looking at yet another ‘knocked off my bike what do I do?’ post I think membership of an organisation that will help with that sort of thing is probably in order.

I will never compete in an event that requires me to have a racing licence so which should I join?

Ta

which evers cheaper .. fair sure its the CTC

both give good help and coverage in the event of incident.

CTC would be my suggestion. The way I see it, BC is for “sport” cyclists and the CTC are more utility cycling orientated. CTC are more of an “everyman” organisation too IMO, that’s why I joined them.

BC do their ‘Ride’ membership which is for non-racers with 3rd party cover and legal stuff and whatnot, very similar to CTC membership. They’re both perfectly good from what I can see. You get a magazine with the CTC, occasionally it has funny letters from old buffers moaning about these newfangled mountain bikes in it.

CTC £41, BC Ride is £28. Although CTC seem to do more in the way of campaigning.

Decisions, decisions.

I stopped CTC due to their helmet position* tbh so you may wish to check that you agree with their agenda as they claim to speak on your behalf and do active campigns
BC just do cycling events and was traditionally just for racing and dont really campign

“This is great news – the emphasis placed upon helmets in road safety messages and in racing undermines the current renaissance in ordinary, everyday cycling. Allowing professionals to be seen without helmets will provide a ‘role model’ and example to those for whom helmets appear alien and make cycling look more hazardous than it actually is.”

For example their statement when the UCI changed rules to allow the grand depart in Yorkshire to let riders ride without helmets.
I dont agree with their stance tbh on this issue and they go on and on and on about it…like giving TJ money to campaign on helmets tbh 😉

I’m in both: BC for racing license, CTC for third party and legal cover.

I have family membership for CTC on the basis that the kids ride to school, and if they have an accident, they are also covered.

+1 for your view on CTC and helemts. I have CTC membership but dont agree with their view at all. Plain dumb.

I have CTC membership and contacted them about the accident I was in last night, they are dealing with it all which is nice 🙂

I have the family membership, wanted my kids on it as well and seems like a good service.

CTC are anti helmet compulsion, not anti helmet. Exactly what issue is it you have with their stance? Do you think they’re wrong about helmets making cycling appear more hazardous than it is?

+1 for the CTC, the help I have received after my ‘incident’ has been fantastic, I would recommend them to anyone for that alone

BC for me. Although i need it to race so do not really much option it has some useful other benefits too like platinum discount on wiggle, priority ticketing etc.

Got to be CTC.
Getting much more MTB oriented, there was a review of the Orange Gyro in this month’s mag.
Also a much more effective campaigning organisation.
APF

both here too, CTC for Insurance, BC for preferential tickets etc. Based on the communications I get from them I would say that CTC is a better value deal

CTC here, I haven’t raced in years & as has been said insurance may be useful, though I always hope I won’t ever need it.

No organisation is going to agree with your views 100%, you just need the best compromise & a willingness for both sides to listen to each other, which CTC apear to do.

Another +1 for the CTC here.

I had the same choice recently and went with CTC. Their campaigning just seems more effective than BC and more focussed on every day riding rather than just clubs and racing, which fitted with my Sustrans beliefs.

(and I completely agree with the CTC anti-compulsion position on helmets 😛 )

+1 for the CTC.

I’m a CTC right-to-ride rep. Which means the council ask me what I think about proposed cycle schemes, so I have an input to make them useful for cyclists. To help me with this I get help from CTC – including paid staff at CTC HQ, workshops etc. This adds to the CTC-membership costs but makes a real difference to the quality of life for cyclists.

(and I completely agree with the CTC anti-compulsion position on helmets – because I read all the scientific research papers that helped them come to that position )

*runs off to join ctc before the helmet debate gains any momentum*

another vote here for CTC.

I’ve been a member for many years now and they helped me out a lot when
on one occasion I was hit by a car which wrote my frame off and dislocated my hip, and on another was forced into a parked van & went through the windscreen.

They were very helpful and quick in getting it all sorted out.

CTC for me, but only because of their well thought out position on helmets 🙂

Gone through this earlier today and went with B.C. I think people have had positive experiences with either, but I couldn’t work out where the extra £13 went.

I know I could read through the small print myself, but it’s easier to ask here. 😉

Does the insurance go both ways with CTC ?
If I get hit by a car, they will claim on my behalf.
If I hit a pedestrian and the pedestrian claims off me, they will deal with that too.
Have I got that right ?

I couldn’t work out where the extra £13 went.

I guess that depends on whether you see it as paying for a service, or as a donation to a largely volunteer cycling organisation which then rewards you with some side-benefits.

CTC for me

I stopped CTC due to their helmet position

Obviously don’t want to get into a whole “helmet thing” but IMO that’s quite short sighted of you. There aren’t many organisations interested in or campaigning for “cycling for the masses” and IMO the only thing that is going to change the general poor attitude towards cyclists is getting as many “everyday” cyclists as possible. So whilst personally I wear a helmet every time I go out I think their stance has merit. We wouldn’t need helmets at all for casual cycling if car drivers saw us as fellow human beings rather than annoyances.

CTC’s insurers will also pursue manufacturers in the case of a mechanical failure of some description causing an accident, BC’s will not

As a few have mentioned, what is wrong with the anti-compulsion pro choice stance on helmets? In countries where compulsion has been foisted upon the public, levels of cycling have dropped considerably, do people want that?

“This is great news – the emphasis placed upon helmets in road safety messages and in racing undermines the current renaissance in ordinary, everyday cycling. Allowing professionals to be seen without helmets will provide a ‘role model’ and example to those for whom helmets appear alien and make cycling look more hazardous than it actually is.”

Junkyard: For example their [CTC] statement when the UCI changed rules to allow the grand depart in Yorkshire to let riders ride without helmets.
I dont agree with their stance tbh on this issue and they go on and on and on about it…like giving TJ money to campaign on helmets tbh

Helmets not required for Grand Depart

Check the date of the news item…

It was hoped by the Yorkshire organisers that some teams may consider wearing flat caps instead of helmets, to help inspire a generation to get back on their bikes. One company has even specially designed ‘flatter’ cap, with enhanced aerodynamics, but retaining the sun and rain repelling peak which may be so necessary if July 2014’s weather goes the way of previous years.

Check the date of the news item…

I’m so glad they let Junkyard back – otherwise we’d have missed out on this comedy gold moment 😉

Perhaps I’m missing something (?) but as far as I see CTC does not include 3rd party liability insurance (only a legal helpline) where as BC Ride membership includes £10m liability insurance. That’s a big difference for me as I want to be covered for the chance of me being at fault and smashing somebodies cars or body. As I kid I damaged a wing and bonnet of a car (was held at fault for not being lit correctly but was just giving a warning).

actually I don’t understand if it is included or not ?…

If you want to guard against claims made by others for any accidental damage caused by you or your cycle, you may want to consider CTC’s Third Party insurance.
CTC members are automatically covered up to £10 million by this policy, including using cycles for business use. But note that you are NOT covered if you are specifically employed as a cyclist, for example as a bike messenger. It is not possible to buy this policy separately from CTC membership, although members of affiliated clubs can take it out at reduced rates.

The CTC membership includes £10m Third Party (liability) insurance.
If, however, you are working as a cycle courier you are not covered.

thanks..it was the

you may want to consider CTC’s Third Party insurance.

that threw me…looking into the linked documents on site I can see that it is included so probably a CTC family membership for me.

My CTC membership is due for renewal sometime now, so I was weighing it up too. I might form a group from the BUG I run at work and see if I can get cheaper membership that way.

By the way, if part of the reason for joining either group is to support campaigning and safe cycling for all then you might want to consider also joining Sustrans by making a regular donation:

http://www.sustrans.org.uk/support-us/donate-now

(or even volunteering for them)

I’m a BC member for the race licence mostly…

CTC, ah well. As a motorcyclist in a previous life, I came across the CTC when they decided to be against ptws in bus lanes, despite all the evidence pointing at it making cyclists safer. Whether just because of an anti-motorbike stance, or whether they thought it hurt the cycling agenda by supporting motorbikes (even though it also supports pushbikes), nobody ever found out but either way they took members money and threw it into campaigning against something that makes us safer. And I gather they still hold that position.

So **** that.

BC

CTC are unable to build consensus outside of their own world… not renewed my membership

I would look very carefully at CTC’s recent conversion to charity status before putting money their way, and how much of your membership fee is going to member benefits rather than wider aims.

My club is an affiliate member of CTC, so I get most of the member benefits for £16 per year. I’m happy with that compromise.

I would look very carefully at CTC’s recent conversion to charity status before putting money their way, and how much of your membership fee is going to member benefits rather than wider aims.

Expand please?

Surely, given that BC costs less and has similar member benefits (insurance, wiggle discount etc), then a larger percentage of your membership fee goes to member benefits there?