Originally Posted by
I-Like-To-Bike
But none are welcome unless they wear the club mandated foam, is that right?
Right - but this is purely a safety and liability concern - there is no effort to mandate or even encourage any other specific equipment, attire, or speed capability.
Any club will have some hammerheads who are primarily interested in speed and fancy equipment. But we also have lots of folks more interested in the social benefits of riding in groups, and in encouraging cycling in general. I've led rides that included a lady riding with a little dog in the front basket of her beach cruiser. The beach cruiser riders usually don't ride as far as those with more efficient bikes (there are exceptions) but we still want them to have fun and provide them full support.
Bruce Rosar used to ride with a toy animal-shaped squeeze horn on his handlebars, which he used to entertain cyclists and bystanders. On his memorial ride, we had lots of people riding with toy squeeze horns added to their bikes. It was sort of the opposite of a Ride of Silence. My squeeze horn is shaped like a dragon.