Gehena

So i've been a solo rider for the past two years and i really enjoy cycling. Be it commuting, pleasure or a quick workout, the sport has been a great deal of fun for me. The past few months though, i've been wondering if i should join a club. There is only one club around where i live and membership is only an annual $20, but i'm starting to wonder if i should bother joining. On the one hand, i would like to learn how to ride in a group and get social with people who also like cycling, but on the other hand, i don't want to feel responsible for other people, whether it be their safety or otherwise. The biggest positive i can see myself getting from joining a club is getting information on organised group rides in my area, something i'm very interested in. I'd kinda like to use the club as a diving board to advance myself in the sport.

Unfortunately, i'm an *******. I've been trying to cover it up both in and out of work, but it always comes out at some point or another and i don't want to end up snapping at somebody because they pissed me off. After all, i'd be pretty much an outsider and i don't want to disrupt the group dynamic that they already have going on. Another thing that has me somewhat apprehensive is that the majority of people in the club seem old. Not to sound like some speedy young *** (i'm soooooo not speedy), but we're talking a serious age gap here. This worries me because obviously i'm going to be very culturally different from these people and i think this would disallow any kind of connection outside of cycling which doesn't make much sense to me. I mean, why bother setting up a ride with someone if you don't know or particularly like?

I've alway been called pessimistic, but this genuinely seems like it wouldn't work out for me. Should i just man up and do it anyway? $20 isn't much so if i flop, i won't be out of a lot of money, but i tend to be very self conscientious and i don't want to end up embarrassing myself in front of a bunch of people, strangers or not. I know this sounds stupid, but i would really like some input on this, especially from any people who were in a similar situation. Thanks guys

datlas 

Ask if you can do a few club rides as a guest. Most likely that will be ok. Try a few club rides, then decide.

milkbaby

$20 ain't a huge investment. Since you're asking about it, that means you've actually given some thought into trying it, so why not? Sometimes it's good to challenge ourselves by pushing beyond our comfort zones.

Edited to add: The most active people in my cycling club are older, but I've grown to enjoy it and consider them friends.

rpenmanparker 

I don't like riding in a group. More aggravation than I need.

chaadster

If you're an ******* anyway, just crash their rides without paying the membership dues.

mobilemail

You can benefit quite a bit from riding with others. You can learn intricacies of cycling you won't get by yourself. There is a higher motivation when riding with others, whether it's the finish of a long ride or the win of a race to the hilltop. Riding with more experienced cyclists, whether or not a part of an organized "club", great. That said, not all clubs are created equal. Some groups are hammerheads, some don't know how to pass up a good ice cream shop. It may take you a bit to find a group in a tempo you sync with. A good start is to ask the local bike shops if they sponsor clubs or rides, get the details, and show up. At the very least, if you don't find the group experience quite up your alley, you may at least meet a few folks to go ride with from time to time outside of the club experience. Take the plunge...and learn to play nice. :-)

kbarch

The average age may be older, and maybe you notice the older folks, but maybe it's not as bad as you suspect. I got that impression about the big local club here, too, but have found that the age range really is pretty broad, and it may depend on which rides you participate in.

In general, it sounds like you're over-thinking it. Join. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

big john

Our club has around 500 members, and I have been a member for 26 years. It's been a great part of my life and I'm glad I joined in 1989.
Met a lot of good people, even enjoy seeing the ones I only see at rides.

Oh yeah, our club welcomes non-members but we do encourage people to join if they start coming out regularly.

jimincalif

I belong to two clubs. I do most of my riding with one and am one of its board members. I enjoy the other club as well, they put on some good rides and we have a lot of overlapping members. One club is more social, the other is a bit more serious about riding. I enjoy them both and it's fun to meet and ride with others. Another benefit is seeing familiar faces when I travel to a century ride someplace as usually other members are going as well. And, if someone feels like riding on their own for a while that's OK too. Just change your pace and drop or be dropped. Definitely worth a try. Good luck.

StanSeven

A club ride motivates to ride faster and longer than I would on my own.

Carbonfiberboy 

Our club has 13,000 members so there's some choice in group rides. Usually you don't have to be a member to do a club ride. Everyone signs a waiver. If there's a charge for the ride, then you probably have to be a member. Randonneuring clubs usually require membership to participate in permanents, but I don't think that's what you're talking about and thus you won't know what I'm talking about.

The best thing about group rides is that you learn a lot.

Some people like the social aspect, others can't wait to get out of there at the ride end. However there is an unavoidable social aspect to the ride dynamic itself and I just love that part of it. Think of it as a hunting party, traveling fast through interesting terrain, looking for game.

The success of a group ride depends on having a good leader. So don't let one ride that isn't fun turn you off to the idea. Try a group with a different leader. Group rides come in many flavors in terms of drop, regroups, and speed and combinations of those variables. It may take you a few rides to figure out what appeals to you.

Don't worry about the age differences. The real interaction is on and with the bike. There's usually very little chatting. Usually the older riders are more experienced and are the best ones to study and learn from.

rms13

My club has a lot of good pro deals where you can get everything from bikes, clothing, helmets and everything else at cost or highly discounted. Also other members are always selling used bikes, wheels etc and usually give good deals to members. The club also has a race team with training and clinics and they pay entry fees. To me those are key benefits

Lazyass

The best "club" I was a part of wasn't a formal club. Just a group of 12-15 riders who would meet on Saturday morning and hammer. The leader was an ex-pro running a LBS. No fees, no elections, meetings or ugly club kits, we just rode our tails off. And since we would develop friendships we would hang out off the bikes every so often. I miss that group.

unabowler

I'm in a club but I've never attended a club group ride. On weeknights it's not even an option but on weekends I just don't consider it to be the best way to achieve what I want to accomplish. If a group ride is too fast (likely) or too slow (less likely) it's no benefit to me at all. But the club does many thing which benefit cyclists and cycling in the local area, so I've kept a membership. I've done one rally they sponsor and will probably do at least one this year. It's worth it to me to pay dues but I don't want to interact with the club I'm in.

Minigun

I was in a similar situation last year and have found that joining a club was the best thing I could have done for my cycling. I'd had a poor winter across 2013/2014 (I'd open the curtains in the morning, decide I didn't like the weather and go back to bed, thus rides in March and April were ... difficult) and wanted to have a better time of it the next time around.

I'd always shied away from club rides in the past feeling (a) inadequate to deal with the (perceived) pace of a club run and (b) that it would be restrictive in that I wouldn't be able to choose where I rode - I'd just have to go with the flow.

So, after some persuasion from my good lady, who is a member of one our local clubs, I took the plunge and went out with the club as a non-member, just to see whether I would get along with the group ride thing, or not. I let the club know I was coming, rather than just rocking up on the day, so I had a point of contact who could help put me in the right speed group. I'd recommend doing the same, if you're able, as it makes the introduction to club riding much easier when you're not suffering from boredom at going too slowly, or getting your legs ripped off by going to quickly.

Two 'guest' rides and I was hooked.

Fast forward three months and I'm out every weekend, ice permitting, having a great time riding around the countryside. The pace has never been an issue, because the initial guidance I got was good and I learned very quickly what happened if you moved up, or down, a group in terms of pace. As for feeling restricted, it turned out that it was quite relaxing letting someone else do the work of thinking about where they were going letting me just ride and chat. I couldn't escape wanting to go my own way completely, though, so I now lead some of the rides, which means I get to pick the route and destination!

The OP mentioned responsibility when riding with a group. I'd say that, as someone who doesn't have a lot of confidence, it isn't much of an issue. Once you get to learn your club's shouts, or gestures, for direction changes, or hazards, etc. then everyone takes responsibility for themselves.

There have been things I needed to learn - I spent a little but of time initially hanging around the back of the group making sure I wasn't in anyone's way, but found it easy to get involved and become a proper part of things. Now, I may have been lucky in that when there was something I needed to improve on, the people who've mentioned it have always been good about it and done it with a 'try this' approach rather than 'you're doing it wrong', but it's all been great.

tl;dr: Joining a club is the best thing I ever did. I'd suggest getting in touch and doing a couple of rides as a non-member to see if you like it, or not.

dave1442397

We have quite a few clubs in our area, and I joined two of them. The first one, I joined not long after I took up cycling because I wanted to try some group rides and see how it went. It really improved my cycling a lot, and I met a bunch of friends that I ride and socialize with. It was also free to join.

The second club is only $20 a year, is more serious about riding, and the membership discount at the local bike shop is 10%. I've been with them for a couple of years now, and learned a lot on their training rides. Again, I met a lot of new people there and enjoy riding with them. This year, a group of us decided to race as CAT 5s, and that's turning out to be a fun experience, and something I never would have tried as a solo rider.

We also have many group rides in the area, and for many of them, anyone at all can ride, and no one cares whether you belong to a club or not. That's a good way to check out various club members and see what the general attitude is.

rohitclarice

$20 ain't a huge investment. Since you're asking about it, that means you've actually given some thought into trying it,

Gehena

Sounds like i should just man up and do it. Thanks a lot guys for hearing me out. After reading everyone's replies, i feel a sense of motivation for this thing so i'm going to do it. Soon. Vacation all next week, but hopefully when i come back, i'll still feel just as motivated about this. Again, thank you all very much.

chaadster

I think the OP should start his own club....for other ******** in his age and culture group, then he wouldn't have to worry about so much of this stuff.

Paul Barnard

OP, I think you should go for it. $20 is nothing, so you really don't stand to lose anything. I think what you'll find out is that there are other people who are looking for the same things you are. I never could hang with the fast riders and didn't have the time to train to do the distances they did, so I found a few folks who liked a moderate pace 20-30 mile ride. I went in with open ears and an open mind and let people teach me. It was a very good experience. I have since moved and am no longer a member of a club, but have been wanting to find some people to ride with, so I may join one.

obed7

Kudos for considering the existing group dynamic and not wanting to mess that up. What ever your ****** status is, you might be surprised how older folks react to someone who demonstrates the kind of consideration your post revealed. I am an old fart and I tend to treat folks they way they treat me.

Nachoman

Join the club. Even if you don't go, or go and hate it, just consider it a donation to a good cause.

caloso

It will be worth it just to find new rides and to get on the email list where people are selling off their used stuff.

Up North

Try to lose the ******* attitude before you join any club. Club rides are fun, if you go into it with a positive attitude you'll have fun. Life is short, smile and ride.

mlander

Eh, I say don’t do it because you have bad attitude.You’re a self-described *******, but you talk about it like it’s an afflictionyou cannot change. You should work on that.

People can make meaningful connections among all ages, genders, cultural differences. Would you prefer the ride to be a bunch of other pessimistic ********? Also, If you want connections outside of cycling, go get connections outside of cycling.