Why joining Bicycle Queensland made sense

Bicycle Queensland enjoys an ever-evolving membership base. While some of you may have been members for well over a decade, each week we have new members sign up. Sometimes they are referrals via our BQ Link retail members, and sometimes word of mouth referrals from existing members. And for some riders, membership becomes attractive as their riding habits change. Hayden (30) and Ashley live in Brisbane’s western suburbs and recently signed up to a household of three or more membership. 

‘Ash and I first met through cycling, and as such it has been the cornerstone of our relationship and lives over the past 5 years,’ Hayden explained. ‘Whether that be commuting, competing or social rides on the weekend you can just about guarantee that we were doing something bike related every day.’  

Times change, but habits don’t So when Hayden and Ashley were expecting twins, it wasn’t long before the family was mobile on two wheels again as the twins were able to sit in a bike seat. 

‘With the recent arrival of our twin daughters, things look a little different these days – although we’ve managed to still find a way to keep our home life cycling-centric. After becoming interested in trying a cargo bike for family outings, day care drop offs and runs to the shops we became aware of the partnership between Lug & Carrie and BQ. The discount available on a cargo bike lease to BQ members was fantastic, and made the decision to sign up for a family plan a no brainer. The member insurance and advocacy work that BQ provides is also a huge benefit of the membership, and something we’re proud to support.’  

Being a member of Bicycle Queensland assists us with the advocacy work we do. When we represent more people, we have a bigger impact when working with local and state governments. However, advocacy is just one part of what we do, we also work hard to make sure there are some excellent membership benefits for our members. One of the leading benefits is our public liability insurance, accident insurance and free legal advice. 

‘Ash and I are both former AusCycling members, however we have let that (and the associated insurance) lapse as we are both taking a break from competitive cycling. The provisision of insurance coverage outside of expenses covered by Medicare and our private health provider is great peace of mind and to us, and one of the primary benefits of a BQ membership. Further to this, the income protection is a huge plus and something we were not aware of prior to signing up. Having the confidence that the household bills will still be covered should one of us need to take time off due to a cycling related incident is fantastic, and in our opinion something any cyclist should seriously consider.’ 

Of course, all bike riders like bikes and bike parts, and BQ’s member benefits reach beyond insurance, including cycling clothing, tours, nutrition, eyewear, lights, locks and more. Hayden and Ashley recently signed up to the Lug+Carrie e-bike subscription service, with a Tern GSD now proudly parked in their garage. With two child’s seats mounted on the back, it has proven to be the perfect addition to their bike fleet. 

‘Day care drop off used to be quite the chore, but thanks to the GSD it’s now a blast! Our daughters love the bike, and we find it a much more enjoyable way to start and end their day with comparison to loading up in the back of the car. We’ve now also found it much faster and easier to pop down to the grocery store, as we can just throw the girls in on the back of the bike and our shopping on the front mounted rack. Trips in the car are now few and far between, and it has us considering selling one of them and moving to being a 1 car household.’  

‘When you consider the cost to benefit ratio of the BQ Family membership, it’s hard to see a reason why someone in our shoes wouldn’t sign up. Between the retail benefits, advocacy and insurance coverage we see fantastic value in being a BQ household.’  

Want to know more about Bicycle Queensland membership? Head to our website.