NOTE: All timestamps are in the future because WE are in the future. The care takers of Midnight Ridazz.com reserves the right to remove, edit, move or delete anything for any reason. None of the opinions expressed on these boards represent the Midnight Ridazz nor can anyone purport to speak on behalf of Midnight Ridazz.
Big group party rides are a lot of fun. Having new people join is part of what makes it so great, a lot of the riders are great, but many new and experienced riders have no clue how to ride in a large group.
Post guidelines/tips/things-that-you-see-that-annoy-you for group riding. (this is an off-shoot of one of the topics on the latest crank mob thread)
I'll start
1. You've got a fixie, thats awesome. You can skid, we know, its really cool. But dont do it in the middle of a packed group ride when theres 100+ people behind you that have to slam on their brakes so they dont run into you.
2. Dont blindly shoot across the middle of the group from one side to the other. look over your shoulder and make sure its clear.
3. If you have to stop, look over your shoulder and move to the side. Don't stop in the middle, and especially not on a steep downhill forcing people to swerve to avoid you (you know who you are, dude on the last crank mob ride).
4. If you're on a slow party ride and you're getting anxious to ride fast, instead of riding out far ahead of the group, increasing the pace. Be a road guard. Ride near the front of the pack and when we cross a busy intersection, stop to hold up cars and keep them from trying to go through the group. Then you can join the group again at the rear and race back up to the front (cautiously, on the left side) and do it all over again.
About the above, looking over your shoulder to make a dead stop is not good enough. If you look over left shoulder you might miss someone behind you on the right. Call it out, and make it loud and clear. Ideally signal to riders that you are pulling over and then stop off to the side. Stopping in the middle of the street always creates issues even if you call it out, and should be reserved for emergencies.
The only gripe I have is that newbies always tend to leave from the start point last and most of the time the gap between them and the group widens. I usually help at the back so see it often. Newbies should always start at the front of the pack (I know they dont know anybody and may feel uncofortable) but doing this only pushes 'em faster to meeting the greatest people on earth!
I have always wanted to make an annoucement at the begining!!!!!
Hold your line in the corners. If you are 4 feet from the curb before the turn, stay 4 feet from the curb all the way through the turn. Far too many people drift to the inside when turning and it creates a very hazardous condition for the person whose front wheel you are about to hit with your rear.
To me, the most disconcerting part about poor pack riding is that riding in a group is pretty much common sense. You can easily sum it up by saying "Don't do anything stupid."
I think the above suggestions are pretty good, but they can easily be re-worded so that they are short and sweet:
1. Hold your line.
2. Do NOT OVERLAP WHEELS. If you make contact with the person in front of you, YOU will go down and you will cause chaos behind you.
3. Ride predictably and signal (verbally or non-verbally) your intentions.
4. If you must stop, look over your shoulder and stick your right arm out while making your way over to the curb.
5. Do not ride against the flow or ridazz. It's dangerous to you and everyon else. You wouldn't do this in a car, so why do it on a bike?
6. If you're riding an expensive track bike and you have the itch to go fast during a party ride, don't. Instead, head to the velodrome and see how you feel after a few hours of intense training.
All good suggestions: I would also add that holding your line in the corners includes when you come out of the corners, too. I've seen many ridazz misjudge the sharpness of the turn and run wide on exit, which can create a real "bike bowling" situation.
Just like when driving a car, I think it makes sense for slower ridazz stay to the right to let the faster people pass. There's too much unnecessary cutting in & out to pass, but some of this could be avoided by giving the faster ridazz the outside.
great thread. here's a set for the fast paced rides (some will apply to party rides as well):
1) call out cars, holes, cracks, and railroad tracks. repeat it as you see it. if someone calls clear right but when you enter the intersection the situation is the same you repeat, if the situation changes you say car right or incoming right if the car is far away.
2) head into right turns as wide as safely possible. wide right means take the turn from as far left as possible so as to put you straight in the right lane of the street you are turning into. this will help avoid interfering with left lane traffic and also avoid collisions that can send a rider into the left lane of oncoming traffic. left turns are a bit easier but you still want to take them as wide as possible so as to place you straight forward in the left lane of the street you are turning into.
3) leave everyone an exit including yourself. watch everyone's space and make sure that if they have to swerve or suddenly move left or right, that they have a bicycle rider's worth of space to the left or right. If there is a line of parked cars then you cannot consider that area to be an escape route. all riders are advised to stay 5 feet from doors. ride in a straight line with easy going moves to change position.
4) sometimes you have to take one for the team. if a pothole is about to be under your wheel, many times it is not safe to swerve out of the way because of overlapping riders. in an ideal world someone up front would have spotted the pothole and called it but you cant rely on that. in an ideal world no one would be overlapping without escape space but the road conditions and speeds change constantly making it hard to always maintain a position in the group. so what that means is you either have to roll the pothole or jump it or at the very least lift your front wheel up and try to lightenyourself so you dont just hit the hole and get a snake bite flat
5) keep your eye on the road, dont get lost in someone's tire. look up or to the side and keep a good picture of what's coming up ahead as you draft off someone. in an ideal world everyone is extremely vocal and talkative about what they see, but when you are all out mashing, your breathing prevents you from talking too much so signals might not make it to you from the front.
indigis, it was nice knowing you, good luck and take care.
All the above are great ideas that should be practiced by all. The only thing I could think to add is to create space around you. Especially in front of you. Don't roll too close to others and you'll avoid alot of the problems with our group rides. This should be followed especially going down hills.
SOMEONE TOLD ME THAT THEY WANT TO FUCK SOMEONE ELSE UP BECAUSE THEY WERE "HOT-DOGGING" ON THERE STUPID 'FIXIE', AND CAUSED THEM TO 'CRASH', AND TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH, I SAW WHAT HAPPENED, ( IT ALMOST HAPPENED TO ME TWICE, THAT SAME NIGHT ) AND I AGREE WITH THE PUNISHMENT, THINK ABOUT IT, WOULD NOT YOU FEEL ANGRY ABOUT SOME ASS-HOLE IN FRONT OF YOU THAT CAUSED A VERY CUTE GIRL TO ACQUIRE A SCAR ON HERE FACE FOR THE REST OF HER LIFE, ( WHICH I'VE SEEN HAPPEN TWICE ) ?????
IN SHORT, IF YOU COME ON A RIDE, AND YOU WANT TO "RACE", JOIN ONE OF THE 'FAST' RIDES, A PARTY RIDE IS NOT FOR YOUR FUCKING BULLSHIT,
THERE IS A GUY AND GIRL THAT ARE IN PAIN RIGHT NOW AS I TYPE THIS POST, IMAGINE THE MINUTES AND THE SECONDS THAT HAVE PASSED SINCE THIER "CRASH",
ALL OVER SOME ASS-HOLE.
ALSO, REGULARS SHOULD SPEAK UP TO THE OFFENDERS (
CORE-ELITE, LOL ) WHEN THIS KINDA SHIT HAPPENS.
Someone, more verbose than i should add some suggestions when encountering the police.
As in, don't elevate the situation by trying to step in to an investigation in progress or shouting at them, etc. There are exceptions when one should step in but in general just back off and be a good witness (photograph, videotape, etc). to support the person afterwards. Just because you think you know the law, you aren't going to win the battle at that second (with few exceptions).
Anyways, someone else can cover this topic better than i.
Here's an obvious one, and one we keep fucking up on. We got someone hurt when we did it on CRANK MOB Saturday, and it hurt someone pretty bad on the Halloween ride.
NEVER TAKE A SOCIAL RIDE DOWN A BIG HILL
Dumbasses. Whoever did that at CMOB has my highest level of disdain. Taking a ride up a big hill is arguably not so good for the social atmosphere. Taking it down a big fucking hill that you can coast down at 35 is absolutely idiotic.
1. Ride deliberately and predictably! i.e no sudden stops. No sudden turns. No stupid tricks.
2. Group Ride = SLOW! Keep social rides SLOW. If you want to go fast, do the fast rides, join a racing team, or hit the velodrome. Your "speed" impresses NO ONE except yourself = Jackoffery. Masturbate on your own (time) or join the appropriate circle-jerk.
as for me: how can i get clued in on the 101 group ride? Can we plan this to be in month or so. that my foot is healed up and I can participate in it.?
1 - Most social rides have a planned route. Your ride leader knows the route. Listen to him or her. When you hear him/her bark out a command (i.e. "STOP AT THE LIGHT!" "RIGHT TURN!" or "VEER LEFT!") follow it.
2 - Not only should you follow it, you should also PASS IT ON! Repeat announcements that you hear coming from the ride leader or the front of the pack (i.e. "TRACKS!" or "CAR RIGHT!") so that other people around you can hear it and pass it on. It is also very important to pass on announcements coming from the back of the pack (i.e. "CAR BACK!" or "RIDER DOWN!"). Just because you heard it, doesn't mean everyone else did.
3 - And if you didn't hear it, maybe you're riding too far ahead of the pack or the leader. Slow your roll. If you can ride fast, that's really badass but not if you're trying to ride with 200 other riders of different skill levels.
4 - But if you do slow down (or stop), announce that too. Let people behind you know what you are doing or what's coming up. Don't be shy about shouting out announcements (i.e. "SLOWING!" or "STOPPING!"), it will only make the entire ride LOUDER! But try not to be a dick about it.
5 - And if you see anyone else being a dick rider, communicate to them right there about what they are doing wrong and how they can do it right. Don't wait to get home and post your complaints on the internet.
you want to ride on the 101?
drive north to carpinteria, exit bates, take a left and drive under the freeway and park at the beach. unload your bike and take the bates onramp to the 101 and enter the bike path, ride till the next off ramp where the 101 bike path ends. cross the 101 (seriously) and enter it on the other side and do it again.
this is completely legal.
5 - And if you see anyone else being a dick rider, communicate to them right there about what they are doing wrong and how they can do it right. Don't wait to get home and post your complaints on the internet.
onethirtynine
05.19.08 - 5:44 pm
I TOLD TWO RIDERS THAT ALMOST CAUSED ME TO CRASH, DO THEY LISTEN?
FUCK NO. SO NEXT TIME 'CHIME IN, WHEN YOU HEAR SOMEONE COMPLAIN, SEEMS LIKE ALOT OF PEOPLE ARE 'SCARED; OR THINK IM AN ASS-HOLE, BUT,
I HAVE NO PROBLEM TELLING SOMEONE 'HOW IT IS'
ONE WAS A CHICK, WHO SLAMMED INTO TO ME TWICE, FROM THE BACK, ABOUT .002 OF A SECOND, IN A ROW, SHIT.
I KNOW IT WAS AN ACCIDENT, BUT SOMETIMES, IT'S STUPIDITY THAT CAUSES ACCIDENTS.
Hey Sexy, I was kidding around. I don't have a beef with a freeway ride, I was just playing off the thread title. Looks like I started a tangent that didn't need to pick up steam.
and here's another suggestion that should really raise my popularity level... to the riders peddling the music trailer, go straight and at an even pace. i've seen two crashes caused by the trailer swerving and cutting through bikes.
This is a great thread and I think by decussing this and getting a general consensus on how rides should go in the future,we can all have more fun.I agress with alot of things I'v read so far and would love to add my two cents.
Someone said something on the thread about putting new riders up front,which I think is a great idea.If we could add a Rockie Horror/fight club kind of vibe we could make being a newb fun for all.Maybe announce right befor we take off for all newbs to get up front,come up with some kind of light fun hazing to break the ice.For anyone who has gone to see Rockie horror this could be a quick simple "de-virginizing" kind of thing followed by a newb spoke card bright as fuck so you know to watch out for them.
just a silly idea in my head
OH and if anyone is good with numbers,how about a rating system for rides based on the lengh,hill and whatever eles.some kind of 1 to 10 kind of thing.
I know this has been discussed ad nauseum elsewhere but to keep everything together, a friendly reminder to stay in the right hand lane(s) and keep the left most lane open for vehicles. Again, there are always exceptions where we need to 'take the lane' for safety reasons. And for Critical Mass rides, this rule/suggestion is debatable ;-)
yes, debatable regarding CM... the first words i ever spoke to a rida was to steve and it was debating this very point. but for MR, i agree, ride as close to the right as is SAFELY possible, even if it's as far right as the furthest left lane.
here is a possible solution to this, that my lazy ass, has not taken the time to write up properly and suggest to our webmaster;
When someone post a ride on midnight ridazz. (they click on add a ride)
There is suggested guidelines to how best a ride workout written in larger font. that starts with even larger font that States PLEASE READ
INFO FOR A RIDE GOING SMOOTHLY. or something like that
Then it goes on to give suggestions on how a ride is most successful when it is this type of ride
say a party ride. Make a announcements before rides, stay behind so and so, they are setting the pace. this is not a fast ride, fast rides are such and such time and such and such place, stay in one lane. Stop at the lights if you are in the front and see it is turning red
etc etc. routes published or not published route cards or no route cards. Why it is good why it is not. Please ask people to pick up trash, etc etc.
for fast ride, this is how it works best
then an email the day before or of the ride to the person who posted it remind them of things to do to make the ride go smoothly.
This may be set up by the webmaster to automatically send it to the person who posted the ride day of the ride.
The reminders may help.
Alright then. I go to work on the suggestion to place in more details right now. Send other suggestions to the webmaster here at info@midnightridazz.com/
I might as well, i'm not contributing to ibikeu wiki
i'm not terribly active on this forum, but i too have seen this thread half a dozen times.
what needs to happen is a plan to turn these guidelines into action. by definition a noob is not going to be reading this forum. the ridearch guys always did a good job of announcing this before the ride. im not sure if that is the most effective way to get the message across, but really that's what this thread should be about. we already have 27 rules for group riding. can we make a short list of the most important and figure out a way to actually make them happen?
my personal opinion... it's really a matter of getting a critical mass of riders to care enough during the ride and call people out without being assholes. i think we did a good job with litter on cmob, with the exception of some chocolate icing and ice cream cones. we just need to do the same with other things that are deemed important.
yeah yeah I know, I'm supposed to be out of town, but my trip got postponed.
Anyway, I was going to say that I agree with everybody's advice. At the same time, try not to get all "emo" and scream and yell at everybody when pointing out an issue. I am guilty of such behavior. Nobody wants to listen to you when you are all agro and whiny.
Communicate to others. Be Loud. Open Your Mouf. Etc. It's hard to hear everything when you are on your bike and spread out. Repeat what other people have said so others know they are supposed to turn ahead or slow down or regroup or liquor sore or whatever.. etc. etc.
RB you will be getting an email, tonight or tomorrow with my first draft. Everybody knows my writing always needs a little polishing I have been writing this up since I last posted. You can use it as you wish. I think I'm gong to post it on ibikeu wiki, and it should and could be updated as new situations arrive. I'll be sending my draft to the bikeriders collective to look over and polish also.
Yeah!, I might be doing something constructive during my hiatus from the rides
You may want to work on something to add to this, for if one is planning to put on a "go Fast ride" (don't worry we won't generalize them as hustle rides). You would be good, since you have much experience with this.
I will be making suggestion of guidelines for protest rides, if one ever decides to take on this type of ride, and I have the experience with it.
The inherent problem with a forum structure for information is that topics of importance are buried and muddled with long back and forth discussions. If this topic has happened many times with similar results, then it's obviously important, but having a do over every time things go wrong is not an efficient use of energy.
It seems to me that this calls for a separate permanent page, pre-faced that these are suggestions, and things can change in context, to account for different ride styles. Short of that, perhaps an article can be posted to the ibikeu wiki and ride organizers can link to it, perhaps even with links to particular sections depending on the ride they are putting on.
Posted previous comment before Roadblocks reply. A permanent page here I think is a great idea and will set a standard in place. I think a wiki page will still be helpful though since it can be updated to change with the times easily and could include links to sub topics or debates of opposing views. Yay for information!
yeah it's basically a wiki feature on the site that people can be granted permission to edit. I have it all setup just never implemented it. but it would be good to put some basic articles up on here for the uninitiated.
Think about the Ridazz BEHIND You. Since most ridazz don't rock a mirror we are usually fixated on what we see in front of us, not whats happening behind us.
I always see people yelling at (and chasing after) the antsy newbies riding off of the front. Think about the people in the back. The dummies in the front can figure it out. But some poor soul on a beach cruiser in the back is suffering trying to keep up.
The same goes for stopping, slowing, swerving, popping wheelies, etc.
One of the things that I appreciate most about riding is the ease of comminication with fellow ridazz. I think this point is crucial when it comes to safety. If you are doing something, yell it out. SLOWING!! STOPPING!! If you see something, yell it out. RIDA DOWN!! POTHOLE!! TRACKS!! CAR BACK!! Many times have I been saved by another vocal rida.
Please, please, guys--disabuse yourselves once and for all of the notion that 1500 people will start behaving more reasonably if only we post more suggestions to them on the Internet.
Nobody who pulls up to the start of one of these social rides is thinking about what they read on the Web that morning. And few of the people who need this information the most are reading these websites at all. If it worked that way, most of them would have clicked on the "About the Ridazz" link at the top of this page and absorbed all of those perfectly reasonable tips and guidelines a long time ago.
By all means, write up your list of rules or whatever, but then print it on paper and hand it out to people at the actual event. Xerocracy, they called it, back in ye olde days of Critical Mass, and as a way to disseminate ideas at precisely the time and in precisely the setting where those ideas were important, it worked. It can't possibly be any less effective than these threads have been, right?
Good point as usual PC; agreed. I think those of us who read and post here are mainly talking amongst ourselves about what those rules and suggestions should be and how to communicate them clearly. Most of us already follow these guidelines for safe riding, but I don't think it hurts to verbalize them and all get on the same page.
check out these threads please. i need your support. let's do this y'all. it's only 175miles and for you wimps you can do 40 each day. there is that option. you only pay $25 to register and only have to raise $250 individually.
TEAM MIDNIGHT RIDAZZ - MS150 "WAVES TO WINE 2008" SAN FRANCISCO TO SONOMA!!! B IN THE "MS150-TEAM M.R."
Thread started by Eddie GOpez at 05.20.08 - 4:23 am
http://www.midnightridazz.com/forums.php?topicId=3137&pgnum=1
WAVES TO WINES 2008. TEAM M.R. - C'MMON GUYS, IT'S BEEEEAUTIFUL!!!
Thread started by ***** ***** at 05.20.08 - 2:28 pm
http://www.midnightridazz.com/forums.php?topicId=3140&pgnum=1
ALC TEAM MIDNIGHTRIDAZZ i need you guys to help me fight for another cure... the cure for Mulitiple Sclerosis
Thread started by Eddie GOpez at 05.20.08 - 2:49 pm
http://www.midnightridazz.com/forums.php?topicId=3141&pgnum=1
OK, maybe this is a lame idea, but what about a top ten written on the back of a given ride's spoke card?
What would that top ten look like? Could this debate, and those on the MR forum agree upon ten, short sentences?
It could be a smart way to get the message out to the 90% of ridazz that don't frequent this forum. Bickering and debating among ourselves isn't going to get much done.
After a somewhat disastrous ride last fall I was thinking a of a Back to School themed ride that could playfully point out the "rules" on the spoke card (ie.g chalboard or lined paper) with out seeming too preachy.
Besides it would be fun to bomb a bunch of schools at night and see the ridiculous takes on a school theme.
@PC ... disabuse yourself of the cynicism my friend. Aside from the craziness of this thread it is quite possible that a newbie ridaa could stumble on this thread and learn a few things and make the difference in avoiding one more accident.
But yeah... if the best nugs of wisdom can be gleaned from here a handout of some sort would be especially helpful.
there plenty of new ridazz that make it out to the ride and have no idea that this site exists.
I can't wait to see what you come up with.
Since it was my idea, here's my stab at it. I don't think I'm ever going to lead a ride, or make spoke cards, but for those who do, feel free to pinch some of these.
And anyone on the forum, feel free to edit, change, make new suggestions, refute one of mine, etc. Let's use the collective...
***********************************
Safety first: ride sensibly, in control, and watch out for others
Ride deliberately and predictably. No sudden stops. No sudden turns. No stupid tricks.
If you have to stop, look over your shoulder and slowly pull over to the side
Unless you're on a fast-specific ride, no speed-racers. Don’t go blasting through the group at twice the speed
Shout out road hazards as you see them; hole, curb, road cracks, possum....
If you’re new, or slow, try and get closer to the front so you don’t get dropped.
On small rides, with multiple lanes, try and let cars through on a left-hand-most lane. Shout “car-back” to alert riders in front.
Always respect police, follow orders, and DO NOT aggravate any situation
HAE GHISE,
i am making the next Ridazz (Alphabet Soup) spoke cards and would definitely incorporate a "Top Ten". Write it out here and I will use it...
Every once in a while, i try to stop and realize just how fragile and fleeting life is. Then, i remember the last words of my Grandfather before he died.... .......................'a truck!'
this thread is so excellent. i am so glad it is still with us!
A MODEL THREAD TO US ALL!
*******SAFETY FIRST!!!*********
Points I strongly agree with:
1. Hold your line! Especially in larger groups. We need to be aware of the spacing between each other and the pace of the ride over all.
2. Communicate - Call out dangers, turns, repeat directions that you have heard to those behind you.
3. If you hijack a ride, you are making life difficult for the ride leaders. Create your own ride and I swear I will follow you....
4. Try to remember that your individual actions do reflect on the group as a whole.... so....don't ride against the flow of the ride! don't make sudden stops!
also, i am strongly in favor of collecting all these suggestions into a working document that can be referenced...emailed (PDF) etc... etc...
okay, let's see if hungerford can HIJACK this one!
If someone feels like typing up or making a really short, and to the point bullet point list of general rules,
I'll put it on the back of the spoke card for the next Midnight Ridazz ride on July 11th.
And, when i/we hand out the spoke cards at the ride, i'll hand them out with the rules side up and (again fwiw) ask each person to please review them. (pipe dreams, i know).
Try to boil it down to one or two catchy sentences. The people you need to reach aren't going to read a bunch of bullet points. (I frankly wonder whether some of them can read, but that's for another discussion.)
While stops are a good place to announce the general rules for safe riding i think the best time to let people know is when we are actually riding. I picture someone riding the left side from the back to the front with a megaphone reading the bullet points on the card out loud so no-one can say they didn't read it or no-one told them. People aren't going to sit there and read a spoke card when theres a hundred people playing foot music on a drainage gate
Maybe at stops it would be better to get some people together to demonstrate good and bad riding practices in the parking lot.
Entertaining to watch and educational too. We have some performance artists in our group (fuzz is one i know of) maybe they would be willing to help us stage a little "Safety Play" at each stop.
performances would be fun for sure, and a megaphone during the ride would be cool too, but I do think people look at spoke cards and I for one don't want to be constantly 'reminding' people of proper behavior while riding and trying to have fun myself. My idea of a good time does not include babysitting.
If it's on the back of spoke cards, even if they don't read them right away, they'll look at tthem later. Also - it lends to the overall importance of the matter, that someone bothered to print it up in the first place. Let's people think about it, roll it over in their mind and come to the next ride prepared.
Ingi - that's awesome!! can't wait to see your list.. we can go through and edit together if you want :)
all right. i've done it.... i've consolidated the list from everyone's comments and despite PC's advice have come up with a
TOP TEN RULES FOR RIDAZZ list...
i support (strongly!) putting this list on the back of spoke cards for any and all rides coming up...and that we make a more concerted effort to announce these handy RULES at the beginning of the ride and also at stops.
1. SAFETY FIRST! Keep enough distance between Ridazz!
Eyes on the Road!
2. Hold your LINE! Especially on those corners and down
those hills!
3. Communicate – Call out dangers in the road – “Tracks!”,
cars approaching - “Car back!”, fallen ridazz - “Rida down!”
and upcoming turns or stops. Pass it on!!
4. Act responsibly. Your actions have consequences!
They also reflect on the group as a whole…so please…
DON’T BE STUPID!!!!
5. Ride predictably – Signal your intentions (verbally or
physically), NO sudden stops! No silly tricks!
6. Watch your speed. If you want to ride fast do NOT except the
group to follow at your pace. Stay behind the music trailer or
ride leader.
7. If the police show up, do NOT antagonize them. Comply with
their requests in a civilized and respectful manner. If you get
ticketed and think it is unfair, DISPUTE IT!
8. If you see anyone failing to observe these basic guidelines,
TELL THEM!