- TheThinkTank - lists.bikecollectives.org

Recycle-a-bike program: seeking other models, successes, failures, suggestions!
by Jennifer Kay 17 Jul '13

17 Jul '13

Hi! I am with La Bikery in Moncton, New Brunswick. We are in the initial stages of starting up a small scale recycle - a - bike program (storage capacity = 12-15 bikes). I am sure there are plenty of success stories already out there, so I am hoping to draw on some of your expertise. If you have any functioning models to share (or examples of what NOT to do!), I would be grateful to hear from you. Thank you, Jennifer Recycle-a-bike Coordinator, La Bikery

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League Job Opening: Equity Initiative Manager
by Carolyn Szczepanski 16 Jul '13

16 Jul '13

Hey folks- The League has a new staff position opening: Equity Initiative Manager. Through its Equity Initiative<https://www.bikeleague.org/content/equity-initiative>, the League seeks to engage and be led by women, youth and leaders of color — and bridge the current gap between diverse communities and bicycle advocates. A new staff position, this experienced community organizer will work closely with the League’s Equity Advisory Council<https://www.bikeleague.org/content/equity-… [View More]

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Question about pricing
by Jeff DeQuattro 15 Jul '13

15 Jul '13

Hey there! This is my first email to The Think Tank and I've very much enjoyed learning about how all the community bike shops around the country operate. We had our Grand Opening of the Delta Bike Project in Mobile, Alabama last night. We have a motivated group of young and old volunteers that have been working over the past year to get this bicycle cooperative going. This is an experiment for us, although we've had significant help and input from Plan B in New Orleans and Bici Coop in … [View More]

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Insurance related to sales?
by Martin, Eric Vance 15 Jul '13

15 Jul '13

We are working on a written pricing policy, so I was interested in Jeff DeQuattro's post a few days ago. I noticed in the Wiki a mention of insurance: "For bike and part sales you need to make sure you have proper Insurance<http://www.bikecollectives.org/wiki/index.php?title=Insurance>". However, following the link, it wasn't clear to me which of the subtypes of insurance was relevant to sales. Can anyone explain this? Thanks.

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bike!bike! 2013 contacting ... anyone?
by Martin, Eric Vance 13 Jul '13

13 Jul '13

I have registered on the site, and I cannot figure out how to register for the conference, propose workshops, or contact the admins/organizers. I have the ability to send messages but there's no list of users. Does anyone know who I should contact? Sorry about spamming the whole world for this purpose, but it seems like this should be easier.

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Community Cycles is Hiring Part Time Bike Mechanics
by director 13 Jul '13

13 Jul '13

Find out more at our website http://communitycycles.org Ride On! -- Rich Points http://communitycycles.org Executive Director (c)303-589-0597 (w)720-565-6019 Community Cycles is Boulder's only bike shop dedicated to bike commuting. Find us on facebook https://www.facebook.com/CommunityCycles

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RBP Seeking Program Director
by Reno Bikes 12 Jul '13

12 Jul '13

The Reno Bike Project is a 501(c)3 non-profit community bike shop. Reno Bike Project achieves its mission by: Making cycling more accessible to the public through recycling and recirculation of used bikes into the community at affordable prices. Encouraging self-sufficiency by holding bike mechanics workshops and by providing a space for community members to repair their own bicycles rather than incur maintenance costs. Encourage bicycle activism by promoting and producing cycling related … [View More]events for a variety of audiences. Advocating for cycling rights and cycling growth in the Truckee Meadows by working with public officials and other organizations that are key players in transportation planning. Complementing other local groups to encourage youth safety and cycling-related arts and culture, and contributing to Reno's continual growth as a diverse and vibrant community. Keeping an open mind to all cycling needs and ideas and helping to facilitate positive growth. The Program Managers duties include: 1. Provide leadership in development of RBP's programming. 2. Ensure that all programming represents and achieves RBP's mission and vision. 3. Investigate and work to develop all feasible new programming possibilities. 4. Maintain a working knowledge of significant developments in the environment surrounding RBP and it's mission. 5. Work with all program committees (Education, Events, Advocacy) to ensure that all programs are executed and developed successfully and completely Communication Responsibilities: 1. Advocate in support of the vision of RBP to agencies, organizations, and the general public. 2. Organize Outreach Events 3. Publicize RBP's activities, events, programs and goals. 4. Affectively and continually communicate about the status of all programming with Executive Director (i.e. finance, volunteer/staff levels, development.) Scope of Work 1. Ensure that adequate funds are available to permit the organization to carry out its work. 2. Compile all required reporting from federal and foundation granting agencies for applicable programs. 3. Ensure there are enough volunteer's and/or staff for all events and programs. 4. Encourage staff and volunteer development and education, and assist program staff in relating their specialized work to the organization. 5. Recruit, support and supervise AmeriCorps VISTA members. 6. Working with the Executive Director, to seek out, research, write, and manage all feasible fundraising opportunities. Skill Requirements 1. Bachelor's Degree 2. 2 years non-profit experience. 3. Experience in writing and reporting on private foundation grants as well as local, state and federal granting agencies. 4. Experience with recruiting, hiring and supervising staff members. 5. Any combination of the above skills will be taken into consideration. The Reno Bike Project is an equal opportunity employer. Compensation DOE. To apply please send resume to renobikeproject(a)gmail.com -- Wed-Fri 11am-6pm Sat 10am-4pm 541 E. 4th Street. Reno, NV 89512 775.323.4488 donate via paypal: http://www.renobikeproject.com/index.php/donate/ Follow us on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/renobikeproject/ Please let us know if you would like to unsubscribe to our email list. [View Less]

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Re: [TheThinkTank] Thethinktank Digest, Vol 83, Issue 3
by John Brown 09 Jul '13

09 Jul '13

As an alternative, you might check to see if your state has a nonprofit umbrella organization. In CA, for instance, the California Association of Nonprofits offers some fairly affordable insurance policies through an insurance co. On Tue, Jul 9, 2013 at 3:38 AM, < 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: Insurance Questions (Affordable Bikes Re-Cyclery) > 2. Re: Insurance Questions (Anna Carrigan) > 3. Re: Insurance Questions (Matt VanSlyke) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Mon, 8 Jul 2013 20:36:44 -0400 > From: Affordable Bikes Re-Cyclery <affordablebikesrecyclery(a)gmail.com> > To: The Think Tank <thethinktank(a)lists.bikecollectives.org> > Subject: Re: [TheThinkTank] Insurance Questions > Message-ID: > < > CAO9mL_4_ZLohEGS_VPcWy9Hphf_ufaPtr9oZJhNwWcrUT5F+VQ(a)mail.gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" > > Dear Mike, > Sure, the shop number is 216 334-BIKE or have them email me for my cell > phone. > Thanks! > nozomi > > On Mon, Jul 8, 2013 at 4:37 PM, Mike Samuelson < > mike(a)peoplepoweredmovement.org> wrote: > > > Hi Think Tank, > > > > As some of you may know, the Alliance has been trying to develop an > > insurance package that fits the needs of community bike shops for a > little > > while now. We first tried working with McKay Insurance Company, but that > > didn't end up working, and we are now in talks with Gales Creek Insurance > > to try and create a program. > > > > The folks at Gales Creek are interested in speaking with a few leaders of > > shops to learn more about some of the past problems they've had with > > acquiring insurance (they currently work with a few shops, but they said > > there haven't been any large problems with writing those policies and are > > interested in learning what some issues have been). These conversations > > would NOT be sales pitches, they are an opportunity for Gales Creek to > > learn more about the needs of community bike shops as we work together to > > try and develop a package that fits the needs of shops. > > > > If you are willing to speak with the folks at Gales Creek, please let me > > know. > > > > Thanks, > > Mike > > > > -- > > Mike Samuelson > > Member Services and Open Streets Coordinator > > Alliance for Biking & Walking > > mike(a)peoplepoweredmovement.org > > (202) 449 9692 x 7 > > > > P.O. Box 65150 > > Washington, DC 20035 > > > > Twitter <https://twitter.com/open_streets> | Facebook< > https://www.facebook.com/openstreetsproject> > > > > *We're holding the first National Open Streets Training August 9-11 in > > Minneapolis! Register Today!< > http://www.peoplepoweredmovement.org/site/index.php/site/Open_Streets_Train… > > > > * > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Thethinktank mailing list > > Thethinktank(a)lists.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.… > > > > > [View Less]

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Insurance Questions
by Mike Samuelson 09 Jul '13

09 Jul '13

Hi Think Tank, As some of you may know, the Alliance has been trying to develop an insurance package that fits the needs of community bike shops for a little while now. We first tried working with McKay Insurance Company, but that didn't end up working, and we are now in talks with Gales Creek Insurance to try and create a program. The folks at Gales Creek are interested in speaking with a few leaders of shops to learn more about some of the past problems they've had with acquiring insurance (… [View More]

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Re: [TheThinkTank] Cleaning bikes
by troy neiman 01 Jul '13

01 Jul '13

We use watered down simple green for general cleaning. Never really had a problem with it. Cheap, non-toxic, and effective parts cleaner- Remove parts, put in 5 gallon bucket, cover with boiling water and a touch of dish soap or simple green, oscillate for a few min and rinse. Works great for getting old crud build up off of hard to reach spots. PS, Dont use simple green to clean old Schwinn frames. The ones with the painted on white Schwinn letters seem to wipe off with simple green even if … [View More]

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Cleaning bikes
by Jon Sher 26 Jun '13

26 Jun '13

I read that Simple Green is too alkaline for cleaning bikes. Does antone have a better suggestion? Jon Sher Worcester Earn A Bike www.worcesterearnabike.org https://www.facebook.com/Worcestereabike Sent from my iPad

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Bikes Not Bombs - Hiring International Programs Coordinator
by David Branigan 21 Jun '13

21 Jun '13

Hi Everyone, Bikes Not Bombs is now hiring for a new full-time position, the International Programs Coordinator. I'm contacting you to ask for your support in sharing this job ad with your extended network to help us find a pool of excellent candidates for the position. https://bikesnotbombs.org/news/hiring-international-programs-coordinator Here is a brief overview of the position: The International Programs Coordinator will work closely with the International Programs Director at our … [View More]

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Online Donations through Facebook
by Jimmy Hallyburton 20 Jun '13

20 Jun '13

Thought I would share a resource the Boise Bicycle Project has started using to get more online donations. A local Boise company called Social Good Network does a bunch of online donation services, but the one that has been a big hit with us is there Facebook Donation App. They don't charge anything to set it up. Just take the usual transaction fees that most services do. The cool thing is that you can feature a video/pictures/story kind of like Kick Starter. Thought I would share the tool, … [View More]

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Unsubscribe
by Anna Marie Williams 20 Jun '13

20 Jun '13

Sent from my iPhone

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City Support for Community Bike Shops
by Mary Lauran Hall 20 Jun '13

20 Jun '13

Hey everybody, What if more cities paid rent for community bike shops? There's huge potential for more cities to invest in the growth of local community bike shops. But first, we need to get a better sense of what cities are already doing - and where there's room to improve. The Alliance for Biking & Walking is teaming up with the League of American Bicyclists to find out more about how cities work with community bike shops around the U.S. and Canada. Please offer input on how your … [View More]

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Re: [TheThinkTank] shop air quality
by Vernon Huffman 17 Jun '13

17 Jun '13

Our shop has plenty of air flow year round, so smell hasn't been an issue. Luckily it doesn't get that cold here. What is the source of the smell? Do you need to contain your degreaser more tightly or scale back the use of toxic chemicals and aerosols? Is it time to have a chat with some of the mechanics and volunteers about personal hygiene? Bicycles shouldn't smell bad. Commercial bike shops don't generally have an odor issue. What's different about your shop? From: Mark Rehder … [View More]

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What's in a Name?
by Matthew VanSlyke 17 Jun '13

17 Jun '13

Plans are progressing nicely here in the Empire State and if all goes well we'll be opening a new community bike shop here in Utica, NY very soon. As you all know, there are many, many details and decisions to be made. One of these early decisions is choosing the right name. We've bounced around several ideas and I'm trying to come up with something that jumps out at me but so far that hasn't happened. So I thought I'd put it out to this group and ask that you share some ideas about how you … [View More]

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Please unsubscribe
by Kathy Tillotson 17 Jun '13

17 Jun '13

Please unsubscibe me from these emails. I have sent several emails to unsubscribe and am still getting emails. We no longer have a recycle bike business. Thank you, Kathy On Sun, Jun 16, 2013 at 9:27 PM, Vernon Huffman <vernonhuffman(a)yahoo.com>wrote: > Our shop has plenty of air flow year round, so smell hasn't been an issue. > Luckily it doesn't get that cold here. > > What is the source of the smell? Do you need to contain your degreaser > more tightly or scale … [View More]

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Introducing myself, and shop signage query
by David Eyer Davis 17 Jun '13

17 Jun '13

Hey y'all! I'm Davey, I'm taking over for Mr. Jonathan Morrison here at the Bicycle Collective in Utah. I've been subscribed to the list for many-a-year and have enjoyed picking our collective brains here. I hope to meet many of you at Bike! Bike! this year and at Interbike as well. Does anyone know of a good resource that documents community bike shop interior signage? I personally recall seeing great signage at Bike Kitchen in San Francisco and at Community Cycle Center, but I'm sure we have … [View More]

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shop air quality
by Mark Rehder 16 Jun '13

16 Jun '13

Hi all, During the warmer months we have a few doors open so the stink in our shop is not so bad, but when all sealed up during our cold winters it's not ideal. We've thought about a large filter unit, and it has also been suggested to use a large exhaust fan, though that would also waste heat. How does your shop deal with this? Thanks, Mark Rehder - Coordinator re-Cycles Community Bike Shop http://re-cycles.ca

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The Alliance is hiring
by Mary Lauran Hall 14 Jun '13

14 Jun '13

Hi all, I'm excited to announce that the Alliance is hiring a Member Services Coordinator! Yes, really! When we first found out that Mike Samuelson, our current Member Services guru, was going to grad school in August, we were like... And I was all... But we all recognize that it'll be a rad new adventure for him. Really, we're happy that he's heading off for an exciting new chapter. So now, we're on the lookout for somebody great. Someone who is excited to assist state and … [View More]

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Focus on education or D.I.Y.?
by Paul Nagel 13 Jun '13

13 Jun '13

Forgive the long email, please! With respect to workshops where the public can repair their own bikes: Does your organization perceive and market your workshops as being more about A) learning bike maintenance (particularly basic skills, i.e. most people come to learn) or B) an opportunity to use tools and equipment to do it yourself and save money (it's "ok" (tolerable?) if you don't know much) I imagine many reading this will want to answer "both" or more probably "both and much more". … [View More]My thinking about this until now has basically just been "both and much more". The answer must vary depending on location, demographics served, the size and proportion of bicycle users in your area, the nature of your local cycling culture, etc. Here in beautiful Orange County, our visitors are from diverse backgrounds but they almost all come with very little knowledge of how to repair their bikes and a strong majority want to learn more (I don't have survey statistics or anything, this is just based on talking with people at workshops). This has me realizing that my group might bring more people in and clarify our purpose if we were to emphasize the learning aspect. This can have significant impact in terms of the primary wording of our flyers, the staffing of our workshops, the descriptions of our workshops, even the visual styling of our materials. It might shift our focus in terms of our target audience. Off the bat, I think it implies we should continue to present ourselves as an organization with broad appeal and strive to improve in this regard. In other words, conceptualizing things more as "come learn how to integrate bikes into your life" and not so centrally "come work on your bike using shared tools and used parts with the help of volunteers because its cheap and more fun and the capitalist exchange economy is destructive, etc." I believe the latter statement is valid. I also recognize bike co-ops are often complex organizations that serve many purposes and have a variety of symbiotic elements. However, to return the focus specifically to do-it-together bike repair, I'm just getting a strong feeling that we should be presenting ourselves as "Learning with a repair side effect" rather than "Repair with a learning side effect". Some might object to putting one before the other, but, again, I've been feeling that the reality of what people are looking for when they come to us and other stuff like the task of describing what we do is sort of calling for a priority to be chosen. I believe that if "learning" is put completely front and center, then you are sending a very clear message that people with few skills are totally welcome. I guess this is the meat of what I'm getting at. It helps take away ALL anxieties people might have about not knowing stuff about bikes. It makes it very clear that no humiliation awaits you if you come to a workshop and need step-by-step assistance. It also makes it clearer to ourselves that we need plenty of able volunteers to facilitate learning. It might furthermore give the other volunteers a clearer picture of their purpose at workshops, and they might even find the teaching part more inspiring than merely repairing bikes. I think this connects with maintaining a more "mainstreamed" appeal if we see that we are serving people of all kinds and creeds, and being welcoming toward beginners rather than bring more of a clubhouse for the initiated. This doesn't involve a major shift or wholesale whitewashing, but perhaps points toward the importance of doing all we can to keep things clean, organized, attractive (while still feeling free to express diverse opinions and tastes). Perhaps this balance between maintaining an uncomplicated welcoming atmosphere yet not suppressing the free expression of a co-op's regulars, volunteers, and staff is another discussion. I'd really like to know people's thoughts and definitely experiences with the learning-beginner/D.I.Y-initiated dynamic. For example, has anyone shifted their marketing/mission/image one way or the other (or honed down this image) and noticed any changes? Did this shift in image occur as a response to changes in clientele, or an improvement in assessing their needs? Supplementary thoughts: one concern is presenting too much of an image of being "for beginners" and turning off people with more experience. Another concern is not clearly communicating that people can actually repair their bikes, not just learn about doing it. Also, these thoughts come in conjunction with our group getting more involved in bike advocacy and also doing more bike rides (potentially getting League Certified Instructors involved), so that we can be a bit of a "one stop shop" for people looking to improve and increase their bicycle use. I hope this wasn't too much thinking out loud, I'd really love to hear any experiences with this stuff, because we are making some significant changes and opening a shop in half a year or so and I'd like to have our energies properly focused. Thank you, Paul Nagel The Bicycle Tree P.O. Box 11293 Santa Ana, CA 92711 http://www.thebicycletree.org info(a)thebicycletree.org [View Less]

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Community Cycles is Hiring a Sales & Service Manager
by director 10 Jun '13

10 Jun '13

https://docs.google.com/a/communitycycles.org/document/d/1PgPaWzIPA0p7YJ3vm… -- -- Rich Points http://communitycycles.org Executive Director (c)303-589-0597 (w)720-565-6019 Community Cycles is Boulder's only bike shop dedicated to bike commuting. Find us on facebook https://www.facebook.com/CommunityCycles

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Community Cycles is Hiring a Part Time Seasonal Bike Mechanic
by director 10 Jun '13

10 Jun '13

https://docs.google.com/a/communitycycles.org/document/d/1xYmWZcLLfQzVnSKIp… -- -- Rich Points http://communitycycles.org Executive Director (c)303-589-0597 (w)720-565-6019 Community Cycles is Boulder's only bike shop dedicated to bike commuting. Find us on facebook https://www.facebook.com/CommunityCycles

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Re: [TheThinkTank] Bicis Rotas: Cycling and Bike Re-Cycling as Mental Health/Drug Therapy?
by Affordable Bikes Re-Cyclery 09 Jun '13

09 Jun '13

Hi, someone just sent us the first link and I thought it was really interesting, as we've been getting a fair number of customers in various stages of recovery. Just wondering if anyone has had contact with this organization or and/or is doing similar work? The first link led me to the second one. http://www.fundacionmanantial.org/blog/bicis-rotas/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fundacion_Manantiales

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