April 2008 - TheThinkTank - lists.bikecollectives.org

Support Community Bike Shop at Whole Foods 4/8
by Community Bicycle Shop Omaha 04 Apr '08

04 Apr '08

Hello, friends – Whole Foods is generously donating 5% of their sales on Tuesday, April 8, to the Community Bicycle Shop of Omaha. Please stop by any time on Tuesday from 8 am to 8 pm for some grocery shopping, and a portion of your purchase will go toward our operating costs. Omaha's Whole Foods is located at 10020 Regency Circle, just south of Dodge. Thank you so much for your support! The Community Bicycle Shop of Omaha

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New shop: Help me budget!
by Jennifer Nordhem 03 Apr '08

03 Apr '08

Hello everyone, my name is Jennifer Nordhem of the soon to be Battlesteed Custom Bike Works in Denver. We're currently looking for places to rent for our new shop. I noticed some people say they don't, which would just be a miracle that I don't foresee coming true. Here are the questions I have: How much do you pay for rent? About how much money do you receive monthly from grants, donations, membership fees, sales, etc? How much do you spend monthly on tools, etc? I want to get a grasp on what kind of income/outflow to expect so I can budget how much we can afford spending on rent. Thanks everyone! The website and wiki have been extremely helpful so far, I'm really happy to see such a supportive community. Jen

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info about Freehub from SF Bike Kitchen
by andrewsawtelle＠riseup.net 03 Apr '08

03 Apr '08

hey hey bike bike people people: A couple weeks back, people were asking about PoS (point of sale/service) systems for tracking parts, members, visits, all sorts of things. Here's what I got from Mario at the SF Bike Kitchen about Freehub, an online system they use for tracking members and visits. They plan to make it available soon after some other shops test it out. Email Mario at mario.bruzzone(a)gmail.com if you want to be part of the test. They want to have a big presentation of the results at the next Bike!Bike! which is September 25-28. andrew recycle-a-bike, providence ri http://www.recycleabike.org ----------------------- Hello from San Francisco! As I mentioned once or twice on the Think Tank list, the Bike Kitchen in San Francisco has been working on an open-source database program named Freehub to track our members and their visits to the shop. We've been using Freehub for about a year now, and are ready to have other shops start testing it to figure out how well it meets their needs (as opposed to just our own). We expect to have a beta version ready for widespread use in 4 to 6 weeks. We're looking for 3-4 shops to commit to using Freehub for 3 months. You're receiving this email because you've either expressed interest in Freehub directly at some point or because you recently sent an email saying that you were looking for such a program, or something similar. Here's the abstract: Freehub is a web-based system used by the San Francisco Bike Kitchen to track membership and visits to our community bike shop. We are working on a new version that will be available for free to other community bike shops through simple online registration. Freehub is: * A database of your members and the services they have access to * A patron sign in system for use at the front desk of the shop * A reporting tool for looking at shop use, membership status, earn-a-bike... Freehub is not: * A broadcast emailer - Freehub will not send emails to your members or patrons * An accounting tool - we do not track money in Freehub * An inventory tool - we do not track tools or parts in Freehub * An point of sale system - we do not track shop sales in Freehub In Freehub, your data belongs to you. Other shops can not see it, we will not use it for any purposes and you can export it in entirety at any time. * To use Freehub, you will need a computer and web access in your shop. We will provide hosting, donated to us by a fairly high-end provider called EngineYard, which specializes in Ruby on Rails (what Freehub is built upon). We'll create a url for you at the freehub.bikekitchen.org, probably something like freehub.bikekitchen.org/sfbk (to use our shop as an example). If you have questions or would like to be part of our testing, let me know. Our goal is to have a significant presentation at Bike!Bike! this year, which is a scant 6 months away! (Sept. 25-28th!) Cheers, Mario Bruzzone Bike Kitchen San Francisco

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solvents in the shop
by Michael Wolfe 02 Apr '08

02 Apr '08

Speaking of liver damage, etc.. Wondering if any shops out there have had issues solvent tanks in their shop? The fumes give me a headache but others don't seem to mind it. Mostly I worry about the health effects on the full time people in the shop. Short of installing a hood or ventalation system, what options are there to locate that stuff outside? On 4/2/08, Tom Emm <tom48236(a)yahoo.com> wrote: > > Acetone, also known as propanone, dimethyl ketone, 2-propanone, > propanone2-one,and ketro-propane is a colorless mobile flammable liquid.itis the simplest example of the ketones. > acetone can dissolve many plastics including those used in Nalgene bottles > made of polystyrene, poly carbonate,and some types of polypropolene. > Toxicology:acetone is an irritant and inhalation may cause hepatoxic > effects(causing liver damage). the vapors should be avoided. always use > goggles when handling acetone. > from Wikipedia. > > ------------------------------ > You rock. That's why Blockbuster's offering you one month of Blockbuster > Total Access<http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=47523/*http://tc.deals.yahoo.com/tc/blockbuster/…>, > No Cost. > > > _______________________________________________ > Thethinktank mailing list > Thethinktank(a)bikecollectives.org > > http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.… > >

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permission slips for kids to participate in your shop
by rachael spiewak 02 Apr '08

02 Apr '08

Do you have one? Can you share it on the wiki? Thanks! Rachael -- Sopo Bicycle Cooperative 404-425-9989 www.sopobikes.org * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Hours of operation: Tues/Thurs 7 pm - 10 pm Sat/Sun 2 pm - 5 pm

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Re: [TheThinkTank] solvents in the shop
by Bob Giordano 02 Apr '08

02 Apr '08

Indoor air quality is tops on our list for a healthy shop atmosphere. We do not store anything that gives off harmful fumes. Tooth brushes and simple green (highly diluted) in a small wooden bowl is our parts cleaning station. We are even moving away from simple green (i've learned it is harmful to some)- to a citrus based cleaner. I guess tri flow is the only thing with fumes in the shop. Often we ask people to use it outside. I'd like to find a non-petroleum lube. -Bob Giordano, Free Cycles Missoula Michael Wolfe wrote: > Speaking of liver damage, etc.. Wondering if any shops out there have had > issues solvent tanks in their shop? The fumes give me a headache but others > don't seem to mind it. Mostly I worry about the health effects on the full > time people in the shop. Short of installing a hood or ventalation system, > what options are there to locate that stuff outside?

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no blood for oil
by Tom Emm 02 Apr '08

02 Apr '08

Acetone, also known as propanone, dimethyl ketone, 2-propanone, propanone2-one,and ketro-propane is a colorless mobile flammable liquid.it is the simplest example of the ketones. acetone can dissolve many plastics including those used in Nalgene bottles made of polystyrene, poly carbonate,and some types of polypropolene. Toxicology:acetone is an irritant and inhalation may cause hepatoxic effects(causing liver damage). the vapors should be avoided. always use goggles when handling acetone. from Wikipedia. --------------------------------- You rock. That's why Blockbuster's offering you one month of Blockbuster Total Access, No Cost.

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i'd like to join the list!
by Sandy Robson 02 Apr '08

02 Apr '08

sandyrobson(a)gmail.com -- Macalester College 1600 Grand Ave St Paul, MN 55105 US Cell 410 206 7826 MSN jindabad(a)hotmail.com

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cheap lubrication; blood for olive oil
by Michael Wolfe 01 Apr '08

01 Apr '08

white lightning. wax and acetone. same idea. NO War for Chain Lube!! On Tue, Apr 1, 2008 at 6:45 PM, Tom Emm <tom48236(a)yahoo.com> wrote: > Cheap chain lube > motor oil mixed with paint thinner fifty-fifty or adjust to taste. > theory: paint thinner allows lube to creep into the tiniest cracks, it > evaporates > (in theory) leaving behind oily residue to lubricate your part. > > ------------------------------ > You rock. That's why Blockbuster's offering you one month of Blockbuster > Total Access<http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=47523/*http://tc.deals.yahoo.com/tc/blockbuster/…>, > No Cost. > _______________________________________________ > Thethinktank mailing list > Thethinktank(a)bikecollectives.org > > http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.… > >

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cheap lubrication
by Tom Emm 01 Apr '08

01 Apr '08

Cheap chain lube motor oil mixed with paint thinner fifty-fifty or adjust to taste. theory: paint thinner allows lube to creep into the tiniest cracks, it evaporates (in theory) leaving behind oily residue to lubricate your part. --------------------------------- You rock. That's why Blockbuster's offering you one month of Blockbuster Total Access, No Cost.

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