- TheThinkTank - lists.bikecollectives.org

Bike Pirates Anniversary
by Ainsley Naylor 04 Jul '11

04 Jul '11

Five years ago Bike Pirates opened as a small, bare-bones DIY workspace in a storefront on Bathurst Street. We have grown so much and helped so many people in the past five years, we should be extremely proud of ourselves. We are always working to improve our space, our knowledge and our impact on the community, and we wouldn't have evolved into what we are now (and what we are envisioning for our future) without the help, experience and patience of all of our volunteers. To anyone who has volunteered with Pirates over the years, and to all of the bicycles and riders we have helped, congratulations on five years of good work. We also value the insight and amazing talents of all of the folks we have met and shared ideas with here on the thinktank and each year at Bike!Bike! We are awed by the amazing work you do, and the myriad ways we are all able to strive for the same goals. Thank you for providing us with this amazing community of support, and for inspiration of the past five years. Xo Bike Pirates.

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Want some slime tubes?
by Brian (SLO Bike Kitchen) 03 Jul '11

03 Jul '11

Any collective out there in desperate need of tubes? Our favorite product Slime was invented on our stomping grounds here in San Luis Obispo, CA. They donated a bunch of stuff to us - more than we can use ourselves. 20x1.5-2.125, 16x1.5-2.125, 24x1.5-2.125 tubes pre-filled with slime - I didn't check, but assume they are schrader valves. We have perhaps dozen of each of those tubes. We also have random smaller items, some not even intended for bikes, but rather car tires. Digital pressure gauges, needles for balls, instant patches, etc... We'd like to donate some of these supplies to a collective out there which could really use these - we rarely need tubes of those sizes here. Would especially be nice to help out a collective which is struggling to birth itself. In any case, if you're interested, drop me a note with a couple sentences describing your situation. Cheers, Brian SLO Bike Kitchen San Luis Obispo, CA P.S. I often wonder if other collectives out there have a huge excess of things. For example, ours desperately needs 6-7-8 speed pod shifters. P.P.S. SRAM is also a company local to us. Somehow we ended up with a bucket full of chainring bolts & M15 ISIS-style crank bolts, black. You'd have to grind the chainring bolts down to make single-speed versions, but if you want some of either I can send you a handfull.

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How was Bike!Bike!
by Jonathan Morrison 27 Jun '11

27 Jun '11

??? 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 The mission of the Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective is to promote cycling as an effective and sustainable form of transportation and as a cornerstone of a cleaner, healthier, and safer society. The Bicycle Collective provides refurbished bicycles and educational programs to the community, focusing on children and lower income households.

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Bikes for Crates
by andrew 22 Jun '11

22 Jun '11

Hi Thinktank... is anyone out there doing any crates to Africa or elsewhere currently? we have been asked to participate in such things before and the stars never aligned, but now we are in a situation of needing to downsize our storage substantially. Please contact me if there is anything going on, especially if its in the Northeast.... we could potentially contribute anywhere from 1-300 bikes, but we know little about how such projects operate.... we are all volunteer and dont have any budget to assist... just bikes. Andrew Lynn Troy Bike Rescue Troy, NY

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A Bicycle Love Note
by andrew 17 Jun '11

17 Jun '11

This is up today, on the local Times Union Bike Blog... a really inspirational story from one of our newer volunteers... http://blog.timesunion.com/bike/a-bicycle-love-note/3576/ you can also find it linked on the TBR facebook and share it there too. http://www.facebook.com/troybikerescue

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Directors insurance
by andrew 16 Jun '11

16 Jun '11

any 501c3s out there have 'directors' insurance' what does it generally cost? for ten years we have had no insurance... we are now operating in our own building and are actually a 501(c)3, though still entirely volunteer operated... and starting to figure out the insurance thing. andrew Troy Bike Rescue http://www.troybikrescue.org

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Form 1023
by Jonathan Green 15 Jun '11

15 Jun '11

Bike Folks! My name is Jonny Green, and I volunteer at the Bicycle Kitchen in Los Angeles. I am helping at least two, possibly three, other co-ops get their tax-exempt status. I am looking for Form 1023s and related correspondence with the IRS from which to borrow text and ideas. I am especially interested in filings that state that the co-op will be selling bikes, parts and accessories outright at low cost. We would like to establish maximum flexibility for these organizations in the types of activities they can use to sustain themselves. Please help us out. If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me at 917-520-4647. Thanks. Jonny

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Noob Coop Questions ~ Other's Experiences and Opinions?
by Ron Kellis 03 Jun '11

03 Jun '11

I am very new to coops of any type so I have to apologize if these subjects have been discussed in depth and I don't know where to look (if I can be pointed in the right direction, TIA). These questions are mine, not the VéloCity Co-op. Some have been discussed in general and some not at all, I am doing a little research for my own education. Use of patron/customer sign-in sheets. Y/N comments Pro/Con. Using sheets to track shop use, help motivate donations for stand time vs. not putting off those who have limited funds. Use of membership. Y/N comments Pro/Con. $5 for membership, 1st hour (or "use") is free so cost neutral, write the date on a business card and leave it at that. Collect $5 to use the stand/tools/consumables as patron/bike passes the door and either gets their card or flashes it to use the coop. Idea is they would spend >$20 to purchase the consumables they might only use once a year. Plants the idea stand time and consumables cost. Use of requirement to have taken a basic class to use the stands (waved at the discretion of the Sr. person on site). Y/N comments Pro/Con. Non-profit competing with the local bike shop by offering paid services. Pro/Con We try to offer "Verbal assistance" right . . . but many struggle with "Righty-tighty, lefty-loosy" and are often trying to get back on the trail so aren't in a place where they are looking for a learning experience. So if they can't do the work themselves, paid services when the LBS is on the other side of the same building. Again, TIA to any who can take time to answer or point me to message archives for education. Ron

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Step-by-step Mechanic Lessons Request
by John Barrett 28 May '11

28 May '11

Hi, Does anyone have documents for step-by-step individual mechanical tasks (IE rear derailleur adjustment). We want to make individual instruction sheets to have available in the shop so that it's really simple for folks to learn on their own. I realize this sort of thing is widely available through many books and the Internet, but it would be great if there's an already formatted doc available. Thanks! -- John Barrett The Good Life Community Bicycle Shop / Two Wheel View - Calgary / The Organic Saskatoon & Iron Orchard jonny(a)goodlifebikes.ca 403.619.2648

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Nasson Community Bicycle Center Spring Newsletter!
by Maryalice Walker 26 May '11

26 May '11

Good day! Please find attached the Nasson Community Bicycle Center's first newsletter (in easy-to-open .pdf!). If you do not wish to be on our newsletter e-mail list, please reply with "unsubscribe" in the subject line. Ride on, -- Maryalice Walker Resiliency Activities Coordinator Nasson Community Center Tel: 207-324-5657 Web: www.nassoncc.org Twitter: http://twitter.com/NassonCC Facebook Page: Nasson Community Center and Little Theater<http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Springvale-ME/Nasson-Community-Ce…>

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