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Re: [TheThinkTank] Thethinktank Digest, Vol 104, Issue 6
by Josh Goran 20 May '15

20 May '15

> > I'd love to hear the rationale for phasing out membership. Do share! > Marissa Pherson Marissa, At least for us, Membership has offered access to shop tools and workstands (after completing our Shop Class series), loaner bikes and parts, 15% off new parts, and free access to our Traffic Skills riding class. More details here! <http://ohiocitycycles.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=21&I…> As part of our currently underway, grant-funded strategic planning process, we've decided to suspend and likely phase out the loaner bike/parts system, and prior to that, we made the decision to make access to our shop and tools public, since we were ALWAYS making exceptions to the 'members only' rule to allow people to work on their own bike with our tools. With regard to shop use, our working policy that will be revamped over the next couple months is that we allow people to check out tools and a stand for $5/hour and we assess fees if they need specific assistance, such as $5 to show a shop user how to install a derailleur. The snafu comes when someone thinks they don't need help but then they do, since we have a finite capacity to assist people with everything else going on. We're currently encouraging appointments during lower traffic times for 'assisted shop use' and otherwise operating on a first-come, first-served basis. We may end up restricting shop use hours in one way or another as we're currently understaffed and don't derive much income from shop use. Regarding the income derived from membership, ours was always fairly low - maybe 2% of our operating budget based on my memory. We're instead planning to shift towards a 'donor level' system. I personally like Bike Depot's system here <http://www.thebikedepot.org/index.php/support/memberships>, though they refer to theirs as membership levels and have 'members only' benefits that we plan to forego, instead encouraging people to give what they can at some predetermined levels, or at their own level, but illustrating at least a theoretical connection between the amount someone contributes and what that amount can support in the context of our programming. Our current board tends to feel strongly that there is an element of exclusivity in our current arrangement that we want to get away from, including potentially changing our name, but that's another story... :) Hope this helps! *----------Joshua GoranAdministrator, Ohio City Bicycle Co-op* 1840 Columbus Rd Cleveland, Ohio 44113 216 830 2667 OhioCityCycles.org <http://ohiocitycycles.org/> On Mon, May 18, 2015 at 4:15 PM, < thethinktank-request(a)lists.bikecollectives.org> wrote: > Send Thethinktank mailing list submissions to > thethinktank(a)lists.bikecollectives.org > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > > http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.… > > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > thethinktank-request(a)lists.bikecollectives.org > > You can reach the person managing the list at > thethinktank-owner(a)lists.bikecollectives.org > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of Thethinktank digest..." > > Today's Topics: > > 1. Re: Rental Reservation Systems (Ron Kellis) > > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: Ron Kellis <ron.kellis(a)velocitycoop.org> > To: The Think Tank <thethinktank(a)lists.bikecollectives.org> > Cc: > Date: Mon, 18 May 2015 12:04:00 -0400 > Subject: Re: [TheThinkTank] Rental Reservation Systems > Our parts go one of two places: > High end go in a displace case. Priced by the more knowledgeable. Not me, > I'm not a bike builder and have no idea. > Everything else goes in simply wood bins made from upside down pre-cut > stair treads. $5 for what ever. And that's sometimes negotiable. > Used tubes go in marked boxes. As tubes are $5, most used (though often as > good as new) never get taken. I use them in fix-a-flat classes. matched to > a patron's bike if possible and it's theirs if they want it. > > R > > On Sat, May 16, 2015 at 3:08 PM, Marissa Pherson <marissapherson(a)gmail.com > > wrote: > >> I'd love to hear the rationale for phasing out membership. Do share! >> >> Marissa Pherson >> >> On Fri, May 15, 2015 at 3:29 PM, Josh Goran <josh(a)ohiocitycycles.org> >> wrote: >> >>> We currently have paper release forms which include time out and time >>> returned, but we schedule using a Google calendar and a Google form for >>> sizing information for our "Performance Rentals." We're scaling back our >>> rental program, though, and I would not be surprised if we phase it out or >>> dramatically simplify it. >>> >>> We've historically loaned out bikes for free to members, but we're >>> phasing out membership and I'll be happy to see the end of people borrowing >>> bikes and returning them late/beat up/etc and not doing their share to >>> re-tune them. Also, it will probably mean that we'll sell/let volunteers >>> earn at least some of our coveted rental bikes, and they'll then get used >>> all the time rather than a few times a year. >>> >>> Relatedly, we are phasing out our parts library, as well, which often >>> had similar results: underutilized except for well-meaning but problematic >>> users who kept things out too long or needed to be reminded to return >>> something. >>> >>> I mainly share these details because I think it is important in the >>> early stages of your organization to keep things simple - we're currently >>> in the process of intensely scaling back and simplifying policies and >>> programs that have been in existence for a decade and it takes a lot of >>> work to eliminate work - being more deliberate and analytical early on >>> would have things much simpler and more efficient now :) >>> >>> *More details if you want:* >>> Library >>> <http://ohiocitycycles.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=113-…> >>> Rentals >>> <http://ohiocitycycles.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=15&I…> >>> Performance Rental form <http://goo.gl/forms/cKTKgNJmr1> >>> >>> >>> >>> *----------Joshua GoranAdministrator, Ohio City Bicycle Co-op* >>> 1840 Columbus Rd >>> Cleveland, Ohio 44113 >>> 216 830 2667 >>> OhioCityCycles.org <http://ohiocitycycles.org/> >>> >>> >>> >>> ____________________________________ >>> >>> The ThinkTank mailing List >>> <a href=" >>> http://lists.bikecollectives.org/options.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o…">Unsubscribe >>> from this list</a> >>> >>> >>> >> >> ____________________________________ >> >> The ThinkTank mailing List >> <a href=" >> http://lists.bikecollectives.org/options.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o…">Unsubscribe >> from this list</a> >> >> >> > > _______________________________________________ > Thethinktank mailing list > Thethinktank(a)lists.bikecollectives.org > > http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.… > >

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Re: [TheThinkTank] Rental Reservation Systems
by Josh Goran 18 May '15

18 May '15

We currently have paper release forms which include time out and time returned, but we schedule using a Google calendar and a Google form for sizing information for our "Performance Rentals." We're scaling back our rental program, though, and I would not be surprised if we phase it out or dramatically simplify it. We've historically loaned out bikes for free to members, but we're phasing out membership and I'll be happy to see the end of people borrowing bikes and returning them late/beat up/etc and not doing their share to re-tune them. Also, it will probably mean that we'll sell/let volunteers earn at least some of our coveted rental bikes, and they'll then get used all the time rather than a few times a year. Relatedly, we are phasing out our parts library, as well, which often had similar results: underutilized except for well-meaning but problematic users who kept things out too long or needed to be reminded to return something. I mainly share these details because I think it is important in the early stages of your organization to keep things simple - we're currently in the process of intensely scaling back and simplifying policies and programs that have been in existence for a decade and it takes a lot of work to eliminate work - being more deliberate and analytical early on would have things much simpler and more efficient now :) *More details if you want:* Library <http://ohiocitycycles.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=113-…> Rentals <http://ohiocitycycles.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=15&I…> Performance Rental form <http://goo.gl/forms/cKTKgNJmr1> *----------Joshua GoranAdministrator, Ohio City Bicycle Co-op* 1840 Columbus Rd Cleveland, Ohio 44113 216 830 2667 OhioCityCycles.org <http://ohiocitycycles.org/>

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Rental Reservation Systems
by La Bikery 13 May '15

13 May '15

Hello! We're a bike co-op in Moncton, Canada, and are just getting our very first rental bikes into place, and are wondering if anyone has an online booking or reservation system that they absolutely adore? We're a little stuck on where to start, and we only have 10 bikes and a couple of employees, so we don't want to end up paying more than we make. Any help would be much appreciated! Thanks, Mallory

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Cartoon time
by Waltham Bikes 09 May '15

09 May '15

about 5:50 in you will see a plug for keeping your bike maintained! http://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/im-no-fool-with-a-bicycle-1955/ ____________________________________ The ThinkTank mailing List <a href="http://lists.bikecollectives.org/options.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o…">Unsubscribe from this list</a>

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Backlogs
by Laura Biren 09 May '15

09 May '15

Hello all, Was wondering if any of you had any advice on backlogs and successfully quoting customers when their bike will be done?? We have a combination of repairs/tune-ups, as well as overhauls of bikes people are requesting to purchase from us. So far we have one giant list of bikes that need to get done in order of when people came into the shop and approximately when they desire the bike to be done. Thanks a bunch! -- Laura Biren Outreach Intern at BF Community Bike Project bfbike.org 617 939 4330 ____________________________________ The ThinkTank mailing List <a href="http://lists.bikecollectives.org/options.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o…">Unsubscribe from this list</a>

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Unsubscribe
by boztime . 08 May '15

08 May '15

Hi, Sorry for sending this to the whole group. But I've been unable to unsubscribe successfully with the unsubscribe prompts in the list serve. I've tried a couple times to no avail. Love y'all I'm just not currently involved in any bike cooperative activities. Could somebody help me with this or just remove me. Thanks. ____________________________________ The ThinkTank mailing List <a href="http://lists.bikecollectives.org/options.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o…">Unsubscribe from this list</a>

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Bike Co-ops in Charleston SC
by Mike Nicholson 28 Apr '15

28 Apr '15

Hi Gang, Not sure if this is the right forum for this, but trying to locate the closest bicycle co-op to Summerville SC (just north of Charleston) Many Thanks Mike -- Sent from Timex Wrist Watch ____________________________________ The ThinkTank mailing List <a href="http://lists.bikecollectives.org/options.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o…">Unsubscribe from this list</a>

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Advanced Repair Classes for Adults?
by Taylor Kuyk-White 27 Apr '15

27 Apr '15

Hey Folks, Here at Neighborhood Bike Works <http://neighborhoodbikeworks.org/> we have had a surge of interest in our Adult Repair Classes <http://neighborhoodbikeworks.org/programs/adult-bike-repair-classes/> and are considering expanding our offerings in this realm in response. Our current system consists of 4 consecutive 2.5 hour Monday night classes. We cover Flat Fixing, Brake Adjustment and repair, Bearing Adjustment and Repair, and Drive Train Adjustment and Repair for $80. It is taught by either our Board President or our Lead Mechanic, with an alternating Youth Assistant. *Does anyone have 2 tiers of classes, or an advanced class they offer adult participants?* If so, what do you cover? Who teaches (Staff, Volunteer, Board, Youth)? Do you have established curriculum you could share? Thanks in advance for information you can share! -- Taylor Kuyk-White Youth Bike Education & Empowerment Program Coordinator taylor(a)neighborhoodbikeworks.org (215)386-0316 ____________________________________ The ThinkTank mailing List <a href="http://lists.bikecollectives.org/options.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o…">Unsubscribe from this list</a>

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Re: [TheThinkTank] tip jars at bike collectives
by Ainsley Naylor 26 Apr '15

26 Apr '15

The only time we have ever had a "tip jar" at Bike Pirates is as the bar at events. The money goes with all the other money from that night - usually a fundraiser for some organization. And we are clear about that if people ask. Occasionally a patron who has a super experience will try to tip the volunteer who helped them and (as far as I know) that money is always just put into out money box with their donation. We have as part of our policy and shop handbook a guideline that no one shall profit from use of our space (mostly out of concern related to patrons using us as a "personal workshop", flipping bikes, etc.) But this also applies to volunteers. If course we will always accept if someone wants to buy us coffee ;) Ainsley -Bike Pirates Toronto. ____________________________________ The ThinkTank mailing List <a href="http://lists.bikecollectives.org/options.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o…">Unsubscribe from this list</a>

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Insurance for a free mobile fix-it service
by Waltham Bikes 24 Apr '15

24 Apr '15

Hi all - [Not sure what I'm doing wrong, but I have been unable to access the Think Tank Archives even after logging on, so please forgive the possible duplication of an old topic.] A small group of us is wanting to do some simple repairs and safety checks (fix flats, adjust brakes, recommend needed repairs type of thing) at our local farmers' market. We are not a formal organization of any sort, just a bunch of friends thinking about getting into something larger and more formalized after we see how this goes. What is recommended for any sort of insurance coverage? It would be on public property at a farmers' market. The market has liability insurance, but we would not be a program of the market (if doing so would allow us to be covered, then maybe we should look into that). Sample concerns: - If we touch someone's bike and they roll out into traffic, get hit and claim that it was our bad repair job... - If we "break" their bike while trying to fix it... Thanks very much. Martha ____________________________________ The ThinkTank mailing List <a href="http://lists.bikecollectives.org/options.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o…">Unsubscribe from this list</a>

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