Annual General Meeting

Twelve members and six non-members attended our AGM on 19 November. It would have been of more benefit if we had had a greater turn-out, as all members need to be aware of the current needs and future prospects of our club. The two main concerns are:

1. We need to recruit many more front riders. Front riders are the life blood of this club. Without them, the club will cease to exist!
2. Despite the sterling efforts of a relatively small number of volunteers at three outdoor collections, plus sponsorship money and several small grants, we still spent over £1500 more than our income.

Would each member, therefore, include in their New Year Resolution list:

1. A determination to recruit one front rider in the next twelve months.
2. A determination to be present at our street and supermarket collections during 2005. The future existence of our club is at stake!

Two suggestions for restricting tandem damage

Please bear in mind that it costs £230 to strip down and respray one tandem, following damage to its enamel. Three simple ways to avoid enamel damage are:

1. Park tandems front end over back end, rather than handle bar to handle bar.
2. Avoid your shoes or cleats catching the frame when mounting/dismounting.
3. Beware of the pedals of your tandem catching the frame, especially the rear forks, of another tandem when parking.

Website improvement

Our website at www.bury-tandem-club.org.uk promotes our club to potential new members and is an information resource for existing members. Suggestions for improvement include:

1. Adding colourful images to make the site attractive to sighted people.
2. Adding the weekly Tandem Club reports from the Bury Times and a link to the Bury Times website.
3. Links to other cycling club websites.
4. Putting the website address on all letter headings etc.

If you can help with any of the above suggestions or have any of your own, please e-mail us at feedback@bury-tandem-club.org.uk or phone John.

Member profiles

Our website contains profiles from some existing members to explain why they joined our club, how their membership benefits them and others and where they see the club going in the future.

The more profiles we have, the better we can promote ourselves via the internet. If you haven't already, could you please consider writing a short piece which covers the above. If you could possibly include a small photo, we can add this to your profile. You do not need to give your name. You can either e-mail it to info@bury-tandem-club.org.uk or phone John. Thank you.

Annual dinner

The following information may seem premature, but there will not be another copy of Spoke issued in time to give the following details:

This will take place on Friday 25 February 2005 at the Waterloo Hotel, Manchester Road, Bury. The menu is:

• Soup, Melon or Pâté
• Turkey, Beef or Chicken with seasonal vegetables
• Christmas Pudding, Fresh Fruit Salad or Apple Pie
• Mince Pies, Tea or Coffee and mints

Guests are more than welcome. Contact Dave Harrison by 15 February at the latest with your required menu(s) and a £5 deposit per person. The main meal will be served plated. The cost is £17 per person and the time is 7 pm for 7:30 pm. Please come and bring your friends.

Training help needed

Currently, only Dave Harrison is available to test out potential new front riders, with back-up from Derek. This means a chronically slow training process. Would some of you experienced front riders be willing to assist Dave in order to speed up the process? If you can, please give Dave a ring.

Things you wish you never knew about cycling

1. Cycle use in the UK is relatively low: Only 2.3% of journeys are currently made by bicycle. This compares with 9.8% in Germany, 18.4% in Denmark and 27.3% in Holland.
2. Cycling is two and a half times more energy efficient than walking.
3. Over 80 million bicycles are made in the world every year, 75% of them in the far east.