November 2009 - TheThinkTank - lists.bikecollectives.org

Webhosting/domains
by Bike City 24 Mar '25

24 Mar '25

Well, I recently threw together some hand-written HTML and slapped it onto a free (and ad-less) webhost. This seemed great at first, regardless of the weird URL. But after lots of other publicity and potential traffic, I've seen it get hacked twice (by a radical Islamic group after the whole host, nothing personal), and lately it's either painfully slow to load or completely down. So, I haven't done this for about a decade and I'm out of the loop. I'm really not willing to suffer any ads, but since our budgeted is obcenely limited for such fluff, does anyone have recommendations? Are there any more reliable ad-free free hosts? (Probably not, for obvious reasons.) Otherwise, how do you guys handle web hosting? How much does it cost? What's a good balance between reliable and affordable? How much is domain registration nowadays? We don't have our 501(c)(3) status yet so we won't get a deal until later this year, by the way. Anyway, please help. It's rough to find time to FTP an update and find the site's down. Thanks, andrea Bike City Recyclery of Fayetteville, Arkansas http://bikecity.uuuq.com/ (hahaha)

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no boys allowed zine from bikebike?
by veganboyjosh＠gmail.com 27 Sep '18

27 Sep '18

hey all, i'm looking to get in touch with the person who wrote/published the "no boys allowed" zine which was passed out at bikebike in san francisco. it was part of one of the oppression and gender identity issues workshops. we're looking to start a women's night here at community cycles, and i'd like to scan my copy as a pdf and email it to potential volunteers, as well as make some copies to have in the shop... if you're on the list, or if you know the person who wrote it (her name escapes me), please get in touch with me off list... thanks! josh. community cycles boulder

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Is there a collective in New Orleans?
by Jonathan Morrison 06 Dec '12

06 Dec '12

Email me if you know of one. -- Sincerely, Jonathan Morrison Project Coordinator Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective 2312 S. West Temple Salt Lake City, UT 84115 w: 801-328-2453 c: 801-688-0183 f: 801-466-3856 www.slcbikecollective.org

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Re: [TheThinkTank] non-petroleum lube
by Michael Wolfe 04 May '11

04 May '11

Page 13 of the 1992 Bridgestone bicycle catalog has a unique recommendation of using olive oil. http://www.sheldonbrown.com/bridgestone/ On 4/2/08, Bob Giordano <mist(a)strans.org> wrote: > > 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? > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Thethinktank mailing list > Thethinktank(a)bikecollectives.org > > http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.… >

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110 Community Bicycle Organizations
by Jonathan Morrison 27 Nov '10

27 Nov '10

We aren't alone. http://www.bikecollectives.org/wiki/index.php?title=Category:Community_Bicy… -- Sincerely, Jonathan Morrison Executive Director Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective 2312 S. West Temple Salt Lake City, UT 84115 w: 801-328-2453 c: 801-688-0183 f: 801-466-3856 www.slcbikecollective.org

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Abandoned Bike Collection partnerships with campuses and municipalities
by Erik Stockmeier 26 Mar '10

26 Mar '10

Are there any groups out there with strong partnerships with local municipalities or campuses to collect abandoned bicycles? I know the Recyclery (Chicago) and many other groups certainly pick up donations from police departments and the like, but we have a number of volunteers and a campus environmental group working on setting up a structured collection program and are looking for ways to proceed. Do you, for example, have a specific notice or flyer you attach to bikes? We are thinking of something that says "hello, this bike looks abandoned. if it is yours, you can fix it up at the recyclery. Otherwise it will be removed..." Anyhow, just wondering if anyone has already done this. Thanks for your help! Erik @ The Recyclery (Chicago)

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Bike!Bike! 2010 Dates
by Ainsley Naylor 20 Jan '10

20 Jan '10

The Toronto team has finalized the dates for Bike!Bike! 2010: Thursday August 12 - Sunday August 15 (This includes a Friday the 13th so be prepared for a cursed event that night!) Our partners at the University of Toronto's Bike Chain ( http://bikechain.utoronto.ca/) are working to book space on campus, which will be amazing - beautiful, historic buildings, green space and centrally located. We are also thinking about a theme for this year. My vote is kittens. If you have a better idea please submit! We will keep you posted. Bike love! Pirates and Co.

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Non-male-only bicycle projects
by Bike City 30 Dec '09

30 Dec '09

Hello everybody, I've been mulling over a lot of ideas lately about overthrowing the male domination of bicycle co-ops, collectives, recycleries, mechanics, and the industry in general. Are there any non-males out there who would be interested in discussing strategies to whoop the shit out of male privilege? I'd like to set an email list up for this purpose, but in the meantime, please email me: the.attica(a)gmail.com Thanks, andrea

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Bike Collective Network on Crabgrass
by Fhar Miess 07 Dec '09

07 Dec '09

Is anyone doing anything with the Bike Collective Network on Crabgrass? https://we.riseup.net/bikecollectivenetwork Any other bike co-ops who are on Crabgrass? Fhar

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Re: [TheThinkTank] Advice on Legal Status?
by mylifeinthenow＠gmail.com 25 Nov '09

25 Nov '09

Hehehe! Thank you. -----Original Message----- Date: Wednesday, November 25, 2009 9:53:41 am To: "The Think Tank" <thethinktank(a)bikecollectives.org> From: "Chris DiGiamo" <chris.digiamo(a)gmail.com> Subject: Re: [TheThinkTank] Advice on Legal Status? Your Mileage May Vary. It's a phrase used frequently online to state that your experience may be different than someone elses. On Wed, Nov 25, 2009 at 9:47 AM, mylifeinthenow(a)gmail.com < mylifeinthenow(a)gmail.com> wrote: > YMMV???? What does this mean? > -----Original Message----- > Date: Tuesday, November 24, 2009 10:18:56 pm > To: "The Think Tank" <thethinktank(a)bikecollectives.org> > From: "Macho Philipovich" <macho(a)resist.ca> > Subject: Re: [TheThinkTank] Advice on Legal Status? > > > Great to hear, Carol! You're sure to have fun. Just try not to do too > much too fast and burn out. This information might be useful to you: > > > http://www.bikecollectives.org/wiki/index.php?title=Bike_Collective_Starter… > > Maybe you'll even want to help flesh it out as things progress with your > shop. > > Our shop (in Canada, mind you) has still not even incorporated, and we > are about 5 years old. We have pretty cheap rent, and a decent pool of > volunteers, so we don't need to rely on

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Re: [TheThinkTank] Advice on Legal Status?
by mylifeinthenow＠gmail.com 25 Nov '09

25 Nov '09

YMMV???? What does this mean? -----Original Message----- Date: Tuesday, November 24, 2009 10:18:56 pm To: "The Think Tank" <thethinktank(a)bikecollectives.org> From: "Macho Philipovich" <macho(a)resist.ca> Subject: Re: [TheThinkTank] Advice on Legal Status? Great to hear, Carol! You're sure to have fun. Just try not to do too much too fast and burn out. This information might be useful to you: http://www.bikecollectives.org/wiki/index.php?title=Bike_Collective_Starter… Maybe you'll even want to help flesh it out as things progress with your shop. Our shop (in Canada, mind you) has still not even incorporated, and we are about 5 years old. We have pretty cheap rent, and a decent pool of volunteers, so we don't need to rely on grants. YMMV. Good luck, Macho Carol Guest wrote: > Good people of the Think Thank Listserv, > > A group of us are starting a coop in DC (www.thebikehouse.org > <http://www.thebikehouse.org>) and just now navigating world of legal > filings, options etc. We're not sure we're ready to go 501(c)(3) but > wondering what other options might be available. If you have any > resources this or advice for a new shop, please send them my way. > > Happy Thanksgiving and looking forward to hearing from yo

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Advice on Legal Status?
by Carol Guest 24 Nov '09

24 Nov '09

Good people of the Think Thank Listserv, A group of us are starting a coop in DC (www.thebikehouse.org) and just now navigating world of legal filings, options etc. We're not sure we're ready to go 501(c)(3) but wondering what other options might be available. If you have any resources this or advice for a new shop, please send them my way. Happy Thanksgiving and looking forward to hearing from you, Carol __o _ `\ <, _ ...... ( • ) / ( • ) Carol Guest | 802.345.8092 | guest.carol(a)gmail.com 2009/11/23 <thethinktank-request(a)bikecollectives.org> > Send Thethinktank mailing list submissions to > thethinktank(a)bikecollectives.org > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > > http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.… > > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > thethinktank-request(a)bikecollectives.org > > You can reach the person managing the list at > thethinktank-owner(a)bikecollectives.org > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of Thethinktank digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. Bike Collectives in China? (Anthony Siracusa) > 2. free nonprofit forms and documents resource website > (veganboyjosh(a)gmail.com) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Sun, 22 Nov 2009 11:39:35 +1100 > From: Anthony Siracusa <anthonycsiracusa(a)gmail.com> > To: The Think Tank <thethinktank(a)bikecollectives.org> > Subject: [TheThinkTank] Bike Collectives in China? > Message-ID: > <6cab74000911211639t537b74cdga6d4036375abccc1(a)mail.gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" > > Hi all-- > > I'm headed to Beijing in February, and I'm wondering if anyone knows of a > bike collective/community bike shop operating in the city. I'm guessing > that China--as with so many non-North American places--has a social > contract > that doesn't produce community bike shops. Still, please let me know if > you > have any bike contacts in Beijing or you know about interesting programs in > the city. > > Thanks--all the best! > Anthony > > -- > Anthony Siracusa > www.anthonysiracusa.blogspot.com > +61 (0) 458142357 > Thomas J. Watson Fellow, 2009-2010 > People Using Pedal Power: Global Bicycling Communities > www.watsonfellowship.org >

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bike intake inspection
by bicycleeducation＠aol.com 24 Nov '09

24 Nov '09

I run a shop with a lot of non mechanics doing the initial bicycle inspection. One tool has helped, The Park Chain Checker. They are told that when they see .75 in the inspection window that they should tell the customer the chain is worn out and the cassette / freewheel should be replaced as well. I have instructed them on how to feel loose bearing in the hubs, headset, and bottom bracket. I have shown them examples of worn tires, worn brake pads and bent rims. I have them put each bike up in a stand to check the function of the shifters, and all cables. We have a little check off list for them to go through. This has helped. Christopher

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free nonprofit forms and documents resource website
by veganboyjosh＠gmail.com 23 Nov '09

23 Nov '09

I came across a website this morning that some of you may find helpful. www.oursharedresources.com has a bunch of submissions from nonprofits and other groups that work with volunteers and face similar challenges infrastructure-wise to those we face. There are actual documents that other orgs use, and blank templates that you can use to work through the process of coming up with a volunteer job description, for example. The website is free, and the templates and documents are free to download, but you do have to register. The website is pretty sparse, and I haven't found an easy way to just browse what's been posted, but you can search using keywords or using the suggested types of documents, which helps when you don't know what you're looking for. It's run by a group that's run by Susan J Ellis, who does a volunteer blog, and has published a book or several about volunteer management and nonprofit work in general. When I first came across the site this morning, I thought "It's like the Bike Collectives Wiki, but for groups that aren't bike shops!" and that description still sort of works. Good hunting! josh.

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Bike Collectives in China?
by Anthony Siracusa 21 Nov '09

21 Nov '09

Hi all-- I'm headed to Beijing in February, and I'm wondering if anyone knows of a bike collective/community bike shop operating in the city. I'm guessing that China--as with so many non-North American places--has a social contract that doesn't produce community bike shops. Still, please let me know if you have any bike contacts in Beijing or you know about interesting programs in the city. Thanks--all the best! Anthony -- Anthony Siracusa www.anthonysiracusa.blogspot.com +61 (0) 458142357 Thomas J. Watson Fellow, 2009-2010 People Using Pedal Power: Global Bicycling Communities www.watsonfellowship.org

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BikeIt- Pedal to the US Social Forum in June, 2010---Community Bike Shops Invited!!
by Claire Stoscheck 21 Nov '09

21 Nov '09

*Pedal to the U.S. Social Forum, Detroit, MI, in June, 2010! www.bikeit.org* * * Dear Think-Tankers---- I've been on your list a while, and love all the discussion that goes on here. I want to invite you all to an awesome biking event that's happening at a National-scale next June..... It's a project called Bikeit --a project to organize thousands of folks to bike in huge bike caravans to the US Social Forum in Detroit in June. Bikeit is about people power, alternative transportation, it is about organizing ourselves to have a world of clean air, clean water, healthy food and health care, economic and racial justice, and it is about making that statement all together. It is about joining thousands of other cyclists to get to the 2010 US Social Forum in Detroit, MI! We hope you will join us in pedaling to the forum---and encourage you to organize a ride to Detroit from your home town/cicty!! See www.bikeit.orgfor more information on how.. . The United States Social forum is a national convocation of community organizers working for social and environmental justice. It is part of the movement of World Social Forums started in Brazil in 2001, initiated as a response by global social movements to the challenge of economic policies that have concentrated wealth and power in fewer hands, while forcing millions into poverty. The Forum is an opportunity to come together with 20,000 others working for social and environmental justice from all over the country to share our stories, successes, challenges, to make connections, and most importantly, to build our movements TOGETHER. This includes the movement to create a bike culture out of the economically-damaging and socially isolating car culture. Through BikeIt, bicyclists from all over the country will spread the word about the Forum and energize strangers along the way as they pedal through town after town. Some of those strangers will join them. The climax of the ride will be wave after wave of thousands of smiling people on foot-powered vehicles flooding the Motor City during the Forum’s Opening March. Bikeit! is looking for organizers <http://bikeit.org/?page_id=5> and riders<http://bikeit.org/?page_id=3>to join us in the adventure of a lifetime. We see small groups leaving from all over the U.S. (maybe even Canada or Mexico!). We already have groups leaving from San Francisco, Madison, Chicago, Buffalo, New York City, Ithaca, Philadelphia and the Hudson Valley, all to converge on the Motor City. All you have to do to get involved is join a group as it rides by, or organize your own ride or caravan from your city or town! We envision chase vehicles powered by biofuels or hybrids carrying food, camping gear, bike tools, and giving the tired biker a little respite. We see a movement to Detroit that brings a message of inspiration and motivation to every town it passes through. *The second U.S. Social Forum <http://bikeit.org/?page_id=6> will open in Detroit on June 22 and run until June 26, 2010. We are now looking for organizers to recruit squads of cyclists and biofuel-powered support wagons to ride from wherever they are to the Opening March. A huge wave of people on foot-powered vehicles swarming all over the Motor City. Can’t you just see it?* GET INVOLVED! Organize a ride, or join a ride that’s passing by your town/city! Check out http://www.bikeit.org for more information or email Claire at bikeit2010(a)gmail.com Thanks ya'll, hope to see some awesome bike shops organizing rides, and hope to see you on your bike in Detroit in June! Best wishes, Claire Stoscheck Ithaca, NY

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carrying cargo workshop, designs needed
by veganboyjosh＠gmail.com 19 Nov '09

19 Nov '09

Hey Everyone, Community Cycles just put on our first ever Winter Cycling workshop, and it was really awesome. (I hope to have photos soon, and will post those when we do.) We talked about how to outfit your bike, and how to outfit your person for comfortable riding in the (admittedly, mild) Boulder winter. What to avoid, how to ride differently, etc. We made a zine for the workshop, and I'm working on getting it into pdf form. I'll post it to the bike collectives wiki when it's formatted correctly. We'll be holding a few more of the same class this winter. We're hoping to get someone to come and film it, so the video will be available later. We're also working now on planning a similar class for the spring, but about carrying things on bikes using trailers, racks, bags, etc. Does anyone have decent plans for home made trailers or panniers? I know at bikebike in San Francisco, someone had a workshop about coroplast panniers. Does anyone know who put that on? I've love to get ahold of that person or the design. In our workshops, we're trying really hard to focus just as much on the diy solutions, and not just "here's the product you need. it costs this much." So DIY solutions are going to be a big part of the trailer workshop. If anyone has plans or pictures for a home made trailer, we would love to include them in the workshop. Even if you don't have plans, but have some good photos which will allow us to reengineer them, we'd love it. Especially no-weld, mostly bike part trailers, since bike parts are pretty easy for us to come by. Thanks! Again, I'll post up the pdf once I get it. We've also got a very loose curriculum that we can share. Email me off the list and I'm happy to share that with anyone who wants. It's basically an outline of the class. josh.

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your org's policy on working with kids?
by veganboyjosh＠gmail.com 19 Nov '09

19 Nov '09

we're hard at work on Community Cycles' shop manual, and we're wondering if any of you have any formal policies for shop volunteers and/or staff that you'd feel like sharing. i'm imagining something to the effect of "at least two staff must be present when kids are around..." or something like that. on a somewhat related note, have any of you had any experience with someone--staff, volunteer, customer, etc--being inappropriate around kids, (aside from normal bad language..) that you had to deal with a parent for? i'd be interested in hearing about that experience... thanks! josh.

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Re: [TheThinkTank] Looking for lists?
by Clayton artemis 17 Nov '09

17 Nov '09

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Catching Up about BikeBike NE in APril
by andrew lynn 17 Nov '09

17 Nov '09

Hi everyone, If you are getting this email, you either already are, or have reason to be interested in BikeBike Northeast in Troy, NY on April 23-25. We plan to start doing some more planning and local strategizing soon, and just wanted to make sure you all were still on board. This will be a pretty big deal for us to pull off we want it to be good. This email includes bike co-ops and projects from Worcester, Troy/Albany, Ithaca, Montpelier, Poughkeepsie, Providence, NYC, Lewiston ME, Pittsburgh, and Coatesville PA.... perhaps even more people will come on board as we get it together a little more. Locally, it will be billed as a pre bike-month bike-weekend with out of town guests, workshops, movies and more. A QUICK DESCRIPTION OF HOPES FOR BIKEBIKE NE -an overdue meeting of the nor'easterly bicycle minds -discussion of best practices and sharing of experience -encouraging people to make it to the international bikebike in Toronto (we are organizing a rider there via the erie canal trail) -technical workshops - welding, trailers, tallbikes, ?? -some kind of fun bike race? -community meals -bike polo matches -bicycle movie nite and party WHY APRIL 23-25? we picked this date because it is just before bike month (May), when bicycle activists are typically busy promoting and participating in events and we wanted to avoid unintentional double-booking. WHERE most of bikebike NE will happen at The Sanctuary for Independent Media (http://mediasanctuary.org). some welding workshops and probably some music/partytime will happen at our shop in downtown Troy. Some kind of semi-organized ride will offer guests a two-wheeled tour of the region. HOUSING once we have a better idea of the amount of out-of-town participation, we will begin to work that out. but you will be roofed - be it on a couch, guest bed, or crash space floor. COST just like BikeBike Int'l., we will ask for a donation to cover food and conferencey supplies. the sliding scale amount is TBD, and we are not looking to turn people away. YOU please spread the word of this event to your bikey networks & dont hesitate to email us your suggestions by selecting the subject: BikeBike NE Info at: http://troybikerescue.org/contact ovr&out Troy Bike Rescue gang Troy/Albany, NY

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bike frame bike parking racks
by Bob Giordano 13 Nov '09

13 Nov '09

we just made another bicycle parking rack from old unusable bike frames, and donated it to a neighborhood park. they loved it. one recipe, of the several we are trying: 1- on a one-piece crank bicycle, strip frame to almost bare, especially bottom bracket shell 2- punch out bottom bracket cups 3- repeat with 2 more similar bicycles just posted a picture- click on link that is listed about 7 pictures down at: http://freecycles.org/pedaltechnology.html this new style is much more sturdy than the inverted frame, stem into the seat post method we had been using. -Bob g. free cycles. > Another thought - be careful with police department bike dumps. They can > sometimes be good, but the last police dept that "donated" us bikes literally gave us a week's worth of work scrapping out junk for pretty much > nothing that was useful. >

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carrying cargo workshop, designs needed
by Bob Giordano 13 Nov '09

13 Nov '09

we have some pix of no-weld, all bike part, 3 hour to make trailer at: http://freecycles.org/pedaltechnology.html it can be modified easily. pretty sturdy, though heavy loads require you to drill a couple extra holes for pins into stems. it's just forks, stems, cut frame tubing... design can be improved... -Bob Giordano, Free Cycles Missoula veganboyjosh(a)gmail.com wrote: > > Does anyone have decent plans for home made trailers

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Bike Collective Network mission
by Bob Giordano 12 Nov '09

12 Nov '09

from: http://www.bikecollectives.org/ "The Think Tank : Email List The mission of the Bike Collective Network is to strengthen and encourage communication and resource sharing between existing and future community bike shops. Collectively we can improve a bigger wheel as opposed to re-inventing smaller ones." I really like the first sentence. Could the second sentence be something like, 'improve a bigger wheel as well as reinventing smaller ones', or even just, 'improving the wheel one shop at a time,'. or???? The issue is I like lots of small stuff instead of fewer bigger stuff, and also we are always tinkering with small wheels, making new things at our shop. Just some thoughts for this group. thanks. -Bob Giordano Free Cycles Missoula

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Portland Peeps, anyone know Aaron Tarfman?
by Boson Au 12 Nov '09

12 Nov '09

got a facebook status alert from a acquaintance in portland that a bike activist Aaron Tarfman who lived in SE portland hasn't returned home in 24 hrs. there's a farewell letter on his website. http://tarfman.net/end/index.html I ended up reading the entire letter having never met the guy and was wondering if there are those in portland who know of him and know how to reach him. Hopefully this helps? I apologize in advance if this is inappropriate. ps: this was posted in bikeportland. http://bikeportland.org/2009/11/11/concern-grows-for-missing-community-memb…

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Cargo Framebuilding Apprenticeship Program
by Oregon Cycling 10 Nov '09

10 Nov '09

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE /Contact Natalie Dreyer, +541 344 1197, edcoord(a)catoregon.org/ *Cargo Framebuilding Apprenticeship Program Officially Accepting Applications* The "Human Powered Network" Invites Applicants To Make Some Real Change, One Cargo Bicycle at a Time EUGENE, OR, November 10, 2009 -- With one month remaining for its first class, the Center for Appropriate Transport (CAT) announced today that it is officially accepting applications for the second class in its ongoing apprenticeship program. The three current apprentices are now skilled in TIG welding, CAD design and frame fabrication. Nearing the end of their time in the program, they are currently building their own cargo bikes. This apprenticeship program teaches the fundamentals of bicycle frame building, with particular emphasis on the construction of cargo bicycles, tricycles and trailers. CAT also provides participants with hands-on instruction for starting and operating a successful cargo bicycle delivery service---a 100% CO2-free method of urban cargo transportation. Participants in this five-month apprenticeship take home the skills and designs needed to build their own manufacturing business and delivery service. Utilizing the principles of social enterprise, sustainability, and appropriate technology, graduates of CAT's apprenticeship program can join a cargo bicycle business network that will be based on concepts derived from micro and social franchising, as well as flexible manufacturing networks. "We are an organization committed to community involvement in manufacturing, using, and advocating for sustainable modes of transportation---and local business," said Jan VanderTuin, director at the Center for Appropriate Transport, "What we have done in our community, we are certain graduates from this program can do in theirs. Our intent is to create a Human Powered Network." The bicycles that participants learn how to build are based on European designs researched by VanderTuin in the early 1980s. CAT uses the cargo bikes, tricycles and trailers it builds to operate Pedalers Express, Eugene, Oregon's first and only year-round, all-weather, cargo bicycle delivery service. Pedalers Express has been providing its community with fast, dependable, weatherproof, same-day deliveries since 1992---saving an estimated 25,000 pounds of CO2 annually. For more information about the program, application and the Center for Appropriate Transport, visit www.catoregon.org/ *About the Center for Appropriate Transport * The Center for Appropriate Transport (CAT) is a non-profit organization committed to community involvement in manufacturing, using, and advocating sustainable modes of transportation. The first organization of its kind, the Center was founded in Eugene, Oregon in the fall of 1992. More information about the Center's many projects can be found at www.catoregon.org/ <http://www.catoregon.org/> /High resolution photos available on request./

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large group activity
by Bob Giordano 10 Nov '09

10 Nov '09

We've worked with two large groups in the last week- one was 20 university students and the other was 38 highschool students, both for an hour and a half. One activity that works well that i'd like to share: Everyone gets in a big circle with a wheel. The facilitator then shows how to spin the wheel to check for trueness... and then asks everyone to pass the wheel to the left. Then explain, say, a well-adjusted cone, spin the wheel, feel it, look at it, pass the wheel to the left. Give it a spin... lean into it so it really spins... check to see if all the spokes are there... any broken? what's the nut at the end of the spoke called? Yes. Pass to the left. Look at the axle. Is it hollow or solid? Why? Pass to the left. Is the axle bent? How do you know if a replacement axle is straight? Hint: anyone play pool? Yes! Give it a spin. Pass to left. Is the wheel your holding Aluminum or Steel? How do you know? What are the differences? -------------------- I think you get point fellow think tankers. Here are other wheel issues, as you pass the wheel around: reflectors, front or back?, rim strip, sizes, spoke tension, axle threads, weight transfer in spokes... I always go around the circle until everyone has the wheel they started with. (a teaching point is not needed for every 'pass to the left') And then a fun puzzle/game: 'Everyone hold onto the wheel next to you, so we have a complete circle. Now, how can we- without letting go of the wheels, and keeping a complete circle- move around so that everyone is facing outward instead of inward?' Once they actually do it, I have them reverse to the original position, and then as a closer, 'on 3, everyone raise your wheel in the air and yell 'wheel power!''. If the group is under, say, 7 years old, then tires work well for this activity and puzzle... -- Bob Giordano Free Cycles Missoula 541.7284 Missoula Institute for Sustainable Transportation www.strans.org, mist(a)strans.org, 406.880.6834

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City considers projects for Northside cyclists--responses needed!
by MoBo Bicycle Co-op 10 Nov '09

10 Nov '09

The City is considering two potential projects that would impact Northside cyclists. Before we move forward on either project, we need to know whether or not cyclists think they would be helpful. The City will not move forward unless they receive positive feedback from cyclists. > >>> 1. Bike Corral on Lingo Street: *Proposal* - The metered motor >>>> vehicle parking spot immediately before the stop sign on Lingo Street >>>> (facing Hamilton) would be converted to a bike “corral” that would hold 8-12 >>>> bicycles (see attached image). *Question* – Would cyclists use this >>>> corral, or is it too far away from Hamilton? (A corral cannot be installed >>>> on Hamilton itself because of the peak-hour parking restrictions.) >>>> >>>> 2. Loop Detector Pavement Marking on Clifton Ave: *Proposal* – A >>>> bicycle pavement marking would be installed over the loop detector on >>>> Clifton Ave at the Spring Grove intersection (by the Kroger). The pavement >>>> marking shows cyclists where to position their bike in order to change the >>>> traffic signal to green. *Question* – Do cyclists have difficulty >>>> triggering this traffic signal when making a left turn onto Spring Grove >>>> >>>> >>>> Please send feedback to melissa.mcvay(a)cincinnati-oh.gov<https://bl2prd0102.outlook.com/owa/redir.aspx?C=916be6fbf8f2472e9177e47ff33…>. >>>> I repeat, the City will not move forward unless they receive positive >>>> feedback from cyclists. >>>> >>>> >>>> -- >>>> MoBo Bicycle Co-op >>>> a project of The Village Green Foundation >>>> 1415 Knowlton Ave >>>> Northside >>>> Cincinnati, OH >>>> >>> >>> >>> >>> -- >>> MoBo Bicycle Co-op >>> a project of The Village Green Foundation >>> 1415 Knowlton Ave >>> Northside >>> Cincinnati, OH >>> >> >> >> >> -- >> MoBo Bicycle Co-op >> a project of The Village Green Foundation >> 1415 Knowlton Ave >> Northside >> Cincinnati, OH >> > > > > -- > MoBo Bicycle Co-op > a project of The Village Green Foundation > 1415 Knowlton Ave > Northside > Cincinnati, OH > -- MoBo Bicycle Co-op a project of The Village Green Foundation 1415 Knowlton Ave Northside Cincinnati, OH

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Basic safety/maintenance manuals/curriculums
by Erik Stockmeier 05 Nov '09

05 Nov '09

Hi all- Like many shops, The Recyclery has given away free bicycles with helmets and locks as part of the charitable end of our mission for some time. For a number of reasons, including several new possible partnerships with Immigrant and Refugee groups in the Chicago area and the desire to qualitatively improve some of the long-term outcomes of our Freecyclery program (which currently ends with the bicycle/signature exchange), we are now considering developing a more thorough manual and 2-4 hour class curriculum. It would cover basic maintenance questions (patching tires, adjusting brakes and derailleurs) as well as bike safety/common sense (avoiding theft, sharing the road) and would, of course, make clear that The Recyclery exists as a place where they can get help if something does go wrong. However, not wanting to reinvent the wheel, I'm wondering if any other shops have already developed a similar curriculum or handbook. If so, want to share? If not (but you are interested in the idea), would you be interested in forming an internet working group to collaborate on such a resource we could share? Right now I am working with one of our potential partners and we are picturing a graphically-intense book, the text of which could potentially be translated by people that work for their organization into a number of different languages. From there we would recruit some volunteer graphic designers or find someone that knows how to work something like scribus ( http://www.scribus.net/) to make a nice little booklet (I'm picturing something that could be reproduced photocopier/zine style or done up more flashy) available to all. OK.

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church bike drives
by Jason Tanzman 04 Nov '09

04 Nov '09

Another extremely useful outlet for bike acquisition is church bike drives. Sibley did two bike drives in the last month that yielded about 50 and 100 bikes each, including some really nice stuff that has medium-high retail value, and lots of of functional bikes for our different community programs. I believe that Working Bikes in Chicago has a lot of bike drive/bike acquisition experience. Anyone from there have any suggestions on effective ways to acquire bikes? Do you have any documents or info sheets on how to organize a bike drive? I was thinking it would useful to have a document on how to organize bike acquisition - who to talk with, how to organize a bike drive, how to connect in with neighborhood cleanups, stuff like that. Anyone out there have any resources already put together? Another thought - be careful with police department bike dumps. They can sometimes be good, but the last police dept that "donated" us bikes literally gave us a week's worth of work scrapping out junk for pretty much nothing that was useful. Jason -- Sibley Bike Depot Volunteer Coordinator 612-232-2737 (cell) 651-222-2080 (shop) www.sibleybikedepot.org Sibley Bike Depot's mission is to be an open, accessible space to educate and empower people to use bicycles as transportation, helping to build a sustainable environment and community. Volunteer with us to help build a bicycling movement in the Twin Cities!

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Liability & Safety
by John Barrett 02 Nov '09

02 Nov '09

What do other shops do in terms of safety checks and so on when clients leave the shop? We typically don't much worry about it because our bikes are sold "as is"; however, I wonder if we don't have a greater responsibility in both ethical and legal terms. I guess the major complication is that so many people pass through planning to work further on their bikes at home. On Mon, Oct 5, 2009 at 7:56 PM, andrew lynn <anyone(a)breathingplanet.net>wrote: > hi everyone.... > > Announcing the first BikeBike NE in Troy, NY > A regional gathering of bicycle projects in the Northeast US. > April 24 & 25, 2010 at the Sanctuary for Independent Media > Organized and hosted by Troy Bike Rescue > > What is BikeBike? > BikeBike is an annual international gathering of community bicycle > projects. It has happened in cities such as New Orleans, Pittsburgh, San > Francisco, Minneapolis and Milwaukee. This coming years conference will be > in Toronto in the summer of 2010. Regional events, such as BikeBike > Southeast have been held in Atlanta and Louisville (upcoming). > more info at: http://www.bikebike.org > > What will happen at BikeBike Northeast? > Workshops & discussions for fledgling and experienced shops, a mini film > festival, mutant bike welding, trailer building, exploring urban ruins on > bike, pick-up polo matches, and whatever else you want to make happen! > > Who will come to BikeBike Northeast? > In addition to the local public, we hope to attract participants from > community bike projects as near and as far as: Delaware, Baltimore, > Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, New Haven, Ithaca, Montpelier, Plattsburgh, > Burlington, New Hampshire, Boston, State College PA, Providence, Worcester, > NYC, and more... Are you on this list? We hope you can make it!! > > We have received modest interest from various groups, but will need plenty > of help getting the word out there. If you hear of people in the Northeast > wanting to start ups community shops or simply interested in joining a > conversation about building bicycle culture in post-industrial expanses of > this corner of the world, please tell them about BikeBike Northeast (and > BikeBike International- to be held in Toronto in Summer 2010). > > CONTACT US VIA OUR WEBSITE FOR MORE INFORMATION > http://www.troybikerescue.org/contact > > http://troybikerescue.org > http://mediasanctuary.org > _______________________________________________ > Thethinktank mailing list > Thethinktank(a)bikecollectives.org > To unsubscribe, send a blank email to > TheThinkTank-leave(a)bikecollectives.org > To manage your subscription, plase visit: > > http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.… > -- John Barrett The Good Life Community Bicycle Shop / Two Wheel View - Calgary jonny(a)goodlifebikes.ca / jonny.barrett(a)twowheelview.org 403.619.2648 When the situation is desperate, it is too late to be serious. Be playful. -- Edward Abbey

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Bike Collectives database
by Fhar Miess 01 Nov '09

01 Nov '09

Hey all, There was a Google Docs database set up at some point to gather information about various bike collectives, including if they're looking for particular volunteers, some details about their internal organization, specific programs they run, etc. I can't seem to find that anymore. Can someone point me in the right direction? Fhar

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