# Bike Clubs in Northern New Jersey



## Princeton_Tiger (Dec 5, 2009)

Hello,

I'm returning to New Jersey after living overseas for a couple years, and I'm anxious to get back into cycling. I'm living in Piscataway, which isn't a great area for riding, so I expect that I'll be packing up the bike and driving to less congested areas, like Somerset & Hunterdon. I'm aware of some of the clubs in the area, such as Central Jersey Bike Club, Princeton Freewheelers, Morris Area Freewheelers, etc, but I'm not sure if they are my cup of tea. Looking at the pictures of their rides on their websites they look like an AARP convention. I'm 31 y/o and in pretty decent shape, and I'd like to ride with a group closer to my own age. Or am I mis-judging these clubs? Any suggestions? Thanks.


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## RJP Diver (Jul 2, 2010)

Princeton_Tiger said:


> I'm 31 y/o and in pretty decent shape, and I'd like to ride with a group closer to my own age. Or am I mis-judging these clubs? Any suggestions? Thanks.


I'd ride with some of these "AARP" folks before deciding they are not for you. 

I'm 47yo (not yet AARP age) but if you can keep up with me for 75-100mi through Somerset/Hunterdon county you're welcome to ride with me. (I don't mind riding with people who are younger than I am... as long as they don't mind being dropped.)

:thumbsup:


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## BethLikesBikes (Nov 28, 2010)

Maybe look into some of the local shop rides...Liberty Cycles, High Road, Marty's. My husband and I live and ride in Hunterdon and we're your age. We're always happy to ride with others.


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## robdamanii (Feb 13, 2006)

If you're into the racing scene, try CRCoA. MAF is a pretty good looking group. Steer clear of Western Jersey Wheelmen.


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## Bee-an-key (May 5, 2007)

It is not the age but the speed. MAFW members tend to be older and the social scene may not be there but there are some fast riders. If you are looking for serious training then look at the teams: Liberty, Colavita, Somerset etc. What speed are you looking to ride at?
MAFW has riders that have Raced all over the world and many that have ridden everywhere. There are some 65 yr old retired guys that ride 10,000 miles a year at 17-18 miles an hour.


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## merckxman (Jan 23, 2002)

robdamanii said:


> Steer clear of Western Jersey Wheelmen.


What happened with this club? Was a great club years ago....


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## robdamanii (Feb 13, 2006)

merckxman said:


> What happened with this club? Was a great club years ago....


The (now former) president drove off all the A riders and many of the B riders. The club calendar is populated almost exclusively with C and D rides, and the current membership is more interested in riding to an ice cream shop or pizza joint than actually riding their bikes.

There is also a fair contingent of them that are flat out dangerous to ride with: no helmets, poor handling skills, and even a specific comment of crashing "anyone who drafts (my) wheel" from one of the board members.

One year with them was more than enough to realize that they are of no interest to me or any other cyclist who wishes to improve their skills and fitness.


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## BethLikesBikes (Nov 28, 2010)

merckxman said:


> What happened with this club? Was a great club years ago....


I hate to slander local bike clubs, but this was the only club I've ever ridden with that made me want to hang up my bike and find a new sport. If you're looking for people to share a beer with, these are your guys. But exercise or training plans? Not so much.


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## AlanE (Jan 22, 2002)

I think it depends on what you are looking for in a bike club. If you are looking to meet riders in your age group, you will be somewhat disappointed. In general, road biking is a male dominated middle-age recreational actiivty. Most clubs look like an AARP convention because many of the members are retired. Myself included. As a result, they tend to cater to the membership and conduct many of their rides during the workweek. Many of them ahve been riding since before you were born, and they are past the point of obsessing about improving their fitness and cycling skills, and could care less about "exercise and training plans". They like to combine some social activity with cycling, which often involves food and beer. That doesn't necessarily mean that they are slow riders, as some of the others have mentioned.

If you are working and mostly looking for weekend rides, then you should check out some of the shop rides that other have mentioned. I would add Highgear in Stirling and Sportspeople in Far Hills (Bedminster Flyers). My biggest gripe with shop rides is that they tend to do the same route over and over, so it gets a bit stale after a while. You can also join a racing team, even if you don't plan on racing, and do their weekend training rides. You just need to buy their team uniform and wear it on every ride so you don't stick out like a sore thumb. You might also look for riding with a triathlon club. Those people are obsessed with exercise and training plans.


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## NJBiker72 (Jul 9, 2011)

BethLikesBikes said:


> Maybe look into some of the local shop rides...Liberty Cycles, High Road, Marty's. My husband and I live and ride in Hunterdon and we're your age. We're always happy to ride with others.


I would add Hilltop in Summit to this list. Fairly young group. Excellent cyclists. Great shop too.


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## robdamanii (Feb 13, 2006)

AlanE said:


> I think it depends on what you are looking for in a bike club. If you are looking to meet riders in your age group, you will be somewhat disappointed. In general, road biking is a male dominated middle-age recreational actiivty. Most clubs look like an AARP convention because many of the members are retired. Myself included. As a result, they tend to cater to the membership and conduct many of their rides during the workweek. Many of them ahve been riding since before you were born, and they are past the point of obsessing about improving their fitness and cycling skills, and could care less about "exercise and training plans". They like to combine some social activity with cycling, which often involves food and beer. That doesn't necessarily mean that they are slow riders, as some of the others have mentioned.
> 
> If you are working and mostly looking for weekend rides, then you should check out some of the shop rides that other have mentioned. I would add Highgear in Stirling and Sportspeople in Far Hills (Bedminster Flyers). My biggest gripe with shop rides is that they tend to do the same route over and over, so it gets a bit stale after a while. You can also join a racing team, even if you don't plan on racing, and do their weekend training rides. You just need to buy their team uniform and wear it on every ride so you don't stick out like a sore thumb. You might also look for riding with a triathlon club. Those people are obsessed with exercise and training plans.


You're right. You don't have to be slow to be interested in food and beer. But we both know the direction WJW has gone. 

The OP won't have anything in common there. He'd be better served with shops, racing teams or CRCoA if he wants some younger crowd.


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## Princeton_Tiger (Dec 5, 2009)

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I look forward to checking out some of these groups, and I'll probably run into some of you eventually (not literally).

AlanE - I sent you a private message.


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## dnmoss (Jun 27, 2008)

Bee-an-key said:


> It is not the age but the speed. MAFW members tend to be older and the social scene may not be there but there are some fast riders. If you are looking for serious training then look at the teams: Liberty, Colavita, Somerset etc. What speed are you looking to ride at?
> MAFW has riders that have Raced all over the world and many that have ridden everywhere. There are some 65 yr old retired guys that ride 10,000 miles a year at 17-18 miles an hour.


It's not the speed but the watts... :idea:


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## dnmoss (Jun 27, 2008)

If you want to race and don't mind driving into NYC, CRCA is great and well run -- they have a number of sub-teams as well as lots of independent racers ranging from Cat 5s to Cat 1s


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