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Is cycling at weekends declining in popularity?

Just wondered if anyone else had if numbers in their cycle clubs or groups seem a bit stagnant lately?

I've been chatting to a few other people who run cycle clubs and we've all noticed that we don't seem to have many new people joining this year, unlike in previous years.

Not sure whether its due to things like anti-cycling press, the increase in popularity of Zwift, high barriers to entry (e.g. cost of a bike, plus clothing being about £300 for the bike, plus about £150 for helmet, clothes, shoes), the rise of alternatives like cross-fit, or gyms, which might only cost £20 a month, or things like Park Run, which are free.

My Cycle Group is completely free, and very well organised, but this year is the first year we've had only 1 or 2 new people join. 

What do others think? Have you noticed numbers not particularly increasing as fast as previous years?

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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36 comments

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TooOldToScrum | 5 years ago
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I ride with Liverpool Mercury in the group known as the Umpalumpas. Super friendly, always wait for the slowest, often me up the hill. Very welcoming and always a coffe stop built into the ride.

There are other clubs that want to blast along it's like life not everything suits everybody and sometimes you have to try a few options to get what suits you.

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peted76 | 5 years ago
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There's a lot of different clubs, each has their own vibe, style and purpose, some more social and some more training/fitness-focused.. however, I think everyone can agree, every club has at least one wanker in it. It's just the way of the world, you put 100 people in a room and at least one will start pissing people off. Tolerance, however, is a virtue. Don't write off club riding off on one or two experiences/rides/people. 

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mikemorini | 5 years ago
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Locally, on a Sunday, any decent cafe seems to be packed out with cyclist, both club rides and small groups.

A local garden centre has even install covered bike parking to encourage more people to use it.

I've not counted numbers, but my perception is numbers have increased, even when the weathers not so great.

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Miller | 5 years ago
6 likes

A bit of a selfish vibe in these replies, frankly. Club rides let you meet similar-minded people, cycle further and faster, and are just generally fun to do. People would do well to drop their preconceptions and give club riding a try.

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Simon E replied to Miller | 5 years ago
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Miller wrote:

A bit of a selfish vibe in these replies, frankly. Club rides let you meet similar-minded people, cycle further and faster, and are just generally fun to do. People would do well to drop their preconceptions and give club riding a try.

I'm not sure that's a fair assessment.

Some have work/family commitments that make it tricky for them to join group rides, others prefer solitude or existing friends and there are examples where a club/group appears to have been unwelcoming.

Each to his/her own and all that. Though I would agree with your final phrase that in many cases it wouldn't hurt to give it a try.

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don simon fbpe replied to Miller | 5 years ago
2 likes

Miller wrote:

A bit of a selfish vibe in these replies, frankly. Club rides let you meet similar-minded people, cycle further and faster, and are just generally fun to do. People would do well to drop their preconceptions and give club riding a try.

For this reason, I'm out.

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sergius | 5 years ago
3 likes

I suspect for many the idea of joining a club w/ fixed schedules and the like is just not practical.

I started road riding about 5 years ago now, I've been riding further/faster YoY for that time.  This year I'll end up just under 10k km of pure leisure riding.

 

I can't imagine most people are prepared to alter when/how far/how fast they ride to accomodate others.  I'm certainly not  1

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PRSboy | 5 years ago
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I agree with the idea of a look at a proper map prior to plotting if at all possible.  There was a time when my Strava-plotted route tried to take me up a muddy track into woodland, wasn't brave enough on my road bike!  Needless to say, it was miles into my route, there was no mobile reception to check for an alternative route and it was a bit of a pain.

I've found the Garmin Connect plotter works ok, and I like the button that sends it straight to your Edge.

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IanEdward | 5 years ago
1 like

Quote:

Even in this digital age (I plot routes on Strava and download the GPX to OsmAnd (free offline maps for Android phones)), there's nothing beats poring over a 1:50,000 OS map, studying contours and points of interest. That often informs my digital plots.

And as well as being still the easiest way to absorb geographical information, they're things of beauty.

You're preaching to the converted! Love my collection of OS Maps, and you're right, I should use them more for my road route planning, they're all in a cupboard with my hiking gear...

 

Quote:

Can I ask what you use to plan and download?

Strava to plot, download GPX, import and create course on Garmin. The Garmin course plotter is terrible, seems prone to re-plotting your route when you're not looking! I've not had too many disasters doing this, occasionally have to stop and consult phone just to check where I am...

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Fish_n_Chips | 5 years ago
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I knew a guy at a club in Bristol with a 60/70’s road bike.  He was super fast compared to the posh bike owners. Couldn’t care about the bike age.  Nice steel frame too.

Bike snobs looking down on you? Did they say something or did you think they looked down on you? Personally couldn’t care what bike you ride as long as you’ve got good character/heart.

Even the Queen sits on the loo.  Except she has Jeeves to help.  yes

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IanEdward | 5 years ago
2 likes

No interest in clubs, inflexibility, too much time at coffee stops, hate being in big groups on busy roads when just 1 or 2 of us can be relatively easily passed, etc. etc.

But I also wonder if the improvement in GPS tech has slowed down club growth? I've moved to a new area and already have covered most of the (many) local back roads, in a variety of different length rides, all planned on my PC and downloaded to my Garmin. In years gone by might someone have had to join a local club to get the best knowledge of local roads?

I still use my local club mailing list as a sort of 'pool' of local riders to invite out on my weekend rides, in case there are others who can't make the normal time and place. Rarely get any responses but when I do it's nice to ride with someone like minded.

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Legs_Eleven_Wor... replied to IanEdward | 5 years ago
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IanEdward wrote:

No interest in clubs, inflexibility, too much time at coffee stops, hate being in big groups on busy roads when just 1 or 2 of us can be relatively easily passed, etc. etc.

But I also wonder if the improvement in GPS tech has slowed down club growth? I've moved to a new area and already have covered most of the (many) local back roads, in a variety of different length rides, all planned on my PC and downloaded to my Garmin. In years gone by might someone have had to join a local club to get the best knowledge of local roads?

I still use my local club mailing list as a sort of 'pool' of local riders to invite out on my weekend rides, in case there are others who can't make the normal time and place. Rarely get any responses but when I do it's nice to ride with someone like minded.

Can I ask what you use to plan and download?  I've tried Strava and RideWithGPS and have downloaded directly to the Garmin, and have tried planning in BaseCamp.  Whatever I do, the navigation on the Garmin is pants.

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Dnnnnnn replied to IanEdward | 5 years ago
1 like

IanEdward wrote:

In years gone by might someone have had to join a local club to get the best knowledge of local roads?

Even in this digital age (I plot routes on Strava and download the GPX to OsmAnd (free offline maps for Android phones)), there's nothing beats poring over a 1:50,000 OS map, studying contours and points of interest. That often informs my digital plots.

And as well as being still the easiest way to absorb geographical information, they're things of beauty.

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EddyBerckx | 5 years ago
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I'm yet to meet these people who look down on others and make comments about crap bikes/kit...but i've sure read about it on forums in the last 6 years.

 

I think it's wonderful that a minority of people do that - think how much time you'd otherwise waste getting to know them only to later find out they are a dick...this way you find out instantly and can either try  different club or mingle with other members of the club who are probably alright. You can't judge a club by a couple of members - there is always gonna be a minority of idiots in life.

 

As to the original question, my club/clubs have seen a pretty decent growth rate in the last few years plus there seem to be more cyclists about on a weekend than there used to be (albeit less in crappy weather). 

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Rapha Nadal replied to EddyBerckx | 5 years ago
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StoopidUserName wrote:

I'm yet to meet these people who look down on others and make comments about crap bikes/kit...but i've sure read about it on forums in the last 6 years.

As to the original question, my club/clubs have seen a pretty decent growth rate in the last few years plus there seem to be more cyclists about on a weekend than there used to be (albeit less in crappy weather). 

Yes, our club has also seen quite a bit of growth in recent year and I've yet to meet anyone with a snobbish attitude towards others.

We've seen a large growth in female members of all abilities, set up a racing team for 2nd Cats and developing juniors with funding provided by one of our members, and we run rides every weekend - for those more established to those just starting out.  We even had a Zwift group ride session last year once a week! Outside of the club there's always social rides between mates, trips abroad and so on. It's also a great way to meet like minded folk if you're new to the area.

Attending members is a more ebb & flow type thing as we see more in summer than winter for obvious reasons.

I really couldn't imagine not riding with a club these days.

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Fish_n_Chips | 5 years ago
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If it’s raining heavily then I’m staying in.

Turbo and FulGaz with summer rides and hills.

Hate the cold with a passion but did wear warm tights, base layer top and a quality jacket on Sunday 8C. 

Snug as a bug. Fellow riders were whinging it’s cold and one guy was red in the face from the wind.

Need fenders as roads still damp.

 

Colder this weekend... ordered warm socks lol.

 

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Master Bean | 5 years ago
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The club I ride with has had more members join than ever before. Clearly we're doing something right.

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janusz0 | 5 years ago
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There's more to cycling than club runs.  I rarely see chain gangs, but I see far more people singly or in pairs out enjoying the backroads, especially on a fine day like yesterday.

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Mungecrundle | 5 years ago
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I think our club has an excellent ride format / offering. Basically it is 2 hours, usually based on a similar route with the faster riders just doing some extra bits and the slower riders taking some shortcuts. All back in time for a coffee together at the end. We generally run 3 or 4 groups from 12mph up to 20+ mph most Sunday mornings. There are also regular day long rides on a Saturday, some racing, usual sportives and other organised events.

New riders are always, always made welcome, and no-one gets left behind - apart from in the fast group. What you ride is not important, I often turn up on my MTB. What you wear is not important. Someone will always help with a mechanical or puncture if you don't know how. Someone will always offer you a draft if you are struggling.

Personally I'd love to see more slower riders out and taking up cycling. We did go through a phase of seriously easy going 60 minute rides for new riders, but uptake was low after some initial enthusiasm.

Not sure on the figures for membership this year, but Sunday rides are certainly seeing more riders than last year at the same time, though this is more likely due to the not so horrid weather.

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Legs_Eleven_Wor... | 5 years ago
2 likes

Car drivers ruin it for me.  They know that they run almost no risk of sanction, so the only thing stopping hundreds of cyclists being killed every day in Britain, is that drivers don't really want to damage the nice paint job on their car.  

I cycle to work and back, but have no enjoyment in doing so.  It's a chore.  As that TV presenter whose name I can't recall said, every time I lean over and kiss my wife before heading downstairs to kit up, I wonder if I shall ever see her again. 

We're planning a cycle trip to Norway next year, but I don't cycle 'for leisure' in the UK and until austerity ends and we get a less anti-cycling government (or until cyclists start to carry firearms and impart justice for ourselves), I have no intention of doing so.

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Simon E | 5 years ago
6 likes

BehindTheBikesheds wrote:

There is no correlation between sporting success in cycling and increases in cycling numbers and that is where the issue lies.

The non-correlation you cite usually is in relation to utility cycling not lycra-clad riders at weekend. There most definitely has been significant growth in sales of road bikes and associated gear since the London Olympics. Our membership has slipped every year since it peaked at 400 in 2013 and has dipped below 300 this year. If it isn't post-2012 enthusiasm wearing off then what is it?

Some clubs are old-fashioned and sniffy, cliquey or too hip & cool for you or me - but they are definitely not all the same. Ours is hopefully none of those things, we're a Go-Ride club, the circuit racing & cyclo-cross attract families and juniors make up a third of the total membership.

The main problem we have with group rides has been getting someone to put their hand up to devise a route and/or lead the ride. Far too many people simply want to be towed around the local roads.

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BehindTheBikesheds replied to Simon E | 5 years ago
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Simon E wrote:

BehindTheBikesheds wrote:

There is no correlation between sporting success in cycling and increases in cycling numbers and that is where the issue lies.

The non-correlation you cite usually is in relation to utility cycling not lycra-clad riders at weekend. There most definitely has been significant growth in sales of road bikes and associated gear since the London Olympics. Our membership has slipped every year since it peaked at 400 in 2013 and has dipped below 300 this year. If it isn't post-2012 enthusiasm wearing off then what is it?

Some clubs are old-fashioned and sniffy, cliquey or too hip & cool for you or me - but they are definitely not all the same. Ours is hopefully none of those things, we're a Go-Ride club, the circuit racing & cyclo-cross attract families and juniors make up a third of the total membership.

The main problem we have with group rides has been getting someone to put their hand up to devise a route and/or lead the ride. Far too many people simply want to be towed around the local roads.

Total miles, number of cyclists % modal share for all journeys has not changed for donkeys years, the odd jump here and there from one year to the next and then falling back. So if as you state that sporting cyclists has increased by a lot then an awful lot of non sporting cyclists (utility, commuters, tourists etc) have given up completely over the same period. There has been no spikes in total miles or % participation post olympic or TdF success.

Bike sales, well I'm sure you can grasp that the people cycling already have upgraded and are now in the 2-3 bike ownership group, that applies to sports cyclists as well as commuters, tourists and the tried it once or twice and it's in the shed for the next 10 years brigade..

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Simon E replied to BehindTheBikesheds | 5 years ago
1 like

BehindTheBikesheds wrote:

Total miles, number of cyclists % modal share for all journeys has not changed for donkeys years, the odd jump here and there from one year to the next and then falling back. So if as you state that sporting cyclists has increased by a lot then an awful lot of non sporting cyclists (utility, commuters, tourists etc) have given up completely over the same period. There has been no spikes in total miles or % participation post olympic or TdF success.

I have seen some stats about modal share etc and I'm not saying they are wrong but my observations regarding weekend leisure cycling (since that's what this is discussion about) don't really tally with that. Perhaps the growth in cycling mileage is cancelled out by the continued growth of motorised traffic because many people are driving more miles each year. And also the fact that the number of delivery vans and trucks has also grown hugely, partly driven by online shopping. And virtually all leisure cyclists I know drive a car, a good number of them drive to where they do their leisure cycling.

In 2004 Wiggle's turnover was a fraction of what it is now and the cycling-related market as a whole in the UK is far larger today. The owner of my LBS could tell you about the number of people buying and replacing/adding to their stable of expensive bikes, buying expensive smart trainers and also doing more and bigger rides.

Sportives were nowhere near as popular as in the last few years. Lycra was for couriers and weirdos, cycling was nowhere near being 'the new golf'. Since then there has been significant growth, including bikepacking, adventure racing and other areas and the bike market itself has expanded. Even in apparel the established brands have vastly broader product ranges and there are an increasing number of 'posh' brands, and that's before we get onto accessories and lifestyle products.

How many people were Everesting in the early 2000s? Do you think that the continued explosion of both number of users and miles/kms logged on Strava are simply existing riders recording the rides they've always done? Have cycling club members always been flying to Mallorca and Tenerife for cycling holidays but kept quiet about it and would say that they had a week off work to do some DIY? And I suppose Rapha's Festive 500 merely piggy-backed on all those mad people who were out freezing their bollocks off over Christmas every year (in much of the northern hemisphere at least) but no-one knew about it because social media didn't exist.

Hmmm.

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Shades | 5 years ago
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I think it's down to 'what presses your buttons', what negative aspects you're prepared to tolerate and what your cycling aims are.  I do enough pretty dull commuting riding during the week that weekends need to be fun and social, which often involves lunch (with beer) half way round.  I've never joined a club, although I know some around me that definitely wouldn't suit.  My wife has a good term for the ultra-serious club peloton, 'aggresively roadie'.

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FlyingPenguin | 5 years ago
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It's probably very club dependent, but we're up about 30 net on last year (~10-12% of the membership total) if I remember the AGM figures correctly.

We're a big(ish) club, covering very sociable (20-22kph) to fast paced max effort (30+).  In that context, most of the growth has come from first time club riders at the lower end of the speed range, many starting on whatever they have (although most buy a road bike shortly afterwards).

The upper level groups are fairly static and tend to acquire members as slower riders get faster, rather than getting new-to-club entrants.

Does that mean anything?  Not really, it's a sample of one, but it does suggest that (round here at least) there is a saturation of faster groups but still plenty of demand for entry level cycling, and that those members that keep cycling and improve seem to stick with the same club.

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BehindTheBikesheds replied to FlyingPenguin | 5 years ago
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FlyingPenguin wrote:

It's probably very club dependent, but we're up about 30 net on last year (~10-12% of the membership total) if I remember the AGM figures correctly.

We're a big(ish) club, covering very sociable (20-22kph) to fast paced max effort (30+).  In that context, most of the growth has come from first time club riders at the lower end of the speed range, many starting on whatever they have (although most buy a road bike shortly afterwards).

The upper level groups are fairly static and tend to acquire members as slower riders get faster, rather than getting new-to-club entrants.

Does that mean anything?  Not really, it's a sample of one, but it does suggest that (round here at least) there is a saturation of faster groups but still plenty of demand for entry level cycling, and that those members that keep cycling and improve seem to stick with the same club.

You might consider that average to be very sociable, to the vast majority of people in the UK that is an unattainable average even over short distances never mind not completely flat/longer rides.

There's one of the problems right off the bat, the speeds of the so called social group (within clubs) are too fast and put people off because they really see that as being racing speeds so wouldn't bother to even want to go join a club because they're simply not capable. I went out yesterday and on a non hilly route (couple of short 7% inclines), sure it was a bit blustery but I only managed 14mph (22km/h) average. I know full well that only a couple of the people I know (excluding guys who cycle regularly already) might be able to do that, might, actually wanting to do that is another matter. The vast majority would not be able to get anywhere near that average speed, not even close.

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FlyingPenguin replied to BehindTheBikesheds | 5 years ago
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BehindTheBikesheds wrote:

You might consider that average to be very sociable, to the vast majority of people in the UK that is an unattainable average even over short distances never mind not completely flat/longer rides.

There's one of the problems right off the bat, the speeds of the so called social group (within clubs) are too fast and put people off because they really see that as being racing speeds so wouldn't bother to even want to go join a club because they're simply not capable. I went out yesterday and on a non hilly route (couple of short 7% inclines), sure it was a bit blustery but I only managed 14mph (22km/h) average. I know full well that only a couple of the people I know (excluding guys who cycle regularly already) might be able to do that, might, actually wanting to do that is another matter. The vast majority would not be able to get anywhere near that average speed, not even close.

As I said, for us it's a growth area, we are absolutely not struggling to attract members locally and are looking to train more ride leaders to cope with demand.  Unlike a more established local club which advertises the club ride as 16mph+ (~26kph).  That was enough itself to make the decision for me as to which club to join!

In our case, we run shorter (20-30k), flatter cafe rides on Saturday, Sunday gets longer and more varied.  Our Saturday rides often contain octogenarians, large riders with pacemakers and people on Dutch style cruisers made from battleship grade steel, all of whom managed to keep up, at least with the slowest group.  I would suggest that the majority of people of low to moderate fitness could keep up. 

When I started, I was "big" (well over 100kg) and I couldn't really even run for a bus, and was still able to keep up on our Saturday rides whilst riding a heavy hybrid.  After some riding and concentrated training I'm not so big and am more appropriately equipped, I could almost certainly keep up with the "other" local club, but I'm happy where I am and just ride with faster groups.  

We can disagree around exactly what counts as a "social" pace for road cycling, but the theme I see locally is that there is saturation at the fast end and poaching fast members from other clubs is not an effective way to grow a club unless the other clubs are themselves disfunctional.

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peted76 | 5 years ago
1 like

Ref the OP's question about whether this year cycle clubs or groups are stagnant.. experioence with my local club would state yes and no to that question.. 

We've grown by about 50 members this year as a whole (16%), yet when I look at some of our more long established groups/members the numbers in those appear to be stagnant or in decline. The growth in membership is mainly from newer group rides at either different time to more established ones and or a different kind of ride. 

This year we've tried to manage people's expectations more realistically and with that, we've lost some riders to other clubs and gained some for the same reasons.. across the board we've tried to be more communicative and outgoing.

I also think we can continue this growth next year, there's a lot of people I speak to who don't ride in groups, they are usually people who don't think they are 'fast enough' to do so.. (but don't realise there's a group out there to suit them)..

 

Ref others comments about finding the right group, stick with it and you'll find a group of people just like you.

Ref: leaders being arses/condecending/unfriendly.. it's difficult, not everyone is a born leader or even suited to it, but every club 'needs' volunteers. So you'll usually find either they are 'made for the limelight' and revel in that role, or 'end up putting themselves forward becuase no one else wants to and puts them out of their comfort zone'..  either way it depends on that clubs culture as to how they want to ride.

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Dingaling | 5 years ago
1 like

You probably all have a valid point but I'm a bit like Romanremus. I encountered rudeness and arrogance when I joined (together with an Australian friend) a Badminton club many years ago. After a while we left and went and played squash.

I have done all my cycling without a club but I have often thought about joining one. However, after reading in chat forums how younger riders feel entitled to take the piss out of older riders (choice of bike, kit, speed or lack thereof) I decided not to bother.

 

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PRSboy | 5 years ago
1 like

Time is an issue too... 3 hrs plus for a 'proper' club ride in coffee break, plus washing down the bike in the winter etc.  Difficult to justify if you have young family particularly.

But actually, your experience perhaps tallies with what cycle retailers are saying... maybe we have passed 'peak cycle' following the 2012 Olympics and so on.

But don't underestimate the dopamine hit that people seem to get from interacting with strangers on the internet... it is addictive, and software designers exploit this.

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