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Why did you (or didn't you) join a cycling club?

  • Group rides

    Votes: 19 35.2%
  • I wanted to meet new friends

    Votes: 11 20.4%
  • Trail building

    Votes: 19 35.2%
  • Race support

    Votes: 7 13.0%
  • Cool kit

    Votes: 4 7.4%
  • Social events (e.g. pub nights)

    Votes: 8 14.8%
  • Riding events (e.g. hill climbs, time trials)

    Votes: 10 18.5%
  • Clinics

    Votes: 2 3.7%
  • To support their trail advocacy efforts

    Votes: 27 50.0%
  • Other (please specify)

    Votes: 1 1.9%
  • No club for me! I'm a loner.

    Votes: 17 31.5%

Why do you (or don't you) belong to a Club?

6K views 81 replies 34 participants last post by  garage monster 
#1 ·
I know why I joined the Hamilton Cycling Club (trail building and advocacy). I am curious why others join clubs and what they hope to get out of them. I am also curious why people DON'T join clubs. Please share!

Thanks to Enduramil for the post idea. For those (like me, usually) who can't be bothered to follow his link, here's a brief quote from the article:
In Praise of Mountain Bike Clubs said:
While any group of riders can plan to go out for a ride, mountain bike clubs have a larger mission - these are the people who build and maintain trails, who organize learn-to-ride weekends, who provide low-cost workshops on bike maintenance, who plan community events, and who generally spread the love of mountain biking wherever they go.
 
#34 ·
I learned to mountain bike by myself because I didn't have any cycling friends, riding solo for close to 15 years. I would often hook up with people on the trail for safety… fearing a crash where I’m impaled on a stick in a ravine, unable to wiggle free or call for help.

Joining a club/team was one of the best decisions I ever made. For 6 of the 7 years I was on that club I was very happy, growing from a shy Sport rider starting at the back of the pack for fear of getting in anyone’s way to winning championships as an Expert and teaching beginners how to race.

Unfortunately, it ended poorly and I’m back to where I started. Do I regret joining? No, but I’m not sure I’ll join another club and I learned some important lessons.

A bike club is a place where wildly disparate people come together with only two things in common – a passion for cycling and geography.
At its best a club provides a nurturing and competitive environment where everyone feels included and encouraged. They educate, advocate and, most importantly, support one another.

However, if not dealt with, any large, open public group will become cliquey and gossipy (some more than others…). As such, it can be a minefield for the socially awkward, especially if you’re not the type of personality who gossips or belongs to cliques.

At the end of the day though, what you’ll get out of any club is proportional to what you put back in.
 
#40 ·
Sorry, I actually meant to say "one or more" as well, forgive me.

Okay $5 does seem pretty cheap. So forgive my open thread derailment and ignorance here, but does a UCI race licence also insure club non-race rides?

I admit, I actually wince these days when I type the letters "UCI".
 
#41 ·
Sorry, I actually meant to say "one or more" as well, forgive me.

Okay $5 does seem pretty cheap. So forgive my open thread derailment and ignorance here, but does a UCI race licence also insure club non-race rides?

I admit, I actually wince these days when I type the letters "UCI".
Some of that depends on the club affiliation.

If the club/association is affiliated with the OCA then you should be covered to ride in any clubs ride/race.

Out west here the majority of the regional club/associations are not affiliated with the BCA. The insurance cost offered by the BCA drive up the overall cost of membership and most of the events put on are pretty low key community types so it's hard to justify the extra cost when most people want to see the most money going into trails.
 
#45 ·
increasing club membership might not increase your influence when it comes to advocacy. it actually might work against you. it tends to make the club homogeneous in nature and might not automatically grant you more weight to build trails. i find that beating the club drum and saying it is in the cyclists best interests to join a large club a bit misleading.

diversity is key here, as it is the trend/mandate to form committees to oversee land use/trails here in eastern canada. the notion where the largest group gets the most attention is a flawed model to sustainability as it lacks checks and balances. the same can be said with funding, but that can be a whole other topic.
 
#46 ·
i find that beating the club drum and saying it is in the cyclists best interests to join a large club a bit misleading.
No different then the whole if you don't show up to trail build days you are a deadbeat. Mentality that is prevalent.

QUOTE]

As mentioned earlier most club memberships are very low cost, so why not help support the people out there trying to make things better for all of us.
I really would like this whole if you don't join IMBA club you don't care type mentality to go away. It really does not encourage much other then encourage whole guilt trip party.
 
#54 ·
I feel that MTB Club's can do a lot of good.
I also feel that the more support (stronger membership numbers) the better the voice and presence the Club can make.

One thing I do know is that here in Niagara prior to the SHCC's formation there was NO ONE formally representing Mountain Bikers.
When we formed we looked for any Committee or Organization that we could be part of to be that voice, we knew how delicate the trail systems were in Niagara and how easily they could be lost.
Repeatedly we hear... "where have you been? so glad you're part of this now"

5 years later we now have a steady flow of Organizations, Land Managers, Municipalities coming to us looking for our input and voice, wanting us to enter into Land Use Agreements, to sit on Committees and be part of the process, who would have been that voice had the SHCC not formed?
No one.

The people that created the SHCC had zero experience at running a Club, we just did/do what we thought was/is right.
Does this make us different than other Clubs out there?
Not sure... but we have heard this from many other Clubs that have contacted us saying they like what we have done and hope to achieve the same.

The SHCC has been fortunate enough to have attracted some amazing volunteers to keep things moving and we are always open to new ideas and approaches however new blood and ideas are what makes things progress.
Want to keep your local trails?
What to change something for the better?
Get off the sidelines and get involved.
 
#56 · (Edited)
Multiple choice poll. I like!

The local club I belong to (OMBA) is advocacy organization, although they also organize trail building days, social events, group rides, movie nights, etc.

The local government organizations don't want to deal with informal clubs wrt trail access; they only want to deal with incorporated (i.e. non-profit) organizations with liability insurance. If this club didn't exist, we wouldn't have South March Highlands -- and possibly Camp Fortune as well -- to ride.

Membership is only $25 -- less than the price of a beer and a meal at the pub after a group ride -- so for me it's a small investment to ensure I continue to have these places to ride.
 
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#58 ·
The local government organizations don't want to deal with informal clubs wrt trail access; they only want to deal with incorporated (i.e. non-profit) organizations with liability insurance.
actually that is not true in some areas and is an old way/practice of thinking.

some conservation/forestry departments now will assume liability, training (trail crew leaders) and organization for build days through its own departments or through consultants. it makes the whole thing more accessible/sustainable to the community and covers liability in greater detail. it is actually a pretty smart way of doing things and keeps the standards consistent.
 
#66 ·
I use to be a member of the Ottawa Inline Skating Club, and I'm now a member of the Ottawa Mountain Biking Association. Both of these organizations are federally incorporated non-profit entities. The only requirement for membership in either organization is to pay your annual dues. That's it. You don't have to inline skate or bike to be a member in either org, attend practices, swear an oath, be hazed in, or know a secret handshake. You pay your dues, you're a member.

Maybe the rules are different for a provincially incorporated non-profit. Maybe club and association have very different meanings for an Ontario non-profit corp. I dunno.
 
#77 ·
Ugh... just realized I've been drawn into a non-sequitur debate over supposed human rights issues, insurance problems, etc.

Facts are;

1. Clubs are successfully delivering activities related to group rides, youth programs, and trail work. Several success stories in this thread alone.

2. Some people don't find a good fit with the ride formats offered by clubs. Rides and trail work can also be successful independent of clubs.

3. Anyone can join a club if they want, often at a very economical cost, especially if one is already insured through the OCA chain via license/permit or other club membership.

4. Historically, the liability/insurance side as it relates to club activities in Canada has been managed very successfully.

Different strokes for different folks.
 
#79 ·
I joined Caledon Cycling Club to have legal access to some great local trails. I ended up meeting some wonderful people and now enjoy group rides as well. I also have the satisfaction of helping build and maintain those trails. It's been a really positive experience for me.
 
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