- TheThinkTank - lists.bikecollectives.org

Bike!Bike! Northeast Approacheth!
by andrew lynn 01 Apr '10

01 Apr '10

Hi everyone, Were three weeks out from Bike!Bike! Northeast here in Troy, NY and getting excited. If you plan to come, please register, so we have an idea of how much food and housing will be needed. Registration will take 2 minutes or less and can be done here: http://troybikerescue.org/bbneregistration. \\\ What is Bike!Bike! Northeast? /// BBNE is a regional version of the international conference Bike!Bike! It will be a gathering of community bicycle organizers to meet up, share skills, and build something bigger than our individual projects. So far, we have folks registered from Providence, Worcester, Ithaca, North Hampton, NYC and beyond, in addition to many local people. Right now, we are expecting anywhere from 40-60 participants. There will be a sliding scale registration fee of $10-25 and that will cover housing and food for the weekend. This is low/no-waste event; please bring a dish and utensil if possible (we will have extras on hand) http://troybikerescue.org/bikebikene Specific questions about housing? contact Sam at samharrington(a)gmail.com \\\ What kind of workshops are planned? /// The skillshare schedule is shaping up! Things will begin at 10am on Saturday 4/24. From Community Bike Shop 101, to Family Bike Advocacy, Bicycle Organizing with Media, to Welding for Dummies Like Us, and an Outdoor Kids' Rodeo. There is something for everyone, including you! Check it out: http://troybikerescue.org/bbneworkshops \\\ Skillshares and talking are great, but will there be a party?! /// YES! There will be a screening of the movie Veer about the thriving bicycle culture in Portland, Oregon at 7pm, and a rockin dance party with live bands, Blister Pack (Worcester, MA), and Beware! The Other Head of Science (Albany, NY) beginning at 9pm. http://www.myspace.com/bewaretheotherheadofscience http://www.myspace.com/blisterpack Andrew L. & Team BBNE

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Co-ops & shade tree shops
by Joel Gillespie 31 Mar '10

31 Mar '10

I'll apologize up front for the large amount of exposition to come. If you'd prefer to thin-slice, my question is this: What conflicts have other collectives encountered with "shade tree" mechanics and other unofficial LBS's, and what are reasonable steps to take to avoid unnecessary competition with them? Hi, this is Joel Gillespie from The Bike Project of Urbana-Champaign (http://www.thebikeproject.org) in Illinois. We've recently entered into a Facility Use Agreement with the University of Illinois to collaborate with the U of I to open an on-campus location for our cooperative, to be known as the Campus Bike Project (clever, right?). A student group funded by an optional student sustainability fee gave us a grant to convert an old garage into a shop, and the university is allowing us to use the space rent- and utility-free (at least for the first year), and they're paying a 20-hour-per-week employee (me) out of the facilities budget. In return, we're doing basically the same things we already do at our original location -- assist with member repairs and build-a-bikes, refurbish and sell or donate used bikes, and sell a few very low-end, consumable or safety parts like tires, tubes, helmets, locks and lights. Our collective has an ongoing relationship with the U of I parking department where they give us the abandoned bikes from the previous school year (this was something that they approached us about, not something we sought). This new location has been the last straw for one of our erstwhile volunteer staffers, who operates a used-bike sales, frame painting, and bike repair business out of his house. He's made some noise on the local bike listservs and has been accusing us of some pretty nasty things like misusing our nonprofit status and has threatening an FBI investigation, etc., but I guess that's not really the point of my question. His view is that we're unfairly competing with him because we accept grants and get benefits from working with the university. The most reasonable part of his argument is that we're unfairly competing with his business since we sell repaired bikes to non-members, and we also don't have the best membership tracking system, which has probably led to non-members taking advantage of multiple unpaid visits for repair help. We have a "first visit free" policy for use of the shop and tools, after which you have to buy a membership to use the space -- $25 per yr for students, $40 per yr for non-students. Those points have some merit, and we're taking steps to make things more member-centric. We're also going to have very visible maps and handouts showing locations and contact info of LBS's. So, I guess what I'm asking, is that enough? Does what we're doing sound unreasonable? We don't want to bend over backwards to please someone just because they're complaining, but at the same time, we want to be a good neighbor to folks trying to make a decent living. Thanks in advance for your time and insights. Joel Gillespie The Bike Project of Urbana-Champaign _________________________________________________________________ Hotmail: Trusted email with powerful SPAM protection. http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/210850553/direct/01/

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Specialty Tools
by Jonathan Morrison 28 Mar '10

28 Mar '10

At heart I am a tool junkie, so one of the small highlights at Mountain States Bike Bike was seeing some of their specialty tools... http://www.bikecollectives.org/wiki/index.php?title=Tools#Specialty_Tools What does your shop use that is special? Sincerely, Jonathan Morrison Executive Director Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective 2312 S. West Temple Salt Lake City, UT 84115 w: 801-328-2453 c: 801-688-0183 f: 801-466-3856 www.slcbikecollective.org The mission of the Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective is to promote cycling as an effective and sustainable form of transportation and as a cornerstone of a cleaner, healthier, and safer society. The Bicycle Collective provides refurbished bicycles and educational programs to the community, focusing on children and lower income households.

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mobile bike shops?
by adam schwartz 26 Mar '10

26 Mar '10

We recently lost our physical workshop/classroom/storage space due to the economy and are considering the concept of going mobile. We already developed a mobile bike shop based out of a landscaping trailer (photos attached), however due to a conflict with our previous partner organization (the Univ of Maryland) and our main funder our mobile bike shop was siezed and its future is currently being negotiated by lawyers. Its really sad and ugly but we are committed to moving forward despite the loss. We have now formed our own 501c3 in incredible time and have fully terminated our partnership with the university. Anyway, I wanted to hear about anyone who has had success with a mobile bike program. We are currently considering using a biodiesel school bus to house our operations as cheap space is very hard to come by in the Washington DC area. Thanks for your input and ideas. -- Adam Schwartz The Renaissance Youth Bike Shop, ECO Inc. rideyourbicycle(a)gmail.com

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mobile bike shops?
by Bob Giordano 26 Mar '10

26 Mar '10

I do think every shop/program should be prepared to go mobile if money or politics does not allow a rentable/buyable space. The streets/trails/parks are _public space_, ideal for public bicycle activity. You can go to the area in need, and post a schedule. Bio bus is understandable, bike power ideal (then no license, registration, fuel and the demo power of biking a small shop has huge positive ripple effects). Parking a bikable rig on the street overnight brings up interesting 'legal' issues. In missoula, a trailer or vehicle must be registered to be left on the street- I'd fight that restriction if it arose though, since bikes have almost zero negative impact. We have parked haywagons full of bikes on the streets for a few days with free parts and instructions for trailer building. -Bob g, free cycles missoula --- adam schwartz wrote: > We recently lost our physical workshop/classroom/storage space due to the > economy and are considering the concept of going mobile. We already developed a mobile bike shop based out of a landscaping trailer (photos attached), however due to a conflict with our previous partner > organization > (the Univ of Maryland) and our main funder our mobile bike shop was siezed > and its future is currently being negotiated by lawyers. Its really sad and > ugly but we are committed to moving forward despite the loss. We have now > formed our own 501c3 in incredible time and have fully terminated our partnership with the university. Anyway, I wanted to hear about anyone who > has had success with a mobile bike program. We are currently considering > using a biodiesel school bus to house our operations as cheap space is very > hard to come by in the Washington DC area. Thanks for your input and ideas. > > -- > Adam Schwartz > The Renaissance Youth Bike Shop, ECO Inc. > rideyourbicycle(a)gmail.com

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Abandoned Bike Collection partnerships with campuses and municipalities
by Erik Stockmeier 25 Mar '10

25 Mar '10

Are there any groups out there with strong partnerships with local municipalities or campuses to collect abandoned bicycles? I know the Recyclery (Chicago) and many other groups certainly pick up donations from police departments and the like, but we have a number of volunteers and a campus environmental group working on setting up a structured collection program and are looking for ways to proceed. Do you, for example, have a specific notice or flyer you attach to bikes? We are thinking of something that says "hello, this bike looks abandoned. if it is yours, you can fix it up at the recyclery. Otherwise it will be removed..." Anyhow, just wondering if anyone has already done this. Thanks for your help! Erik @ The Recyclery (Chicago)

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Accounting for Collectives.
by Jonathan Morrison 22 Mar '10

22 Mar '10

This was started at Mountain States Bike! Bike! but I am hoping it can continue... http://www.bikecollectives.org/wiki/index.php?title=Accounting Sincerely, Jonathan Morrison Executive Director Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective 2312 S. West Temple Salt Lake City, UT 84115 w: 801-328-2453 c: 801-688-0183 f: 801-466-3856 www.slcbikecollective.org The mission of the Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective is to promote cycling as an effective and sustainable form of transportation and as a cornerstone of a cleaner, healthier, and safer society. The Bicycle Collective provides refurbished bicycles and educational programs to the community, focusing on children and lower income households.

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collective vs non-profit
by Liza Mattana 18 Mar '10

18 Mar '10

Hey, Can someone lay out a simple list of pros and cons for each please? Right now we're a 501c3, with a 5 member board of directors, 2 part time employees, and several committed volunteers. We came across some issues with the gambling commission when we were trying to get a fundraiser/raffle together. Basically, we need a 15 member voting-member body that votes on the board, which sounds like a collective to me. I don't know, maybe it's not. I'm confused. Thanks, liza -- Liza Mattana president www.pedals2people.org Spokane, WA

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Good luck, louisville!
by veganboyjosh＠gmail.com 18 Mar '10

18 Mar '10

Good luck tomorrow and this weekend Louisville. We're rooting for you and thinking about you kids. Looks like Colorado may get a foot of snow tonight...yay for our out of town guests on bikes, huh? Hope everything goes well. There should be some good bike energy happening this weekend. Love you all. Be safe. josh.

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Suggestions for finding a good shop manager
by Rich Points 17 Mar '10

17 Mar '10

Hey All, We've started looking for a new shop manager. After a week or so of resume submissions nothing stands out. We had the same experience last time we hired a shop manager. I wanted to ask the shops who've sought out and hired a shop manager what their experience has been like. Do you have any suggestions about where to find qualified bike mechanics with non profit backgrounds? Ride On! -- Rich Points Community Cycles Executive Director http://CommunityCycles.org Rich(a)CommunityCycles.org 720-565-6019 (W) 303-589-0597 (C) Donate your old car to Community Cycles http://communitycycles.org/get-involved/donatecar.html

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