I was on the mass yesterday. I was at the back of the pack , arguing with a large lorry . When i got to fleet street me and three others including a sound system from Croydon had lost the rest of the mass. It was very fustrating to go out in the rain and only be on the mass for twenty minutes.

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I have been reading the e mails about why the mass went so fast. The thing i love about the mass is there are no rules . The thing I do not like is there are no rules. The carbon fiber bikers and the long boarders featured on this mass. The bottom line for me is the 'mass ' is stronger and safer for EVERYONE if the mass stays intact.

When ever i go on the mass it seems to be different people. I know a few to chat to , but there is limited communication. The bottom line is it is a bike rider on the last Friday of every month. And i would like it to be a bit more than that.

Cycling in London is an achievement that we should all celebrate.

The lad from Croydon with his sound system got left behind with me. It is not easy pulling a sound system from Croydon in the rain. There are no rules but the larger the group the safer we are.

Mark.

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I think I heard that, that was the guy saying "I'll run you down"? I was passing him when he said it, but I didn't want to argue. There are too many potential arguments, unless someone is getting violent and hit you, I just let it go. The cyclists around him really took offense though - but I just didn't see the benefit of arguing with him.

You're right, it'd be good to have a better system to alert people at the front that something has gone wrong, but it would be difficult to work out, unless one of you went forward asking others for help.

When something occurs at the front it is easy to get involved, but something at the back is more difficult.

There is a tracking system at fdn.ldncriticalmass.... I can't remember, it's onthe website.

I got a puncture and had to put my bike on the train, I dunno man. These things happen. Certainly, I know that if I argue at the back (even though I'm in the right) I'll lose the mass.

It was a fast one yesterday as well. The longboarders put up quite a pace at times and they'd have to be reminded to stop sometimes because the mass was getting too stretched. It was pretty unusual in that we went out to Shoreditch and back again into the centre.

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I suppose the thing about our sweetly anarchic assembly is that sometimes it's a win and sometimes it's less than that.

We were unlucky with the rain, but people put on a good face of it.

It was interesting heading east at the start instead of monging around the centre.

There were more longboarders than last time and they were quite influential at the front. But - if you want it to go slower, then perhaps you should take responsibility to say so. That's how it works. We're all people with voices - no leaders - no followers. Tell your fellows what you're feeling!

On the May ride I was at the front for the first bit of the ride and the longboarders were quite open to the idea of stopping to regroup. I don't sense from them any wish to dominate.

At the junction of Goswell Road/ Old St and Clerkenwell Road they'd stopped. They wanted to go left. But, a couple of riders on either side at the front said "What about Old Street Roundabout?" Well - shouted at each other across thirty foot.

A collective shrug and the riders all went up to the demon roundabout, whilst the boarders had gone down Goswell and had to loop back.

Likewise, when we turned around (what was it, Kingsland road) - that was a rider who suggested it while the mass was stopped to regroup. Shrug, turn around.

We probably could have done something more adventurous, but noone cared to suggest it. Nobody piped up and said "how about we scoot across to Islington, I know the way".

It doesn't seem fair to put the blame on the longboarders. Got an idea? Speak up!

It must have been the rain. It's difficult to sit around and be jolly and talk about routes when the drizzle is coming down on you. But, it was interesting.

A fast ride? Why not. I know some people talk about why not have a fast ride. Well, we had one. How or why it happened. Who knows. The magical mystery of Critical Mass. Which is cool. Vive la difference and all of that.

I got a puncture by Holborn (shouldn't cycle with bald tires - too cheap to get replacement) so I can't do a proper ride report, but... it didn't seem too bad. There was nothing technically wrong, a few more arguments than usual. If the sun were shining we'd probably be saying it were better. But still. I was surprised the mass didn't search out and hide under bridges.

But I don't know what happened on the second half of the ride. What happened on the second half of the ride?

P.S.

I did enjoy going through that city mall again - if only for the security guard who tried to hold back 10 bicyclists. He said (no shitting) "respect my authoritah" and we didn't. Which was awesome.

And I liked paternoster square. I like the circles. looping. Don't know why. just do. loop de loop.

Hicks.

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Yeah, going through all of those pedestrian areas was ridiculous and really frustrating. The problem was that the longboarders were at the front of the mass for virtually the whole ride, deciding the route. They were going really fast too. Which caused the mass to get split up and many people lost on quite a few occasions. They don't seem to really know London either, as when we had gone about 200 yards along Hackney Road and they suddenly decided to do a U-turn and go back along Old St (again), because they were scared that "we will be in Leyton soon if we carry on any further".

This was one of the worst masses I can remember in terms of cohesiveness. We as cyclists need to stop blindly racing after groups of people who have taken it upon themselves to assume a leadership role, and start making more informed collective decisions for ourselves on a rotational basis.

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I should add that even during the brief periods when the longboarders weren't deciding the route, there still seemed to be a small group of cyclists who were determined to set an absurdly fast pace, causing the mass to get broken up by motor traffic.

The default route of St Pauls, Old St, then back down to Trafalgar Sq and Buckingham Palace could do with a change too.

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Well, there seems to be the lycra crew on their carbon fibre racing bikes who pelt along like they're in training for the Olympics, while there's another section of the mass who like to have a leisurely cruise on their vintage 3-speeds and maybe a little drink and a chat on the way. Somehow a compromise has to be reached, otherwise the ride gets too strung out and cars are able to barge in, then motorist aggression inevitably starts and the whole thing breaks down and gets split up.

Serge.

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To be fair, there was also some unnecessary lollygagging at the back - people ambling along, with the mass disappearing over the horizon, and not seeming to make any effort to catch up. Including the guy on the bike with the very fetching (plastic?) ivy decoration shouting out "SLOW DOWN!". If he'd been saying that at the front of the mass, fair enough, but at the back, that seems foolhardy.

Maybe this is my prejudices showing; i'm generally in favour of going faster rather than slower, and i'd like to see a faster mass. For me, the mass is about being traffic, not a traffic jam.

Maybe it's a folk memory of that one time we actually went south of Waterloo. Terrifying!

tom

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