what would be your response to critical mass cycling? What would your response be if you were caught in the middle of this?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_Mass

I particularly thought the explanation of "Die-ins" was the most hilarious thing ive read today:

Die-in Die-ins are when participants lay down on the ground with their bikes to symbolise cyclist deaths and injuries caused by automobiles, very popular in Montreal.

7/3/2008 3:35:12 PM

I think the idea is good (showing people bikes are legal vehicles too), but most Critical mass groups just break the law and piss people off. I mean the Critical mass cyclists in Charlotte are all about running lights, blocking both lanes, and generally pissing drivers off. You can't break laws in an attempt to prove that you have rights to similar laws. Makes them look stupid.

7/3/2008 3:38:42 PM

I guess living in small town Grenville, SC has insulated me from shenanigans like this. But the crap written in this wiki entry is just plain criminal. My question is how could you stop a mob of say 300?

7/3/2008 3:44:09 PM

This thread makes me happy.

[Edited on July 3, 2008 at 3:49 PM. Reason : ]

7/3/2008 3:45:21 PM

See the whole fun of Critical Mass is breaking the law. No one would do it if you stopped at every light, and obeyed traffic laws.

Since they're breaking the law, i honk the horn. They look at me weird because i usually have my road bike on my bike rack so they know i'm a biker.

You could install a cow catcher:


[Edited on July 3, 2008 at 3:55 PM. Reason : .]

7/3/2008 3:54:50 PM

Damn right you should honk the horn! Just don't slowly move forward when the front end of your car is making physical contact with the bikers.

I take that as a pretty hard and fast rule - do not physically hit things with your car, like those old people in the critical mass cycling video. All road rules pretty well come down to this objective.

But in America, other people always have the right to tell you that you're a dumbfuck.

[Edited on July 3, 2008 at 4:50 PM. Reason : http://youtube.com/watch?v=bo4MpO3kBRE&feature=related]

7/3/2008 4:49:47 PM

i would definitely at least throw a lot of shit at them and drive like an asshole around them. fuck those idiots.

7/3/2008 5:01:00 PM

I'm a biker too, but I just can't stand these people. All they do is make the hostility between motorists and cyclists worse.

7/3/2008 5:11:16 PM

where's that picture of the mexican plowing into the bike race

7/3/2008 5:38:08 PM

They should be run over.

7/3/2008 6:13:50 PM

Police should be able to open fire at will on these fucks.

7/3/2008 6:26:43 PM

this thread needs a critical mass cyclist to weigh in

7/3/2008 8:01:36 PM

I hope that no one on tdub is retarded enough to be one of these cyclists.

I think the cops should be on standby and right those idiots tickets when they run red lights and shit. You might not be able to write every one of them a ticket, but at least you could make some money off of them

7/3/2008 8:28:21 PM

I am a Critical Mass cyclist. I've done Raleigh's, Durham's, and Pittsburgh's. Raleigh's has been confrontational with some purported U-locks involved in the past, Durham's is lead by people like the 9th St. Bakery guy who lead an all ages group ride. I find Durham's to be much more unchallenged than Raleigh's- people look at us as cyclists with curiosity and wave. No honks, no cussing, not really any bad reaction from motorists.


As a bike commuter, I don't normally get excited about jumping lights or U-locking cars, as I'm on my own following traffic lights. I will say, if some asshole is trying to run me over in their car when I'm in a) a bike lane already or b) taking up the safe amount of space on the road (let's say 1/3 lane for 2-lanes, 1 lane nearly for 4 lanes), I'm damn certain to defend myself.

7/3/2008 9:16:12 PM

how exactly does one defend themselves while riding a bike and going up against a car?

7/3/2008 9:28:40 PM

by crushing their heads!

7/3/2008 9:32:32 PM

OMG NEVER THOUGHT OF THAT!!1!

you're sure to win on the bycicle!!1, B

7/3/2008 9:34:18 PM

7/3/2008 9:40:28 PM

what is u-locking a car?

7/3/2008 9:46:18 PM

A U-lock is a relatively heavy piece of metal, that when appropriately aimed, can dent cars or break windshields.

7/3/2008 9:49:41 PM

or the face of a cyclist when taken from him and used against him, as would be the certain consequence of such a poor decision on his part.

7/3/2008 9:51:30 PM

yeah that's about the fucking stupidest idea i've ever heard

OMG lets make a difference and make ppl in cars respect us by putting dents in their cars!!1!

7/3/2008 9:53:43 PM

what's the mod called when they take two bicycle frames and weld them on top of each other. So you're twice as high as you'd normally be.

7/3/2008 9:56:13 PM

^^or just generally acting like a public nuisance

if cyclists put forth this much effort to NOT aggravate the shit out of everyone, they'd receive much more courteous treatment from the public at large.

I know that when I see a cyclist riding on a road that isn't too busy, making an effort to stay far to the right and out of everyone's way, I'll pull into the other lane and give the cyclist a wide berth (I've ridden a zillion miles on motorcycles--I know what it's like to be around dumbass cagers). I'll even slow down and wait to go around if there's oncoming traffic.

If the cyclist is in the middle of the road, disregarding traffic laws, on a very busy road or highway that no remotely sensible person would consider suitable for bicycle riding, or most of all, if he/she acts like one of those dumbshit cyclists with an agenda and something to prove against people in cars, then fuck 'em. I'll go hauling ass by them with minimal space between us.

[Edited on July 3, 2008 at 10:01 PM. Reason : asdfasdf]

7/3/2008 10:00:38 PM

A tall bike.

7/3/2008 10:09:48 PM

^^yep me too..same for ppl on scooters really

7/3/2008 10:12:01 PM

7/3/2008 10:16:48 PM

Balance w/ a capitol B

7/3/2008 10:19:05 PM

if they were to "mob" my vehicle or intentionally block the road with their hippie bike bullshit, then they are fair game.


if my SUV with doesn't get them getting out of the way, I'll give them a choice, get shot or get run over.


fucktards like these don't accomplish a damn thing, all they accomplish is being asstards and getting people to dislike whatever cause they're pushing. (at least for me anyways)

7/3/2008 11:38:31 PM

The video of the critical mass cyclists crying about getting their bikes run over after they physically block the driver is funny.

would it be legal to run over the bike of a person blocking your right of way?

7/4/2008 12:09:18 AM

would it make any difference to you whether or not it was legal?

7/4/2008 12:14:16 AM

you know me, not really, but i wanted to appear concerned.

7/4/2008 12:16:11 AM

lol.

7/4/2008 12:25:33 AM

Well, you might be able to make up an excuse like "there was an emergency and when I rode up it looked like debris in the road. I realized they were bikes but there were no people on them and I had to get my wife home as she was very ill." Play the sympathy card and all that.

Yeah, it's prolly not legal, but neither is laying a bunch of bikes in the road to stop traffic. You are asking for your property to get destroyed if it is relatively crushable and sitting in the middle of the road.

I hope I never get stuck near a group of these cyclists. And they'd best not go throwing locks at a car because they feel their mode of transportation is morally superior. You're likely to get your ass shot, beat, run over, stabbed, jailed, etc as a result of an action like that.

7/4/2008 1:35:05 AM

just wait till you end up at a bar filled with these people

i thought the like 200 bikes hooked up outside was some sort of a joke

7/4/2008 1:44:56 AM

The smug must've been overpowering.

7/4/2008 2:00:56 AM

Quote :

"And they'd best not go throwing locks at a car because they feel their mode of transportation is morally superior. You're likely to get your ass shot, beat, run over, stabbed, jailed, etc as a result of an action like that."

The best answer for any of those activities: As long as you don't get caught.

7/4/2008 2:32:19 AM

Quote :

"if they were to "mob" my vehicle or intentionally block the road with their hippie bike bullshit, then they are fair game. if my SUV with doesn't get them getting out of the way, I'll give them a choice, get shot or get run over. fucktards like these don't accomplish a damn thing, all they accomplish is being asstards and getting people to dislike whatever cause they're pushing. (at least for me anyways)"

lol, right, sure you would. Lot of bark from this one here...

A pussy ass bitch like you would probably roll up the windows and call the police, and then sit there all helpless-like

7/4/2008 9:36:03 AM

Quote :

"I'm a biker too, but I just can't stand these people. All they do is make the hostility between motorists and cyclists worse. "

7/4/2008 9:41:59 AM

i would love to be able to bike to school on nice days

but in atlanta, there is no route that i trust enough to travel, especially with all the gwinnett county retards driving around

7/4/2008 10:02:35 AM

Quote :

"or the face of a cyclist when taken from him and used against him, as would be the certain consequence of such a poor decision on his part."

Rawwwrrrrr. I see a couple of guys show up to the group rides from time to time that could fuck you up. Though, they don't look like the hippies posted in the above link.

7/4/2008 10:10:45 AM

let's just ban cars, and then all our problems will be solved.

7/4/2008 12:34:34 PM

i'm all for better accommodations for bikers in raleigh. but critical mass is fucking stupid and counterproductive.

7/5/2008 4:43:59 AM

Quote :

"I'm a biker too, but I just can't stand these people. All they do is make the hostility between motorists and cyclists worse."

Agreed. Fucktards like this are the reason I get shit thrown at me occasionally when I ride my bike, even when I'm on a sidewalk or a 25mph subdivision road.

I would have no qualms with running over someone else's bike and them pummeling their ass if they tried something similar to what went on in that video. I find it funny that those faggots had the audacity to do that to an elderly handicapped couple, but then again I guess they figured those people aren't the type to put up resistance.

7/5/2008 6:49:58 PM

I BIKE TO WORK 2X A WEEK, BUT I WILL BE THE FIRST TO SAY THAT I HOPE YOU ARE ARRESTED IF YOU PARTICIPATE IN CRITICAL MASS.

Quote :

"I'm a biker too, but I just can't stand these people. All they do is make the hostility between motorists and cyclists worse."

[Edited on July 7, 2008 at 9:21 AM. Reason : .]

7/7/2008 9:17:32 AM

As a cyclist I hate them... its these dipshits that get drivers all pissed off at the rest of us.

7/7/2008 9:20:52 AM

Quote :

"I think the cops should be on standby and right those idiots tickets when they run red lights and shit. "

self pwnt?

7/7/2008 10:17:57 AM

IT'S A WAR BETWEEN CARS AND BIKES!!1

7/7/2008 10:20:38 AM

Quote :

"IT'S A WAR BETWEEN CARSLAW-ABIDING CYCLISTS AND BIKESANGRY SELF-RIGHTEOUS HIPSTERS!!1"

7/7/2008 10:34:27 AM

I also love how they want us to save the world by not driving.. and publicize it by making millions of paper copies to post around town which is pretty damn wasteful, and causes more trash when it gets ripped/falls down. Way to save the planet.

http://www.ibiblio.org/the_board/detours/recreation/critical_mass2.html

7/7/2008 3:53:37 PM