Originally Posted by
ThermionicScott
Mpls is a fairly big city -- I'm sure your friends will be able to find a compatible group eventually. Are they getting serious **** from the others, or is it just gentle ribbing, the kind that you should expect from friends? I would expect that being able to keep up holds more currency than having the same exact gear as everyone else.
There are definitely fast group rides around that are less serious about that sort of thing. When I was doing more of them a few years ago, one of my favorites was a group that included MTB racers, CXers, criterium racers, along with just every day folks. People would show up on fixies and yeah, if they could keep up, that's all that really mattered. It was supposed to be an "intermediate" ride but given the competitive nature of the people that typically showed up, the pace could be brutal at times (for me).
Freewheel bikes hosts some nice rides and the Twin Cities Bicycling club has a number of them for all types of rider (A to C).