- TheThinkTank - lists.bikecollectives.org

Volunteering time
by BovineOaks＠aol.com 09 Feb '08

09 Feb '08

Being white gives us privileges that might make it easier to 'donate' a lot of time to a project you love. Nice racist statement. Other communities donate time to things they cherish. All races and earning levels donate time to the religious practice of their choice. That is universal. Bikes, sadly, are not cherished universally by all communities. Owning a house is focused more in some communities and the car is just a tool to get to work. Owning a fancier car has a greater focus in some communities and owning property is less of a focus. Of course this is a generalization and there are always exceptions. In either rich or poor a community where there is more focus on the car as a status symbol; the bike is less likely to be Cherished. How many Yuppies or true upper crust volunteers do you have? Any Trumps?, Hiltons?, Pritzkers? They all have the money to stop working and volunteer at your bike program. But sadly they do not cherish the bicycle. So for a communities that do not cherish the bicycle, you need to invite the local community members into you bike shop if you want diversity. The bike program should offer adult training and have OBIOUS ways for the adults to volunteer to work on bikes, teach youth, sell bikes, teach other adults, work on inventory, work on web sites, spread the message to the community, help with business contacts, help with volunteers and what ever you need to be successful. I have had special classes for women taught by women that liked my classes. Not all women want the first classes to be with men. They what to do it "on there own" and want to have a like minded teacher, not a person who does a project for them. They want self sufficiency and to feel supported. We need to support the needs of a diverse community, if we want them to come and be part of our shops. If they do not love the bike now, you will have to teach them LOVE OF DA BIKE! and give them oppertunity. Christopher Wallace Chicago **************Biggest Grammy Award surprises of all time on AOL Music. (http://music.aol.com/grammys/pictures/never-won-a-grammy?NCID=aolcmp0030000… 48)

7 7

Key woes and solutions!
by Jonathan Morrison 08 Feb '08

08 Feb '08

I don't know if your organization has issues with volunteers, "lost" or M.I.A. keys, or just not knowing who left the shop a mess after hours. We did, but after looking into all the options ( http://www.bikecollectives.org/wiki/index.php?title=Keyless_Entry) we were able to get a smart card (RFID) reader donated for our shop door. This has worked out really well so far. * A log is kept of who uses the shop and when for accountabilities sake. * Smart cards (http://www.hidcorp.com/technology.php?tech_cat=1&subcat_id=9) can be purchased at any locksmith for the same cost of getting a traditional key cut, but they don't work until they are "registered" with software that controls the door. * Smart cards cannot be copied. * If a card is lost or there is a problem with a volunteer that can't be resolved in a civil manner -- the card can be denied future access. Luckily we haven't had that anything besides "lost" keys. * Access to the shop can be limited to the hour, so if we wanted to we could incubate a volunteer by only giving them access to the shop at certain times. * A magnetic contact on the door gives us a count of roughly how many people use our shop. We realize that some people hold the door for others and some go in and out more than once -- while those might cancel each other out, it is a rough estimate. * We installed the smart card reader at "butt" level. So if it is in your wallet you can open the door without taking your hands off a bike with the "butt swipe." * No personal information is stored on the smart (RFID) card, there is just a pre-programmed number that has to be an inch away for a card reader to detect. -- 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 Get Addicted to Crank! http://www.slcbikecollective.org/crank/

4 5

Re: [TheThinkTank] Volunteering time
by Jessica McPherson 07 Feb '08

07 Feb '08

Also, can I point out that there is a big difference between characterizing a statement or action as racist, and calling a person a racist? I think it's really important to be able to talk frankly about racism, and that is hard when bringing up the word at all is automatically interpreted as calling people racists. We all do or say racist things sometimes. It doesn't mean we're evil, horrible people. It means there's a situation when people could benefit from honest discussion and an opportunity to learn from others' perspectives. So can we try to be open to that without being offensive/taking offense? And make an extra effort to be clear when this loaded word does get put out there? Race, gender, and class all definitely fit into this issue of accessibility, so it's great we're talking about it those terms. And it's complicated; we can probably all learn something from other peoples' experience. -Jessica ----- Original Message ---- From: Erik Ryberg <ryberg(a)seanet.com> To: The Think Tank <thethinktank(a)bikecollectives.org> Sent: Thursday, February 7, 2008 2:29:22 PM Subject: Re: [TheThinkTank] Volunteering time When I went to college I was a poor white kid from rural Oregon on a scholarship to a fancy East Coast private university. Everybody I met there had more money than I did. During the summers they all went off to unpaid internships in NY or LA. I had similar offers, but there was just no way I could afford to do that, move to NYC for three months with no pay. When my friends graduated they got jobs at these places and I ended up working at a bakery. That's what Kyle was talking about. And as an aside he made the leap, perhaps disputed by some here, that people who are not white are more often among those who don't have a lot of money. Maybe you don't agree, but all he was saying is that if you pay people, then you will be more likely to find class and probably race diversity on your staffs. True? False? Maybe? I don't know, but it makes logical sense, and it seems possible to agree with him or disagree with him without being a racist. Erik Ryberg ien wrote: > I see Kyle's point as tunnel vision. Look at other areas reliant on > volunteers and you will see many females, in some cases overwhelmingly. > Case in point: the local chapter of the Big Brothers/Big Sisters > organization reported their volunteers by gender composition is 75% > female, 25% male. That should shoot the theory of white boys being > privileged and in positions to volunteer. It is the bike business in > general that attracts males to the sport. Don't believe me then take a > look at the staff at any bike shop for your random sample. Females are a > breath of fresh air to the sport of cycling and bike riding in general. > But look also to the junior ranks of any state cycling organization and > you will find many more males than females. Credit to those that > volunteer and here is wishing more would join us, especially females. > bikedad > > */Andy Dyson <andy(a)neighborhoodbikeworks.org>/* wrote: > > BovineOaks(a)aol.com wrote: > > Being white gives us privileges that might make it easier to > 'donate' a > > lot of time to a project you love. Nice racist statement. > > > > Some great points in your post, Christopher, but it's the first line I > have a problem with. I think that if you're going to call someone a > racist you should do so in a more direct and clear way, for all of our > benefit. > > Perhaps I'm just not smart, but sarcasm like the above leaves me > wondering exactly what about Kyle's post you thought was racist and > why. > There are various interpretations I could think of, but why people in > our community are calling each other racists is not an area where I > want > to jump to any conclusions. I do actually want to know what you think, > because I don't think that Kyle was denying that people of all > backgrounds volunteer, rather that privilege exists and it makes things > easier for young, white males. > > I think that the whole point of Kyle's post is to draw attention to the > existence of privilege, something that, in my experience, is not > obvious > to all of us. > > Peace, > > Andy > > -- > Andrew C. Dyson > Executive Director Neighborhood Bike Works > Increasing opportunities for youth through bicycling > > > Check our Web Site: > http://www.neighborhoodbikeworks.org > > > Neighborhood Bike Works > 3916 Locust Walk, > Philadelphia, PA 19104 > > > Office: (215) 386-0316 > Cell: (215) 873-6695 > FAX: (215) 386-7288 > _______________________________________________ > Thethinktank mailing list > Thethinktank(a)bikecollectives.org > http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.… > > > Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your homepage. > <http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=51438/*http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs> > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > _______________________________________________ > Thethinktank mailing list > Thethinktank(a)bikecollectives.org > http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.… -- Erik B. Ryberg Attorney at Law 445 West Simpson Street Tucson, AZ 85701 (520) 622-3333 _______________________________________________ Thethinktank mailing list Thethinktank(a)bikecollectives.org http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.… ____________________________________________________________________________________ Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Yahoo! Search. http://tools.search.yahoo.com/newsearch/category.php?category=shopping

3 2

Cheap Helmets!
by AndaLaLucha 05 Feb '08

05 Feb '08

Hello Think Tankers, I was wondering where people get their kids bike helmets from. Has anyone had sucess getting some donated? Are their websites/companies people can recommend. So far we have found www.prorider.com $3 for basic kinda crappy helmets www.*helmets*rus.net/*nonprofit*/ $5 and $6 for nicer helmet with modern adjusting features that are much safer Any other ideas? Andalusia P.S R.I.P. Sheldon Brown : ( PPS If i get a chance I may also try later to explain how free ride's volunteer/comission/contracting staff system works.

4 3

Re: [TheThinkTank] [SLC Bike Collective] Sheldon Brown passed away...
by Bacus, Tom (KLC) 05 Feb '08

05 Feb '08

Sad news indeed. I never met him, but he helped me set up my first single speed via phone calls and email. The bike community has lost one of the great ones. -------------------------- Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld ----- Original Message ----- From: community-bounces(a)slcbikecollective.org <community-bounces(a)slcbikecollective.org> To: The Think Tank <thethinktank(a)bikecollectives.org>; SLC Bicycle Collective <community(a)slcbikecollective.org>; SLC Critical Mass <community(a)slccriticalmass.org> Sent: Mon Feb 04 13:17:03 2008 Subject: [SLC Bike Collective] Sheldon Brown passed away... http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/index.html -- 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 Get Addicted to Crank! http://www.slcbikecollective.org/crank/

2 1

alternative payment/stipend structures
by Erik Stockmeier 04 Feb '08

04 Feb '08

Hello, comrades, At BB last year I heard a number of different takes on the issue of payment to core/committed/etc members of the shop. This is obviously something that many of us have struggled with--a small stipend can enable someone to spend much more time in the shop and increase productivity, etc, but it also can have pitfalls: shifting emphasis toward making money & away from service/community/etc goals. Not to be nosey, but I'm wondering how different shops have approached this, both through payrolls and alternate routes. I'm also wondering what kind of decision-making and account-taking goes on in regards to taking care of each others' needs so that neither individuals nor the organisation as an organism is exploited. There are also questions of seasonable labor, the threat of a paid, empowered elite vs the volunteer masses... I'm just thinking out loud. Sorry this question is so broad and filled with etc's. If any kind of discussion comes out of it I will be happy to elaborate on my own experiences (can't speak for all of The Recyclery) but for now I'm curious about what else is out there and how well it has worked. I'm interested to hear from all-volunteer groups as well, of course. Thanks- Erik Stockmeier The Recyclery www.therecyclery.org

4 3

Re: [TheThinkTank] Collective members/ordering from QBP
by Jessica McPherson 04 Feb '08

04 Feb '08

Something to add is that we require people to give 24 hours volunteer time every three months in order to join the collective council. The qbp privilege is a bonus for that commitment. And, it is consistent with QBP's policy, in that the people who can make personal orders are essentially the "employees" of the shop. -Jessica ----- Original Message ---- From: Stuart O Anderson <soa(a)ri.cmu.edu> To: The Think Tank <thethinktank(a)bikecollectives.org> Sent: Wednesday, January 30, 2008 4:17:43 PM Subject: Re: [TheThinkTank] Collective members/ordering from QBP I can't find the policy on the QBP dealer site, you might want to call your account rep to check. I believe the deal is that it's OK for shop employees to make personal orders for personal use, possibly with some total dollar cap on how much can be ordered for this use in a year? We let collective members add items to our orders for personal use with the understanding that the stuff they order isn't going to be given away/resold. If someone wants more than $500 worth of stuff it goes through collective review. Stuart On Jan 30, 2008 2:14 PM, <plan_9(a)riseup.net> wrote: > I was wondering if anyone has any policy in place that allows or > dis-allows collective members from ordering new parts, frame/forks, or > even complete bikes from QBP. Shops that do allow ordering, what > restrictions from QBP apply? > Thanks, Andrew > FMCBW > > > _______________________________________________ > Thethinktank mailing list > Thethinktank(a)bikecollectives.org > http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.… > > _______________________________________________ Thethinktank mailing list Thethinktank(a)bikecollectives.org http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.… ____________________________________________________________________________________ Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ

3 2

Forums for Website
by Sarah 04 Feb '08

04 Feb '08

Hey, y'all! Anyone have an amazing free forum program you run on your website? Or, what have folks used on BikeBike websites in the past? Are there free forums you suggest, or some you don't like at all? Any input is greatly appreciated! Thanks, ~ Sarahtops thebestsarah(a)gmail.com Madison, Wisconsin FreeWheel Community Bike Shop - www.freewheelbikes.org Neverwood Collective - www.pnc2rnc.org

3 2

Collective members/ordering from QBP
by plan_9＠riseup.net 31 Jan '08

31 Jan '08

I was wondering if anyone has any policy in place that allows or dis-allows collective members from ordering new parts, frame/forks, or even complete bikes from QBP. Shops that do allow ordering, what restrictions from QBP apply? Thanks, Andrew FMCBW

4 3

Grant Seeking and Collective Foundation Center Subscription?
by rachael spiewak 29 Jan '08

29 Jan '08

Hi, everyone! People have been asking us lately about how we do our grant seeking. We're not experts (at bike maintenance either), but we've scored a little bit of support in the last few months. What helps the most is the Foundation Center, and we're lucky enough to have a physical location in Atlanta. However, there are tons of free resources on their website, and I just learned about a bunch at a workshop there recently. They also publish books, and I'm thinking about getting their Guides to Proposal Writing<http://foundationcenter.org/marketplace/catalog/product_monograph.jhtml?id=…> . *The FAQ has tons of technical info, and links pretty heavily to samples of things. I used the Letter of Inquiry<http://foundationcenter.org/getstarted/faqs/html/letter.html>entry recently, and it was massively helpful. I put a sample letter that I wrote on the BCN Wiki<http://www.bikecollectives.org/wiki/index.php?title=Grant_Writing>(but I can't figure out the formatting). *There are free online tutorials<http://foundationcenter.org/getstarted/learnabout/foundations.html>at the bottom of this page. *As for process.. *I would like to suggest that we buy a collective subscription<https://fcsecure.fdncenter.org/fdo_signup_prof/register.php?setplan=start>so everyone can access the database regardless of location. When you access a record in the database, it returns critical info, like areas of interest, contact info, initial contact method, etc.. all the things you need to know so you can zero in on the foundations that are likely to help you and start building a relationship with them. What we're going for are as non-corporate as possible Atlanta-specific foundations that provide operational support to community development organizations. Most of these are interested in education and/or the environment, so we fit right in. It gets that specific. *To get started on thinking through what your organization does, what you need money for, and whom to ask: **Create a logic model<http://www.managementhelp.org/np_progs/np_mod/org_frm.htm>. This helps you name and quantify measurable things. *Create a budget. We have a spreadsheet broken down by month, things quantified by quarter, and a projected annual budget. I did this in Open Office spreadsheet, but maybe some folks have found more user friendly software. Anyway, included are major developments so we can relate those things with changes in income and expenses. It's easy then to prove how shop activity and income generated increased when we expanded shop hours. And that makes it easy to describe how operational support for a Shop Manager salary will provide the necessary means to support said explosion in shop awesomeness. *Create a companion timeline. *Have a compelling and concise argument, and make sure everything relates back to your mission statement. *Start early. Grant seeking is not just filling out an application and turning it in on the deadline. It's a process of getting to know people. *Realize that Operation Support can include personnel. You may be organizing a community bike shop that could benefit from having some paid staff. *For folks wondering how we're pitching ourselves: *Sopo is a community development organization. We use bicycle repair education as a way to empower people while we work together to create affordable transportation. Our core program is the Shop. The Shop is open to the public four days a week, and it is accessed by 100 people per week, including drop in visitors, volunteers, donors, community leaders, kids, etc. All participants access the shop in order to share resources and knowledge. The organization has paid director, and our next staffing goal is to hire a project manager for our core program (Shop Manager). If you need more info on the community development piece: Creating affordable housing and food security is considered community development activity. Like housing and food, transportation is a major household expense (see: the Census), and taken together we've got our big three producers of pollution and consumers of energy. Transportation is the neglected component when it comes to organizations creating affordable access (A lack of vocabulary indicates social invisibility [I think of gender expression and pronouns here]. How many organizations are addressing rampant "transportationlessness" in our communities?). Community bike shops not only address an economic gap. We also address the social and environmental components (which means we're doing sustainable development work). I have a diagram that goes along with this. And a flowchart. Nerd alert. Anyway, I hope this helps. : ) -- Rachael Spiewak, MSW Executive Director Sopo Bicycle Cooperative www.sopobikes.org * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Hours of operation: Tues/Thurs 7 pm - 10 pm Sat/Sun 2 pm - 5 pm Important Dates: Monday, January 28, 6 pm - Volunteer Orientation at Sopo Wednesday, January 30, 7 pm - Craft Night at 858-C DeKalb Ave

1 0

GrassRoutes [Bicycle] Caravan August!
by Sarah 26 Jan '08

26 Jan '08

Hey, bike enthusiasts! I wanted to give y'all a heads-up about a bicycle caravan taking place in August 2008. The Neverwood Collective in Madison, Wisconsin is organizing a bike ride to St. Paul, Minnesota, arriving a few days ahead of the Republican National Convention protests! We're calling the ride the GrassRoutes Caravan, as we'll be hooking up with various grassroots organizations along our route, doing volunteer work and learning about regional struggles. Madison is holding a counter-convention to the Republican and Democrat National Conventions. It's called the People's Networking Convention (PNC), and it's going down August 15-17th. The GrassRoutes Caravan will link the PNC to the RNC. Check out more about the PNC and the Caravan at: www.infopnc.org -- People's Networking Convention www.pnc2rnc.org -- GrassRoutes Caravan We're super-excited about the GrassRoutes Caravan! It's sort of a mix between the Democracy Uprising DNC2RNC march in 2004, work done by the SuperHeroes collective, cycle circuses everywhere, a mobile version of Burning Man, and everything in-between! We just published a zine about our vision -- find it to download online. We welcome any input, advice, or bike travel hints you may have. I invite y'all, and yer bikes, to the Midwest this August for our mobile village of resistance! I hope to hear from you soon! Sincerely, ~ Sarahtops of the Neverwood Collective Madison, Wisconsin PS: Many thanks if you spread this message far and wide!

4 3

selling bikes
by Liza Mattana 25 Jan '08

25 Jan '08

if this has been answered before, can you link me to the archive thread? my questions is how does your org price used bikes? we've come across some nice older bikes (bridgestone CB-0 and an old stumpjumper), and we're trying to figure out a way to price them, kind of a way to standardize the process. we'll be turning them into commuter bikes with fenders and racks and making them safe and rideable, but we're not doing complete overhauls. i know this is a tricky question, but any advice you have will be helpful! thanks, liza -- Liza Mattana www.pedals2people.org Spokane, WA

13 15

mailing list
by Tom Christopher 24 Jan '08

24 Jan '08

Please put me on your mailing list. Thanks, Tom

1 0

Re: [TheThinkTank] Collective Board of Directors
by Andrew Bushaw 21 Jan '08

21 Jan '08

This is what I have proposed to our collective in regard to forming a Board of Directors. If anyone is familiar with Participatory Economics, this is sort of modeled after that system of Producer/Consumer and Worker Councils. FM Community Bicycle Workshop Organizational Structure General Collective Membership is defined by: Working regular, accountable shifts of 4 hours in length, once a week for the duration of at least one month. After that one month, working regular, accountable shifts is still expected but is flexible depending on circumstances. Attending and actively participating in at least three consecutive General Collective, Board, or Worker Council meetings. If a General Collective Member is inactive for the duration of one month without a prior notice, their membership is terminated with the option to rejoin the collective through by meeting the same criteria as a new prospective collective member. The General Collective will meet once a Month at a regularly scheduled time to discuss the day to day operation of the shop, update schedules, make suggestions and in general report news to the collective from their respective worker councils. Worker Councils (WC) consist of members from the general collective who wish to have an increased level of participation. There are six WC: Finance/Legal, Advertising/Hardcopy, Physical Donations, Shop/Tools/Ordering, Education, and Community Outreach. Each WC chooses a representative within to represent their interests on the Board of Directors. These representatives are easily recallable by the WC or the General Collective as a whole. These representatives along with co-representatives, if appointed, would be the collectives primary key-holders. The six WC representatives are also members of the Board of directors, and taken as a whole, make up the producers council. Worker councils will meet as needed. Collective members would generally only officially participate in one WC, two if necessary. The Board of Directors -- Members-At-Large would represent the interests of the groups that the FMCBW explicitly intends to serve. In other words, they would collectively make up the consumers council. These Board members-at-large would be chosen by the General Collective at the annual meeting and would serve a one year term. Board Mechanics: Six Collective members representing their respective WC and 6-8 Members-At-Large to represent the communities we intend to serve. The Board of Directors will meet quarterly and are open to general collective member attendance. Two weeks notice will be given before the quarterly meetings and one week notice will be given for special circumstances. Voting by proxy is allowed but consent must be given in a written form and it must be on a specified proposal and not a general power. Voting by email is valid and legitimate but if any board member feels that there needs to be more discussion the vote can be vetoed and a meeting called in it's place. Quorum for Board of Directors meetings will be 50%+1. The board of directors will determine what specific democratic decision making process suits but with an emphasis on consensus decision making when possible. The board will have a Chair, Co-Chair, Secretary and Treasurer. In the case of vacancies, the General Collective will be charged with finding a suitable replacement, taking into consideration input and suggestions from the Board Members-At-Large. I think the overall effect of this would be to allow outside input and give us community perspective, tap external resources, organize more effectively in our WC, increase general collective membership thus "throwing more people" at the issue of staffing the shop when open, Allow individual participation to determine level of involvement in decisionmaking, allow a broader number of people to lead in their areas of interest, as well as being "legal" in terms of US regulations. Andrew ------------------------------------------------------------------------

1 0

Collectives and board of Directors
by plan_9＠riseup.net 21 Jan '08

21 Jan '08

Thus far the FM Community Bicycle Workshop has been operating as a 501c3 through a fiscal agency agreement with a local non-profit. The agreement is for a limited time period so I have been working on our Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws and Tax forms. The crossroads were at with it though, is that we are set up to operate as a traditional collective (consensus, democratic decision making, non-authoritarian structure) with elements of Participatory Economics (we have worker councils set up). This doesn't seem to reconcile very cleanly with how the US wants non-profits to be structured with a traditional Board of Directors, Chair, Co-chair, Secretary, Treasurer, etc. So what I'm wondering is this: How do other groups that have a non-heirarchical organizational structure set up their bylaws and articles to reflect their values, yet be accepted as a legitimate by the state? I have been told by a few more non-standard organizations that they just set it up like "it's supposed to be" and then disregard it. I really don't want to do that since if it's on the books, we can be held accountable to it. These seem to be the logical options so far: 1. Collective as the Board of Directors. In this scenario we basically form the board using the collective members as board members and build our bylaws around our the rules and procedures that are outlined in our volunteer handbook. To get outside folks involved in this we could set up an advisory board that would give input but not make decisions that would meet something like once a quarter. 2. An Outside Board In this scenario we would form a board that would consist completely of outside individuals who are understanding of our mission and would represent the populations that we serve. The collective would serve the role of the executive director(s). In this situation we would be tasked with the day to day decisions of the FMCBW and have input into the Board of Directors but macro decisions such as funding, long term planning, would ultimately be decided by the Board of Directors. (This idea has already met with much opposition from the group so this is probably out) 3. A Mixed Board In this scenario we would form a board that would consist of some collective members and some outside community members. There could be checks and balances put into place to make sure that the collective continues to have real tangible input into the board of directors decision making. This would take some extra mechanics in our bylaws and is slightly non-standard in the non-profit world, (but is somewhat more standard in the business world) but in the end might be the best of both worlds if done correctly. For Example: We have a board of 9 people, four of which were collective members and five of which were outside community members that would represent the populations that we serve. We could run the board conservatively (as in more resistance to change, not politically of course) where we would put into our bylaws that we there must be Consensus U-3 to make binding decisions. This would enable the collective to block any proposals, given that they have solidarity on the issue, that the board may make that might be against the interest or the intent of the collectives mission. This method would also stand for electing new outside board members, ensuring that the integrity and intent of the organization would stay in line with the collectives mission. The numbers and methods are up in the air, of course, I was just using this as an example. These all have pros and cons to them. The collective as the board we would continue to have autonomous control over what we do and how we operate and would allow us to make decisions "light and fast" but at the loss of credibility, resources and the ever important perspective of the community. Having an outside board would make it easier to propose "self-serving" ideas, such as paying us wages, funding outside training, going to conferences, spending shop money to renumerate the collective. Plus it spreads the risk, it allows input from veterans in the non-profit world as well as access to their resources without begging. It would give us an air of credibility to some institutions that might take us "not so seriously". It also allows us to focus on building bikes, teaching bike maintenance, and developing our programs. The risk is that we don't have control over the board at all and are totally at their whims. We can put a good board in place that understands our values and mission but they are responsible for voting in new board members, and if their judgment isn't the same as ours, there is the potential that a few years down the road there could be a group of people directing us in a way we might not agree with at all, and could possibly disband the collective and appoint a director. The Mixed Board has potential to have the best of both worlds if executed correctly. If executed incorrectly it could possible result in some of the negative possibilities of both the the others. It would probably also take a little longer to make decisions, but since we are already operating fairly well we probably are done making rapid decisions. Sorry for the ridiculously long post, I decided not to chop it down in case this info is useful for the seemingly many new bike collectives that are in the works right now. Andrew FM Community Bicycle Workshop

7 6

Re: [TheThinkTank] low cost lights
by troy neiman 17 Jan '08

17 Jan '08

Here in Tucson, it is fairly common for folks to get a generic mini maglight from the ace hardware or a sporting good store. these come with a few to many LED bulbs for the cost of 5-15 $ generally the more you spend the better quality the light. Then pick yourself up a couple of hose clamps and put one around the light and loop the second through the first and around the handle bar or stem. this creates a good adjustable, theft resistant bracket as good or better than that plastic crap on the market. This has been a great solution for many people. you get about 10-15 hours out of most of the lights and the cost is a relatively low 10-20 dollars for and aluminum body led light as opposed to a plastic one for the same price. Bike lights that are supposedly built for "bike riding" are probably one of the most frustrating things about the industry, i personally think they are all crap or overkill. > ----- Originale ----- > From: "1304bikes" <1304bikes(a)gmail.com> > To: "The Think Tank" <thethinktank(a)bikecollectives.org> > Subject: Re: [TheThinkTank] Piles of freewheels? > Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2008 08:31:41 -0500 > > > Christopher, While the points you raise are valid and very good advice, I'm > afraid it doesn' help our shop out very much. We deal with a lot of > homeless and working class poeple who can not or would rather not spend $30 > on a bike light. Likewise, our organization doesn't have the funds to > provide every EAB paticipant with a full set of lights, even though we want > to. > > That being said, I'm still open to hearing what other shops have come > up with for inexpensive solutions to the light issue. I still feel that any > light is better than no light. > > -Doug > 1304bikes, Raleigh > > > > There is a physical problem with lights that are not powerful. As we > > humans get older our cornea become harder and do not open and close as > > quickly as in our youth. This leaves us blind to all but the brightest > > lights after we are hit in the face by car headlamps. I witnessed a cyclist > > disappear when he was backlit by car headlamps. He had a few $15 to $20 > > front flashers, a reflective vest, and reflective tape on the bike. Once he > > was back lit by a car all those inexpensive low wattage lamps were worthless > > to his safety > > > > If you do not invest in a bright light you will disappear when back lit > > and in other situations. The lesson I learned is simple if you are to be > > traffic at night time you need to act like traffic. If you can get the Cat > > Eye 520 at cost, it is about $30 and well worth it. 1200 candle power is > > close to the brightness of a car head lamp, 300 hour burn time with 4 AA > > batteries. When in traffic, act like traffic. If they are well lit, you > > should be equally lit to be seen. A flash light is not enough. > > > > > > I am not saying do not have fun with cheap lights too. I look like an > > alien space craft with all the cheap lights around my bike. I also have a > > serious head and tail light. I do make a spectacle of myself out on the road > > at night. Have fun and think about safety. > > > > Christopher Wallace > > > > > > > > ------------------------------ > > Start the year off right. Easy ways to stay in > > shape<http://body.aol.com/fitness/winter-exercise?NCID=aolcmp00300000002489>in the new > > year. > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Thethinktank mailing list > > Thethinktank(a)bikecollectives.org > > > > http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.… > > > > > > > -- > 1304bikes > 2419 Mayview Rd. > Raleigh, NC > 1304bikes.org > > _______________________________________________ > Thethinktank mailing list > Thethinktank(a)bikecollectives.org > http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.… > y -- Want an e-mail address like mine? Get a free e-mail account today at www.mail.com!

2 1

Bicycle Physics Curriculum
by AndaLaLucha 16 Jan '08

16 Jan '08

Hello, Free Ride has this exciting partnership with City High School in Pittsburgh in which we teach bicycle repair in a "How Things Work" Physics class. We had some lessons with tire pneumatics and Boyle's law and also a gear ratio lesson. I was wondering if people had other science related curricula planned? If so can you e-mail me or put it on the wiki? Also, I don't know if people know already but the Youth Bicycled Education Network has some useful curricula posted-- http://www.yben.org/category/resource-guide/curricula-and-lesson-plans/ Thanks, Andalusia P.S. I'm not sure if people know what Ghost bikes are- but they are pretty powerful memorials for cyclists who have died. There was a memorial ride in NYC last week to honor the 23+ cyclists who died last year and I did a radio report about it and wrote an article for those interested Article: http://www.indypendent.org/2008/01/12/a-silent-roadside-reminder/ Shorter Radio: http://www.fsrn.org/content/new-york-city%2526%2523039%3Bs-ghost-bikes-hono… Longer Radio: https://wiki.indypgh.org/cgi-bin/twiki/viewfile/Radio/Shows/2008x01x14?rev=…

1 0

Lights
by BovineOaks＠aol.com 16 Jan '08

16 Jan '08

I always behave like i'm invisible to cars no matter how much illumination I have. Brian UBP If I taped ten thousand lightning bugs to my body I still would not put out much light, Barely a dim glow if I was lucky. It is not the number of lights that make you seen or not seen it is the brightness of the lights that matters. If you put on Aircraft landing lights on the front of your bike and shot a beam a half mile down the road I am sure you could not say "I always behave like i'm invisible to cars no matter how much illumination I have." If you said "I have a bunch of low lumen flash lights on my bike and I can not be seen by cars that have lots of lumens coming out of their headlamps, then I would have to say DUH! Car drivers are looking for traffic to have high lumen lights out on the road, if you wish to be treated like traffic, act like traffic! What would you think if a car had two little battery powered flash lights or little bicycle blinkers where its head lamps were supposed to be? Would you see the car if other brightly lit cars were around it or would it be near invisible? Brian you should behave like you are invisible when you have low lumen lights on your bike, because you are. You can either whine about it or change your choice of lights. I am asking you to Think, We are the Bicycle education leaders of our communities. Christopher Wallace **************Start the year off right. Easy ways to stay in shape. http://body.aol.com/fitness/winter-exercise?NCID=aolcmp00300000002489

5 5

The Build-A-Bike Team Building Workshop
by Jonathan Morrison 16 Jan '08

16 Jan '08

www.build-a-bike.com You know we are doing good when the for-profit takes the idea mainstream. It looks like these folks have a registered trademark on the "Build-A-Bike" name. -- 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 Get Addicted to Crank! http://www.slcbikecollective.org/crank/

13 19

Re: [TheThinkTank] Lights
by BovineOaks＠aol.com 15 Jan '08

15 Jan '08

Brian I agree with you and never assuming you can be seen. I too have a 12 volt system and I ride I bike I know I can not be seen by cars coming on to the road way from a drive or an alleyway. I ride a low racing recumbent. I am below window level and I know that drivers can not see through sheet metal. I also know I can see their lights as they approach the roadway. I have found they can see my light also. I slow down and they stop when they see the pavement lit up by my lights. When a driver is Pavlovian trained to stop when they see the cross pavement lit by head lights. I have witnessed every driver stop, that I have approached from the side at night with my 12 volt system. In the world of dim low lumen bike lights, cars could not see you. Few people can afford 12 volt high lumen lights. Now there is a much more cost effective high lumen lamps out there. My 12 volt system cost $360 now led lights with similar Lumen output are $60 retail, $30 cost. My 12 volt system would last up to 3 hours on a huge battery, now led lights with similar Lumen output last 300 hours on 4 AA batteries. My points are simple: Great lights are affordable by the masses now. Point two: Most people do not know about the brighter lamps and choose lights that keep them invisible to traffic because of the lack of education from bike shops to their customers. I like that lights are so much less money for the amount of light they put out. I have a handle bar in the shop with 6 different lamps on it. I have a customer go to the far side of the room and I turn on each light and let them look at difference between older flash lights or blinking lights, and the new more powerful advanced LED lights. Sale made. NO BS, Compare/ contrast and sell. I also took photographs of all the lights aimed at a white wall 40 feet away. I printed the photos and use that as a sales tool also. This is what the light really looks like and how wide a beam it puts out at the brightness level compared to the other lights I sell. There will always be people that choose the $12 dollar lights, Given a choice people will choose the brighter lights also. **************Start the year off right. Easy ways to stay in shape. http://body.aol.com/fitness/winter-exercise?NCID=aolcmp00300000002489

1 0

spoke cards for categorizing
by Erik Stockmeier 15 Jan '08

15 Jan '08

Hi all- Erik D S from The Recyclery (Chicago/Evanston) here. We're working on making up some laminated spoke cards for our wheel room this winter... the idea being to have an easy, reusable (dry erase marker) id system for wheels that can tell any major features, defects, etc. so that people don't have to go traipsing back and forth to the wheel room to find something that both fits a fork AND spins. some ideas i've had are: diameter ideal tire width range (c/o chart by sheldon brown) hub/locknut-locknut width # of cogs (for rear wheels) other notes (things that need tightening, loosening, truing, rounding, overhauling, missing spokes, oddsized axles, rare alloys, whatever) have any other shops done this? if so, what information have you found relevant to put on the cards? i'd like to keep it simple enough to make a volunteer/work trade task without superfluous options of information--a nice volunteer/work trade task. Thats all! thanks, erik

3 3

Lights and being broke
by BovineOaks＠aol.com 14 Jan '08

14 Jan '08

In a message dated 1/14/2008 9:52:45 P.M. Central Standard Time, BovineOaks(a)aol.com writes: In a message dated 1/14/2008 7:33:01 A.M. Central Standard Time, 1304bikes(a)gmail.com writes: I still feel that any light is better than no light. This is true any light is better than dressing in all black and riding at night. I do (easily) sell the lights for $60 to walk in customers and sell them for cost $30 students and volunteers. My customers are the same low income folks you sell to. I have sold great lights to inner city low income folks in St louis, Indianapolis, Champaign- Urbana, Chicago's south and west side. I sell education and give people a choice to make them safer at night time. Many people who own 15 dollar bikes and will balk at a $20 dollar repair have spent $60 on a lamp. If you teach safety, biology, act like traffic, you can sell good product to "newly educated" people. Broke ass folks like me still spend money wisely when we know the "WHY" a product is needed. I can not afford to drive a car around but I can afford a great light. I can not afford to spend time in a hospital because someone did not see me, but I can afford a great light. I can not afford a box to be buried in but I can afford a great light. If a homeless person wanted to work for a lamp, I would give him a job worth $30. If they do not want to work I do not have time for them. No one give me bikes for free, they make sure I am working to make the world a better place before they donate a bike to me. I work hard, and I believe you do too. I have a recumbent I built out of recycled materials for $20 and it has $50 bucks of rear and front lights. Being broke ass does not mean you can not spend money to make life better, beer, shoes, lights, and a news paper once in a while. If you know how to sell safety (helmets, act like traffic, reflectors, tires, brake pads,) you can also sell good lights. Safety is not just for rich folk, it is for all peoples of our world. if a person had no brake pads and rotted tires would you just say ride on the rims, go slower and use your foot for the brake? Or would you sell (talk and encourage them to buy) product for themselves because they need it to be safe on the road? Or are they too poor to be safe? **************Start the year off right. Easy ways to stay in shape. http://body.aol.com/fitness/winter-exercise?NCID=aolcmp00300000002489

1 0

Re: [TheThinkTank] Piles of freewheels?
by BovineOaks＠aol.com 14 Jan '08

14 Jan '08

In a message dated 1/14/2008 7:33:01 A.M. Central Standard Time, 1304bikes(a)gmail.com writes: I still feel that any light is better than no light. This is true any light is better than dressing in all black and riding at night. I do (easily) sell the lights for $60 to walk in customers and sell them for cost $30 students and volunteers. My customers are the same low income folks you sell to. I have sold great lights to inner city low income folks in St louis, Indianapolis, Champaign- Urbana, Chicago's south and west side. I sell education and give people a choice to make them safer at night time. Many people who own 15 dollar bikes and will balk at a $20 dollar repair have spent $60 on a lamp. If you teach safety, biology, act like traffic, you can sell good product to "newly educated" people. Broke ass folks like me still spend money wisely when we know the "WHY" a product is needed. I can not afford to drive a car around but I can afford a great light. I can not afford to spend time in a hospital because someone did not see me, but I can afford a great light. I can not afford a box to be buried in but I can afford a great light. If a homeless person wanted to work for a lamp, I would give him a job worth $30. If they do not want to work I do not have time for them. No one give me bikes for free, they make sure I am working to make the world a better place before they donate a bike to me. I work hard, and I believe you do too. I have a recumbent I built out of recycled materials for $20 and it has $50 bucks of rear and front lights. Being broke ass does not mean you can not spend money to make life better, beer, shoes, lights, and a news paper once in a while. If you know how to sell safety (helmets, act like traffic, reflectors, tires, brake pads,) you can also sell good lights. Safety is not just for rich folk, it is for all peoples of our world. if a person had no brake pads and rotted tires would you just say ride on the rims, go slower and use your foot for the brake? Or would you sell (talk and encourage them to buy) product for themselves because they need it to be safe on the road? Or are they too poor to be safe? **************Start the year off right. Easy ways to stay in shape. http://body.aol.com/fitness/winter-exercise?NCID=aolcmp00300000002489

1 0

Re: [TheThinkTank] Piles of freewheels?
by BovineOaks＠aol.com 14 Jan '08

14 Jan '08

-Effective (i.e., non-destructive) Cottered Crank removal (and re-usage) -ways to prevent cold weather pawl freeze up in cassette hubs -Cheap lights for bikes (I've heard tell of some creative holiday string-light setups) -ideas for rust proofing/rust prevention concerning steel frames, spokes, hub bodies, etc... the stuff that typically looks drippy and nasty. There is a physical problem with lights that are not powerful. As we humans get older our cornea become harder and do not open and close as quickly as in our youth. This leaves us blind to all but the brightest lights after we are hit in the face by car headlamps. I witnessed a cyclist disappear when he was backlit by car headlamps. He had a few $15 to $20 front flashers, a reflective vest, and reflective tape on the bike. Once he was back lit by a car all those inexpensive low wattage lamps were worthless to his safety If you do not invest in a bright light you will disappear when back lit and in other situations. The lesson I learned is simple if you are to be traffic at night time you need to act like traffic. If you can get the Cat Eye 520 at cost, it is about $30 and well worth it. 1200 candle power is close to the brightness of a car head lamp, 300 hour burn time with 4 AA batteries. When in traffic, act like traffic. If they are well lit, you should be equally lit to be seen. A flash light is not enough. I am not saying do not have fun with cheap lights too. I look like an alien space craft with all the cheap lights around my bike. I also have a serious head and tail light. I do make a spectacle of myself out on the road at night. Have fun and think about safety. Christopher Wallace **************Start the year off right. Easy ways to stay in shape. http://body.aol.com/fitness/winter-exercise?NCID=aolcmp00300000002489

4 3

Piles of freewheels?
by plan_9＠riseup.net 13 Jan '08

13 Jan '08

Hey, I thought that having piles of old freewheels might be a problem common to bike collectives and wanted to see what folks did with them, or any other non-standard uses for bike parts. We have just "discovered" that you can pull apart a freewheel with two chain whips, one on the outer cog and the other on the third (the second is sometimes also threaded like the outermost) and apply opposite force. This usually involves two people lots of grunting and yelling, then the outer most ring will thread off (sometimes the second and third are also threaded) then the rest just slide off. The lowest three cogs are between 14-20 tooth which is perfect single speed range. So... we have built up a couple bikes using a single chainring in front and a 14t and a 18 or 20t threaded back onto the freewheel to make what I believe are called "dinglespeeds" which is basically a singlespeed setup with the option of loosening the rear axle, moving the chain over to the other cog and re-tensioning the chain in the dropouts (have to be horizontal). This allows us to build up really basic, low maintenance bikes that have both a "winter gear" and a "summer gear" (since we are in the brutal north) or I suppose if we actually had hills or trails, "on-road gear" and an "off-road gear". I know the concept of a dinglespeed has been kicked around a bit in the SS world, but usually it's done with respacing a cassette w/ two cogs, which are a rare commodity in our shop. Have other folks experimented with this setup? Good results? We have only built up a few, and thus far it has worked out pretty well on the bikes we are testing it on. Also, what kinds of other projects have folks done with either re purposing bike parts in a creative way or modifying them to breath new life into shop excess? Thanks, Andrew FM Community Bicycle Workshop

6 7