BlogOrganizational Management Starting a Bicycle Club in 10 Simple Steps Organizational Management Starting a Bicycle Club in 10 Simple Steps Author: Marlena Moore February 28, 2025 Contents 🕑 10 min read Few loves in this life are as deep and true as the love cyclists have for biking. And what kind of love isn’t better shared? If you’re thinking of starting a bicycle club, you will undoubtedly attract many new friends and do good in your community … as long as you take the right approach. In today’s step-by-step guide, we will discuss how to start a cycling club. First, we’ll take a look at why you should start one (and why it should be you!) as well as the different types of bicycle clubs that exist. We will also go through specific tasks in detail, such as defining your club’s purpose, organizing leadership, recruiting members and planning rides, all of which will help you build a thriving cycling community. As if that’s not enough, we’ll offer tips on safety, leadership, community service, and sustainable long-term success. Ready? Put down that socket wrench, grab your Gatorade and dive in. Why Should You Start a Bicycle Club Before starting a bicycle club, it pays to ask why before you ask how to start a cycling club. It will be a lot of work, after all, so you want to make sure it’s worth it to you. In other words, why should you be the one to start a club rather than just join one that already exists? Well, consider these: There isn’t a group close enough to you. The existing groups go too fast or too slow, their rides are too short or too long, or they have ethics different from yours. You want a more service-oriented group than the ones that exist. You just feel like building a community from scratch – nothing wrong with that. Vibes are essential when it comes to the cycling community. Whatever your motivations, starting a bicycle club can be an extremely rewarding experience. Before you launch, though, you’ll have to decide which type of bicycle club is right for you. Different Types of Bicycle Clubs The next step on your journey to starting a bicycle club is to pick a lane, if you will. Tone is essential, because you don’t want to sign people up on false pretenses. Rather, you want them to know precisely what they’re joining, because their needs matter just as much as yours or the group’s. Therefore, think about which of the following models best fits your cycling club: Social Club Are folks mostly getting together to ride? Are you looking for motivation rather than competition, picnics rather than medals? Then, a social club is probably the best bet, where people can join up with planned rides whenever they feel like it and have fun. A social cycling club will be all about good vibes, building community and the love of the bike. Competitive Club If you care less about the hang and more about the finish line, then you should bill your organization as helping people prep for hard riding. Make training your focus, and one day down the road, you might even find yourself organizing real competitive events for awards or time trialing in your area. A competitive cycling club will be centered around beating your records and connecting with others who find joy in races. Minority Club Are you looking to create a safe space for women, BIPOC, First Nations, LGBTQ+ or others? Then you can bill yourself as wanting to support such people. Note that this doesn’t mean you should make your club exclusive; express your support and target outreach accordingly. A minority cycling club prioritizes being cyclers who don’t judge and brings people together without fear of discrimination, criticism or harm. Service Club If you want to blend charity and cycling, then a service-oriented club will do the trick. You can organize rides for charity, help pay membership dues for those who can’t afford it and plan community service days. Service cycling clubs are service, altruism and philanthropy at first, with an asterisk for cycling. The focus isn’t necessarily being on the bike – it’s what can we do for the bike community. With that in mind, let’s look at the steps for starting a bicycle club now. How to Start a Bicycle Club in 10 Steps Here’s a 10-step process for starting a bicycle club. Step 1: Define the Club’s Purpose Before you do anything else, you must address your main purpose for starting a bicycle club. This will not only inform the rest of the steps here, but it will help you craft your elevator pitch for when you tell potential members and supporters about your club. Your definition should include: What type of bicycle club you are (discussed above) The kind of cycling you do (competitive, recreational, long-distance, local etc.) Your target audience, i.e., the types of members you’re seeking Club goals, or what you hope people will get out of it Mission statement: Why do you exist? Use this information to draft your club’s constitution. This doesn’t have to be a hoity-toity legal treatise on parchment paper. Instead, it’s a basic document declaring the above facts and outlining other basic information about your club. Your constitution should include your club’s basic rules (bylaws), whether you will charge membership fees, how you will manage financial reporting and whether you will become a formal nonprofit (if you’re a service club, you’ll want to look into this blog on starting a nonprofit). Step 2: Organize the Club’s Governance Next up on the list of steps for starting a bicycle club, you’ve got to establish club leadership roles and responsibilities. Include a president, secretary and treasurer, the essential trifecta needed to form basic governance. If you plan to be a large club, you can also establish a board of directors or committee for decision-making purposes, marketing or service, but you don’t have to. It’s usually easiest to start small and dream big! Step 3: Determine the Club’s Membership Structure Clubs need two main things to function: members and money. The latter comes from the former, so it’s important to establish the relationship right from the beginning. Ask yourself questions such as: How much will you charge for dues? How often will you charge them (monthly, yearly)? What benefits do members get in return? Will you cap members or grow infinitely? Once you’ve decided on this, it will be much easier to talk to prospects about why they should join your club. Step 4: Establish Bicycle Safety Guidelines Starting a bicycle club means taking responsibility for what happens in that club. You can protect yourself and the organization by establishing clear safety guidelines. First, you should have a requirement for helmet use in your club and group riding etiquette. Make sure everyone is clear on the rules of the road and emergency protocols. Perhaps most importantly, include liability waivers in the membership application, with the expectation that they return them as part of joining. Step 5: Identify the Club’s Branding One of the most enjoyable parts of starting a bicycle club, at least for many people, is choosing the branding. The basic components of a brand are its name, optional slogan, logo, brand colors, typography, imagery and website design. If this is within your wheelhouse, great. If not, try to find help on an in-kind or trade basis. For instance, a small graphic design firm might like to work on your project pro bono for their portfolio. Or a new member might be willing to do the work in exchange for a free membership to your club. Step 6: Build a Club Website You’re going to need a club website. There, you can host important information and documents, such as: Your membership application About Us and How It Works pages (though you don’t need to use these specific titles) Details about membership dues, benefits and FAQs A calendar of scheduled rides and social events (where applicable) Educational resources Social media links Step 7: Create Club Communication Channels Starting a bicycle club isn’t enough, unfortunately. You’ve also got to get the word out. This is crucial for obtaining new members and keeping current members in the know about your activities. The main avenues for doing this are: Social media accounts (e.g. Instagram, Facebook, and X) Email (e.g. newsletters and e-blasts) Applications (Strava, MapMyRide) Step 8: Attract New Members There’s no starting a bicycle club without getting members to join up. The best ways to do this include: Hosting an interest meeting or kick-off event Posting on local community boards, cycling forums and social media Promoting during cycling events/races Sharing flyers at local businesses that cyclers frequent After all, you can plan all the fun and interesting programs you want, but if nobody knows about them, you’ll never get any new members, right? Step 9: Find Sponsors and Partnerships Connecting with partners and sponsors isn’t technically necessary for starting a bicycle club; you can just ride for the fun of riding. However, by connecting with local bike shops, cafes or fitness brands, you’ll have an easier time finding riders and setting up events. These connections can become sources of in-kind contributions (donations from businesses to nonprofits). You may even be able to convince those businesses to sponsor you or help with club fundraisers. Don’t forget about community sponsorships or grants. Many chambers of commerce set aside funds to help civic-minded organizations further their causes, so look into it at the outset. You can often reapply every year. Step 10: Plan the First Ride With the hard work of starting a bicycle club out of the way, it’s time for the fun part: planning your first ride. Make sure to select a route that matches your members’ skill level. Choose a day and time when most of your members are likely to be able to attend, such as a weekend or, in the summer, a weekday evening. Communicate details about the ride, such as difficulty, length, terrain, expected weather, needed gear, food and water requirements and so on. That’s it! You’ve done it! Next, let’s take a look at a few best practices. Best Practices for a Successful Bicycle Club Okay, so you’re sure: You’re starting a bicycle club. Here’s how to do it right. Engage with the Cycling Community Yes, starting a bicycle club requires a lot of time, energy, and sometimes money. However, you can’t afford to rest on your laurels once you’re done. With your club firmly in place, it’s time to engage with your community. You can do this in a number of ways, including: Planning public programs that inform and entertain Advertising your club and ride routes in area publications Offering opportunities for involvement Creating social opportunities, e.g. picnics, field days, or beach hangouts Make sure you include all the people in your community, not just your immediate members. Coaches, staff, judges, partners, sponsors and parents matter too. Encourage Member Involvement and Feedback Starting a bicycle club is not as simple as signing on members and choosing a route. You must also give members space to get involved and give you feedback. The best way to do this is through a membership portal. That way, your community can always get the latest information about rides, community service, education and advocacy, safety training and more. You should share the fun stuff, too: recent rides and events, success stories and testimonials (don’t forget to post photos or videos whenever possible for even more engagement). Ask for feedback at every step of the way, and make it clear where people can submit it on the website. Members who feel heard are members who stick around! Regularly Evaluate Club Progress and Adjust as Needed Making space for routine evaluation is part of starting a bicycle club. From the beginning, plan to seek input from your members, evaluate your goals numerically and anecdotally, and shift direction as needed. Go Beyond Bicycling Starting a bicycle club is a wonderful service to your community, but you can go beyond bicycling. If you hope to serve your local population (cyclists and otherwise) even more, consider using your influence as club founder to give back to your community. You can do this through: Charity rides Picnics and dinners Fundraisers Roadside cleanups and other community service projects Sponsored events Visits to schools or hospitals … and so on. Doing so also benefits your organization by improving your public standing, widening your network of prospects and giving you a platform to share what your organization does. Utilize Member Management Software Hands down, sourcing the right club management software is the most critical step in starting a bicycle club that is organized, popular, and long-lived. Why? With robust software at your disposal, you can automate routine tasks, streamline dues and events, communicate with members, craft reports and build a secure all-in-one website and portal. In so doing, you’ll save money and free up time from those tedious tasks to focus on your mission – cycling! A quick hint about us, our software, WildApricot, does it all! Want to know more about how it works? Read these influential case studies from the East York Probus Club, the Kiwanis Club of Woodland, and the Caxton Club. Each demonstrates how simple it is to transition even old organizations to the digital landscape. Whether your cycling club is brand new or getting a facelift, the right software can encourage donations, enhance communication, increase memberships and help your club thrive in the modern age. Ready to Ride? Time for Cycling Club Success! Starting a bicycle club might involve a number of steps, but it needn’t be difficult, especially when you have the right software at your disposal. If you’re ready to learn more about club management software, then we invite you to start a free 60-day trial of WildApricot today! 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