July 2014 - 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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Instruction for Marginalized Communities: Women on Wheels and Multilingual Nights
by Lauren Warbeck 26 Feb '16

26 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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Bike!Bike! 2014 Registration Now Open!
by Reda Ashour 23 Aug '14

23 Aug '14

Bike!Bike! 2014 You are invited to Columbus, Ohio to participate in Bike!Bike! <http://bikebike.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=2e6eb7bc8fad466ecdbdbe7ed…> 2014: an annual international conference of non-profit bike collectives, DIY repair shops, and other bike advocacy projects networking and workshopping ways to make our communities better and make transportation by bicycles easier, safer, and more fun!. Third Hand Bicycle Co-op <http://bikebike.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=2e6eb7bc8fad466ecdbdbe7ed…>will host the event over four days, *Thursday, August 28th through Sunday, August 31st.* What can you expect when attending the annual Bike!Bike! conference? Community bike projects from all over the continent (and some from beyond) convening to share how they’ve grown, gain new skills, and learn from each other’s experiences. All weekend Third Hand will host workshops, bike rides, social events, meals and more! This year's Bike!Bike! will be the most fun one yet. Experience true midwestern heart and explore Columbus by bicycle with us! Post Bike!BIke! we will be hosting a bicycle tour on September 1st (Labor Day, you have the day off, right?). We'll ride the leisurely, mostly bike path, 55 miles to Yellow Springs, OH, camp out, and return Wednesday, September 3rd. Find out more about Bike!Bike! and register at BIKEBIKE.ORG <http://bikebike.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=2e6eb7bc8fad466ecdbdbe7ed…> Want to host a workshop at Bike!Bike!? Workshops vary each year but tend to sit within the framework of structural organization, mechanics, social change, and anti oppression strategies on the scale of the bike shop, the neighborhood, the city and other related networks. You don’t need to be an expert on the topic of a workshop, but must be willing and prepared to facilitate a discussion among participants. Please sign up to host a workshop on the bikebike.org website. Like Bike!Bike! on Facebook <http://bikebike.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=2e6eb7bc8fad466ecdbdbe7ed…> to find out about the latest happenings and join the events! P.S. Can't wait to see y'all!

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alcohol at shop - during meetings - pros and cons?
by momoko saunders 31 Jul '14

31 Jul '14

Hey all, We at Bike Farm recently had a proposal to ban alcohol at our general meetings. We already have a strict policy against alcohol during open shop hours. I'd love to know if other shops have policy around alcohol during meetings or in the shop off hours. Do you have concrete examples of how this effects the shop and it's patrons/volunteers? For those who do not have alcohol, do you notice an difference in time spent hanging out with other collective members, did it change the social dynamic? How does it affect your volunteer pool? For those who have alcohol, do you discuss it often? Do you think it adds or deters from your collective? What is the role of alcohol? The arguments in my mind seem to revolve around safer spaces and regulation. I believe in having as little regulation as possible, but I also respect the need for safer spaces. I wonder if there's a way to not introduce policy while still making an inviting space for all. Your thoughts and experiences would be appreciated! -momoko

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JA Stein and boutique
by Leslie Peteya 24 Jul '14

24 Jul '14

Hi everyone, Has anyone ordered from JA Stein lately? We have several specialty tools we'd like to order from him (frame and fork jig) and haven't heard from him since December. If he's not making tools anymore, does anyone know of any other toolmakers who can produce the more uncommon tools? Best, Leslie Durham Bike Coop

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Earn-a-Bike documentation and reporting?
by Lauren Warbeck 21 Jul '14

21 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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Bike rental advice
by Jennifer Kay 21 Jul '14

21 Jul '14

Hello, We - La Bikery Cooperative in Moncton, NB, Canada - are writing a business plan for a small-scale bike rental business. *If your bike organization rents bicycles*, *we would LOVE your input !* *The survey is found here: * https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LaBikeryBikeRental Just fill in what you know. It should take about 15 minutes. We are asking for your responses by this *Friday July 25*. *Thank you!!* *[image: Inline image 1]*

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