January 2022 - 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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Service Tickets and Bike Tags
by Amanda Chilson 29 Apr '23

29 Apr '23

Good Afternoon, I am wondering if bike collectives and shops could share what they are using for service tickets or slips when a bike is being purchased, when preparing a bike to sell, when people drop off a bike to be fixed/tuned and/or a bike that was donated? Thank you so much for your help! Amanda Chilson Health and Wellness Coordinator Northern Berkshire Community Coalition 61 Main St. Suite 218 North Adams, MA 01247 413-663-7588 Ext. 16 www.nbccoalition.org

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Volunteer Management Technology
by Bayley VanderCrowd 01 Feb '22

01 Feb '22

Hi Thinktank! I’d like to share how we track our volunteers and see how others track them. We’re looking for something more integrated. Are there any commercial off the shelf software you use? Maybe we’re missing something easier and better. With that said, Vélocity Bicycle Coop in Alexandria Virginia does the following: -We use a Google form for volunteer shifts. -We use a Slack channel to communicate to the others when we’ll be volunteering -We use Meetup.com for volunteer nights. (If anyone is interested in setting up a meetup group for free, we have a free group to giveaway. Just LMK!) -We use a Google form to track what hours volunteers have performed. Please let me know if you have any questions or suggestions. Thank you everyone! Bayley Vanderpoel Board Member Velocity Bicycle Coop Alexandria, VA -- Bayley Vanderpoel VéloCity Bicycle Cooperative Bayley.Vanderpoel(a)velocitycoop.org 703-863-4464

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Hiring: Bike Church in Santa Cruz, CA
by Bike Church Santa Cruz 27 Jan '22

27 Jan '22

Hi all, We are hiring! Our shop is run collectively, everyone is paid the same, which is $15 an hour, and this is only a part time opportunity, about 6-20 hours per week. Just thought I'd throw it out there and see if anyone is in town and looking for a part-time labor of love. :) See full description here: https://sfbay.craigslist.org/scz/npo/d/santa-cruz-community-bicycle-shop-hi… If interested please apply by February 1. Thanks! Nik

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Job Opening: Community Programs Manager at Working Bikes in Chicago
by Anna Henschel 26 Jan '22

26 Jan '22

Hi Everyone, After 3 wonderful years at Working Bikes I'll be leaving my post as Community Programs Manager at Working Bikes at the end of February and looking for something great to take over the position. The position involves working with and instructing a big group of incredibly dedicated and hardworking volunteers, managing the local donation program (last year we fixed up and donated 1348 bikes for Chicagoans!), helping to coordinate the shipment of bikes to international partners (over 6500 in 2021!), planning community events, and more. The CPM works with other staff to help support all aspects of the organization and is a very well supported position. There's always something new going on, so there's never a dull day. The position is full time, Tuesday-Saturday, and comes with great benefits. Health insurance, paid holidays, vacation, and sick time! I wouldn't be leaving the job if I could find a way to take it with me on my cross country move, but alas, that's not an option. Take a look at job description linked below and feel free to reach out if you have any questions Community Programs Manager <https://workingbikes.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Community-Programs-Mana…> Anna -- *Anna Henschel, Community Programs Manager, Working Bikes* 2434 S Western Ave, Chicago, IL 60608 773-657-8419 Pronouns: She/Her/Hers anna(a)workingbikes.org

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Job Opportunity: Bike Mechanic and Program Director
by lori newton 26 Jan '22

26 Jan '22

Hey everyone, The Windsor Bike Kitchen is seeking a shop manager and program director to help us deliver on our vision of more people cycling for everyday transportation in Windsor-Essex. The successful candidate will have a passion for cycling, possess solid wrenching skills, and have a desire to connect community through outreach and the delivery of our cycling programs. The position is full time, currently Tuesday to Saturday — paying $20/hr with generous health benefits and access to transportation. We’re located in Canada’s southernmost region on the south side of the Detroit River. We’ll keep the application open until the position is filled. You can check us out here: https://bikewindsoressex.com/the-bike-kitchen-is-hiring-2/ <https://bikewindsoressex.com/the-bike-kitchen-is-hiring-2/> Thanks everybody, wishing you all the best in 2022! Lori Newton (she/her) Executive Director Bike Windsor Essex + The Bike Kitchen www.bikewindsoressex.com 628 Monmouth Road Windsor, ON N8Y 3L1 226.216.5200

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Bicycle disaster response teams
by Collapsing Biosphere 18 Jan '22

18 Jan '22

Hello hello! I live in North Carolina where hurricanes are increasing in force and reach. I'm looking for any stories or practical advice related to organizing bicycle based disaster response teams. -- I've read all available information on the Disaster Relief Trials in the Pacific Northwest. -- I've found a few stories from post-hurricane Sandy, Harvey, and Ida. -- I've NOT been able to find practical information/theory on the actual use of bicycles in post-hurricane, fire, or flood situation. If anyone would like to open this conversation with me I'd be very grateful. Disaster Relief Trials - https://scholarsbank.uoregon.edu/xmlui/handle/1794/18475 International bicycle rider solidarity, Joshua

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Re: [TheThinkTank] Thethinktank Digest, Vol 183, Issue 5
by Lawrence Mohammed 18 Jan '22

18 Jan '22

If it's helpful....here's how our gift economy model has evolved * Idea #1 [there was no external support or funding at this stage - just me running an experiment on my weekends] o This was literally a large mason jar where people could donate after having received a bike service or a lesson in bike maintenance (originally, there were four courses; intro, basic, intermediate, advanced) o I didn't differentiate between parts (many new) or labour o Results + Takings after 8months (weekends only) came to around £2000, once parts were factored in, this more than halved + Only those well versed with cycling (and some mechanical knowledge) knew the value of servicing. The perceived value of maintenance training varied even more widely + Some people HATED the donation jar and idea of 'pay what you feel', some loved it. Most people who hated it appeared time poor and cash rich [I felt they wanted a simple transaction] * Idea #2 [now with some funding] o parts had to be paid for, even used parts [these have been fully cleaned, inspected, lubed/etc and where necessary - fitted, test ridden and removed - i.e not just a box of random parts that have been stripped and left] o there was now a bank account [people were given details and left to pay as and when they felt like it and how much they felt] o Results + A glass jar gave pressure for people for give then and there, also some people don't use cash (others only use cash) - for those who use cash, this has and will always be acceptable too + I refused to ask people to tick boxes on what disability they had or what ethnic group or sexual orientation or age they were...for same reasons previously given + Gifting roughly doubled * Idea #3 [how it's been running for the last couple years] o We have a 'value list' for servicing and training clearly laid out on the door of the workshop and (less clearly!) on the website o People pay what and when they feel called to. There are no demands for payment. If people ask why we operate this way, I explain about 'gift economics' and sharing economies (the workshop is adjacent to some of the most expensive bits of real estate in London - yet also within 15minutes walk of some of the poorest with 2nd highest rate of homelessness and child deprivation in the whole country) o If people haven't gifted anything and said they would, I will sometimes send them an email or call a few weeks later. Sometimes they've forgotten, sometimes they just won't want to gift anything...in almost five years of trading, a only a few people have done this. We're known as the highest quality bike servicing enterprise in the area (we've serviced bikes for Olympic Medal winners) and our training is also second to none o We also have Paypal (linked to our account) and Coupay. We are considering adding a crypto account for Etherium and Bitcoin when the business scales up o Results + From servicing, _we take roughly 85-90% of what a 'normal' workshop would make_. We gift bikes to victims of crime whenever we can (building up bikes from scratch is good practice for volunteers) and our community knows and likes what we do with many high earners 'overpaying' for the value of services and many people gifting parts and offering to gift skills and services (which often, we can gift on by bridging community connections) + We're the ONLY workshop that has not yet been broken into in the area. + Funding largely comes from revenue, not grants/donations, but this is good as it doesn't require intensive form filling....we are looking at digitising impact measurement and added value though In service, *Lawrence Mohammed* CEO and Founder Pro Bike Service C.I.C. *+44 (0)77 222 58587* *probikeservice.co.uk <https://probikeservice.co.uk>* /::Olympic Park Site:: Pro Bike Service C.I.C. Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Canalside, Hackney Bridge London E15 2SJ *map location <https://what3words.com/cuts.porch.logic>* / On 14/01/2022 21:03, 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: Earn-a-Bike Programs (Nicole Muratore) > (cyclista(a)inventati.org) > 2. Re: Budget Bikes (cyclista(a)inventati.org) > > _______________________________________________ > Thethinktank mailing list > Thethinktank(a)lists.bikecollectives.org > http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.…

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Budget Bikes
by Josh Bisker 14 Jan '22

14 Jan '22

Look, me and Mac Liman are in Vice! Mostly Mac :) https://www.vice.com/en/article/wxdgq9/mechanics-ask-walmart-major-bike-man… If you missed it, here’s an article I wrote about this subject in 2021. I’m working on another one to try to publish soon! https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2021/03/24/opinion-how-the-budget-bike-trap-cre… -- Josh Bisker | 914-500-9890 | Executive Director, Mechanical Gardens Bike Co-op <http://bikecoop.nyc/> 2022 Donation Drive is ON! Support Bike Equity in NYC Today! <http://bikecoop.nyc/donate> Funkrust Brass Band <http://funkrust.com/> | Kessel Run Radio Show on Maker Park Radio <https://makerparkradio.nyc/shows/the-kessel-run-w-joshjoshjosh/>

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