- TheThinkTank - lists.bikecollectives.org

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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Re: eBikes
by Gordon Hamachi 22 Apr '24

22 Apr '24

One more thing I forgot to mention: In my community, even non profit bike shops are required to get a business license. If your business stores more than a small amount of flammable or hazardous material, one condition of the business license is that you may be required to receive an inspection from the city fire department to make sure you are storing hazardous material in a safe manner. Lithium ion batteries are flammables and therefore hazardous. Therefore, if your shop decides to start taking in eBikes, please make sure that you remain in compliance with all local safety regulations and inspections. Gordon Hamachi, who volunteers at Repair Cafe Silicon Valley and Silicon Valley Bicycle Exchange

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Re: ebikes
by Gordon Hamachi 22 Apr '24

22 Apr '24

There are lots of barriers to getting started repairing eBikes. Many shops won't touch them. Others don't have the expertise. Over the past few years I have gained a little experience working with eBikes. After fixing a few eBikes, I now think that it isn't that hard to understand them and work on them. *Local Non-Profit Rejects eBikes* My local bike non-profit does not accept eBikes. Officially the reason is that the lithium ion battery packs are considered fire risks and are not allowed by insurance nor by the building owner. Unofficially, I also suspect a neo-luddite fear and loathing of new technology. Many shops have no idea how to even get started with repairing eBikes. *eBikes are Here to Stay* eBikes provide low-cost carbon-free transportation. Not only should community bike shops deal with eBikes, we should embrace them as low cost transportation for the masses, particularly those who are elderly, weak, infirm, or must otherwise travel distances too long for them to negotiate by pedal power alone. Going forward, community bike shops are going to see increasing numbers of older eBikes. People are going to offer them as donations to non-profit shops. We can stay stuck in our old ways and continue to ban them from our shops, or we can learn, adapt, and make eBikes part of our lives. Besides inertia, the biggest problems to fixing eBikes are fear of new safety risks, and lack of trained eBike mechanics. Let's consider both of these. *Safety Risks* Should we even attempt to repair eBikes? eBikes present two types of safety risks. First, batteries can explode and burn during charging or storage. Second, mechanics can be burned if they short-circuit an eBike battery. We need to consider how to mitigate these risks. *Battery Chemistry Risks* Newer battery chemistries have the potential to greatly reduce the risk of battery fires. LiFePo4 (lithium iron phosphate) batteries are much less prone to thermal runaway than lithium ion batteries with liquid electrolytes. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095809922006282 Solid state batteries are generally considered much less likely to burst into flame than current lithium ion batteries with flammable liquid electrolytes, but in the worst case solid state batteries can burn even hotter. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2542435122000885 *Need New Safety Procedures* The big risk of having eBikes in a shop or garage is thermal runaway in a single battery cell causing an uncontrolled fire that burns down the entire building. We need to adopt new safety procedures to minimize the risk in storing and charging battery packs. The National Bicycle Dealers' Association (NBDA) has some safety recommendations for lithium ion battery packs: https://nbda.com/safe-lithium-ion-battery-storage-and-charging-procedures-f… This article recommends storing batteries in a fire-resistant storage cabinet. It also recommends not charging batteries to 100% until just before the bikes are to be ridden. I tend to accept the NBDA guidelines simply because it is a national business organization. On the other hand, companies that make special battery pack storage lockers claim that a normal "flammables" storage cabinet isn't good enough, and that you should spend more for their beefier lithium-ion battery storage lockers. Shops should ask their insurance providers about any additional expense for insurance covering eBikes on the premises. Some insurance companies may have their own safety recommendations regarding the safe storage of hazardous or flammable substances. *Few People Can Fix eBikes* Lately, I have personally seen an uptick in the availability of broken but free eBikes. Nobody seems to know how to fix them. Part of the problem is that there are so many different and incompatible designs. There are front hub drives, rear hub drives, and mid-motor drives. Parts from one bike are not likely to be compatible with another bike from a different manufacturer. The battery packs and motors may operate at different voltages. Another problem is lack of repair information. I don't know of any manufacturer who makes freely-available electrical wiring diagrams of their products. A few systems perform startup diagnostics and display useful error codes, assuming that the system works well enough to display this information. Some traditional shops won't touch eBikes at all. When I happened to visit my local commercial bike shop to get a headset part for an eBike, the mechanic was happy to give me some advice; however, he said (at least three times) that his insurance does not allow him to work on eBikes. He wouldn't even touch the headset on my eBike. Lucky for me, all I wanted was the missing part. *Learning to Fix eBikes* Fortunately, there is lots of hope. I have gained some experience repairing eBikes, and think that it isn't that difficult to diagnose and repair a large class of eBike faults. Here is how I got that experience. Once, at Burning Man, someone asked me to install an eBike conversion kit to their conventional bike. Then, various friends asked me to troubleshoot their broken eBikes. Recently, I was gifted two different broken eBikes by fellow bike mechanics who couldn't deal with all of the wires and inscrutable electronics and mysterious controllers. I managed to fix all of these bikes. In doing so I learned that many eBikes can be easily repaired if you arm yourself with a voltmeter and learn a few facts about how eBikes work. Then you employ the same repair skills that car mechanics and computer programmers use: observe, modify, and test. If you're still intimidated by the thought of poking around in an eBike, try to draft someone to learn about this and possibly become your shop's lead eBike mechanic. Look for someone who knows something about bicycles and computers. It is good if they have an electronics multimeter, a soldering iron, and some general electrical troubleshooting skills. For me a good source of information on eBikes is YouTube. There are several excellent videos that explain the basics of how to repair eBikes. The basic components are a battery, a motor, a throttle and/or pedal sensor of some kind, a display, a charging system, and a whole lot of wires. Many eBikes have a cutoff switch that disables the electric motor whenever the brakes are applied. *You Can't Fix Everything* It will make eBike repair a lot easier to contemplate, after you understand that you are not going to fix every eBike that comes to you. These things are complicated, have poor documentation, and lack troubleshooting guides. All you can do is to apply the basic repair techniques that you do know, and see what happens. *To Be Continued?* I had planned to describe some specific eBike faults that I discovered and fixed, but this is already getting too long. It might continue in a separate thread, or perhaps I should propose an eBike repair session for the next Bike!Bike! Perhaps I am completely wrong and most shops already know how to fix eBikes.

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Re: ebikes
by Brandon Babbitt 21 Apr '24

21 Apr '24

Hi all, Here is my advice coming from product development of an IBD ebike brand: #1 Check your insurance policy. More and more shop insurance companies are scrutinizing ebikes in shops. See what you insurance provider has to say. They may limit ebikes to certain certifications or may outright ban them. #2 When servicing or storing, look for ebikes with UL Certification. The main ones are going to be UL2271 and UL2849. UL2271 certification will ensure safety of the battery itself, while UL2849 tests the safety of the ebike system as a whole (batteries, chargers, controllers, and other electrical components). These certifications will come with holographic stickers and badging from the UL group on the batteries, bikes, or components. More and more insurance groups and regional regulations require UL certification for bikes stored in shops. While UL certification does not 100% ensure safe storage and use, at least they have gone through testing and validation. Follow best practices for lithium storing and charging (ex., don't leave batteries charging overnight or unsupervised, avoid temperature extremes, etc). #3 For basic fire protection and off-gassing issues, a cease-fire waste receptacle will be a good first line defense for fire issues. The most basic will be fire proof cans with sand where smoking components or batteries can be dumped and extinguished. Also, make sure to invest in fire extinguishers capable of putting out lithium fires. #4 Tooling and safety. Ebikes are heavy and complicated systems. Be careful when using sports stands or even standard bike stands with ebikes, as they can contribute to technician health and safety. Sports stands can create tipping issues, while standard bicycle repair stands can cause back and muscle strain. Does your shop have mechanical or electrical lift stands that can support the weight of ebikes? Also, does your shop have proper electrical repair tools and training: soldering irons, wire strippers, wire crimp sets, motor controller diagnostic tools, etc. #5 Training. Make sure your mechanics can quickly determine what you can and can't work on. Jesse makes a good point that there are still lots of early era, low cost ebikes that have hardwired rear hub motors that are a nightmare to replace tires on. More and more ebikes are coming with hydraulic brake systems; I feel like this was typically outside of the wheelhouse for smaller co-ops in the past, but training volunteers and techs on hydraulic systems could help. Be sure everyone knows what can be done or assisted with in house, and what needs to be referred to local partner shops. #6 What to do when it comes to recycling those ebikes? QBP and Call2Recycle are now offering national battery recycling programs. If you're in a position that you are getting more ebike donations, look in to these programs or other local e-waste programs for more information. I know this isn't a list of current policies that you can use, but I hope the advice can help you all shape your policies in the future! Best regards, Brandon

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Re: ebikes
by Claude Ferron 21 Apr '24

21 Apr '24

How do you get a Bosch and Shimano Steps certification? I'm curious :) Claude -- <http://www.lacyclerie.ca> Claude Ferron Co-coordonnateur La Cyclerie claude(a)lacyclerie.ca [image: FB_LaCyclerie] <https://www.facebook.com/LaCyclerie3R/> [image: Insta_LaCyclerie] <https://www.instagram.com/lacyclerie3r/>

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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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ebikes
by Todd Spinner 17 Apr '24

17 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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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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