It's all in the name - Cyclists' TOURING club

Discussion of the re-branding of CTC as Cycling UK.
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Keith
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It's all in the name - Cyclists' TOURING club

Post by Keith »

CTC web pages 15th August: "CTC is beginning a consultation process to consider refreshing our brand. This may mean a new way of describing ourselves and our services, a new look and feel, a new way of using our name - or even a new name altogether. "
Memo to Gordon:
So just why do we need to 'refesh our brand'? And why do we need a 'new way of describing ourselves' at a time when countless folk are taking up cycling? Why would we need a new name, or have we already forgotten that there are many people who joined the Cyclists' Touring Club because they are touring cyclists. Whatever the look and feel, or even the name of our club, the CTC must still be the natural 'home' for all those who simply want to ride for pleasure. Touring was the 'raison d'etre' of the Club, and whatever else "the national cycling charity" might decide to do, "touring" must remain a cornerstone of its future activies.
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fossala
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Re: It's all in the name - Cyclists' TOURING club

Post by fossala »

I agree.
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Mick F
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Re: It's all in the name - Cyclists' TOURING club

Post by Mick F »

Me too.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Mick F. Cornwall
byegad
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Re: It's all in the name - Cyclists' TOURING club

Post by byegad »

British Cycling here I come!
"I thought of that while riding my bike." -Albert Einstein, on the Theory of Relativity

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fossala
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Re: It's all in the name - Cyclists' TOURING club

Post by fossala »

byegad wrote:British Cycling here I come!

It's not that bad.
thirdcrank
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Re: It's all in the name - Cyclists' TOURING club

Post by thirdcrank »

Memo to Gordon:


Somebody remind me. Didn't he used to be I/C English Heritage or some such? :? It must have come as a surprise to discover so many really ancient monuments in the new job. :oops:

:lol:
mark a.
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Re: It's all in the name - Cyclists' TOURING club

Post by mark a. »

Mick F wrote:Me too.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.


I thought everyone complains that it's already broken. We're currently CTC: The National Cycling Charity with the "modern" logo. So it does needs fixing, or so I keep reading on here.
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mjr
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Re: It's all in the name - Cyclists' TOURING club

Post by mjr »

So it'll soon be the Strava User Group, right? ;-)
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Si
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Re: It's all in the name - Cyclists' TOURING club

Post by Si »

"CTC": "Cyclists That Complain" :lol:

I can see why they would want to consider this...in the time that I've been a member we have been:
The Cyclists' Touring Club
The CTC
CTC, the National Cycling Organisation
CTC, the National Cycling Charity
..and probably some other stuff that I've missed (and, no, it wasn't still called the "Bicycle Touring Club" when I joined!).

So what is wrong with these?
Well the first one suggests that we are only for tourists and nothing else, and gives the image of beards, sandals worn over socks, and festering cotton duck. Not the sort of image to attract new members or that helps with campaigning.
The second one.....well what the heck is it? Only experienced cyclists know that it's a cycling club, it means nothing to anyone else....so again problematic for new comers and for campaigning.
The third one does actually explain was it was, but is hardly catchy, doesn't exactly trip off the tongue.
The fourth one, again, a little verbose, plus the word 'charity' might give the impression that we are a care home for retired cyclists :lol:

It would be nice if we could have a title that is concise, catchy and explains exactly what we are/do. (hey, I know, how about "British Cycling", what's that you say...already gone, d'oh). But at the same time, yet another change just adds further to the confusion...so if we are to change again we'd better damned well get it right this time.

As for badges ("we don't need no stinking badges"), well being a conservative(little 'c') old fart, I like the winged wheels. Yet speaking to some people who'd only just joined the CTC last night, they seemed to really like the 'new' badge, but didn't understand the winged wheel. They also remarked as to how crap the survey was!
Mark1978
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Re: It's all in the name - Cyclists' TOURING club

Post by Mark1978 »

I thought it was just for people doing Coast To Coast ;)
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admin
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Re: It's all in the name - Cyclists' TOURING club

Post by admin »

I think the problem is that the CTC is trying to be two different things, that have limited overlap:

A) A club for people like me who enjoy cycle touring (i.e. riding for pleasure on rides longer than 5 miles at a time), providing information (e.g. LEJoG advice) and local groups where you can meet other like-minded cyclists and go on rides with them. This is a club not only for cyclists, but for keen cyclists. A club that campaigns for the continuation of the right to ride on public carriageways, mainly focussed on those country lanes that we so enjoy touring along.

B) A national charity campaigning for "cycling" in its broadest sense, for people like me who want to use bicycles purely for local transport. This sort of organisation isn't a "club" and people on bicycles who aren't "cyclists" aren't going to join a club anyway, no more than they'd join a club for people who walk for local transport. A charity that campaigns for off-carriageway motor-free cycleways that anyone from the age of 8 to 80 can comfortably use, mainly focussed on urban environments and short trips.

The historical CTC is the former, catering for keen cyclists with the winged wheel logo, a strong club identity, the winged wheel hospitality accreditation scheme for cyclists on multi-day tours, route advice, foreign touring advice.

The new CTC is the latter, catering for MTB riders as well as touring cyclists, having a modern logo, being a charity rather than a club, offering cycle training, and generally attempting to appeal to people who don't yet ride bicycles but would like to.

Both types of organisation are very much needed, but they don't seem to overlap as much as one might think (the old structure of club and charity as separate legal entities seemed to fit the bill perfectly, but that's history now).

I wonder whether a new CTC with a distinct "Touring" section would be the solution, rather like the Camping and Caravanning Club with its The Association of Lightweight Campers as a specialist-interest section.

Perhaps "The Cyclists' Association" (something that local councils often call us anyway!) as the parent charitable organisation with modern logo, and "The CTC" as a club for touring cyclists with the historic winged wheel?
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al_yrpal
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Re: It's all in the name - Cyclists' TOURING club

Post by al_yrpal »

When I have been on rides on road and on MTBs I have never ever spoken to other cycle tourists, they don't seem to exist in these groups. The only tourers I have interacted with have been on this forum. I think that aspect of the forum is great. Us tourists tend to be solitary individuals anyway, or like me tour with a pal or two.

As for the name I think it ought to be kept and a modern take on the winged wheel would be great.

No organisation can possibly encompas all aspects of cycling. Personally I wish cycle commuters had their own organisation and forum.

I could smell the 'agenda' in the survey...

Al
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meic
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Re: It's all in the name - Cyclists' TOURING club

Post by meic »

At the risk of being (even more) shunned by my peers, I dont think that touring cyclists are numerous enough to go alone.

Cycling is better served by having a larger unified cycling club and voice. In view of that it is quite reasonable for the CTC to drop the touring part of its name. The club has evolved from its touring roots to cover a wider range of cyclists who have over the years out numbered and replaced the original tourists.

The magazine has clearly moved on with touring bikes getting no more attention than MTBs or race machines.

A name more like the unified Cycling Club or just the Cycling Club would do fine. However we arent a club anymore.

The reality is that the Cycle TOURING Club doesnt exist in any more than its name now, and I am not sure if its name still exists.

I would like to be a member of a Touring Cyclists' Club but I accept that no such thing exists any more and I am willing to accept the reality of being in a general cycling club/Charity which is more diverse and just having my own sub-section on a forum, occasional articles in the mag and being insured out on the road.

I could smell the 'agenda' in the survey...


Yes, it was a rather strong smell.
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Mark1978
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Re: It's all in the name - Cyclists' TOURING club

Post by Mark1978 »

It does seem however that the CTC has taken up the banner for the 'ordinary' cyclist. i.e. Not racing cyclists or those with 10 pages of KOMs.
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BeeKeeper
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Re: It's all in the name - Cyclists' TOURING club

Post by BeeKeeper »

There are lots of examples of organisations which are known simply by their initials: AA, RAC, BBC etc and normally people don't really bother about what the letters stand for. The RAC for example is now owned by a private equity company and therefore can hardly be called "Royal" but nevertheless they keep the R in their name.

I used to belong to the IEE - Institution of Electrical Engineers which had a history dating back to Michael Faraday then a few years ago they changed their name to the Institution of Engineering Technology (IET) on the basis the original name no longer adequately described what members did, which now included computing and manufacturing. I must confess I voted for the name change at the time but I now believe it was a mistake. Say to someone you are a member of IET and they still look blank but IEE they recognise.

So my vote would be to stay with CTC even if touring is no longer its main theme because if you change the name you risk losing the history and established reputation which an organisation which has been around a 100+ years should be able to lay claim to. For example, the BBC might think that here in the digital age they should change their name to something like Digital Media Services but that would be a mistake*. The BBC is a very well established brand and unless it was irretrievably damaged (e.g. like the News of the World newspaper) they should stick with it and so should the CTC.

*If for no other reason than the first pair of boots I was issued with when I joined the Army were called DMS - stood for Directly Moulded Sole I think.
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