I hope you will join us for the critical mass ride. I’m aware of it because I’m an O&S member and know the people organizing it.
As @wanderer has pointed out, the Crank Arm social rides are essentially the same thing as a critical mass ride. My wife and I did the Crank Arm ride last Wednesday and we had 86 people in the group. Several of the ride leaders counted and came up with that number. We also passed a group of maybe 40 one wheelers & EUCs on a section of greenway. It was totally fun and gives people something to smile about.
I think the point is less about annoying other road users and more about giving people the opportunity to experience what biking for transportation in the city could be like if we built for it. The feeling of safety in numbers is a very real thing. There are many on the Crank Arm ride who would likely never ride through the city if they were not part of a large group.
It’s also amazing to see how differently complete strangers act towards one another when they’re on bikes or one wheels vs. being ensconced in a car. My experience has been that people show far greater care and respect for their fellow human beings when on bikes or other active transportation vs. driving a car.
I mean, that’s definitely why I’d like to do it. Sounds very freeing.
Also, I think the main reason I have yet to join other group rides, like the ones that Crank Arm and Raleigh Brewing host, is that I’m worried I wouldn’t be able to keep up. But if Crank Arm’s Wednesday rides are as casual as you’re describing, I’d be down to give those a shot.
It is an amazing experience. I haven’t done the Raleigh Brewing rides, but at the Crank Arm rides there are people of all ages (12 to 70+). All kinds of bikes, mountain bikes, e-bikes, trikes, etc. At the last ride it was the 12 year old’s birthday (that’s how I knew his age) and his parents and grandparents were there riding along. It is definitely not an all-lycra, super-fast roadie environment (not that there’s anything wrong with that).
I’m not going tonight, but I may go next week. Send me a PM when you can go and I’ll be happy to ride with you at any pace.
It’s also an empowering experience for anyone who’s been run off the road or cursed out or otherwise harassed and intimidated for the simple simple offense of operating a non-motorized vehicle in public. Unfortunately these experiences are all too common especially for those of us who ride beyond the tight knot of downtown greenways and bike lanes. Whether or not it’s effective as political advocacy, it goes a long way toward changing the culture.
On a separate note, it’s also about riding and enjoying the city of Raleigh. You get to explore other neighborhoods and interact with others/neighbors who also want to enjoy it as well.
I will definitely say that the Wednesday night Crank Arm ridge is very casual. There’s a volunteer who will ride with you at the back. If you fall behind, you can typically cut the route short and still meet up with the rest of the group. Rides typically start at 7:10. The mileage is about 10 miles. People ride hybrid bikes, road bikes, gravel bikes, or ebikes.
Totally agree. Moving through the city by bike provides an enhanced experience that you just can’t get when you’re sealed up in a car.
My Strava report on my last Crank Arm ride indicates 9.64 miles, 351ft of elevation gain, moving time of 52:42 and avg speed of 11 mph. That’s pretty chill.
I appreciate that. I remembered I have to work on Friday evening (server maintenance), so I’m not gonna be able to make Critical Mass. Sounds like Crank Arm’s Wednesday rides could be a good starting point.
Last week my 16 year old son rode our ebike from our home near Rex hospital to meet me where I work downtown in almost exactly 30 minutes. This was at 5pm. I actually think it would have taken longer than that by car at that time if you counted the time of trying to park in the parking deck.
I don’t ride our ebike to work, but I actually joke about my bike as faster than driving a car since I don’t feel the need to jog or go to a gym for exercise. If I were to go as far as Thoreau* and calculate the time it would require of me to earn the money to purchase, feed and store a car I think my bike would come out many times faster than driving to work.
The critical mass ride last Friday had everything, wind, rain, hail, rainbows, and 200+ riders. I hear the plan is to make it a monthly event. https://www.instagram.com/raleighcriticalmass/
My kids had a great time. It was the first large group ride for my 3 youngest. I feel pretty confident we made way more people smile than get upset.
A fun memory from the event was hearing a group of people standing the museums shout, “What’s you cause? What are you riding for?”, and then hearing someone in front of me yell, “bikes!”, in response. One of the onlookers then said, “That is so awesome!!”.
I’m hoping to make the next one. It looked pretty cool. Would be great to build momentum here through the summer as I think an event like that needs it to make it go into the winter as the evenings get darker earlier.
I’m not sure what you mean. Are you talking about and X? If so, that makes it more confusing for those with accessibility needs and the allowed crossing time would need to be longer, which would increase the driving time. This is because, this design would make the crossings longer and not shorter for pedestrians.
Plus the curbed bike lanes would need to be raised to the sidewalk level in order to be ADA compliant. Navigating that as a biker would definitely increase travel times and potential conflicts with pedestrians.
Ride to one or more pit stops for bike swag, snacks and fun!
Roll over to the Downtown Raleigh Alliance and Kimley Horn stop at City Plaza (421 Fayetteville Street) from 7:00am – 10:00am. We’ll have our stop open for an extra hour to keep the good times rolling.
See you tomorrow, Raleigh! Looks like a beautiful day to ride.
I ended up stopping by 3 of them this morning (Meredith College, Block 83, and City Plaza). I left the office at 6:30. I didn’t realize they were going to be there in the afternoon as well.
Left: City Plaza Pit Stop
Right: Light from City Plaza Pit Stop and Bottle from the Meredith College stop.
(one way version)
