What do you value in membership of CTC/CUK?

[TrevA]

10% discount at Evans Cycles with my CTC membership, is an attraction for me. I used to like the magazine but it's gone downhill a bit recently.

I also like the 3rd party insurance and legal assistance.

[groberts]

I have today received my renewal notice and given all the recent changes will be giving ongoing membership a good hard think. What I have valued / used in the CTC in the past included:

- Supporting cycling
- Insurance
- Evans 10% discount
- Cotswold Outdoor 15% discount
- Cycle Magazine

I read and use this Forum regularly, it is an excellent source of information, interesting and sometimes funny. But as previously said, I can participate and benefit without membership

Other than the name what's changed?

- Now seems mostly a campaigning 'club' - no bad thing but as a regular cyclist I want more.
- Doesn't feel like a club anymore + do not listen to members i.e. other than our subs do we really matter?
- I thought the magazine was very good but over the past year or so it has noticeably deteriorated

[Paulatic]

10% discount at Evans Cycles with my CTC membership, is an attraction for me. I used to like the magazine but it's gone downhill a bit recently.

I also like the 3rd party insurance and legal assistance.

I've found very easily
https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/membe ... discount-0
Now go to CUK and find it.
http://www.cyclinguk.org/membership/member-benefits

[iandriver]

We have a fabulous member group here in Cambridge. If it wasn't for them, I doubt I would ever have joined in the first place.

[Barred1]

10% discount at Evans Cycles with my CTC membership, is an attraction for me. I used to like the magazine but it's gone downhill a bit recently.

I also like the 3rd party insurance and legal assistance.

I've found very easily
https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/membe ... discount-0
Now go to CUK and find it.
http://www.cyclinguk.org/membership/member-benefits

More to the point is the "start prices" at the establishments that offer the so-called member discounts - 10 or 15% off a price that's 20% higher than other easily found suppliers makes a nonsense of it.

B1

[Bensons]

We became members to support what the CTC stood for - touring - relaxed touring in our case.

We are not that bothered about the insurance and legal helpline which isn't anything that we don't already have with our comprehensive home insurance policy.

Family membership isn't cheap really at £70 per year when compared to English Heritage/National Trust et al., where you actually see yourself 'saving' money every time you visit somewhere by being a member.

We do get a bit back by using the YHA membership discount (£12.50 from memory). So £60 per annum to the CTC.

I sometimes think about joining a ride but having to drive 15 miles or so often puts me off (maybe lifting my bike on top of the car has something to do with that).

We ride as a family - 25-30 miles with a 9 year old on a tandem most weekends - I am not sure many groups cater for/would welcome that.

The jury is out on whether we will renew in September, unless we are actively cycling with a local group, which is odd as we wouldn't have hesitated to renew 'old style'.

[fishfright]

Nothing, I'm not renewing my membership for the foreseeable future.

[Tangled Metal]

I just repeated the membership benefit search. If CUK has negotiated member's discounts at any store chain it's keeping it quiet. I'm not sure if that is because you can't get discounts or just because the website isn't that good. I say that because simple things like the "search this site" text doesn't disappear when selected to type the search term. You have to delete it yourself before typing. Minor annoyance but they should have that right. The main landing page is highly cluttered. Laptop or desktop site only IMHO.

On the other hand, if you can't get discounts from a shop yourself you're not trying. I've always got at least 10% off Cotswolds. They give most a 10% and often 15%. YHA are only just glad to get money in so hand discounts out to anyone these days. Especially since geographical restrictions have been lifted. This means you can join SYHA with a lower annual fee even if you're from England. Once they'd not let you, or at least I've been.turned down decades ago.

Discounts are really only good for the big online retailers. You go to a shop you'll probably blag it anyway. With online price matching you'll probably be able to get 10 or more likely 33% or more off RRP that way.

Insurance? Importance depends on whether it meets your needs. I really don't know if sorting your own specialist insurance out might be.better. You could get the best cover for you.

Campaigning? What is the membership level? Greater than BC? It reminds me of the Ramblers association /BMC situation a few years ago. The RA changed its name to the Ramblers. The BMC decided to.target walkers. Being the much larger organization it offered a much better set of benefits. The growth of BMC matched the shrinkage of RA. The Ramblers changed and became more about offering benefits. Things like regular group walks, specialist groups such as 20s/30s or 40s/50s groups. That was a change from the original campaigning organization who met for mass trespass and campaigning walks. I think they'd won a lot with the CRoW act so was being considered less relevant to most people, especially the younger members or potential members. I admit it felt like an older person's group. Perhaps CTC was like that.

BTW I joined the RA just before the change to the Ramblers name. It took the formation of a nearby 20s/30s group to get me to join. Before that I'd gone out with the local group on the first day of the CRoW act coming into effect. One Saturday walking with a large group of retired 60+ year olds when you are 25 isn't that bad. Unless out of a group of about 30 to 40 people only 2 people would hold a conversation with me. A very lonely 4 or 5 hours.

My point is that the CTC probably was in need of a change and it's still changing. As such there is still the potential to add more benefits that could gain more members and influence. Just try not to lose the old guard in the process.

[Paulatic]

The web site used to state "discount at hundreds of shops" I challenged them over the claim. Weeks later that claim has been removed.

In the reply I received 6 weeks ago ,"We will be reviewing the list you mention below in the next couple of months to update this. "

So in the next couple of weeks we might all be surprised. Or maybe I won't [emoji846]

Edit : maybe the removal was the result of the review?

[meic]

The web site used to state "discount at hundreds of shops" I challenged them over the claim. Weeks later that claim has been removed.

I think that many local shops have arranged discounts for local CTC groups. I know one in Swansea that got regular trade from Swansea CTC group and gave members a discount.
Spa Cycles sometimes has special offers for CTC members.
So the claim may well be true but not something head office has anything to do with.

[LollyKat]

It can be quite hard to get the discounts sometimes. For instance Evans only give them on full price items. Since a lot (?most) of their range is already offered below RRP it doesn't qualify for the discount.

OTOH Mountain Warehouse gives a (S)YHA discount on everything, even sale items.

[TrevA]

10% discount at Evans Cycles with my CTC membership, is an attraction for me. I used to like the magazine but it's gone downhill a bit recently.

I also like the 3rd party insurance and legal assistance.

I've found very easily
https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/membe ... discount-0
Now go to CUK and find it.
http://www.cyclinguk.org/membership/member-benefits

That British Cycling offer is a one off promo code. I get 10% off every time I shop at Evans, plus they will price match online retailers IME. YMMV.

Just because the discount isn't listed as a benefit on the website, doesn't mean that it doesn't exist. I personally can't be bothered to faff around with online suppliers, who then try and deliver stuff when you aren't in, so it takes ages to get to you. I go to Evans, I buy something and I walk out of the shop with it.

[Paulatic]

Many cycling clubs have discount arrangements with local cycle shops whether they are CTC or not.
If it were true then why remove it?
Are you also telling me HO didn't produce thls?
http://www.cyclinguk.org/files/ctc-shop ... list_0.pdf

[Paulatic]

10% discount at Evans Cycles with my CTC membership, is an attraction for me. I used to like the magazine but it's gone downhill a bit recently.

I also like the 3rd party insurance and legal assistance.

I've found very easily
https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/membe ... discount-0
Now go to CUK and find it.
http://www.cyclinguk.org/membership/member-benefits

That British Cycling offer is a one off promo code. I get 10% off every time I shop at Evans, plus they will price match online retailers IME. YMMV.

Just because the discount isn't listed as a benefit on the website, doesn't mean that it doesn't exist. I personally can't be bothered to faff around with online suppliers, who then try and deliver stuff when you aren't in, so it takes ages to get to you. I go to Evans, I buy something and I walk out of the shop with it.

You are right Trev, I hadn't read it properly.
Still waiting for you to point me towards the Evans discount information.

[honesty]

http://www.cyclinguk.org/files/ctc-shop-discount-list_0.pdf 3 seconds google got this...