August 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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Re: Next Bike!Bike! ?
by Rosy Tutton 05 Dec '24

05 Dec '24

Hi All, This is the last thread (RE: Next Bike!Bike! ?) I could find about hosting a Bike!Bike! In 2024. It seems like there won't be one this year from what I could find but we (being a small collective in Whitehorse, YT) are curious if there there is potential for one in 2025 (in Mtl or elsewhere) and if so, how we can support? We are trying to get the ball rolling on our collective here and would love to send someone to learn from the network! Thanks, Rosy

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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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"Stuff I've Learned Recently"
by Jim Sheehan 13 Aug '24

13 Aug '24

- Aluminum foil (crushed lightly and dipped in water) is the best method for cleaning chrome: cheaper, faster, less abrasive than steel wool, and recyclable. Just wear gloves, wipe the brown drips off promptly with a thick, clean, cotton rag, and polish lightly with oil. - Stuck seatposts usually are due to a missing -- or old, ineffective grease barrier between the steel tube and aluminum post. If you *do not try to loosen it by flooding it with oil products first,* there is a much better chance that the ammonia soaking trick will work, since it will be able to seep into the spaces where oil would have already sealed the less viscous ammonia away from contact. Be sure to fill the post to overflowing, and give it at least a few days to sit. Looking forward to other contributions here! Peace, Jim Jim Sheehan Executive Director Ohio City Bicycle Co-op 1779 Merwin St Cleveland, Ohio 44113 216 830 2667 OhioCityCycles.org jim(a)ohiocitycycles.org

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new topic series: "Stuff I've Learned Recently"
by cyclista＠inventati.org 13 Aug '24

13 Aug '24

I've decided to start a new series here that I'll call "Stuff I've Learned Recently". The intention is to share exactly that. I often find solutions to problems, or simply learn something new about bicycles, bicycle mechanics, or running a community bike shop. In the case where this knowledge may be arcane or even unique, I often think it's a shame that these techniques and perspectives may be lost. I've considered doing a YouTube channel, but that's more effort than I have to spare. I'm fond of this list and what it represents, so perhaps it can be useful here. No promises on the frequency of posts in this series. They will happen as often as I experience revelations. Many of these bits of knowledge may be already understood by some, but unless most of you already know these things, please try to refrain from "I already knew that" replies. I'll be sure to only post things which I think most readers will benefit from. I'm sure these posts will impress some readers, while impressing upon others exactly how much I hadn't already known. This is okay. Mostly this is a way of speaking what probably otherwise would be unspoken. Other are encouraged to contribute their own entries to this series - but please title them all the same (Stuff I've Learned Recently) for easy searching. To kick off the series, here are the first entries: - High pressure tires (with tubes) require high pressure rim strips. If a common rubber rim strip is used with a deep-v rim, the tube may herniate into the spoke holes even if the rim strip is in good condition and properly centered. There may not even be a tear or rupture in the rim strip itself at the point where the blowout occurred; the tube can simply push the rim strip aside as it bulges into the hole and ruptures. So make sure those road tires get cloth or thick plastic rim strips! - Replacing a broken spoke doesn't always have to mean removing the tube and tire. If the spoke breaks at the flange, you can simply unthread it from the spoke nipple and thread the new one back in without ever removing the tube or tire. - Some e-bike hubmotors feature freewheels whose inner castellations (for interfacing with the socket) are very deep, requiring a very long socket. In some cases the depth may make the castellations difficult to see, making it seem that the freewheel wasn't intended to be removed, similar to some department store kids' BMX sprockets that ship with no castellations at all. However, the castellations are usually present, and a Park FR 1.3 socket will reach them most of the time. The socket may need to be reamed progressively with a large stepper bit at the hexagonal end in order for the connector of the motor control/power cable to pass through. There are also direct-from-china sockets that are especially long that can work, but they also may need to be reamed. - This one's an old revelation, but nobody but me seems to have discovered it, so I'll document it now: When applying torque with a pipe wrench to a seized seatpost to turn it, in cases of extreme seizure the force applied to the jaws will crush and tear the post itself away from the frame, rendering the post inaccessible. This crushing can be prevented by cutting off the seatpost two or three inches above the frame, and stuffing the hollow center with a solid iron rod of the appropriate diameter. As the seatpost is tempted to buckle under the torque of the wrench jaws, instead it braces against the iron core such that greater force can be applied. I have alternately used chisels, rebar, punches, and various bits of scrap metal to stuff seatposts with the appropriate diameter of rod in the past. - This one's also old: some innertube punctures only leak at high pressure, and my not leak at all when inflated and listened for, or placed under water. Outside of a tire, innertubes can only reach relatively low pressures when inflated before completely exploding. Thats about all I can think of for now. Cheers! I hope this was interesting or useful, or both! ~cyclista Nicholas

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