Cycling clubs in SW...
 

[Closed] Cycling clubs in SW London - London Dynamo, Kingston Wheelers...?

Posts: 0
Free Member
Topic starter
 

Hi all. I'm thinking about joining a local cycling club and was wondering if anyone has any experience of either London Dynamo or Kingston Wheelers?

I probably won't be racing - just want a group of friendly and not too serious people to join for group rides and the such.

Ta.


 
Posted : 12/11/2014 1:35 am
 aP
Posts: 681
Free Member
 

If you want to join London Dynamo you'll need to hold a Cat 3 racing licence as a minimum, which isn't a requirement for KIngston Wheelers. KW is a big club but has people doing lots of different things from road racing, TT, audax, touring, cx, mtb, sportives, club runs and beer drinking. They have a club run on Sunday mornings which has groups ranging from 20mph average to nice'n'steady with off road rides as well. Like all clubs you won't get on with everybody, but there's enough members that you'll find people you will do. We'll be out on Sunday quite probably doing a cx type ride of about 40 miles (on mtbs).


 
Posted : 12/11/2014 4:58 am
Posts: 2305
Free Member
 

[url= http://www.addiscombe.org/ ]Addiscombe CC[/url]?
Good mix of riding although largely road based. Meet in Coulsdon for the club run into Surrey.


 
Posted : 12/11/2014 7:29 am
 kilo
Posts: 6903
Free Member
 

Kingston Wheelers have a membership cap at the moment
[url= http://http://www.kingstonwheelers.co.uk/join.shtml ]Kwcc membership details[/url]

But I believe there will be some slack as the new year approaches so best sign up quickish.. It is quite a friendly club and the club runs are well run and attended. Also consider kingston Phoenix and twickenham CC


 
Posted : 12/11/2014 8:31 am
Posts: 3853
Full Member
 

Epsom CC, Pearson CC too. Have a look on the BC website for club listing.

BTW "to join London Dynamo you'll need to hold a Cat 3 racing licence as a minimum"??


 
Posted : 12/11/2014 8:36 am
Posts: 71
Free Member
 

yep, on their website. Owing to popularity of membership. Looks like that may be relaxed in the new year.

Makes sense to me - if you're trying to be a race focused club, immediately filter out people who've done little or no racing.


 
Posted : 12/11/2014 8:40 am
Posts: 5185
Full Member
 

More that they're full (for senior men at least) but you can bypass that if you're a cat 3 or above.

http://www.londondynamo.co.uk/membership/


 
Posted : 12/11/2014 8:40 am
 kilo
Posts: 6903
Free Member
 

I was surprised by the ld third cat thing but presumably they too are swamped with newbies, kwcc runs at about 600 members ATM and had new people turning up at the Sunday club runs every week until recent changes


 
Posted : 12/11/2014 8:41 am
Posts: 357
Free Member
 

What about London Phoenix? When I was racing in London the guys from this club were all really nice. Not sure if it is specifically south based but a lot of the guys in the club certainly lived sarf of the river. They had the coolest jerseys,too IMO.


 
Posted : 12/11/2014 8:46 am
Posts: 1442
Free Member
 

London dyno-rod are the least liked club in London, they don't exactly endear themselves to other cyclists/clubs.
Kingston /twickenham/dulwich/Norwood/addiscombe/VCL all decent clubs.
There are a few others but they are a bit more exclusive and you need to be invited to join 😉


 
Posted : 12/11/2014 9:12 am
Posts: 27603
Free Member
 

What about London Phoenix? When I was racing in London the guys from this club were all really nice. Not sure if it is specifically south based but a lot of the guys in the club certainly lived sarf of the river. They had the coolest jerseys,too IMO.

I'd agree entirely 🙂 LP does have a SW contingent with regular weekend rides, and although the majority of the weekend runs go from Barnet, there are plenty of organised rides that delve into Kent/Surrey as well as Herts & Essex.


 
Posted : 12/11/2014 9:16 am
Posts: 17321
Full Member
 

Twickenham CC? Wheelers and and Dynamos are big clubs that tend to meet in small subgroups, so you can't know everyone in the club.

TCC is smaller, has organised rides on Tuesdays and Saturdays (which was important for me), will give you the opportunity to try any form of cycling from track to hill climb, and might even get you racing 😉

I'm on the committee, drop me a line if interested. It is a surprisingly big jump to joining a club, but they tend to be friendly places and as ap says, the standard of cycling ranges from social steady rides to road race pace.


 
Posted : 12/11/2014 9:43 am
 will
Posts: 44
Free Member
 

Apart from London Phoenix having the best kit they are more of a N London club as Kryton says. I'd look at Kingston Wheelers, know a lot of guys from that club and they are a great bunch with some VERY talented riders (Womens National HC champion for a start!)


 
Posted : 12/11/2014 10:06 am
Posts: 1442
Free Member
 

Best kit? It looks like every other club kit. Not a patch on Brixton, Rollapaluza or CSGrupetto (all london clubs)


 
Posted : 12/11/2014 10:38 am
Posts: 71
Free Member
 

Will rides for LP!


 
Posted : 12/11/2014 10:39 am
Posts: 1442
Free Member
 

Do they do a specsavers group discount?


 
Posted : 12/11/2014 10:42 am
Posts: 27603
Free Member
 

njee20 - Member
Will rides for LP!

*cough*


 
Posted : 12/11/2014 10:47 am
Posts: 71
Free Member
 

But it was Will who said it was the best looking kit, wasn't singling you out Kryton!


 
Posted : 12/11/2014 10:55 am
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

I'm interested in this too as I'll be moving to the area to.
Would mainly join if part of CX leagues.

Can anyone tell me whether Kingston WCC and TwickenhamCC are affiliated/members of local CX leagues so club member points get counted, like NDCXL, or does the individual need to get themselves affiliated to whatever league.

I've seen that Twickenham CC's membership fee is £40pa, is that quite steep?

thanks 😀


 
Posted : 12/11/2014 10:57 am
Posts: 17843
 

Pretty certain it's London Phoenix that my son has recently joined. Please be nice to him. 🙂


 
Posted : 12/11/2014 10:58 am
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

TCC is Central league, KW is both London/SE and Central CX leagues.


 
Posted : 12/11/2014 11:25 am
Posts: 27603
Free Member
 

Lol, this is starting to feel like a bidding war for new members.

LP is affiliated to London, Central and Eastern CX leagues.


 
Posted : 12/11/2014 11:42 am
Posts: 6
Free Member
 

I had a very happy couple of years with Kingston Wheelers, but that was 5 years ago now, and I think then there was a feeling that 250 members was probably too many.

For what it's worth, I'd join a smaller club, just to share the people around the runs a bit.

🙂


 
Posted : 12/11/2014 11:53 am
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

Cheers 😆


 
Posted : 12/11/2014 12:05 pm
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

I have ridden with the Kingston Wheelers for a number of years now. In the majority, they are a fantastic bunch with a huge membership base.
They have massive club rides every Sunday with pretty much every pace catered for and they very often have rides going out during the week too.

That said however, in my experience, they are very heavily focused on road and TT. During the winter they do have a fair few members that do CX but for a 'cycling' club, MTB is very much the runt of the litter.


 
Posted : 12/11/2014 12:44 pm
Posts: 953
Full Member
 

Bike beans cafe in ashtead does quite a few rides, very friendly and nice cafe as well.


 
Posted : 12/11/2014 12:46 pm
Posts: 17321
Full Member
 

TCC is affiliated to central league Cx and we have an active group of riders. Wheelers is a friendly club too and I know and race with a number of their riders. Larger than we are, they too put on track, road and TT events for club members to get a taste of competition.

We have the best kit though 😉

EDIT:

MTB is very much the runt of the litter.
True for TCC as well, although I try and hold the fort with organised rides at Swinley and race Gorricks in club kit.


 
Posted : 12/11/2014 12:59 pm
 aP
Posts: 681
Free Member
 

There are mtb-ers in KW, they're just not particularly visible relative to the massed road riders.
We've recently ridden Gorrick and Banjo xc races, and Bristol Oktoberfest and also 24/12 in the summer.


 
Posted : 12/11/2014 1:05 pm
Posts: 17321
Full Member
 

And the KW mtb kit looks better than their normal kit 😉


 
Posted : 12/11/2014 1:09 pm
 aP
Posts: 681
Free Member
 

LOL - doesn't show the dirt 😳


 
Posted : 12/11/2014 1:11 pm
Posts: 357
Free Member
 

[i]But it was Will who said it was the best looking kit, wasn't singling you out Kryton![/i]

No it was me who said it actually and that is from someone who used to ride for Brixton Cycles club. 😛


 
Posted : 13/11/2014 12:20 pm
 aP
Posts: 681
Free Member
 

Ah, if that's the case - whatever happened to Malcolm & Amanda?


 
Posted : 13/11/2014 12:21 pm
Posts: 71
Free Member
 

No it was me who said it actually and that is from someone who used to ride for Brixton Cycles club

Aah, so you did, I just saw Will's "Apart from London Phoenix having the best kit" and assumed it was his comment!


 
Posted : 13/11/2014 12:27 pm