- TheThinkTank - lists.bikecollectives.org

Re: [TheThinkTank] full-timers/directors/project coordinators: how's the job treating you?
by omar 26 Nov '07

26 Nov '07

it seems the "get organized" vs. "more leftist than thou" dynamic plays out at all levels of many community bike projects. when our ed left in 2001, the 4 full time staff members stepped up to manage our organization collectively. by 2005, 3 of the 4 had left because, bottom line, they couldn't work together, and projects had dropped to the point that we'd atrophied to a single community bike shop. now, realizing that shit flows downhill and if someone's going to clean it up they should be recognized for it, we've developed a hierarchy, people have assumed managerial and coordinator roles, and we're once again getting a lot done. there are still folks who complain that there's too much structure and want to make things more egalitarian - funnily enough though, they're also the ones who rarely step up, have a hard time showing up to work their shifts and don't seem to get much done. i love my job. its crazy and stressful some days, constantly challenging, infinitely rewarding and a hell of a lot of fun. -- omar bhimji project manager pedal bike depot p. 604.708.4992

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Bicycle Co-Ops & Zoning?
by Jake Liefer 26 Nov '07

26 Nov '07

Hello, I operate a small bike Co-op in a small, run down town called Beaver Falls, PA. We're looking into purchasing a location and think we've found the perfect spot. It's a former business / house with a three car garage and a large glass storefront area. The only problem is that it's zoned residential even though it used to be a business many years ago. The street is pretty run down, with three of the four 'neighbors' being vacant housing, so I'm not too worried about neighbors complaining about it. I'd like to paint our logo on the garage but I'm afraid that it my draw too much attention from the zoning people. Do any of your co-ops operate in non-commercialy zoned space? Have you had any problems arise because of it? Thanks, Jake

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Tethering Tools - How?
by Rich Points 19 Nov '07

19 Nov '07

We're working with a school who would like to tether a tire pump near the bike parking, We've also thought about tethering tools outside our shop to be used during closed hours. Does anyone have experience with tying tools to cables and this kind of service? Even tethered I'm sure things still get ripped off. If you've done this kind of thing what has been your experience? Peace -- Rich Points Community Cycles Director http://CommunityCycles.org Rich(a)CommunityCycles.org 720-565-6019

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attempting to rouse enthusiasm...
by Previc, Stephanie T 19 Nov '07

19 Nov '07

hello bicycle lovers, I am attempting to organize a "bike day" here in Gainesville this sunday to get the idea circulating about forming a community bicycle project. earlier attempts have failed--the last, our beloved "kickstand", it seems, because everyone involved was a student, and therefore too transient to commit to the project. I am hoping that this event will capture the attention of people who are a little mroe settled, and who will be able to keep the project running smoothly, even during the times when gainesville dies--winter break and summer vacation. i am hoping that i can get some ideas from you folks for how to introduce this project, as it is currently just a concept for free bike repair (and community building!) rather than an actual thing. i'm not really sure where to start, but i am hoping to draw a crowd and get them excited about the sort of things that inspired me when i attended bike!bike! this year. i would love to hear how you introduced you vision of a community bicycle shop to the people in your city, how you drew volunteers, and what kind of model i can follow now that i am starting completely from scratch and attempting to rebuild this collective. also!! i wanted to put together a take-home zine for everyone who attends, maybe including some vignettes about bicycles, some repair tips, and information on other bicycle projects around the country. if you guys could send a paragraph or two on why your collective is awesome (or if you want to contribute something else to put in this booklet) i think it might shed some light on how incredibly vast and varied this free bicycle repair movement is. thanks so much, stephanie (The Kickstand, Gainesville, Florida)

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incorporation into an existing 501c3?
by andrewsawtelle＠riseup.net 16 Nov '07

16 Nov '07

We here at Recycle-A-Bike (www.recycleabike.org) in Providence, RI have been using space at The Steel Yard (www.thesteelyard.org) for a couple seasons now. They're doing some major renovations and site remediations (they're located on an old metalworking site and there's lots of nasty things in the ground and in the air), so we're moving out of the old space and looking for a new one. The Steel Yard seems really excited about the idea of incorporating us as a full department, along with Ceramics + Glass, Metalworking, Foundry, Jewelry, and some other programs. There's also a site on the space where we could build a standalone shop and storage space from shipping containers. They could be a really good fit for our program, and it would save us a lot of dealing with becoming our own legal entity. I didn't hear any situation that was similar to ours in discussions at Bike!Bike! in August. Most people seem to rent space and just do things on the fly, incorporate as their own 501c3, not-for-profit, or collective, be a startup working under the auspices of an existing organization, or have a fiscal sponsor that's hands off. I think we're different because we've been running for 6 years on our own in various spaces, with pretty much no legal status, and we're thinking about joining up with an existing 501c3. I'd like to know if anyone has some advice for us on things to watch out for, or at least make sure we take into account as we think about whether to incorporate ourselves into The Steel Yard. A couple questions I can think of immediately. 1) Jim Bledsoe of the Bicycle Kitchen mentioned that if you become a 501c3, your assets can't ever be transferred to any other legal entity other than another 501c3. This means that if we decided to become part of the Steel Yard, then split in a few years for some reason, we'd have to become our own 501c3. 2) What does it mean to have a loosely organized collective operating within a 501c3 with an established board/staff structure? Since we're not a legal entity on our own, can we write something into an agreement with them that at least recognizes the collective's existence? None of the Steel Yard's other departments started like ours would; they grew out of people coming to them to start classes and other programs. peace, andrew recycle-a-bike providence, ri

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Liability Insurance
by maintenence collective 15 Nov '07

15 Nov '07

Hi all, (bikefarm here) I feel like this was brought up before, but we've recently realised that the QBP application requires Liabiliy Insurance... and it'd be a good thing to own... does anyone know where to get it and how much it costs? thanks... Ariel

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so you want to throw a benefit...
by Cuper 15 Nov '07

15 Nov '07

A growing number of people are offering to do benefits for us. And by "offering to do," I mean a person approaches us with an idea, does all the work and most of the promotion, and turns over share of the glory at the end. I really want to encourage this trend. Every once and a while, we run into a conflict of interest, and have to say "no, thank you." (Alleycats may be fun, but many of our friends object to seeing "Run red lights!" and "Support Neighborhood Bike Works!" on the same flier.) I don't much like turning people down, and want written guidelines I can share with would-be organizers. Sometimes it seems like the goal is to use our name to help promote an event, rather than to have an event which helps us. This is okay, up to a point. It's not a benefit for us, though, if it doesn't raise money /for us/. I'd like to request a minimum donation -- either percent of proceeds, or flat amount of cash -- in order for an organizer to use our name, logo, or otherwise suggest it's a benefit for us. That said, I have no idea what would be appropriate. Ten percent? Fifty percent? A hundred dollars? Does anyone have policies or feedback about these sorts of things? Can you share 'em? jimmie -- -- Neighborhood Bike Works tel: 215.386.0316 3916 Locust Walk fax: 215.386.7288 Philadelphia, PA 19104 www.neighborhoodbikeworks.org Providing opportunities to youth through bicycling. NBw has a listserv! To stay in touch, subscribe to nbw(a)list.purple.com via www.purple.com/list.html.

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Re: [TheThinkTank] Parking racks from frames
by Bob Giordano 15 Nov '07

15 Nov '07

we are making bicycle parking racks from frames. very easy and effective. strip down frame, insert stem into seat tube, turn upside down and slide stem onto a 1" piece of round tubing. space them at about 30". a 90" piece of round steel tubing works great: this allows an inverted bike frame on each end, with a frame at 30" and one at 60". this allows 8 bikes to be parked easily. the round tubing should be about 10" off the ground: this is accomplished either with a bmx frame on each end attached via stem in seat tube, or even simpler- bmx handlebars and a stem (similar to the bike stand set up that free ride pittsburgh has a picture of on their web). i'll let the list know when we have a picture. we have 6 of these racks, and we loan them out and/or take them to events (by bike trailer because they are so light). i'd imagine we could have them 'for hire.' we a couple of these in front of our shop too. these racks are a use for frames that have been hit by a car, or low-end bikes. you could also leave some parts on the bike, like the bottom bracket- that way, as energy gets more expensive, the parking racks could possibly serve as a part depo. community gardens are a good outlet for these racks too. if security is an issue, a quick weld or grind can make them more secure. -- Bob Giordano Free Cycles Missoula Shop: 732 S. 1st St. West, 541.7284 3PM-7PM Mon,Tues,Thurs & 11AM-3PM Sat Missoula Institute for Sustainable Transportation www.strans.org, mist(a)strans.org, 406-880-6834

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How To Make A Bike Blender
by Joseph 15 Nov '07

15 Nov '07

Hi all, I was wondering if anyone has plans on how to make a bike blender. I am having hard time finding this stuff on the internet and figured someone must have a simple design. I plan on building it with youth from our programs over the course of a day and hopefully get to share a milkshake at the end of it all. Any resources you have or could point me to would be greatly appreciated. Thanks -Joe Joseph Parietti Program Coordinator Bike Works 3709 S. Ferdinand St, Seattle, WA 98118 (206) 725-9408, ext. 2 www.bikeworks.org

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shop bike racks, locking tools
by Urban Bike Project of Wilmington, Inc. 14 Nov '07

14 Nov '07

Hi All, UBP just moved into our new space! Currently all the bikes are leaning against each other (pedals off, handlebars turned) with no easy way to get ones in the middle out. We have a fairly open floor space and I was wondering if anyone has suggestions for building racks that would hold bikes more upright and separate from each other. The channel systems used by bike shops would be great, but of course we'd rather build something with existing resources and without spending a lot of cash. We don't have much room for hanging bikes, but will be putting up some kind of cable system like Free Ride has for wheels. Another quick question. We are in a shared space situation and are trying to figure out what tools to secure and how. We have been thinking about putting latches on an old fridge and using that to keep valuables. In your experience what type of stuff would walk out of your shop if it wasn't bolted down or locked up? Looking for any and all ideas... Thanks! Brian -- Visit us online at http://urbanbikeproject.org

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