August 2013 - 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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Reusable Repair Checklist Tag
by director 02 May '23

02 May '23

Hey All, We just spent some time and redid the tag we use to track repairs on a bike. I'm sure your shops are similar to ours in that many mechanics of varying skill levels will work on a single bike before it's distributed back to the world for use. This make it challenging to ensure a standard of quality on any given bike leaving the shop. As we fleshed out the tag we realized that it could function loosely as a curriculum. For most mechanics, especially students we suggest starting at the top and working down the list. I've come to realize that no two mechanics will do things in the exact same way, everyone has their own style. We've been suggesting that folks do the first two items in order and then address the rest of the repairs at their discretion. Of course we couldn't put everything on a half page so we had to make compromises. You'll notice as you get closer to the bottom of the tag the categories are a little more broad and don't get into the finer details. We're working on a final check list that will include finer details like checking bearing play, tire wear, fine tune derailleurs and brakes... The final checklist won't hang on the bike but it'll be around the shop and part of our training. Stay tuned for this. We print these double sided, cut them in half and laminate them. We hang them on the handlebars and fill them out with a Sharpie. When the bike is done and gone we clean the Sharpie off with 90% rubbing alcohol and a rag. This allows us to use one tag over and over and over. We've been using these tags for about 2 weeks now and it's been awesome. Communication between mechanics is much clearer and bikes are getting done faster. It's really helped orient Earn-A-Bike students to what needs to be done next on their bike. Anyway if you think it's a good idea feel free to adapt it to your shops needs. -- Ride On! Rich Points http://communitycycles.org Executive Director (c)303-589-0597 (w)720-565-6019 Community Cycles is Boulder's only bike shop dedicated to bike commuting. Find us on facebook https://www.facebook.com/CommunityCycles

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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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Bike! Bike! Northeast 2013 is almost here!
by Steph Richardson 30 Aug '13

30 Aug '13

*Bike! Bike! Northeast * *September 6th-8th * *Worcester, MA* Worcester Earn-a-Bike is pumped to host this soon-to-be-happening regional Bike! Bike! event! We've got bike rides, discussions, workshops, live music, a BBQ, and other events planned like whoa and we'd love to see y'all here! Registration is live! It's *highly* encouraged that you hustle on over to the online registration form and fill in some info about yourself so we can find y'all some housing and bikes and make sure we have enough food for everyone. *CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE ONLINE REGISTRATION FORM!<https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1EsjBY9Rxb8cWjqgErxRLYw_BwavSH9uMSdHw5RJ_Jm…> * Also be sure to check out the Bike! Bike! Northeast website where you can find more details about the schedule and whatnot: BIKEBIKENE.COM<http://bikebikene.com> Email me back if you have any questions! I'll be happy to answer them or direct you to folks who can. Cheers! Steph & Worcester Earn-a-Bike ------------------------------------------------ www.worcesterearnabike.org www.bikebikene.com

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Interbike
by Mark Friis 28 Aug '13

28 Aug '13

So what is the numbers for co op participation at Interbike? Mark Friis Executive Director, Inland Empire Biking Alliance PO Box 9266 Redlands, CA 92375 909-800-4322 *mfriis(a)iebikingalliance.org*<https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/mfriis@iebikingalliance.org> ** WWW.IEBIKE.ORG <https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/WWW.IEBIKE.ORG>

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Job Opportunity - Bike/Ped Coordinator in Nashville, TN
by Adams Carroll 28 Aug '13

28 Aug '13

Hi All, This is a killer opportunity. Please share with infrastructure nerds. Details here: http://walkbikenash.blogspot.com/2013/08/metro-nashville-public-works-is-hi… All the best, Adams Carroll Program Manager Walk/Bike Nashville <http://www.walkbikenashville.org/> c: (503) 593-4945 *Since 1998, Walk/Bike Nashville has sought to make active transportation an option for Nashvillians, no matter where they live or where they're trying to go.**We want our sidewalks and bikeways to support active living, commuting options, and recreational opportunities.**Together, we're building a more walkable, bikeable, livable Nashville.*

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Fwd: Velocity Bicycle Mechanic Training Program
by Bayley Vanderpoel 28 Aug '13

28 Aug '13

Hello all, I'm one of the regular volunteers at The Velocity Bicycle Cooperative in Alexandria, Virginia. I'm reaching out on behalf of our Coop to see what kind of training programs other bicycle coops may have available to share. We're evaluating all training program options so anything you have to get us started would be really beneficial. Thank you! Bayley Velocity Bicycle Coop 2111 Mt. Vernon Ave, Alexandria http://velocitycoop.org/ ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Bayley Vanderpoel <bayley.vanderpoel(a)velocitycoop.org> Date: Fri, Aug 23, 2013 at 9:18 AM Subject: Velocity Bicycle Mechanic Training Program To: John Patterson <john.patterson(a)velocitycoop.org> John, I think one of Velocity's challenges with volunteer recruitment & retention is keeping the beginners engaged and feeling productive, particularly when things are slow in the shop. I often see beginner volunteers standing around uncertain of what to do without significant amounts of supervision. I think that even more would-be volunteers are interested in volunteering but they're discouraged with their lack of a maintenance skills. I'd like to propose organizing a bicycle mechanic training program, the main objectives being to keep volunteers engaged & self sufficient, ensuring a well rounded education, and useful support of our activities. It would be great if this program could be checklist & guidebook focused and not instructor led so the burden wouldn't fall so heavy on any current volunteers. Perhaps there's many levels of bicycle mechanic and you have to complete a checklist of activities to get to the next level. i.e., each level getting more complex then the last. I think a program like this would be particularly beneficial in the winter when volunteers will have plenty of time for bike builds. If you're interested in an idea like this, is it ok if I reach out to the ThinkTank distribution list and ask what sort of training programs are already out there that we could potentially evaluate adopting, or would you prefer someone from the board to email them? If you're ok with me asking on behalf of Velocity, then I'll follow up with you to show you what I've found and what I think can be beneficial for helping recruit, educate, and retain volunteers. Bayley

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Re: [TheThinkTank] Vancouver bike mechanics try to change industry bad attitudes
by christopher＠holisticcycles.com 21 Aug '13

21 Aug '13

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Vancouver bike mechanics try to change industry bad attitudes
by director 21 Aug '13

21 Aug '13

Interesting article about customer service in bike shops. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2013/08/08/bc-bike-mec… -- Ride On! Rich Points http://communitycycles.org Executive Director (c)303-589-0597 (w)720-565-6019 Community Cycles is Boulder's only bike shop dedicated to bike commuting. Find us on facebook https://www.facebook.com/CommunityCycles

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point of sale software?
by Rick Nonnekes 16 Aug '13

16 Aug '13

Cycle Transitions, a small do-it-yourself bike shop in Cobourg, Ontario has been in existence for a year now and we're happy to say that it's been a great success (25+ volunteers, 80+ members, a busy shop, high school students doing community service hours, and ~$7000 income from sales, memberships and donations!) We feel we're ready to take another step in our development - a real cash system including cash box and point of sale software. We'd like to know what other shops are using and how you integrate this with your accounting. Please let us know what's working for you. thanks! Rick Nonnekes manager, Cycle Transitions

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