Singletrack Issue 151: A Clarion Call

MTB CultureSingletrack Magazine

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Hannah examines the rise of a new type of cycling club: the collective. Words Hannah photography as credited Some of the earliest cycling clubs were formed by people with a shared philosophy who wanted to cycle together. Way back in 1894, the first Clarion club was formed as a means to “combine the pleasures of cycling with the propaganda of Socialism”. The Clarion quickly grew in popularity, and by 1914 there were 145 ‘Sections’, as…

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Author Profile Picture
Hannah Dobson

Managing Editor

I came to Singletrack having decided there must be more to life than meetings. I like all bikes, but especially unusual ones. More than bikes, I like what bikes do. I think that they link people and places; that cycling creates a connection between us and our environment; bikes create communities; deliver freedom; bring joy; and improve fitness. They're environmentally friendly and create friendly environments. I try to write about all these things in the hope that others might discover the joy of bikes too.

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Home › Forums › Singletrack Issue 151: A Clarion Call

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Viewing 10 posts - 1 through 10 (of 10 total)
  • Singletrack Issue 151: A Clarion Call
  • sharkattack
    Full Member

    That’s an interesting read that. I’ve never been in a club.

    R.I.P to the handful of WhatsApp groups I was in that died during Covid and never came back.

    Posted 1 year ago
    Harry_the_Spider
    Full Member

    The origin story of the MNPR (10 years ago!).

    https://harrythespiderblog.wordpress.com/2013/06/25/brown-drinks/

    Set up by me and Jason because we were being grumpy smart-arses.

    Clarion House is fantastic BTW. We do a fair bit of walking around there and always pop in for a pint of tea and competitively price Kit Kat. Usually to coincide with this https://www.parishnews.org/202310/roughlee-village-centre-1023/

    Posted 1 year ago
    Gilles
    Full Member

    Yes I did enjoy reading the paper version – specially the comment about Binner which i did find funny – Hannah spend too much time on the forum, or maybe it’s just work for her.

    Posted 1 year ago
    1
    footflaps
    Full Member

    My cycling group is a collective rather than a club, mainly as a reaction to our main city cycling club which proves the point made above: “There’s nothing that takes the fun out of something like the forming of a committee.” very well!

    Apparently someone had a new idea in 1867 and it didn’t work out, so they banned all new ideas / change. Most of the current committee are so old, they can remember the meeting in 1867…

    Posted 1 year ago
    1
    sharkattack
    Full Member

    Apparently someone had a new idea in 1867 and it didn’t work out, so they banned all new ideas / change. Most of the current committee are so old, they can remember the meeting in 1867…

    Sounds like my workplace.

    Posted 1 year ago
    darlobiker
    Full Member

    If there’s no club tie, I’m not interested.

    Posted 1 year ago
    2
    binners
    Full Member

    I did reach the point where I was spending more time doing MNPR artwork than actually doing my job

    Sorry I missed the print deadline, I was doing this…

    MNPR White House edition copy

    It did sort of start a something which ended up completely changing my working life though, so mustn’t grumble 😀

    Posted 1 year ago
    BadlyWiredDog
    Full Member

    While there are some mountain bike clubs – Peak District MTB springs to mind as a particularly prominent example

    I’m not sure that Peak District MTB is a club or collective, it’s far more of an advocacy group than a riding one. It also, irritatingly, stipulates that to be.a full member you have to live within the boundaries of the Peak District National Park, which given that those boundaries were specifically chosen to exclude large population centres, like Glossop, Buxton etc, so I can live on the fringe of the park, ride mostly in it, but have no say in its running or policies. Which arguably makes it rather not collective.

    So, collectives, great. Peak District MTB no so collective – it is that way because the Peak District National Park Authority wanted it that way, go figure. Sorry it just kind of irks me.

    Posted 1 year ago
    IHN
    Full Member

    It also, irritatingly, stipulates that to be.a full member you have to live within the boundaries of the Peak District National Park

    Does it? I’m a member and I’m not in the Peak District.

    Posted 1 year ago
    footflaps
    Full Member

    and Cycling Weekly with an article on the exact same theme…..

    https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/everythings-changing-the-hip-new-face-of-british-cycling

    Posted 1 year ago
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