Monthly Critical Mass Leicester

Hi guys,

Just wanted to extend invites to you guys to our critical mass, it takes always place on the last friday of the month.

Most of them so far had a theme and an peak of 120 people turning up.

Masses so far:
MonsterMass - October
MassTache - N/Movember
ChristMass - December
Comical Mass - January 28th @ 6pm. Curve Leicester (close to the trainstation)

If you guys are up for it I can pick you up from the train station to bring you too the meetingspot.
The rides tend to be very friendly and law abiding, as we have lots of kids around.
So far the ride has always ended at a pub with discounted drinks, prizes for creative bikes or costumes.

Would be great to see a few guys of you at some of the future rides!

Find more details on facebook at:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/profile.php?id=100001740378816

doublepost whoops

120 people!?! Birminghamitisshitactually.co.uk

Apparently Birmingham used to get 100 turn up until people started acting like twats

https://groups.google.com/group/birmingham.misc/browse_thread/thread/e6896a1e6e66f6b8/6f24174bc1850a18

Note the poster

Apparently Birmingham used to get 100 turn up until people started acting like twats

define "acting like twats" would you?

I felt a bit uncomfortable about blocking 3 lanes of traffic when we went down Bristol road, but isn't that the point, to block traffic?

define "acting like twats" would you?

Throwing stuff and abuse. Maybe they were undercover police activists planted to kill it off.

Hola Migi, Wie geht es Ihnen?
I'd like to come down some time, though i have to wait til my new bike arrives.
@lessismore, want to open up a discussion in the bham critical mass group about on road tactics, to encourage more people to participate
@danski - 'we are traffic blah blah...

@lessismore, want to open up a discussion in the bham critical mass group about on road tactics, to encourage more people to participate

No thanks

I used to mass in Birmingham up to about 3 years ago (when I started a PGCE) and when I went I was going every month for years - the low point was when 2 guys from london turned up and al,most doubled the turnout (3). While we don't hit the huge numbers we used to, numbers have gone up (or they were when I left) and the vibe had changed from a bunch of ant-car people to a pro-bike party.
You'll always struggle to run something that accomodates for 50+ yo bankers on carbon bikes at the same time as a bunch of fixed wheel punks, I say pander to the base that actually shows up.
Oh, and I fliered once a month for a couple of years, brum uni and city centre. Not one cyclist turned up because of it.

I went once. A few things put me off but mainly the guy wearing inappropriate skimpy running shorts with his balls practically hanging out who allegedly used to hit on every female cyclist he met. If you look up twat in a dictionary you will see his name.

Ha!

My beef is that it suffers a lack of identity, which I guess comes about from its 'unorganised' nature. So many different types of people show up with so many different expectations, almost all of which end up dashed.

For me, it's way to slow to be enjoyable (surely a 10-15mph average would be achievable), and I don't want to get behind something with such vague aims. I also think that if the aim is to encourage more people to see cycling as a viable mode of transport, it fails massively, and in fact probably has the opposite effect. If I was in my car in a hurry to get somewhere, I'd be really pissed off with weirdos in saggy lycra doing a slow-bicycle race down the Bristol Road. It creates and us v them atmosphere.

Or standing up in a packed, baking hot bus just wanting to get home to the cold beer in the fridge.

I went once. A few things put me off but mainly the guy wearing inappropriate skimpy running shorts with his balls practically hanging out who allegedly used to hit on every female cyclist he met. If you look up twat in a dictionary you will see his name.

Didn't he used to run pushbikes? He had quit when I started and that was 7+ years ago

@Hyper, I am alright, hope you are good and it has been a while, hope you get your bike sorted soon, i guess you did not find your stolen bike then?

Just for the guys who think of coming for some of our critical masses:
-we are around 7 guys organising these together with the council
-it is a friendly ride, we do not like people to generate a car vs. bike atmosphere.
-this is not a fast ride, as we have kids and older people with us aswell
-it is all about cycle awarness and promotion to council and public.
-So far we only had one incedent with a car driver, besides that good vibes even in the freezing cold!

our group organises faster and long distance rides aswell to cater for other tastes.
As far as i know we will also have roller race after one of the upcoming masses.

see you soon
migi

^ did the Leicester rollers night happen yet?
If not, when is it? I'd like to go for their CM and that'd be a good double whammy

I saw the Mass ensemble outside Café Bruxelles last night, unfortunately I was in Leics on business so didn't have a form of pedal power with me; atmosphere seemed great, a surprising amount of people, and a fair few interesting contraptions. congratulations on your hard work migi!

^ did the Leicester rollers night happen yet?
If not, when is it? I'd like to go for their CM and that'd be a good double whammy

it seems it should be happening sometime this summer, ill let you know. sorry for the late response i am extremly busy at uni at the moment!

I saw the Mass ensemble outside Café Bruxelles last night, unfortunately I was in Leics on business so didn't have a form of pedal power with me; atmosphere seemed great, a surprising amount of people, and a fair few interesting contraptions. congratulations on your hard work migi!

Thanks dude, march was amazing that mass was dedicated to the critical mass in brazil. the one where a car driver decided to plough through the whole mass from back to front....
139 people and lots of loud samba ;)

and in april had the highest turn out yet +170 people :) it was amazing ;)

Seriously migi......how the fuck are you getting the numbers so high?!?!?

Seriously migi......how the fuck are you getting the numbers so high?!?!?

Haha no idea, it is a great team behind the whole idea, we have monthly themes and we had some newspaper publicity. The facebook group is massive, and Leicester has in general a big bike enthusiast base! Different age groups and different style of cyclists, the youngest participant was 4 or 5 years old ;)

Leicester CM looks fun! next one I can attend is July. Will try make that one (and ride to leicester too).

Also FAO: facebookers, does Birmingham CM have a group?

Yeah it has a group here

It's not well used to be honest.

It's not well used to be honest.

Joined it anyways ;)

The guys from leicester decided to not make it a page but rather as a person, no idea why. At a meeting a few months back they even discussed getting rid of their facebook presence, which i found silly as thats how we get most of the young people in.