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

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

Post by Mr. Viking »

I joined the CTC because I had heard the initials and that it was a non-racing oriented club. Most of my cycling is commuting or going to the shops, with the occasional longer ride and a single tour (I do plan to change that at some point). I think that the non-racing aspect is something valuable and it is worth building on and engaging everyday cyclists like myself who aren't necessarily serious tourists
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Si
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Re: It's all in the name - Cyclists' TOURING club

Post by Si »

BeeKeeper wrote: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.


Differnece is though,those organisations are so big and have already got their identity so well publicised that they don't need anything else - say "BBC" to maybe 95% of the population and they know exactly what you are talking about. CTC, on the other hand, doesn't mean anything to even 1% of the population....thus you then need to spend time explaining what it is.
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Re: It's all in the name - Cyclists' TOURING club

Post by Vorpal »

Recognition is, IMO, a serious issue for the CTC, but it is a marketing issue.

It doesn't matter what the CTC calls itself, or what the brand refresh is, if the marketing effort and investment remains the same.
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Keith
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Re: It's all in the name - Cyclists' TOURING club

Post by Keith »

As secretary of a member group, I am keenly aware of where our activists come from. About 15% of our 1,000+ members take part in some form or other of leisure riding with our group in the course of the year. I have tried various means of contacting the 'other 85%' but with very little response. All the 'activitists' that I know have, at some time, been out on a club ride. I accept that, for many reasons, club rides or events are not everyone's choice (age, family commitments, location, health etc) and that the CTC offers other services which they no doubt value, but the crucial point is that active support for cycling comes from our tourist riders. These people are often very experienced cyclists and their opinions matter. I am as keen as anyone to campaign for better facilities and the rights of cyclists on the roads, but touring, in all its forms from half day rides near home to crossing continents, is at the heart of cycling and this club is the natural home for tourists. Let us not forget them.
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Mick F
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Re: It's all in the name - Cyclists' TOURING club

Post by Mick F »

mark a. wrote:
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.
It doesn't need fixing, it needs reverting to what it once was. The Cyclists' Touring Club.
Mick F. Cornwall
geocycle
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Re: It's all in the name - Cyclists' TOURING club

Post by geocycle »

I don't think the name is is the problem, rather the diffuse and confused mission. As well as the two areas mentioned above by Admin, we also support a race team now. The rise of Sustrans, British Cycling and city cycling organisations has squeezed CTC. In my view it reverts to a touring club as Mick suggests or forms a coalition with these other groups to best represent the needs of cycling in Britain.
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Mick F
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Re: It's all in the name - Cyclists' TOURING club

Post by Mick F »

Yep.
Revert the CTC to what it was, and form new (affiliated?) organisations to do the other stuff.
Mick F. Cornwall
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Si
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Re: It's all in the name - Cyclists' TOURING club

Post by Si »

Thing is, it was never just a touring club - it has always campaigned for cyclists' rights - that was why it was set up. Imagine that you want to go off on a tour, you've planned a nice route out but then you get to a certain road you find that it's just been turned into a super-fast DC with no thought for cyclists - this has ruined a beautiful tour...you ring up the CTC to help you get something done for cyclists using this route.....does this make the CTC a touring club or a campaigning organisation? I would say the latter. Even on the local level the DAs, Sections and now MGs have always been heavily involved in campaigning from the get-go.

As for reverting back to a touring club...problem with this is that everyone's idea of what the golden age of the CTC being a touring club actually consisted of is different, thus without qualification the statement is pretty meaningless.

And, to make things even more complicated, the nature of what a touring cyclist is has changed dramatically. Some would have only those who pack their panniers and ride off from their front door for a week's camping, others would include credit card tourers, then the question of whether we accept 'day tourers', and then we have the off road tourers (MTBers), etc etc. If we are only talking about the traditional tourer with tent strapped to the back of their 531st galaxy, it'd make more sense to kick them out of the CTC, there being so few of them, and let them start their own club (which, after all, is what some of them keep threatening).
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Re: It's all in the name - Cyclists' TOURING club

Post by al_yrpal »

It's a shame that a separate club has evolved for competitive riding. Seems to me that everyone on a bike has an interest in improving the countrys infrastructure for cycling. In reality the DA's ( I know!) Rides could be described losely as touring, the mtbers too, so the active members are being true to the original idea. But, I think the purpose of the survey might be "how do we put the CTC on the map?" And the survey implies that a name change could help?

I think the following might be the answer:

1. Find a very effective new press officer and employ a decent PR outfit to raise the profile of CTC.

2. Get the president to move over and get Paxman, Boris or Clarkson in.

3. Raise the CTC profile with some very well publicised national events and events involving families.

Loose the name and loose a significant portion of that 85%. I agree with Mick there. I think us tourists and weekend riders should add our voices to the campaign to get better facilities for commuters and those who want to do more journeys by bike.

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

Post by eddie »

Cant help but agree, everyone know of the CTC, even if they don't know much about us. It's already a recognized " brand" if we change it we become an unknown until the new name becomes as well known, the instant recognition is gone, all we do is waste time and effort. This would seem to be another move by those that think touring should not be at the root of our club, but it is,it's where the club started from. We are a broad church and can accommodate most, but we forget our roots at our peril. I agree with mick, if it's not broke don't fix it.
I cant think of a form of cycling that is not represented in our ranks, what is it they want us to become?
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meic
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Re: It's all in the name - Cyclists' TOURING club

Post by meic »

I think that everyone knows about the CTC is pushing it. The first I knew about it was when my son bought home a leaflet and asked to do the CTC Cymru cycling weekend. I reckon that not many non-cyclists know about the CTC.

Though not many cyclists even know what AUK is. :lol:
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Re: It's all in the name - Cyclists' TOURING club

Post by Vorpal »

I like the winged wheel. To me it, represents the CTC far better than the modern logo. I see the wings as representing the things the CTC does:
-campaigning
-grass roots development of cycling
-touring and cycling activities

They are clearly tied together, and they are all necessary. I don't think that the CTC needs to refresh it brand. I don't think that the CTC should undergo an expensive rebranding or image makeover.

I think the CTC needs to do a better job of selling what it already is, and not just to cyclists.
“In some ways, it is easier to be a dissident, for then one is without responsibility.”
― Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom
whiskywheels
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Re: It's all in the name - Cyclists' TOURING club

Post by whiskywheels »

We need a national cycling organisation that represents and promotes all cycling, from racing through to popping down the shops. CTC isn't really a name that reflects what it's trying to do.
Mark1978
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Re: It's all in the name - Cyclists' TOURING club

Post by Mark1978 »

whiskywheels wrote:We need a national cycling organisation that represents and promotes all cycling, from racing through to popping down the shops. CTC isn't really a name that reflects what it's trying to do.


But it's a name steeped in tradition and means more than "Cycling UK" or some other bland name.
mark a.
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Re: It's all in the name - Cyclists' TOURING club

Post by mark a. »

Mick F wrote:
mark a. wrote:
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.
It doesn't need fixing, it needs reverting to what it once was. The Cyclists' Touring Club.


In other words, it needs fixing. :lol:
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