BC membership up

PH
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Re: BC membership up

Post by PH »

meic wrote:I cant manage a search of rides on the CTC site!
How do you do a search for rides within 30 miles of Carmarthen?

The CUK rides list is open to all the groups, both member and affiliated. it's simple to update, but most don't, instead they link their own websites from the groups page. The group I help publicise only list the events (Open to all riders) though our website analytics show we have a fair few click through from our group page (More since the name change...)
Searching groups 30 miles within Carmarthen, brings up the below and six of the eight have further information and links

PEMBROKESHIRE FREEWHEELERS CTC
SWANSEA AND WEST WALES
CMC ADENTURE
CYCLE SPECIFIC VELO
NARBERTH DYNAMOS CYCLING CLUB
PEMBREY & BURRY PORT CYCLE CLUB
TALARDD CYCLISTS
WHEELRIGHTS

A search on British cycling site with the same criteria brings up-
No Clubs found, within 31 miles from CARMARTHEN

I'm sure that can't be right?
PH
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Re: BC membership up

Post by PH »

Si wrote:Unfortunately the system is very rigid but a review is currently underway to make it more "customer focused".

I hope the rides list doesn't disappear in the review, I think there's a need for such a list and it should be open to all, it replicates the whats on listings in the local paper that many clubs used to use in the days when we all read such things.
It'd be nice to see some co-operation in producing such a list but I'm not optimistic. We don't even seem able to do it on a local level, If our CTC group has a new rider who we're not really catering for we'll happily point them towards another club that is, it doesn't seem to be reciprocated.
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mjr
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Re: BC membership up

Post by mjr »

PH wrote:
Si wrote:Unfortunately the system is very rigid but a review is currently underway to make it more "customer focused".

I hope the rides list doesn't disappear in the review, I think there's a need for such a list and it should be open to all, it replicates the whats on listings in the local paper that many clubs used to use in the days when we all read such things.
It'd be nice to see some co-operation in producing such a list but I'm not optimistic. We don't even seem able to do it on a local level, If our CTC group has a new rider who we're not really catering for we'll happily point them towards another club that is, it doesn't seem to be reciprocated.

What more co-operation is needed? Maybe some way to embed it or search it (RSS feeds?) so that listing groups can add it to their site more easily, but to their credit HSBCUKBC have already made this service open to all.

I hope that the review will make the system easier to use. It's a bit clunky, starting from the "Create A Ride" being under "My Profile" and not "Ride Admin" and continuing in that manner. I don't list all our group's rides on it because it's so time-consuming to do. It asks for so many details which have to be looked up and entered manually every time because they don't appear on the list that I get from our group's scheduler. Rides can only be entered as a series if they follow one of a limited number of patterns, which ours don't because many are day tours to events and things like that. There's no way to upload rides or create several at once.

And I feel BC's obsession with helmet-pushing shines through in that "Create A Ride" only offers pictures of helmet-wearers - even in the picture where they're all sat around a cafe table - and "Upload an Image" fails every time, while another part of the form encourages admins to at least advise riders to wear helmets.
MJR, mostly pedalling 3-speed roadsters. KL+West Norfolk BUG incl social easy rides http://www.klwnbug.co.uk
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PH
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Re: BC membership up

Post by PH »

mjr wrote:What more co-operation is needed? Maybe some way to embed it or search it (RSS feeds?) so that listing groups can add it to their site more easily, but to their credit HSBCUKBC have already made this service open to all.

I was thinking along the lines of it being co-hosted and publicised, rather than as is at present a BC facility open to all. The problem with the latter of course is that it can be changed or withdrawn at any time, he who pays the piper...
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Re: BC membership up

Post by mjr »

PH wrote:
mjr wrote:What more co-operation is needed? Maybe some way to embed it or search it (RSS feeds?) so that listing groups can add it to their site more easily, but to their credit HSBCUKBC have already made this service open to all.

I was thinking along the lines of it being co-hosted and publicised, rather than as is at present a BC facility open to all. The problem with the latter of course is that it can be changed or withdrawn at any time, he who pays the piper...

I don't see how being co-hosted protects against that. It would just mean that BC and CUK or whoever would have to agree to change or withdraw it. I think the way to protect against that would be to federate the web service.
MJR, mostly pedalling 3-speed roadsters. KL+West Norfolk BUG incl social easy rides http://www.klwnbug.co.uk
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Si
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Re: BC membership up

Post by Si »

The clunkiness of it has been recognised - dunno if it will improve, but I believe that I'm probably the biggest single user of the site in the country (I put on up to 12 rides/events per week on it) and I have tried to highlight problems. My solution has been to create my own website that lists all of my rides with links directly to the ride on LetsRide. Obviously not ideal.

Regarding the pictures on the site....this has improved a little - when I started on it it just showed fit white people in lycra on drop handlebar bikes. The pic that now comes up when I open it has people in 'normal'ish clothes, children are involved, and the two adult riders are helmet-less. The leader still has to wear a helmet under BC rules....also notice the leader is shaped like a normal person not a honed athlete.

https://media.letsride.co.uk/image/32ae ... e/1920/500

The pics under that have a selection of helmeted and helmetless riders, virtually no hi-viz, kids, and one or two token brown faces (as my colleague, who runs women's a only cycle club predominantly made up of Muslim ladies, would say).

...and to save you the trouble - yes, that child should have their helmet on properly if they are going to wear one!!!!
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mjr
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Re: BC membership up

Post by mjr »

Si wrote:Regarding the pictures on the site....this has improved a little - when I started on it it just showed fit white people in lycra on drop handlebar bikes. The pic that now comes up when I open it has people in 'normal'ish clothes, children are involved, and the two adult riders are helmet-less. The leader still has to wear a helmet under BC rules....also notice the leader is shaped like a normal person not a honed athlete.

That's far better than any of the images it offers me, but I would be remiss if I didn't mention the usual objection of my colleagues that they all appear to be able-bodied riders on upright diamond-framed bikes, rather than reflecting the diversity of our community (and our group, for that matter).

I've just discovered that it will let me replace the photos with an uploaded one in the "Edit My Ride" screen, even though it won't let me upload one during "Create My Ride" (red error every time that way) :roll:

Some sort of "Help" or "Support" forum would be a big improvement to the site, if you have their ear...
MJR, mostly pedalling 3-speed roadsters. KL+West Norfolk BUG incl social easy rides http://www.klwnbug.co.uk
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Si
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Re: BC membership up

Post by Si »

You'll also notice that if you try to copy a ride it loses the uploaded image so you have to re-upload the one that you created for it. This has been logged.

the images that I refer to in my last post to are not the ones that you stick on your ride but the ones on the website itself....AFAIK they've not changed the ones available for individual rides, I have always upload my own to reflect the clientèle that I serve.
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Re: BC membership up

Post by Marcus Aurelius »

100%JR wrote:
meic wrote:If they drop helmet compulsion when doing so then that would be a good idea.
If they accept helmet compulsion when doing so then that would be a bad idea, but on the bright side it would save me almost £50 a year. :)

There is no helmet compulsion with BC.You are quite free to join whether you wear one or not :wink:

The lid compulsion is for leaders, not participants.
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Re: BC membership up

Post by mattheus »

Marcus Aurelius wrote:
100%JR wrote:
meic wrote:If they drop helmet compulsion when doing so then that would be a good idea.
If they accept helmet compulsion when doing so then that would be a bad idea, but on the bright side it would save me almost £50 a year. :)

There is no helmet compulsion with BC.You are quite free to join whether you wear one or not :wink:

The lid compulsion is for leaders, not participants.


That's a pretty strong message to send, whilst avoiding being charged with forcing helmets on riders!

( Can they possibly blame insurance for that one?? :-/ )
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meic
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Re: BC membership up

Post by meic »

Marcus Aurelius wrote:
100%JR wrote:
meic wrote:If they drop helmet compulsion when doing so then that would be a good idea.
If they accept helmet compulsion when doing so then that would be a bad idea, but on the bright side it would save me almost £50 a year. :)

There is no helmet compulsion with BC.You are quite free to join whether you wear one or not :wink:

The lid compulsion is for leaders, not participants.

You inhabit a different world to me then.
For the next year I can only find one ride within 30 miles that doesnt have lid compulsion for participants. As I have something between my legs, I cant do that ride, so they ALL have lid compulsion for this participant.
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Si
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Re: BC membership up

Post by Si »

Sounds curious - I've never seen a HSBC Guided Ride or Breeze ride stating that lids much be worn by riders - could you put a link up to one of the ones near you please? (I'm not doubting what you say - I'd just like to have a look at one to see exactly what they are saying)

Of course RideSocial can compel people to wear lids but RideSocial are not BC rides - they are just people using the BC resource to list their rides.
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Re: BC membership up

Post by meic »

Here from the link I posted earlier.
https://www.letsride.co.uk/rides/belate ... thday-bash
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Re: BC membership up

Post by mjr »

meic wrote:Here from the link I posted earlier.
https://www.letsride.co.uk/rides/belate ... thday-bash

That's unusual - from what I'd heard before, Breeze leaders usually kept the helmet-forcing notices off the BC site and enforced it in person (sometimes obliquely warning that they require you to pass a safety check or similar) because BC would tell them off if it was written down anywhere. It was normally clear from the pictures of the group that you'd be expected to use one to fit in.
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Re: BC membership up

Post by Steady rider »

https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/ ... rimination
and article 9 relate to cycle helmet use,
none users believe in cycling without a helmet, article 9 applies.
Article 14 applies in other people are discriminating against none wearers, insisting they wear one to take part.
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