Since CM doesn't organize via any forums, its just sort of a date and time, you can always assume that if the weathers nice, there will be a CM of some sort. They typically roll out at 6.
2010-09-20 22:13:29
16
Critical Mass this Friday?
Is there a CM ride this weekend... interested in 'observing'
2010-09-20 18:32:23
From what I've heard CM is pretty small these days--it seems that Flock killed it.
2010-09-21 21:57:40
The mass that rode last month looked to be about 20 people.
2010-09-21 22:13:42
When I started riding CM (2005), they were much bigger.
2010-09-21 22:27:11
are they slow like Flock? I'd ride this Friday if I don't have to breathe deeply - my intercostals still hate me.
2010-09-21 23:28:11
It is a fairly slow ride, but they are know for intentionally block car traffic (on 4-lane one way roads), blocking pedestrians, unnecessary corking, starting yelling matches with drivers, and other not-so positive behaviors.
(It wasn't always like that though.)
The way CM started to act in Pittsburgh is the biggest reason Flock was started.
2010-09-21 23:42:21
hmm... not quite my style. Though I don't know what "corking" is, I do often block traffic to assert THIS IS MY LANE when necessary - but always a single lane.
Seems to me if there was a critical mass of cyclists, they wouldn't need to engage in less than positive behaviors. Maybe we just need more cyclists.
2010-09-22 00:22:27
Corking is blocking the cross traffic from moving with bicycles strategically stopped in front of cars. They do it on CM rides when they run red lights and want to stop the cars with green lights from moving into a gap in the bicycles.
2010-09-22 01:06:28
I rode with them for all of five minutes last month before they blocked off an intersection and ran a red light.
2010-09-22 01:29:24
I don't want to ride CM. I simply want to go and see who shows up, how many people, etc. Then I'll ride the other way...
2010-09-22 02:04:27
Corking is a good skill to have when youare travelling with a large group. It can keep the group together (Dwillen and I both corked a bit in Dubois on Sunday.).
Stopping at red lights is a good skill to have , too, though.
2010-09-22 02:10:47
I cork sometimes on flock rides too, like when we pull out from Panther Hollow Bridge onto Blvd of the Allies. It is always clear when we pull out, but a bike sideways in the road lets the motorists know they should probably just change lanes, instead of inserting themselves into our group.
Corking for running red lights when you have 13 people with 3 bike-lengths between each one is stupid.
2010-09-22 02:21:12
From what I've seen on the internest, the only places CM seems to still be breathing is where it has morphed into something quite like Flock - music, lights, FUN!
I love to see angry young rebels without a clue foaming at the mouth trying to say to innocent bystanders "BIKING IS FUN, goddammit!". Love, not.
2010-09-22 11:00:52
Turns out I blogged about my first CM ride, May 25, 2007.
edmonds59, your last comment almost is echoed therein. Were you there that day?
2010-09-22 16:32:49
It's possible, but the route you described doesn't sound familiar, probably not.
2010-09-22 16:52:23