CTC Member Benefits

Alan_SE16
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Re: CTC Member Benefits

Post by Alan_SE16 »

Si wrote:
They really should bring it to to date


IIRC the routes were mostly put together by the membership so it would be for the membership to update their own routes. But now given the myriad of different mapping tools out there I think many are too busy doing strava, mapmyride, etc etc

I've been playing with the BC mapping tool lately....tis a reasonable tool, but looking at the routes on it - virtually all day rides and no tours.

Hi, great to read all the opinions of members. Question, does the National Clarion not now offer almost the same benefits? 3rd Party insurance [emoji818]️Cotswolds discount [emoji818]️free award winning Magazine [emoji818]️


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landsurfer
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Re: CTC Member Benefits

Post by landsurfer »

Cycle Magazine
Six Issues of Cycle a Year
CTC Incident Line - Free Cycling Related Legal Advice
CTC training course
CTC maps
Route Infomation
Cyclists Welcome - Where to sleep & eat
CTC group ride
CTC rides & events
CTC CycleCover Travel Insurance 10% discount



15% off at Cotswold Outdoor (logo)
15% off at Cotswold Outdoor
Half price YHA membership
CS Healthcare logo
CS Healthcare's HealthBridge product - first month free
Cycling related legal advice and support
Rider with poppies
CS Healthcare logo
CS Healthcare's your choice product - first 2 months free
15% off YHA accommodation bookings
10% discount on CTC training courses
France en Vélo
20% off 'France en Vélo'
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PH
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Re: CTC Member Benefits

Post by PH »

Alan_SE16 wrote: Question, does the National Clarion not now offer almost the same benefits? [emoji818]️

No, not even close.
For a start does it offer an open forum for other groups to promote themselves?
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gaz
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Re: CTC Member Benefits

Post by gaz »

PH wrote:No, not even close.

+1, IMO.
PH wrote:For a start does it offer an open forum for other groups to promote themselves?

That one's available to non-members so it doesn't count as a member benefit :wink: .

National Clarion do include a free window sticker in their member benefit list, since my bike doesn't have windows that's a bit of a chocolate teapot for me.
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BecclesBoy44
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Re: CTC Member Benefits

Post by BecclesBoy44 »

Today I went to my local branch of Halfords (Lowestoft) to claim my 10% off a cycle carrier. I presented my membership card and neither the cashier or the manager knew anything about the discount and refused to give me it. Needless to say I left empty handed. Members please be aware and print off a copy of the offer from the Cycling UK site
landsurfer
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Re: CTC Member Benefits

Post by landsurfer »

BecclesBoy44 wrote:Today I went to my local branch of Halfords (Lowestoft) to claim my 10% off a cycle carrier. I presented my membership card and neither the cashier or the manager knew anything about the discount and refused to give me it. Needless to say I left empty handed. Members please be aware and print off a copy of the offer from the Cycling UK site


Suspect this the point where you find out it's only available for on-line purchases .... as so many of these discounts are ...
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Paulatic
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Re: CTC Member Benefits

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JohnW
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Re: CTC Member Benefits

Post by JohnW »

It's just one way of closing down our local bike shops. Several of my LBSs - the ones I use regularly - always give me a discount, varying between 5% and 15% - and as a bonus they know what they're talking about and know what they're doing.

There must be some financial benefit to CUK, otherwise why would they be doing this?

Does anyone know whether the executives of charities get their OBEs quicker if their charity gets richer?
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Si
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Re: CTC Member Benefits

Post by Si »

Working with halfords makes sense fot ctc,erm cuk i mean. Halfords, working with ctc are putting on a number of free cycle-promotion events. Because of the size of halfords they can often do this easier than LBSs.....more staff more resources, more publicity.

That's not to ssy that some LBSs dont do this too, and just as good as halfords. But having a single company to work with makes things so much easier for the ctc than having to deal with different LBSs in each town who each want to do things differently.

I work with a lot of people who are new to cycling and until informed otherwise the vast majority of them see halfords as their first port of call.

As for 10% discount at halfords....does nothing for me. Our halfords has just moved from being a few yards from the cycle path to a shopping centre surrounded by dual carriageway and big junctions. Not that i used to buy anything in it anyway......wilco was cheaper for basic sundries, lbs for specialist expensive stuff and internet for everything else.
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gaz
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Re: CTC Member Benefits

Post by gaz »

JohnW wrote:There must be some financial benefit to CUK, otherwise why would they be doing this?

Cycling UK is a Charity, the outcomes of its projects should be public benefits. The related article in Cycle says that this is a three year partnership with Halfords that aims to help 5.7 million people cycle more. If such a partnership does indeed help to achieve that aim then that is the public benefit.

It adds that Halfords is supporting the BBR by offering free cycle safety checks (Dr Bike?) during Bike Week and if faults are identified, 20% off their servicing prices.

It's Halfords that presumably have joined this partnership for a commercial benefit. That may take many forms, at the simplest the Cycling UK member discounts and BBR promotions may get them trade that would otherwise have gone elsewhere.
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Paulatic
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Re: CTC Member Benefits

Post by Paulatic »

BecclesBoy44 wrote:Today I went to my local branch of Halfords (Lowestoft) to claim my 10% off a cycle carrier. I presented my membership card and neither the cashier or the manager knew anything about the discount and refused to give me it. Needless to say I left empty handed. Members please be aware and print off a copy of the offer from the Cycling UK site

You should have asked for Ocean :P
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Barred1
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Re: CTC Member Benefits

Post by Barred1 »

Paulatic wrote:
BecclesBoy44 wrote:Today I went to my local branch of Halfords (Lowestoft) to claim my 10% off a cycle carrier. I presented my membership card and neither the cashier or the manager knew anything about the discount and refused to give me it. Needless to say I left empty handed. Members please be aware and print off a copy of the offer from the Cycling UK site

You should have asked for Ocean :P
IMG_0238.JPG


Chain Reaction/Wiggle or other suppliers would doubtless have the same item at lower cost even after the (possible) "member discount" and delivered free.

And an anecdote that sums up Halfords : I went to the local brand and bought a pair of wipers for my car . . . Cashier: Would you like them fitted? Me ( Wearing helmet and with the bike I had taken into the shop as there is no secure lock-up facility): Probably not.

Priceless.

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mjr
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Re: CTC Member Benefits

Post by mjr »

Si wrote:Working with halfords makes sense fot ctc,erm cuk i mean. Halfords, working with ctc are putting on a number of free cycle-promotion events. Because of the size of halfords they can often do this easier than LBSs.....more staff more resources, more publicity.

Because it's not like there's a national organisation of LBSes... oh wait, Association of Cycle Traders... so it must be because CTC/CUK don't have any local member groups? :roll:

Si wrote:As for 10% discount at halfords....does nothing for me. Our halfords has just moved from being a few yards from the cycle path to a shopping centre surrounded by dual carriageway and big junctions. Not that i used to buy anything in it anyway......wilco was cheaper for basic sundries, lbs for specialist expensive stuff and internet for everything else.

The local one is still near a cycle route. Still doesn't have useful cycle parking. Still wouldn't use them unless I want a part after 6pm.

Do you mean Wilco (the car and bike parts shop) or Wilko (aka Wilkinsons) BTW?

gaz wrote:It adds that Halfords is supporting the BBR by offering free cycle safety checks (Dr Bike?) during Bike Week and if faults are identified, 20% off their servicing prices.

I wouldn't trust most of the staff of the local Half-odds to identify their backside with both hands reliably after they handed back a bike to someone in my neighbourhood with both brake QRs open, or after they screwed up the indexing on my wife's bike, or...

I wonder whether they can screw up Dr Bike checks badly enough to cause reputation risk to CUK?

gaz wrote:It's Halfords that presumably have joined this partnership for a commercial benefit. That may take many forms, at the simplest the Cycling UK member discounts and BBR promotions may get them trade that would otherwise have gone elsewhere.

In other words, CUK is helping to take trade away from local bike shops and give it to a big-box chain store with serious quality control problems. Shame on it!
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thirdcrank
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Re: CTC Member Benefits

Post by thirdcrank »

As an experienced cyclist - who may or may not be able to contribute to helping potential cyclists - I've often suggested to new forum members asking for advice on what bike to buy, that they should try and borrow one first, emphasising that there are many at the back of a garage which have only been ridden once. I feel rather flattered that there's apparently now a media campaign along these lines, but I'm bemused that it should be associated with this retailer: there's real irony in this.
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Si
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Re: CTC Member Benefits

Post by Si »

mjr wrote:
Si wrote:Working with halfords makes sense fot ctc,erm cuk i mean. Halfords, working with ctc are putting on a number of free cycle-promotion events. Because of the size of halfords they can often do this easier than LBSs.....more staff more resources, more publicity.

Because it's not like there's a national organisation of LBSes... oh wait, Association of Cycle Traders... so it must be because CTC/CUK don't have any local member groups? :roll:



halfords = single organisation where the top can control what happens in its shops.

Act = a group of independent organisations where there is no obligation to do what the next shop along is doing.

Simples.
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