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i just got the whole weekend off, then I saw the unicorn, then i read the story of the ride...
I THINK I MIGHT EXPLODE! some of you have said that I am a spaz. well, i think this Crank Mob will prove you WRONG. I AM THE SPAZZIEST SUPER MOST EXCITED CRANKMOB SPANGLE of them all. In fact, I think this might do it.
Weather report said it was going to be 90-100 degrees in San Berdo.
One of the the drivers was wanting to go rock-climbing this weekend, but was bitching about burning his hands on the rocks.
So, looks like things will be turning in our favor and making a tide for the good.
Which will make it a nice, send-off ride for me before I start out on my trucking career again.
It's supposed to be beautiful on Saturday.
I'm thinking we need a Wetside Beachfront Recovery Ride. Think Pier Pressure w/ more sand, less clothes and beer volleyball.
The only thing hotter than a unicorn is a tan unicorn.
lets fuck, then drink, then fuck some more, then maybe take a nice little bike ride, then fuck again, then lets play kickball..and fuck, and then we will get some KFC, and fuck again
Anyone got an enclosed trailer I can borrow for C. Mob? Lakota wants to party but I don't have any way to bring her along. My phone number is in my profile and my email is rida at (ideasculptor) dotcom
I was thinking about what you were saying. After you said it, I thought to myself about the realism it had. It came to me that there could potentially be more realism (in terms of realistics) in it.
meghan - was it the light we were using after the crash? i think its big bike dans.
dude that broke his collarbone (wtf is up with those injuries as of late?) - you left your water bottle and your bandana on the curb. well, i sort of left your bandana on the curb, since i took it off your neck to assess your injuries. anyway, i gave it to randy since she said youre from her area. so if you really need to get it back, like for posterity or whatever, shes got it. your water however went into my stomach and then the bottle was thrown in the trash. bummer you crashed, but its a good thing to have people like meghan and myself who are trained in first aid to help the injured riders. its also a good thing we have people who are actual legit emts, like the guy who took over after myself. i didnt get your name, but high five to you, wherever you are.
a big FUCK YOU goes out to whoever was setting off the fireworks. yeah, that shit is cool and all, but at least wait to set them off before we leave, not when we get to the stop. thats like the bat signal for cops. in beverly hills when the two split up groups met up again, there was a squad car and a police suv following you guys not five bike lengths behind. whoever decided it was a good idea to light fireworks then needs to get their fucking head examined. also, when we got "kicked out" of that 7-11 in westwood and we took that detour through the alley, there were more retards yelling stupid shit to the cops. remember what happened on the star wars ride the last time someone did that? probably not because i bet last night was your first ride.
a big FUCK YEAH to alex thompson for commenting on my selective morality last night.
god, dog, allah, jah, or whoever gave you a brain - try to use common sense.
I want to thank everyone who stayed behind at the start of the ride to help my GF fix her flat - TWICE. I can't imagine having missed out on last night.
illafilla had a gnarly looking fracture almost poking out of the skin . . .
Truck dance party was fucking amazing
But Samohi Prom crash was the best.
Beverly Hills PD was pretty tolerant = just a move a long treatment. I think we had that critical mass where no one wanted to give tickets to a cranky mob.
-Superior, upper-body strength will do nothing to stop chocolate-covered, pandemonium.
-Inhaling fireworks smoke could cause your throat to dry up.
-Inflatable beach-balls could be deadly weapons when Franz sends one whizzing past your dome.
-Despite having tasty, early-AM treats, JackInTheBox maintains a "motor-only" policy.
-ALC-Team Ridazz can be serious and ass-talkingly, hilarious at the same time.
-Hill-bombings tend to get a little squirrely when there's a 100-200+ and fissures run rampant through the road surface.
-People with trucks and sound-systems are fair game for a stage-diving platform.
-Brassknuckle thought it was a pouch.
All in all, this just goes to show that every C.R.A.N.K. Mob has a different flavor.
Not every Saturday night's going to be the same.
This ride is still quite, young and it's still evolving into the beast that the "good-book" claims will eat our souls.
Maybe the immature morons who insist on riding at 3x the pack velocity, randomly strafing diagonal lines right through the pack, causing frequent emergency stops and not-infrequent crashes could stay the fuck away in future? Or at least ride off the front of the pack. I know I could certainly live without nursing my girlfriend's wounds and leaving the ride early because some moron can't muster up the common sense to ride in a straight line or the decency to come back and apologize after knocking her down.
And I sure as hell could live without the lecture on how we should ride faster. It's fucking C.R.A.N.K. Mob. There is no destination, so why the hell should we be in a hurry to get there. If you don't like the pace of our party rides, feel free to show up for wolfpack.
Bad riding (and consequent injuries) does seem to be increasing, even over the short period I've been doing rides. If you just want to get drunk and act irresponsibly: go to a bar. Then ride your bike home (alone!) as fast as you want.
I told fireworks guy to not blast off when we were at wilshire... There was a cop at the corner...
When we were going west on Wilshire though and there were fireworks going off, with the squad car behind the mass... THAT WAS AMAZINGLY STUPID yet AMAZINGLY AMAZING and I'm glad it didn't happen any other way.
right as the 2 groups reunited some guy from the other group was riding in oncoming traffic (straight towards my group). thank GOD i had a front brake, or i am 150% positive i would have needed hospital attention. he flew right towards me (150% head on) and i had to hit the brake so hard that my rear tire left the pavement and my bike lurched into the air at a 45 degree angle.
what the fuck man!!! at least he said sorry, but i could have had so many injuries that i was queazy for nearly 10 minutes thinking about it.
yeah man i didn't have time to react, i have only been riding fixed for a couple of weeks and i still dont know how to skid. i still dont think ill ever take the brake off! :)
my favorite part from last night was going up Wilshire with a hundred blinking lights behind me and seeing a hundred blinking lights in the distance coming towards me. that was magical.
about the fireworks timing... it could have been a little smarter --BUT-- no one got caught so here we are. it was AWEZUM!
it was pure magic! it always saddens me when big groups get split up, and seeing the other mobbers down the street brought a tear of joy to my eye. absolutely splendiferous it was!
Bummer about your collar bone, but how did the crash happen? Someone mentioned that you tried to do a wheelie down the Overland hill and crashed into Cesar (the guy in the picture) and fucked up his bike and brand new sound system. True?
cesars bike is fine. the speaker got a little dinged up, but thats the way particle board crumbles. he said that he would have gotten hurt alot more if his bike didnt have all the extra weight on the back of it. he just got a tiny abrasion on his elbow from smacking the pavement. clean that shit so you dont get a staph infection!
Yeah his bike was rideable, but still his new sound system (battery had a gash in it, wires ripped, speaker is totaled) grips, mirror, horn, rack, not to mention his elbow was dinged and he has road rash down his side and back. I know that riding in a pack has risks and that sometimes accidents happen, but if you are doing really stupid shit (I didn't see the crash, that's why I was asking what happened) you should really take responsibility for it and hook a rider up.
shit i dont remember how the crash happened, but i know there were definitely witnesses. either way, if i fucked up cesar's stuff, i'll definitely pay and help put it back together.
cesar, you can hit me up at ericwade@usc.edu, and we can straighten things out.
i witnessed the crash and ran over the front of cesars bikes and possibly cesar.
this is how it went down.
i rolled up to the right of erik, i think thats his name, and did a little skid. cesar was somewhere just ahead of us. erik then did a little skid, then i did another little skid, then i looked forward. i think erik tried skidding and lost control, hit cesar, and fell. cesar fell in front of me, and i ran over cesar. i went down the hill a little bit, turned around and came back up the hill.
Another thing I noticed was the fact that there were really, no arrests made this time.
Aside from the "move-along" treatment, it seemed as if the local-heat was under some sort of "stand-down" order.
As far as Spook riding through parking garages, that there's an amazing feat indeed.
I first saw that action when he made an appearance in N.Hollywood Territory.
Some girl stopped right in front of me (on Manning ?), just square in the middle of the ride! I did a super awesome endo-flip and caught air, narrowly missing my razor sharp angelope horns!!
So, thanks to the ignorant girl with the yellowish horn-helmet for proving the R. Kelly song true!
That was the sickest most ridiculous thing I have ever done on a Saturday. Thank you unknown organizers of this almost religious event. Also, I'd like to sincerely thank all the folks that wore silly costumes and rode silly bikes, entertained I was.
The fireworks may have been ill timed a couple of times, but hot damn they were awesome. And the cops were chill for the most part, try to be nice to them no matter how inebriated you may be.
Meeting back up w/ the 2nd group was dope, kinda felt like Mother of All Rides. We gotta get split up more often.
By the way, you should always dance at Crank Mob, it multiplies the F.U.N.
I'm not sure how I missed the take down and arrest of PC. Must of been when we did the run for last call for alcohol at 1:45.
I didn't really think the timing for the fireworks was that bad. I was next to the SUV unit when that fireworks went off. He happen to have is window down and he didn't get all worked up about it. Look to me that his goal was that we kept moving and get out of their district. Which bring me to something else that kind of bugs me.
Why do we scatter when we see flashing lights? This happened twice at both liquor store stop I believe. What is it that we're doing wrong that warrants leaving? We're at that store making purchases, and it's my understanding that the parking lot is for the customers that are making purchases. So what gives? Why scatter like roaches?
Things I thought were awesome was the poop running around. The fireworks. The very awesome parking structure. MikeBikeMike's dance mix. The new peeps on the scene.
The big turn offs were the a - holes doubling back and buzzing next to the pack going the opposite direction. WTF is that about???? I didn't see the accident, but I hope that gets resolved by all parties involved. I need to get with Sonny since I took out his back wheel when I couldn't get unclipped at a stop.
One more thing, there was way more than 200 ridazz at this ride. I'm thinking somewhere around 400 peeps is close.
from what i can tell, crank mob = lots of underage high school kids. at least more on crank mob type rides than normal mr rides.
scattering like roaches = not getting open container/minor in possession tickets.
"not getting open container/minor in possession tickets."
That's easily handled. Put your can down and don't claim responsibility. Sure the cops might be able to spot one or two peeps handling a can, but in the situation like the 7-11 stop, there was one cop there. The last thing that guy(s) want to do is give someone an open container ticket. They have far more important things to do Saturday night than deal with a petty offense.
One thing i've noticed that hasn't been discussed yet (as far as i've read) with regards to large group rides and a safety issue is, the fixies who feel its necessary to do really wide skid stops.
If you are on a ride designed for that fine, but when you have a mix of all level of riders and lots of people, you are going to take out someone else or cause others to hit their brakes or swerve to avoid you. I've witnessed this a bunch of times and its unnecessary showboating. There's a time and place for it but not at someone else's physical expense.
Hey to the three guys who were talking to me at the first stop, I think your names are Eddie, Conner, and David???? sorry I'm also bad with names..... I Wanted to say sorry for just walking away from you guys...that was fucking rude of me, i know, I was looking for my friend to kick her ass for leaving my bike alone..maybe you can let me know what a bitch i am next time you see me.. i'm sorry:) - the girl with the yellow Peugeot!!!
RBI - "which 7-11 stop only had one cruiser show up?"
Me -
It was that stop where we had the disco dance on the pickup. The cop was off to the side with the lights on. We still had peeps in the store and we started taking off.
@Stevo4, you bring up a valid point. I saw that too. That could make some ridazz jump, turn the wrong direction and cause a wreck. I'm feeling like a worrying parent, but we have seen what happens when people do dumb things. Ain't cool putting someone through 2 months of rehab.
Anyways this discussion deserves a thread of it's own. So I'm bowing out on discussing it further here.
I was thinking the same thing, but only mentioned it here since i saw some really wide 'S' stops and hoped some of those riders might see it. Yeah, we may be a bit on the older end of the scale, but its only wisdom from past experiences that we want to share and not be a buzzkill. But seriously, enough "Danny" incidents.
Hey, How'd we do on the 'leave no trace' factor after the first 7-11 stop? I covered the start and it looked like we did a good job as we left the 7-11 but then i had to bail. Just curious if we stayed on top of the trash detail.
The first 7-11 on Westwood was cleaned up pretty well, the cops gave us plenty of time, so it's not like we absolutely had to rush out. Thanks for helping clean up cans Spook and everyone else that lent a hand.
One of my favorite quotes of the night was from the longer-haired Fox Sports Guy. Right after the Overland Collarbone Crack, he yelled to the crowd, "Let's all drink a beer for the guy that fell!"
I thought to myself, "Marcus," I thought to myself, "drinking alcohol will prevent falling! Safety rules!" I love Fox.
Marcus, I was right behind you when you did your magic insta-flip....for those of you that missed it, or for Marcus who was busy performing said flip.....it looked like this
Crank MOB aint shit until its got Bill O'Reilly talkin about it. and it really aint shit until Bill himself is ridin in it. This should be the ultimate goal!
Maybe next month we should have everyone wear costumes and require that everyone be 18 years of age or older. Actually if that age limit was in effect, 1/3 of the riders would not get to attend.
I know it is still 13 days away but I'm still celebrating the last C.R.A.N.K. MOB.... Is that so wrong?
My girlfriend has agreed that she will be experiencing that which is the crank mob (shes moving out from Ohio in a week and this will be her first MR group ride)
CRANK Mob is now the one ride I will go into a deep, depression over if I don't make it every month.
It's my own version of a drunk guy's, AA meeting.
Or, a meth-addict's, Narc-Annon.
Oh, and scratch that posting made on the 7th, that shit is totally irrelevant now.
NO! OH NO! My uploaded animated dancing monkey gif isn't animating! :( THIS WILL NOT STOP SIMILAR BEHAVIOR AT THE CRANK MOB, LET ME ASSURE YOU OF THAT, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!
I had a really good time. Thanks K, R, AT, and 'arry for putting this on and Barleye for keeping me up to speed with the group's location while i helped a new rider fix a rear flat tire at the start.
I was glad the massive group was pretty mindful of 'leaving no trace' but people were still riding in the left, lane and the center turn lane, which is illegal to ride in for more than like 50 feet, plus when it turns into a left hand turn lane for the opposite direction, riders were once again riding on the wrong side of the road. Besides being unsafe, it pisses the cops off - who, in my opinion this time, were frequently present, but overall pretty tolerant and cool.
Lastly, another thanks to Barleye, who stopped to help Eddie, who i heard had a pretty gnarly crash. GET WELL SOON EDDIE.
@Stevo Yeah, we really need to get those ten commandments of safe riding carved in stone (or at least written on big planks of wood painted to look like stone) and then have Moses (Borfo?) ascend the metaphorical mount at the gathering point with them before rides and school everyone.
Eddieboy slammed really hard face first on the sidewalk near Venice and Centinela. He was totally out of it and wanted to get back on his bike and meet up with the group. His tire was tweaked badly and his eye was blown up pretty big and a small gash on his 4-head. I think he even lost a nipple from what he said. Should his new name be NIPPLE? sorta like a fat guy named Tiny? He said he wanted to find the dude that round housed him in the chest to make him fall. That's what he said happened. Something about 3 dudes on the sidewalk and one kicked him in the chest. You'd have to ask him about that for more detail. anyhow, the rim was bent back and he and a few others met up with the group i think. i bailed from there. john (last name?), lance, a SNS guy (i forgot his name), and 2 other guys rode with eddie.
too late for a long story short, but eddie didn't look good after the fall. fell really hard. get well eddie.
Wow, that really sucks about Eddie. I thought I saw him on the sidewalk as I was passing with the crowd but someone told me that they saw him at a stop later and he was fine. I hope he's okay.
What was up with the BMX dudes making trouble last night? I saw them spitting on cars, breaking other riders' lights, and intentionally knocking over bikes that were peacefully resting on kickstands. When we've got negative energy like that rolling with us, things like what happened to Eddie actually don't seem out of place. That sort of shit puts us all at a sort of karmic risk.
What can we do to combat destructive behavior like that in the future? Would it do any good to ask them to leave or would that just perpetuate the friction?
Man, that does not sound like very much fun. I hope he had a good time up until then.
I saw him at the Ralphs before mustache bridge and the whole left side of his face looked like the road ate it off, but it might have just been blood from a gash? Either way, I wish him a speedy recovery!
Barleye (or someone who was there and knows details) should make a new thread to inform people. I would be willing to donate a little to help take care of his busted up wheel properly too.
Thanks tomato for the video of Venice Circle and the fireworks!! And speaking of, thanks to the anonymous fireworks collaborators, man that shit rocked!!!!!
"What was up with the BMX dudes making trouble last night? I saw them spitting on cars, breaking other riders' lights, and intentionally knocking over bikes that were peacefully resting on kickstands. When we've got negative energy like that rolling with us, things like what happened to Eddie actually don't seem out of place. That sort of shit puts us all at a sort of karmic risk."
!!!
note to RB: this is the concern we were talking about... when negative troublemakers invade the group, lowering the experience for everyone and giving ridazz a BAD pr with the police and public. VERY DANGEROUS precedent.
As opposed as I am normally to any kind of authoritarian control within a group, this crap needs to be nipped in the bud before it grows... which it will if unchecked. If I ever see a bicyclist vandalizing other Ridazz bikes, I will destroy their riding machine immediately. Seriously.
do you remember what it was like to go to parties in high school and just fuck around and not give a shit because the party wasnt at your house? thats what CRANK MOB is.
do you remember what it was like to go to parties in high school and just fuck around and not give a shit because the party wasnt at your house? thats what CRANK MOB is.
ruinedbyidiots
06.22.08 - 4:25 pm
reply
300%
and about assholish behaviour, don't get cought or seen, party time c'est la vie.
eddieboy is gunna be at the next ride for sure. get well soon man.
I tried to call a guy out but it was futile. He just rode off and met up with his crew and then they all started flashing me dirty looks. The problem is that it's not just one guy being an asshole on his own. The cliques of assholes pose a rather complicated problem
What was up with the BMX dudes making trouble last night? I saw them spitting on cars, breaking other riders' lights, and intentionally knocking over bikes that were peacefully resting on kickstands.
I wasn't there last night. Can anyone else elaborate on the above? Sounds totally unacceptable. Amongst new riders there's always been a dash of us-against-them(cars), but never us-against-us.
It sucks to have to ask people to leave, but behaving like that doesn't put you in the 'people' category; it puts you into the 'asshole' category.
Last time I rode we were chanting CRANK MOB, not ASSHOLE MOB.
I propose summary justice: valve cores removed from tires, baking flour dumped on head.
Getting kicked out of parties when younger improved my social graces in later life.
Not to encourage patriarchal hegemony in the wonderful anarchy that is MR, but organizers of rides should eject unwelcome riders. To do so visibly (and audibly when Harry is around) should encourage a healthy dose of shame and tribal justice.
"and about assholish behaviour, don't get cought or seen, party time c'est la vie."
Handbone, are you saying "assholish" behavior is OK on a ride? I'm not talking about playing fast and loose with traffic laws but vandalizing other bikes and causing accidents? Is this your definition of "party time" and c'est la vie?
There is ONE thing that I've ALWAYS seen on rides... at the very least it's been an atmosphere of Us (bicyclists) against Them (people and drivers who make bicycling unsafe and unpleasant). If that changes will you just say "c'est la vie"
Handbone, please clarify. Are you a Rida or an Asshole?
What was up with the BMX dudes making trouble last night? I saw them spitting on cars, breaking other riders' lights, and intentionally knocking over bikes that were peacefully resting on kickstands.
I wasn't there last night. Can anyone else elaborate on the above?
!!!
Example.. At the Ralphs parking lot, my back light came off as I was taking pictures and when I turned around to pick up the pieces I couldn't find the red part and someone pointed out that one of the "BMX dudes" just stomped it for no good reason.
there were some guys that got on the roof of the 7-11 we stopped at who were throwing beer cans and an overinflated soccer ball at riders in the parking lot getting their drink and or jump rope on. i cant remember who i was standing with, but we yelled some shit at them and they gave us dirty looks. whats your deal, bro? someone calling you out for not having a brain harshing your mellow?
Me and limefly and one other guy had to buy a phantom 12 pack of Amstel Light at the ralphs cause some FUCKTARD stole it while we were stopped there. Thanks asshole for stealing and thanks a million for drinking shitty beer.
How does that work? If someone steals something in a supermarket while I am inside, is there a random lottery to select which lucky customer gets to pay for corporate losses?
i think what he meant to say was that they bought it, put it next to the trailer, went to take a piss, then came back to the beer only to find it missing.
am i an asshole ? no, in fact my bike got kicked down a few times, and they made me fall, i was just agreeing with the "not your house" analogy. its crank mob. not bike to work day, c'est la vie. don't go to crank mob if you're not into unacceptable/irresponsibe behaviour. that is all.
No sorry I was unclear. The manager came outside and told us that someone from our group just walked out of the store with a 12 pack. We couldn't find the guy so we payed for it.
I take umbrage with your assertion that my soccer ball was over inflated. That's the proper inflation for anyone who isn't a hippy retard. Go back to Ojai!
Love,
AT
(PS - dude - we didn't even share a beer or nuffin - that ride was so big that I saw RBI once or twice, and then it was over.)
That storm that came in when we where out on the jetty was pretty fun. I went back out there on the way home to see if anything got left behind and found MY jumprope. :) and a hula skirt beer cozy. I was hoping to find Marcus, B-rad and Harry still hiding. That would have made my night.
Stevo, the Tegaderm came off for some reason. Either I sweated it off or rubbed it off somehow. Do they sell it at markets or do I have to go to the drugstore?
P.S. Say, folks, have I ever mentioned that "holding your line" is a good idea?
I have a few cateye rear lights, I can get one to you if you want. The only thing is I might not have a bracket for it. You can see if the Oven or the Bikerowave has any. Let me know if you want it, allanalessio at yahoo dot con.
I think that Funderstorm on the jetty must have been the highlight of the evening for me. I'd not yet been bitten by that particular bug, but I must admit that I quite enjoyed its intoxicating effects. The only problem, of course, is the persistent itching for more Funderstorm.
In spite of all the bad things that went down, there were so many good things going on that I'm hard pressed to take away any sour memories of the Mob as a whole. Seriously, I could hardly imagine a more epic way to spend the shortest night of the year.
Also pretty epic was my ride home, taking a detour up Laurel Canyon, along Mulholland and back down into Hollywood at 6:30am, just for the hell of it. I'm going to try to do that after every Crank Mob from now on.
Yeah I thought this ride was one of the best Mob rides I've been on. The NRG was pretty fuckin high the whole night long. The fireworks were totally awesome. I might also add that the doods doing the fireworks were VERY cautious with the crowd and not the least bit reckless. I seem to remember the fireworks were somewhat of an issue. Hopefully that's not the case now.
The cops for the most part were tolerable and even some seemed to enjoy us.
I got home real freakin late as I got back to the start only to find I left my keys at Mustache Bridge! I rode back and founded out that a couple of fishingdoods found them. I'm sure good karma came to them today.
The a-holes in question I think can be dealt with effectively without turning this into a policing ride. I say we post pics of these a-holes and in folder called "Rotten Apples." This puts them on notice with everyone that reads this forum. It will somewhat keep them in check. If they do decide to alter their behavior, they can be deleted from this folder. This way everyone is doing their part and it doesn't fall on one or a few people to take care of this problem.
I get mine at Rite Aid but you might be able to find it at a Ralphs, etc.
And it must have rubbed it off somehow, because it doesn't come undone easily like a band-aid. and although it does stick better over an area that's been shaved, i didn't notice that your skin was particularly sweaty that would cause it to come loose.
"note to RB: this is the concern we were talking about... when negative troublemakers invade the group, lowering the experience for everyone and giving ridazz a BAD pr with the police and public. VERY DANGEROUS precedent.
As opposed as I am normally to any kind of authoritarian control within a group, this crap needs to be nipped in the bud before it grows... which it will if unchecked. If I ever see a bicyclist vandalizing other Ridazz bikes, I will destroy their riding machine immediately. Seriously."
dickheads and assholes invading the ride was a precedent set years ago and it wont ever change....it is all part of the ebb and flow of this ride and the culture surrounding it. there will always be some people who don't get it or who cause trouble... but that has always been solved with just everyone as a group being the change they want to see in the world and spreading love. sooner or later the bad elements realize they are acting stupid and calm themselves down or they get bored and leave. if they do something damaging then they should be witnessed and held responsible but making up a bunch of rules to decide what is right and wrong is a slippery slope.
Having a section called rotten apples is also not a good solution. that's divisive and subject to the opinion of the witnesses who saw the "assholish behaviour" then there would need to be definition of assholish behaviour and then rules defined and thresholds tested and people offended and false accusations from haters and yadayada. no reason for it. we know the spirit of the ride. it doesnt need to be defined....
I would say the solution is just through dialog between witnesses and the offenders. make sure if someone causes a crash that they are witnessed and brought back to the seen to take responsibility and rectify their mistakes. somehow let it be known that the offenses are not welcomed by those that witness the assholish behaviour. the "assholes" should have a chance to correct themselves and everyone should trust that even the worst assholes know when they've gone too far and correct themselves if they want to be part of the fun. that's easier said than done, but it's pretty much the way things have been. I've seen a few p[eople that I would personally have judged as "assholes" become very cool with time and understanding of the spirit in which we ride.
Hey everyone, thanks for an awesome ride. I took the GPS route of the ride again last night (and I noticed that the east branch looks kind of like the face, red added in MS PAINT for effect):
Anyway, click on the image for the whole route for anyone who wants to play around with it. You can also download the KML file on that link and import it into Google Earth and add your own placemarks, zoom, see 3D buildings, etc.
Also, big thanks to stillline and whoever else chipped in to pay for the beer at Ralph's. I will buy you a beer for doing that next time, just as soon as I know what you look like or who you are. I just started going on these rides so I don't know anyone. Thanks to all for an awesome ride, though I was bummed some people got hurt...
There are also a few crappy camera phone videos and pics uploaded to the maps as well, however the geotagging seems slightly off on a few of them. I can fix it if anyone cares.
hey, I just want to give thanks to the westside for showing my friends and I a good time. last night was our first crank mob and suffice to say THE WESTSIDE GETS ROWDY. DAMN.
@stilline: respect, if you wouldn't have paid for it, I was ready to go in there and pay up.
Kyber, you sound like an angry, immature 12-yr old. Think it through man, whether you like it or not, one numskull's actions reflect upon the entire community.
Here's the thing about giving out a flyer or just lecturing about rules through a megaphone: while it might inform people (if they pay attention at all), I just don't think it will make much of an impact upon their actions. Not the real assholes. Because it is, like, total squaresville, man, and the fifteen-year-olds aren't having it, daddy-o.
You have to make it F.U.N. You have to make it theater, make it spectacle. That's what the kids want. THE KIDS DEMAND NOTHING LESS THAN QUASI-BIBLICAL REENACTMENTS PERFORMED BY MEN IN BUNNY SUITS. Well, maybe not that particularly, but that sort of thing. Something that will get the "rules" across but also would be a funny video on Youtube.
Think less "concerned parent" and more Abbie Hoffman. Let's levitate this motherfunker.
Here's the thing about giving out a flyer or just lecturing about rules through a megaphone: while it might inform people (if they pay attention at all), I just don't think it will make much of an impact upon their actions. Not the real assholes. Because it is, like, total squaresville, man, and the fifteen-year-olds aren't having it, daddy-o.
You have to make it F.U.N. You have to make it theater, make it spectacle. That's what the kids want. THE KIDS DEMAND NOTHING LESS THAN QUASI-BIBLICAL REENACTMENTS PERFORMED BY MEN IN BUNNY SUITS. Well, maybe not that particularly, but that sort of thing. Something that will get the "rules" across but also would be a funny video on Youtube.
Think less "concerned parent" and more Abbie Hoffman. Let's levitate this motherfunker.
I had no idea about the Asshole behaviour last night (and yes, crank mob ended for me last night) But fuck, thats such a bummer. All in all, it was an EXCELLENT TIME!!!
Haha, and at one point while gettin rowdy i threw my worst throw EVER and hit this guy walking by in the back of the head with my empty can hahaha. Then i introduced myself. An amazing introduction i must say. SORRY AGAIN!!!
Kyber, you sound like an angry, immature 12-yr old. Think it through man, whether you like it or not, one numskull's actions reflect upon the entire community.
jericho1ne
06.23.08 - 1:41 am
When did I ever say anything to the contrary? And I'm 15!!
WTF IS HANDBONE TALKING ABOUT, FIRST U TELL ME U CANT REMEMBER A THING, NOW UR GOING OFF ON THR RIDE, PSHHH... WHOEVER TOOK FLICKS, POSTEM UP, I WANNA SEE EM!!!
asparagus caught the exact move that peeps are getting pissed off about. It's the fly-through-the-pack-at-twice-the-speed-of-everyone-else move! Happens at the 15 second mark. Nice move a-hole!!!
Crank Mob is officially too big. We can't even fit in parking lots anymore and many people got lost at some point. It's still fun but harder to have fun that it used to be.
I had so much fucking fun. This was one of the most insane rides that i have ever been on. I'm so glad that i am traveling meeting new friends and finding like minded bikers. I rode to exaustion.
Hey, someone (sometwo?) folks wrecked on westwood at the start of the ride...lost a helmet visor which I picked up, and, amazingly, still have. Do you want it back? Lemmeknow. Tanks. email: me (at) gregbartlett.com
I never got to speak to you on Saturday. I saw you 10 feet from me several times and was never able to get close to you. Wanted to discuss music (what else).
there were so many people at that ride. i am currently collecting a few more mp3s to email to you that you may or may not want to use. im also trying to transcribe my tape list for you, in case you want to trade or whatever. having hardcopies of shows beats having mp3s or a cdr.
Gotcha. I still have my Nakamichi BX 150 tape recorder, but the rubber inside is starting to deteriorate and needs to be serviced. I still have my bootlegs in the closet, but haven't been played in a number of years. I'd like to transfer them all before they totally turn to dust. But, i'm not really looking to add to the collection at this time. And again, i do have all the Dead tracks i need for the ride and more, just now want to swap some of it out and fit in other related bands (as we discussed).
It hardly seems necessary to preserve your old cassettes. The vast majority of shows are available in mp3 format from the live music archive and many are available in some kind of lossless format, too. I had a pretty sizable collection and I'd bet that better than 95% were available for easy download, most of them soundboards. The only tracks that are illegal to distribute losslessly are those that have been officially released by the band, I believe. That was the case last time I checked, anyway.
im currently sending some ratdog, garcia band, and solo phil lesh mp3s. i have some planet drum stuff too if youre interested in mickeys solo output. i know you wanted other bands to add that were from the time period, but im trying to keep it as dead specific as possible.
Thats great. but my thoughts on the related music was also stuff that all the non-deads would appreciate or may have heard before. I have 2 phenomenal JGB tracks that i intend to play from 72 that just really rock. But no one will know the songs. So, i was going to introduce Airplane, and other bands that may have played with them during the time period, etc. Thanks for putting the time in.
and so my soul collapsed into the big guilt wad some big thunder law forces me to eat shit and if i was a word, could my letters number 100? more likely coarse and gutteral one syllable, anglo-saxon i'm a victim of fact let's say i loved a girl but the world was wrong and i was forced to march in line finally, i felt like handcuffs machines disregard my pronouns i am defeated i am the cool, damp clay
FUNDERSTORM'S last CRANK Mob for next four months! BANG! and we out! I have one request for my return,
So, its pretty obvious the ride is on the verge of becoming its own nation and will soon secede from the union and become The People's Republic of CRANK Mob and begin researching experimental fundependent farming/distillation techniques and training sweaty strapping men to manufacture fireworks and pizza and sharply curvy women to sexyhumpdance everyone and bikes will be the excuse to party and to party will be the excuse to bike and Funderstorm will be able to finish shows and then sell t-shirts and the national flag will have at least fourteen different flourescents and crashing into parked cars will be the new kickstands and no one will mind me while I invent a new humanity while the rest of the world waits for us to spin it...so when I get back, I want to see myself holding office of this new nation of CRANK mob. That's all.
CRANK MOB was, hands down, the best ride I've been on. When we took over Venice Circle it was like the end of the world. People were jumping on the metal plates and it was like there was a big giant bike dragon chomping on the world. The dancing was awesome - I think we finally had enough dancers that it reached a critical mass and was super epic. The tarp helped keep us from drowning in a FUNDERSTORM. Epic epic epic epic.
Next time we should go into the room under the venice circle... we had the door open and were banging on it, but no one went in, a couple people shined lights down, but no one went down... someone needs to investigate... it's not locked.
it's tough calling out a fellow rider for his douche-baggery, especially when said rider and his homeboys outnumber you. i did not witness the spitting on cars and knocking over of bikes that was previously mentioned. but, i did witness some ill-mannered behaviour at the windward circle and the ralphs by some dude on a bmx bike. he was a little scrawny guy with a moustache and/or thin goatee. he wore gray shorts that were almost long enough to be pants, and rode a gray bmx bike with an iron cross on the front. i saw him smash his beer can and throw it in the middle of windward followed shortly by his empty cigarette pack. later, at ralph's i hear something being broken and looked over to see the same dude smashing something red and plastic. that sort of anger/destruction/hate has no place in crankmob. i saw another dude proudly displaying the cake he had stolen from ralph's. i don't know what we can do to curb this behaviour, but it certainly is harmful to crankmob. for the most part crankmob is super-cool. but, as with any random gathering of people, i suppose a certain percentage of bad seeds is to be expected. bummer.
Alright, next MOB, lets all go back there and send me in first.
I've already got some experience handling this situation.
Just give me a few cloverleafs in case my hot-air gun doesn't work on the CHUDS.
speaking of idiots...i can't remember the end of the night but my right leg is painted black and blue from ankle to thigh...did i fall hella hard off my bike?
did anyone go to hospittttal?
not me.
ps. panda hat.
pps. i think i got drunk and married crank mob...BEST FUCKING DECISION OF MY LIFE.