# What are the advantages/disadvantages of joining a club?



## Dave7 (3 Dec 2011)

Just got back into cycling and at my age (65) I'm never going to brake any records. I have a road bike and a hybrid for paths & trails. I have built up to 25 mile rides at say 10-14 mph.
I can see 1 advantage e.g. learning new routes but conversley I have visions of a large bunch of riders blocking the roads.
I am thinking of spring time (don't like winter) but am trying to get my head around the idea.
Thanks


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## BrumJim (3 Dec 2011)

Being pushed harder, faster, longer? Getting technique tips? Other cycling tips?
Don't know, I'm not a member of one. Yet.


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## coffeejo (3 Dec 2011)

The advantages for me have been:-

Increased motivation to cycle faster, further and on terrain I would have otherwise avoided
New routes
Meeting new people
Learning more about bike maintenance and cycling tips
Good times and lots of laughs along the way
Now actively involved in organising rides, not just a participant


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## MattHB (3 Dec 2011)

I'd like to join one day, but I'd be embarrassed at my comparative fitness at the mo. when I can do 40 I recon I'll look into it.


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## Garz (3 Dec 2011)

Negatives (not that I would see them as a bad thing):


Spend money on club clobber or excursions/trips away
You will meet some pompous individuals that either look down on you or take competitive to new levels
To join you will have to pay a fee
The positives far outweigh these however, just if you have a choice of clubs within your area try and ride with them each a few times to see if they are what your looking for.


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## jdtate101 (3 Dec 2011)

I would say the biggest upside of joining a club is the social aspect. New friends, interesting conversations and cake and coffee during rides....what more could you ask for?


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## briantrumpet (3 Dec 2011)

Garz said:


> Negatives (not that I would see them as a bad thing):
> 
> Spend money on club clobber or excursions/trips away
> You will meet some pompous individuals that either look down on you or take competitive to new levels
> To join you will have to pay a fee




Well, no pompous ones I've met so far in the club I've joined, although being fairly race-orientated (I think) everyone seems to be fairly a competent rider, even on the social Sunday club runs. I haven't been on a club run yet when anyone's turned up on MTB wearing a cardigan and wearing flip-flops, so I can't say what their reaction to that would be. And as to the fee: £12 for a year. Four pints of beer, roughly translated. And as for kit - there's certainly no pressure to buy stuff. Not that that's ever stopped me buying kit of one description or another.


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## derrick (3 Dec 2011)

Garz said:


> Negatives (not that I would see them as a bad thing):
> 
> 
> Spend money on club clobber or excursions/trips away
> ...


 
Our club you wear what you want,
No snobs either just a nice freindly group of cyclists,
£11-00 a year won't break the bank,
Organised ride every sunday, faster ride saturdays, social evenings, help with bike gear.


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## Garz (4 Dec 2011)

briantrumpet said:


> Well, no pompous ones I've met so far in the club I've joined, although being fairly race-orientated (I think) everyone seems to be fairly a competent rider, even on the social Sunday club runs. I haven't been on a club run yet when anyone's turned up on MTB wearing a cardigan and wearing flip-flops, so I can't say what their reaction to that would be. And as to the fee: £12 for a year. Four pints of beer, roughly translated. And as for kit - there's certainly no pressure to buy stuff. Not that that's ever stopped me buying kit of one description or another.


 

Dont shoot the messenger. There are clubs out there that have the odd 'hes not one of the boys yet', just read all the cycling forums. Yours is obviously a nice club! 



derrick said:


> Our club you wear what you want,
> No snobs either just a nice freindly group of cyclists,
> £11-00 a year won't break the bank,
> Organised ride every sunday, faster ride saturdays, social evenings, help with bike gear.


 
Same for you Derrick, I have seen a fellow cyclist strap an old LED broken head torch to his bars instead of getting a proper light from a shop... £11-00 obviously broke his bank! 

Damn you Sunny day posters, some of you don't read, I will underline the overlooked text to my comment:



Garz said:


> Negatives (not that I would see them as a bad thing):
> 
> 
> ...
> The positives far outweigh these however, just if you have a choice of clubs within your area try and ride with them each a few times to see if they are what your looking for.


 
Won't be the straw man next time, but they needed highlighting


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## briantrumpet (4 Dec 2011)

Garz said:


> Dont shoot the messenger.


It's OK, I'm not Jeremy Clarkson, so won't do it in front of your family.


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## Garz (4 Dec 2011)

briantrumpet said:


> It's OK, I'm not Jeremy Clarkson, so won't do it in front of your family.


 
 Nice one Brian!

On a tangent, how is it down in Devon? Up in the north west it is currently Miserable!


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## gavintc (4 Dec 2011)

There are many upsides to joining a club. Personally, I know that I will get out of bed and go for ride on a cold morning when you have a club group to meet rather than on my own.


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## Scousegaz (4 Dec 2011)

Agree with Gavin, I have been out this morning in showery and rather windy conditions on a club run but I know for sure i'd have taken one look out this morning and settled for a cup of coffee and a read of the sundays if I was planning it on my own. Also the social aspect is a bonus, there are a couple of jokers in our club and club runs are always a laugh


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## HLaB (4 Dec 2011)

gavintc said:


> There are many upsides to joining a club. Personally, I know that I will get out of bed and go for ride on a cold morning when you have a club group to meet rather than on my own.


Thats a big plus for me, especially on days like today when its a little white in Scotland; there's always some other nutter out


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## briantrumpet (4 Dec 2011)

Garz said:


> On a tangent, how is it down in Devon? Up in the north west it is currently Miserable!


Not too bad - managed to get in 33 dry but blowy miles this morning. I've actually managed to do about 6000 non-commuting miles this year (call them 'training' or 'leisure', depending on which end of the telescope you're looking in) without really getting rained on at all. That's through a combination of careful forecast-watching, a flexible working week, and the fact that the weather's ALWAYS better in Devon, of course.


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## screenman (4 Dec 2011)

It might or might not be the case above, but I have only ever heard negatives from people who do not belong to a club and have no real experience of such things.

Please note, this is my experience and may not be the view of others.

As for fitness etc. we have many non cycling members.


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## PK99 (4 Dec 2011)

Garz said:


> Negatives (not that I would see them as a bad thing):
> 
> 
> To join you will have to pay a fee
> r.


 
my club costs me £20 a year, this year i have saved £350 in discounts on bikes and gear from our linked LBS


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## PK99 (4 Dec 2011)

coffeejo said:


> The advantages for me have been:-
> 
> Increased motivation to cycle faster, further and on terrain I would have otherwise avoided
> New routes
> ...


 


Added motivation to get up and out to meet the guys/avoid being ribbed for wimping.


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## tyred (6 Dec 2011)

briantrumpet said:


> Well, no pompous ones I've met so far in the club I've joined, although being fairly race-orientated (I think) everyone seems to be fairly a competent rider, even on the social Sunday club runs. *I haven't been on a club run yet when anyone's turned up on MTB wearing a cardigan and wearing flip-flops*, so I can't say what their reaction to that would be. And as to the fee: £12 for a year. Four pints of beer, roughly translated. And as for kit - there's certainly no pressure to buy stuff. Not that that's ever stopped me buying kit of one description or another.


 
That's me out


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## StuartG (7 Dec 2011)

Where are you Dave? 

The choice of club is quite crucial as there are a few you would appear to fit perfectly and others that might put you off forever! Thankfully websites are a great guide to the ethos of the club so helping you decide on a shortlist and ensure you don't end up out of your depth.

You are looking for a 12mph club (believe me 15mph is a lot/lot faster if you are going distance). Some clubs give a ride speed or use other terms such as 'gentle', 'conversational' & 'pootling' to suggest they go comfortably at the speed of the slowest, will stick together and the tea & cake can wait if necessary. Photos will show the dress code (club strip or a mix of Lidl & Aldi's finest, helmets or caps) and type of bikes (with/without mudguards/racks maybe a hybrid or two), age range and gender mix. If you can do 25 miles on your own then you should be able to do up to 50% more in company without apparent extra effort. That's the first great advantage of cycling as a group.

The others are:

1) Knowledge of good, quiet and pretty routes plus a collective encyclopaedic knowledge of cycle friendly cafes & pubs.
2) Help when help is needed (two can fix a puncture much faster/easier)
3) Finding out about other interesting cycling events, shops and how to fix a problem for free.
4) Comradeship. Our members are a great social mix but united in one interest.
5) Great value. Our sub is £15/year which is about a tyre's worth.

Most clubs are delighted to have you along for a few rides without any obligation. A real chance to sample the different clubs and decide where you would be most comfortable.

We have had people turning up on BMXs and in jeans. No problem for us - though we do remind them when they complete that it was us that had it easy and we respect the extra effort they had to put in, more than some of us could manage ...


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## Dave7 (10 Dec 2011)

StuartG said:


> _Where are you Dave? _
> 
> _ Thankfully websites are a great guide to the ethos of the club so helping you decide on a shortlist and ensure you don't end up out of your depth. (Quote)_
> 
> ...


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## HLaB (10 Dec 2011)

Dave7 said:


> However the intro to their road rides is a bit scary with this "warning"........
> _Riders should expect an *average speed of around 15 to 16mph* and these rides are *designed to feed into the Sunday rides*_


You'd be amazed how easy it is to maintain that in a group, I've come back from what seemed very slow (stop/start) bun runs and found when I checked the gps the average over 16mph.


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## Alembicbassman (10 Dec 2011)

Avoid Chain Gangs, boring and monotonous, unsocial performance based groups.

Try your local Cycle Touring Club - www.ctc.org.uk lots of chit chat cakes and tea


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## mmoore5553 (20 Dec 2011)

Pure and simple for me as clubs just get me motivated and when i do not feel like going i just remember i joined a club for a reason or one of the members will blow up my cell phone til i show up


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## screenman (21 Dec 2011)

Do the chain gang, brilliant, exciting, social and fun. Just to bring some balance to the post above.

CTC, is it true you have to grow a beard and wear knitted shorts to do one of their rides.


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## fimm (21 Dec 2011)

Given that Dave is "older", the CTC might suit him very well, if there is a group in his area (he can be called "youth" and sent to get the tea, rather than be burned off by people half his age) - stereotypes aside, I believe some CTC groups do a midweek daytime ride which suits those members who are retired.


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## screenman (21 Dec 2011)

I have also done some CTC rides and have really enjoyed them, many CTC members also belong to clubs as well.

Some of the guys in our local chain gangs are well into their late sixties, so it is not just for the young.


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## HLaB (21 Dec 2011)

screenman said:


> Some of the guys in our local chain gangs are well into their late sixties, so it is not just for the young.


I was in a chaingang a while back but we paired up through a small town and the bloke next to me came out with, 'I used to race fifty years ago'; he went on further and I realised he must have been 70 +. Mucho Respecto


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## screenman (21 Dec 2011)

Growing older is compulsory, growing up is not. I love to see the older guys still having fun on a bike, and women of course.


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## 400bhp (21 Dec 2011)

Dave7 said:


> _Where are you Dave? _​​_ Thankfully websites are a great guide to the ethos of the club so helping you decide on a shortlist and ensure you don't end up out of your depth. (Quote)_​​​​Sorry for delay in responding to your really good comments.​I'm in Warrington-Cheshire​I have checked out one club via it's web site and although it looks good with this "mantra"​*Remember our mantra* - _"We never leave a rider behind!"_​​However the intro to their road rides is a bit scary with this "warning"........​_Riders should expect an *average speed of around 15 to 16mph* and these rides are *designed to feed into the Sunday rides*_​If they expect to "average 16mph" what is the top speed​


 
This is North Cheshire Clarion and their saturday short rides?

I am a member and their mantra is true.

The 15-16 mph is about right. You will travel faster in a group than when you go out on your own primarily because of the shelter from wind that a big group provides. So, if you can average around 13mph on your own you can keep up.

If you are really concerned that you won't keep up, then turn up on saturday and speak to one of the organisers and explain. If it was me (and I thought I couldn't average 13 on my own) I would say to them that if I am struggling then I don't mind being left behine and will make my own way back.

I've been out on saturday a couple of times and the pace is very very gentle.


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## 400bhp (21 Dec 2011)

screenman said:


> Growing older is compulsory, growing up is not. I love to see the older guys still having fun on a bike, and women of course.


 
And age is extremely deceptive on a bicycle. There are quite a lot of older aged cyclists that are extremely competent on a bike.


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## briantrumpet (21 Dec 2011)

400bhp said:


> If you are really concerned that you won't keep up, then turn up on saturday and speak to one of the organisers and explain. If it was me (and I thought I couldn't average 13 on my own) I would say to them that if I am struggling then I don't mind being left behine and will make my own way back.


This. That's exactly what happened on my first club ride - the organiser asked if there were any new riders, told me the route they were going, and asked me if I knew they route; I did, and said I'd be quite happy to make my own way back if I couldn't keep up, as I didn't want to make a whole group of 20 riders hang around for me. in the end, it wasn't a problem anyway, and I had a lovely ride with them. I joined a couple of rides later.


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## PK99 (21 Dec 2011)

400bhp said:


> And age is extremely deceptive on a bicycle. There are quite a lot of older aged cyclists that are extremely competent on a bike.


 
I know an 85 year old who bought himself a new TT bike last year and has a best time for a 10 this year of 27:38


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## screenman (21 Dec 2011)

Dennis Milsom who did a 59:15 for 25 miles then went a few seconds quicker the next day in another 25.


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## peejay78 (23 Dec 2011)

join a club! 

choose the right club!


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## Randochap (26 Dec 2011)

Advantages: Friendship, knowledge, training.

Disadvantages: People who have nothing better to do than belonging to clubs.


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## Recycler (26 Dec 2011)

I've toyed with joining a club but the nearest is 10 miles away. Add to that the fact that most of their runs would be pushing me to my very limit, if not beyond, and I'm resigned to ploughing my furrow on my own.
Not that I mind solo riding, I go where I want, when I want and set my own pace. But I do think that a club could have some benefits.


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## HLaB (26 Dec 2011)

Recycler said:


> I've toyed with joining a club but the nearest is 10 miles away. Add to that the fact that most of their runs would be pushing me to my very limit, if not beyond, and I'm resigned to ploughing my furrow on my own.
> Not that I mind solo riding, I go where I want, when I want and set my own pace. But I do think that a club could have some benefits.


10 miles is a perfect warm up. My current club is only 1.75 miles away but my last one was 19miles away, that was a bit time consuming but by pacing myself really slowly I could still do the 43mile club run with mates, although I would tactfully suggest we went in the 9:45 rather than 9:40 (a slightly slower group ). If its a good club there'll be group you'll manage, give it a try or two sometime  I say two because most times I try a new group ride, I'm spat out the back the first time but the next time I'm usually not.


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## Nantmor (26 Dec 2011)

There are no disadvantages: if you don't like it you don't have to go.
I once got talking to a cyclist, who cycled alone, and after a bit of cycling chat, I thought he sounded like a good recruit for the club. I suggested it, but he said he would not be able to keep up. He quickly turned out to be too strong for our CTC group and began riding with the racing club, eventually becoming the long serving secretary.


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## cyberknight (27 Dec 2011)

Recycler said:


> I've toyed with joining a club but the nearest is 10 miles away. Add to that the fact that most of their runs would be pushing me to my very limit, if not beyond, and I'm resigned to ploughing my furrow on my own.
> Not that I mind solo riding, I go where I want, when I want and set my own pace. But I do think that a club could have some benefits.


You could always get a rack and take your car to the start point?

My club runs used to start 8 miles away and for me it was a nice steady ride to get warmed up, now they are only 5 miles away then i can just blast down .
Went on a club run today , point to point it was 62 miles heading up to Ashbourne around Dovedale with another 5 each way for me, the pace was steady as it is the "Medium " pace group so our average was less than 15 mph today because of the hills rated as cat 1 climbs by the bryton rider website a club member uploads data to , a puncture where the whole group waited and slowing down and giving riders who struggled pulls where you take the lead so they can draft at a pace they can manage or even one guy was being pushed up hills .This is a no -drop group and we make sure you will get home .

The puncture was mine and to my horror i discovered my pump that i had to buy a few days ago did not work properly so i was glad of some one having a pump.Yes i know i should test it first but you know what xmas is like ..


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## Garz (28 Dec 2011)

Agree on the ten mile point, that IS local... No excuse!


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## coffeejo (28 Dec 2011)

Indeed. One of my clubs is 6-7 miles away, depending on where we meet, and the other is 9. Makes for a decent warm up and recovery.


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