any commissaire can declare a bike unfit for racing, based on a long list of technical regulations that i can’t be fucked reading. the footscray guys apparently decided that this guys bike would fall on the wrong side of these regs. other clubs may not do so. or they may do so, but may offer solutions that still enable this guy to compete. people have suggested approaching other clubs. there’s the initial answer to the question.
the rest of this thread is unhelpful and petty arguing on the internet that will not see this guy pinning a number on any time soon. in the interests of not completely deterring this guy from racing - which is awesome, and not always bogged down in so much bullshit - i’m going to delete posts that aren’t solution-based and/or helpful. unless they solely contain pictures of eddy merckx. then again, pictures of merckx are always helpful.
Clubs are prone to a “grey-beard” mentality.
The first point of contact is often some old geezer who has been running the show since the good old days.
If they get wind that you are not “one of them” they can be prone to steer you away: “don’t think we have much for you, son”
Eg Ladies, kids, novices etc.
Obviously some clubs handle it better than others.
May be worth holding out till criterium season. We* ran a ‘learn and turn’ crit at least once a month over summer and had quite a diverse range of riders (and bikes) show up and give it a go. Controlled race, rolling tips, and a marshal ready to pace you back on should you get dropped off the back before 3-to-go. Was well received and I believe we picked up a few new members out of it. I know St Kilda do something similar.
Besides, if you wait till October you can get a 2015 license and race the rest of 2014 for ‘free’.
Thanks for all the advice. The Reid bike has turned out to be pretty shit as some people have posted, the bike is only three months old and we have just noticed small cracks in the rims. The brakes have pretty much stopped working and my mate has decided to upgrade his bike (and steer clear of another Reid shit box) and speak to the guys at Brunswick Cycling Club.
Just wanted to chime in and say thanks for the race info for new kids. I’m keen to get into it come summer and have been following along with this thread. Do Hawthorn do anything like Coburg or St Kilda like the learn and turn stuff or should I just show up for E Grade?
Also in terms of track, as a beginner would I be best waiting for one of the come and try track days at disc or something similar?
Spacey the forums here are also great for bits and pieces, I’ve bought a couple of things from people here and they’ve all been top notch.
Yeah, pretty sure they did; E Grade and juniors once a month/fortnight. They were also pretty big into female skills sessions over the summer, although I’m guessing that’s of no use to you.
