Membership FAQ

Here are the answers to some of the questions you might have about membership.

Do I have to join?

You can ride with us up to three times as a guest. After that, you’ll need to become a member if you want to continue riding with us. We have to charge for membership because it’s a requirement of our Organiser’s Liability Insurance. Membership is £15 per year except for U23s, who can join for free.

What can I do if I join?

If you join the Wheelers, you can:

  • Join any of our rides (providing you are at least 12 years old)

  • Buy and wear the club kit (top, shorts, etc)

  • Represent the club in open races organised under the rules of bodies such as Cycling Time Trials, TLI Cycling, LVRC and British Cycling (you may have to pay a licence fee to the relevant organisation), and

  • Attend our Annual General Meeting to have a say in the way the club is run.

If you want to race for another cycling club, you can still join us a second claim member. If you don’t ride a bike, you can join as a social member.

What does it cost to join?

If you are aged 23 or over, membership is £15 a year. If you are under 23, it’s free.

Our membership year is January to December. If you join on or before 30th September, you still pay £15 for membership until 31st December. If you join on or after 1st October, you get membership for the next year as well for no extra money.

If you are aged 12 or over and want to join any of our rides, you’ll need to have and maintain third party insurance. We can arrange this for you when you join as a new member (in association with Cycling UK).

Do I get discounts in bike shops and elsewhere?

The following businesses kindly give discounts to club members.

  • Ride + Repair, Macclesfield - 10% off all repairs and servicing.

  • Rick Green Cycles, Handforth - 10% off manufacturer’s published prices.

  • Cycle Centre, Congleton - take your membership card and ask.

  • Pedalcover - 10% discount off all insurance policies including Home & Bike Insurance and Cycling Travel Insurance. You will need to quote a unique club reference on Pedalcover’s website or when calling for a quote. This is available from our general secretary simon.g2@macclesfieldwheelers.org.uk

If you don’t have a membership card and would like one, you can collect one from a ride leader on your next ride or from our membership secretary at richard.thomas.maccwheelers@gmail.com

Can you tell me how to fix my bike?

One of the benefits of joining a cycling club is that there are plenty of people to help you diagnose that mysterious squeak or give you tips about repairs and maintenance.

Can you give me any advice about buying a bike?

We can’t give specific recommendations but many members have a wealth of experience and may be more than happy to give you anecdotal advice. 

Are there any triathletes in the club?

We’re proud to have several triathletes in the club, with more women than men currently competing (across all distances, up to Full Ironman). And we have several more members who run as well as cycle.

If you’re a triathlete for whom cycling isn’t your first discipline, you’ll find joining a cycling club should really help. There are many aspects of cycling technique that can be improved with practice, or learned from experienced riders, such as riding position, pedaling style, cornering, hill-climbing techniques and best use of gearing.

I like riding Sportives; will joining a cycling club help?

Definitely! While the club doesn't organise Sportives, many members ride them. Joining us will help improve your cycling technique, such as riding position, pedalling style, cornering, hill-climbing techniques and best use of gearing, as well as your confidence at riding in a group.

Do I have to race?

No! Although the Wheelers have a strong racing heritage with national and international champions within our ranks, we are definitely not purely a racing club. Many of our members have never raced and have no intention of ever doing so, while others with a racing background are now content to take things more slowly. If you join the Wheelers, you'll find a huge depth of cycling experience of all branches of the sport going back over many years.

Do I have to help out at events?

We depend on volunteers to enable us to promote races and other activities and, if you join us, we'll encourage you to help in whatever way you can, perhaps by marshalling at a race (don't worry we'll explain what to do) or pouring cups of tea at the race HQ. We like all members to volunteer for at least one event a year if possible, but of course there's no maximum.

How do you keep in touch with members?

The calendar on this website lists all our events including regular rides, specials, time trials and races. We also announce most of these on both our Facebook pages (one public and one for members only) and on our Twitter feed @FoolsNook. If you join us, we'll also contact you by email.

Further questions?

If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch. We hope you’ll enjoy being a member of Macclesfield Wheelers as much as we do.