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So I tried to go on a ride last night, my first one, and it got hijacked. COMPLETELY. The only reason I know it got hijacked is cuz I got a message saying it was rescheduled as a result of hijacking. Right.
Now I understand that this was not due to the people who planned the ride, but really, in my opinion, it should have been (and needed to have been) better organized so that these asshats wouldn't have been able to take over the ride.
I'd never been on a ride before, but I'm no pussy. I may not be able to go that fast, but I have stamina. However I also like to stay *alive* and some of the shit they were pulling was S.T.U.P.I.D. and my friend (who has been on many rides before) who was with me agreed.
They were littering, tagging,and soooo many other things it was retarded. All I could think was "If I wasn't so into this biking thing, and didn't REALLY dig the idea of Midnight Ridazz, having this be my first EVER ride would realllllly have turned me off."
Because honestly? I LOVE to party. I LOVE having a fucking blast, dude. And getting crazy on a bike at night with a bunch of other motherfuckers sounds like a fucking GREAT TIME. However, being ASSOCIATED with fucked behavior like last night?
NOT my idea of a good time.
I realize it was not the leaders intentions for the ride to get hijacked by douchebags. I KNOW THIS. And I appreciate the rescheduling effort. But it was SO poorly organized and SO ridiculous that I don't know if I want to risk it again. I would rather go on a ride where I *know* I'm gonna have a good time. Last night just plain sucked. If I hadn't had my friend with me, I probably would've been stranded at night near USC, not really knowing the way to get back except to retrace my steps...ALONE. And as a chick, that ain't the most fun way to spend a Friday night, even if I can stick up for myself.
I realize this is a long post, but I felt like I really had to say something. It was ridiculous.
By the time we got to Jack in The Box, and kids were climbing on each others shoulders to tag walls, 4 of us just split and made our own ride and it was so lovely.
Wish it had been that way the whole time.
yeah, shit like that happens sometimes. There's lot's of good rides out there. Don't get discouraged. There's nothing you can do about douche bags. Just keep riding on.
Well, I'm definitely not in the habit of letting one bad apple spoil the bunch, so I'm def. gonna go on more rides & all, but MAN. I was embarrassed to be RIDING with these kids! And that's saying a lot cuz you should see some of the scumbags I call friends! :D
That's too bad. For bigger rides you really need enough spoke cards with a route slip. And there has to be an effort to give it to newer riders so they can follow in case they're lost. I attended a ride just recently with about 400 people but there were only a few spoke cards that were passed out to mostly ride regulars. That ride could have easily hijacked.
The spoke card serves another purpose other than showing people how many rides you've done. Use it.
Yeah, um, spoke card? I saw them on people's bikes, was promised one on the invite....did not get one. At all. In fact, I didn't see ANYONE with them...
Yes a spoke card. Use to be a ritual for a while, a spoke card party and a pre-ride. But with the frequency of the rides, a lot of these things fell by the wayside. It was a good way to get introduce into organizing a ride. Helping in the planning of a ride gives you a good appreciation of what it takes and helps you start your own ride.
It's all in the planning, once a ride has started there is no way of physically controlling it. The route and the use of route slip usually determines how the ride goes.
sc_nomad responding to a comment by sinaphile
07.4.09 - 2:24 pm
It's real simple. Don't go on the rides where you've got burned. There's a shit load of rides out there. Find the ones you like, and support them religiously. The shity rides will fade to dust if everyone followed these rules.
WOW THAT SUCKS I WAS GONNA GO TO THAT RIDE BUT SEEM A LITTLE TO SKETCHY TO RIDE IN THAT AREA SO I WENT TO THE GLENDALE ONE AT LEAST NO ONE WAS HURTS GO TO THE ONES THAT ARE MORE WELL ORGANIZED AND DIDNT THEIR POST SAY NOT TAGGERS!!!! WELL ATLEAST UR SAFE GO TO THE GLENDALE RIDE NEXT FRIDAY I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE ITS A PRETTY FAST PACE ,ID [ACE BUT REAL FUN COMANY AND ORGANIZED!!!
Yeah, as much as I'd like to give 'em another shot, it's kinda hard after an experience like that. Probly just try another ride, instead. I feel kinda bad for the leaders that their ride got hijacked, but...at the same time, it probably could've been prevented...
like i said in my private message sorry the ride got hijacked... its not the 1st ride to be hijacked, just search the forums.
but seriously what can 3 leaders do when a group of 15 assholes show up to do nothing but fuck around ( steal, tag, hijack ) on a ride that had 25 people tops. The only good thing that came out of this is Now I know who the assholes are, and i'll personally deal with them.
spoke cards where handed out at the 1st stop, and not at the beginning because I don't know if you noticed a group of like 10 kids showed up just looking for spoke cards... when we told them they would get one at the 1st stop, they left.
AIDS66 responding to a comment by sinaphile
07.4.09 - 4:39 pm
Yeah, it is just a bike ride, at the end of the day it's no big deal & all that, and I understand that rides get hijacked. No big deal. Part of life.
I didn't get any private message unless you're referring to the FB invitation to the rescheduled event, which was all I got. I guess it would've been better, since it was a small ride, to have a bit more control over people, since they were being kinda lame even at the beginning & we were having a really hard time even identifying WHO the leaders were. There were people actually saying "Hey- whose ride is this?" repeatedly, and no one answered. It was just sorta messy. I understand. It happens. It's cool. I would just be more concerned about people causing trouble at your rides representing your name, y'know?
we should post up a tread called the wall of shame.
Try to take pics of anyone that we see tagging, stealing or hi-jacking rides
and post up their pics in that thread. So everyone knows who they are.
Same thing happened at the Tandem Ride With No Name....A bunch of kids....probably 10 or so asked for spoke cards...they seemed stoked to ride...I gave them cards then they all split....seemed kinda strange....
barleye responding to a comment by AIDS66
07.4.09 - 8:51 pm
Hey hun, I think I met you last night! There weren't that many girls, so I'm pretty certain you're the one that I'm thinking about... I forget names fast, sorry. However, I have to agree with you. It could have been way more organized, but I don't blame the leaders. I'm certain they're new to this. They'll have plenty more chances to organize other rides that will go better...
However, the tagging, littering and other chaos really wasn't necessary. That's when you have to put your foot down and regulate. Kick them out of your ride, threaten to take photos, whatever it takes to keep the night going well!
But who am I to talk, I guess.
Anyways, I hope to see you out on more rides soon! Not many rides end up like this. :) My friends and I have a ride every Sunday and it's chill as fuck. So you and any other ladies are more than welcome to join us!
wow that shit sucks, come to the valley rides, we dont have that stuff :)
i'll give you all my spoke cards hah i dont want them anymore
yeahhhh!!! 818 chocolate cake!
I'll agree that the Valley sees little drama, perhaps all the dipshits are bound by some sort of supernatural barrier that keeps them from wanting to venture out along the 5, or Cahuenga for that matter.
Most of my spokecards, (close to 100) have route info on them but they were for older rides. This might not be practiced anymore. Not having the route info was the exception in the past. The only groups that didn't give out route info on their spoke cards was Sins and Sprokets and the Wolfpack ( the hardest card to get). Although there was a original MR spokecard that was same front and back...... Double Trouble.
sc_nomad responding to a comment by AIDS66
07.5.09 - 7:37 am
SINS and SPROCKETS didn't print routes on their spoke cards, but i always made more maps (usually a couple hundred) than spoke cards to ensure that everyone had a chance to get a map. extra maps were always left behind for those running late. our ride was never hijacked. not because we had route maps, but because i was a total hard ass when anyone would try to pass me. often times i would stop the whole ride and tell the people that were trying to take over the ride to go and leave if they can't handle riding at the slower pace i was setting. i know people will say that " if SINS and SPROCKETS had a ride that was 400 or more people they would have lost control as well, but i disagree. we have had rides over 300 people and had not lost control of the ride. granted it was alot of work yelling at people to stay behind me, but eventually others at the front would get on board and help by telling people to slow down as well. in my opinion, the problem with many rides is that anyone with a computer and a bike thinks it is easy to organize a ride. that just isn't the case.
Yup... never seen it on the S&S rides. It worked out so well that not only were you guys strict on no one passing but it's cause you guys were easily identified. Everyone knew who were the members cause of the jackets. If i saw a group going straight and i saw S&S jackets going right... I'm following the jackets.
With rides now... it's hard to tell who's leading unless you knew the people organizing and you rode next to them. Cause if i'm playing music and the rear... i'm following the group without knowing it was hijacked.
to the OP... again like other people said, don't let this one experience ruin it for you. Plenty of good rides out there with great people. Keep riding and you'll see...
I know what you mean. My last Mid City ride turned into a big cluster f@ck because people wouldn't keep a good pace and tried to turn a mass, slow ride into a race. It becomes way more difficult to cork traffic when everyone is really stretched out.
There are some folks who show up on these rides who are only there to fuck shit up. ie. tagging and fucking with cops. These are the same idiots who don't hold their lines on turns and will slam on their brakes right in front of you, and won't make sure that you are okay if you've hit the pavement. (even though it was their fault)
why you guys got to make it sound like i planned for Kushtown to come and fuck shit up...
i just ran with the bad luck thats these assholes came to my ride and messed it up for those who actually came to ride.
if my ride doesn't survive well fuck it at least i'm going to try and make it work, if not fuck it.
up to this point all i've read on this tread has been "Don't go to rides where you've been burned" " its not going to survive" " go to this ride instead".
and no one has stepped up to say i'll help or try to give a suggestions on how to fix this problem with these assholes, except for Dean4537.
Mid-City has a lot of regulars that are on most rides and know what's up, and not one has given any input on how to fix the problem.
AIDS66 responding to a comment by stillline
07.5.09 - 3:26 pm
OK so you want input on how to avoid these douche bags from coming on your ride? Change the name so it marketed to a larger audience. From that group you do you fixie ride or whatever. The name "MidCity Misfixed" is just going to attract that bad boy biker. Put it to rest and maybe bring it back later if you really dig the name.
Make sure people know who the leader is so they can follow you. Let them know who the helpers are if you have them. Tell them what you want to do. Stay together, have a chill ride, no bs such as tagging etc etc.
Be consistent. If you have a core group of people that will be there religiously, that would be of great help. People will come to ride and the will want to ride. They won't if you're a flake. Your core group can be as small as three ridazz, but those three ridazz have got to be there through thick and thin.
Stick to the formula of 15-20 miles with 1-2 stops. Try to keep stops fairly short. Don't ruin your welcome by hanging out in the liquor store parking lot for an hour. Go on rides that are successful and see how it's done, if you haven't.
That's it for now. And yes sometimes you got to ask if you want feedback.
User1 responding to a comment by AIDS66
07.5.09 - 4:30 pm
"From that group you do you fixie ride or whatever."
I should explain this a little clearer. What I meant to say is have your fixie ride develop out of this ride that should be developed for a larger audience. A sub group that does the fixie rides on another day. Maybe even bring back your original name with this ride.
I don't see a problem with the name... I honestly like the name. Well, only cuz "MISFIT" was incorporated within it somehow, hahaha. I honestly thought this was gonna be a punk rock ride! And I seen most of the punk foos who show up to my rides. It was pretty cool for the most part.
However, DEFINITELY make it clear who the leader is. I remember asking SEVERAL TIMES "Who's the leader? Who's the leader?" And no one wanted to answer me... I wasn't going to bite your head off, LOL. I just wanted to know where we were heading!
Let's see if we can make the next ride a good one! Kick those "Kushtown" foos out if they're going to be acting like a bunch of MAS PUTOS!!!
I am TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY willing to try the ride again. I don't blame the leaders *except* for the lack of control that was expressed over the ride. What has been talked about here, especially regarding the Sins & Sprockets ride, seems to be a GREAT way to go...
DON'T give UP the ride and *don't* lose the name...The name is AWESOME!!! And there were reasons I went on the ride and wanted to do the ride in the first place. Just be more organized about it, that's all. I can't go to the rescheduled ride because I'm going to be out of town, but I'm not giving up on you guys because I don't think it's fair if you are willing to honestly try to make it a better experience than it was before MINUS the hijacker bullshit and with a much stronger hand of organization...
And northerthsoulbyrd- in answer to your ?, I was the chick that you met that night :)
sinaphile responding to a comment by northernsoulbyrd
07.5.09 - 6:52 pm
Woohoo! Well, I'll be seein' ya there if you do plan on attending next time! I live less than 10mins. away. But yeah, IDK. It's always hard starting up rides. People step all over the leaders... It was like that for us when we first started doing Nocturnal, at least. I don't know how other peoples experiences were.
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