- TheThinkTank - lists.bikecollectives.org

Austin Yellow Bikes - How's Your New Space?
by Rich Points 14 Feb '09

14 Feb '09

I just remembered hearing about your new space at Bike Bike. I think you were about to start building around that time. How are things going? -- Rich Points Community Cycles Director http://CommunityCycles.org Rich(a)CommunityCycles.org 720-565-6019 Donate your old car to Community Cycles

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tandem ride Valentine's day
by bike talk 14 Feb '09

14 Feb '09

The ride starts at Orange 20 Bikes between 8 and 9 pm. The ride goes to Bike Oven, to join the Spoken Art art ride after-party. Orange 20 is at: 4351 Melrose Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90029 Call: 323-662-4537 Bike Oven is at: 3706 N. Figueroa St., Los Angeles, Ca. 90065 Call: 323-223-8020 Text me at: (310) 428-4222 if you want to rent a $40 tandem bike for the night. there is some talk of champagne and strawberries, but bring your own if you want to be sure. Nick -- please let me know if you want to be taken off this list. See Bike Talk! on kpfk: http://www.kpfk.org/programs/170-bike-talk.html

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Re: [TheThinkTank] which shops have a women's program?
by troy neiman 12 Feb '09

12 Feb '09

BICAS WRENCH-Woman and Trans Tucson, AZ, USA www.bicas.org bicasunderground(a)yahoo.com 520-628-7950 > >> > >> > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "1304bikes" <1304bikes(a)gmail.com> > To: "The Think Tank" <thethinktank(a)bikecollectives.org> > Subject: Re: [TheThinkTank] which shops have a women's program? > Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2009 07:23:22 -0500 > > > 1304bikes > Women and Trans Night > Raleigh, NC > www.1304bikes.org > 1304bikes(a)gmail.com > > On Mon, Feb 9, 2009 at 10:42 PM, Ben Hussey > <brettjamin(a)frumppyoldwoman.com>wrote: > > > At Off the Chain, in Anchorage, Alaska, we have Women's Night on Tuesday > > from 5pm-8pm. Everyone is welcome, but all the mechanics and staff are > > women. > > > > allison karow wrote: > > > >> which shops currently have a women's program (open to interpretation)? i > >> am putting a list together.. > >> > >> please include: > >> the name of your shop > >> the name of your program (if applicable) > >> the city/state where your shop is > >> your website or a way to contact/find you > >> > >> > >> ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > >> > >> _______________________________________________ > >> Thethinktank mailing list > >> Thethinktank(a)bikecollectives.org > >> To unsubscribe, send a blank email to > >> TheThinkTank-leave(a)bikecollectives.org > >> To manage your subscription, plase visit: > >> > >> http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.… > >> > > _______________________________________________ > > Thethinktank mailing list > > Thethinktank(a)bikecollectives.org > > To unsubscribe, send a blank email to > > TheThinkTank-leave(a)bikecollectives.org > > To manage your subscription, plase visit: > > > > http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.… > > > > > > -- > 1304bikes > 2419 Mayview Rd. > Raleigh, NC > 1304bikes.org > > _______________________________________________ > Thethinktank mailing list > Thethinktank(a)bikecollectives.org > To unsubscribe, send a blank email to TheThinkTank-leave(a)bikecollectives.org > To manage your subscription, plase visit: > http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.… > -- Be Yourself @ mail.com! Choose From 200+ Email Addresses Get a Free Account at www.mail.com

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Re: [TheThinkTank] Thethinktank Digest, Vol 30, Issue 11
by Clifford McCarten 10 Feb '09

10 Feb '09

Two semi-related questions: How do you folks deal with it when it gets crazy busy? i.e., the times when there are more 2 people per volunteer mechanic, tools all over the place, and all (or most) of the people need step-by-step, hands-on assistance? Do you have a set capacity? Do you turn people down? At B!KE, I've been starting to put together some exploded parts displays, along with basic steps, clear dos and don'ts, and examples of good or bad parts (i.e., severely pitted bottom bracket axles). Has anyone done this and found this helpful to your members (allowing people doing more self-guided learning)? Any useful discoveries made while building this kind of display? Thanks! Clifford McCarten Co-Director, B!KE: The Peterborough Community Bike Shop 400 Wolfe St Peterborough, Ontario (705) 745-2103 http://www.communitybikeshop.org

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Re: [TheThinkTank] insurance for tooling on bikes out in the field?
by dave bauer 10 Feb '09

10 Feb '09

Recycle Bicycles pretty much only does onsite events. Check with your insurance agent... On Sat, Feb 7, 2009 at 1:12 PM, <veganboyjosh(a)gmail.com> wrote: > howdy folks. > > community cycles is putting together what we've dubbed "Rolling Bike > Clinics", where we organize with a neighborhood, and show up on a certain > day with stands and tools, and fix bikes. Typically, we've done this in > lower income neighborhoods. It's a great way to meet your neighbors, and get > their bikes working. It's amazing how many bikes aren't being ridden because > they're "broken" with nothing more than a flat tire, or a disengaged brake > cable or something equally innocuous. > > we're looking to do abuot 8 of these events this summer, in different > neighborhoods in Boulder. one of the questions we had come up in our > planning meeting was that of insurance/liability. do any of you have any > experience with in-the-field tune ups or repairs becoming a problem? do we > have participants sign waivers? a lot of the visitors to our stands/tables > are younger than 18, with a lot of parents both at work, or unable to be > present to sign a waiver on the spot. also, the idea of introducing a waiver > can put some parents off when they don't fully understand why we're there > working on bikes for free... > > any ideas or guidance from the list would be greatly appreciated. > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Thethinktank mailing list > Thethinktank(a)bikecollectives.org > To unsubscribe, send a blank email to TheThinkTank-leave(a)bikecollectives.org > To manage your subscription, plase visit: > http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.… > > -- dave bauer 7196 s. poplar st. centennial, co 80112 usa h/w: 303.788.0672 c: 303.748.3541 davebauer5(a)gmail.com recyclebicycles.net

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Used Rags?
by Boson Au 10 Feb '09

10 Feb '09

Hi everyone, simple question, how do you all handle grease covered, plenty flammable used rags? Do you reuse them and if so, what do you do to clean them that is earth friendly?

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trike!trike! regional AZ conference - final call for registration
by allison karow 09 Feb '09

09 Feb '09

respond to bike.saviours(a)gmail.com if you are interested! -allison bike saviours

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insurance for mechanical work outside the shop?
by veganboyjosh＠gmail.com 08 Feb '09

08 Feb '09

howdy all. hope the winter season is treating you all well. we at community cycles in boulder are planning a series of what we've dubbed "rolling bike clinics", where we ride to a neighborhood park on a saturday, set up some stands, and start working on bikes, at no charge. kids generally play a big part in getting the word out and bringing bikes, and it's a great way to meet folks you might not have, and get the name of your organization out, as well as what you do, who you are, etc. we've done a few of these in the past, in one neighborhood specifically. it's a neighborhood in which we have another established program, so we know a lot of the youth that live there already, and when they see us, they come running. we're wondering if insurance should be a source of concern for us. if we work on a bike, and a kid's riding it and gets hurt, could we be liable? that kind of situation. i'm not naive enough to expect full on legal advice from any of you, but if anyone has any experience with a similar situation, i'd appreciate hearing about it. thanks! josh.

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insurance for tooling on bikes out in the field?
by veganboyjosh＠gmail.com 08 Feb '09

08 Feb '09

howdy folks. community cycles is putting together what we've dubbed "Rolling Bike Clinics", where we organize with a neighborhood, and show up on a certain day with stands and tools, and fix bikes. Typically, we've done this in lower income neighborhoods. It's a great way to meet your neighbors, and get their bikes working. It's amazing how many bikes aren't being ridden because they're "broken" with nothing more than a flat tire, or a disengaged brake cable or something equally innocuous. we're looking to do abuot 8 of these events this summer, in different neighborhoods in Boulder. one of the questions we had come up in our planning meeting was that of insurance/liability. do any of you have any experience with in-the-field tune ups or repairs becoming a problem? do we have participants sign waivers? a lot of the visitors to our stands/tables are younger than 18, with a lot of parents both at work, or unable to be present to sign a waiver on the spot. also, the idea of introducing a waiver can put some parents off when they don't fully understand why we're there working on bikes for free... any ideas or guidance from the list would be greatly appreciated.

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glueing inner tubes together?
by veganboyjosh＠gmail.com 07 Feb '09

07 Feb '09

does anyone know what a good glue or cement would be for gluing inner tubes together? i'm working on a diy design for waterproof shoe covers, but can't find any glue that will bond the rubber like a patch kit seems to...i'd like them to be as bomber as possible, as i'm pretty sure they'll get used and abused. thanks! josh.

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Federal Bike Commuter Benefit?
by Rigel Christian 04 Feb '09

04 Feb '09

Are there any co-op shops out there that have cleared the legal hurdles to accept vouchers for this already?

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BICAS is hiring for three positions in Tucson, AZ
by Erik Ryberg 03 Feb '09

03 Feb '09

Hello all, BICAS is hiring for three positions: an administrative coordinator, education coordinator, and shop coordinator. The job descriptions are below. Please feel free to distribute this widely! For those of you who have never heard of BICAS, we are Tucson's Bicycle Inter-City Arts and Salvage, or maybe Bicycle Inter-City Action and Salvage, depending who you ask. We have been promoting bicycling, DIY bicycle repair, and art for all people for nearly two decades. We are a non-profit organization with a small, active board and a staff of about ten people. We do a lot of awesome things, but community-tools, art, and education are our biggest programs. Come check us out in person in Tucson or on the web at www.bicas.org. Thank you. -------------------------- ADMINISTRATIVE COORDINATOR BICAS, a non-profit bike recycling, education, and art collective, is hiring an administrative coordinator in our lively Tucson, Arizona shop. The position entails overseeing the finer points of keeping our organization running smoothly as well as more ambitious projects that you will develop with staff support. It will include office management duties, such as filing taxes, managing payroll and basic accounting, as well as the more interesting tasks of promoting what we do and growing our organization in a healthful and fun fashion. We anticipate this to be a 3/4 to full-time position. Salary will depend on experience. Spanish speakers are especially encouraged to apply. For more information about BICAS, see www.bicas.org or even better, come visit the shop. BICAS is an equal opportunity employer. This position is open until filled. Please direct inquiries and applications to board(a)bicas.org, with the words "administrative coordinator" in the subject heading. To apply send us a cover letter and resume along with whatever else you feel we need to have. No phone calls. -------------------------- EDUCATION COORDINATOR BICAS, a non-profit bike recycling, education, and art collective, is hiring an education coordinator in our lively Tucson, Arizona shop. The position entails overseeing our robust education program which is geared toward youth, refugees, under-served communities, and the public at large. We currently have several educational programs including an eight-week build-a-bike course, but are looking to build this part of what we do even more. The job will include all aspects of running and promoting these programs, as well as teaching the classes with staff support. We anticipate this to be a 1/2 to 3/4-time position. Salary will depend on experience. Spanish speakers are especially encouraged to apply. For more information about BICAS, see www.bicas.org, or even better, come visit the shop. BICAS is an equal opportunity employer. This position is open until filled. Please direct inquiries and applications to board(a)bicas.org, with the words "education coordinator" in the subject heading. To apply send us a cover letter and resume along with whatever else you feel we need to have. No phone calls. ---------------------------------- SHOP COORDINATOR BICAS, a non-profit bike recycling, education, and art collective, is hiring a shop coordinator in our lively Tucson, Arizona shop. The position entails overseeing our robust community tools program, which caters to all members of the public with a focus on youth and under-served communities. The community tools aspect of our shop is probably the most utilized and most hectic thing that we do, and we are excited about the possibilities of serving our communities even better than we do now. The job will include all aspects of running and promoting the community tools program, with considerable staff support. Applicants should be ready to work in a somewhat frenzied environment and should have a strong work ethic, a strong commitment to this program, and a subtle, unoffensive leadership style. We anticipate this to be a 1/2 to full-time position. The applicant should have a strong imagination for improving our ability to serve our communities. Salary will depend on experience. Spanish speakers are especially encouraged to apply. For more information about BICAS, see www.bicas.org, or even better, come visit the shop. BICAS is an equal opportunity employer. This position is open until filled. Please direct inquiries and applications to board(a)bicas.org, with the words "shop coordinator" in the subject heading. To apply send us a cover letter and resume along with whatever else you feel we need to have. No phone calls. -- Erik B. Ryberg Attorney at Law 312 South Convent Avenue Tucson, AZ 85701 phone: (520) 622-3333 fax: (520) 622-2406

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Re: [TheThinkTank] your org's policy on working with kids?
by veganboyjosh＠gmail.com 02 Feb '09

02 Feb '09

no worries. if you found it helpful, perhaps someone else out there might as well. another option that we explored but abandoned after the "the more we do, the more we're liable" talk was looking into what the local school district's policy is, and following that, but most school districts do have pretty strict guidelines, in addition to record keeping guidelines, which some shops may find too much oversight for not a lot of return in security. On Sun, Feb 1, 2009 at 6:56 PM, Steve Klassen <sklassen(a)mac.com> wrote: > Wow, that is actually quite helpful advice. We never thought of the angle > of 2:1 but it makes sense once you said it.Steve > p.s. might be worth posting to the listserve but since it is your answer I > will leave that to your discretion > > On 1-Feb-09, at 7:12 PM, veganboyjosh(a)gmail.com wrote: > > hi steve, > > my original email got a few general responses, but i think the thread ended > up officially hijacked. > > we've got an attorney on our board, and some of the best advice he's > brought to the table has been when he points out in cases like this that the > more we try to cover ourselves, the worse things will be for us if something > bad does end up happening. > > for now, our policy is something to the effect of "youth involved in any > activities hosted by or at community cycles shall be chaperoned by no less > than two adults at all times." this is in addition to staff youth workers > all being subject to a background check prior to working with any youth. > > that's about as tight as we can make it without getting into background > checks for every volunteer, or everyone comes into the shop, etc... > > hope that helps. > > josh. > > > > On Sun, Feb 1, 2009 at 1:27 PM, Steve Klassen <sklassen(a)mac.com> wrote: > >> HI, Josh, did you get any responses to your query?We have had lots of >> challenges >> Our plan is to involve some interested people form Big Brothers to help us >> create a better setup for young volunteers >> Steve >> >> >> Steve Klassen >> Bicycles for Humanity >> c/o Klassen Family Practice >> 303-1265 Arthur St. E. >> Thunder Bay, ON P7E 6E7 >> CANADA >> >> work (807) 622-3737 >> fax- (807) 623-1969 >> paging (807) 623-7451 >> tbaybikes(a)mac.com >> >> www.b4hthunderbay.org >> >> "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can >> change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has." >> --Margaret Mead >> >> >> >> On 16-Jan-09, at 12:22 AM, veganboyjosh(a)gmail.com wrote: >> >> we're hard at work on Community Cycles' shop manual, and we're wondering >> if any of you have any formal policies for shop volunteers and/or staff that >> you'd feel like sharing. i'm imagining something to the effect of "at least >> two staff must be present when kids are around..." or something like that. >> >> on a somewhat related note, have any of you had any experience with >> someone--staff, volunteer, customer, etc--being inappropriate around kids, >> (aside from normal bad language..) that you had to deal with a parent for? >> i'd be interested in hearing about that experience... >> >> thanks! >> >> josh. >> _______________________________________________ >> Thethinktank mailing list >> Thethinktank(a)bikecollectives.org >> To unsubscribe, send a blank email to >> TheThinkTank-leave(a)bikecollectives.org >> To manage your subscription, plase visit: >> >> http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.… >> >> >> > >

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interview of bike collective in lyon france on bike talk
by Cascadian Fox 02 Feb '09

02 Feb '09

Hello, I was interviewed on bike talk, give it a listen at ; http://archive.kpfk.org/parchive/mp3/kpfk_090124_100000biketalk.mp3 vélorutionnairement, Fox

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tomorrow's bike talk!, 10am-noon on killradio.org:8000
by bike talk 31 Jan '09

31 Jan '09

killradio's been hacked. there's a bunch of gibberish at the web page. you can go to killradio.org:8000 and listen to the show by clicking "click to listen." you wont regret it, hopefully. there's a tandem dating game, the winner of which will go together on a tandem ride with our guest dater, Alesa. Then there is an interview by Jim C that you've got to hear. and Steven Bowers, Larry Hoffman, and an interview with Ryan Bowen, who's decompressing from the inauguration ride. good stuff, give it a listen. Nick -- please let me know if you want to be taken off this list. See Bike Talk! on kpfk: http://www.kpfk.org/programs/170-bike-talk.html

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merch for your shop...what works and doesn't work?
by veganboyjosh＠gmail.com 31 Jan '09

31 Jan '09

a few of us at community cycles are looking into getting some items professionally printed. shirts, bike/skull caps, stickers... what kinds of items have you all found are popular, or not so popular? we'll be in touch with peacesupplies, as i know he's friends with and does the printing for bicas. any leads or suggestions you all can make as far as things that have worked well or weren't worth your time or money? if the person from freeride who worked on the bikebike!08 merch reads this, where did you get the hats to print onto? does anyone else have a source for blank screenable hats? thanks! josh.

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Money! Autonomy! Ethics! Oh my?
by Alex Rosenblatt 31 Jan '09

31 Jan '09

Hello all! Alright, so I'm sure this has been posted to the list 54 times over. But: How do y'all make money? More specifically: Our bike co-op has traditionally been, on the front end, a completely volunteer based earn-a-bike program. We have paid staff but aside from that money is not exchanged. We are considering selling bicycles, charging a per hour rate, and selling parts but we are afraid of alienating a large part of our population. How do you balance retaining your goals, ethics, ideologies - like promoting bicycle access, providing (largely) free transportation, anti-capitalist leanings, skill empowerment - with keeping your shop autonomous and self sustaining? Thanks all! Apologies if this is an all to often repeated topic and feel free to ask for clarification. Alex Recycle Ithaca's Bicycles. (RIBS)

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Smaller Critical Masses
by 1304bikes 30 Jan '09

30 Jan '09

Doug here from 1304bikes in Raleigh, NC. I was wondering what some of you folks from smaller towns who host critical mass rides do to make them more fun and to attract poeple to come ride in them. We usually only have anywhere from 10-30 poeple in our rides, which i feel is small for a city with a population of 300k. We have a small handful of regulars who always show, but then we get a lot of folks who will come once or twice, but then we'll never see them again. I think maybe a lot people are turned off by the slow pace and lack of excitement at the rides. Maybe we just don't advertise well enough. Either way, hoping for some suggesting as to what other cities without the excitement of a super large mass do to draw people out to their rides. I feel if we can grow the ride large enough, it will become fun in itself, but our mass isn't large enough yet for that appeal. Thanks for all the input! -- 1304bikes 2419 Mayview Rd. Raleigh, NC 1304bikes.org

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Tax Questions regarding volunteer hours.
by Boson Au 27 Jan '09

27 Jan '09

Hi everyone.... Boson from Baltimore's Velocipede bike project here. we're in the midst of calculating our taxes (for the first time........) and we do have an accountant who is graciously helping us out for next to nothing. anyways, he asked about how much profit we make and we got a little caught off guard; besides the random part/bike we sell (for peanuts) we really don't make profit. We are entirely volunteer-run, so we don't need to pay wages. Our landlord is letting us use the place for a song, so beyond utilities and some non-recyclable parts (ie: brake cables) we don't really have much "costs" as for profits: While we do sell some used parts and bikes (of which we def. have records of) the primary way our bikes leave the shop is via the build-a-bike program. A volunteer gives us 3 hrs, and we give them a bike/frame in need of work. they then spend time at the shop fixing it. no money is exchanged. The accountant, not accustomed to this sort of "business" suggest that we consider coming up with something to represent the volunteer hours people give to enroll in the build-a-bike program, after all, they do get a bike out of it. I wanna ask the other collectives out there, how do you handle this?

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potential resource for all of you...
by veganboyjosh＠gmail.com 27 Jan '09

27 Jan '09

hey everyone in thinktank world. we've been thinking about making some spoke cards for our youth earn-a-bike program, and it occurred to me that with the right materials, we could make them reflective. this way, we're making the bike visible, but with less of a dork factor that kids (and some adults) think come with reflectors. i asked around at many local paint shops, and about the closest they had was some glitter-y spray paint. until friday. one of the old-timers suggested i contact our county's sign shop. the place that makes the road signs, street signs, etc. of course, many of these, like stop signs and one way signs, are made elsewhere and shipped in. but street names, custom "this road under construction until may of 2012" type signs are all done in house. which means they have cutoffs of various colors of sign material. i called and approached them from the angle of running the kids program, and wanting to make the kids bikes more visible and safe. they were super into it. i have yet to get my hands on any, but they said they'd keep a box open for me, and when it gets close to full, they'll call and i can go pick up as much as i want. i don't know how often i'll be making the trip, but i am excited about this stuff. like i said, i have yet to hold it, but from the description i got, it's self-adhesive on one side, UBER

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Killradio.org hacked! listen to biketalk! at killradio.org:8000
by bike talk 24 Jan '09

24 Jan '09

listen 10am-noon at www.killradio.org:8000; the regular site's messed up, but we'll be there tomorrow interviewing guests. call in! -- please let me know if you want to be taken off this list. See Bike Talk! on kpfk: http://www.kpfk.org/programs/170-bike-talk.html

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Collective Insight
by Chloé Rose 23 Jan '09

23 Jan '09

Hi everybody. At the Community Bicycle Network (Toronto) we're looking at moving from a top-down management model (one co-ordinator, three paid staff) to a more collective-based model. Question is, who among you are collectives? How are you structured and organized? What advice would you have for me? Thanks Chloé

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Re: [TheThinkTank] sales out of control.
by Bruce Lien 23 Jan '09

23 Jan '09

The problem with this sell,sell,sell approach is that it can put you in clear "competition" with bike shops. We want/must be friendly with the local bike shops. Additionally, unless you have a large account with the wholesalers, your account will be shut down. (I know, mine was under this sell philosphy.) --- On Tue, 1/20/09, BovineOaks(a)aol.com <BovineOaks(a)aol.com> wrote: From: BovineOaks(a)aol.com <BovineOaks(a)aol.com> Subject: [TheThinkTank] sales out of control. To: thethinktank(a)bikecollectives.org Date: Tuesday, January 20, 2009, 4:45 PM Mechanics will fight this note tooth and nail. They do not believe that the knowledge they have earned makes them worthy of professional benefits. Sell sell sell if you are afraid of selling hire a sales person, Sell bikes, sell classes, sell parts, so you can afford rent, healthcare, salaries, and afford to give back to the community more than you take from it. You are not in business to get broke, you are there to give the community a resource. Earning a Bike is different than undervaluing your bike building/ repair services. If someone is give you their time you can give them a discount on your professional services. Sell your service for top dollar, give back to your volunteers and pay your employees. YOU ARE IN BUSINESS Non for Profit is not a go broke fast scheme. If you are broke all the time how can you give to the community when you are sick or injured? How can you afford to get the tools or the training you need for your staff? How can you afford to take your youth or adults on events or programs outside the shop? You are Worth a lot, charge for it, respect those that volunteer and promote volunteerism for its discounts if you feel the need to give away cheap bikes. SELL SELL SELL you are worth it. Christopher Wallace Chicago P.S. I love selling classes, it is a great way to find inspired volunteers. Adult students can become Mechanics, educators, promoters, lawyers, mentors, shippers, government liaisons, and more than you can even dream of. SELL Classes Inauguration '09: Get complete coverage from the nation's capital. -----Inline Attachment Follows----- _______________________________________________ Thethinktank mailing list Thethinktank(a)bikecollectives.org To unsubscribe, send a blank email to TheThinkTank-leave(a)bikecollectives.org To manage your subscription, plase visit: http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.…

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sales out of control.
by BovineOaks＠aol.com 21 Jan '09

21 Jan '09

Mechanics will fight this note tooth and nail. They do not believe that the knowledge they have earned makes them worthy of professional benefits. Sell sell sell if you are afraid of selling hire a sales person, Sell bikes, sell classes, sell parts, so you can afford rent, healthcare, salaries, and afford to give back to the community more than you take from it. You are not in business to get broke, you are there to give the community a resource. Earning a Bike is different than undervaluing your bike building/ repair services. If someone is give you their time you can give them a discount on your professional services. Sell your service for top dollar, give back to your volunteers and pay your employees. YOU ARE IN BUSINESS Non for Profit is not a go broke fast scheme. If you are broke all the time how can you give to the community when you are sick or injured? How can you afford to get the tools or the training you need for your staff? How can you afford to take your youth or adults on events or programs outside the shop? You are Worth a lot, charge for it, respect those that volunteer and promote volunteerism for its discounts if you feel the need to give away cheap bikes. SELL SELL SELL you are worth it. Christopher Wallace Chicago P.S. I love selling classes, it is a great way to find inspired volunteers. Adult students can become Mechanics, educators, promoters, lawyers, mentors, shippers, government liaisons, and more than you can even dream of. SELL Classes **************Inauguration '09: Get complete coverage from the nation's capital. (http://news.aol.com/main/politics/inauguration?ncid=emlcntusnews00000003)

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What to do about kids' bikes
by Carl Voss 21 Jan '09

21 Jan '09

Here in chilly Iowa, we're nine months into our first year of operating the Des Moines Bicycle Collective. It seems that every time we turn around, we're tripping over another stack of heavy, Magna-quality kids' bikes (12 and 16" wheels; some 24"). Most are in such pathetic shape (neglect or abuse) that the scrap yard appears to be the only solution. Our board can't seem to reach consensus on the best way to get our arms around this and still be the good guys that keep bikes out of the land fill. I'm confident several of you will offer some first-hand solutions so we can be more productive. *It seems a shame to waste volunteer time stripping the bikes of rubber so we can take them to the scrapyard. We got $10 for our last truckload of 20 bikes. *It doesn't make sense to spend much effort tuning up a kids' bike for a $10 used sale when Walmart sells a new bike for $25-$30. *Some of us are of the mind that any decent kids' bike should be given away through Boys and Girls Clubs or similar. We currently aren't suggesting a donation to drop off any bike (youth or adult), although that may change soon if we can get a policy passed for a $10 suggested donation. Carl carlvoss(a)mac.com Mobile: 515-210-0237

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