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What do you think of Critical Mass?

What is your opinion of Critical Mass

  • Great -- we need freedom fighters for cyclists

    Votes: 1 10.0%

  • OK - but they need to be more considerate of others

    Votes: 4 40.0%

  • Against - like the idea, but don't approve of how they do it

    Votes: 3 30.0%

  • Dislike - they are little more than cycle terrorists

    Votes: 2 20.0%
  • Total voters
    10
spud_meister said:
however, some cyclists are also just dickheads.
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Yes, yes they are. I hate when they decide that they can go in between lanes at a red light but then when the light turns green they decide to go right in front of me. Nothing worse than getting stuck behind a bike. It's not that hard to just go to the side of the road to let a car pass when you're biking, I've done it plenty of times. If you can't ride close to a curb then you probably shouldn't be biking.
 
ludahai said:
OK... I also take the family in the car and when I have to go long distances... I actually like biking up the hills because going down them is a rush... I did two cat 2 climbs in the mountains yesterday and coming down at 45-50 mph is an absolute rush... (my garmin had me maxing out at 52 mph on the second descent yesterday)
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Thats cool, I only wish you had a bike lane you could use on whatever road you wish to use.
 
Critical Mass strikes me as little more than a "legitimate" reason to be a jerk to other people, probably for no nobler a cause than to let off steam at complete strangers for some fundamental lack of control over their own lives. If they weren't doing it on bikes then they'd be driving too slow in the passing lane, farting on public elevators, exposing their genitalia to strangers or trolling internet forums.

Creeps are creeps wherever they are.
 
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I found this description from a Critical Mass website (I don't know if it's the Critical Mass website or not).

First, it begins with the large boldface:

Critical Mass is a monthly bicycle ride to celebrate cycling and to assert cyclists' right to the road.
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but then just a few sentences later it's followed by

CM is intended to be a celebration, not an opportunity to cause trouble. Those who want to try to tie up traffic as much as possible and be confrontational with motorists are missing the point. We can assert our right to the road without being rude about it. Focus on the ride, not on the cars that also happen to be on the road.
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How they expect people to "assert cyclists' right to the road" without trying to tie up traffic or be confrontational with motorists is utterly beyond me. Maybe I'm missing a middle way here. Otherwise their objective seems naive at best or completely disingenuous at worst.

The Critical Mass site | old list of ALL cm bike rides in the world
 
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phattonez said:
Yes, yes they are. I hate when they decide that they can go in between lanes at a red light but then when the light turns green they decide to go right in front of me. Nothing worse than getting stuck behind a bike. It's not that hard to just go to the side of the road to let a car pass when you're biking, I've done it plenty of times. If you can't ride close to a curb then you probably shouldn't be biking.
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Agreed where there is a curb without parked cars, but if you live in a crowded urban area, that is usually not an option as there are parked cars. To ride safely, you need to be far enough away from the cars so as not to be doored by an inattentive driver.

Also, as for bikes going to the front, here in Taiwan, that is the law. Bicycles and motor scooters have a specifically designated space in front where they are designated to wait for the light.
 
megaprogman said:
Thats cool, I only wish you had a bike lane you could use on whatever road you wish to use.
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Actually, I find few bike lanes actually meet the needs of those who actually race bicycles. They are poorly designed, not well maintained, and often have debris in them that can lead to punctures of the highly pressurized tires (typical for racing bike tires to be inflated to 115-120 psi). Others are not built well enough so they are not as smooth as roads for motorized traffic. When you are riding at 40+ km/hr, that gets really bumpy.
 
Cardinal said:
How they expect people to "assert cyclists' right to the road" without trying to tie up traffic or be confrontational with motorists is utterly beyond me. Maybe I'm missing a middle way here. Otherwise their objective seems naive at best or completely disingenuous at worst.
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I was bugged by their insistance of using every travel lane and running red lights like it was their God given right. If they used ONE lane and left the other lane open to traffic and respected red lights, I would have more respect for them. I respect their GOAL, but now the way in which they are doing it. Motorists DO need to have more respect for the rights of cyclists on the road, but by DISrespecting the rights of motorists in this way, they make some motorists resent cyclists when there doesn't really need to be any...
 
ludahai said:
You know, I try to follow the rules of the road and common sense. However, I do see a lot of automobile drivers violating the rules of the road and putting cyclists at risk. The one time I had a serious accident on a bike was because a car double-parked on a relatively narrow road and then doored me while I was trying to get around him.
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I'm not talking about you. I'm talking about the activists who obstruct traffic and disobey traffic laws. My experience has been that most drivers and cyclists are responsible.

BTW, when I was a cyclist I was always aware of such hazards and took responsibility for myself to mitigate their effect. Sort of like how I ride a motorcycle now. I don't do things on a motorcycle just because I can. The consequences are too high when someone else decides to be stupid too. I have always considered my safety to be my responsibility. Also, I had always deferred to cars on the roadways, and I rode a bicycle for many years. Critical Mass seems to want to do the opposite and force cars to defer to them in this car-centric world. I like this car-centric world, and I want it to stay that way. I think the majority agrees with me.


define recklass and unsafe?
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I believe the words were "placing themselves in a dangerous situation" or something like. It sounded to me like it was aimed at those people who seem to think they own the road.
 
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Dezaad said:
I'm not talking about you. I'm talking about the activists who obstruct traffic and disobey traffic laws. My experience has been that most drivers and cyclists are responsible.
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I have the same experience. In fact, I even get a lot of positive comments from motorists on mountain roads because they know that they can't do what I do relatively easily on the bike. Most car drivers know that it is not easy and respect bike riders for doing what we do...

BTW, when I was a cyclist I was always aware of such hazards and took responsibility for myself to mitigate their effect. Sort of like how I ride a motorcycle now. I don't do things on a motorcycle just because I can. The consequences are too high when someone else decides to be stupid too. I have always considered my safety to be my responsibility. Also, I had always deferred to cars on the roadways, and I rode a bicycle for many years. Critical Mass seems to want to do the opposite and force cars to defer to them in this car-centric world. I like this car-centric world, and I want it to stay that way. I think the majority agrees with me.
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I can't speak for the majority, but I agree with you that all users of the road need to take responsiblity, including cyclists and bikers. I have seem some bikers turn this into an "us vs. cagers" world, but I see bikers do some pretty stupid and dangerous things on the roads too.

I am not sure I want the world to stay car-centric in the long term, but there is not much we can do about it in the short-term, sadly. I am not about to suggest taking the bike out to Costco for the weekly Costco run, but we need to find a better way to deal with transportation, especially in crowded urban areas.


I believe the words were "placing themselves in a dangerous situation" or something like. It sounded to me like it was aimed at those people who seem to think they own the road.
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I find this to be a weasal phrase for whatever an anti-cyclist think is dangerous at any given moment. Two days ago, I was in Miaoli in the mountains. After making a cat 2 climb, I went down the other side at about 70-80 kph. Some people might think that is dangerous, but on a good road, following cars going the same speed at proper following distance, it is actually safer than urban driving... Just wish that car in front was going a little faster... he he he
 
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