Survey #2 Comments (September 1996) Dick Blaine 9/15/96 Some comments have been Paraphrased; all identification has been removed. Ennn is entry number Qnnn is question number E001: Q5-Pot luck with club providing drinks. Q6-work evenings. Q10-No support in leading ride - no forms, etc. Have not repeated. Q11-Good ride diversity now - more b-c rides of 40-50 miles would be nice. E002: Joined few months ago. Could have an annual membership club meeting - sell bike hats, bottles, etc at a discount if left over from previous year. E003: Q4-food/drink if treasury can handle it. Q6-Conflict on 3rd Wed of moth with REBAC. Q9-already have cap from a Sequoia of years ago. Might buy bottles. E004: Q7 Speakers who have achieved something - Seana, John Hughes, etc. Also travel/touring slide shows. Q10-The lead time is a major problem. 2 week lead would be much better. Q11-Better ride discipline - start on time, regroup. More of a group feeling - that is the leader! Maybe multiple leaders? E005: Q4-Food/drink for ride leaders. Rest can come pot-luck. Q7-Interesting speakers, technical issues, what's new in local road repair, etc. My problem is free time. Q12-I requested a bike-buddy for myself in the April questionnaire and nobody contacted me! What do I need to do? (RAB note - I called this lady] E006: Q7- I enjoy slides of WW ride or tours in other countries or US. Q10-encourage substitute leaders to fill in. E007: Q10-Central location or person with a book of ride descriptions and routes which could be copied. Q11-More C rides on weekends. E008: Q7- Have refreshments to encourage socialization. Q9-White & large opening for squirting out water. E009: Q7- More time in my life. Q12-Once the little ones grow a bit more in 2-3 years. E010: Q7- Nothing would encourage me to attend meetings. Too much talk there by "advocacy" types. Q10-I lead six rides a year. Q11-No change needed. I would like to see more pressure brought to bear to generate more leaders/more rides. GENERAL-Dick - you keep promising to publish results. Last survey you published preliminary results not final. E012: Q5-Pot lunch was always the best social event of the club. I will not go to the restaurant event! Q7-refreshments; social time between business & guest speaker. E013: Q7-refreshments. GENERAL-I formerly led rides (as many as 30 in one year) but no longer ride with the club due to changed family situation (this is unlikely to change). I see that positive changes have already been made, to reward ride leaders. Keep it up! E014: Moved from Palo Alto to Napa five years ago. I keep up membership because I miss Western Wheelers. I miss some individuals who were/are a big part of the club. Keep up the good work. E015: Q7-Guest speakers - more touring company reps and member trips with slides. Q10-More time! Q11-More interesting locations - out of immediate area. More multi-level rides with corresponding co-leaders. E016: Q7-More time to ride my bike and be involved in club activities. Q10, Q11-Finishing my masters degree. E017: Q7-Have meetings early in the month. Q10-Have the meeting early enough in the month that one can sign up for a ride the next month. Have at least 1 ride leader at the meeting to remind me to sign up for a ride. E018: Q7-No business conducted that goes more than 10 minutes. Business is the business of the board. In meetings, it might be good to have people share what they are about so we would get to know people. Q5-This idea could be key to get more loyalty to the club and the activities - more participation. E019: Q9-I don't wear advertising for clubs or other sponsors. Q10-Different club attitude. Q11-True pace rides. GENERAL-I belong to both ACTC & WW. There is no comparison between the two. ACTC is friendly, supportive & somewhat laid back. WW is cliquish, relatively unfriendly & competitive. (I am a c rider & very experienced, self-contained long distance tourer.) E021: Q4- Drinks only should be provided at fall picnic [nothing at other events- RAB] E022: Q4 Holiday party and Xmas Lights rides should be potluck [ww should provide food and drink and rest - RAB] Q6-Too far away for me. Q10-I just need to do it- support is good. Q11-More rides in Sonoma County. Q12-yes, if in Sonoma Co. E023: Q4 I don't care [if WW provide food & drink at holiday party and ride leaders BBQ] Q7-If the meeting was any night except the 3rd Wednesday of the month. It conflicts with another commitment. Q10- Co-leading first ride. Q11-Some weekend rides leaving earlier. E024: Q6-Closer to San Mateo. Q7-Lunchtime/Friday. Q10/Q11 [partially unreadable] ... & I know what to expect. E025: Q4-WW should provide fore and drink if WW can afford - otherwise charge. Q7-Something interesting to hear about, learn, at the meeting and possibly a better restaurant for the dinner before. Q9-If clear and wide mouthed only. Q10-not committing to a month at a time. Q11-A Tuesday, earlier AM ride. E026: Q7-Topics for talk - 10 bicycle repair/maintenance and 20 closer to Cupertino/SJ area. Q10-Ask me Q11-1:30PM afternoon rides on Sunday and B+c- or C rides 20-45 miles. E027: Q8 None so far, but planning to ride some. Q10-Next year I plan to lead some D rides. Q11-So far, I'm very happy with the rides. E028: Q4-Drinks only, not food unless somebody is dying to organize food. Q5-On a weekend. Q9- only one of each. Q10-If people would ride with me rather than ignoring regroups & taking off with their friends. No matter how I describe my C+D- pace I end up alone. Q7-Meetings - probably nothing since I don't have time for meetings. (however, I do come to most meetings when people tell what tours they have planned & gone on.) E029: Q4-Holiday Party should be organized potluck and Xmas lights ride should have potluck. Q7-I would be more apt to attend club meetings if they were scheduled on Friday nights. Same with mailing parties. Q10-I need to invest in a lighter bike before I can qualify. Q11-More A rides earlier in the day - say, 9:00 or 9:30 to guarantee extended cloud cover and air cooling. E030: Q7-Move meeting site to Menlo Park. Q11-Evening b-C rides with starts at Canada and Hwy 92. E031: Q4 Spring and fall picnics should not be part of another event like clean-up. Q9-If clear or white with logo. Q10-I already lead and go on lots of rides. E032: Q4 re ride leaders BBQ-Drink-yes, food-no. Q10-If the ride coordinators would call me, I'd commit to more week-end rides; example: in 1995 Mike Weaver called me once a month and I gave him a B ride. This year I have not heard from the A & B coordinators, and I'd be willing to give them a ride. Rice coordinators have to develop a list of active members at the beginning of the year, and then go after them. Q11-More choice. Many weekends have only hard rides. I should be able to choose an easier ride if I want. This means that there should be a B ride each Saturday and Sunday. E033: Q7-Speakers. Q12-Once per month. E034: Q11-I have not yet done a ride (new member). Weekdays are out. Weekends are busy for me, and therefore I tend to ride early (7-7:30 AM start). Starting at 9 or later takes a lot of preplanning for me. E036: Q4-If events are not well attended then club should not hold them. Q7-Meetings conflict with prior activities. Q12-Everyone on a ride should be a "Bike Buddy" to new members. Questions about difficulty of ride are best answered by ride leader. GENERAL-People who have never led a ride often don't feel they are competent or experienced enough to lead. Encouragement and route suggestions helped in my own experience. E037: Q5-Alternate between restaurant and potluck. Q10-Already lead a substantial no. Q11-Same as above. Q7-Interesting program - door prize - someone to remind me (or offer to take me!). GENERAL-How about making the picnics free or discounted to those who contribute their efforts to club rides. In addition to leading rides, some recognition to ride "sweeps" might be considered. E039: Q4Fall picnic food-yes but ask for $10 donation/Holiday party - there are too many things to do at holiday time! Q5-pot luck if you have one at all. Q7-Hold it on different nights; I can never make it on Wednesdays. Q10-I'd lead more rides if there were a following for early AM starts. Q11-Earlier departures - 6 or 7 AM. E040: Q4-Spring and Fall picnics and ride leaders BBQ ... provide drinks only. Q10 and Q11 both programs are ok as is. Q7-- Dick, here are some thoughts regarding question number seven of your questionnaire, "What would encourage me to attend more club meetings" I feel ambivalent about making suggestions since I now do very little in the club except for going on rides and leading a few rides. However, the meeting attendance (in the two recent meetings which I have attended) has been embarrassingly low, and some steps must be taken if meeting attendance is to be in- creased. Here some ideas: 1. Change the meeting date back to the first Wednesday (or Tues- day, Thursday...). (Don't worry about conflicts with ACTC meetings, almost no one attends both meetings. The Flat Tyre arrives before the first of each month, and by the third week, I have usually forgotten about the meeting, since so much time has passed. It's my belief that meeting attendance started to drop when the meeting date was first changed to the second Wednesday, and now it's the third Wednesday, even worse in my estimation. 2. Put the meeting announcement on the front page o the Flat Tyre, in BIG, BOLD print, (maybe even outlined make it a true announcement, not just a run of the mill paragraph in the newsletter. Make the meeting announcement jump out at the reader. This months meeting description is buried on page three as an article, not an announcement. 3. Print a follow-up article in the following months newsletter reporting on the prior speaker and program, to let members know what they may have missed by not attending the meeting. 4. Change the meeting location to a more welcoming room. This years meeting room seems to me like a medical theater for watching surgery. 5. Encourage more member participation in the meetings. In prior years, the president has called upon the ride coordinators to say a few words, to encourage members to lead rides. (However in the two meetings which I have attended this year, the ride coordinators were not necessarily at the meeting.) 6. Place the meeting date and time and location in the ride schedule. Some people, like me, go thru the ride schedule and mark items on their calendar, so they may also mark down the meeting date and time on their calendar, if it's in the schedule. E041: Q6 bimonthly- people would forget. Monthly meetings - different night and closer location than Palo ALto. Maybe Redwood City. E042: Q4-I think rides are social events. Q6-I assume the purpose is to make group decisions concerning the club. I suggest publishing the agenda of the meetings in advance in the Flat Tyre. Those interested will attend. Q10-File of standard routes w/route sheets so leader only needs copy & distribute. Q11-Early Sunday ride w/same route each week c/3/40-50. Start 8AM done by Noon. E043: Q5 Alternate between restaurant and potluck. Q6 I don't live in the area but would attend monthly if I did. Q12-If I lived nearby. GENERAL I live In Massachusetts now, but you never know when I might show up. I haven't found a cycling club as well organized, with as many rides to choose from as WW. Keep up the fantastic work. If the Sequoia is run this year, I will try to be there and do what I can. E044: Q7-Programs like Shanna Hogan. Q10-None - not accomplished enough. Q11-Perhaps more singles rides. Also - routes which don't take 63 turns through the neighborhoods, i.e., less navigation (like Portola Loop, OLH, etc.) E045: Q4 WW should provide food and drink if we can afford. We'd probably host it whether it was paid for or not - but it's nice to have the rebate! Q5-I personally prefer the restaurant but to make it comfortable for more people, I suggest alternating. But then, all that people are saving is the babysitting if we pay. And I'm not sure that holiday parties have/should include kids. Q7-I really don't enjoy meetings so the fewer the better - perhaps quarterly. I perter (and others do too it seems by the response) something to do with trips (somewhere a member/members have gone) or a cycling touring company, etc. How about a mini-fair on bike touring as one meeting? Q10-Probably a gentle reminder from a ride coordinator. Q11-We're active as we have time - depending on how much is required. E046: Q10-None, in both cases. Q11-a) if more rides had meeting places north of San Carlos and in Marin County) if there were more B/2.5 and C/2 rides. E047: Q11-Early morning rides around 7 AM.