- TheThinkTank - lists.bikecollectives.org

How is your bike co-op supporting racial justice? // ¿Como están apoyando la justicia racial en su colectivo?
by Aida Mas Baghaie 17 Jul '20

17 Jul '20

---- Español a continuación ---- Hey buds, We've been chatting about ways to support racial justice, indigenous sovereignty & the revolution through our work at the Bike Kitchen, and we were hoping to hear about what you're all doing these days. Some questions that have come up during our conversations include: - How can bike co-ops support movements for racial justice & indigenous sovereignty in a meaningful and sustained way? - Are you fundraising/donating money, if so … [View More]

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Trends and Insights from the Safe & Effective Operations Workshop
by Robert Grossman 16 Jul '20

16 Jul '20

Hello Everyone Here are some of the trends that came up around Safe Operations from the discussions held during the Safe & Effective Shop Operations Workshop held on June 12th. These came from over twenty different organizations across the United States, Canada, and Australia. This is just one part of what was discussed. Stay tuned as there are still info around Volunteer Management, Capacity for Providing Purposes to come, and more. *SAFE OPERATIONS * BUSINESS SHIFTS - Online … [View More]

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Capacity for Providing Services Trends & Insights from Safe Shop Operations Workshop (Robert Grossman)
by Geoffrey Smart 13 Jul '20

13 Jul '20

Hi All I was unable to join that session and appreciate you writing up the findings. I would add that we made the following observations at a recent Zoom meeting that seem to be in accord with those observations. We are experiencing less diversity in the workshop for 2 almost opposite reasons We had to exclude some people due to their refusal to take social distancing seriously. Women who are already a minority have mainly self excluded due to their perception of the risk of attending. … [View More]

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Capacity for Providing Services Trends & Insights from Safe Shop Operations Workshop
by Robert Grossman 10 Jul '20

10 Jul '20

Hello Everyone, Here are some of the trends and insights around Capacity for Providing Services from the Safe and Effective Shop Operations Workshop. *CAPACITY FOR PROVIDING SERVICES* *Challenges* - Trend: Shops are facing an increased need from their communities while facing major internal challenges to be able to safely help - Examples: Not all volunteers have access to digital resources, airflow, and more people moving to bicycles transportation alternative - Insight: An … [View More]

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Volunteer Management Trends and Insights from the Safe Shop Operations Workshop
by Robert Grossman 08 Jul '20

08 Jul '20

Hello Everyone, Here are some more of the trends and insights around volunteer management from the Safe and Effective Shop Operations Workshop. *VOLUNTEER MANAGEMENT* *Technology Intervention* - Trend: Shops are managing volunteers through digital platforms - Examples: CSI, Mailchimp, Zoom - Insight: Technology gap will cut off key volunteers - Insight: Shops not embracing digital tools will have more work cut out for them *Challenges* - Trend: There are fewer … [View More]

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Wheel sizing system?
by Katheryn L 06 Jul '20

06 Jul '20

Hi all, Katheryn from the Bike Kitchen in Windsor, Ontario here! Question for the community shop hive: does anyone have any ideas for effective and accurate systems for sizing wheels in your shop? We’ve got piles of used wheels with no markings or tires to identify them with that often get mislabelled (most commonly a 700c and 27x1 1/4 mixup) which is causing issues when we resell them. Does your shop have a sizing system that is easy to use for students or volunteers without much technical … [View More]

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PT Volunteer Coordinator in Portland, OR
by Angel York 06 Jul '20

06 Jul '20

The North Portland Tool Library is hiring a part-time volunteer coordinator. Job description and application at: http://northportlandtoollibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Volunteer-Co…

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Re: [TheThinkTank] Thethinktank Digest, Vol 166, Issue 2
by Lawrence Mohammed 02 Jul '20

02 Jul '20

Blimey Josh...not in the US but what has been going on there, triggered by George Floyd's death, has lit a fuse around the world and (thankfully) we're seeing a lot of structural injustices being highlighted and examined right now. re: "the Mechanical Gardens' visible support for and engagement with the BLM movement makes us unappealing to insurers. Carriers consider BLM and, I quote, "the whole George Floyd thing" to be a "touchy" and "hot button issue" (these are actual quotes from … [View More]

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Insurance Woes, Continued!
by Josh Bisker 01 Jul '20

01 Jul '20

I mentioned an insurance conundrum a couple weeks ago, and it hasn't worked itself out; now I'm at the "calling all ships" stage -- please give a gander below. *Also a new turn in the story: structural racism!* Brokers have told us that getting a new insurance policy in NYC is especially hard right now, not only because of COVID, but also because of all the Black Lives Matter activity here. They said told that the Mechanical Gardens' visible support for and engagement with the BLM movement … [View More]makes us unappealing to insurers. Carriers consider BLM and, I quote, "the whole George Floyd thing" to be a "touchy" and "hot button issue" (these are actual quotes from brokers! wtf!) and thus our involvement makes us an unattractive risk to take on. In other words, our denial from the insurance industry is a manifestation of systemic, structural racism, and it's erecting an unjust barrier to bike equity. *The short story:* We're on the threshold of a deal for space with a powerful city agency, the EDC, but we can't proceed b/c we don't have insurance. And we can't get insurance b/d we're in NYC and seem like a risk. *The solution we're seeking right now* is for another organization to add the Mechanical Gardens as an "additional named insured" to their current general commercial liability insurance policy; in that capacity, we would be able to add the EDC as a temporary insured party for the two-week pilot we're trying with them. An alternative: for an organization to just temporarily add both the Mechanical Gardens and the EDC to their policy in the manner the EDC stipulates in their contract for the duration of this 2wk program. If your coverage goes up, we'd pay the difference. *SO: *Any ideas, and/or any takers? *The longer story: *Right now the Mechanical Gardens has hit a wall, right at the threshold of an amazing opportunity. We've been negotiating with the New York City Economic Development Corporation, a hugely powerful quasi-public agency in NYC, for space to stage this <https://www.awesomefoundation.org/en/projects/145159-mechanical-gardens-bik…>. The EDC is offering us space to pilot the program: two weeks to train volunteers to build 50 bikes (donated new from Kent), that the EDC will then send to hospital workers at at the front lines of COVID-19. For this pilot, we're hiring a group of BIPOC LGBTQ youths from a local ride club as apprentice mechanics, teaching them basic wrenching skills that will prepare them for resilient bike industry jobs and for community resiliency actions. The program will be sensational, and address a complexity of social justice goals all at once. *But: we're in a bind.* Our nonprofit fiscal sponsor, the Alliance for Global Justice, no longer provides insurance for our operation, but the EDC needs us to have insurance, and needs to be temporarily added to the policy themselves, as stipulated in the draft agreement they sent over. We are hitting a brick wall trying to procure local coverage for ourselves. This all is time-critical, because our program with the EDC cannot go forward unless we have the ability to show them insurance and add them as a named party on the policy. Nonprofits are shying away, insurers are effectively blacklisting us, commercial shops are punting, and we're running low on options. This could be a tremendous opportunity to contribute valuably and substantively to the movement for black equity and social justice in NYC, and to further help universalize bike riding for all New Yorkers. Halp. I'm available and eager to talk about any solutions we might have: 914-500-9890 xo Josh Josh Bisker 914-500-9890 New York Mechanical Gardens Bike Co-op <http://bikecoop.nyc/> 596 Acres <http://596acres.org/> Bindlestiff Family Cirkus <http://bindlestiff.org/> [View Less]

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Re: [TheThinkTank] Selling Bikes Via Online ; Thethinktank Digest, Vol 165, Issue 10
by Robert Rands 29 Jun '20

29 Jun '20

Does any one have suggestions for selling bikes online? Using eBay or another format? An ecommerce platform? Using local pickup. ~Robert Rands, SoPo Bicycle Coöperative, Reynoldstown (Atlanta) www.sopobikes.org On Saturday, June 13, 2020, 08:04:06 PM UTC, <thethinktank-request(a)lists.bikecollectives.org> wrote: Send Thethinktank mailing list submissions to thethinktank(a)lists.bikecollectives.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web,… [View More] visit http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.… or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to thethinktank-request(a)lists.bikecollectives.org You can reach the person managing the list at thethinktank-owner(a)lists.bikecollectives.org When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Thethinktank digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Re: If You Are Signed Up for Fridays Workshop (Kevin Dwyer) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message: 1 Date: Fri, 12 Jun 2020 15:05:30 -0600 From: Kevin Dwyer <kevidwyer(a)gmail.com> To: The Think Tank <thethinktank(a)lists.bikecollectives.org> Subject: Re: [TheThinkTank] If You Are Signed Up for Fridays Workshop Message-ID: <CADX0RX9D3op1BYobyf88WkQZiw32TkLHwPYaad62_4n7U1jXLA(a)mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" Thanks for setting up the meeting and the thought provoking content. Our local trails group developed the attached document for bicycle retailers in conjunction with the SLCo Health Department. Thanks for your great work. Kevin On Fri, Jun 12, 2020 at 12:02 PM <rgrossman7(a)gmail.com> wrote: > Yes. Zoom opens at 2:45 Central time. Workshop starts at 3pm. > > The Freehand link takes us to where the work will be done. We will be > using both Zoom and Freehand at the same time. > > Sent from my iPhone > > On Jun 12, 2020, at 12:17 PM, Chlo? Rose <winter.snowy.rose(a)gmail.com> > wrote: > > ? > It sounds like you're in the waiting room and that you'll be admitted to > the meeting by the host. > > On Fri., Jun. 12, 2020, 13:15 Jim Bledsoe, <gamesbledsoe(a)gmail.com> wrote: > >> i am on the zoom link and only seeing charts and circles >> is there something i need to do? >> >> On Thu, Jun 11, 2020 at 11:56 PM Robert Grossman <rgrossman7(a)gmail.com> >> wrote: >> >>> Check your emails for the new Zoom Link. It may have ended up in your >>> spam folder. >>> >>> -- >>> Robert Grossman >>> www.robertgrossmandesign.com >>> https://twitter.com/rgrossmandesign >>> https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertgrossman7 >>> <https://www.linkedin.com/in/rgrossman7> >>> https://www.flickr.com/photos/robkeebler/albums >>> ____________________________________ >>> >>> The ThinkTank mailing List >>> >>> Unsubscribe from this list here: >>> http://lists.bikecollectives.org/options.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o… >>> >>> ____________________________________ >> >> The ThinkTank mailing List >> >> Unsubscribe from this list here: >> http://lists.bikecollectives.org/options.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o… >> >> ____________________________________ > > The ThinkTank mailing List > > Unsubscribe from this list here: > http://lists.bikecollectives.org/options.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o… > > ____________________________________ > > The ThinkTank mailing List > > Unsubscribe from this list here: > http://lists.bikecollectives.org/options.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o… > > [View Less]

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Back2Bikes, Melbourne Australia is s advertising for Workshop Manager Job sharing
by Geoffrey Smart 29 Jun '20

29 Jun '20

Hi Everyone, If anyone is reading this in Australia and knows of any suitable people needing a position in these difficult times I invite them to apply for the above mentioned position Details of the position are listed in the attached document. For those who do not know you need to be in Australia already as there is no entry for non residents for the foreseeable future. We continue to work but with less volunteers to achieve social distancing and with very strict entry and cleaning regimes. … [View More]

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Outdoor public repair stands
by Kim Schaffer 26 Jun '20

26 Jun '20

Hi all, Has anyone had success with installing and maintaining outdoor repair stations in your community? I am interested in exploring what it would mean to install outside our bike shops, and I am understandably hearing concerns around vandalism/required upkeep. Thank you for any thoughts! Kim Schaffer ******************************* Kim Schaffer, Executive Director Community Bike Works www.communitybikeworks.org cell: 484.554.8971 [cid:image002.png@01D63FE8.C9116010]

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Insurance Recommendation: Halp
by Josh Bisker 24 Jun '20

24 Jun '20

Hey pals, a time-sensitive question for you, especially folks in the North East: our nonprofit fiscal sponsor stopped offering general commercial liability insurance for us, and we need to get some -- and fast! We have a contract coming up with the City of New York where they need us to show them our insurance documents, like poste haste. Yikes! Do you have an insurance situation that you like, and can you hook us up with your insurance company or broker? Time is of the essence for us, so I'm … [View More]

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Callout for cycling-inspired street-graffiti photo / KS Project
by andrei 17 Jun '20

17 Jun '20

We are in the planning stage of our 3rd *Kickstarter* publishing venture, this time centered around *bicycles / women / emancipation*. And we are looking for a particular kind of contribution. Conceived here, in Montreal, but with collaborators all over Europe and Americas, our two previous Kickstarter projects (here http://tiny.cc/3k4ymz and here http://tiny.cc/zl4ymz) were very much concerned with strong social issues - Spanish Civil War, women combating fascism and their role in resistance. … [View More]

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Boise Bicycle Project is hiring a Shifting Gears Program Coordinator
by Emily Summerhays 15 Jun '20

15 Jun '20

BBP is seeking a Shifting Gears Coordinator to lead our programming partnership with the Idaho Department of Corrections. Reports to: Executive Director Classification: Full Time Exempt, plus Benefits Salary Range: $31,200 - $33,280 depending on experience Weekly Schedule: Will included some nights and weekends In 2017, BBP created Shifting Gears, a groundbreaking program to teach incarcerated women how to fix kids' bicycles while earning a bicycle for future transportation needs. In 2020,… [View More] BBP secured grant funding to expand Shifting Gears to the Idaho Department of Corrections men’s facilities. This program is called Project Kickstand and lives under the umbrella of Shifting Gears programming. Because men incarcerated at this facility generally serve much longer sentences than the women in our Shifting Gears program, there is a new opportunity to build in a certified vocational training program that will lead to future job placement while significantly increasing the amount of bicycles BBP provides to teens. BBP’s Shifting Gears Coordinator will manage all aspects of both the men’s and women’s programs. Key Role Objectives: - Work with inmates to produce bicycles for BBP’s youth and teen programming - In partnership with the Department of Labor, create a bicycle mechanic apprenticeship curriculum for male inmates, and lead ongoing education - Oversee Boise Bicycle Project’s inventory management (onsite inventory as well as incoming and outgoing inventory to the prison facilities) - Maintain the women’s Shifting Gears program while exploring opportunities to expand the program - Conduct all administrative duties in regards to the program which include - Relationship management with IDOC staff - Billing and invoicing - Inventory record-keeping - Record-keeping of participants, their contributions, and release information Benchmarks: - 10-20 men to fully complete the job training program and earn a bicycle annually. - An additional 10-20 men with short sentences earn a bicycle and are release without the completion of the job training program - 75 to 100 teens receive refurbished bikes annually (distributed in the community in partnership with the Youth Programs Coordinator) Key Performance Metrics: - You meet work deadlines on time - You meet or exceed quarterly goals (created with Executive Director) - You adapt to feedback and follow through on performance changes within 2 weeks The ideal candidate: - 2 years bicycle mechanic experience (professional certification preferred). - 2 years experience working with volunteers - Proven experience with verbal and written communication, and organizational tools such as spreadsheets and word processors - Identifies as a member of and/or has experience working with marginalized communities (communities of color, Native communities, LGBTQ+, rural communities, working class/poor people, women, trans and femme folks, people with disabilities, et - Past nonprofit experience will be prioritized - Past prison work or social work experience will be prioritized - BBP is a dynamic organization with a lot going on at all times. You must be - Adaptable - Agile - Committed to teamwork - Able to take feedback and direction - Confident to work independently - Fun HOW TO APPLY - Review our organization’s mission, vision, and values prior to applying: https://www.boisebicycleproject.org/about/mission Email the following to emily(a)boisebicycleproject.org - your resume - cover letter (please address how you identify with BBP’s mission statement) - a list of 3 past volunteer experiences - 3 work related references and contact information Boise Bicycle Project is an equal opportunity employer. All aspects of employment including the decision to hire, promote or discharge are based on merit, competence, performance, and organizational needs. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, or status as an individual with a disability. -- Emily Thompson Summerhays Pronouns: She/Her/Hers (what's this? <https://www.glsen.org/sites/default/files/GLSEN%20Pronouns%20Resource.pdf>) Development Director Boise Bicycle Project 1027 S. Lusk Street Boise, Idaho 83702 208.429.6520 boisebicycleproject.org [View Less]

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If You Are Signed Up for Fridays Workshop
by Robert Grossman 12 Jun '20

12 Jun '20

Check your emails for the new Zoom Link. It may have ended up in your spam folder. -- Robert Grossman www.robertgrossmandesign.com https://twitter.com/rgrossmandesign https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertgrossman7 <https://www.linkedin.com/in/rgrossman7> https://www.flickr.com/photos/robkeebler/albums

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Re: [TheThinkTank] Outdoor public repair stands
by David Coppley 12 Jun '20

12 Jun '20

Hey Kim, Just responding about your Thinktank posting about outdoor bike repair stations. I work for Intercity Transit in Olympia, WA. We experimented with a public tool station mounted at our main transit center. It was removed maybe a month or so after it was installed. It quickly became a bicycle chop-shop for folks in our community, particularly outside of our hours of operation. Two things I would recommend for a public tool station are... 1) Make it secure, but movable. Or it … [View More]

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SHOP OPERATIONS WORKSHOP UPDATE - PLEASE READ
by Robert Grossman 11 Jun '20

11 Jun '20

OK. Wow, this is blowing up fast. It looks like when I replied to some of your emails I didn't realize I was replying to the whole ThinkTank. Oops. If you haven't heard from me yet, please fill in this Google Form. I'd like to know who is participating and will be emailing participants before the workshop with pertinent information. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeLxIj9m7fPWAxFSynZNSboLcEZkmTINBX… Due to working this at night after getting my kid to bed, you've all now got a … [View More]

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UPDATE - Safe and Effective Operations Workshop
by Robert Grossman 10 Jun '20

10 Jun '20

It has been brought to my attention that having the meeting link hanging out on the listserve puts us at a security risk. If you are planning on attending the workshop and haven't received a reply from me then please fill out the form I am linking here. I will be sending out a new meeting link through email to all the participants. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeLxIj9m7fPWAxFSynZNSboLcEZkmTINBX… Thank you all. -- Robert Grossman www.robertgrossmandesign.com https://twitter.… [View More]

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Online Collaborative Workshop on Safe & Effective Shop Operations
by Robert Grossman 10 Jun '20

10 Jun '20

I wanted to invite the bike collective community to a collaborative online workshop to make a bit more sense of operating safely & effectively both in the short and long terms, volunteer management, and shop's capacity for providing services. Day: Friday June 12 Time: 3pm Central Time This will be a three-part structured workshop where participants will be paired up with each other and begin to chart the trends they are seeing. We will then look at these as a group. The second part will … [View More]

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Bike Storage Optimization
by Wade Rubinstein 10 Jun '20

10 Jun '20

Hi. I am a member of The Bike Connector, an earn-a-bike and bike collective program in Lowell, Massachusetts, USA. We recently gained access to container (12m L x 2.3m W x 2.26m H; 40' L x 7.6' W x 7.4' H) to help manage our inventory of bikes and parts. I want to maximize the capacity of the container, while allowing for easy access to the bikes. I'm sure others have solved this optimization problem. Any suggestions for how to organize this space? [image: Bike Connector Dumpster Day Empty Container Almost 6-4-20.jpg]

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Looking for Assistance With Friday's Safe & Effective Shop Operations Workshop
by Robert Grossman 10 Jun '20

10 Jun '20

Hi Everyone! Wow! I am blown away by how many shops are wanting to participate. There are almost 30 shops from across the US, Canada, and Australia! The more shops participating then a bigger look at the trends can happen. To be able to best facilitate this, I could use the help of a couple of volunteers for the following roles: - Task: You keep us on track, on schedule, and monitor the clock. - Reflecting: You monitor the chat for questions so nobody gets left behind - … [View More]

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Re: [TheThinkTank] Thethinktank Digest, Vol 165, Issue 5
by Lawrence Mohammed 09 Jun '20

09 Jun '20

Hi Wade, everyone. I converted a 10x30ft shipping container for our solar powered workshop. Everything we create is open source, not had time/capacity to get the build online yet but happy to share how we built it/photos/etc. Essentially I built a timber frame inside with rockwool insulation, clad this with 18mm ply (9mm is adequate but I had to work with what I could get), fitted 6 x 250W solar panels on the roof and built a power unit incorporating an isolator switch, … [View More]leading to a Victron Energy charge controlled to feed 2 x 100Ah Lead Crystal batteries in a vented secure workbench. All workbenches, toolboards built from same materials, surfaces on the main benches 3mm aluminium sheeting, dibond on two [upcycled building hoardings]. All lighting is LED and 12V, I fitted an inverter to power laptop, oscilloscope (to check not std eBike PAS units etc), charge drills and run our soldering station. video of the workshop here which shows interior: https://www.facebook.com/professionalbikeservice/videos/262616251725584/ Warmest regards, *Lawrence Mohammed* Director & Head Mechanic Pro Bike Service C.I.C. *+44 (0)77 222 58587* *probikeservice.co.uk <https://probikeservice.co.uk>* *facebook.com/probikeservice <https://www.facebook.com/professionalbikeservice>* /[Location, NOT delivery address] Pro Bike Service C.I.C. Multi-Storey Car Park Lesney Avenue Olympic Park London E20 3BS *map location <https://what3words.com/upset.habit.funds>* / On 08/06/2020 21:03, thethinktank-request(a)lists.bikecollectives.org wrote: > Send Thethinktank mailing list submissions to > thethinktank(a)lists.bikecollectives.org > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.… > > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > thethinktank-request(a)lists.bikecollectives.org > > You can reach the person managing the list at > thethinktank-owner(a)lists.bikecollectives.org > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of Thethinktank digest..." > > Today's Topics: > > 1. Bike Storage Optimization (Wade Rubinstein) > 2. Re: Bike Storage Optimization (Daniel Byrd) > 3. Re: Bike Storage Optimization (Wade Rubinstein) > 4. Re: Bike Storage Optimization (BikeConcord) > 5. Re: Bike Storage Optimization (Cyclista Nicholas) > 6. Re: Bike Storage Optimization (BikeConcord) > 7. Re: Bike Storage Optimization (BikeConcord) > 8. Re: Bike Storage Optimization (Peaches) > 9. thanks y'all (Angel York) > 10. Re: Online Collaborative Workshop on Safe & Effective Shop > Operations (Amanda Chilson) > 11. Is TheThinkTank searchable? (Thomas Butler) > 12. Is TheThinkTank searchable? (cyclista(a)inventati.org) > 13. Re: Is TheThinkTank searchable? (Godwin !) > > _______________________________________________ > Thethinktank mailing list > Thethinktank(a)lists.bikecollectives.org > http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.… [View Less]

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thanks y'all
by Angel York 08 Jun '20

08 Jun '20

I'm guessing some of you had something to do with this: https://www.bicycleretailer.com/industry-news/2020/06/07/bikes-front-lines <3

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Is TheThinkTank searchable?
by Thomas Butler 08 Jun '20

08 Jun '20

I'm used to being able to search email listservs' archives, but it seems like I can't and I'm relegated to asking a question that may have been previously answered? Thomas Butler he | they Austin's Yellow Bike Project

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