Critical mass

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Soup890

Crazy
Location
leeds
There is this cycle event called Critical mass in London.

Is it any good?

And where can I find more info about it?
 
Google it
 
It has noble intentions I don't doubt, but there are a hardcore group of cyclists and longboarders who seem to use it to antagonise other road users. Definitely avoid if you hate hipster fixie/fakenger types.

Can be vaguely fun if you are with other people or you are around one of the sound systems playing decent music. Don't expect to cycle particularly fast or anywhere logical. Invariably ends up heading north of the river so a bit samey if you do it more than once. Probably best enjoyed somewhere in the middle of the pack so you don't have to be around the people deciding which way to go and you don't get cut off if the mass splits.

The police take a fairly strong dislike to it and I don't blame them to be honest (although they can't do much about it since they lost the high court appeal about whether it is a procession or not......except on special occasions like the olympics opening ceremony kettle fiasco).

Facebook is probably the best place to find information about it now because the website doesn't seem to update any more (probably because it isn't meant to be a planned event).
 

spen666

Legendary Member
Not true, the Met cycling force enjoy CM, we had a good chat with a few on their Smith and Wessons, one helped me hand out fliers, or at least told me a fat cabbie was a nobber for refusing to accept one.
Are they policing it again?

They did withdraw - seemingly in the huff- after they lost the Judicial Review case re organisers providing advance notice
 

stowie

Legendary Member
Lots of people use it just to hold up motorists

I would say that, in London, most motorists get held up by other motorists 99% of the time. If they get irate about being held up (briefly) by some cyclists once a month then I would say they have their perspective a bit skewed.

Not that I have any particularly strong feelings about CM either way.
 

winjim

Smash the cistern
Just noticed there's a Critical Mass event in Sheffield later this month. Might take the car down and blow the horn / rev the engine for a bit :laugh:
 

AndyRM

XOXO
Location
North Shields
There's one tonight in Newcastle. I'm not on my bike, but I might stop off in town on the way home from work and see how they get on. If nothing else, I'll break up the tedious Metro ride home.
 

MontyVeda

a short-tempered ill-controlled small-minded troll
I would say that, in London, most motorists get held up by other motorists 99% of the time. If they get irate about being held up (briefly) by some cyclists once a month then I would say they have their perspective a bit skewed.

Not that I have any particularly strong feelings about CM either way.
My dad will sit quite patiently behind a bus, tractor or horse on the quiet country lanes... but put him behind a bicycle and he goes bananas. A bit skewed is the polite way of putting what can only be described as completely fecking irrational.
 

Shut Up Legs

Down Under Member
My dad will sit quite patiently behind a bus, tractor or horse on the quiet country lanes... but put him behind a bicycle and he goes bananas. A bit skewed is the polite way of putting what can only be described as completely fecking irrational.
We get the same double-standards here, unfortunately :sad:. I'll never understand why motorists can wait patiently behind just about every other type of road user, but lose their patience when behind cyclists. As you said, it's just not rational.
 

Leodis

Veteran
Location
Moortown, Leeds
Avoid it, gives cyclists a bad name...

The one in Leeds is a joke, about 10 people turn up usually missing the dog on string and pootle through down at rush hour
 

byegad

Legendary Member
Location
NE England
Its where a load of cyclists get together and shoot themselves in the foot :gun:

I can't say I'm in favour of it but I can see how and why it came about.

The French equivalent of CTC hold a similar thing called 'Jusque deux minutes.' Or something similar. They park a few dozen bikes across a road, usually outside a Newsstand or similar and hold up the traffic and placards saying 'I'll just be two minutes.' Apparently in retaliation for motorists doing the same in cycle lanes. Much more effective IMHO.
 
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