June 2014 - TheThinkTank - lists.bikecollectives.org

Webhosting/domains
by Bike City 25 Mar '25

25 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 03 May '23

03 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 28 Sep '18

28 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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Instruction for Marginalized Communities: Women on Wheels and Multilingual Nights
by Lauren Warbeck 27 Feb '16

27 Feb '16

Oh HEYYYY again... It's a double email kinda day. 1) Multilingual Nights We're hosting our first ever multilingual nights YAYYYYY! We now have a posse of rad mechanics who are fluent in English, Spanish, French, Cantonese, and Mandarin and we are planning to hold a series of multilingual instruction nights. We're about to have our first sub-committee meeting about how we're going to go about the planning of these nights (ie: Do we have a strictly Spanish night, or a Spanish & French night? What is the role of Anglo mechanics in these nights? What are the underlying needs of these communities beyond language instruction?), but first I wanted to find out if any of you have feedback or resource materials about your own experiences hosting multilingual nights. What did you set out to do? Did it work? What did you learn? 2) Women on Wheels We're in the process of reconsidering the reach and name of our women's night, Women on Wheels. This name has been revisited several times by our collective, and again we're feeling the need for change. Those of you who commit energy to thinking about providing services across the gender/sexuality spectrum...I'm looking for your input. The key challenges for us, (and maybe all of us?) I think, are two-fold: First, it's about holding space for those who adhere to identity politics (tangible and named - Woman, Lesbian, Dyke, sometimes Transwoman etc) while also holding space for folks who exist all along the gender and sexuality spectrum (intangible and variably named - Queer, Tomboi, sometimes Transwoman, Genderqueer, etc ). As in, how do we hold safer space for butch grandmas and trans women and gender queer folks all at once? Is it feasible or possible to hold safer space strictly around gender variance? Or is it presumptuous as fuck to try to lump these diverse communities together? Or reductionist to assume gender experience is the key connecting factor between these individuals (and not race, or class, or ....)? Second, it's about negotiating the instances of inclusion and exclusion that emerge as a result of differing levels of awareness and knowledge around these varied philosophies and ways of identifying. This is the crux of why we've called it Women's Night for so long. While in practice our "women's night" is attended by trans-women, cis-women, femmes, masculine-identified genderqueers, tombois, etc etc, we have continued to call it women's night to make sure that people who aren't familiar with the world of post-modern gender identity know they are welcome, and cis-men know easily and clearly that it is not for them. I guess, to make it legible to mainstream communities, while still welcoming to non-mainstream communities. Meanwhile, we've also had interest from femme-identified cis-men and trans men in having services for masculine-presenting folks or folks who are presumed masculine (which again, is on a really broad spectrum). We're in convo with folks about their needs and wants, but it would also be great to have input from other shops. Where I'm really seeking is input about how your shops are drawing the lines around participation in nights for marginalized communities (including communities bonded around race, ethnicity, ability, etc) and/or how to meld diverse communities in appropriate and supportive ways. I know that Plan B has Ladies, Trans, and Sissies Night, and BICAS has Women, Trans, and Femme night. Where are folks at with their organizing process around this? What are other shops doing? You are all so great. Lauren

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members and sign up database software
by Jesse Cooper 23 Sep '15

23 Sep '15

Hey Folks! So at Our Community Bikes in Vancouver, we're thinking it's time to set up a proper sign in / sign out system, combined with a membership and volunteer database. Ideally we would like to know what software is out there that can track people coming in and using our space, a simple laptop or desktop kiosk where folks can type in info, and it would enter our database. Also to serve as a database that members can register into, and again wherein volunteers can sign up, and log their hours, and tasks accomplished. sooo.. any ideas? Jesse Cooper

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Earn-a-Bike documentation and reporting?
by Lauren Warbeck 22 Jul '14

22 Jul '14

Hey Folks! When not immersed in planning an Ohio-themed Bike! Bike! fundraiser dance party (!!!), I'm actually doing other for real work. Including the exploration of formats, documentation, and reporting for our youth volunteering and Earn-a-Bike programs. Here in British Columbia, high school students are required to complete something like 30 hours of work experience (ie free labour) to graduate, and we get a lot of youth completing this requirement at our shops. We also run pretty informal Earn-a-Bike programs for youth who are in unconventional education settings, accessing social services, in alternative programs, or can't access our in-school programming for any variety of reasons. Lots of these kids are really focused on getting a job, but we can rarely accommodate that. I'm in the process of creating a checklist/worksheet of mechanical and interpersonal skills acquired by youth as they volunteer in our spaces. The idea is that it would include gradients of skill, becoming increasingly more complex as time goes on. It would be used to guide their time in the shop, and also document what they've learned. It would be the youth's responsibility to fill the checklist out over time and have staff sign off on it, and when it's completed, we would write them a letter of recommendation to be used in applying for jobs, school, whateva. So....do yall have anything like this in place? Or any other relevant Earn-a-Bike or alternative youth programming materials I can creep and reap? SEND THEM TO ME! Thanks buddiez! Lauren @ OCB

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Disabling frames to be scrapped?
by Andrew Shooner 22 Jul '14

22 Jul '14

Our shop recently changed our procedure regarding scrap bikes: any donated bikes that we conclude we will scrap rather than rehab & redistribute are now disabled by cutting the frame of the bike. Recently, some donated bike that had been put in our scrap pile appeared on Craigslist. We had two concerns: first, that donors would be unhappy that their donations were being sold by another party, and second that we could develop a reputation as a source of scrap bikes to be picked and sold elsewhere (and usually those bikes were beyond safe repair). I'd like to hear other perspectives. Is controlling the use of donated bikes (to maintain the integrity of a donation as well as the safety of bikes coming through the shop) worth disabling a bike that might otherwise be reused downstream? Andy Broke Spoke Community Bike Shop Lexington, KY

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Want to represent the Bicycle Collective Network at Interbike?
by David Eyer Davis 03 Jul '14

03 Jul '14

Hi All! Interbike's way, way around the corner, September 10th-12th with the Outdoor Demo the two days before. As you probably know, the industry's dog-and-pony show is a great environment for Collectives to meet retailers and shop owners and let them know about all the great ways to get involved with what we do on a local and national level. Last year we didn't get a ticket confirmation until the LAST MINUTE, which was annoying, so I wanted to reach out to the network early this year with two things. 1. Would you like to go and get a (free) ticket through us? 2. what resources should we bring to bear and share with the cycling industry? *1. If you'd like to go, sign up on this sheet and fill out the relevant tabs. *So if you're needing a hotel room, put yourself down in one of the slots, we aim to put 4-6 people in each room to keep 'em cheap. If you're looking to carpool, put down your arrival/departure details and room in your vehicle, if applicable. Going to Interbike with us comes with responsibility: Firstly, everyone attending has to sign up for two shifts at the Bicycle Collective Network booth (third tab below), where we'll be representing the Bicycle Collective and the Alliance for Walking and Biking. Secondly, we will not tolerate conduct that doesn't represent us favorably to the rest of the bicycling industry. Being inconsiderate of an exhibitor's time, heckling for swag or deals from people you haven't developed a relationship with or who haven't clearly offered that sort of thing, or generally behaving like a child will earn you a boot from the show. We're not willing to jeopardize the reputation of the Bicycle Collective Network. Barring major conflicts, we'd also like to do a night out for Collective folks on Tuesday night, the night before the show, where we would briefly go over our responsibilities formally and then just kick back, catch up across the city, state, and national lines between our different shops. Sign up: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0ApahCby7kJnBdDhMSndNRktLdEZGVE… *2. How should we represent the Bike Collective Network? * In years past, the question we're most asked at the booth is "Who's the local collective in our neck of the woods?" To answer this question, we have a print-out of the organizations listed on the Bicycle Collectives Wiki: http://www.bikecollectives.org/wiki/index.php?title=Community_Bicycle_Organ… Is this the most current and representative list? Or is there a more current resource out there, like the organizations tab on bikecollectives.org? http://www.bikecollectives.org/#organizations What else would allow us to better connect the industry to our needs and interests this year? For example, for the Salt Lake/Ogden/Provo Shop I'm always looking for (utility) tube sealant donors and companies that make solid tubes. When I find out a company has a distributor in a given area, I try to get their blemished/overstock/recall items donated to local collectives. Beyond that, let me know if there's anything else we should try and tout! And I'll send a followup out later when tickets are secured. Thanks, -- David Eyer Davis Executive Director Bicycle Collective c: 801-230-6308 www.bicyclecollective.org The mission of the Bicycle Collective is to promote cycling as an effective and sustainable form of transportation and as a cornerstone of a cleaner, healthier, and safer society. The Collective provides refurbished bicycles and educational programs to the community, focusing on children and lower income households.

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by Duane Martinez 01 Jul '14

01 Jul '14

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Re: [TheThinkTank] Thethinktank Digest, Vol 94, Issue 11
by nick Kojetin 25 Jun '14

25 Jun '14

I volunteer with the community bike project in Bloomington, IN. If the bikes need a ride to a new home and if the moving truck costs are covered, I'd be willing to figure out how to schedule time to travel up to St. Paul and drive them to a place like the one mentioned in Chicago. Email me if there is interest in organizing this... we can also chat on the phone and will give my number if asked :). Cheers, Nick nkojetin(a)gmail.com On Jun 24, 2014, at 16:14, thethinktank-request(a)lists.bikecollectives.org wrote: > Send Thethinktank mailing list submissions to > thethinktank(a)lists.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)lists.bikecollectives.org > > You can reach the person managing the list at > thethinktank-owner(a)lists.bikecollectives.org > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of Thethinktank digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. Bikes Available - St. Paul, MN (Jason Tanzman) > 2. Re: Bikes Available - St. Paul, MN (breathingplanet .) > 3. Re: Bikes Available - St. Paul, MN (Vincent Levy) > 4. Re: Bikes Available - St. Paul, MN (momoko saunders) > 5. Re: Bikes Available - St. Paul, MN (breathingplanet .) > 6. Re: Bikes Available - St. Paul, MN (Casey) > 7. Re: Bikes Available - St. Paul, MN (Josh Bisker) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Mon, 23 Jun 2014 17:04:10 -0500 > From: Jason Tanzman <jason(a)cyclesforchange.org> > To: thethinktank(a)lists.bikecollectives.org > Subject: [TheThinkTank] Bikes Available - St. Paul, MN > Message-ID: > <CAKxBYDENOM7uXQ2weC2BOiU2FNrvGyYvZUrPVM40yKbcQJRXYA(a)mail.gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" > > Hey all, > > This is kind of a long shot, since this listserv is national. Cycles for > Change in St. Paul, MN is kind of overloaded with bikes. If any community > bike shops were looking for bikes, we could easily give you 10, 25, 50, > 100, or potentially more (we will likely have as many as 200 that we're > trying to get rid of). We're 2 talking 10-speeds, 26" mountain bikes, > 3-speeds, some4" mountain bikes. Nothing super fancy - lots of Murrey, > Magna, Schwinn, Huffy, etc. All in decent to good condition - we've junked > the magnas with broken shifters and wrecked wheels, so all the bikes > available are reasonably fixable. But we have mostly pulled out the > Specialized Hard Rock or Raleigh Olympian quality mountain or road bikes > for use in other of our programs, so there's nothing super high quality. > > Anyways. If there's anyone working on a bike project in or around the Twin > Cities, or another bike project within a reasonable truck rental distance - > we'd be happy to provide bikes. We would even potentially contribute 25-50% > of the cost of a truck rental for an organization who wants these bikes - > we're at the point where they'll end up being scrapped, and they're > definitely usable bikes. We'd love to help them find a good home. > > Best, > Jason > > > -- > Development and Communications Director > 612-232-2737 (cell) > 651-222-2080 (shop) > www.cyclesforchange.org > > The mission of Cycles for Change is to build a diverse and empowered > community of bicyclists. Cycles for Change values: Equity and justice in > the bicycling movement; innovation in our thinking and in our work; > collaboration with our stakeholders in all we do; and empowerment of > individuals and communities to reach their goals >

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