The Cross Canada Cycle Tour Society December 2017, Volume 34, Issue #12
President’s Report John Pringle
“Times They Are a Changin’”
The November ‘17 President’s Report (November Newsbrief) discussed approaches the Board will introduce to membership at the AGM in an attempt to enhance tour leader numbers. They included increased financial compensation for the tour leader, i.e. two tour fees, and the ability for tour leaders of do-it yourself tours to choose 30% of the tours participants. A long-time CCCTS member and currently an active member of BAC (Bicycle Adventure Club of San Diego, CA) responded to the Board’s suggested changes. She began by stating that, “I see the Exec is finally considering giving the tour leader more control over trip participants.” In her critique both Clubs’ tour leaders’ powers to select tour participants were compared and contrasted. Bottom line for BAC; “Ride leader (synonymous to a CCCTS tour leader) has absolute control over everything. Especially over…” the creation of the tour’s “… participant list.” This is in marked contrast to that used by CCCTS where tour participants are chosen by a “first-come-first-served” approach (soon to become a lottery) for all participants, but two, whom the tour leader can identify as having special skills (mapping, budgeting, etc.) required to enhance the trip’s success. And the rational for these two selectees must be discussed with, and approved by, the Tours Director. “For BAC, it is not a matter of feel good or fairness … it is about having good successful rides …” about having “… a happy ride leader who wants to do more (lead more) rides.” And a happy ride leader is one who has “… no problem riders to hamper the ride …”
The critic gave the CCCTS Board low marks for our current proposal to allow our tour leaders to personally choose about one-third of a tours complement of riders. Why not all tour participants you wonder? This approach was tried in the past, and too often tour leaders were accused, possibly unfairly, of bias.
The scribe concludes that our new selection process “… does not come close …” to BAC; “… it does not allow the leader to ‘gong’ or not accept any particular participant.” In fact we do, but it’s not so straight forward and takes more work. A CCCTS tour leader is urged to match each selected applicant’s physical strength and ridership skills to the tour’s rating i.e. “leisurely” to “strenuous”. Match failure can be presented by the tour leader to the Club’s Tours Director in an attempt to remove the candidate from the tour’s participation list. For a Club seeking harmony, this can be a most disharmonious process.
BAC judges success of their approach by the metric that they have “… more members seeking rides than rides available …” We too have filled tours, but we need more tours, hence our decision to ‘loosen the reins’, thereby giving tour leaders more power to actively select tour participants, and as well, to enhance the tour leader’s financial remunerations.
In summary, the critic is correct; CCCTS does have more “checks and balances” compared to BAC’s approach to choosing tour participants. And maybe we’ve been too careful in our attempt to be egalitarian, as the Board has recently concluded. We’re seeking answers. We hope to modify the Club’s approach. But we don’t want to throw the ‘baby out with the bath water’. Club harmony is an important criterion.
But what risk does our more objective system have in selecting problematic tour participants? We don’t know. The BAC supporter put it very simply; the percentage of problem participants in the club’s roster is “… very low…” Nevertheless, BAC has concluded that one problem rider is one too many, and has thus given their ride leaders tools to “… ensure such problem riders do not get on the ride.”
What selection tools then does BAC provide their ride leaders to fairly assess a tour participant? Our correspondent provides a glimpse at these and they are, in part, the candidates ability to:
- Ride at tour pace;
- Ride in traffic; and
- Self-support i.e. fix flats, carry gear, etc.
I suspect the BAC kit is larger than these criteria; much larger if they truly want to exclude all problematic participants. Interestingly, CCCTS tour leaders have access to those listed above. Ours are not as succinctly spelled out, but they exist. And these three really don’t require an all-powerful tour leader to wield an autocratic hammer; they are really just common-sense-based skills/abilities that are being judged.
One criterion that BAC must have, and one I thought was in our guidelines, but on closer inspection is so softly written that it would be difficult to parse out: It deals with those so rare of club members that have personality or mental health disorders. These members can indeed cause some grief. But how much is too much grief? The line between a tolerant club and one that is intolerant can be mighty thin and difficult to discern. Clubs all seek harmonious tours. We are all seeking some measure of tolerance. I will seek out a BAC Director to learn how they measure their success in drawing this ‘line in the sand’; in discerning this more difficult criterion.
A 13th C Persian Sunni poet Jalaluddin Rumi (known simply as “Rumi”) suggests a way:
“Somewhere between right and wrong there is a garden. I will meet you there.”
Our in-house critic, who’s such a passionate supporter of BAC (our goal should be to have such supporters), goes on to note that BAC “… has a body of protocols … accumulated over 30 plus years of history as a club”. We do too; our “CCCTS Tour Guidelines for Leaders and Participants” is available on our website. These were originally crafted by Dan McGuire and Chris Hodgson, and rewritten by Larry Weldon and me in 2014; they are now out of date again. We will revisit these guidelines with one goal being that of making clear the Club’s policy for selecting tour participants.
Thank you to our critic. You gave much food for thought. A warm fire you lit. That is good.
Be generous: Be thoughtful: Be Merry; over the festive Christmas period and beyond.
Welcome New Members
| Helena | Munro | Surrey | BC |
| Michelle | Hamilton | Kelowna | BC |
| Alan | Meakes | Brentwood Bay | BC |
| Bill | Whelen | Vancouver | BC |
| Afra | Lindquist | Kelowna | BC |
| Kathe | Gerber | Victoria | BC |
| Peter | Gerber | Victoria | BC |
Upcoming Tours
Upcoming Hub and Spoke
CHRISTMAS IN VICTORIA
Join your CCCTS Friends for a
Dinner & Dance
Place: Cedar Hill Golf Club
1400 Derby Rd.
Thursday 7 Dec. 2017
Happy Hour 6 PM
Dance 8 PM……….
with Gary Preston & the Kingmixers
Ticket Price $ 35
Tickets go on sale Nov. 1st.
For tickets contact:
Alex Laird 250 384 8398
email alaird212@gmail.com
How to Sell Your Old Bicycle on Craigslist
Tips for selling your old bicycle on Craiglist or other online classified websites.
Written by: Andrea Bennett
There comes a time when you may be ready to sell your trusty current bike and purchase something better suited to your current cycling needs.
Most reputable used bike shops won’t buy used bikes – high rates of bike theft in cities makes it more of a hassle than it’s worth – so you’ll probably need to sell your bike yourself. Online classifieds, like Craigslist, are a great venue to connect with potential buyers.
Below, I will walk you through exactly what you need to do to sell your bike so that you and your buyer both get a fair deal. If you are unfamiliar with some of the terms used below, this handy bicycle part reference guide can help.
Define the Bicycle Style You are Selling
Mountain bikes have relaxed frame geometry, flat bars, and 26” wheels, and may also have front shocks or dual suspension. Road bikes have more aggressive frame geometry, drop bars, and either 700c or 27” wheels. Bikes with mixte frames also fit into the road bike category, though are sometimes called city bikes or cruisers. Hybrids meet in the middle – newer models often have 700c wheels and flat handlebars. City Bikes (known as cruisers in some areas, town bikes in others) have relaxed geometry, step-through or loop frames, and handlebars that sweep back toward the rider.
List the Frame Size
For all bikes, the frame measurement usually hinges on measuring the seat tube, which is often where sizing will be posted unless the sticker has been removed. If there is no size displayed you can get an accurate measurement with a tape measure. Start at the the middle of the crankset and stretch the tape upwards to the top of the seat tube. Hold the tape measure out from the frame at the top of the seat tube to adjust for the distance the crankset has displaced the measure.
Make, Model, and Parts
Unless your bike has been repainted, or is quite old, you should be able to take a look at the frame and figure out the brand of the bike. The model name will also be included somewhere on the bike.
If the bike is a recent model, the brand’s website may also be a handy guide to help figure out some of the highlights of the bike. To attract buyers who know what they are looking for, be specific about the parts on your bike such as brakes, hubs, crankset, and derailleurs as well as fenders, racks, and chainguard. If this information isn’t available or you are uncertain of the part names, you can compromise by listing the type of parts and number of gears.
List the Bike’s Condition
It’s a good idea to take your bike in for an assessment before you sell it. Most bike shops will do an assessment for free. A community or co-op bike shop can assess your bike, recommend fixes, and walk you through what you need to do. Retail bike shops also provide an assessment for free, but the work will cost a bit more and you won’t get your hands dirty.
Ask the mechanic what work should be done right away, if any, to make sure the bike is in rideable shape for your buyer; take note of any additional recommended maintenance, and communicate this in your Craigslist posting.
Take Clear Photos
Aim to post around six photos that allow potential buyers to see the full bike as well as close-ups of the front and rear brakes, cranks, freewheel/cassette, brake levers, and shifters. Make sure the lighting is good and the pictures are clear, and try to take the pictures outdoors, or in front of a clean, light-colored wall.
List Your Asking Price
When pricing your bike, consider what you paid for the bike, the condition that it’s in, the demand for bikes in your area, and the relative popularity of the style of bike that you’re selling. Handsome old city bikes generally fetch an aesthetic premium, whereas a good-quality old mountain bike may fetch you a little less.
Finally, as with all Craigslist interactions, only post a bike when you’ve got time to sell it, and be conscious of your safety. To make sure an enterprising Craigslister doesn’t just ride your bike away and never come back, you can ask to hold their jacket or their bag.
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Ever wonder why with all those flashing lights and high visibility vests, motorists sometimes appear to see right through you. Check out this URL.
http://www.slobc.org/safety/documents/road-survival-guide.pdf
Newsbrief
Published at least ten times a year by The Cross Canada Cycle Tour Society, a non – profit organization for retired people and others who enjoy recreational cycling.
Items for the NEWSBRIEF must be received by the 28th of the month. The Editor reserves the right to edit for clarity, brevity and suitability of publication. The views expressed in the “NEWSBRIEF” are not necessarily those of the CCCTS or the Editor.
Submissions for NEWSBRIEF should be emailed to derailler@gmail.com
Please be sure to notify the office of any changes in your personal contact information; be it address, phone or e-mail.