I’ve recently started going back to Critical Mass rides after years of staying away, and I think I finally get it now.
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Bike Lights: I love dynamo lights that are built into a bike and powered by your pedalling or the wheel’s movement, but if you need aftermarket lights, Lumos offers a number of great options. Their Firefly lights are simple and bright: https://collabs.shop/3uodbz
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Bell: I love the sound and quality of the Japanese-made Crane Bells: https://www.cranebellusa.com/
Saddle: Yes, they can be pricey, but I’ve joined the ranks of people who think the extra cost for the quality of a Brooks Saddle is worth it, in both durability and comfort: https://www.brooksengland.com/
Panniers: My everyday workhorse pannier is Two Wheel Gear’s Pannier Backpack Convertible 2.0: https://twowheelgear.com/collections/pannier-backpacks?srsltid=AfmBOop6XPOZUjmjf4-Nr1MVwSivDO7igNWhL6Y3PzWOzkqtraTAS-D5
Pedals: I’ve not experienced high-performance pedals adding much extra value to my daily riding experience, but these light-up pedals from Redshift are bright, keep me visible at night and grab lots of attention: https://redshiftsports.com?aff=40
Phone mount: I use Peak Design’s mobile system, including the Universal Bar Mount on my handlebars every day, which I also bring it with me when I travel for bike rentals and bike-share bicycles: https://peak-design.pxf.io/c/5749368/1664050/18669
Buff: Keeps your face, neck and head warm in the winter, and keeps the sun off in the summer: https://peak-design.pxf.io/c/5749368/1664050/18669
Sunglasses: If you’re going to wear sunglasses, why not use a pair that has built-in mirrors so you can see behind you while you ride?: https://collabs.shop/f9hvof
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Archive video credits (thank you!):
Josh Meltzer
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Keith Walker
1000 Londoners
Katakanadian
WE ARE TRAFFIC!
Absolute Documentaries
San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency
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0:00 Introduction
0:46 The Critical Mass origin story
2:23 The ’90s backlash
3:13 My love for slow group rides
3:59 My return to Critical Mass
4:19 The evolution of Critical Mass
5:18 Why Calgary’s Critical Mass is back and bigger than ever
6:58 Thanks to Shifter Members!
#cycling #bike #commuting
24 Comments
"Break all the laws. All the laws in the world." Yeah, total murder fests those were.
My only problem with Critical Mass rides is that they make many people hate bicycle riders. The one in Atlanta would run red lights, block intersections, and generally piss off everyone in cars. For those of us who ride daily, it created an animosity towards bicycle riders that keeps us from getting the infrastructure we need.
Hearing that i am :
Yeah it's a protest, people are super invested
Yeah politicians and police crackdown protests (when they start taking on)
Yeah protests lead to change and movement and other forms of advocacy.
So yeah basically protests work( they get change done)
But that takes time and determination.
And then they become family friendly(i.e less dangerous and more fun) but also a moment of freedom.
You're just describing the life cycle of a protest
Comparing it to pride typically.
Here in Vienna, Austria, critical mass rides are perfectly legal, with a route getting cleared by the police driving ahead and behind the group. It may be a bit of a pseudo-poltical statement, but it's basically just an interesting opportunity to slowly drive the bike through some of the largest streets without encountering any cars.
And a bit of a "carnival", with some of participants arriving with strangest possible human-powered contraptions on two or more wheels.
And there is nothing wrong with that. Bikes, music, people cheering from the sidewalks. Just a nice way to spend an afternoon.
Yep more things: first, Vienna is becoming more and more bike friendly every year.
Second, there is an even better event called "kiddical mass". As the name says, it's a bunch of kids and their parents driving bikes. I never actually participated, but I presume it's a similar type of event, just with a whole lot of kids. And that's really great in my book.
This kind of thing also gives the lie to the old saw “Why? Nobody bikes.” Really???
You aren’t doing shit to stop the problem riders. https://youtu.be/01yIyJBg2WA?si=Rd6ndVqiYvNDIauE
The Alberta Government has threatened to remove municipal bicycle infrastructure in cities in Alberta like Calgary, we NEED more critical mass rides!
Sick punk outro
Cars are so many expensive to own and operate. As more people become less prosperous, cycling will get more popular
Berlin is removing bike lanes today. Thats crazy.
Cities in both Ontario and Alberta need CM more than ever, sadly. Both provinces run by utter dingbats (if I'm being generous). Ford "banning" bike lanes and wanting to remove others. The Wicked Witch of the West in Alberta I hear wants to follow Ford in doing this too.
I live in Poland, and for the first six years I took part in Critical Mass bike rides. Here where I live, the events were very well organized — we had police escorts, and it was safe. In recent years, we’ve gained a huge amount of cycling infrastructure: bike paths and crossings are everywhere, and with every road renovation or new construction, a bike lane is also planned. I stopped going to Critical Mass rides because they lost their purpose. We’ve actually received even more than we should have.😅 Sometimes, when I walk or drive a car, it even annoys me a little that cyclists seem to be somewhat privileged…
its a beautiful community moment, who wouldn't want to be there, even if you dont bike?
We need to be doing these in Ontario to show how wrong Drug Fraud is about eliminating bicycle lanes.
Thanks for the very informative video! Definitely opened my eyes to these bikes!
Doing pedalpalooza group rides in Portland Oregon has changed my life in all the best ways and made me active in local politics to advocate for cycling & better infrastructure.
"The pure joy of cycling and not being worried about being killed by a motorist". Exactly! Normalize a bicycle as a legitimate means for getting around one city or town. That is what the ride of the fancy women is about: normalizing the idea that women (not just guys in spandex or hoodies) ride bikes to get around their city/town/neighbourhood, and should be able to do so safely, comfortably, with joy (and even whimsy).
Happened in croatia
Obviously you haven’t been around in Los Angeles. LA Critical Mass has been saying that since the early 2000’s. It’s always been huge. Now after the pandemic it’s grown over 3500+ each month. It is the largest ride in the USA.
After bike commuting for 30+ years, I finally decided to participate in a Critical Mass ride this past summer.
It was wonderful to see the amount of people attending and heartening to meet so many like-minded people. The cars held up at the intersections did not seem too put out. And that pretty well mirrors my experience with motorists in Montreal; for the grand majority of them, they are very accommodating.
I will go again in the summer of 2026.
Breaking all rules in the world.😂 bad every country has other rules.
But us cops are gods over people
Um, it’s my understanding that Critical Mass began in China with riders sick of waiting for cars to let them thru. I rode CM rides at University of Maryland in the early 2000’s. Am I wrong?
Cyclists will, for the most part, support critical mass, but those who are against cycling only harden their opinions when confronted wit these protests. IMO the best tactic is to normalize cycling and assert a critical mass of normal commuters. The more there are, the more voters there are who see bike infrastructure as an issue. In my experience, the types of people who particiipate in critical mass events are not what most people identify with. They all seem to look like bike couriers and the usual band of anarchy lovers, which may be interesting in the initial stages of these movements, but is counterproductive in places like Montreal where wearing a suit on your bike is not uncommon.
I highly recommend everyone listen to a podcast titled "These Protesters Are Protesting Wrong!" by The Climate Deniar's Playbook. It completely changed my perspective on both the purpose and effectiveness of disruptive protest. People look at today's critical mass rides and scoff: "who are they going to convince by angering motorists like that?!" But if you look back in history, you learn there's no such thing as a successful protest without disruption and civil disobedience. The successful protests we prop up from the past were perceived with the same level of negativity and disdain at the time they were conducted.