October 2015 - TheThinkTank - lists.bikecollectives.org

Re: [TheThinkTank] What do you do with your dirty rags?
by Vernon Huffman 14 Oct '15

14 Oct '15

We take them to a laundromat, but what we want to do is build a rag washer. It starts with a hose from tap to roof, to the bottom of a solar batch water heater, made from an old water heater tank painted black and built into a triangular box with two sides and both ends insulated and reflective and the third side glass. From the top of the water heater an insulated hose runs to an old front loading clothes washer with the motor removed. It is driven by a stationary bike with a belt around the tireless wheel. The washer sits on a pallet over an old bathtub, into which it drains. The tub has been filled with sand topped with wood chips innoculated with oyster mushrooms, which will clean pollutants out of the water. A drip line runs from the drain hole to the nearby fruit and nut trees. That's the dream...

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Old Spokes Home in Burlington, VT is hiring! General Manager (full-time)
by Christine Hill 14 Oct '15

14 Oct '15

Come join us at The Old Spokes Home in Burlington, VT! We are seeking a General Manager for our mid-sized, full-service bike shop. In our 15 years of operation, we’ve become a unique and thriving retail sales and service business with a dedicated staff and community supporting it. Please read more about Old Spokes Home <http://www.oldspokeshome.com> to understand why this is an amazing opportunity for an entrepreneurial retail manager with a passion for bikes! Our ideal candidate possesses a Big Dummy load of bicycle industry know-how. They have experience in sales and service, in managing mechanic and sales staff, and in creating a retail customer experience nonpareil! This is a hands-on position with responsibility for sales, daily financial operations, scheduling, ordering and other requirements typical of a bike shop. We are also looking for someone who will ensure a healthy, cooperative, safe and equitable workplace for staff; maintain our solid reputation in the community; strategically operate the shop to facilitate long-term growth by improving services and growing the customer base while serving our existing clientele. Old Spokes Home is a socially-driven enterprise and gives back to the local community through its educational and social programs at sister shop Bike Recycle Vermont <http://bikerecyclevermont.org/>. While the Old Spokes Home General Manager needs to have a head for numbers and sales, it is equally important that they have a heart for everything that the bicycle represents. The General Manager will actively support the broader social mission and collaborate on these social programs. Be sure to check these programs out at bikerecyclevermont.or <http://www.bikerecyclevermont.org>g. *Requirements* · Knowledge of the bike industry including current advancements and trends · 3+ years in a managerial capacity at a retail and service business · Demonstrated leadership skills · Advanced mechanical abilities and knowledge *Desirable qualities and experience* - Experience with daily operations and the financial requirements of a sales and service retailer - Experience working in a socially responsible business or organization - Reverence for *all *bicycles, especially the recherché (used, vintage, antique, bike packing, fat bikes, etc.) *Hours / Schedule* This is a full time, year round position. However, as with most bike shops in our climate, OSH is very busy in spring/summer, slower in fall/winter. Busy times will most likely require weekend work and being at the store 6 days per week. Promotional events and attendance at trade shows will (very) occasionally require an out-of-town overnighter. *Learn more:* o “New Folks Buy Old Spokes,” Seven Days, Jan. 2015 <http://www.sevendaysvt.com/vermont/new-folks-buy-old-spokes/Content?oid=250…> o “Shop Owner Believes Bikes Change Lives,” Burlington Free Press, Sept. 2014 <http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/money/2014/09/04/shop-owner-bikes-…> o “Glenn Eames’ Old Spokes Home,” Bici AK, June 2014 <http://biciak.blogspot.com/2014/06/glenn-eames-old-spokes-home-in.html> *Old Spokes Home is an equal opportunity employer.* *To apply: **send your resume, cover letter, and at least 3 references to * *christine(a)bikerecyclevt.org* <christine(a)bikerecyclevt.org>*. Applications start being reviewed 10/16 and will be accepted until the position is filled.*

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What do you do with your dirty rags?
by dontito＠videotron.ca 12 Oct '15

12 Oct '15

We’re looking into the disposal problem for oily and greasy rags generated in bike shops. 1. I’d like to get an idea of the amount of this waste generated in different shops as a function of shop activity. 2. Where do your dirty rags go? 3. Some shops use commercial services that supply clean rags and collect and clean them after they’ve been used. If you’re familiar with this kind of service do you know the cost? Do you know what sort of cleaning treatment they use and what happens to that effluent? 4. Anybody found creative ways to detoxify this shop waste? Thanks! Donnie SantroVélo, Montréal

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Re: [TheThinkTank] Thethinktank Digest, Vol 109, Issue 6
by Tegan Moss 12 Oct '15

12 Oct '15

B!KE never pays for rags. If you make it known to your members/users that you accept donations of old clothing/bedding/towels/tooth brushes, thoughtful grateful folks bring them by frequently! Some even pre-rip the rags down to a usable size. Ripping rags is an easy task for even the most-unskilled volunteer (its also pretty satisfying). We throw them all away in weekly garbage pickups, so they end up in a landfill. This seems much more practical than washing them. We create about 1 75L garbage bag full of garbage per week, this includes rags, tubes, broken saddles, broken plastic mounts, etc. I have looked into rag services and they all seem exorbitant and unnecessary. Especially because I do believe that the landfill is a more ecological place for the rags and grease to end up than in our water. Best, Tegan On Sat, Oct 10, 2015 at 4:16 PM, < 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. Re: Slack channel > (Falls City Community BikeWorks Community BikeWorks) > 2. Re: What do you do with your dirty rags? (Michael Kirk) > 3. Re: What do you do with your dirty rags? (Jonathan Morrison) > 4. Re: What do you do with your dirty rags? (Angel York) > > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: Falls City Community BikeWorks Community BikeWorks < > fccbikeworks(a)gmail.com> > To: The Think Tank <thethinktank(a)lists.bikecollectives.org> > Cc: > Date: Fri, 9 Oct 2015 16:47:54 -0400 > Subject: Re: [TheThinkTank] Slack channel > > thank you. please add us! > On Oct 9, 2015 10:55 AM, "Andrew Shooner" <ashooner(a)gmail.com> wrote: > >> I was getting email from several different shops to discuss software. I >> want to be able to bring other folks into that conversation when they want >> to, so I created a general slack team for bike collectives: >> >> bikecollectives.slack.com >> >> If you want to discuss specific stuff without spamming the email list, >> let me know and I'll add you. This isn't intended to replace the good >> discussion on the email list; it's more just for immediate collaboration, >> etc. >> >> -Andy >> Broke Spoke >> >> ____________________________________ >> >> The ThinkTank mailing List >> <a href=" >> http://lists.bikecollectives.org/options.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o…">Unsubscribe >> from this list</a> >> >> >> > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: Michael Kirk <michael.john.kirk(a)gmail.com> > To: The Think Tank <thethinktank(a)lists.bikecollectives.org> > Cc: > Date: Fri, 9 Oct 2015 14:14:44 -0700 > Subject: Re: [TheThinkTank] What do you do with your dirty rags? > Bicicocina in Los Angeles has been using Ameripride for our rag service > for years. It’s pretty convenient, but at about $35/wk (about $2000/year) > I’d say it’s more cash than it’s worth. The problem is the minimum orders. > We could easily do with once a month service, but they require us to have > once a week service. And frustratingly we were previously told they had a > $50/wk minimum and thus got some rugs, hand towels, and hand soap > delivered. Though more than half the time they “forget” the hand soap. > Somehow in our threatening to fire them, the lowered our minimum to > something like $35/wk and we no longer get the rugs. > > We approached one of our neighboring auto-shops to see if we could > piggy-back on their rag order but they thought it was a dumb idea and that > we should just buy our own. > > In response to this thread, I just looked into Cintas and they also have a > $35/wk minimum, and require at least weekly service. I’m not sure how many > rags that would be. > > My current preference would be to keep a small number of rags, use them > till their super dirty, then toss them. One idea for a rag source was to go > to a goodwill outlet and buy old t-shirt and towels by the pound. Of course > letting your clients know that you are a place that will accept their old > cloth donations could get you part of the way there. This would probably be > the most economical solution, but it does require some institutional energy > to stay on top of rag inventory, and make sure people are being mindful > about using new clean rags and throwing out old ones. > > M > > On Oct 9, 2015, at 12:16 PM, Tom Martin <thomas.martin6(a)pcc.edu> wrote: > > Our volume of repairs and fleet bikes does not make it necessary for a rag > service (which is very important- see previous threads on fires). > We use blue shop towels and put them in our non recyclable landfill bound > waste. > I am not aware of a method to reclaim or separate the grime, metal and > oils from disposable shop towels ( the cotton reinforced paper ones). > Towel or rag services do this I am assuming. What do they do with the > waste water? Do they treat the water? Glean the metal shavings that may be > suspended in the grime? Separate the oil from the dirt? Interesting things > to ponder but I wonder if it is something that is scalable down to a small > shop or household level. > > Tom Martin > ASPCC bike program coordinator > Cascade > Sent on the go. Please excuse brevity and typos. > > On Oct 9, 2015, at 12:10 PM, dontito(a)videotron.ca wrote: > > We’re looking into the disposal problem for oily and greasy rags generated > in bike shops. > 1. I’d like to get an idea of the amount of this waste generated in > different shops as a function of shop activity. > 2. Where do your dirty rags go? > 3. Some shops use commercial services that supply clean rags and > collect and clean them after they’ve been used. If you’re familiar with > this kind of service do you know the cost? Do you know what sort of > cleaning treatment they use and what happens to that effluent? > 4. Anybody found creative ways to detoxify this shop waste? > Thanks! > > Donnie > SantroVélo, Montréal > > ____________________________________ > > The ThinkTank mailing List > <a href=" > http://lists.bikecollectives.org/options.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o…">Unsubscribe > from this list</a> > > ____________________________________ > > The ThinkTank mailing List > <a href=" > http://lists.bikecollectives.org/options.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o…">Unsubscribe > from this list</a> > > > > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: Jonathan Morrison <jonathan(a)bicyclecollective.org> > To: The Think Tank <thethinktank(a)lists.bikecollectives.org> > Cc: > Date: Fri, 9 Oct 2015 16:25:33 -0600 > Subject: Re: [TheThinkTank] What do you do with your dirty rags? > > It really depends on your area's environmental issues. You have to pick > your poison. > > If water pollution is the biggest concern, do not clean them or use a > service that cleans them. If air pollution is the biggest concern, do not > burn them or use a service that burns them. If soil pollution is the > biggest concern, do not throw them away. > > For salt lake city, Utah (a desert climate with inversion issues) I would > rank our importance in this order: > > 1) Air > 2) Water > 3) Soil/Earth > > So we throw them away and they sit at the local dump. If we wanted to go > the extra mile we would bring them to the hazardous waste facility at the > dump for special processing. But without really knowing what that entails > it could be worse. The time required to drive to the dump takes away time > from the activities defined by our mission statement. You also don't want > the fire hazard of a pile of oily rags sitting around. > On Oct 9, 2015 1:10 PM, <dontito(a)videotron.ca> wrote: > >> We’re looking into the disposal problem for oily and greasy rags >> generated in bike shops. >> >> 1. I’d like to get an idea of the amount of this waste generated in >> different shops as a function of shop activity. >> >> 2. Where do your dirty rags go? >> >> 3. Some shops use commercial services that supply clean rags and >> collect and clean them after they’ve been used. If you’re familiar >> with this kind of service do you know the cost? Do you know what sort of >> cleaning treatment they use and what happens to that effluent? >> >> 4. Anybody found creative ways to detoxify this shop waste? >> >> Thanks! >> >> >> >> Donnie >> >> SantroVélo, Montréal >> >> ____________________________________ >> >> The ThinkTank mailing List >> <a href=" >> http://lists.bikecollectives.org/options.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o…">Unsubscribe >> from this list</a> >> >> >> > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: Angel York <aniola(a)gmail.com> > To: The Think Tank <thethinktank(a)lists.bikecollectives.org> > Cc: > Date: Fri, 9 Oct 2015 17:04:23 -0700 > Subject: Re: [TheThinkTank] What do you do with your dirty rags? > I like that framework for thinking about how to deal with rags, Jonathan! > > If I understand what you're saying correctly, your collective may be > breaking a law: > > Exempt generators cannot dispose of their hazardous waste in storm drains, > landfills and dumpsters. Federal, state and local laws prohibit these > actions since it may cause environmental and public health problems. The > landfills in Salt Lake County are prohibited from accepting hazardous or > liquid waste. Violators of these laws can face both civil and criminal > penalties. > Fortunately, it looks like there's a program for you! > http://slcohealth.org/programs/waterQualHazWaste/solidHazWaste/householdHaz… > > On Fri, Oct 9, 2015 at 3:25 PM, Jonathan Morrison < > jonathan(a)bicyclecollective.org> wrote: > >> It really depends on your area's environmental issues. You have to pick >> your poison. >> >> If water pollution is the biggest concern, do not clean them or use a >> service that cleans them. If air pollution is the biggest concern, do not >> burn them or use a service that burns them. If soil pollution is the >> biggest concern, do not throw them away. >> >> For salt lake city, Utah (a desert climate with inversion issues) I would >> rank our importance in this order: >> >> 1) Air >> 2) Water >> 3) Soil/Earth >> >> So we throw them away and they sit at the local dump. If we wanted to go >> the extra mile we would bring them to the hazardous waste facility at the >> dump for special processing. But without really knowing what that entails >> it could be worse. The time required to drive to the dump takes away time >> from the activities defined by our mission statement. You also don't want >> the fire hazard of a pile of oily rags sitting around. >> On Oct 9, 2015 1:10 PM, <dontito(a)videotron.ca> wrote: >> >>> We’re looking into the disposal problem for oily and greasy rags >>> generated in bike shops. >>> >>> 1. I’d like to get an idea of the amount of this waste generated in >>> different shops as a function of shop activity. >>> >>> 2. Where do your dirty rags go? >>> >>> 3. Some shops use commercial services that supply clean rags and >>> collect and clean them after they’ve been used. If you’re familiar >>> with this kind of service do you know the cost? Do you know what sort of >>> cleaning treatment they use and what happens to that effluent? >>> >>> 4. Anybody found creative ways to detoxify this shop waste? >>> >>> Thanks! >>> >>> >>> >>> Donnie >>> >>> SantroVélo, Montréal >>> >>> ____________________________________ >>> >>> The ThinkTank mailing List >>> <a href=" >>> http://lists.bikecollectives.org/options.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o…">Unsubscribe >>> from this list</a> >>> >>> >>> >> ____________________________________ >> >> The ThinkTank mailing List >> <a href=" >> http://lists.bikecollectives.org/options.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o…">Unsubscribe >> from this list</a> >> >> >> > > _______________________________________________ > Thethinktank mailing list > Thethinktank(a)lists.bikecollectives.org > > http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.… > > -- -- B!KE: The Peterborough Community Bike Shop 336 Rubidge St, Peterborough ON (705) 775-7227 communitybikeshop.org

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Review of databases for a community bike center
by sheldon mains 11 Oct '15

11 Oct '15

A couple months ago I asked this email list for suggestions on databases to consider fo Cycles for Change in St. Paul and MInneapolis. I promised to provide a summary of the results. We ended up looking at almost 20 databases. In some cases this was just a review of the information available on-line. In some cases it included a call to the developer or talking with a current user (or both). We narrowed the large list down to four who we sent a Request for Information to. This was pretty detailed -- about 5 pages long. We then had formal demonstrations and discussions with two finalists. Keep in mind that the information in the list below is only our opinion. This opinion may be totally wrong. If anything looks interesting to you, PLEASE contact the company or organization directly. Also keep in mind that there are a variety of other databases out there designed for small community organizations. This is NOT a comprehensive list. Finally, keep in mind that the needs of one community bike center will likely be very different from every other community bike center. Cycles for Change has about 15 staff and includes Open Shop, Volunteer Night, Women Transgender, Femm Open Shop, Earn-a-Bike, Community Rides, Youth Apprentice Program, Youth Earn-a-Bike, Community Partners Bike Library, a Equity Council and a variety of one-evening to four-week classes. Also, Cycles for Change has no staff or volunteer technology manager/director/coordinator/help. ........................... *Databases considered for Cycles for Change* *Requirements summary:* An integrated database to: Track and report on volunteers, participants and donors; Manage single-day and multi-day classes; Manage the Community Partners Bike Library; Manage individual fundraising. Cycles for Change has no computer/network/database technical staff. *Considered:* · *CitySoft:* Seems to concentrate on donor management and fundraising activities. Appears more difficult to set-up · *Civic CRM:* Requires an internal techie who is comfortable coding (see also PowerBase below) · *ClientTrack* (via MACC CommonWealth): High-end Human Service organization client management system. Not communications management. Not Donor Management. Limited Volunteer Management. · *Community Bike Shop DB:* Volunteers and members only; community built/open source. Good at what it is designed to do. May need a person (on staff or volunteer or consultant) with basic database design skills to manage. · *EveryAction:* Similar to PowerBuilder (below) but with less functionality and more expensive. · *FreeHub: *Volunteers and members only; community built/open source. Good at what it is designed to do. May need a person (on staff or volunteer or consultant) with basic database design skills to manage. · *Frontstream* (was Giftworks): Online version is more expensive than other options. Mainly donor management. · *Little Green Light.* Reporting function seems quite limited. Aimed at very small organizations. Very basic system. No extras. · *MemberClicks: *Member and event only. Price equal to systems that do more. · *Raisers' Edge:* Way too expensive. Mainly fundraising. More complex FR than we need. · *NationBuilder *(used by Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition): Low cost. Designed originally as a political campaign database, expanded to the advocacy market. Very good donor and member management. Activity and event functions very limited. Social media integration is good. Volunteer management not included. · *Results Plus:* A comprehensive donor management database. Does not seem to have other functionality that C4C needs. Considered more research on this one. · *Trailblaizer:* Nonprofit product built on their political campaign base system. Seems to concentrate on political campaigns. Does not seem to include anything other than membership and donations. · *Wild Apricot:* Member and event only-- plus website. Price equal to others that do more. *Four “semi-finalists":* · *PowerBase *(Progressive Technology Project): Implantation of CivicCRM for community organizing. Ability to track and manage events and volunteers. Comprehensive CRM system. Hosting and tech support provided (for a fee) by Progressive Technology Project. Good and reasonable cost tech support. Allows tracking relationships of individuals to other organizations (needed for CPBL). This was one of the two finalists considered. · *SalesForce:* Very expensive set-up (realistically, set-up consulting starts at $8,000 to $10,000), needs internal tech staff or continuing consulting relationship. However, found a consultant who has implemented SalesForce for a community bike center. Consultant was sent a Request for Information. · *Salsa:* Integrated system with strong Donor Management and Client Relationship Management capabilities. Was sent a Request for Information. · *theDataBank:* Integrated system with strong Donor Management and Client Relationship Management capabilities. Appears to do almost everything C4C needs (volunteer management, event management, connecting individuals to organizational partners). This was one of two finalists. sheldon .............. Sheldon Mains Consultant for random stuff for Cycles for Change www.SpokesConnect.org www.fb.com/SpokesConnect Minneapolis, MN 612/618-7149 Three ways to donate to SPOKES: 1. Volunteer. 2. Donate repairable used bikes. 3. Financial donations always welcome. Check www.SpokesConnect.org for details.

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I'm on the edge of my seat
by Angel York 08 Oct '15

08 Oct '15

How was bike! bike!?

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ADA for outdoor shop
by Mark Friis 03 Oct '15

03 Oct '15

We are about to open our 4th Co op and having a difficulty with the City of Riverside, Ca. We are dropping a container for storage of our tools and materials along with a place to store donations. It is being placed next to a community garden along a multi use path, the Santa Ana River Trail. We will conduct all business outside and share the container with the garden, storage of garden tools. Now the city wants the container to be ADA compliant which we don't have a real issue with but for some reason this is throwing in delay after delay. They want an architect to design plans for the whole area to be compliant along with garden. Has anyone run into such a problem or do I take this as a passive way of saying we don't want a Co op even though WE asked you for one. Mark Friis Inland Empire Biking Alliance PO Box 9266 Redlands, CA 92375 909-800-4322 iebafriis(a)gmail.com www.iebike.org

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