The club and the upward spiral of tech prices

[PaulSB]

I don’t mind the middle classes getting involved in cycling clubs as such, I just wish they wouldn’t use their involvement to showcase their wealth.

That's so very inclusive of you. Thank you. I hadn't realised my, perhaps wrongly, perceived position in society still influenced my life opportunities.

As a society I thought we had moved on but obviously not as much as I hoped.

 

[Flick of the Elbow]

That's so very inclusive of you. Thank you. I hadn't realised my, perhaps wrongly, perceived position in society still influenced my life opportunities.

As a society I thought we had moved on but obviously not as much as I hoped.

I had no problems ‘fitting in’ to the two traditional clubs that I rode with in England in the 80’s and 90’s. All I’m looking for is the replication of the same now. Is that too much to ask ?

 

[PaulSB]

I had no problems ‘fitting in’ to the two traditional clubs that I rode with in England in the 80’s and 90’s. All I’m looking for is the replication of the same now. Is that too much to ask ?

Nothing's changed. It's easy enough fitting into a cycling club but with your attitude towards the "middle classes" perhaps that vibe is communicated to other members.

 

[Venod]

I had no problems ‘fitting in’ to the two traditional clubs that I rode with in England in the 80’s and 90’s. All I’m looking for is the replication of the same now. Is that too much to ask ?

I have been in 2 Cycling clubs a Running club and 2 Orienteering Clubs, the first Cycling club was mostly working class, the latest one was a balance of middle class ( by the way I deplore the whole class thing) and working class but everybody got on fine, the running club was the same, the Orienteering clubs if I have to label them I would say definitely middle class but a fine set of people with like minded interests.

I don't know if you will find a club now of the old type, I have but its just a group of mates on Facebook who organise rides outside the club structure.

The club was getting too focused on rules and BC influence, so I left as did quite a few others, the Facebook group is just focused on rides, which is fine by me.

 

[DCLane]

As @Venod has put it happens in other clubs. Son no. 1 is into archery and there are two clubs near us. The first, which we thought would be best for him as a 14yo a few years ago, turned out to be all about image and status. It put him off. The other was completely different and very friendly without any of the same issues.

 

[fossyant]

Nothing's changed. It's easy enough fitting into a cycling club but with your attitude towards the "middle classes" perhaps that vibe is communicated to other members.

Can't say I've noticed any change either in clubs locally, unless you wanna be one of the Rapha gang, ignorant buggers they are.

 

[Flick of the Elbow]

Nothing's changed.

An unbelievable statement !!!

 

[iandg]

Our club runs are split into 4 different groups based on average speed (30kph down to 24kph). The fast group is (obviously) full of the fast men on the bling carbon bikes. I usually sit with the 3rd group and it's a mix of slower riders on modern bling bikes and older riders on more traditional machines.

When I first joined a club in 1974 (Stafford RC) club runs were usually 1 group and a day of "touring" cycling. It lasted all day (often needed lights over winter for an evening finish) and had 2 or 3 cafe stops depending on distance and time of year. There would still be a mix of bikes - some on their factory built Raleighs and Dawes others on hand built machines with Campag bling (and training wheels).

A club run now (Dumfries CC) is more of a training ride. About 50 miles long, back by lunch time and no cafe stop. There is a monthly "away day" where riders meet at specified location and ride a longer route with a cafe stop (this Saturday they meet at New Galloway for an 80 mile route around Galloway Forest).

Another thing that's different is that club runs used to explore lanes and quiet roads with occasional "rough stuff" section thrown in to the mix. Now, club members with "modern" bikes and carbon wheels etc. continually complain about poor road surfaces and potholes and refuse to use certain roads because of their condition. Club run routes therefore tend to use short sections of busier roads to avoid poorly surfaced sections of lanes. I would rather the quieter sections were used with slower speeds where surface is poor.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

It’s what I like about audax. You’ll get a complete range of bikes and riders. Recumbents, trikes, touring bikes, race bikes, tri bikes, hybrids, friction shifters, DI2, steel, aluminium, carbon. You’ll get saddle bags, bar bags, top tube bags, bike packing bags, bugger all bags. As to riders some will be super fast but crap at navigation, others at the upper time limit, but solid on navigation. Last bit a bit of stereotyping. You will get riders in their 20s and riders in their 80s. You’ll get same at London Edinburgh London in just over two weeks.

 

[Dogtrousers]

Something that often happens to me on audaxes is that I ride past a group, often in club colours, stopped for a wee stop or a mechanical or whatever. Then they zoom past, then I pass them again maybe another wee stop or they are sitting down at a control. This can go on for a very long time, and once we twig that we are all on the audax it can add quite a fun element as we start to recognise each other.

 

[Sittingduck]

How are people determining what class they perceive others to be in then? Assumptions based on the bike or accent or what? Just because somebody may happen to turn up on a well specced carbon bike with a decent wheelset - I don't think that means they are middle class, does it... Maybe the rider worked long and hard to save up enough pennies to invest in something they enjoy, just a thought.

I must have been lucky with clubs, by reading this thread. Been in three and none have had any of the class based separations or tension described upthread. Just a mix of folk out enjoying the rides. Ego (sometimes) can occasionally surface and cause minor niggles but certainly have never noticed anybody doing salary surveys at the start of a club run.

 

[Dogtrousers]

The British obsession with class is somewhat depressing.

 

[matticus]

I think the "looking down" is normally in the imagination of the person who claims they were looked down on.

So what about when a member verbally criticises another for not riding a faster/better type of bike? Still imagination?

 

[FishFright]

So what about when a member verbally criticises another for not riding a faster/better type of bike? Still imagination?

When that happens come on here for the opposite view as the antidote . Balance achieved .

 

[teeonethousand]

So what about when a member verbally criticises another for not riding a faster/better type of bike? Still imagination?

I think you will find that people like that are insecure in themselves and so look for external things that they mistakenly think will make them look better in comparison