Do most shop rides cost $ ?

[tulip]

I do not ride out of a shop, but I do ride with the local bicycling club. It has all levels of rides, every day of the week. There is a membership fee of $20 per year. That gets you insurance coverage and a newsletter. You do not have to be a member to ride with the group, but the insurance coverage won't apply if you are not, apparently. Maybe it's an insurance thing with your bike shop, or maybe it's a more serious racing-team-club type setup. Have you checked into a local bicycling club?

[Kiwi Stoker]

Cycle club only too. Our fees are $25 for the year and $2 per ride. This covers purchasing tea, coffee and cookies and the cost of hiring someone who looks after the kitchen and the cars parked during the ride (a number have been broken into as the club house is in the countryside). The club also runs organised race days and has to hire road signs etc plus put in a traffic management plan.

Maybe there's additional services you don't know about yet? However the club kit (unless it's both shorts and shirt) seems rather steep. I would expect to pay cost price for these.

[Crankin]

I have never heard of such a thing. I belong to 2 cycling clubs (one is an outdoor club, of which cycling is one activity). There is no charge for any ride, unless it's an overnight trip. I pay a membership fee to both, which gets me a newsletter, a magazine, and discounts of 10-20% at LBSs and outdoor stores.