Definitely not a rival club to Plymouth's other clubs!
Normally when I come up with some idea for our store I don’t feel the need to explain myself particularly, usually it either sinks or swims and I take that as an indication as to whether something is a good idea or not.
Rockets Riders Club is our new riding community. For want of a better description it’s basically a cycling club and it’s registered and insured like cycling clubs are so I may as well ‘fess up and just call it a club. Since we opened we have been long and loyal fans of Plymouth Corinthian CC, it’s Plymouth’s oldest and best cycling club and we’ll continue to be long and loyal fans of the club just like we’re fans of all of the clubs in and around Plymouth; Yogi Cycling, Essa, St Budeaux CC and some of the cool little clubs and teams that visit our cafe as well as the really big ones.
So have we created a “rival club”
Well I may as well say it because if someone hasn’t said it already then I suspect they have thought it. Our intention isn’t to start a rival club, actually I probably should have done this from day one, stores all over the UK have built cool riding communities around them. I held back because I didn’t want Rockets and Rascals to be the disruptors of the local cycling scene at a time when it was undergoing a lot of change - I wanted to help it grow. Five years ago Plymouth Corinthian CC had less than twenty members, we disbanded our Shred Racing Team and joined the club to try to help the Chairman, Adrian Sluman, stop it from vanishing all together - now it has well over one hundred and twenty members. I’m not responsible for this but the work on improving the club’s brand and kit and also adding a little energy into the mix has hopefully helped establish the club as the best place for racing cyclists in Plymouth and what a place it's proved to be. Now that I am confident that the club is number one, and will remain so, I don’t think it hurts for us to try and make a community that could perhaps become number two.
Rockets Riders Club is really only the legitimising of something that already exists, our core of Saturday morning riders that for the most part don’t currently belong to any club or don’t really feel like they want to be part of a racing club either. It’s not really about racing, it’s more about fun and meeting new people. Sure the kit looks good, yes it’s expensive and no we won’t do a cheaper version and of course you don’t have to have the kit to be a member. You also don’t have to own a bike from our store or feel bad if you turn up with your wheels from Wiggle, well maybe not that last one.
In short our club is about putting on a good show, enjoying riding nice bikes, having fun, not being too serious, hopefully showing some new people the ropes and it may also bring a few new people into the store, which for an independent bike store like ours is crucial to our survival. We’re certain it’ll further enrich the cycling fabric of Plymouth in a different way but it's harmless and fun. Join our club, join two clubs it's all good for the city.
To join up follow the link to the Rockets Riders Club