THE BIG ASS RIDE #2
Thread started by
riss at 08.26.07 - 10:47 pm
I know I have only been riding with everyone for a short period of time and probably have no room to talk but I just want to say one thing.... I hate all of you...just kidding. It just seems like in the past maybe month (it's the August heat we talked about sexy) alot of the posts, not all just some more discussed than others, have been negative. Douche bag this and douche bag that. By now we ALL have to know there is going to be atleast one on the ride and one on the road. Of which one of two things will happen, THEY will eventually drop out of the rides all together, or you get in a tiff with a car and by the next morning you won't even remember what the car or driver looked like. If something really really horrible happens where people are getting hurt, then yes I agree that it should be discussed. But a few nasty words and a honk or two can't really be all that bad of a soul bruiser.And lets face it, water, eggs,and spit are gross coming at you at thirty miles an hour but theres nothing a paper towel and a cold PBR can't handle. What I remember last night was the awesome fire dancing,running around looking for places to use the restroom while armegeddon hovered over us with bright lights, and being able to now make it up big hills without stopping.... but most of all being able to ride and laugh with great company<3
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That's the best thing I've read in regards to this ride.
Even myself is guilty of focusing on the negative.
Ratt_Bones08.26.07 - 10:55 pm
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Dido on that hill Riss.
I love riding my bike through the city, group bike rides are the funnest. They can be a challenge, like the Barham hill, but when I made it to the top and regrouped at the liquor store. It was the most amazing feeling ever, and I'm glad I decided on my hybrid instead of my cruiser.
thank you cruzz with us, brian, and NoHo for making it such a great night.
Make love, not war, it's just a bike ride.
:)
feelingrandy08.27.07 - 10:08 am
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PEACE, LOVE, and BIKE RIDING!!!
I like this thread - all the positive attitude.
The hill was awesome (well since i made it all the way up!). Thanks to the cheering squad (more like cheering person) behind me and a couple of ridazz who kept encouraging us to keep pedaling and giving us tips as well. "ALMOST THERE" really helped, even though it felt like an eternity.
Fun Fun Fun!!!!
fattybombo08.27.07 - 12:13 pm
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I thought it was cute to see some of the riders holding on to cars and the cars didnt mind at all. And did anyone hear the girl playing QUEEN, BICYCLE RACE?! That made my night that much better, she was just hanging out driving along side us blasting it for quite a while. God bless you Freddie Mercury<3
riss08.27.07 - 12:20 pm
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RIss - ^^^^ thanks for reminding me of that!!!
That lady was AWESOME!!!!!! and the end was great when everyone started ringing their bells :)
redridinghood08.27.07 - 12:37 pm
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I don't know why people would make such a big deal of car-horns when they're a part of a large group.
I've only been on two confirmed rides and everytime I did it, I just felt the need to ride.
If some jackoff in a car or another bike wanted to start problems, it wasn't mine and kept on going.
To me, problems like that are much more of a concern when I'm soloing, which is evidently a good 70% of my saddle hours.
Perhaps we should take after that little movement in Florida that was in response to a planned KKK rally in that area.
Y'all might've heard of it, "Operation Be Cool".
Or "Operation Cool Head".
Yeah, that would sound a Helluva lot better.
As for my solo rides from Hell, I plan on getting some more gig cards together for open-ended recording.
The miscreants that feel "Oh-So-Threatened" by a solitary sombre-hombre on an mtb.
bentstrider08.27.07 - 12:58 pm
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wait....I got lost after the KKK comment.
riss08.27.07 - 1:06 pm
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riss this is bentstrider, bentstrider this is riss.
Joe Borfo08.27.07 - 1:12 pm
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er that picture didnt work too well. supposed to be people shaking hands. back to work!
Joe Borfo08.27.07 - 1:15 pm
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haha did you draw that? We should use that from now on.
riss08.27.07 - 1:17 pm
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So yeah, that other thread is way too clogged up as mentioned earlier, so I'll say my thanks here.
I had a lot of fun on that ride, and that's probably the biggest bike ride I've been to outside of Portland ever, and maybe even one of the biggest then. I've been here for about a week here on vacation, and the ride was by far the most fun thing I've had to do all weekend- I REALLY regret not having a foldie bike or something I could easily have taken here or to other rides, because you guys definitely know how to party.
I was one of the first people up that hill on a mountain bike, and so of course I did it without stopping. No way I'm going to be representin' Portland and be walking my bike up a hill! Thanks to all the Portland Ridazzz who greeted me into your ride with many cheers and drinks, and to the awesome group of girls I was kickin' it with for most of the ride. Thanks to their awareness, I was able to keep moving with the group and avoid being arrested. And of course many many many many thanks to Marino who let me borrow his bike for the evening. My birthday is comin' up tomorrow and I'm still somewhat unsure of what to do- I want to ride again, so maybe for the Lunar ride that's coming up I'd love to be a part of it!
All in all, a great ride, and I'm happy to see bikes be used in a big way out here, the most car oriented city in America. I found the LAPD to be quite hospitable and friendly, especially compared to Portland Police. With that said, coming from Portland's Zoobomb, there's a few things I could say in regards to the more negative aspects of the ride..
1. The d-bags ALWAYS filter themselves out eventually. There's this wonderful thing called community policing, no cops are necessary if we, as a big unified group that all gets along, can shame someone into behaving themselves properly. All you have to do is speak up! I tried my best with this when I saw bicyclists throw down their bikes (?!?!?!?!) and walk over to the car to back up whatever someone else is doing. Avoid violence, people!
2. Leave no trace or ridazz behind! A lot of people were upset with the hill (at first I was like WTF, but then I was like LOL) but with this many people, it was good that we had something where everyone had to wait for a bit and catch up. We have to be more patient for those who can't ride as fast or have little experience. Be inclusive! Also, I didn't see who or what was doing it, but most of us have bags and/or bike baskets- don't throw your shit on the ground and dirty up the streets even more than they already are. We don't want to give people watching us a bad idea about us, thinking we're drinking around town, or else pepper (aka cops) is going to swarm you guys for DUI's. If we don't look like we're drinking, and we're following the rules, that doesn't give them any excuse for that nasty stuff.
3. Be safe! That pretty much goes with the first two things, but I can't stress it enough. If you crash or suddenly stop your bike, get out of the way, especially when there's a couple hundred riders coming up behind you, you're either a. going to cause an even bigger crash, or b. get hurt, or most likely c. both. Communicate, be aware, and like I said, be safe and use a little bit of common sense.
I really like the idea of handing out cards to people, but also fear that it may be a way of inviting future action or civil suits or whatever against us, and then you guys will start being under the magnifying glass of the LAPD. I don't think media attention is always too good of a thing, so I'm iffy on it. A card saying Midnight Ridazz might not work as well as one thanking them for their courtesy and that we'll be done soon. It's fun to get people on these rides, but I wouldn't advertise it for fear of future d-bags tagging along and generally being obstructive to good times.
Anyways thanks for reading this ridiculously long post. Peace and hopefully we'll see each other soon again~
~Leeeeeeeeeoooooooooooohhhhh
LE-OH!08.27.07 - 2:15 pm
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Perhaps a not-so-heavy-handed cadre of ride informers should be assembled.
Each of us basically hovering up and through the pack and observing, then intervening when necessary.
Not so much enforcement, but just a bit of a nudge to keep the asshatage from advancing to an unnecessary level.
I've only got two rides under my belt, but I go solo enough times that I'll eventually feel the "day-after" backlash from a 4wheeler that was shit on from a big ride the previous night.
bentstrider08.27.07 - 2:39 pm
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no business cards necessary.... too much work too much information. those that want to join will find a way... it's not a business, it's a ride.
Roadblock08.27.07 - 7:56 pm
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The ride was great over all. I didn't realize the hill wasn't part of the plan till I came on the forum, though I was surprised a hill was was being conquered by the Ridazz!!
Having a huge group, I think we need to focus on:
1. staying on the streets and not cutting the corners by going thru parking lots.
2. not going thru alleys.
3. not going thru the Ralph's parking structure
4. letting people know if the ride is going to end at the after party or if it's a loop
5. making less stops at 7-11's, use the red lights to regroup
Once we stopped at the "after party" location on Ventura, too many people were asking "WTF?" At that point, a few of us got the ride going again by taking Laurel Canyon then Magnolia back to the park.
I'm not here to dump on anyone or the ride, i've met many great people and have a blast on all the rides. I've been doing these rides for almost 2 years now.
My main concern is the safety factor considering there are so many new ridazz (new to the Ridazz, biking or even just being on the street). Like it was said before, this is a fun ride, but let's keep it safe by slowing it down and keeping the group tighter.
BTW, I'm the one who was riding the white Specialized road bike.
Epic_Mtn_Biker08.27.07 - 9:25 pm
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What's wrong with 7-11's, alleys, Ralph's, or parking lots/structures? riding in those things is fun.
We stop at things other than red lights because aside from regrouping, it gives those that may have gotten more than just spread out (i.e. mechanical problems, lost etc) a chance to catch up.
Alleys and Parking lots and stuff are just fun to ride through, why shouldn't we do it?
As for Ralph's, they have cheap beer and snacks....
FuzzBeast08.27.07 - 10:18 pm
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yeah parking structures are fun, and whilstles are a plus in these cases, as well as a good set of lungs..but wait a minute lets take a minute to focus on what everyone is here to do....
riss08.28.07 - 1:11 am
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hey hey check this out.
I think we can make the rides a lot better if we all simultaneously commit suicide!
What do you say?
kyber08.28.07 - 1:40 am
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I'm here to talk trash and meet loose women!
kyber08.28.07 - 1:48 am
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Damm it man, unemployment is doing wonders for you. Hell with the schooling, you should go into comedy, or just heavier drinking.
It's the valley dude, parking structures and alley, just spice the ride up. It breaks up the monotony of just being on the street. The valley can be a pretty boring place to ride, compared with a place like downtown or Echo Park, so we juice it up a little with those detours. "Too many 7-11's?" come on man, this is Cruz with Us, and it was the Big Ass Ride!
sexy08.28.07 - 2:06 am
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I mean we only stopped at 2, and rode by like 40, you shoulda seen the 7-11 ride... wohoo! 2 blocks between stops!
FuzzBeast08.28.07 - 2:10 am
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haha you guys are funny
riss08.28.07 - 8:33 am
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Kyber, when are you coming home? How's the Zombie Foot?
Joe Borfo08.28.07 - 11:11 am
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I'm already home, I got back on sunday night. Taking forever to heal, but I can still ride a bike so it's cool.
kyber08.28.07 - 12:16 pm
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I still say some of us should have those little FRS walkie talkies.
All those of us equipped should meet up before ride time and just let each other know we have them, callsigns, and what frequency to stay on.
Not everyone has to have them, but it would really keep things cool if the radio holders were spread evely through the throngs.
I've got a few I could dig up.
bentstrider08.28.07 - 2:16 pm
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I did that on a ride once. I had a walkie talkie and stayed behind to help someone change a flat. The main group waited for us until we caught up.
I use a walkie talkie with a mountain bike group I ride with. It gives us a chance to regroup.
mk452408.28.07 - 8:13 pm
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peeps used walkies during critiacal mass rides in NYC - they were good at keeping tabs on how far the back was from the front when rides got really big... they were also good when the cops would try to box us in from different sides...
nextels are really good for that too... don't know too many non-messengers out here that use those but I got one
redridinghood08.28.07 - 8:22 pm
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Yeah Kyber, get a job! And a pigeon.
Leetard08.28.07 - 8:36 pm
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I'm with kyber on this one...where are all the loose women at? That's mainly why I bought a new bike, shaved my balls and started doing pushups...for the whores...the bike whores.
Richard_Colossus08.29.07 - 12:37 am
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If we start using FRS radios, I want everybody to call me "Rubber Duck." OK?
PC08.29.07 - 3:23 am
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I'll be using my favorite handle, and seems like everyone has made it legendary. My handle is - testing....testing.... 1,2,3
The way things are going, I will live infamously.
User108.29.07 - 11:42 am
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Oh, I'm pretty sure I'll end up being "Lolcat." I just thought it was worth a shot.
PC08.29.07 - 1:33 pm
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