April 2024 - TheThinkTank - lists.bikecollectives.org

E-bikes
by Andy Ballentine 01 Dec '25

01 Dec '25

Hi -- How are bike co-ops dealing with e-bikes? We are all-volunteer at the Bicycle Co-Op of Williamsburg (Virginia). We have several very fine mechanics, but none of us is expert in the motors and batteries of e-bikes, and we don't know whether we should accept them as donations or sell them. I'd be interested in others' experience and policies. Thanks -- Andy Ballentine

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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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Youth Bike Summit--Early Bird registration through April 26!
by Kim Schaffer 19 Aug '24

19 Aug '24

Hi all! The 2024 Youth Bike Summit is shaping up to be a fantastic event, and we'd love to have you join us in Allentown this summer. Here are details! Please let me know if you have questions- Kim Calling all youth cyclists! Grab your helmets and head to the Lehigh Valley, PA, for the 2024 Youth Bike Summit, June 14-16 YBS2024 will bring together up to 400 youth riders and their adult advocates from across the country for three days of workshops and rides, all designed to help youth lead through the power of the bicycle. The theme of YBS2024 is Youth Lead the Way, with a focus on youth who have historically been excluded from cycling. YBS2024 will kick off on Friday evening with a welcome reception at races at the Lehigh Valley Velodrome. Saturday will offer a full day of classroom- and ride-based workshops, and will include opportunities for attendees to Try the Track at the Velodrome or participate in a Bikes & Boating adventure. YBS2024 will culminate on Sunday with a Big Ride that will take attendees through Allentown, along the historic D&L trail, and to Bethlehem's iconic SteelStacks. The Youth Bike Summit is led by the National Youth Bike Council and the YBS steering committee, which includes youth bike advocates from across the country. Community Bike Works, a Lehigh Valley-based Earn a Bike organization, will host YBS2024. "YBS fosters connections among youth and adults who are passionate about youth cycling, while it also helps to build leadership skills of students who are the future of our cycling community," said Joshua Funches, President of NYBC. "The Youth Bike Summit is a magical, life-changing gathering for young people who love bikes," CBW Youth Projects Coordinator Avery Daniels said. "This is the 10th Youth Bike Summit and the most authentically youth-led YBS to date. We are so excited to welcome everyone to YBS2024. Come ride with us this June!" The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Lehigh Valley Greenways Conservation Landscape, and THE LINK trail network have combined for lead sponsorship of the event. National sponsors include Outride, SRAM, The League of American Bicyclists, Sun Bicycles, and Lees-McRae College - Cycling Studies Minor. Local and Regional sponsors include PPL, The Dexter F. & Dorothy H. Baker Foundation, County of Northampton, the City of Allentown, the Nurture Nature Center, Capital Blue Cross, Discover Lehigh Valley(r), County of Lehigh, Fox & Roach/Trident Charities, Lehigh Valley Health Network, Piscitello Bicycle Law, PNC Bank, Lehigh Valley Planning Commission/Lehigh Valley Transportation Study, and Invest in Women Entrepreneurs. Details on YBS 2024 are available at https://communitybikeworks.org/youth-bike-summit-2024. Early bird registration for the three-day event-including four meals-runs through April 26 is just $80 for youth 24 and under, and $130 for adults over 24. Register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2024-youth-bike-summit-tickets-748892747367 ******************************* Kim Schaffer, Executive Director Community Bike Works www.communitybikeworks.org cell: 484.554.8971

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We're Hiring a Mechanics Instructor!
by Emily Gage 22 Apr '24

22 Apr '24

Hi Friends, Our team at Phoenix Bikes <https://www.phoenixbikes.org/> in Arlington, Virginia is growing, and we're adding a part-time Mechanics Instructor/Youth Instructor position. We're seeking candidates who excel at relationship building with youth, are experienced bike mechanics, and thrive in fast-paced environments. This team member would mostly work weekday afternoons and Saturdays, teaching 6th-12th grade youth how to fix bikes! For more information or to apply, please visit the job posting on Indeed here: Phoenix Bikes Mechanics Instructor <https://www.indeed.com/job/mechanics-instructor-8f5fb4d9dccbcdb6>. *Who We Are* Phoenix Bikes is an Arlington, Virginia nonprofit that uniquely combines youth educational programs with a full-service bike shop. We pursue a dynamic mission: harnessing the power of bikes to help youth build passion, purpose, and a place in the community . Warmly, Emily _________________ [image: Phoenix Bikes] <https://www.phoenixbikes.org/> *Emily Gage* Executive Director, Phoenix Bikes www.phoenixbikes.org | emily(a)phoenixbikes.org [image: icon] 909 S. Dinwiddie St. Arlington, VA 22204 <https://maps.google.com/?q=909%20S.%20Dinwiddie%20St.%20Arlington,%20VA%202…> [image: icon] (703) 346-0035

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ebikes
by Todd Spinner 22 Apr '24

22 Apr '24

Our coop, The BIke Project of Urbana-Champaign in Illinois, currently bans electronic or ebikes. There is some pressure to change this policy. What kinds of policies do other coops have in regards to ebikes? Regards, -- Todd Spinner The Bike Project

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Help Old Spokes Home find a new Executive Director
by Jon Copans 18 Apr '24

18 Apr '24

Hi there, Old Spokes Home is a community-supported non-profit bike shop in Burlington Vermont. I am writing to ask for help in spreading the word about the search for a new Executive Director. You can learn more about the organization here <http://www.oldspokeshome.com> And the link to the job posting is here - http://bit.ly/exec-dir-old-spokes-home. Applications are being reviewed on a rolling basis, and the deadline to apply is April 30. Thanks, Jon Copans -- (Outgoiing) Executive Director Old Spokes Home <https://www.oldspokeshome.com/> jon(a)oldspokeshome.com <http://www.oldspokeshome.com>

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Bike mechanics lesson plans?
by Nikki Meyer 08 Apr '24

08 Apr '24

Hello all, At Yellow Bike Project we are offering beginner and intermediate adult classes in bike mechanics. We'd like to have lesson plans for all our courses so prospective teachers can use them to organize their thoughts. Right now we have them for all our beginner classes, but need more for the intermediate courses and the guy who teaches them right now is a genius but doesn't want to write down his lesson plans because he says they'll end up being 50 pages long (and we believe it!). Do any of you have pdfs of lesson plans you could send us to work off for ours? Right now we need plans for: - headsets - hubs - cranks and bottom brackets - brakes systems - shifting systems - wheel building If you wouldn't mind sending any materials you have my way, I'd be eternally grateful! Thank you, Nikki Meyer

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Exciting Citizen science opportunity for bike mobility policy in your city /Oportunidad extraordinaria de hacer ciencia ciudadana para la bici mobilidad en tu ciudad
by Angela Cardenas 06 Apr '24

06 Apr '24

Hi everyone, There´s an exciting citizen science opportunity this month which will provide evidence to guide your city´s local bike and sustainable mobility policies. It’s a great opportunity to engage participation in promotion of your city´s sustainability mobility. The aim of this activity is to measure and compare travel times of bicycles, public transportation, and cars on the 30th of April. This has been a bike promoter led activity that has been supported by academics and local authorities in different cities of Chile, Argentina, Peru and Ecuador. And this year, they (@MedicionEficienciaTransportes) are inviting more cities to participate in countries that haven´t participated before like Mexico, the United States, Canada, Brazil, ect! All materials are provided by the initiative for your city to participate which includes the measurement form, sample letter invitations to academics and local authorities, and graphic materials for the event announcement. The Chilean originators of the initiative will also be available in the coming weeks to provide guidance to new cities joining in. It’s easier than it sounds just organizing your collective to decide on your one travel origin and destiny, a second or more if you´re ambitious. Selecting a measurement time during rush hour, inviting participants on different modes of transport to the starting time and point, and meeting them at the destination point. Traffic rules must be obeyed, no cheating allowed! MEMT Team Whatsapp Contact: +56 9 9216 8624 ------------------------------ Hola todes! Hay una oportunidad extraordinario de hacer cambio através de la ciencia ciudadana este mes que aportará evidencia para orientar las políticas locales de movilidad sostenible y en bici de tu ciudad. Además, es una gran oportunidad para fomentar la participación en la promoción de la movilidad sostenible de tu ciudad. El objetivo de esta actividad es medir y comparar los tiempos de viaje de las bicicletas, el transporte público y los automóviles el 30 de abril. Esta ha sido una actividad liderada por promotores de la bicicleta que ha sido apoyada por académicos y autoridades locales en diferentes ciudades de Chile, Argentina, Perú y Ecuador. ¡Y este año, están invitando ( @MedicionEficienciaTransportes) a participar a más ciudades en países que no han participado antes como México, Estados Unidos, Canadá, Brasil, ect! La iniciativa proporciona todos los materiales para que tu ciudad participe, que incluyen el formulario de medición, modelos de cartas de invitación a académicos y autoridades locales, y materiales gráficos para el anuncio del evento. Los creadores chilenos de la iniciativa también estarán disponibles en las próximas semanas para orientar a las nuevas ciudades que se sumen. Es más fácil de lo que parece: organiza a tu colectivo para decidir un punto de origen y destino de viaje, un segundo o más si eres ambiciosx. Elegir una hora de medición a la hora pico, invita a participar en distintos medios de transporte a la hora elegida en el punto de partida, y reunirte con elles en el punto de destino. ¡Hay que respetar las normas de tráfico, no trampas! Contacto de Whatsapp de Grupo MEMT: +56 9 9216 8624

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collecting bikes from municipal eco-stations/waste dropoff sites
by alex.hindle＠bikeedmonton.ca 04 Apr '24

04 Apr '24

Hello! We're talking with managers at our city eco stations (household waste dropoff sites) about their collecting bikes that we (Bike Edmonton) can then pickup to reuse. They already get a lot of bikes dropped off in their scrap metal bins, but these are all scrapped at the moment. I wondered if any other groups have arrangements with waste drop-off sites/reuse centres to do this? If so, can you share the arrangement you have and process you use. Do you select useful bikes from a big pile, do workers there filter out what they think are good bikes, or do you have to take them all? This seems to be one of the bigger challenges we need to figure out. Thanks very much!

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Community Cycles is hiring a production manager
by Ann Haebig 04 Apr '24

04 Apr '24

I'm just the messenger; please read the description send a resume & cover letter to manager@communitycycles if you're interested. Thanks! -Ann Position Title: Production Manager Purpose: The Production Manager will lead a team of mechanics that produce safe, reliable refurbished bikes and parts in an efficient time frame for resale out of the retail shop of Community Cycles. While fostering an effective and engaging team environment and working with the Shop Director and Sales Manager to set pricing that is fair for customers and the organization. Experience: The Production Manager must be an experienced bike mechanic and have extensive experience with bicycles and their resale value to determine their destination. A wide range of the intricacies of component compatibility is essential. Must be able to quickly recognize unsafe, cracked, and bent frames that should not be built up. Responsibilities: Refurbishing donated bikes that are for sale in our shop. Managing the most cost-effective route for refurbishment by using new or used parts. Overseeing the flow/systems of refurbished bikes and used parts, including: - Evaluating final destination for all Bikes/parts (recycled/refurbished/parted out/sold as is) - Safety check/quality control of bikes built by other mechanics & volunteers to ensure they meet the high standards for safety and performance. - Delegating specific projects to shop mechanics on a daily/weekly basis - Overseeing and maintaining the production area cleanliness & keeping tools in order, as well as, maintaining an inventory of backstock parts (including special orders). - Working on bicycle refurbishment as needed - This position will involve working on your feet for up to 7 hours per shift as well as working some weekends and/or evenings. - Fostering an engaging team environment through collaboration, sharing wins and successes, using an open-door approach, and inspiring everyone to perform at their best. - Frequently providing actionable positive and corrective feedback to direct reports, both informally and formally. - Timely and effectively dealing with low performers and being willing to make tough personnel decisions when needed. - Communicating with Staff (email, spreadsheets, documentation) - Investing significant time to help all direct reports grow and learn through challenging tasks and assignments. - Coordinating with the sales manager and shop director for needs regarding parts, tools, supplies, etc. - Involving in the Staffing of the production mechanic team, identifying and hiring strong talent for the team. Production Manager should set a strong example for the other mechanics in terms of quality of builds and professional demeanor. Other mechanics should be able to look to the Production Manager's work to learn the standards of work for bikes that we will sell at Community Cycles. The Production Manager may be occasionally asked to oversee special events such as the Kids’ Holiday Bike Giveaway or offered the chance to pick up extra shifts working teaching or wrenching for outside organizations. The Production Manager will be expected to attend mechanic-specific staff meetings where policies and implementation changes may be discussed. Reports to: Shop Manager regularly works with the Sales Manager. Compensation: Salary $40k to $48K to start Hours: 32 - 40 Benefits: Paid time off. Health stipend if PM works 20 hours + a week. Simple IRA contribution. Send resume and cover letter to: manager(a)communtiycycles.org Job Closes 5/31/24

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