general cycling question...

tiggere

I am new to cycling and have been looking for some local people to ride with...I have found a couple of folks but they mainly ride on the weekends...lately I have been seeing a few folks out riding by themselves while I have been in the car...is there an acceptable way to give them my info or is it considered taboo to interfere with someones ride...keep in mind...these folks have mainly been in "city" areas and not on backroads...so they are having to stop and go for signals and traffic as such...kinda like urban roads that connect neighborhoods...


I have asked our local bike shop for a month or so about getting a group ride going for us as they are the only bike shop within about twenty miles...they are finally going to start one up but its almost two months from now...is it better to just wait and try to find some of them that attend the group ride that live near me? The other problem I was wondering about is my skill level vs. theirs...If I can't keep up (which is very likely) they probably won't want to ride with me again anyhow...

I am open to suggestions here...thanks guys (and gals)

obxbes

I was riding one day and a guy stopped me in front of his house. He said he rode and asked my distance and average speed. We now ride together once or twice a week. Ride atleast a mile or 2 faster and we push each other. Personally I do enjoy riding with others and if someone stopped me I wouldn't mind talking to them about it. Still like riding alone too.

KittyHawk1

Clubs/groups can vary greatly. I ride with a club that is extremely organized and has the leader ride on the tail end to ensure no one is left behind. I just rode with another group while away on business and as soon as they started out you would think there was a fire they were riding away from. For me, the social side of the ride ranks highest. If you don't enjoy one group, try another, they all have their own personality. There is a group out their for you, give them a spin.

kdelong

Check and see if there is a club in your area. Bicycle clubs are great but some areas just don't have them. Besides bugging your LBS to have an organized ride, bug them to start a Cycling Club (and offer to help with it) if there isn't one in your area already. They are a great place to meet people of similar ability to ride with, and also a great source of bicycling knowledge. They are also great for an LBS to sponsor since the club members tend to be loyal to the club affiliates. Just drives more business their way. Yeah, the LBS has to make a little bit of an initial investment but it translates into an increase in sales and volume, and great word of mouth advertising from the club members.

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tiggere

guys there are clubs in the area...just not real close...25/30min drive...what I am asking about is stopping some of the individuals I see riding around by themselves close to my house and giving them my name and number so that we can possibly ride together...now granted if I was on my bike no problem...just ride up to them...how would you approach the situation from a car is what I am getting at...I never see people when I am riding my bike...it always seems I see them when I get in my car...is it considered extremely rude in the cycling community to ask someone to pull over during their ride...

kdelong

I wouldn't ask them to stop to talk to you, that would be rude. If they are already stopped, then there shouldn't be a problem.

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dgregory57

If this attitude is true, I think the cycling community needs to get over themselves and learn to be polite...

If someone doesn't want to talk, it is perfectly ok to say "no" and shoot right on by, but it is by NO means rude to ask politely to talk to someone.

It would be rude to have an expectation that the person riding has an obligation to stop and talk...

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Powerful Pete

You need to ask an internet forum a question like that? Approach 'em, identify yourself as a rider who is just starting out and searching for riding buddies/a group, and they will either be helpful and provide information, or not.

Where/what is the problem?

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tiggere

Actually...yes...because approaching someone riding from a car vs. a bike is well...different...was trying to get a general concensus on how you guys would take it if a car rolled up beside you and asked you to pull over and chat for a minute while you were riding...I myself would be a little skeptical just because you have no clue what the person in the car wants...not to mention the safety hazard of trying to watch the road while driving the car and carry a conversation long enough to let the person know you were not a whacko trying to kill them...without running them off the road in the process...

So yes I feel it is a very valid question...

kdelong

I was coming from a training point of view. If I'm pounding out intervals, the second to the last thing that I want is a car pulling along side and the driver asking me to stop so he can talk. The last thing that I want is a fast dog on my tail but that is for a different thread.

If I'm taking a breather or just on a pleasure ride, I have no problem talking to people, however, it is better if they are on a bike too, as a slow moving car is asking for road rage trouble.

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8ab4

When I am in the zone, I'm not going to be very receptive to a stranger in a car pulling up beside me and trying to start a conversation. When I'm chilling at a light, I might notice someone calling to me, but unless they are into it, I feel it's rude to keep a cyclist waiting once the light has turned green.

Also, hi, long time listener, first time caller

::dom::

I started a group ride on Saturday mornings and it has expanded to 4 rides a week.
I asked the local coffee shop (I'm a good customer as I work in the same building and finish most of my rides there) to give a free muffin with a coffee for all cyclists that turn up for the ride. I then posted a "Group Ride" notice on the café notice board and got the local newspaper to publish details of the ride in their free "what's-on" column. The local giveaway gig guide has a free ad section for clubs that I use as well.... and I put flyers in the window of the LBS. The Coffee Shops is called the Republic of Capuccino (RoC) so we're called the RoC Group. The gig guide ad says "Join the RoC Group" :P

The first few weeks hardly anyone turned up and I felt a bit disheartened but kept at it. Slowly people started riding regulaly. I found it useful shorten the ride (45mins) to attract people that want to get back in to, or start, cycling. And coffee and muffins after the ride is a good incentive. The coffee shop is happy (they now make over $100 from us on Saturday mornings. As the group grew I invited them to ride with me on Sundays (the coffee ride is Sat morning) which is 50-100km.

This grew as well and we added two weekday after work rides (again with coffee and a chat after the ride. I carry a full toolkit and good track pump in my truck so I can do minor repairs and adjustment to group members bikes. You'd be surprised the number of people that stop and say they have a bike at home and want to ride but it has flat tyres and they have no pump. I tell them to bring it down and I'll pump it up if they ride with us.

The key is consistancy.... If people know you're there every Saturday morning, rain or shine, at 7am (pick your own day and time) "they will come"

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8ab4

That's awesome ::dom::! Another resource to check out is meetup.com. Once you set up a group, the website does all the work in keeping members informed of upcoming get togethers. I found meetup and craigslist were incredibly useful in getting my hiking group set up.