OK maybe it's sorta cool.
high_ram08.16.06 - 11:51 am
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This might not be a "fuck the government ride" but it absolutely carries political connotations along with it. The ride to the urban farm in south central is a perfect example of this. The ride has a social concious and is not just simply a party on wheels. Along with social conciousness comes our right and our need to enable motorists of the night with the same consciousness as us. Guaranteed blocking a light will accomplish this more so than following the rules will. Breaking the traffic laws is not even the main issue here. The main issue is a select group of fuck heads who cant control themselves on the ride. On the night of the pizza delivery ride things got out of control when the idiot threw his bike through a window. The ride has multiplied in numbers greatly from the begining and changing the meeting place was a good idea. I am completely opposed to seperate meeting places but i am all for a meeting place in which we will not have to stand in the street do to a lack of room in the liquor store or pioneer parking lot. I love the ride...i love the feeling of community and i love the fact that we all do it together. Breaking the ride into groups is not the solution. Our strength is in our numbers. Many people got lost after exiting the bike path on this previous ride do to the "mandatory" wait at the light, and were unable to keep up with the rest of us for the remainder of the ride. This is turning into a menaingless rant so i will end with this...There needs to be distinct leaders through out the group of riders to ensure the route is well known and is followed. If the actual riding is organized many of the side notes can be ignored.
Senor08.18.06 - 5:35 pm
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After riding with a few of the organziers tonight i thought of a few more things that might help keep ridazz special to everyone participating and everyone who see us in the streets. 1. (this will sound corny but..) A charter should be made or atleast discussed. Lay out what this ride is really trying to accomplish..it could be as simple as have the best night of your life once a month. 2. With the massive amounts of people now showing up to ride (some of whom have little bicycle safety awareness) a spoke card with a few helpfull tips might be a subtle yet effective way of getting a point across. 3. When the LAPD and the ridazzz work together things are beautiful....we should all think of ways to keep relations with the LAPD on a friendly note much like it was this evening.
The End...Nice meeting everyone tonight.
Senor08.19.06 - 1:12 am
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Rest in peace Glo-Rider........
LOVE
Roadblock02.23.09 - 9:48 pm
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the glo ride memorial ride was awesome.
barleye02.23.09 - 10:13 pm
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i agree that there are a lot of problems with the way we ride, and the numbers we ride in, but i really don't think there's just one answer. i think the key to future rides is going to be a flexible organization and leadership. there is a valid safety argument that stopping that many people on bikes may not always be safe.
the smaller rides are great, but bigger rides have always come with challenges and problems specifically because you have an equivalent number of clear leaders and organizers. i never want to say about crank mob "it was great while it lasted." there has to be a way to keep rides big and keep them safe.
someone once suggested to me that the big rides should qualify under similar legal guidelines as a parade. this sparked an idea. rides like MR and CM are protected by somewhat flimsy and untested legal arguments, but they are in reality a party on wheels, a parade, a carnival.
i got inspired at Salton Sea by the beauty of the bullhorn. they're great for pointing out road hazards, and they promote an exciting atmosphere. they can also denote authority. i think that's just what we're going to have to do if we want to make the bigger rides successful. it's going to take a little money, a lot of hard work, and maybe a little ambassadorship with the LAPD.
just don't let the dream die. we can have our cake and eat it too.
tortuga_veloce02.23.09 - 11:58 pm
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Tortuga, I can promise you this dream won't die. I know a lot about communities, and I can tell you from my experience in this one that there is such a large amount of positive force, creativity, and motivation, that something like this will never die. Not to mention connections between the individuals themselves are so strong. And people generally do care about one another, even complete strangers.
I really liked this post, most of it was spoken in a positive well thought out matter, and ideas were discussed openly. It might even beg the question, maybe an organized meeting should be call, or an open forum in person to discuss ideas. Write out topics on the forums, pick out the the most pressing ones, and spend some time think tanking on how to solve them.
As for larger rides, I agree with you in that there isn't one answer. I think the best ways to combat the problems we face is through education and experience. My first CM I was a mess, but it got me on a bike and I started riding Taco Tuesday religiously (<3 TT) and I learned the in and outs of riding in a group of all sizes.
I Would also like to point out an observation at CM, we were riding west on pico and we were going into the wrong lane. I was shouting for people to move right, but nothing was happening. However Shues came up from out of nowhere, must have been the back of the ride and he was shouting hooting hollering directing herding people back onto the right side of the road. This made me realize that these rides cultivate leaders, however sometimes these rides grow faster than leaders can be cultivated.
kaslik02.24.09 - 1:38 am
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