Trailer

[Sal Atticum]

I was looking around a little this morning, and I'm fairly sure we could snag a box trailer (like a Uhaul 4x4x8) for under $1000.  Since most of the race planning seems to revolve around getting enough vehicles with enough space to hold both bikes and people, it might be a wise investment to make.

$1000 seems like a lot, and we would be dealing with lower gas mileage because of having to drag the thing around, but that would also be some SERIOUS sponsor space we could sell on an annual basis to pay the thing off and cover the additional cost.  I'm sure that if I'm wrong, Guardrail will be in soon to rain on my parade.

I think it's worth looking into so the team could focus on more important things, not have to worry about choosing between bikes, and have enough room for gear.

[Mario]

That sounds pretty good, but there is a lot of potential problem with that:
1.Who gets the title for the trailer
2.Where do we store it.
3. who has a hitch on their car (I don't)
4. Where do we get that $1000 to begin with.

it is a good idea/plan but hard to implement. We should definitely keep that in mind and discuss some more at the next meeting.

[Sal Atticum]

These are all good questions.  To continue talking about it, I offer the following for consideration:
1.  It could probably be titled in the club's name; if not then in the name of a current officer or advisor.  I think this is the least of our problems.
2.  We would need to seriously talk to athletics or the wellness center to arrange a place to park it.  We can pitch it as being good for the university because it means we can take more people to races, and get the name out there.  There seriously has to be some parking spot or empty lot on campus that we can use.
3.  I'm not sure how to answer this one, because I'm not sure how much hitch attachments vary from model to model.  We'd also have to worry about the towing weight on whatever vehicle we chose (if only the club could buy a van, too).
4.  Fundraising for this specific purpose, of course.

[Once a Runner]

Hey guys, this is Kyle. I figured I would start getting more involved with the club little by little, so here is my first post.

Ideas for a parking spot - maybe out by the aero center, where they keep that crappy, sioux crew bus that gets used 5 times a year.  Also I know there are vans for athletic teams to use, I am not sure weather they are available for clubs as well.

Anyway, I have made a new purchase of a Madone 4.5 (thanks to mario for spotting the great deal!) and I am looking forward to cycling with you guys next year.  I am going to be finishing out my eligablity with the track team this spring. I talk with you guys later!

[Mario]

Well done Kyle, good purchase!! i doubt the athletic dept. will let us use the van- they don't even let us use the track!!!

[Plantains]

1. We can easily use a university van.
2. A trailer is a great idea and towing weight on a trailer that small is no issue for any of our vehicles.
3. Hitches aren't universal but it wouldn't be hard to figure a way to adapt. Its usually 4 holes drilled into a frame. It could be put onto any vehicle that had the holes drilled in an hour.
4. The money problem isn't any more of a problem than people make it. Beek has his ish sorted out. Spend money to make money... it will pay for itself in the fact that we could use 1 car instead of 2, and sell sponsor space. The ONLY reason the club has no money is because no one in the club is making any money. Simple as that.
5. I'm not sure if trailers need titles, but we could easily title it to an organization.

My suggestion: Lets worry about getting the club organized before we worry about getting trailers. Considering there was a 12 man team last year and we had an average of 3.2 racers, transportation is one of our lowest priorities.

[Toaster]

Those of you who were at the meeting already know this, but my dad has an enclosed trailer that he said that we could use to haul bikes during the race season. Problem solved.