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.
Live to ride, ride to die.
With the wind in my face and the world for my bride,
That’s right!
Come on! Let’s blow this town, raze the street to rubble,
Set a land speed record for causing trouble.
I want to ride a sonic boom across a land with no borders,
I’ll be the crash test dummy of the No World Order! Yeah!
We’re here to raise the roof.
We’ll blow it off and that’s the truth.
Speed don’t kill and here’s the proof:
CRANK Mob Iron Horse Bike Strike Force En Route!
yo, first time riding with you all this sat. looking forward to having a blast. the interactive map is just a locator; not suppose to be the route guide, verdad?
Awesome ride. You westsidazz throw a great ride. The westside pavilion parking garage was dope. I was amazed how many underground levels this place had. Richie's shopping cart bike (I didn't even know that was you man).you had to see it. Franz and Marcus fixing that flat was was really funny. Thanks K and all involved for putting this together. Oh... Thanks for the directions back to Sawtelle Chris/K... Spot on
Dude, I'm addicted. This shit's worse than heroin. Better than heroin. Similar to heroin, though qualitatively different in various ways. Not as expensive, for example.
I saw a green afro, a car helmet, a bunch of poetry, world war silly string, Dante's Inferno, bicycles on an escalator, two flat tires, a rollerblader playing jump rope, a couple FAR's (Fake-Ass Roadies), a hobo kissing booth, a bicycle shopping cart (I tried to get a picture but they came out pretty poorly), a red rinja bat attack, a pussy in long socks and yes... even a DRAGON!
Thanks to everyone who joined the mob last night!
. next . month . will . be . even . c r a z i e r .
That was a super cool ride. I'm coming to every CRANK mob forever. FUCK . . . we need to hire a photographer for this ride because we got way crazier than usual. Props to Skidz and Richie for awesome outfits.
I kind of had issues with this ride. To me, this ride was everything that people who don't like rides like MR and Critical Mass point at... stuff that usually gets dismissed as the actions of a few. It was a pretty small ride, and people still weren't being very cool. Just in general, I felt like people were coming at things from a "let's fuck shit up for no reason" kind of mob mentality. I've gone on a number of Mindight Ridazz rides, as well as Santa Monica Critical mass, and I've never been to a ride that had this kind of bad vibe.
1) I felt like people were not being respectful / trying to cause a ruckus for no good reason. Examples...
* People setting off stinkbombs when we were standing outside Ralph's
* At least one person (pictured in the gallery) spraypainting in the Ralph's parking lot - c'mon - that isn't going to make Ralph's very friendly the next time a big group of bicyclists comes and hangs out in their parking lot - and they weren't even giving us a hard time about it (this time)
* Bicyclists blocking / threatening motorists in the parking lot, yelling at motorists for no good reason, etc. It's one thing to yell at a motorist who is trying to run you over, but in this case, I repeatedly saw riders trying to block cars, even on private property. Doing this makes things harder for all cyclists, and does nothing to raise awareness.
* Running wild on private property (a parking garage at Westside Pavillion)
2) In a lot of cases, we were taking up more than one lane of traffic on multilane roads, even when there was plenty of room for the whole group in a single lane (see the mission statement and rulezz on the main MR site).
3) Drunk people - I've encountered a decent amount of drinking at MR rides before, and I don't have any problems with a beer here or there, but IMHO, there were some people who were a little too wasted at this ride.
I've enjoyed the other group rides I've gone on, and I know, like, and respect the organizers of CRANK Mob as people - but I really don't want to go on a ride that's just interested in causing mayham for no good purpose.
I think if you had read to forums prior to the ride, you would have know that a fair amount of shenanigans were going to be had. At least you know now what to expect (and what to avoid).
Hey, I try to get to as many of these as possible.
Just because everyone else is going to act a fool don't mean I got to be one as well.
I get more of a kick out of watching everyone else do that.
I'm sort of like the quiet observer of the group in case anyone else hasn't noticed.
I wrote this poem for CRANK MOB the day of the ride and pinned it to the back of my hoodie:
Moon Tigers Laughing.
Error-Pearls Necklaces,
I crave the Rave-Jesus,
but will settle with sore thighs.
Crystal Marlins jumping,
Reading-Rainbows-
Watching-TV-2-Hours.
Will you? Won't you?
Won't you floating Ram?
Buckhorn Lizards Apes,
shooting LAZERS-EYEZ.
Take a chance of Fleas
Old Time Ox & Geese,
Painted Horses whiny
teetering on the tulip staircase.
Thanks CRANK MOB for giving me this senseless yet fantastic poem.
I don't know. The name was just one of a few names that were voted on, so I really didn't expect it to be anything based on the name. Originally, the discussion was about a West Side ride for people who didn't want to wait a month between each Santa Monica Critical Mass. So the way it was put to me was "critical mass, but a little bit later and a little bit faster".
I didn't expect it to be a refined ride through the countryside, but I expected it to be different, based on the organizers, similar rides I've been on, and based on the people that I knew were going. I don't have any problem making trouble or being obnoxious when it's warranted. But for me, that ride was over the line.
I did end up sitting out some bits at the end of the ride (the bit in the parking lot, and then got ditched after my girlfriend and I stopped to help someone who was having problems with her bike), and I will definitely think twice before attending next month.
I think there is a genuine misunderstanding here. wyardley & his girlfriend first were introduced to CRANK when they were invited to the email discussion after starting a discussion about a possible West LA CM on BRWs forum. Because of that they weren't privy to the early offline discussions about this ride, and may not have understand the full extent of the concept. They also could have easily formed or more tame concept of the ride from the West LA CM discussion on the BRW Forum. That said - the original emails subject line was "EVIL MASS" . . . that's a pretty good clue.
The other thing here is that I think wyardley & his girlfriend aren't really familiar with cub camp. If you don't know the cubbies you could easily think that rambunctious is a lot more tame than CRANK was. So they might have been taken off guard by the cubbie super fun factor.
wyardley - all that aside - I don't really think your criticisms are fair. I feel like you're letting your personal disappointment with the ride cloud your perception of it's level of disruptiveness. What did we do in the parking structure that was so bad? Even while being crazy we took care not to damage any of the cars and no one got hurt - so where's the beef.
I think your perception of drunkenness is probably off, or at least your perception that it influenced the behavior. I've ridden with the CUBZ when they were all stone cold sober and they're wilder than most sorority girls during their 21st birthday. I respect that - people should be able to cut loose and have fun sober. But hey, what do I know, I was SLAMMERED.
well...i just thought i would add I appreciated the help of mr. yardley and his handy girl associate...i would have been stuck in culver city all alone and sad without them...many thanks...
sorry the ride didnt turn out the way you would have liked...I hope you'll still come out next month..
I didn't see any of the emails - all I saw was the post on the public (non volunteer) BRW forum. I haven't gone to cubcamp, but that's a little different because it's usually a much shorter ride. I know both Kieron and Alex, and consider them both to be pretty reasonable, even tempered people. So name / advertising / whatever notwithstanding, I was personally a little disappointed with the ride.
As far as drunkenness - again - I have nothing against riding a bike after having a beer or three, and I was sitting drinking my big-ass red stripe at Ralph's along w/ everyone else. It's probably just as easy (or easier) to kill yourself riding a bike drunk, but at least it's harder to kill someone else than driving drunk... and the fine is a lot lower if you get caught. Anyway, I mentioned it because I saw people who were swerving pretty wildly in ways that I don't think were due simply to bad bike riding skills, and also because I talked to some people who were on the ride who seemed pretty 'faced, not just loud / obnoxious.
Probably some of this stuff happens on some of the larger rides too - but I haven't noticed it as much beacuse it's a much smaller percentage out of a large group.
Anyway, regardless of how the ride was advertised, I simply don't think it's constructive to approach people with such hostility without any provocation on their part. We're all frustrated by the SMPD, bad drivers and rude people, but we're not going to get anywhere by taking that frustration out on random businesses and innocent bystanders.
Rides like Critical Mass and Midnight Ridazz serve an important role in raising awareness, and I have nothing against some well placed civil disobedience in the interest of raising awareness about bikes in this crazy city of ours. But maybe it's just me getting old, or maybe I just wasn't in a hell-raising mood, but I just really don't see the point of causing problems for other people just for the hell of it. Someone at Ralph's is going to have to deal with the grafitti on their parking lot (no matter how well intentioned), people who were just driving to the grocery store to get some late night ice cream are going to have a bad taste in their mouth after being yelled at and boxed in by a band of drunken bicyclists... this is not the way to make friends and influence people.
If people want to ride through Santa Monica at rush hour (at extra low speeds) and screw up traffic to make a point to the SMPD for being such a problem for SM Crit Mass - I'm down for that. It'll piss off people and maybe not win too many friends, but at least it'll be for a reason. Let's take that pent up anger and do something at least a little bit constructive with it.
@becky - Glad you (and your bike) made it back Ok. What happened - you just disappeared.
Oh yeah - not a big deal, but if anyone ended up with an extra set of blue park tire levers, they're probably mine... look me up and email me or leave them for me at the brw.
i'm trying to be lax about this but my suppressed rage that i was unable to let loose on Saturday wants out.
Now, what gives a ride a "BAD VIBE"?
I can totally understand fighting, breaking windows, being spit at, or something where you feel your life is threatened. But ANY time i have that feeling at a ride, i SAY something about it there. If people don't agree, then i leave. This ride brought more to the table than what was originally dreamed of for the first EVER CRANK MOB. There's no turning back now. It will only get worse in the best way. and sorry but if I were you and felt uncomfortable at THIS ride, then i wouldn't bother coming to the next.
wyardley - you're a cool cat and all but I don't know - did you go on a different ride that was also called CRANK? OK - I see a pic of someone spray painting a no parking striping which might have been at Ralph's. On the other hand I also saw numerous people in the Ralph's parking lot who were intrigued and interested in what we were doing - in a positive way. We talked to some Ralph's employees who thought it was pretty fun. And their were tons of cars with positive honks and solicitations of "what's going on here" . . . again mostly positive. I talked to a 40 something woman and her MOM (musta been 70) at the Westside Pavillion who thought it was great. The mom was trying to figure out if she would be fast enough . . . I suggested a young man on a tandem and she liked that.
Maybe you should talk to K and Alex about how you felt. BTW - are we talking about the same Alex? The one who used to chug a 40 before LACM? As the saying goes - there are 2 sides to every maniac.
For all the negativity you felt I though there were a lot of people who's heads we turned . . . and then cocked to the side in interest - like a curious,
> Maybe you should talk to K and Alex about how you felt.
I am sure I will, and they're on this forum, so I am sure that saying it here will get the job done.
> BTW - are we talking about the same Alex? The one who used to chug a 40 before LACM?
I guess I only know the mild-mannered math grad student side.
The people I interacted with (except for the guys in the mall parking lot who were asking me and Louise about fixed gear bikes and didn't run into the mob at all, afaik) who had just driven up the ramp seemed kind of confused; two women in an SUV asked me what everyone was doing, and I had to say "I don't know". I guess that's kind of what bugged me.
[Alec]
> This ride has nothing to do with raising awareness or civil disobedience.
I'm not sure what your other two comments mean exactly - a little too cryptic for me. But just to clarify... I wasn't trying to say that the ride was (or should be) about a particular political agenda, or raising awareness of cycling. All I was saying is that it seemed to me that there was a lot of anger there, and I'm not sure it was really being directed at the right people, places, or things. Obviously, I don't speak for anyone else, so if that doesn't ring true to folks, sorry.
I did think there were some good parts about the ride (folks stopping when people got flats or had bike problems, the conversations I had with individual people on the ride, etc. etc.), and of course I'm not trying to say that everyone was causing problems... just that for a ride with maybe 30-50 people, there seemed to be a disproportionate amount of problems compared to some of the larger rides.
And to all the people saying "well then don't come back next time"... yeah - lesson learned. The only advertisement I read for it was from http://www.bikerowave.org/forum/index.php/topic,461.0.html, and said:
What: A big monthly ride on Saturday night. A touch faster than SMCM but still doable on your beach cruiser, we'll go more inland with this ride consisting of
1 part Burning Man
7 parts EViL
666 parts Fun
[,,,]
This is a great second step for people who have been doing SMCM but longing for something more frequent than just monthly. Join the C.R.A.N.K. MOB.
I assumed the burning man and evil parts were kind of a joke, and figured that anyway, the 666 parts of fun should cancel them out. But yes - if the goal is to f--k things up and antagonize innocent bystanders for no good reason, then I probably won't make the next one.
I ended up joining the ride at the Ralph's parking lot and saw you guys coming down Sawtelle while I getting my speakers ready (you didn't happen to hear some Tribe Called Quest, Chubb Rock, and Digable Planets... dope stuff) and man the ride looked awesome passing by. I can't say that I felt the "bad vibe" that you experienced. The cubbies throw the dopest stuff and they’re all good people. I've ridden with them since March (off and on… more like off now… I got lazy) and they are an amazing group. Shiet… I still remember Richie riding back with me from Randy’s donuts all the way back to Bikerowave. I didn’t want to slow the whole ride down cause I had a busted cassette but he was willing to hang. They were all willing slow down for me. I can’t thank them enough for showing what looking out for each other is all about.
About the being ditched part. Dude... it happens and I've been left behind plenty times trying to help people out. That's when you and your new friend call up friends and try to rejoin the ride. If you can't... then... good while it lasted. I think it's cool that you helped someone out but that’s something you have to be prepared for. Sometimes you have to consider that you are going to fall back if I help this person but I’m sure with you… something inside just kicked in and said that you’re going to help this person out. And as you can see… that person really appreciated your help.
The thing with the stinkbombs... it's all fun and games and the ride left after the whole deal. So it smells... it was funny. It would be a different story if you got hit in the face and the glass got shoved underneath your eyelid. But the whole point of it being smelly. It’s just funny. You know… “Ewww… gross… “ If the smell was too strong… just move back and you’re good.
On the spray can thing… we all know it’s not a good thing to do… but that “no parking” sign did need some touch up.
The parking garage thing was awesome don't you think? How could you be upset about that thing? The ride down was cool. Hanging out and then coming up the escalators as seeing people’s faces. That was awesome!
I understand that you think the cubbies are cool as people but when I think of crazy and mayhem... I think of cutting other riders off, intentionally weaving in and out of the pack cause they think they’re fast and cool, not holding lines, throwing empty bottles on sidewalk, etc.
Taking up the 2 lanes... sometimes people forget that they're taking up the whole road that I know there were times when I heard people call "car back' and people moved. People just need reminding and by reminding people to move... you're doing your part to help.
Again all this said... everyone has different experiences and I do wish you had a better time. As you can read some of posts after the ride... a lot of people had a good time. I saw people clean up their mess, stopped and helped out w/ peoples flats, and so on. BTW… where was it you were left behind? On Washington?
One thing this year is that there are a lot more rides to choose from. Last year you had the MR ride… Cruz with us… Sins and Sprockets… and the Critical Mass rides. Now since you’re getting a taste of everything… you know which one you’d like to stick with. Ultimately it’s up to you but we would like you and your friend aboard next time if you’re willing to give it another chance. But from what it seems like on your last post you probably won’t. You got choices and again… as much as we’d like you back… you got the final say.
"All I was saying is that it seemed to me that there was a lot of anger there, and I'm not sure it was really being directed at the right people, places, or things.
. . .
I assumed the burning man and evil parts were kind of a joke, and figured that anyway, the 666 parts of fun should cancel them out. But yes - if the goal is to f--k things up and antagonize innocent bystanders for no good reason, then I probably won't make the next one."
wyardley
WILL! Wake up! [I think] your objectivity is c o m p r o m i s e d by your defense of an inaccurate characterization which focused on isolated negatives.
No one was angry! Calling us angry makes KITTEH a little (VERY) flustered but seriously - no one was angry. We were having a good time. No one was out to antagonize bystanders . . . what little occurred was incidental and unintentional. No one started any fights.
The goal was not to FUCK things up. Did we fuck anything up besides the one `no parking' marking? Examine how you're emotionally coloring this ride. How does a jump roping roller blader, kissing booth homeless Alec, or a silly string war equate with anger/disruption/vandalism? It must have been the bike with a shopping cart instead of a front wheel - that was the antagonistic part right? Or the paper mache car head? No? The glow in the dark beat down toy bats? The green furry bike? The hooting and hollering? Poems on hoodies?
Yes i meant what i said, but probably not in the tone you read it in.
it's like saying if you were scared of petting the kitty this time, then don't go and pet the lion next but in a very 'to-the-point' way.
BUT THERE IS HOPE -
wyardley:
PERHAPS, JUST MAYBE, and POSSIBLY IF you for one moment step into our shoes...it is FEASIBLE that you might just .....well.... This is the prime example.
Dear Wyvardley I am proposing that you and your girlfriend start a ride that can also be voted upon. Maybe somewhere along the lines of the Play it Safe Ride. Rules would consist of: Wearing Helmets, no one without helmets or without spare tubes should be allowed, you can ride on the side walk, no music, no bells, no horns, how about we stay in the 3 mile Santa Monica Radius to play it safe, and lets see, maybe we can go visit the PD and commend them on how great of a job they are doing, and while at it maybe we can ride up to president Clinton and Bush's homes and give them a free ride on our fixies so they can experience the wind rushing through their hair and the honor of spending some human energy on actually moving around.
And about writing on things, I do it on my personal time as well. If I have to express something I will on the street, on my paper on my wall... Freedom of Speech Like Immortal Technique said and as claimed on the Constitutions Bill of Rights !
"PERHAPS, JUST MAYBE, and POSSIBLY IF you for one moment step into our shoes...it is FEASIBLE that you might just .....well....
THEN PERHAPS WE CAN FIND THE WARRIOR IN YOU!!! "
= "The main idea of Sigmund Freud's crowd behavior theory is that people who are in a crowd act differently towards people than those who are thinking individually. The minds of the group would merge together to form a way of thinking. Each member's enthusiasm would be increased as a result, and one becomes less aware of the true nature of one's actions."
i find it interesting that the comments directed to wyardley are geared toward 'converting' him to the ways of the mob, or discouraging him from attempting to ride with the group again.
mayhem and obnoxious behaviour is dandy, as i'm proudly guilty of participating in, but as you want purported 'uptight guy to understand your perspective, maybe you should try to do the same for him.
"PERHAPS, JUST MAYBE, and POSSIBLY IF you for one moment step into our shoes...it is FEASIBLE that you might just .....well....
THEN PERHAPS WE CAN FIND THE WARRIOR IN YOU!!! "
= "The main idea of Sigmund Freud's crowd behavior theory is that people who are in a crowd act differently towards people than those who are thinking individually. The minds of the group would merge together to form a way of thinking. Each member's enthusiasm would be increased as a result, and one becomes less aware of the true nature of one's actions."
i find it interesting that the comments directed to wyardley are geared toward 'converting' him to the ways of the mob, or discouraging him from attempting to ride with the group again.
mayhem and obnoxious behaviour is dandy, as i'm proudly guilty of participating in, but as you want purported 'uptight guy to understand your perspective, maybe you should try to do the same for him.
this forum is becoming increasingly disappointing, as childish responses are surfacing.
i understand both perspectives (as i've been on both sides), but as an observer, it seems as if wyardley is being attacked for expressing his opinion about someone's precious child who can do no wrong.
you guys sound like a bunch of suv drivers saying: 'cars rule the road in this city, and if you don't like it, either get a car (join the crank mob or stop petting the pussy), or get on the sidewalk (start your own ride).'
i hope this is just all just bad joke that i'm not getting.
i think you are analyzing too much here. Theres no mental game or trick or whatever there. If you don't like what people do at a certain ride, and you know they'll do it again and more, then don't go. That's simple.
Finding humor in this IE, "hook" clips and trying to say "but maybe try joining us" is not mental either, especially because the ride was made since we were sick of being glued in wyardleys shoes at other rides.
Will - Thanks for posting your concerns about the MOB. You are definitely entitled to your opinions about it and obviously you've got reasons for feeling the way that you did which are entirely valid. I think that one thing you don't understand is that all Alex and I did as organizers was make flyers, spoke cards (thanks to Alex C!) and lead the route. After that, we are nothing but participants in the ride. The things that people do during that time -- whether it be spraypainting on the sidewalk, taking two lanes or harrassing innocent bystanders -- is entirely up to the individual(s) who do that. Now, apart from riding down an underground parking structure and having a silly string war, I didn't witness any of the incidents that you are calling out. I definitely did not pick up on any "bad vibes" but the whole "vibes" thing is pretty subjective anyway. Personally, I don't see anything wrong with what we were doing down in the bottom of that parking structure but whenever I see something that I don't like or agree with (i.e. intentionally blocking cars or needlessly taking two lanes) I yell about it. That's about all I can do. But I don't yell like I'm the "leader" of the ride. I just let my personal opinion be known and maybe someone will listen to my opinion or maybe they won't. I'm not the boss of anyone on any ride and I don't "control" the fucking ride. People do what they want and that's kind of what most of these bicycle rides are anyway because they are convergences of some of the most individualistic, beautiful and expressive people in Los Angeles. It might be a mob but the mob is made up of many people who all have their own intentions and their own definitions of fun. And that's what makes it so fun! So, Will, next time you see something going on that you've got an opinion about, you should speak up about it. Tell Karla what you think of her writing on the parking lot and maybe she'll listen. When you see people taking two lanes and there are cars trying to get by, yell "Car back!" or "Stay to the right, please!" and maybe they'll move over. If you see someone harrassing a motorist for no reason say, "Hey man, leave them alone. That's not cool." and maybe that person will be like, "Okay, you're right." I'm not saying you need to babysit everyone. All I'm saying is EACH PERSON DOES THEIR PART: bring the party, bring the fun, bring help to those who need it, keep everything in check and help to clean up. I can never personally guarantee that you will have a good time because it always depends on the actions you take to have a good time and to make sure that you continue to have a good time. I'm truly sorry that you and Louise got dropped helping Becky out. I wish you had followed her over to Oakwood Park where we were hanging out because the night ended in a fabulous feast at La Cabaña. I hope that you choose the mob again next month and that you have a better time. You are an awesome guy and you definitely bring awesomeness to the party.
SPOOK/User1/Knittens - RE: The whole "you shouldda seen it coming" angle... You're right but even I had no idea what to expect on this ride. All we had planned was the route and the rendezvous with Richie/Marcus/B-Rad. All ensuing radness was due to everyone on the ride being totally fucking rad. I think next month will be even more radder.
Al - Thank you sooooo much for showing up with the tunes, I'm really glad you came. The night would not have been the same without ya.
kyber - You are right in the wrongest way. We shoulda brought the mayhem to you.
Annie - If you pee on my bike, I'm peeing on your melodeon.
K - thanks for responding, and I absolutely did / do understand that. I wasn't trying to yell at the organizers of the event. I did feel like people who were replying earlier in the thread were trying to make it seem as if I just didn't understand how the ride was advertised, and that's what I was talking about. Some of the responses were like "well of course there was blah blah blah".
I'm sure we would have loved to have gone over to the park, but we didn't know where anyone was. :>
@digablesoul
> The thing with the stinkbombs... it's all fun and games and the ride left after the whole deal.
But that's my point! WE left, but the stinkbombs remained. I haven't encountered stinkbombs for a while, but if memory serves, the smell tends to linger for quite a while. So those nice people at Ralph's that someone was talking about? Well any good we may have done by talking to them could easily be undone by throwing stinkbombs... the next time we come back, they may not be so friendly and overlook us drinking beers in their parking lot.
@kata
> Maybe somewhere along the lines of the Play it Safe Ride
Ok, ok... read through my posts again and tell me where I suggested any of the things you're suggesting. I think there's a wide space between "f------g shit up for no reason" and your proposed 'play it safe' ride (though I do think wearing helmets and bringing tubes is a good idea).
In any event, most of the things I was complaining about are mentioned at:
http://midnightridazz.com/policies.php - so I don't think I'm coming out of left field here.
It's amazing how heated a thread can get when someone expresses an alternative experience about a ride. I haven't seen this much back/forth on a thread since the Bomb Squad/LA Zoo Bomb crap.
"In any event, most of the things I was complaining about are mentioned at: http://midnightridazz.com/policies.php - so I don't think I'm coming out of left field here."
hi Will, just to clarify, - and I should probably make the verb-age more obvious on the site - the policies page only applies to official Midnight Ridazz rides. Only rides that carry the Midnight Ridazz name are asked to follow those policies.
That being said, one of the things this site is here for is to also help people promote their own rides on this site. Any ride that doesnt feature the Midnight RIdazz logo or name is not affiliated with Midnight Ridazz and likely would follow a different set of rules and culture. Critical Mass for instance is not affiliated with MR and has it's own culture and reasoning.... it's no different for Wolfpack or CRANK MOB Badger Song et al.
We generally allow everyone no matter their political affiliations and cultural affiliations to post their rides on here as a service to the bike community, and everyone who posts rides including MR branded rides are individually responsible for nurturing them and the activities that occur on them...
Yeah - I wasn't sure about that part. It's really hard to tell (from the way the MR site is setup) what rides are "official" and what are not. I think I got the (erroneous) idea that the ride was loosely a Midnight Ridazz ride from something someone said, but I don't remember what specifically.
yeah that's somewhat of a point of confusion.... in the beginning there was the issue of whether or not to seperate the rides into 2 calendars by "MR" and "other" rides.... but I actually like that MR rides are not given any special preference or seperate category, all rides are promoted equally. it feels more like it's about the bike riding than the brand.... if there were no MR rides whatsoever but people continued to create their own ride ideas and posted them I would still consider the site to be a success..
Rb -- Thanks. I was just about to point that out. C.R.A.N.K. MOB is NOT a Midnight Ridazz ride. Nor is it a Critical Mass ride for that matter. Also, it's not a Cub ride even though there were several known cubaholics participating. It's just C.R.A.N.K. MOB. The only common thread between these things is bicycles (and the people who ride them).
Will -- I haven't seen/smelled a stink bomb in ages. That's old school! Whoever set it off did so as an individual and I don't think there was a collective decision to set off a stink bomb in the Ralph's parking lot on behalf of the mob. Like I said before, everyone celebrates in their own way and that's what this ride is all about. I didn't see anyone get hurt (except for me when I slid out going up the parking structure ramp) and I didn't see anything I could deem as foul play. So in my eyes, everyone was having a good time and keeping the party going. If you see some shit happening that isn't cool, call it out. For realz.
I wasn't on this particular ride, but they're all pretty similar when you get a large group together. There will be differences in riding abilities, perceptions, religious creeds, skin color, sexual preferences, etc. That's what we call personalities (thanks Dak-dak-dak). It's also what makes the rides so wonderful: we're all so different, yet we are bonded by the love of bikes. If you didn't like a particular aspect of a single ride, look at the bigger picture: people are out on the streets riding their bikes and having fun.
Hopefully there's that whole raising bicycle awareness crap, too.
No, really; as far as I am concerned, the LA bike scene is only 10-15% actually riding, 40-80% wearing pinatas, and 5-50% eating dinner with other riders every other Wednesday.
The reason why Crank Mob has blown up as it has is because of Facebook. You want your ride to blow up too? Advertise on facebook. Of course you still have to sell it, but a big part of doing what CM has done, is to advertise on facebook.
January 2008 C.R.A.N.K MOB was my first ride.
It's sexiness and proposal was hard to refuse. EFF YOO ENN riding? Heck yes.
I rode it hard, all night long.. and ahhh what a lover it was!
With so many people saying they want CRANK MOB back I’m really surprised that a dozen rides haven’t replaced it already. You are the one you have been waiting for.
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Ridazz Roulette!
Don't miss it.
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REOWWWRRRRRRRR!
meowies!
I'm definitely going to try to make this ride...but ONLY if crank massages are available. 
Tonight, a storm in the sky.
This ride was off the scale Fantastic ! I
wyardley - you're a cool cat and all but I don't know - did you go on a different ride that was also called CRANK? OK - I see a pic of someone spray painting a no parking striping which might have been at Ralph's. On the other hand I also saw numerous people in the Ralph's parking lot who were intrigued and interested in what we were doing - in a positive way. We talked to some Ralph's employees who thought it was pretty fun. And their were tons of cars with positive honks and solicitations of "what's going on here" . . . again mostly positive. I talked to a 40 something woman and her MOM (musta been 70) at the Westside Pavillion who thought it was great. The mom was trying to figure out if she would be fast enough . . . I suggested a young man on a tandem and she liked that.
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richie: i could be reading this the wrong way (feel free to clarify), but after reading this comment:
"All I was saying is that it seemed to me that there was a lot of anger there, and I'm not sure it was really being directed at the right people, places, or things.
Anyway,
Oh yeah I also wanted to say...
It's amazing how heated a thread can get when someone expresses an alternative experience about a ride. I haven't seen this much back/forth on a thread since the Bomb Squad/LA Zoo Bomb crap.
if you wear a helmet, how are you gonna collect cool lumps on yer head?
Helmets cannot save everyone.
