CMR rides and other cycling related "actions".

Hi!

Just wanted to ask some opinions about these CMR rides and some other cycling related stuff that is going on from time to time in cities. Like cycling carnivals, cycling barbeques, cycling revolutions etc.

I cant really find a cycling group that organizes tours from time to time that is Not involved to some kind of these "actions".

Do you think that they are nice or not?


Many thanks /img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif

 

what is a CMR ride ?

 

A CMR (short for Critical Mass Ride), is a happening that started somewhere sometime where cyclists of a city gather on a specific part of the city and ride in a group in the city. Its not exactly a hippie thing I think, its done so it will spread "awareness" of bicycles in the roads. I think it happens in lots of cities around the world.

It usually holds back all motor traffic (depending on the ammount of the participants, the motor traffic impact is less or more) on at least one lane of the road.

I made this post earlier and I actually went to a few of those (CMR rides, mass rides etc). I really like cycle touring and I think it even better with company but I cant find many people willing to come with me on tours so I tried to go to a few rides with these groups.

Needless to say, some people there are nice, some are not so nice and some just go there to stirr things up... The more the participants the slower the ride is too... /img/vbsmilies/smilies/frown.gif I was in one where we covered something like 30km with an average speed of 10km/h...

Still a nice feeling sometimes though. But motorcar drivers tend to swear at the group from time to time allthough this seems to become less frequent. But its a nice way to visit more distanced parts of the city where it would not be very wise to go alone due to stray dogs etc etc.

 

I don't think CMR's are the best way to get the safe cycling message out there.

 

To be honest me neither. I think that the best way is for people to just start using bicycles for their transportation in the city and not make a big fuss about it. Cyclists between them they can discuss their problems etc, but having a hundred cyclists cycling a city shouting stuff its a bit too much I think.

For example I once almost got in a fight with a guy who parked his car in the cycling lane. I was totally polite and then he started shouting at me for no reason. I talked about it with some others and they told me that I should inform the police or something.

But then in some of these "rides", some cyclists would start shouting at car drivers and there was some police "checking" us at some point too...

 

ok, we get CMR in my area too,

 

The choice is made. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/biggrin.gif/img/vbsmilies/smilies/biggrin.gif/img/vbsmilies/smilies/biggrin.gif

 

They do that in Minneapolis occasionally, but I have never participated. I don't have a strong opinion about. It seems more like something the bike hipster crowd does and I tend to hang out with the performance cycling crowd. There are tons of bicycling clubs in this area that have no association with such activism.

 

I think Critical Mass rides are exceedingly successful at pissing off drivers and possibly making life harder on cyclists.

 

No doubt. One such event lead to fisticuffs between participants and the Minneapolis Police Department a few years back. Regardless, Minneapolis continues to be the best city I know of for biking; albeit my direct experience is limited to Minnesota.

 

I think so too, car drivers dont seem to like CMR's so much... Its also maybe making people believe that cycling is an activity of some "cult" or something. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/biggrin.gif

 

No event is going to make drivers of motor vehicles like you more. At least not in North America. It's a hate-hate relationship and is likely to remain that way well into the future. In my experience, CMR rides and similar bike events tend to attract the fringe weirdos, such as the 'bike naked' crowd, the Mad Hatters, the Burning Man Hippies, and so on. Commuters, racers and BMXers are rather in the minority.