Originally Posted by NoWhammies

This ^^. I couldn't agree more. I used to ride every Saturday with a group of guys (6 - 10) and we had not dues, no club jerseys, etc. We decided where to ride when we showed up and then went. Very informal and very casual. But also competitive at times too. They were the great rides. So what happened?

Word started to percolate about our ride and more and more people started to show. Then our 'friend' ride was merged with a local club ride (because they were low one numbers) and whammo! Our friendly ride was taken over by waivers, rules, club jerseys/kits, etc. Totally ruined the vibe. I stuck with it for a year after that and then bailed.