Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Cycle Clubs (.) or (!) or (?)

Where I live (Dallas) there are one or two 'Bicycle Clubs' I have run across through the internet. But the thing is (from the pictures) they seem like the kind of people who put their bicycle on a rack and drive 50 miles to ride it (I'm just not one of those people).

Most of you live in very large cities with a lot of diversity (Chicago, New York, etc) so I bet you would have quite different ones.
So whats your take on bicycle clubs? Are you in any or have ever been in any?
I'm bringing this up in the fixed gear forum because first, thats what I ride. And second, I seem to have the same mentality of most of the people here..."Just get on your dam bike and ride it!"

the big club in austin does really lengthy rides out in the country every weekend morning. personally i think its cool because the backcountry scenery beats the city... 50 miles of rolling hills are better than 50 miles of potholes and traffic lights

but i've never done it... dont have a good bike rack, dont want to wake up at 6am on sunday, and dont want to ride with mid-aged people in spandex

I'm not a joiner.

Our local "big" club, the Charles River Wheelmen, holds rides leaving out of locations all over the metro-Boston area, including North & South Shores and Metrowest. So I suppose you might want to drive to different starting points but it wouldn't be strictly necessary.

But then Eastern Mass is considerably denser than metro-Dallas. I would be surprised if there's a good location that everyone could reach in a reasonable amount of time.

On the other hand, there's nothing special about a club. If you can find a few likeminded people to join you there's your club.

I've ridden with the Chicago Cycle Club & a couple other
smaller clubs in the 'burbs & all around it is a good time.
Show up to the "slower" rides first where everyone is your
friend then move up to the faster ones later. Very fun &
very inclusive.

jeff

I'm pretty much a nomad when I ride - but my friend and I joke about starting a Bike Gang.

Critical Mass was a great time for people to come together untill the police turned the mood to sour.

BLCK SPRCKT CYCLS CLB WMSBRG

We're disorganized and ride for fun.

Of course, this probably isn't what you're talking about.

This is mostly a "geared bikie" topic, but here it goes...

I've belonged to two clubs- one is a huge "inclusive" club that is the largest in the area. It is a club- not a racing team There are several well-organized club rides scheduled daily from starting points all over the metro area. It was a great way as a ROAD BIKER to make connections, meet like-minded individuals, etc. Trouble is, when I started racing seriously, I realized that the club mileage was hurting more than helping. They were often hammerfests for those that never actually races, and I ended up putting in a ton of junk miles. The first year I rode about a thousand miles with the club.

The following year I joined a racing club (I still belong), and after riding some of their training rides, I realized how disgusted I was with the first club. The racing club training rides involved all sorts of sprints, but they would regroup later- rather than the mob mentality of trying to drop as many people as possible. Trouble is, most group rides of any sort interfere with my actual training, so I rode relatively few club rides with the team (most of the active racers were absent from the scheduled rides during the season anyway). The team serves a social function as much as anything. It really sucks trying to race unattached.

Most of the bike shops around here have scheduled group rides anyway, so it isn't like "joining" a club is mandatory. Shop rides seem to be the best, in my opinion.

The most fun I usually have is when a group of FRIENDS get together to ride. We are more like-minded in purpose and abilities. Usually there is at least one person who is a squirrley rider that show up for large club rides, and I've seen more than a few nasty crashes stemming from some bone-headed stunt. I've never seen this on a team ride. I ended up meeting a bunch of bike friends through the clubs, and we would ride together more often than with the larger clubs.

The trouble with club rides is that I don't have anything to prove, so I'm not riding to compete with other riders (save it for a real race). Club rides are often socially awkward... everyone judges you by your ride or what you wear, and there is little interaction that goes on, save what occurs among members of the inner clique. Even on a racing club, you can be the "new guy" forever... I ended up commuting to increase my miles, and my love of fixed gear gets in the way of club rides... I'd likely be shot if I showed up on a fixed bike (although I've done it with the racing club for some off-season rides). Clubs are generally for geared bikes- most clubs even despise aerobars...

While I'm on a roll... (sarcasm font... from the general attitude of the keepers of the club ettiquette): you better be wearing socks, but not tube socks... proper lycra road shorts (no baggies), road shoes- not mtn bike shoes... no camelbacks... better have a flat kit- helmets mandatory- and it definitely doesn't hurt if you shave your legs... sleeves please- there are all sorts of unwritten rules.

Pardon my generalizations- but most club rides- the "inclusive" sorts, have a broad spectrum of riders. There are usually a few hammerheads who want to prove to themselves how fast they are, the errant tri-guy who can push a massive gear at a low cadence like a diesel engine (but never wears socks), the weekend warriors (on high end bikes with low miles), the mileage *****s (competing for the most club miles... these are randonneur types- a unique breed), the couple that always rides a tandem, and on and on... the avg. age is considerable older than one might expect. It really is all over the place. Finding people like me is a rarity.

Several years ago I learned not to judge anyone by their bike when at a hill ride, which was a rather brutal club ride, a guy showed up on a bridgestone frankenbike with full fenders, mudflaps, flat bars, knobbies, and proceeded to shred the group. He said he was running late and didn't have time to grab his road bike, so he showed up on his commuter.

Aloha Single Speeders. We get down! Well, when we show up we get down!

Here! Here! filtersweep.

I go on club rides for the social aspect, aka the drinks afterwards, not to
race or get miles in. I do that on my own. You illustrated the exact reasons
why I don't go to "faster club rides" I'm not down with the hammer heads or
snobbery that comes with it.

I got a scolding at a 'burbs club ride not because I was breaking the racing
rules, but because me & my friend were talking about music & movies and not
our HRM & cadence.

DCC!!!

jeff

When I used to Jeep a lot, there was a push to Join Clubs. I just couldn't do it. I would like to go Jeep, but I didn't want to go and sit in a room and all that. Pretty much I liked the run what you brung crowd. In riding fixed, it's been a little hit and miss on finding fixed riders.. but things are coming up now and I ride more. But as for joining a club.. I dunno. I'm a member of the Fixed Gear Army.

i ride with a club on the weekends, but i always take my geared bike because it usually involves pacelining, climbs, and long miles. there are some who bring a fixed gear, but not many.

i sometimes hate riding with a club. it can be a pain in the azz to meet up and wait for people. they always start at the crack of dawn it seems, and often i find i have nothing in common with anyone except bikes.

i do it because i like to get out of the city, which i don't on my own too much. the group forces me to get off my butt and get out. however, i still perfer riding with friends or by myself most of the time.

This is mostly a "geared bikie" topic, but here it goes...

I've belonged to two clubs- one is a huge "inclusive" club that is the largest in the area. It is a club- not a racing team There are several well-organized club rides scheduled daily from starting points all over the metro area. It was a great way as a ROAD BIKER to make connections, meet like-minded individuals, etc. Trouble is, when I started racing seriously, I realized that the club mileage was hurting more than helping. They were often hammerfests for those that never actually races, and I ended up putting in a ton of junk miles. The first year I rode about a thousand miles with the club.

The following year I joined a racing club (I still belong), and after riding some of their training rides, I realized how disgusted I was with the first club. The racing club training rides involved all sorts of sprints, but they would regroup later- rather than the mob mentality of trying to drop as many people as possible. Trouble is, most group rides of any sort interfere with my actual training, so I rode relatively few club rides with the team (most of the active racers were absent from the scheduled rides during the season anyway). The team serves a social function as much as anything. It really sucks trying to race unattached.

Most of the bike shops around here have scheduled group rides anyway, so it isn't like "joining" a club is mandatory. Shop rides seem to be the best, in my opinion.

The most fun I usually have is when a group of FRIENDS get together to ride. We are more like-minded in purpose and abilities. Usually there is at least one person who is a squirrley rider that show up for large club rides, and I've seen more than a few nasty crashes stemming from some bone-headed stunt. I've never seen this on a team ride. I ended up meeting a bunch of bike friends through the clubs, and we would ride together more often than with the larger clubs.

The trouble with club rides is that I don't have anything to prove, so I'm not riding to compete with other riders (save it for a real race). Club rides are often socially awkward... everyone judges you by your ride or what you wear, and there is little interaction that goes on, save what occurs among members of the inner clique. Even on a racing club, you can be the "new guy" forever... I ended up commuting to increase my miles, and my love of fixed gear gets in the way of club rides... I'd likely be shot if I showed up on a fixed bike (although I've done it with the racing club for some off-season rides). Clubs are generally for geared bikes- most clubs even despise aerobars...

While I'm on a roll... (sarcasm font... from the general attitude of the keepers of the club ettiquette): you better be wearing socks, but not tube socks... proper lycra road shorts (no baggies), road shoes- not mtn bike shoes... no camelbacks... better have a flat kit- helmets mandatory- and it definitely doesn't hurt if you shave your legs... sleeves please- there are all sorts of unwritten rules.

Pardon my generalizations- but most club rides- the "inclusive" sorts, have a broad spectrum of riders. There are usually a few hammerheads who want to prove to themselves how fast they are, the errant tri-guy who can push a massive gear at a low cadence like a diesel engine (but never wears socks), the weekend warriors (on high end bikes with low miles), the mileage *****s (competing for the most club miles... these are randonneur types- a unique breed), the couple that always rides a tandem, and on and on... the avg. age is considerable older than one might expect. It really is all over the place. Finding people like me is a rarity.

Several years ago I learned not to judge anyone by their bike when at a hill ride, which was a rather brutal club ride, a guy showed up on a bridgestone frankenbike with full fenders, mudflaps, flat bars, knobbies, and proceeded to shred the group. He said he was running late and didn't have time to grab his road bike, so he showed up on his commuter.

Thanks for posting this. You've articulated a lot of things I've been thinking about recently about group rides. I'm not interested in racing, so I've been hesitant to go out with a racing club. But I do want to stay fit and get faster, and the club rides I go on now are a little too slow for me. There's a lot of waiting around and the rest stops can sometimes be really long. I thought maybe it was just me, but some of the people do seem to be jerks, preoccupied with equipment as you say. These rides are probably holding me back. I guess my options are find a faster club or go solo.

We tried to get up some fixed night rides and had small success. We had to include every kind of bike which is a bit of a problem. You tell the geared guys "Don't brake right in front of the fixies" And sure enough somebody, at the front, would slam to a stop a half mile into the ride to pick up a penny. Then we had a guy that would show up with his kids on all fixed, and he would go right out and drop them. I am a believer in no drop rides, so I would end up brooming to make sure they did not get lost.
We still do the rides but it is usually just store employees, altho any one is welcome.

The people I ride with tout ourselves as a group and not a club, because a club implies meetings, dues, rules, blah blah blah, which the majority wants no part of. I do belong to the local bike club www.oakparkcycleclub.org, but don't ride with them as most of their rides are too slow. I belong to the club for advocacy reasons, and believe it's important for bike clubs to exist for a unified voice. Our group stays in contact via a Yahoo group, and that works well for us.

Peanut Butter Bike Club. It's three people. One rides real slow. We meet up at Hard Times Cafe at four and try to figure out a place to go. Sundays. Want to come?

I'm not a joiner.

By nature most cyclists aren't joiners which is fine, live and let live.......blah blah

The only time this attitude bugs me is when the non-joiners expect all the perks of membership.

I feel the same way about some of the clubs. I dont want to ride with old spandexey guys with million dollar superbikes. In philly we seem to have started our own clubs through the forums. It started with "Thrashin' Thursday" now the "Twisted Tuesday" (pretzel ride) has gotten popular. even people who are not on bikeforums have heard of these rides and are now coming out. I think if you want to ride with a "club" you should start your own fixie club.... or at least a group of people who you could ride to the bar/pretzel factory/where ever with. Give it a shot and good luck

The only time this attitude bugs me is when the non-joiners expect all the perks of membership.

I don't even know what this is supposed to mean.

I don't even know what this is supposed to mean.

Non-joiner being a person who doesn't join the club (pay fees) but comes along for a ride, I would assume.