- TheThinkTank - lists.bikecollectives.org

Phoenix Bikes Hiring an Executive Director
by Emily Gage 08 Jul '24

08 Jul '24

Hi Everyone, Phoenix Bikes is hiring for our next Executive Director. If you know of anyone who might be a good fit, please encourage them to apply! *Job Title: *Executive Director *Organization:* Phoenix Bikes *Location: *Arlington, VA *Salary: *$75,000 - $90,000 *Details*: See Indeed posting <https://www.indeed.com/job/executive-director-317821f41b17d690?_gl=1*1ali10….>. Applications will be accepted through July 19. It's been a fun (and challenging!) position the last 5+ years for me, and I'd love to hand the reins (handlebars?) off to an incredible leader to take the organization forward! Cheers, 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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Fabricate a walker from bike parts?
by Jonathan Rosenbaum 05 Jul '24

05 Jul '24

Our collective, Positive Spin, has received the request below. I know there are some members with good fabrication experience on this list. Has anyone worked on a similar project, have design plans that would fit these specifications, or advice on how to proceed? Greetings: I'm writing to you in hopes that you might be able to literally help me save my life. Between some bad genetics and acquired injuries I'm currently not able to walk in any meaningful way. Some little bit during physical therapy. I've lost significant muscle mass and things are getting worse. I'm a tall person 201cm (6'7") before the accident wherein my spine suffered a compression injury I'm now 196cm (6'5"). This injury also caused lymphedema in both legs so my weight can vary by hundreds of pounds from 165kg -320kg (360# -700#). Walking and bicycling helps control the lymphedema immensely. I've given much thought to what I need and what I want. A doctor friend asked me what I was wanting and I'm going to incorporate my response to him in this letter as I believe it provides a very good idea of what I'm wanting and a bicycle repair shop would be just the place to make this happen. Upfront I'm not currently working I'm on a fixed disability income so I need to keep costs as low as possible; on the other hand we are talking about regaining my life versus dying slowly so I'll find a way to meet the financial requirements to make this happen. What I want to build: I want to build a walker. Because of my injuries and loss of muscle mass a traditional walker can't be used and a wheelchair or powerscooter won't help me walk again or build muscle mass. Kind of a side by side bicycle with step through (girls) frame, 4 wheels (two in front and two rear) but relatively close together (like a wheelchair it needs to fit through doors). A bench seat is preferred but if I must use a bicycle seat I'm going to get a Hobson Pro. Either way the seat will need to be low enough as to be out of the way when walking but there should a my hip or back fail and I drop. Needs to be high enough that I can continue to "walk" even while seated. I also want front and rear brakes as this is WV and we have steep hills. I want some method of locking the wheels so the walker won't roll about while I'm mounting or dismounting. Some place to carry my crutches would be great as would a cargo area (basket, underseat???) and water bottle cage (couple 2 liter bottles). I'm thinking BMX sized fat tires (idk 16" - 20") so I can go in the grass as well as sidewalks and buildings. I believe at its widest it should be no more than 32" and likely no longer than 54", maybe less, as it will also need to fit into elevators and exam rooms. That step through frame will need to be narrow to accommodate a normal leg spread with normal gait and stride (may require a bit of tube [frame] bending or cutting and welding). It will also need to be quite strong to accommodate my weight and my falling weight should my hip or back fail and I take an uncontrolled seat. An alternative to the narrow central frame might be a frame that I stand between. My illustration shows both ideas. Speaking from an engineering stand point I've no idea which would be stronger. To be honest one luxury option I'd like to be able to put on it would be the ability to turn the seat sideways so I could cook at a stove or work in my garden or in my workshop. This walker would immediately release me from the forced captivity in which I'm trapped. Help me regain muscle mass. Help me recover my physical health. Do activities I love and miss and it could even get me back to work. I most sincerely hope that you are willing and able to help. Thank you,

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recommendations for filing federal taxes (990/ez) online
by Matthew Pendergraft 02 Jul '24

02 Jul '24

Dear Think Tank - It seems we can no longer file our federal taxes by mail and must e-file / file online. Do you file your federal taxes online, like a 990 or 990-EZ? What website do you use/recommend to file online? For California orgs - the state filing seems easier, still allowing you/us to simply fill, print, and mail-in the forms. But if you have any suggestions there, I'd be happy to hear. Thank you in advance. -Matt Bikes del Pueblo, San Diego - Kumeyaay land

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Donation History?
by Andy Ballentine 27 Jun '24

27 Jun '24

Hello, everyone -- Our operation, the Bicycle Co-Op of Williamsburg (Virginia) is nearly three years old. We receive donated bicycles, refurbish them, and sell them or (mostly!) give them away. We've been amazed at the number of bikes we receive! We've tracked the months when donations have been heavier (like early spring) and when they've been less so (like the winter months), but the donation stream has been surprisingly strong ever since we opened. I have a question for others who receive bicycles by donation, and who have been in operation longer than we have. Does the time come when donations slow down? We're wanting to plan for that, if there's any way we can expect what might happen in the future. Thanks! Andy Ballentine

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krakow
by Chana 18 Jun '24

18 Jun '24

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Kids book about cyclofeminism - in French
by Gabrielle Anctil 14 Jun '24

14 Jun '24

Hey y'all, Just letting you know that this Montreal bike activist has just published a kids book about cyclo-feminism. It tells the story of Claire (inspired by Claire Morissette, an influencial montreal bike activist from the 70s) who, with the help of her new friend Katherine (Kitty Knox), learns to bike to school. It's about solidarity and the slippery slope of cycling which can turn you into an activist without you even noticing HEHEHE. My publisher also produced a printable poster which is available for free - it explains some basic rules of the road for kids who learn to bike. You can find both info about the book + the poster here: https://editionskata.com/produit/claire-a-velo-la-tete-dans-le-guidon/ (for the poster you need to scroll to the bottom of the page, section "Outils disponibles pour aller plus loin"). If any of you knows of a kids book publisher who might be interested in buying the rights and translating it into English or Spanish or any other language, feel free to forward them this email. Have a good day! -- Gabrielle Anctil gabrielleanctil.com <https://www.gabrielleanctil.com/>

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Riding More with Less
by Sam Tracy 12 Jun '24

12 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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Employing 14-15 year olds in VA bike shops
by Emily Gage 10 Jun '24

10 Jun '24

Hi All, Here at Phoenix Bikes in Arlington, VA, we run paid internship programs in our bike shop for high school students. One internship program focuses on “business” skills including the sale of used bikes and mechanics work on bikes; the other internship is focused on having interns teach mechanics skills to other students. We’ve only been employing 16+ students for both. But for the teaching internship, we have more 9th and 10th graders interested than older high schoolers, so we want to revisit whether we can employ younger students. Virginia's teen employment site is super specific about which jobs and employment locations are allowed for 14-15 year olds, whereas rules around job duties for 16+ year olds are much more relaxed. If you are a Virginia-based shop that has employed students younger than 16, what duties did you allow the younger students to do and what labor laws/guidance were you following? Just would love to know if others have gone down this path and made it work. Thanks, Emily Sent from my iPhone

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Encuesta sobre llamado a Asamblea virtual Bici!Bici! / Call for Bike!Bike! online Assembly
by Angie Libertad 08 Jun '24

08 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 08 May '24

08 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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