May 2024 - TheThinkTank - lists.bikecollectives.org

E-bikes
by Andy Ballentine 02 Dec '25

02 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 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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Youth Bike Summit--Early Bird registration through April 26!
by Kim Schaffer 20 Aug '24

20 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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Riding More with Less
by Sam Tracy 13 Jun '24

13 Jun '24

Hello ThinkTank, Greetings! Hope you're well. I wanted to let people know about my new book *Riding More with Less*, published 1/23/24 by PM Press. It focuses on resourceful approaches towards fixing the bikes people actually ride, giving space to topics including how to break rust, knowing when it's safe to reuse parts, and more broadly to the many older technologies still in common use. Best of all, the book also features technical insights and commentary from volunteers and mechanics at 34 community bike shops across 4 countries. Great to encounter so many insightful people, through this project -- I learnt a lot, and as I hope you'll agree their voices add quite a bit. Background: I began working as a mechanic in bike shops in 1994, and this is my fourth bike repair manual. It's the second one that I've done with PM Press. More info can be found at the publisher's website here: https://pmpress.org/index.php?l=product_detail&p=1543 Question: I'll be visiting family in the Boston/Cambridge area the second and third weeks of July, and I'm hoping to set up some book events. Would anyone know people at community shops out there whom I might ask about this? Thanks, Sam Tracy

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Encuesta sobre llamado a Asamblea virtual Bici!Bici! / Call for Bike!Bike! online Assembly
by Angie Libertad 09 Jun '24

09 Jun '24

Querida Comunidad de Bici!Bici!, En los últimos meses, nos han estado preguntando cuándo será la próxima Bici!Bici! Nos vimos por última vez en el 2018 en Tijuana y desde entonces no hemos podido reunirnos en persona y decidir colectivamente sobre la próxima Bici!Bici! Por esta razón, el comité organizador de Bici! Bici! En Todas Partes! quiere tu opinión sobre tener una asamblea virtual sobre el próximo encuentro de Bici! Bici! y también queremos conocer sus ideas de lo que les gustaría ver en la próxima reunión de Bici! Bici! En Todas Partes! Les pedimos que llenen esta encuesta antes del 13 de junio para que podamos conocer las necesidades de las comunidad ciclistas para nuestra planificación de B!B!E! BbLiga de la encuesta: https://docs.google.com/.../1FAIpQLSd9eM1esnn5gz.../viewform Si quieres unirte al comité directivo, siempre necesitamos más ayuda allí, por favor envíanos un correo electrónico a bikebikeeverywhere(a)gmail.com para unirte como voluntaria/o en el comité organizador. ---- Dear Bike!Bike! community, Over the past months, everyone has been asking when the next bike bike is happening. We last saw each other at Bike!Bike! 2018 in Tijuana before the pandemic and we have not had an in-person opportunity to come together and decide collectively on the next Bike! Bike!. For this reason, the Bike! Bike! Everywhere! steering committee wants your feedback on holding an online assembly about the next in person Bike! Bike! and to learn about your ideas of what you´d like to see at the next Bike! Bike! Everywhere! gathering. We ask that you kindly fill out this poll by the 13th of June so we can learn about your bike community's needs to plan the next BBE. Link to poll: https://docs.google.com/.../1FAIpQLSe7XFmZepQvyY.../viewform If you'd like to join the steering committee we always need more help there, please send us an email at bikebikeeverywhere(a)gmail.com to join as a volunteer on the organizing committee.

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What do y'all do with old cycling computers?
by Triss Cimò 09 May '24

09 May '24

Hi, all, Our shop's been slowly amassing too many donated old cyclometers (like the old wired ones with spoke-mounted magnets, lots of Cateyes and some Shimanos and other brands). I'm seeing that when they're complete in a box and have all the parts they sometimes sell on eBay, but generally our clientele is not interested in this now obsolete tech. We don't currently have an electronics recycling partner, but I'm worried that looking for a way to recycle these is our only option. Does anyone in this group have wisdom to share on this topic before we go down that route? What have your other shops done with yours? Thanks in advance! -- Triss Cimò* (they/them)* *Crew at The <http://www.thebicycletree.org/>* * Bicycle Tree <http://www.thebicycletree.org/>, Santa Ana, California*

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Biking videos and info for kids
by Marc Ford 09 May '24

09 May '24

Hi folks, Some neighbors are getting together a bike-bus to bike to the local elementary school (up to age 10). The school is cool with it and has asked that there be some kind of unspecified "safety thing". This is all coming together without much notice so all the local organizations that could help are busy. So these neighbors are looking for something to share with the school or parents. I found a couple videos. They are OK but a little preachy. Anyone have anything you've made or like for this? The expectation is that parents are riding with kids, on one lane neighborhood streets. Thanks! Marc

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Phoenix Bikes Hiring for Executive Director
by Emily Gage 05 May '24

05 May '24

Hi Everyone, I've announced I'll be stepping down from my position as Phoenix Bikes' Executive Director at the end of August. I've absolutely loved this role over the past five and a half years and would love to see us find an exceptional person to lead Phoenix Bikes into the future! 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. Our incredible supporters—including individual donors, foundations and corporate sponsors, and bike shop customers—make it possible for us to offer our youth programs entirely free of cost and to offer repairs and sales at affordable prices, so that we can serve the underserved in our community. You can learn more about Phoenix Bikes and our work at www.phoenixbikes.org. The Executive Director has overall responsibility for ensuring that programs—both our youth training programs and our community bike shop—are running successfully, executing successful fundraising, managing the financial health and the sustainability of the organization, developing staff, and managing operations. This full-time position manages an annual operating budget of about $700,000 and an outstanding team of five full-time staff and 7-12 part-time staff, supported by over 100 volunteers. Please see our Indeed posting for further details: Phoenix Bikes Executive Director <https://www.indeed.com/job/executive-director-317821f41b17d690?_gl=1*1vkacq…>. *Applications close May 14.* Best, 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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Now Hiring: Lincoln (Nebraska) Bike Kitchen Executive Director
by Director Lincoln Bike Kitchen 03 May '24

03 May '24

Please spread the word about this job posting. We are looking for a full-time executive director with nonprofit skills who loves bikes! The full posting is available at:https://www.lincolnbikekitchen.org/careers I am also happy to answer any questions about the position as I have been at Lincoln Bike Kitchen for the last 4 months. It truly is a great group of volunteers to work with. Ingrid -- Ingrid Kirst Interim Executive Director Lincoln Bike Kitchen<http://lincolnbikekitchen.org/>

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