cyclists of greater seattle

What cyclists of greater seattle does

Cyclists of Greater Seattle (COGS) is a nonprofit cycling club organized in the Greater Seattle, Washington metropolitan area, serving approximately 120 members through organized group rides, multi-day tours, and social cycling events. The club's core offering is membership access, structured across three published tiers — Individual ($25/year), Household/Family ($40/year), and Sponsor ($100/year) — with supplementary income from event fees, donations, and a referral rebate arrangement with ride-tracking platform RideWithGPS (10% returned to the club). Members receive a discount ecosystem built around partnerships with brands such as Spinergy (30% member discount) and access to curated ride routes and destinations including Yakima Valley, the San Juan Islands, Centralia, and Portland.

Operations are run on a volunteer basis under a board-governance structure, with the President role currently in transition as Michael D Francisco steps down. The club co-organizes larger events such as the McClinchy Camano Classic with the BIKES Club of Snohomish County, indicating modest inter-club collaboration. Member management runs on Wild Apricot, an off-the-shelf association-management SaaS platform; no proprietary technology, AI/ML capabilities, or data assets are developed in-house. The organization runs on a small annual deficit, reflecting expenses that roughly match or slightly exceed membership and event revenue.

The business model is straightforward nonprofit dues-and-events revenue, with total annual inflow well under six figures given the ~120-member base. Revenue concentration risk is low because the customer set is diffuse individual and household members rather than enterprise accounts, but this also means total revenue is highly sensitive to overall membership retention rather than to any single account. Strategic activity in recent periods has focused on deepening the partner-benefit ecosystem (RideWithGPS, Spinergy) and broadening multi-day ride destinations rather than on membership-base expansion.

Name

cyclists of greater seattle

Legal name

Cyclists of Greater Seattle

Website

https://cyclistsofgreaterseattle.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Cyclists of Greater Seattle is a nonprofit cycling club serving approximately 120 members in the Greater Seattle area through organized rides, multi-day tours, and a tiered membership model ($25–$100) with brand-partner member benefits.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cycling Club Services

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Cycling Events (Road Races, Gran Fondos, Sportives) (MPAKAIAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Cycling, Mountain Biking & E-bike Adventures (THAJABAF)

Keywords

• Cycling club
• Group rides
• Cycling tours
• Recreational cycling
• Cycling community

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees providing access to all rides, social events, forums, and member benefits. Three tiers: Individual ($25), Family ($40), Sponsor ($100).
2. Event Fees: Small fees collected for some events to cover expenses. Some events may have additional costs for tours and multi-day trips.
3. Donations: Accepts donations from members and supporters. Donations are NOT tax deductible. Organization has been operating on small annual deficit.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Cyclists of Greater Seattle (COGS) is a nonprofit, membership-based cycling club in the Seattle area that organizes regularly scheduled weekend group rides, Wednesday evening exercise rides, and multi-day cycling tours to Pacific Northwest destinations. Members pay annual dues to access the ride calendar, discussion forum, social events, and community-led route planning resources.

Product overview

Cyclists of Greater Seattle (COGS) is a Seattle Area cycling club that offers a single, unified membership-based service centered around group cycling activities. The organization provides regularly scheduled weekend day rides, weeknight exercise rides, and multi-day tours throughout the Pacific Northwest, including destinations such as the Yakima Valley, San Juan Islands, and Centralia. Members receive access to a discussion forum, email group communications via Google Groups, and ride resources. The club also maintains Gary Strauss' Ride Library, a collection of archived ride cue sheets from past rides.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• COGS Annual Membership
• Organized Group Rides
• Multi-Day Cycling Tours
• Club Social Events
• Members-Only Discussion Forum

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• SpinergyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSpinergy is a US manufacturer of wheelchair and bicycle wheels laced with PBO fiber spokes. COGS members qualify for a 30% team discount on Spinergy wheels. To obtain the discount code, members must contact the club president or membership coordinator to verify membership status.
• BIKES Club of SnohomishminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBikes Club of Snohomish hosts the annual McClinchy Camano Classic cycling event. COGS members participate in this event, which offers 35, 50, 64, and 100 mile route options starting in Stanwood.
• RideWithGPScoreTechnology or IntegrationCOGS has a club account on RideWithGPS for route planning and sharing. Members can access premium features, and the club receives 10% of member premium subscription fees as donations. COGS also maintains an organization page at ridewithgps.com/organizations/8232-cyclists-of-greater-seattle.
• Wild ApricotcoreTechnology or IntegrationCOGS uses Wild Apricot membership software for their website, including event registration, membership management, forums, and communication tools.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Cascade Bicycle Club: The dominant Seattle-area membership cycling club, organizing rides, tours, advocacy, and major events (Cascade Cycling Classic, RSVP). Directly comparable to COGS in mission and Pacific Northwest geography, though significantly larger (~15,000+ members vs. COGS's ~120).
• BIKES Club of Snohomish: Regional Pacific Northwest cycling club that hosts the McClinchy Camano Classic (35/50/64/100-mile routes) — an event COGS members already participate in. Same membership-based recreational cycling model and overlapping regional ride territory.

Broad incumbents

• Adventure Cycling Association: National nonprofit that inspires and supports long-distance bicycle touring and organizes cross-state rides. Comparable as a cycling-membership nonprofit but operates at national scale with a broader touring/adventure focus overlapping with COGS's multi-day tour offerings.

Others

• Bicycle Alliance of Washington: Statewide nonprofit advocacy organization for Washington cyclists. Adjacent to COGS because it operates in the same Pacific Northwest market and serves overlapping cycling audiences, though its mission is advocacy rather than ride organization.
• League of American Bicyclists: National bicycling advocacy organization representing cyclists at the federal level. Adjacent rather than directly competitive — operates at a different scale and mission (policy) but is thematically aligned with a member-driven cycling organization.
• PeopleForBikes: National cycling advocacy coalition representing millions of riders and the bike industry. Tangentially related to COGS through shared audience and mission overlap, but operates as an industry/advocacy coalition rather than a ride-organizing membership club.

Regional players

• San Francisco Bicycle Coalition: West Coast cycling membership and advocacy nonprofit serving the San Francisco Bay Area. Comparable in structure (membership-based, recreational and commuter focus) but does not overlap COGS's Seattle-area market.
• Washington Area Bicyclist Association: DC-region membership cycling organization promoting bicycling for transportation, recreation, and fitness. Similar nonprofit membership model and community-led GTM but serves a different metropolitan market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/cyclistsofgreaterseattle

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about cyclists of greater seattle