The club and the upward spiral of tech prices

[Ian H]

My club organises road-races, crits, time-trials, audax events. Club runs are race-team, intermediate, and no-drop, to cater for a range of abilities & age. We have a youth academy section as well. Nobody looks down on others for their equipment or speed. We co-operate with other local clubs and there's generally a good friendly atmosphere. If you want to go faster, we have coaches who can advise on training.

 

[Sittingduck]

I’d be very surprised if many of the other rides give a monkies what bikes others are on, really. Regardless if they are on high end middle of the road or entry level. It sounds surprising to me and I haven’t really experienced much of this behaviour in any of the 3 clubs I have been a member of. Perhaps I am just lucky.

 

[fossyant]

OP doesn't ride with the Rapha lot. Miserable feckers that won't wave to anyone else, or let on.

 

[Flick of the Elbow]

My experience of local cycling clubs is that they have now become in large part showcases of how rich and successful you are. Bankers and the like who used to exercise bragging rights in wine bars (or golf clubs) now exercise them on clubruns.

 

[wiggydiggy]

Every thread I see complaining about club problems reminds me I am better off without one.

 

[Sterlo]

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

I'm in a very exclusive club and I won't let anyone else join.

 

[cyberknight]

i think most thought i meant as a cost vs reward which i may have implied accidentality , the aim of my train of thought was more the spiralling costs bought on by the release of 105 at £1700

 

[chris667]

It show's I've been a while since I last went on a club ride. Last time I went on a club, I was on my old Galaxy and so was about 60% of the rest of the club!

Bloody loved that bike. I did about 40,000 miles on it. Sold it to a hipster. Wish I hadn't!

 

[Flick of the Elbow]

Other than CTC sections I wonder if any clubs still accomodate touring bikes like the good old Galaxy ? Both of the English clubs that I rode with in the 80’s and 90’s had touring paced runs in addition to training/faster clubruns but they seem to be very sadly lacking here and now.

 

[chris667]

I might go, although I don't have a bike like that any more.

You're making me want a bike. I will just think about replacing the bent axle... AGAIN. That's better.

 

[FishFright]

My local club has people with some lovely pieces of kit and surprisingly no one looks down on them. Are those folk too busy on the internet to actually go riding with friends ?

 

[Dogtrousers]

My local club has people with some lovely pieces of kit and surprisingly no one looks down on them. Are those folk too busy on the internet to actually go riding with friends ?

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

I remember when I was a member of a club I turned up at the start of the annual Brighton-and-back ride. Lots of cyclists milling around in a car park. There were two bikes next to each other that were attracting discussion and attention. One was DI2 equipped bike (DI2 was a new thing at the time) and one was my ancient and very crap Dawes with friction shifters. Cyclists just tend to be interested in bikes. All kinds of bikes.

 

[Smokin Joe]

The cycling demographic has changed. When I first joined a club in the late sixties it was very much a working class sport and all but a few had a strict budget for their bikes and equipment. During this century it has morphed into a middle class hobby for people with high disposable incomes who think nothing of spending the sort of money on a bike for which you can get a very decent used (Or even a new) car, and as much again for all the indoor stuff.

I preferred it like it used to be.

 

[Petrichorwheels]

The cycling demographic has changed. When I first joined a club in the late sixties it was very much a working class sport and all but a few had a strict budget for their bikes and equipment. During this century it has morphed into a middle class hobby for people with high disposable incomes who think nothing of spending the sort of money on a bike for which you can get a very decent used (Or even a new) car, and as much again for all the indoor stuff.

I preferred it like it used to be.

one kinda wonders what will be next.
Football, cycling.
Next stop whippet racing?

 

[Flick of the Elbow]

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.