Club Cycling Kit in Australia: How Ordering Actually Works

Most Australian clubs still buy kit the same way they did twenty years ago: a committee member collects sizes on a spreadsheet, places one bulk order, pays for it personally or out of club funds, then stores boxes in a garage and chases members for money for the next two months.

It works, in the sense that people end up with kit. It also produces the same three problems every time.

What goes wrong with a bulk club order

• Somebody carries the float. Usually a volunteer, usually several thousand dollars, usually for longer than they expected.
• Leftover stock is dead money. Order sizes to a spreadsheet and you will over-order somewhere. Those units sit in a garage.
• Late joiners miss out. A new member in month three either waits for the next run or rides in something else.

The club portal model

A club portal is a page on our store that holds only your club's kit. Members go to it, order their own size, pay for their own gear, and we ship directly to them. The committee does not handle money, stock or distribution.

What that changes in practice:

• No float. Each member pays for their own order at the time they place it.
• No leftover stock. Nothing is made that somebody has not already bought.
• No garage. Orders ship to the member.
• Late joiners are fine. They order in the next window rather than missing a year.

The committee's job reduces to two things: approve the design once, and tell members when the ordering window is open.

How an order window works

Portals run in windows rather than continuously, because production batches efficiently. A window opens, members order for a set period, the window closes, and everything ordered in it goes into one production run, 6 to 8 weeks from close to delivery. Between windows the portal stays up so people can see the range; it just is not taking orders.

Windows work best when the club communicates them. The clubs that get the strongest take-up send one email at open, one reminder mid-way, and one on the last day. That is the whole marketing effort, and it does more than anything we could do from our end.

What you need to get started

• A design, or a conversation about creating one. Artwork in vector format if you have it.
• At least 5 units per style, the production minimum applies to portals the same as to a bulk order.
• A realistic date. Count back 6 to 8 weeks from when members need kit in hand, plus design time.
• Someone to send two or three emails. Genuinely the biggest variable in how well a window performs.

Clubs already running portals

These are live now, and are the clearest picture of what your club's portal would look like:

• Vikings Cycling Club
• Canberra Cycling Club
• Capital Region Masters (CRMCC)
• Ballarat Sebastopol Cycling Club
• Crankys Bicycle Worx

If the model makes sense for your club, start an enquiry and we will talk through numbers and timing before anyone commits to anything.

Deciding whether custom kit is right for your club at all? Read the full guide: what to know before you commit, including the four ways it goes wrong and when the honest answer is to wait.