Joe360

Me my wife, and our nephew are going to ride it tonight? Just wondering if anyone here has done it before? I'm sure that there will be all kinds of people that don't know how to ride in groups. I have an idea of how to handle that situation. Just wondering if anyone here has any tips, other than staying away.

Genaro

Not for me. My bi-annual Ciclavia and Marathon Crash race is about as radical as my rides get, and those are "organized" I'm not interested in rides where the sole intention is to piss off drivers. in my opinion, I think there are more constructive ways to increase bicycle awareness. just my .02

be careful out there, especially if your nephew is really young.

enjoi07

Rode it once...and my lord It's an interesting and fun ride, but can also be scary for someone who has not ridden in a pack. There was plenty of sketchy riders, but if you know to watch your front wheel (don't overlap) and are prepared to use an elbow (in case a rider swerves into you) then you will be good, it's unlikely you will need to use such tactics, but your instincts will definitely kick in. Be prepared on turns, etc. If they go down B street, or any other ridiculously steep hill, avoid it; I drove by a bloody mess during the last Halloween Crit Mass ride...it looked like the guy may have got cut off and went over his bars while going down B street and he was waiting for an ambulance with some friends. It sounds scary, and to be honest it is a bit, but pay attention and have fun.

alicestrong

At this point in time, Los Angeles Critical Mass is considered the largest community bike ride in the country. It has a full police escort and support from the city. In that regard it's controversial as some feel that it has veered away from its original mission. Expect a lot of spirited young people and new riders. People who love it, love it-what can I say? Have fun!

They have an active Facebook site if you have more questions.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/losa...lmass/?fref=ts

Joe360

Ride report.

I work 'till 7pm and in Arcadia. Also our nephew didn't make it becuase he had a 102 degree fever. Of course we got there late and had to try to catch up with the ride. Denise and I rode all over the place trying to find it. I should say that although I grew up in L.A. I'm not too familiar with it's streets so that made navigating kind of a challenge. Thankfully we found a couple of riders that had someone riding in the group that led us right to them.

Not 1/2 a minute into jumping into the pack someone behind me over laped my wheel and pushed right into the side of it. I thought that for sure I was going down so I did the only thing that came to mind. Pushed back to keep my self upright. Thankfully we both recovered an no one went down. I thought "damn it this is going to suck". Surprisingly it didn't. It was a ton of fun seeing L.A. in the night by bike. I could tell you what streets we went down but that wouldn't be any fun. The jist of it, It was fun, but be on guard at all times.

Oh and high five everyone on Hollywood Blvd. That was my favorite part.