Originally Posted by
DBrown9383
I have a ways to go before I can join even a slow club ride..
Have you started looking for a group to ride with? If not, there's no way for you to know if you're ready to ride with a group. The group I ride with has "introductory" level rides too, in which you can participate as long as you know how to ride a bike, even if you ride only 4 mph.
And obviously if anybody in the group laughs at your bike like you said earlier, it's the wrong group anyway. I guarantee you the group I ride with will not laugh at your bike. There are several people in the group who are in their 60s or older - no immature people to make fun of you, though you might get a smile or two if you show up for a group ride with pink streamers on your handles or something.