The club and the upward spiral of tech prices

[Cycleops]

This, no much fancy kit makes you faster for us mortals.

That's certainly true but it makes you think you're faster

 

[IanSmithCSE]

Good evening,

That's certainly true but it makes you think you're faster

There is of course Di2, even in its 105 form, it does both. :-) :-) :-) :-)

Go on, embrace it, it will change your life........

...... just please don't change that Alan.........

....... It is of course primitive, but I remember seeing one in a shop new and it was State Of The Art, but there was also a Holdsworth frame that I could afford.

Bye

Ian

 

[PaulSB]

When i ride i generally feel welcomed by the actual riders but feel out of place by not "keeping up with the joneses ", a member of the club is selling one second hand for £6500 ...............

I know how you feel. I tried going out with a local club earlier this year but no matter how polite they were in their welcome I just couldn’t get over the fact that mostly they were clearly very, very loaded. All of their kit was top end and immaculate and there was talk of an insurance claim from which I learned that at least one of the riders was riding a bike worth £16 grand. It just felt intimidating.

I wonder if this depends on which part of the country one lives in. We have people in my club who ride expensive bikes but no one looks down their nose at other people.

Anyone who did behave that way would soon be put in their place

 

[chris667]

It's all nonsense really. If you are fast enough that it makes a meaningful difference, you probably have someone paying for your bike and a van following you with a spare identical one.

 

[Cycleops]

'I'd never want to belong to a club that would have me as a member '.

Groucho Marx.

 

[biggs682]

The club I ride with has one member and he can turn up on whatever he wants 😜

 

[cougie uk]

The club ride , you know where you get together to have fun ride ?
Turns out these days it seems carbon and electronic shifting are entry level requirements to ride with the group as last week i was the only one with cable shifting and the only one on a bike less than £2000 with the average being more like £3500 !
Heres me on something that was £700 new and no sign of any better in the future trying to keep up with aero machines with carbon disc wheels .

Electric shifting won't make you any faster.

All of my bikes are less than 2k. My mates bike is probably 6 or 7k - it's not about the bike.

 

[rogerzilla]

Find another club.

Most towns can only sustain one club so, if yours is poor, it's Hobson's choice.

 

[Flick of the Elbow]

Most towns can only sustain one club so, if yours is poor, it's Hobson's choice.

Very much so. In my experience you need to be exceptionally lucky to find a club run that has the right sort of atmosphere, the right sort of riding, and the right location and meeting time. I’ve spent 28 years trying to find one without success.

 

[PaulSB]

Most towns can only sustain one club so, if yours is poor, it's Hobson's choice.

I hadn't realised how fortunate we are in this area. I could chose between at least 8 clubs with meet points between 6 and 10 miles

Very much so. In my experience you need to be exceptionally lucky to find a club run that has the right sort of atmosphere, the right sort of riding, and the right location and meeting time. I’ve spent 28 years trying to find one without success.

I agree each of those points are very important and while I always enjoyed riding with my first two clubs it's in my current one where I feel fully "at home." Six miles to the meet point which I feel is a nice warm up/warm down for a ride.

 

[pawl]

This, no much fancy kit makes you faster for us mortals.

Is that the reason why back in the day when I put those go faster stickers on my old Ford Anglia it didn’t go any faster.

 

[bikingdad90]

@PaulSB I have the choice of two clubs; Cleveland wheelers or Stockton Cycling club. Both clubs have a mixture of riders from entry level (like myself) sub £700 bikes through to £10k+ bikes.
Within the group they tend to do mixed sessions like a sprint for a sign or climb up the hills but they always regroup and have a cafe stop.

Unfortunately for me, they both ride on Sundays which I can’t do and the midweek ride is a chain gang or track ride in winter so I’m stuck with no club.

As for the gear, I look at 10-12 speed groupsets and then think what does it add over my 8 speed Claris R2000 except expense of repair/maintenance and closer gear shifts and then decide it is not worth it (although I am tempted by Sensah). I do draw the line at under bar routed cabling, just prefer the aesthetics more.

 

[Sallar55]

I know how you feel. I tried going out with a local club earlier this year but no matter how polite they were in their welcome I just couldn’t get over the fact that mostly they were clearly very, very loaded. All of their kit was top end and immaculate and there was talk of an insurance claim from which I learned that at least one of the riders was riding a bike worth £16 grand. It just felt intimidating.

Cycling is like any other hobby/sport all depends on what you want . If you compete its always trying to have an edge and if you are older it's this saying ( one told me the older I get the lighter the bike becomes)😁. Having a nice bike is not about showing how rich you are. Bet a lot of high end bikes are discounted last year's models so more affordable. Have you seen the way the electric scene is going that's where the money is for high end gear.

 

[Dogtrousers]

When i ride i generally feel welcomed by the actual riders but feel out of place by not "keeping up with the joneses ", a member of the club is selling one second hand for £6500 ...............

Maybe that's your problem not theirs? I mean, do others actually care that you are on a museum piece that has ancient technology like cable shifters?

 

[PaulSB]

Maybe that's your problem not theirs? I mean, do others actually care that you are on a museum piece that has ancient technology like cable shifters?

Well I'm glad you said it because this is what I've been thinking.