Thinking of Joining a Club. . .

[mdc017]

I've been giving some thought to joining a cycling club in my area. The New Orleans Bicycle Club. I'd like to know what some of the advantages, if any, to joining a club like this would be. Also, are these clubs very helpful to the inexperienced rider seeing as I am one.

I'm also looking into a good beginner bike. I don't want extreme performance because I don't need it yet. I wouldn't like to spend a whole lot either. I'm just in the market for a decent bike. I'm looking for a road bike by the way.

 

[peterlip]

I've been giving some thought to joining a cycling club in my area. The New Orleans Bicycle Club. I'd like to know what some of the advantages, if any, to joining a club like this would be. Also, are these clubs very helpful to the inexperienced rider seeing as I am one.

I'm also looking into a good beginner bike. I don't want extreme performance because I don't need it yet. I wouldn't like to spend a whole lot either. I'm just in the market for a decent bike. I'm looking for a road bike by the way.

Can't talk about New Orleans, but I can tell you my experience over here.
I was debating joining a club for 6 months. Anxious about all the 'unwritten rules', how I'd perform, etc...
Finally bit the bullet, and joined a veterans club (over 35s).
Best thing I've done in terms of cycling. Not sure if its the same everywhere, but these guys were very helpful in the do's and don'ts of racing, without being condescending. This club had a trial licence were you can have a ride without having to pay for membership and joining fee, and see what its all about. If you can find a club that has something similar, do it, just to see if its your cup of tea.
In terms of road bike, I bought a Felt F70 a couple years ago, alloy with carbon forks and rear stay, with 105. Cost me ~$1600 (aussie dollars), and I compete (and beat) guys on $8000+ bikes (mind you, there are others on 15 year old bikes worth $100 who beat me). At my level its all about fitness and tactics, and not so much about the ride.
I'd recommend you set yourself a limit, and start searching, and DON'T SPEND ANOTHER CENT. Its easy to get caught up in the "another $500 will get me this groupset", "another $200 will get me a carbon/titanium fretzen". Don't forget to include shoes, pump, helmet, gloves, etc... There's no point going into huge debt for the best bike, and find that after joining a bike club, you realise it's not for you and you've got a very expensive piece of carbon in the garage gathering dust and depreciating.

 

[janiejones]

Just do it, you'll be gald you did, I thought about it for years. but when I finally joined up I was very gald. Loads of support and tutoring from experienced riders.

There are some excellent entry level bikes around. But I''ll leave that up to your US buddies, prices, specs etc are all different down under.

Keep us posted, and yeah, welcome to the forum.

 

[mdc017]

I think I am going to join one of the local clubs. It seems like a way to really get you skills up and make new friends. The real reason I want to get into cycling is because of my health. I have high blood pressure and my doctor really wants me to exercise more.

I was thinking of getting a very entry level bike. I've looked into windsors, dawes, and motebecane. All of the ones I'm interested in are about $500. I figure while i'd really like an all carbon bike it's not necessary especially since I'm just starting.

I was looking at the entry level bikes here:
http://bikesdirect.com/products/road_bikes.htm

Any help on which one to pick?

Also what is the deal with shoes, cleats and clips? can someone explain how that setup works?

 

[janiejones]

The Motebecane with Sora looks like a pretty good deal - a lot of people start out with Sora, it's good, lasts really well and is easy to use. You get Carbon forks with that bike which is good as well. I think most entry level bikes are pretty well about the same value. Sora is 8 speed whereas Tiagra 9 speed, and the new 105 and up is 10 speed.

Tiagra is also good, from this level you get the extra shifting lever behind the big lever, whereas on Sora it's a button you push on the side, but it works well. It's a bit hard to explain, have a look at some bikes at the shop.

The Giant OCR3 has always been popular - some people at my club race on those and are very happy with them, that's a Sora equipped bike.

I also have a problem with high blood pressure, and was one of the reasons I got back into cycling - it has done wonders for me, it took a while, but along with a good diet and regular riding. Also, since joing a club my fitness has improved very quickly - you tend to push a little harder than you normally would on your own.

clipless pedals and shoes are excellent and I highly recommend them - they take a little getting used to but are well worth it. It is probably best to ask at the shop for a demo on how they work.

also, make sure you get the bike store to fit you to the right size bike - that is important.

Good luck on your adventure of finding a bike, make it fun.

 

[mdc017]

thanks for that post. it was very helpful. I've been researching a lot, which is what i do when something seriously interests me, and i found out about all of the different and stuff. I'd really like tiagra or dura ace shifters but the bikes with sora shifters on them seem to be what I need for the time being. The sora has an integrated lever on the thumb side i believe.

I hadn't been able to find any information on shoes so that was a big help. I really didn't want to deal with the hassles if clips etc.

I also found out the club here is dues free and all you have to do is apply and show up at club rides and races whenever you want. of course there is the cost of jerseys and stuff like that though.

I sized myself and I think I'm a 56cm frame. I'm 5'10" and 160 pounds if that helps.

 

[janiejones]

5'10" is about 175cm in Australian language I think, I am 173 and ride a smaller frame than a 56cm, it depends on the brand, inseam length etc, but a 56cm sounds a little large - then again this depends on a lot of variables.

Have a look at this site it might be useful as a starting point:

http://www.cyclemetrics.com/pages/Docs/6-BikeFitting/LemondSystem/fit_formulas.htm

 

[mdc017]

5'10" is about 175cm in Australian language I think, I am 173 and ride a smaller frame than a 56cm, it depends on the brand, inseam length etc, but a 56cm sounds a little large - then again this depends on a lot of variables.

Have a look at this site it might be useful as a starting point:

http://www.cyclemetrics.com/pages/Docs/6-BikeFitting/LemondSystem/fit_formulas.htm

my inseam is 31. 5 inches or 80cm. and according to the formulas it came to 53.6 which i'll round up to 54. does this seem right? I'm also 15 so i want a little bit of growing room.

 

[janiejones]

my inseam is 31. 5 inches or 80cm. and according to the formulas it came to 53.6 which i'll round up to 54. does this seem right? I'm also 15 so i want a little bit of growing room.

I would say it sounds pretty good. But, make sure you get your bike shop to check it out for you as well before you buy the bike you decide to get - as I said, different frames are different sizes, the Giant OCR is a compact but has a longish top tube, whereas the Bianchi Via Nirone tends to have a shorter top tube in relation to the seat tube size.

Most importantly, you need to get a bike that is comfortable, I personally don't think a cm here or there is going to make a great deal of difference. People have been enjoying bikes for years - the compact frame may be a trend and we'll go back to the "larger" frames we used to ride in the eighties (well, the ones I rode in the eighties when I was as old as you are now, I rode a 57cm steel traditional sized frame for my first road bike from when I was 15 to 20, yes it was a stretch, but I loved it and learnt how to ride on it).

Have fun.

 

[mdc017]

Thnaks for all the help here. I'll get one of the local bike shops to help me pick a bike that's sized right for me.

 

[izatt82]

another bike you might look at are the diamond backs i have a podium 1 and i love it good price too

 

[Bigbananabike]

Hi.

Hopefully you'll get it but don't expect friendliness from many club members - sadly.
Some are good - helpful and welcoming but there are a large number of people in road racing clubs who're only there for one thing - to race. They're competitive(the younger they are the worse it is) and things like friendliness and alturism take a few steps down the line .
There will be many existing relationships and it will take some time to break in. The more you race and train with them(especially if there are some away races where you spend more informal time) the faster you'll be accepted.
So - clubs can be hard work - especially if like me you look for some form of friendship but they're usually excellent for racing/training and tactics etc.

 

[mdc017]

yeah, that's one thing that worried me. i was looking at pictures and the club memebers all look a lot older than me. none of them really even look like they're in their twenties. I have a lot of older friends because I don't look my age but these guys are a a lot older than 18-21

 

[janiejones]

Hi.

Hopefully you'll get it but don't expect friendliness from many club members - sadly.
Some are good - helpful and welcoming but there are a large number of people in road racing clubs who're only there for one thing - to race.

Generalising a bit too much here I think.

 

[Bigbananabike]

Generalising a bit too much here I think.

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Having been a member of 4 road clubs - I don't think I am. One club stands out as being much better than the rest(smaller city helps).
Having talked to others about this and posted more than one thread about it in the past I've decided its not about me but about the culture that is maintained and developed within (most?) road clubs.

 

[Bigbananabike]

yeah, that's one thing that worried me. i was looking at pictures and the club memebers all look a lot older than me. none of them really even look like they're in their twenties. I have a lot of older friends because I don't look my age but these guys are a a lot older than 18-21

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Don't let the age thing put you off...you might find that there are many good, friendly and fast people there.
Re my above post - often older = less mega competitive so more easy to relate too .

 

[mdc017]

haha, alright i get ya. well i'll give it a try. this club is dues free so there really isn't much to lose. I'll start off on the beginner rides which are usually less than 15-20 miles i think.

how hard would 15-20 miles be?