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Thread started by guy fawkes at 04.18.08 - 10:31 am
The often controversial, irreverent, unapologetic but never dull always exuberant monthly ride. Please join us before judging us.
DATE: Friday April 25, 2008
MEET TIME: 6:30pm
START TIME: 7:30pm sharp!
PLACE: Wilshire and Western Metro Station
View Larger Map We will ride around the City of Los Angeles, blowing whistles, waving to drivers/pedestrians and screaming at the top of our lungs. This is a celebration of our right as individuals to ride a bicycle on the streets.
I can attest for myself and Mickey Wally. We are not irreverent and we apologize profusely to the cars that must wait as Critical Mass passes through intersections. I guess the other statements are true though.
oooo oooo me!!! No wait, thats gay. How about we just ride in the safest manner possible, left lane, right lane, all the lanes, pissed off cagers or happy cagers. In a battle between Rida and Car, the Rida is going to loozz, so I think we can be a tad bit selfish, but not unruley or baligerant.
We have tried to do that for the past three months. Last month LACM did meet up with the Hollywood Ridazz ride. And there is another Hollywood Ridazz ride again laterFriday night.
The trick is getting the VCMemmers to come far enough east. LACM occasionally goes as far west as Beverly Hills (Wilshire and Santa Monica Blvd.). . It would be great if we could all merge and ride enmasse, but that would take a great deal of coordination, communication and cooperation.
I hope I can make it in time for this ride. I'm supposed to pick up my new bike on the way down and put on my new pedals, but I'm not sure if I'll get off work before 4 and its nearly a three hour drive with light traffic.
Alright I think after much debate I've decided I'm going to come to LACM instead of the über-convenient VCM. I gots ta go to the big rides
This is my girlfriend's first ride and it starts about 12 miles away from where I live, so it is obviously a given that I will definitely be driving to the start point :(
I'll probably stop by Helen's tomorrow and pick up a bike rack for my car, which is a hatchback (unfortunately only capable of carrying one bike at a time).
Any tips or pointers that anyone here can offer as far as car bike racks go? I see on the Helens website that they have a $50 one, but I am unsure if it will fit my hatchback scion.
I got the Hollywood Rack at Helen's for my sedan. It was the $50-60 one. It works in a pinch and can hold 2 bikes. I think its pretty adaptable to hatchbacks too.
JOHNNYBOY (first dibs - anyone after that if he doesn't want it) I have an old rack you can have for free. it's just been sitting at my house for years. it's similar to the rack over there----->
not fancy by any means but from what i remember, it worked fine....you may need a bungie cord or 2 to strap the bikes down. I'm in Mar Vista and will be home tonight after 6:30. email me barleye @ hotmail .com
If you want to see what the whole range of choices is, I recommend checking out what's at Rack Solid (http://www.racksolid.com/) between Venice and Santa Monica. You could spend some serious coin on a rack if you want to go all out with footings, bars, trays, locks, that whole route, but if you've got simple bike carrying needs, then a cheap basic back rack, like that Hollywood one is probably fine. Call rack solid and see if they have cheap simple ones. Then you can at last compare with all the options....
LACM tried to rendezvous with VCM two months ago. I guess we will just have to ride in our own turf tomorrow night.
LA people in LACM, Westsiders can ride in the VCM.
If it is only 12 miles, just put your bikes on the bus!
After awhile 12 miles will be nothing to ride!
The Metrorapids are quick and cheap. Mta.net trip planner will let you know where to get on and off, and then you won't have to worry about parking, or traffic accidents, or...sitting in a car--BORING!
JC has the system and it's ready to go . HE also has the hitch and rubber attachment parts to go on the bike. Not sure if he's pulling for LACM but the comfort bike in in my garage and he has keys and garage opener. Is hungerford around???
I can be reached at 818 389 3470 it's my work phone. Call or text it's 9 hrs ahead here so time in LA right now 1.22 am time here10.22 am for those who can't add!!!
Also Jeff - Spiraldemon said he would pull the trailer for Blues Bros so whoever uses it for LACM needs to coordinate with Jeff. Don't forget to charge up the batteries!!! My apt is just west of intersection with Laurel Canyon on Riverside again my number at work is 818 389 3470.
Harry, is there a charger that is kept with the trailer? If not, I can add one to the mix.
And yes rule number one two and three, keep those batteries charged and charge them ASAP. It really improves the life of the batteries and the power they have.
This is exactly what you don't want to do. You can't leave a battery discharged and expect it to work as good as new. Those batteries were working awesome. When they die out in the middle of the night, you'll know why.
settle down, boys! guess who will be the first woman to pull the music trailer? that's right! the "Real" ROTW! (reference to the "Real" chinatown ride. get it, eh?) so scrub those skidmarcooses off your cabooses and relax.
OK I hope someone else is on this cause I'm going to sign off the rest of the day.
Good luck Annie!
And you're not the first woman to pull a trailer for MR. Fluffa deserves that distinction out at the Salton Sea and a repeat at Amboy Crater. renamed thataboy crater that day.
Is annie gonna use the comfort bike or her own?? Hatehills are you gonna give someone the tools etc.?? I may be back this weekend now possibly sunday night monday morning if the boss's daughter opens the bomb bay doors@!!!
I believe Annie has all the tools, etc. I just spoke to JC this morn, and Annie picked everything up last night. I am not sure if she is choosing to use the comfort bike.
The trailer is in Annie's possession. It's mounted to her bike and the batteries are charged and ready for action. She will be attending both rides this evening and filling all your sonic needs.
I know I'm a little late replying, but thanks for all the pointers with the car bike rack guys!! I picked my g/f up from the airport last night and gave her her new bike (birthday gift) and she totally loves it.
As long as I can get off of work early today I will be seeing you all tonight!!
i am, that was a fun ride, i met some cool peeps, man that shit was bomb-ass fun, hope everybody made it home safe, it's 5:27, saturday i just got home, it sure was worth it, did i hyjack the ride at any point?
What a crazy ass night. So the rider who was pulled over in West Hollywood did not get a ticket. But the West Hollywood Boycott is still on.
Thanks Annie for pulling the trailer. Kudos to Mickey, Fuzz beast and the rest of the riders who kept the ride slow, stopping at a lot of the red lights( first time I ever saw that on a ride) and tried to keep people out of the left lanes.
This LACM proves that we can be considerate of drivers and follow most of the traffic laws..and still have fun.
Now we need to take this concept to all the rides.
Heya, what happened with the WeHo po-po? What was the rider pulled over for? Did the rider talk himself (or herself) out of it, or what? Were the cops civil? Rational? Aggressive? Lame?
I'd complained about the Franz shit last week and just spoke to the detective investigating all the complaints (yes, they followed up in less than a week -- not bad), and I wanna know if they're actually doing what they say they're gonna, or if they're full of shit.
Surely the officer can't mean anyone who bikes through West Hollywood will get pulled over. Peave-lovin', progressive West Hollywood won't stand for that, let alone ... well, me.
I'm not normally one to complain about rides....at least not on a public forum....with that said, I have a few questions and/or observations:
why was there a route set up? Aren't critical mass rides for the most part a leaderless ride through the streets?
why do the same route - larchmont-bogies-up vine-- to hollywood blvd - down la brea? it's getting predictable IMO.
why not switch it up to go east, or south?
Too many ridazz without front and/or back lights. not safe at all.
if you see a rida stopped fixing his or her bike, be a good person and stop to assist, or at least yell out if they need anything (pump, tools, a helping hand, etc.)
ENDING WITH:
I saw a lot of new faces which is always good to see. Had a good time. see ya on the next ride.
I agree with barleye. too much coordination, too much schedule, etc (but I had a good time) just sayin, let's switch it up...
I say forget about a route next month. Let's head east, this is LACM, not WeHo CM. If you wanna boycott WeHo then stop riding through it, it's a boring place to ride.
DTLACM, heck yes!!!! Echo Park lake heck yes!! Angel's Point heck yes!!!!! Those of you that live south of Venice or Lincoln, your input would be well received regarding some suggested points of interest, paths etc
BTW, I had LACM stickers last night, if anyone didn't get one, I'll be on the Blues Brothers ride tonight, hit me up for one.
YES, next month's stickers will be DTLACM stickers!!!!!! haha, gonna be rad
I enjoyed the critical mass last night, and yes it seemed to be more planned than the ones in Chicago and New York. My observations were that you people definitely take care of your bike riders better than any critical mass I have ever seen. The pre-planned routes definitely helped to keep the ride together. I got lost but was able to catch up because it was announced where the ride was going at each rest stop. So the Los Angeles Critical Mass does differ from other cities, but that may not be necessarily a bad thing.
I am glad that LACM has been revitalized from the sanguine condition of five months ago.
Let's talk about doing a Silver Lake, Echo Park, Downtown route for next ride in the coming weeks.
It's great that LACM has been able to attract all these new faces to the bicycle experience. We need to continue to bring new blood into the fold. You folks have been instrumental in that
My only concern is we keep the ride safe for the new riders. We don't want their bike to breakdown in a part of the city they are unfamiliar with.
Last nights ride was a watershed, in the fact that there was real organization forged out of the chaos. It was brilliant to use the red lights as holding points so the group could maintain its cohesiveness and the slower riders could catch up. Good job whoever came up with that idea.
So let's do it. You folks come up with a route for next months LACM, a let's ride.
A lot of new people came up and thanked me, but I told them it was you guys. The Midnight Ridazz, Sins and Sprockets, anarchist bikers (you know who you are) and the LACM veterans who deserve all the credit.
Some of the riders from Europe were duly impressed by the love and care they got here in. They said Molto Grazie to all of you folks.
PS Annie I am bring a mic to replace the one that busted last night, and Eric I want a sticker.
@ Annie, you rocked girl! Pulling the trailer for not one but two rides on you maiden voyage! Great job and nice play list too. You had the 200+ rocking and shaking their booties all night long.
@skd,
How are we to know what are familiar territory and what isn't for the new ridazz? You seem to use that to justify riding in the same area. You'll not only be missing alot the great parts of LA, but the ride will quickly become a snoozer. I saw leave the ride open to where the mass what's to take it. That means no route slips too. Let the mass decide where to go and where to stop. I'm all for stopping at independent liquor store stops, but lets change it up, yeah?
Like Eric, I miss going downtown LA and was wondering what happen to that. We've been missing out on alot of areas the last three or four rides. Fuck West LA cops and shit. Let's go somewhere where we're loved. And speaking of loved, did everyone feel the love we got in Beverly Hills? Lots of smiling faces from peeps in their stinking rich cars!
I say next week start with no route in mind, let people decide on the spot and we'll call out the stops on the fly too, yeah?
Al, yeah we talked about changing the route up last night at the Blues Brothers ride.
The reason for coming up with the route before hand is for the benefit of the new riders. Nearly 40% on LACM are new riders. Less of them get lost and left behind and we can maintain a cohesive group throughout the ride.
I know some veterans of the old Critical Mass rides feel it is sacrilegious to change the dynamic of the ride. But a lot of time has past since San Francisco 1992 and today. LACM was dismal for a while and now it is revitalized. We can thank the Midnight Ridazz for resuscitating this ride. They have incorporated their techniques, philosophies and organizational skills which has led to a better experience for all. If LACM is to survive and flourish in the land of the car, we may have to create a new Critical Mass edict.
Your wisdom and experience is always an asset, so I'll email you and we can continue to discuss.
@barleye Melrose Ave is in the city of Los Angeles until a 1/2 mile from La Cienega at Sweetzer, where it turns into West Hollywood. So the liquor store wasn't in Weho.
"Apparently he was too loud. Yelling at riders to slow down and stay to the right. Hopefully when he wakes up, he will detail the entire incident here."
Wake up!
At 4.19's C.R.A.N.K. MOB, just six days before, the LA Sheriff's Department (who monitor West Hollywood) got all up in our business for not keeping the left lane clear. Threatened to take our bikes and shit -- this was their idea of a warning. So now, your guy monitors the crew to keep the left lane clear, and they try to ticket him for being too loud.
As my mother is fond of saying, "No good deed goes unpunished."
As I'm fond of saying, "The police departments, all across Los Angeles and environs, are schizophrenic and disorganized."
LACM is my favorite ride. It always has been. I love the new people and the familiar faces. I felt honored to pull the music trailer (as sappy as that may sound) and I really get a kick out of putting together some of the playlists. I received many compliments on the music that night, and that makes me feel super awesome! i love to see those bouncing booties and shaking hips!
skd: Thanks for organizing and trying your best to leave no rider behind. i appreciate it!
As far as route planning is concerned, I do prefer the improvised routes and beverage and/or taco truck stops. we haven't done the food stops in a while. me so hungry!
London critical mass was an absolute revelation in regard to cooperation with authorities. The cops show up in force - there were at least 60 or 70 cops. And every single one of them was on a bicycle. They aren't there to enforce perfect adherence to every relevant law. They are there to keep the ride safe and minimize the negative impact on traffic. The cops do all intersection corking. ON the few occasions where they made us stop for red lights, the ensured that the group would stay as dense as possible on the road rather than spreading out. They kept riders off the sidewalks, but merely admonished them to get back on the road if they strayed. At one point, I was happily riding along between two cops with a beer in one hand, taking sips between conversational interludes with the law enforcement. The ride included several circles of death - one in the square directly in front of the houses of Parliament and the other right in front of the gate of Buckingham Palace. Either location would have had DHS pointing machine guns at ridazz if it had happened in the US. At one point, we even had a circle riding on the statue in front of Buckingham palace, though they did put a stop to it pretty quickly.
What was particularly eye opening about it wasn't just that the cops were so cooperative, but that they actually had so much more control over the ride than the antagonistic cops in the US. On truth, their interference sometimes slowed the ride down by increasing the density of the ride a little too much, but they didn't dampen the fun factor at all and there was absolutely no fear of authoritarian retribution. I smelled weed being smoked and saw plenty of booze being drunk without any interference by the cops.
Before the ride started, I walked over to where the cops were congregating and asked a couple of them if they viewed their role in CM as one of enforcement or simply as accompaniment. One cop looked at me and said "I just want to have a good time." It was a brilliant answer.
There was an ambulance bike there, too, though in that case, it was a certified EMT and ambulance-man who had funded his own bike and gear, including defibrillator and anything else an ambulance might need to respond to an emergency. I don't suppose such a thing is possible in the US, where any emergency responder would be all too likely to be sued by anyone s/he failed to completely heal on the spot.
I've got pics and video but haven't gotten a chance to post it all online just yet. The video of cops actually participating in a circle of death in front of Parliament is quite excellent and should be used to educate los angeles law enforcement.
AMAZING, YOU WOULD NEVER ASSUME THAT BIKE RIDERS HAVE BRAINS, I'M TRULY AMAZED, TRADITIONALLY, LACM HAS ALWAYS BEEN A 'HYJACKABLE RIDE'
I SAY KEEP IT THAT WAY, ITS THE ONLY WAY TO PRESERVE ITS UNIGUENESS, THIS IS THE ONLY RIDE THAT TRUELY ALLOWS US TO TALK AT A RED LIGHT ABOUT WITCH WAY TO GO? AND THEN HAVE A FEW HUNDRED RIDAS FOLLOW YOUR ASS, DIFFERENT WAYS ARE NEEDED I PLAN ON 'BUMPING' HEADS WITH THE GUYZ THAT WANT TO "MIX THIS SHIT UP" ON THE NEXT RIDE.
At the Notting Hill Rastafarian Festival in London, the cops used to take off their navy blue jackets and walk around the festival in white shirts They would walk with the crowd and make themselves part of the festival not form an oppressive line. Softly Softly is often the approach in the UK but I'm not sure if in the culture here it would work. It's just a different society.
I've always hated the term LAW ENFORCEMENT!!!! Again, it's so oppressive! I mean jesus if you apply law enforcement to everything instead of a milder approach you could probably find a way to arrest someone for farting in a public place!!!!!!
Unfortunately my friend I think it would take a profound societal change for things to differ. I'm sure you had fun!!
Stewart -
"The reason for coming up with the route before hand is for the benefit of the new riders. Nearly 40% on LACM are new riders. Less of them get lost and left behind and we can maintain a cohesive group throughout the ride."
Me -
Stewart, if you're so concerned about these new ridazz getting lost or left behind, then why don't you run sweep? There's no need for a leader or a route if you do this.
And frankly I prefer to communicate to you on this forum if you don't mind. The ride doesn't belong to either of us, so fail to see the reasoning in taking this conversation private.
Am I reading you correctly, your intentions is to run this like a MR ride? MR ride means in part a route and leader.
@Sam
Great to hear about some of the other cities first hand from one of our own. The cops sound awesome on this ride. Wish our local police would learn a thing or two from this one and I'm sure others in Europe.
CM ain't going corporate. It never will go corporate. GAP or Coca-Cola won't be sponsoring a CM. CM is just changing to meet the challenges and the needs of the burgeoning bicycle community.
Zack Beatty, who started the Santa Monica Critical Mass , instituted changes in the philosophy of the ride. Instead of emphasizing the conflict and the protest, he promoted CM as more fun than politics.
LACM still has the protest and politics in it. I, for one, don't want that to leave the ride. It just isn't so blatant. Isn't better to clog the streets with thousands of bicycles. What kind of social or political statement would that make? The trick is to get thousands of bicyclists to join us. More people on bikes, that's all anyone really wants.
I would be more than happy to run sweep. More and more people have been volunteering for this though, particularly those guys with fixies who love to ride fast.
Finally, I don't want a leader (and I certainly don't want the position) or leaders per se. But before a ride a collective of veteran riders, like yourself, caucus and discuss a general route for the CM ride.
For example.
Last Friday night, we knew our destination was going to be Beverly Hills after Hollywood, but the route we took there was made up on the fly by some of the veterans and Midnight Ridazz.
This collective of riders can be instrumental in protecting the group, guiding it through the streets and keeping everyone together. The Midnight Ridazz philosophy, "no rider left behind", should be part of LACM too.
Also if the Hollywood Ridazz ride will become a regular event on the last Friday of the month, the route should end close to if not at the Rite Aid by 10pm.
Again, it's all about lots of bicycles taking over the streets. The more the better. The larger the group, and LACM is a gateway ride for many, the more of an impact we make upon the car driving public.
As long as this ride adheres to the principals written out in Wiki as to what CM is, I don't have a problem with the ride. It's when people start making route slips and acting as leaders, I have a problem. This is a ride that belongs to the people, everyone has a say so in the ride, that's what I want to see. Everyone has choice on the route, and majority rules. This is the beauty of the ride. Take that away and it becomes just another ride in the month.
I love compiling the playlist for lacm. May I provide the playlist again for this month?
funanu wants to dance to my tunes, ms.stephanie cannot do without 'fire in cairo' or something by pulp, and hatehills says that i have 'no shame'.
I have no shame!
If you can keep the the wimpy Smiths stuff to a minimum, and play something cool like Cabaret Voltaire, that would be awesome! nag nag nag or Sensoria.
And if you're feeling really crazy, play something from Fad Gadget.
yo modernfuturist!
was it you who requested 'search and destroy' by the stooges last month? it was on the playlist.
so if it's okay, i'll proceed with the playlist and i'll check here periodically for song requests. (type them in all CAPS so i can weed through the posts easily.)
Annie you are the greatest playlist creator. And personally I like hearing some Smiths and Queen on the ride.
I spoke to Harry this past Monday, he was flying through the week. As far as I know he will be there next Friday to haul the trailer and lead the rag tag group of fixies, beach cruisers, road, mountain and hybrids as well as the occasional BMX bike, through the streets again. LACM is kind of like Battlestar Galactica
"If you can keep the the wimpy Smiths stuff to a minimum, and play something cool like Cabaret Voltaire, that would be awesome! nag nag nag or Sensoria."
Haha, how can you call the Smiths "wimpy" if you're into Cabaret Voltaire?!
Annie, if you're doing the play list, I'd Iove to hear:
"Cool Places" - Sparks
"Jukebox (Don't Put Another Dime)" - The Flirts
"Chips on My Shoulder" - Softcell
"Here Comes the Summer" - The Undertones
"Whips and Furs" - The Vibrators
"Circle Sky" - The Monkees
"She Lives (In a Time of Her Own)" - 13th Floor Elevators
"Taureg" - Gal Costa
"Roadrunner" - Modern Lovers
"Everyone Nose" - N.E.R.D
"Party Time" - 7A3
"A Roller Skating Jam Named Saturdays" - De La Soul
"This Beat Be Smooth" - Toddy Tee
"Rainforest" - Paul Hardcastle
"If I Gave a Party" - Sexual Harassment
"Dance" - ESG
The Smiths always seemed wimpy to me. Morrissey's crooning always got on my nerves. If we hear as much Smiths as we do Cabaret Voltaire, I'm cool with that.
The Smiths were also a chicks' band. CV was a dance dance dance band for the people.
This ride always gets hijacked to another ride later on. This month it'll probably get hijacked to OC. The ride will be going to the Rooster Cafe in Costa Mesa, CMCM is my bet!
True, I love the Smiths but I don't think they're as godhead as a lot of people think. There were a lot of amazing bands in that era that perhaps the Smiths took attention away from.
There is a litany of Eighties groups that deserve more airplay than the Smiths...the Cure, Psychedelic Furs, Clash, OMD, Fun Boy, etc, but the Smiths seemed to transcended the decades. Strange, but if you go down to the Cat-n-Fiddle and talk to Morrisey, he would have preffered to die young and become immortal like Kurt Cobain.
JOAN JETT
THE RUNAWAYS
SUZI QUATRO
THE ZEROS (PURPLE HAIRED OR 70'S)
NY DOLLS
STATUS QUO
T REX
ONE TIN SOLDIER
FOX ON THE RUN
CHEAP TRICK
ASIA
BILLY SQUIER
MOTLEY CRUE
RATT
SLAYER
ANYTHING ON LIVE AT THE MASQUE CD'S
D.I.
FEAR
NOFX
GUN CLUB - SEX BEAT
THE SCREAMERS - SEX BOY
THE GERMS = LEXICON DEVIL
BUZZCOCKS - ORGASM ADDICT
JOHNNY THUNDERS - BORN TO LOSE
DEAD BOYS - THIRD GENERATION NATION
GANG OF FOUR - RETURN THE GIFT
G G ALLIN - BORED TO DEATH
THE DICTATORS - NO TOMORROW
PLASMATICS - HEADBANGER
LOVE - ROBERT MONTGOMERY
THE SPINNERS - BACK STABBERS
UFO - LIGHTS OUT (LIVE VERSION)
RICK SPRINGFIELD - JESSE'S GIRL
BEAT'S SO LONELY
PLIMSOULS - EVERYWHERE AT ONCE
B52'S - 606-0842
BEN LEE - POP QUEEN
BILLY JOEL - ONLY THE GOOD DIE YOUNG
COHEED AND CAMBRIA - ONCE UPON YOUR DEAD BODY
COYOTE SHIVERS - BISEXUAL GIRL
DINOSAUR JR. - NOT YOU AGAIN
MUDHONEY - SUCK YOU DRY
BEE GEES - YOU SHOULD BE DANCING
Hey, I'm brand new to L.A. and can't wait for this CM.
I've been living in Boston, and the CM rides were great and all, but were strangled by militant bikers. I'm excited by this concept of civility. Also, someone mentioned that Friday there is a Hollywood Ridazz? I don't see it on here, but I'd like to go to that too.
Typing out a tracklist is too much work for me. Just download, I mean, uh, "preview" my suggestions HERE. Twenty tracks, consisting of about 30% self-referential bike dorkiness and 70% fun riding music.
THE KNIFE.
AGENT ORANGE.
BARRINGTON LEVY.
Bonus: One more hour of music, submitted to Eric Hair's SnS playlist, HERE. Fifteen tracks, somewhat more groovy and chill than the other batch.
LOS FABULOSOS CADILLACS.
COMMON.
HARRY BELAFONTE.
There will be no Hollywood Ridazz ride this month. Some of the principles are out-of-town. So when the LACM ends this Friday night, some of the riders may do a second ride.
I hope you enjoy the Los Angeles version of Critical Mass. We are not militant, aggressive and angry. We thank the drivers for allowing us to pass through intersections with red lights. Sometimes engaging in polite conversation with them; why are we riding and how much fun we have doing it. We also have a good relationship with the Los Angeles Police Department, they sometimes cork intersections for us. Our objective is not to piss people off. We ride and have fun and show the people of this great city that you don't always need a car. It must be working because drivers wave and honk their horns in approval, pedestrians cheer and shout their support...and more people are riding bicycles. This is a Critical Mass model that could be used in other cities.
In the words of that guy from the past Tony Bones.
"THIS SUCKS BOO BOO BOO BOO"
We are LA, we are different. Who are you to speak for a ride that is suppose to be spontaneous. LACM was here before MR or Sn'S, it ain't the same ride.
If somebody takes it into WestHollywood, so be it. Get to the front and take it where it may be.
Is anybody into having a real LA critical mass ride. This ain't critical mass what I'm hearing on that lame posting. Let have a real critical mass ride. Not a route
This is LA Critical Mass. It belongs to everyone. The majority agree on this model. We don't follow the few who are loud and vocal . That would be anti-Critical Mass. You can choose to join us or not.
route or not, it is a cool and fun ride because it is one of the biggies.
this is just my opinion, but i think that LACM should be aiming to draw more people in. make it more approachable. make it more popular- especially with new people. make it easy to join in during the middle of the ride if necessary. avoid cops. avoid potential pitfalls so new people aren't scared away.
still my opinion, but critical mass should be about big numbers and not by which method the route is determined.
If the majority agree upon this model, as you call it. Who is the majority and how did you come to this consensus? Is this really the majority opinion or is it how you think that everybody think it should be. Remember, if you want a ride with a route and some sort of objective.
You can create one, post it, promote it, and have a ride.
This critical mass ride has been here for years, before MR existed. It has been a great ride. The reason it been a great ride, is because if its spontaneity and it decision on what to do and where to go, before the ride. It has had theme based off Critical Mass in San Fransisco and New York.
As someone who has participated in critical mass for a few years and know the majority who has participated in critical mass in Los Angeles all this time. I have talk to these people I'm referring to, that have participated in LACM all this time and they have all said that CM should not have a route or somebody saying it going to be this way or that way. That why it is a leaderless ride. In my conversations with the people I'm talking about, we look at these spoke cards with the route and shake our heads, and say "this isn't critical mass"
They haven't been loud or vocal about this, maybe they should.
I love compiling the playlist for lacm. May I provide the playlist again for this month?
funanu wants to dance to my tunes, ms.stephanie cannot do without 'fire in cairo' or something by pulp, and hatehills says that i have 'no shame'.
I have no shame!
Spoke to Harry this morning, he may not fly back in time to ride this Friday.
Jeff (spiraldemon ) has a sound system as well.
Annie, if you are up to pulling the trailer, we could possibly have two sound systems blaring two separate playlists.
I haven't done any LACM rides since I've been back, but I'll be going to the next one. I agree that the "tentative route" business sounds kind of lame. I don't think that having a set route is the end of the world or anything, but I have to ask: what happened on recent rides that prompted such a dramatic shift? Are lots of people getting lost, or maimed, or abducted by aliens or something?
Also, I was thinking of updating my old LACM flyer to reflect the new meeting points and departure times. Flyers are good. I mean, if you want the ride to grow, you gotta let the people know...
Are the times and places listed in the Calendar post consistent enough that they could go on a flyer? And d'ya think I should just change the web address to the MR site? I mean, the Yahoo group used to be the go-to place for all your LACM bickering needs, but it seems like most people are doing their bickering here nowadays. Same dog, different collar...
Also, what's up with charging for spoke cards? I mean, I know laminating isn't cheap, but if you're going to take on the role of organizer, up to the point of deciding a route, why charge for something that every other "organized" ride provides for free?
Enough with the criticism, though. You can think of me as just an interloper until I actually get my ass out there on an LACM ride.
I have no trailer or sound system, but I have a bike and strong legs and I'll be at LACM. I will pull a trailer if it means more tunes. I also have an ipod and a C.R.A.N.K. Mob playlist that has not yet been played
I agree with Allen. There is TOO much (however minute) organizing for LACM. I'd prefer to stick to the original intention and spirit of a 'critical mass' (see below) instead of turning it into a Midnight Ridazz ride.
skd: i do appreciate all the effort that you've been putting into the ride lately, but i feel that it has taken a different direction in which a leader has been imposed and a route has been designated, and i think the spirit was for all to have an chaotic opportunity to lead or follow.
"Critical Mass is an event typically held on the last Friday of every month in cities around the world where bicyclists and other self-propelled commuters take to the streets en masse. While the ride was originally founded with the idea of drawing attention to how unfriendly the city was to bicyclists,[1] the leaderless structure of Critical Mass makes it impossible to assign it any one specific goal. In fact, the purpose of Critical Mass is not formalized beyond the direct action of meeting at a set location and time and traveling as a group through city or town streets." (Wikipedia)
Yeah for the peeps that are submitting a shit load of music they want toe hear, how bout pulling the freaking trailer? Then you can be sure of getting your music played. Last thing I want to do is pull the trailer and not play the shit I want to play.
That also goes for whiners. You don't like the tunes? Pull the freaking trailer and you'll get to hear what you want!
It's good to see that there is so much passion about LACM. This could be the reason that more people have been showing up in the past few months. When I first rode LACM there were 20 people and we lost half of them before the first five miles. Now we have over 250 people and the enthusiasm is great.
Criticism is good, because we all have the same goal in mind. Making LACM a great ride. Allen, you remember those days.
Now for the most important issue. The music. Who is pulling the trailer?
I hope you take the whole picture in account for, why people where not attending LACM and why they are now. Cm started losing ridership, because there ended up being so many other rides that would shadow it. If you knew you where going to be out riding around and partying with your friends til four in the morning. Getting to CM at 6:30pm lost it's importance, when I knew there was another ride happening at 9:30pm later that night, and everybody was going to be at it. People knew they where going to get their fix in. They wouldn't have to rush over to try to make CM, they could rest up for a bigger ride later in the evening. This started happening after Hollywood ridazz came about. There has been so many rides to attend, that people ended up picking and choosing where to go. The more popular the hype on the ride, the more likely people choose that ride over another ride. I have seen nights with seven major rides to choose from, it has somewhat became a little overwhelming in a good way. Trusty old CM got put on the back burner for many of us, besides it didn't matter, as long as we all got to ride together.
Now the amount of rides have started to taper off to give people room to breathe. People still want to burn the candle at both ends around here. People remembered, hey critical mass, lets get together and do that ride. When you promote it with a posting and start getting the buzz with a thread, people think about it even more.
I don't ever remember there being any more problems or animosity with LACM then any other usual problems that may arise on any of the ride. To say it is different then before, its really not, accept for a couple of you decide to be defacto leader/organizer of a leaderless ride. It one thing to promote it, and try to get people together, so that you have more people showing up for a ride, I appreciate that and I commend that. To say it is going to be a certain way or we are going this way, is like hijacking a ride that can't be hijacked.
I went on LACM a couple months ago, with the pre-posted route, and designated end point. You know when we had our first stopped at Boogies and ended on Santa Monica and Western, before going to redridinghood's party. With all do/due respect, it wasn't fun like past CM rides. It was kinda of blah. I remember when I would get lost and try to find the ride, or somebody would find it with there nose and not a cell phone, it was such a great feeling. Or we would go wherever and just explore the city and see things and neighborhoods we never saw before, it so exciting and fresh. Turn on this street, turn down there and end up, who knows where, and then explore that part of the city. Yes as the night went on, it would get thinned out, but certain people had there fill and wanted to go home. Yes, sometimes it didn't end up so pretty, it would get split up, but that was also part of it, to try to keep it together. It was a game, let do this, or lets try to take it over here.
Sometimes it didn't work. Most the times it work out beautifully No matter what happen with the ride, most people would always come back, if they where able to.
One night I try to create a buzz about taking the ride to see a documentary my friend was showing in Highland Park. Everybody else decided that we should go to the South Central Farm. People got flats and we stopped and helped, mostly the ride was kept together. When we went to catch the ride while it was in South Central at this point of the ride, the neighborhood folks where pointing to us the direction where everybody went and cheering us on to catch up, it was magic. So much fun. Even Rev 106 was bitching about going to that "hippy farm" but i know he even enjoyed the ride, and is probably is a fond memory for him.
Speaking of Rev 106, he made patches for everybody, and Eric Hair has been making stickers. To charge for cost of spoke card is (excuse me for saying my atheistic friends) sac-religious. If you can't swing the cost for making spoke cards, don't worry about it. Cm never had spoke cards, unless someone got a wild drive to make one. It was the ride that everybody could go to, not worry about planning for it, and not have to take responsibility for routes or spoke cards. Easy going, show up, enjoy, take care of one another and have a good time.
There is nothing wrong with trying to promote peace with car drivers and keeping the ride from taking up the whole street, so that cars can't get past, that is all well and good. Pre-planned routes, I got to strongly object to this, it is not critical mass, its not what this ride is about. Please respect that tradition of critical mass. It starts at a location and where and when it ends, is where the magic happen. To sell spoke cards to cover cost, nobody really needs another spoke card that bad. If you can afford to make them and want to hand them out, that great, but charging!?. That like saying, only the people with a disposable dollar gets one. You may think its not alot of money, but with some peoples financial situation these days, it is.
If you really want your own ride that promotes cyclist rights to the road and good will to others on the road, with a route and spoke cards for a dollar, go for it. The more rides the merrier. Just don't call it critical mass. Call it something else, and plan it and do it as you see fit. Critical Mass doesn't have organizers or route leaders, it just is
RESPECTFULLY
an after thought (a p.s.)
those that don't like CM and say it is a certain way are usually people that don't ride CM. They went on it once and saw something they didn't like, that can and has happened on any/ many rides
Route or no route LACM has been pretty good these past few months.
ps: Find some live johnny thunders recordings where is so fucked up he can barely sing or play and yells obscene things all the time. I think everyone will appreciate it.
It may be me, but i dont have the "it must be this way to be OG critical mass"or die attitude. They have been great both ways and I do appreciate Stewarts taking part in the event with routes. I remember a CM literally disintergrate before me last year and I was kinda dissapointed. Either way guys lets have fun on these, they both carry the same message "were here, were (bikes), get used to it!!!!!!!
It's not just one or two people making the LACM happen these past few months, it's been quite of few people who have come forward and really raised the level of awareness and changed the attitude of this ride.
This ride was languid last year, you could barely find a pulse.
Now it's alive with new faces every month. The object is to get more people on a bicycle, rather than the follow a party line ideology or "rule book". The more people who are riding bicycles, the better our community and city become. Many who have ridden on LACM for the first time this year have gone on to do MR rides.
Let's try and keep a perspective here. We can only win if we get more people on bicycles.
i havent showed up in a year ...i'll make this one.
Yeah i was dissappointing. i should be more ...massive.
Im trying to make a difference.
For those of us that made it to SF CM anniversary last summer had a blast. the more the merrier.
i'll drag along some friends, those dusty cogs.
james! i know who you are and you had better be there or i'll revoke your right to our serendipitous rendezvous.
spiraldemon and harry:
i cannot pull the trailer because my knee is still aching from the bike trip from san luis obispo to la. i'm sorry. but the playlist will be made.
Oh cool, I am glad you were working a job. We need to get you a full-time gig. Maybe you could make an announcement at LACM that if anyone has a full-time gig, you are the one.
LACM does have a special different feel about it. The routes give people time to plan and feel more comfortable and trusting. But we do lose a special spontaneity with the new format. I think one thing we want to stay away from is establishing leaders. It was truly leaderless but it lacked organization. We can have different organizers every week. I don't think talking about a 'core elite' coming down and having a small group making all the decisions is trying to keep with the spontaneity of the ride. We don't want this to become another MR ride. What's different about it? We need the variety.
pedal_power you hit the nail on the head. The routes do help the new riders negotiate their way thorough the vast city. Also there should be different organizers every month, great idea! This should truly be a ride that is allows everyone to participate. The "core elite" comment was an inside MR joke. There are people who come forward on the rides to help keep the group together, cork intersections, etc. Many are veteran MR riders. Lately, though, some new people have stepped forward to assist as well. Let's get everyone involved and make LACM a great ride. The more bikes on the street the better.
with all the talk of a playlist, there is still no confirmation on who's pulling the trailer. anyone willing to retrieve the trailer from Harry's place? he lives in the valley near the intersection of Laurel Canyon and Riverside. you're gonna have to return it there for Saturday's ride, too.
Does anyone else want to haul the music trailer. I can pick it up tonight from Harry’s and deliver it to LACM, but someone responsible must tow it. This is the only way we will have music for our ride.
If you can't find anyone who will ride with you down to the CM location, ride to the Metro station at Vermont and Sunset about 6:30pm. Jump on the Metro, with your bike, heading south to Wilshire. You will meet at least a hundred people on the train with bikes who are going to CM.
guy fawkes - "Also there should be different organizers every month, great idea! This should truly be a ride that is allows everyone to participate."
Me -
You hit the nail on the head! So who's ride is this this week? Yours or skd? I call dibs on next months ride! I'm calling it The Freedom Ride. It'll be heavily into free choice, free will, and a good dose of o' glory since it'll be close to the 4th of July.
oh god this is really starting to annoy me. shut up and ride! geez!!! too much talk about how this ride is soo damn organized yet i see you guys at the ride. u talk all this stuff about LACM yet you go to the ride. shut up and ride. hate me so what. i dont care.
I can't remember whether LACM ever did anything like this, but when I was living in St. Louis, the CM there would usually start off with a call of "Does anybody have a route?"
Sometimes, people would come prepared complete with route slips to pass out, and usually, those routes would be chosen. Sometimes, there would even be multiple routes prepared, and people would take a vote. None of these planned routes were out-and-out stupid, so the routes that didn't get chosen one month would get chosen the next month. Obviously, it's easier to prepare route slips for 20-30 riders than for 200-300 riders, but I think this approach could still work in LA. Prepare your route, but let people decide whether they want to follow it.
There's nothing wrong with working from a plan. People appreciate the work that goes into planning and scouting a ride. I think what's rubbing most people the wrong way is the unilateral decision to declare a route ahead of time, rather than letting the group decide.
Moving on from the route-plan hand-wringing, I still haven't got any answers about the flyer info.
Are the meeting points/ride times for the satellite rides listed in the calendar entry reliable enough to include on a flyer? Anything else I should do to update my old flyer?
And glad to hear funanu's got the trailer. I'd still be glad to pull it for any ride in the future, if needed.
The routes are always tentative and subject to change, nothing ever is set in stone. The idea is to ride in a general area where new and inexperienced riders can find the ride if they lag behind, get a flat or get lost.
ams,
I'll be heading out around six and will roll thru the Walgreens on Echo Park Ave and Sunset, so tou can meet me there if you get this and are still looking for someone to ride with.
OK the design layout looks fine. It has the DIY CMish look to it. Personally I hate the periods after "a celebration of the bicycle" and after 6:30. Change the time to reflect our current riding time of around 7:30pm. Not sure about the satellite rides. I would curious if anyone meets at Sunset and Parkman. I think peeps are coming from USC, just got to ask around and find out. Drop the yahoo group (RIP). Maybe you can drop the straight look of all the riders? Tall bike and a beer or two instead? I don't know.
USC riders have consistently attended LACM.
Anyone is welcome to ride in with the USC people, just meet at Tommy Trojan at 6pm, they ride to LACM at 6:30pm.
anybody wanna ride with me to LACM? i have the music trailer with me so it would be cool to ride with someone else. im gonna be down on vermont and 20th.
So far there will be riders from USC, UCLA, Cal Poly Pomona, PCC, LACC and Valley College. What, no one from Cal State Long Beach or Cal State LA or CSUN representing?
Awright, flyer updated. I just went on the assumption that the satellite meetup points would remain the same as in the calendar listing. If not, at least people will be able to check out the MR site for updates. Hopefully, I'll have time to stop by a Kinkos and make some copies for tonight.
If anyone wants to print out their own, a high-res PDF version is here.
im gonna be at 20th and vermont around 6. I dont wanna ride up vermont and wilsher alone. I might take some small streets. let me know if u wanna roll with.
my girlfriend ran over my bike yesterday morning. No she wasn’t angry at me, just in a rush to go to work. Anyway bent the rim and the fork. I haven't been able to get a replacement. So I will be there in spirit.
Ride hard and ride long tonight. SKD, get me a spokecard, I'll pay for it.
I drove by Wilshire and Western metro station on my way home from work, there are some fixed-gear guys riding around already.
I'll try to get a spokecard, but I thought the rule was you were suppose to ride the ride to be able to get a spokecard...
I'll get clarification from the vets.
Los Angeles Critical Mass May 2008 = GREAT SUCCESS!!
This ride was goo-ooo-ood. It was actually a decently long ride, which was super nice! Also it didn't end so early and it felt more involved from a biking community standpoint because so many people stuck with it until the very end. Absolutely and totally awesome.
People did a GREAT job corking the intersections despite Elisa (sp??) getting a ticket for it. Elisa, let us know how much your ticket / court costs will be and I will see if we can get people to donate and pay for it!! We are all responsible and we appreciate you taking one for the team!
Great seeing you guys, I'm super glad I made it to this LACM!!!
See you tomorrow (today?) night at the stuffed animal ride!!
Jon I hope you got some good video, I was way too busy.
F**king awesome ride!
Thanks Mickey, Lewis, Annie, Alesa (you took one for the team by getting that ticket), Colin, Sean, Miguel( you towed that trailer like a champ), Eddieboy, Jeff, Laura and the other 300 riders.
Special thanks to Allen (User1) you were very helpful with the ride tonight.
Tom(fuzzbeast) you rock as always, let's get you a job!
Was it really 28 miles?
Awesome Los Angeles Critical Mass. The best one this year. We are now a force to be reckoned with.
Great Ride Indeed. You can count me in to pitch in for the ticket, and thank you for taking one for the team..
Thank you all for getting this together. =)
28 MILES!!! Fuck, you guys rock. I could only ride for a half hour, had to spend some quality time with my sister last night.
My sis and I saw you guys on Sunset - we were in her car, going the opposite direction - and you guys were fucking GREAT! I've never seen LACM from the other perspective before, and it was amazing.
That was a man HANDBONE!! you don't remember he had his hands all over you, looked like he wanted to give you a kiss. thanks for taking me to my car that was a fucking cool ride, see you tonight out in the Valley:)
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Ridazz Roulette!
Worlds Largest Critical Mass occurred on April 20, 2008 in Budapest, Hungary. 
JOHNNYBOY (first dibs - anyone after that if he doesn't want it) I have an old rack you can have for free. it's just been sitting at my house for years. it's similar to the rack over there----->
whew....now we can concentrate on other things....like the fun.
i am, that was a fun ride, i met some cool peeps, man that shit was bomb-ass fun, hope everybody made it home safe, it's 5:27, saturday i just got home, it sure was worth it, did i hyjack the ride at any point?
What a crazy ass night. So the rider who was pulled over in West Hollywood did not get a ticket. But the West Hollywood Boycott is still on.
AMAZING, YOU WOULD NEVER ASSUME THAT BIKE RIDERS HAVE BRAINS, I'M TRULY AMAZED, TRADITIONALLY, LACM HAS ALWAYS BEEN A 'HYJACKABLE RIDE'
Allan can has lobotomy? Stat!
If you can keep the the wimpy Smiths stuff to a minimum, and play something cool like Cabaret Voltaire, that would be awesome! nag nag nag or Sensoria.
I haven't done any LACM rides since I've been back, but I'll be going to the next one. I agree that the "tentative route" business sounds kind of lame. I don't think that having a set route is the end of the world or anything, but I have to ask: what happened on recent rides that prompted such a dramatic shift? Are lots of people getting lost, or maimed, or abducted by aliens or something?
guy fawkes - "Also there should be different organizers every month, great idea! This should truly be a ride that is allows everyone to participate."
Moving on from the route-plan hand-wringing, I still haven't got any answers about the flyer info.
Echo Park/SilverLake I mo be there....Miguel I got cerveza for you k
Miguel say what time ya goin to be at 20 an Vermont, and are coming down on wilshire or 
Awright, flyer updated. I just went on the assumption that the satellite meetup points would remain the same as in the calendar listing. If not, at least people will be able to check out the MR site for updates. Hopefully, I'll have time to stop by a Kinkos and make some copies for tonight.
First time massing it. Cant wait. =)
Jon I hope you got some good video, I was way too busy.
THAT WAS "A" REAL FUCKING FUN ASS BOMB MOTHERFUCKIN RIDE, LOL, FUCK YA!!!!!!!
Great Ride Indeed. You can count me in to pitch in for the ticket, and thank you for taking one for the team..
