New Club Niagara area

[Ram]

Just wanted to let you know there is a new club in the Niagara area. As of now there is a chapter in Hamilton but we are looking for someone to open a chapter in St Catharines area. The club is open to all makes and models and is a family oriented club.
The idea is to have a group of people you can ride with a couple times a week. We are looking for chapters no larger than 25 members at this point. If you would like to open a chapter you can apply to be first officer and only need 4 other friends to get started. We are very differant from some other clubs in the area, want to know more.
www.goldenhorseshoerc.ca
Also looking for chapters from Burlington to Toronto. This club is for people who do not like clickish clubs.

 

[Ram]

So, we are a fairly new club (although I ran a very large club in the past). Its always good to here from people on their views of clubs. We are not a coffee shop club, we stop for coffee but we ride. We ride one night a week and Saturday is usually an all day ride. We welcome all people who ride, no matter what you ride (must be able to do highway speeds).We are familty oriented open to both men and woman and put an emphasis on safety.

So, please let me know, what are your likes and dislikes of riding clubs?

Ram
www.goldenhorseshoerc.ca

 

[BeastieGirl]

So, please let me know, what are your likes and dislikes of riding clubs?
www.goldenhorseshoerc.ca

I belong to a riding club in Hamilton, and have met some really great people, but have become less and less active for very specific reasons.

Number one reason is too many people check their brains at the door when riding in large groups. You still are responsible for your own ride and your own safety. Too many people going blindly through stop signs and red lights (one right in front of a cop a couple of weeks ago) - too many people locking up their brakes and going down to avoid riding into riders in front of them (4 people in the past year), too much pulling over on the side of the road or waiting around in parking lots because drop back riders didn't - 25 bikes going 20kph below the speed limit giving frustrated traffic no way to get around - leading to impatient cars going unsafe passes - no excuse, but that's what happens.

 

[Ram]

Your right and there is no excuse for that kind of riding.. Sounds more like a Road Captain problem then anything else. Groups should realy not exceed 10-12 riders. I have been riding with groups many years and have never had a rider go down do to the ride (once because he was wtaching the lady on the side of the road) and he was at the back of ther group. Group riding in most cases, if done right, is far safer than riding alone (cages see a group better than a lone rider). We have also made policey to keep the club on the smaller side.
If you ride in Hamilton you prob ride with CMC or SCRC, both are good clubs but too big in most cases. Stop by and see us some time. You will find all the info you need on our web site.

 

[nobbie48]

I belong to a riding club in Hamilton, and have met some really great people, but have become less and less active for very specific reasons.

Number one reason is too many people check their brains at the door when riding in large groups. You still are responsible for your own ride and your own safety. Too many people going blindly through stop signs and red lights (one right in front of a cop a couple of weeks ago) - too many people locking up their brakes and going down to avoid riding into riders in front of them (4 people in the past year), too much pulling over on the side of the road or waiting around in parking lots because drop back riders didn't - 25 bikes going 20kph below the speed limit giving frustrated traffic no way to get around - leading to impatient cars going unsafe passes - no excuse, but that's what happens.

The logistics are incredible when trying to legally keep a ride together when there are traffic lights or stop signs. I prefer two or three friends max.

 

[Ram]

That's a good point. Depending on the city your in we find it easier to meet close to the edge of the city, this makes it easier to get out of town. We have two sometimes three sets of lights and we are out of town., with only 10 bikes its never a problem. I have been leading groups for years on hundreds of rides and find that the best way. I two like to ride with a small group of friends from time to time as well. I find a lot more pluses when it comes to safety in a group of 10-12 over a group of 4. Again, when looking for a riding club biggest does not always mean the best. I ran a club with over 100 active members, at any given time we would get 20-30 members out for a ride. We always break it down to groups of 10, head for the same place but take different routes to get there