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Walker_nzl
Joined: Sep 21, 2008
Posts: 2
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rizzodeniro
Shiny
Joined: Aug 28, 2008
Posts: 27
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 Posted: Thu 25/Sep/08 10:55am Post subject: |
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So, is this critical mass bike event happening tomorrow at 5.30pm???? I have seen Critical Mass events posted on Facebook. Looks great!! What kinda numbers do you expect??????
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swtchbckr
Worn
Joined: Mar 22, 2005
Posts: 576
Location: Chacha
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| Posted: Thu 25/Sep/08 2:59pm Post subject: |
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the first ever in chch back in about 97 or 98 we had almost 200 people. it was AWESOME. but the next one might have gotten 80, the following 40, and from then on a steady crew of maybe 15 to 25 stallwarts. bad weather got one or two, aggro attitudes put some people off, attacks from total loser idiot motorists didnt help, and enthusiasm petered out.
in more recent years i've seen and participated once or twice when maybe 10 to 30 people in attendance. and that just isnt enough to really achieve critical mass.. make it 200 and really take over, yeah, good. but 10? go to a pub and have a drink.
Last edited by swtchbckr on Thu 25/Sep/08 3:07pm; edited 1 time in total |
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jeremyb
BRAP BRAP BRAP BRAP
Joined: Jan 12, 2003
Posts: 32,882
Location: Derailled
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| Posted: Thu 25/Sep/08 3:02pm Post subject: |
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Critical mass seems a great way of making motorists more annoyed at cyclists, never quite understood the point, saw a group blocking traffic down lichfield st a few months ago and as a cyclist I thought they were doing a great disservice to the cycling community.
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danose
Mangled
Joined: May 27, 2004
Posts: 10,986
Location: Nose City
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| Posted: Thu 25/Sep/08 3:04pm Post subject: |
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| jeremyb wrote: | | Critical mass seems a great way of making motorists more annoyed at cyclists, never quite understood the point, saw a group blocking traffic down lichfield st a few months ago and as a cyclist I thought they were doing a great disservice to the cycling community. |
I'm with you jeremy - does NOTHING for the image of cyclists, and also seems to attract the worst elements off the lunatic fringe (last time I saw them they even had unicyclists with them  )
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swtchbckr
Worn
Joined: Mar 22, 2005
Posts: 576
Location: Chacha
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| Posted: Thu 25/Sep/08 3:10pm Post subject: |
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loonycyclists?
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michael
Flogged
Joined: May 22, 2002
Posts: 3,327
Location: Christchurch
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| Posted: Thu 25/Sep/08 3:11pm Post subject: |
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Its pretty good for ssiping off vorb!
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rizzodeniro
Shiny
Joined: Aug 28, 2008
Posts: 27
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| Posted: Thu 25/Sep/08 8:24pm Post subject: |
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hmmmmmm...food for thought. International Critical Mass events look positive for cycling but I do see your points. ChCh motorists are not very accomodating and I can see how it could turn nasty.
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danose
Mangled
Joined: May 27, 2004
Posts: 10,986
Location: Nose City
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| Posted: Thu 25/Sep/08 10:58pm Post subject: |
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| rizzodeniro wrote: | | International Critical Mass events look positive for cycling |
they do? As far as I can tell internationally CM long ago stopped being about cycling promotion/advocacy and instead had been hi-jacked by the trendy-leftys/attention seekers (look at me - I'm sooooooo alternative)
sorry, just can't take it seriously any more ... if you want to do something positive for cycling look at CAN, CM is just a freak show on wheels
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Conners
Seeing Double
Joined: Jul 09, 2003
Posts: 4,083
Location: bjcfilms editing suite, Welly
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| Posted: Thu 25/Sep/08 11:31pm Post subject: |
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I reckon things like the Memorial Ride held in Welly recently are the way forward. The premise of celebrating and remembering the lives of our cycling bretheren is a much better way for us to make a statement, and can only be seen in a positive light by non-cyclists too.
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Walker_nzl
Joined: Sep 21, 2008
Posts: 2
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| Posted: Fri 26/Sep/08 7:03am Post subject: |
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Kia ora,
Fair comments above, critical mass has lately only had about 20 people, weather and light must be considered thou.
I believe critical mass is all about having a presence on the road - showing cars that cyclists exists and that they have a right to be there. Sure some drivers will be inconvienced for a brief period of time and some will get annoyed at this, but the road does not belong just to them, and there have been numerous times that I have been inconvienced or annoyed at cars. (and I can see by some of the other threads I'm not the only one =-) )
We encourage unique bikes (unicycles included) as it adds colour and variety.
The only way for it to be less "lunitic fringe" like is for more cyclists to join it, thats what we're inviting you to do here. Come ride. The more the merrier.
Cheers
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Philthy
Dusty
Joined: Apr 01, 2008
Posts: 89
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| Posted: Fri 26/Sep/08 7:11am Post subject: |
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CM is yet another example of the small mindedness and conservative, apathetic nature of NZers. The CM events in Melbourne were fantastic, often 1000's of cyclists of all walks of life: suits, parents with their kids, lycra-clad leg-shavers, DHers in full face helmets, as well as the obligatory hippies and students on 10 speeds. It really was a critical mass, and motorists would just accept it, and the police would be there too just to keep an eye on things. And it was good fun, a party on wheels as they say.
The CM in CHCH was a dissapointment. If we could get all the local cyclists on vorb and their mates involved it'd be awesome. Nothing like a good bit of civil disobedience.
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jeremyb
BRAP BRAP BRAP BRAP
Joined: Jan 12, 2003
Posts: 32,882
Location: Derailled
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| Posted: Fri 26/Sep/08 8:27am Post subject: |
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CM seems a lot like the opposite of cars driving in cycle lanes, controlled events like festival of cycling do way more for raising cycling awareness than a bunch of eco terrorists in thai dye outfits 
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swtchbckr
Worn
Joined: Mar 22, 2005
Posts: 576
Location: Chacha
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| Posted: Fri 26/Sep/08 10:10am Post subject: |
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i used to be as idealistic as you Walker_nzl... encouraging people, pleading with them, to come join us... alas, now i'm (old? and) jaded and think 20 cyclists holding up traffic IS just bad press.
50, 200, 1000, yes. 20-30... fuhgeddaboutit.
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Simonk
Ridden
Joined: Jul 22, 2003
Posts: 203
Location: Wellington, NZ
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| Posted: Fri 26/Sep/08 10:15am Post subject: |
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I'm with swtchbckr on the whole CM thing. We tried it in Wellington for over a decade and never reached anything remotely close to critical mass. It became embarrassing (with some guys just looking for agro) - just made cycling look a whole lot more marginal than it really is.
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