How do I join ACTC?

ACTC is all about fun. New members are always welcome. Come join us! We think you'll enjoy the experience. Yearly dues are $20.00 for an individual membership and $25.00 for a family. Print and mail the Membership Form or contact the membership chair for more information.

What Communication Methods does the Club have?

The Club Newsletter, The Black and Blue Bottom, is published monthly and includes a schedule of rides, club announcements, and a variety of articles pertinent to the club and to cycling. It is mailed to all active club members.

ACTC maintains several different email lists. The most widely subscribed to one is the "elist". To subscribe you must be an active member.

What Club Meetings are Held?

There are several different meetings within ACTC but the one that new members would be most interested in is the monthly General Meeting. It is held the 1st Wednesday of every month at 7:00 PM at the First Congregational Church, 1980 Hamilton (corner Leigh), San Jose. As you get more involved in club activities you might want to join other meetings, such as the monthly mailing party where the newsletter is prepared for mailing to club members.

Does the Club offer any training?

The ACTC Academy is a series of on-bike sessions in order for beginning cyclists to improve their riding skills. Academy Modules are held throughout the year for groups of up to 20 riders.

Does ACTC have any club clothing?

ACTC offers club clothing including jerseys, vests, jackets and other items. Visit the clothing page to purchase online.

What club riders are there and how do I find out about them?

The monthly ride schedule includes all of the club-sponsored rides for the month. There are an average of 150 club rides held each month, which attract an average of 10 riders each. These rides are led by a club member, and cover all levels of difficulty. There are rides suitable for everyone, from the beginning bike rider to the advanced cyclist. Non club members are welcome to join the rides but need to sign the waiver as a non member.

Billy Goats are a group of major hills around the south bay area. Grizzly Bears are a selection of special places, special days, or special rides. Grizzly Bears are generally flatter rides. Mountain Goats are a group of dirt roads and trails (usually with lots of climbing).

Do you keep track of my rides?

Ride Statistics are kept for each club member, showing the rides that were ridden throughout the year. Totals are kept for miles, Billy Goats, Grizzly Bears, and Mountain Goats. This is handled by our club statistician with input from the ride leaders.

Does ACTC offer brevets?

ACTC does not support any brevets but it does have many long distance rides that help train people for ultra distance cycling events.

What Events does ACTC Sponsor?

ACTC is all about fun and therefore sponsors several events. Our two annual events to help raise funds for the club are the Tierra Bella in April, where we support over 2,000 riders on rides that range from 37 to 126 mile routes. In June we put on a 7 day bicycle tour called Sierra to the Sea. Many club members go on the tour as paying guests while some members volunteer to support the tour.

We have many other club events just for ACTC members. Each event has an event chair so if you are interested in participating, you can get more information by contacting the event chair.

What is the best way to travel with a bicycle?

By: Michael McGeough
from the February 2008 Black and Blue Bottom Newsletter

Last year we paid $520.47 (including courtesy discounts) to ship two bicycles via UPS Ground to Asheville, NC, for our Blue Ridge Parkway bicycle tour. Afterwards, I requested advice from the elist as to the best way to travel with a bicycle. This article summarizes much of what I learned: Assume that all airlines will accept a hard-sided bicycle case as oversized baggage. As an example of complications in the airline industry, Delta Airlines will not accept baggage with a total dimension (length + width + height) greater than 80 inches. The ACTC Performance Hard Sided Case measures 96 inches, well over the limit. The Delta web page says they will accept cardboard or canvas sided bike cases; it says nothing about hard-sided cases. I called Delta and learned that their internal policy allows hard-sided cases for a $50 oversized baggage fee. None of this is presented on their web page. I had them make a note in our itinerary to be sure we will be able to check our bikes at the counter to come home.

Points to consider:
• Travel with a Bike Friday or other collapsible bicycle to avoid oversized baggage charges.
• The next cheapest way to take your bike is to check it as baggage. Many of you said you were able to check your bikes free of charge. Several said they paid $50 for oversized baggage. Some have paid as much as $100 per bike. One person who checked her bike had her bike disappear for two months; it was finally returned badly damaged.
• Some airlines have reduced oversized baggage rates if you buy a bicycle box from them.
• Insurance on your bike can be set at replacement value if you ship it through a carrier like FedEx, DHL or UPS. You will not get full value for your bike if it is lost or damaged by an airline.
• Shipping your bike ahead is advantageous if there is someone at the other end who will re-assemble it for you. This is often a benefit of guided group tours. Once when we shipped our bikes, we were both missing some small parts. Shipping and assembling the bike a couple days ahead of your tour allows time to resolve this kind of problem.
• If you ship your bicycle, never go through a shipping reseller. We used the Postal Annex and will never use them again. Go online and process your order. Print your own shipping label and prepay online. It would have cost us $215 instead of $520 for the same service if we had done this.
• Based on your responses, UPS was generally the cheapest and the preferred carrier.