ClydeClydeson

KingoftheNorth Please give some more details about your bike and the club and/or the type of rides they do. As others have said above, we are struggling to see the whole picture without more details. If you show up at a group road ride with a mountain bike, you will not be made to feel welcome until the other riders trust you. Road riders practice riding very close to one another and 'road' bikes are designed for the necessary smoothness and ease of speed control that makes this possible. It takes a very skilled rider to ride a mtb in a group of experienced road riders and not get in the way or cause problems.
NB. This does not mean that all bikes must be $5000+, but that you are expected to have a similar style of bike - a '10 speed' from the '70s that you bought for $50 at a garage sale can generally keep up and ride safely with a road group more easily than a $8000 mountain bike.

OTOH If you show up at the trailhead where other mountain bikers are gathering, there will always be 'crap talk' (learn to take it, be prepared to give it back), but when the rubber meets the dirt, everyone rides their own pace and ability. On my local trail system there is no 'club' to join - just regular ride nights where up to a few dozen people show up, and the group organically breaks into faster and slower sub-groups. Faster groups leave the parking lot first so if someone gets dropped off the back of the group, that person will be collected by the next group. If you bring a bike that is insufficient for the terrain, however, you will figure that out on the first ride when the bike breaks or stops working. If you ride the same trails as someone else and your bike remains intact, and someone comments that your bike is not good enough, laugh in their face and ride away. It's helpful to have a cigarette or J so you can blow smoke in their face, too.

shelbyfv

Also, it's been my experience that even obviously affluent cyclists rarely discuss the cost of their bikes.

Bigbus

I tried changing my handle here and couldn't so I tried deleting my account here so I could start over, and couldn't. Any suggestions?

Reflector Guy

Just make a new account and never go back to the old one.

I am on a photography forum and there is one guy there with two accounts.... Well, four actually; he only uses accounts #3 and #4 when needed, to deny any accusations that #1 and #2 are the same person. "Oh, I've met both of them and they are two different people!"

Eric F 

Contact one of the Mods. Changing your user name should be pretty easy to them.

indyfabz

Yeah. Read the rules. It’s covered there. Or at least used to be.

Bigbus

Thanks.

guachi

I'd think most semi-serious cyclists would be able to tell straightaway if your parts were expensive. I'm into gaming PCs and there would be no reason for someone to tell me the price of their Geforce 3090 or Radeon 6900XT. We all know it's top-of-the-line expensive.

shelbyfv

This thread has potential....

70sSanO

I have no idea if this happened or not, I tend to think not. Others have given you a lot of very good insights and suggestions on how club rides work.

But you said you paid for professional coaching. Did you call your coach and ask him about going on this ride? I mean, no one here has a clue how you ride, and while I’m trying to process exactly what “professional” entails, I would think that person can tell you if you had the ability to hang with this club or not.

And if you are able, there is not a chance in the world you would pass on the opportunity to shut them all up and all their $$$$$. It’s a real life Cutters moment.

John

GlennR

When i hear "starter bike" this is what I got for my grand daughter.



I already have her N+1 waiting for when she turns pro.

Kapusta

Wait, this club has an actual club to hang out in?

They were probably looking at your bike and assuming you could not afford the dues.

spelger

Hey, that second one is just like mine! Tassels and all.

jaxgtr

Pretty sure the bike will tell you what it cost based on the brand and components, people I know and ride with have never just advertised the cost of their bike unless asked. Have a friend that has a
Look 795 and I was interested in what he laid out for it, and he did not yell the price for all to hear.

jaxgtr

LOL...my boss has a 13 year old daughter and she was begging her for several months to let her have her hair colored for her 13th birthday. She finally gave in and said it could not be completely obnoxious. Her normal hair is almost white blonde, but these tassels look like her hair color.

Retro Grouch 

The things that matter are the motor and, if you are riding faster than about 15 MPH, your aerodynamic position on the bike. All that other stuff matters a little bit, but not nearly as much as you are probably thinking.

FBOATSB

https://www.bikeforums.net/forum-sug...e-changes.html

Germany_chris

My CX club was literally a club with a building, was sponsored by a couple shops and yes there were dues and such.

mbpletcher

wow, you guys beat the poor guy into submission! he sounded kinda flaky but in a roundabout kind of way he had a valid question.

I rode a lot for several years by myself on a specialized hybrid bike. I always pushed myself hard when riding and enjoyed it a lot, but i knew very little of the cycling community. I went to a bike shop to look at road bikes because my bike was 20 years old and saw they sponsored a group ride and thought it would be fun to ride with others. I showed up on my hybrid and they only had two groups, the roadies and another group that looked like they wanted to talk more than ride. The roadies tried to dissuade me from joining, saying that my bike would not be able to keep up with them, and yes, they looked down their noses at me and my bike. i persisted and they begrudgingly let me join them and by halfway through the 30 mile ride some welcomed me warmly and some were pissed that they couldn't keep up with me. I love the fellowship of the group ride and usually join them once a week, but I also love the almost spiritual experience of the solo ride.

I have since purchased some bikes and have built some more and still ride a lot, even sometimes on my old hybrid.

GlennR

13 year olds should be allowed to express themselves, as long as it's nothing permanent.

indyfabz

https://www.rapha.cc/us/en_US/clubhouses

Kapusta

I did not realize until now what dirtbags all my cycling clubs have been.

Closest things we have ever had was someone’s dining room for board meetings and a brewery for club get togethers.

OP: they would probably not let me in, either.

GlennR

bblair

I have ridden with numerous clubs over almost 50 years. Never has bike cost been a topic of conversation, let alone qualification for membership.

But if someone asks me, my answer would be, "new kitchen countertops."

FlMTNdude

Reasons why I ride solo. I don't wear Rapha. I will probably never spend thousands on a bike. Would I like something nicer? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. I ride as far and fast (or slow) as I feel that day. Some days I push it and ride far and fast. Other days I ride short and fast, or long and slow. Ever since I got comfortable with that mindset I enjoy it a lot more. I have tried out some nicer bikes. They are nice, but not really faster than what I have. Ride what you like and have fun. And next time you see them on the road, perhaps it will be a fast day and you can wave as you pass the group.