- TheThinkTank - lists.bikecollectives.org

Re: [TheThinkTank] Geared hub agenda!
by an undercover cop 11 Sep '09

11 Sep '09

interestingly enough, the luster seems to be fading from the fixed gear mania here in chicago. i work in the streets, and so i spend a lot of time scoping the bikes folks ride. (so much so that i think people think i'm checking *them* out!) as bikes become more and more popular for joe b. commuter, i see lots and lots of "bros" (identified purely by dress code, haircut and/or millinery) riding slick, brand-new, store-bought single speeds. two years ago, it was fixie conversions. last year it was store-bought fixies (schwinn madisons, raleigh streets, etc.). but this year, i've noticed that they all have single-speed freewheels... which makes the bike even *more* of a fashion statement: "i've got the look without the trade-off!" but shit, that's fine by me. because i know that these dudes (and yeah, it's mostly dudes, but that may be the result of where i work more than anything) aren't riding wildly inappropriate bicycles--thereby endangering themselves and others. my guess is that the local shops' sales forces got wise. probably after a bunch of disappointed yups-to-be traded in their rear wheels. of course, the flip side of the increasing number of jane q. citizen bike commuters is the dilution of solidarity amongst cyclist. not until this year have i been yelled at by bike commuters when i'm working my pedicab, and this season, it's happened twice... but that's a different story entirely.* -ben in chicago *one that ends with the full-force application of my brakes, a mild rear-ending, and "if you're going to tell me how to ride my bike, at least give me a safe following distance, ya knob!" hee.

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experienced bike mechanics as volunteers - issues
by Urban Bike Project Wilmington, DE 11 Sep '09

11 Sep '09

Hi All, Since we opened shop I've observed that our best volunteers are those that hardly know anything about the mechanical side of bikes but have enthusiasm and a desire to learn. They end up being the most patient with customers and eventually the best teachers/passers on of bike knowledge. On the flip side are experienced bike mechanics. Most, but not all, are pushy, completely disregard our "hands off the tools philosophy" and don't understand when we ask them to "please attend volunteer orientation" if you would like to volunteer as a mechanic here ("but i'm already a mechanic!"). Recently a bike mechanic of thirty years came in because he heard about us and wanted to observe what went on. To make a long story short, he did everything BUT observe and I had to ask/tell/almost yell at him several times to let people in the shop "do it themselves". The last time I told him to "let him do it himself" he responded with "but i have so much knowledge to share!", to which I replied "here we let people get that knowledge themselves and don't watch over them constantly or take tools out of their hands", which he didn't seem to understand ("what if they make a mistake and something breaks?!"). To lighten the mood (they'll probably laugh, or cry...), bring a hammer out and explain that this is your "rim straightener" or "frame alignment tool". My questions to the other collectives out there: 1.) Do you have a similar issue? or is it just us, haha 2.) How have you gotten experienced mechanics (like the above example) to "buy-in" to your system if at first they resisted? Brian Urban Bike Project of Wilmington -a 501(c)3 non-profit bike shop- 1908 N. Market Street (entrance is in the parking lot behind the building) Wilmington, DE 19802 Hours: Thursday 6:30-9:00 Saturday 1:00-4:00 Visit us online at http://urbanbikeproject.org

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Gross.
by N.O.Bike Project 11 Sep '09

11 Sep '09

Hey y'all, This isn't vital or on topic, unless you dig deep and start thinking about the commodification of bike culture, and the way that capitalism always seems to persevere. Just thought y'all would like to see what's cool these days. I don't know why, but this just made me puke a little. Enjoy. http://bikes.urbanoutfitters.com/ Victor Plan B

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Re: [TheThinkTank] Thethinktank Digest, Vol 37, Issue 12
by Weston Edwards 10 Sep '09

10 Sep '09

Ha! Looks like Urban Outfitters is just a channel through which Republic is selling bikes: http://www.republicbike.com/build.asp?product_category_id=1&product_id=1 (I have been seeing advertizements in my email for Republic for a long time.) Sincerely, Weston Edwards Director University of Utah Bicycle Collective www.ubike.org On Thu, Sep 10, 2009 at 1:37 PM, <thethinktank-request(a)bikecollectives.org>wrote: > Send Thethinktank mailing list submissions to > thethinktank(a)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)bikecollectives.org > > You can reach the person managing the list at > thethinktank-owner(a)bikecollectives.org > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of Thethinktank digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. Please Explain Fixie Fixation! (Wendy Monroe) > 2. Re: Gross. (N.O.Bike Project) > 3. Re: Please Explain Fixie Fixation! (Boson Au) > 4. Re: Gross. (Boson Au) > 5. Re: Gross. (Jonathan Morrison) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Thu, 10 Sep 2009 20:39:36 +0200 > From: Wendy Monroe <wendy.monroe(a)usermail.com> > To: The Think Tank <thethinktank(a)bikecollectives.org> > Subject: [TheThinkTank] Please Explain Fixie Fixation! > Message-ID: <3AFA156B-E277-4662-84C0-4A5BCED8E1A8(a)usermail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed; delsp=yes > > This reminds me to ask something I've been wondering for awhile: why > is riding with a fixed cog relatively fashionable, compared to riding > with > a. a one-speed coaster brake hub, or > b. an internally-geared rear hub? > > Please educate me! > > Wendy Monroe > ( 'no official name for project yet', Amsterdam) > > > On 10 Sep 2009, at 19:04, N.O.Bike Project wrote: > > > Hey y'all, > > > > This isn't vital or on topic, unless you dig deep and start thinking > > about the commodification of bike culture, and the way that > > capitalism always seems to persevere. Just thought y'all would like > > to see what's cool these days. > > > > I don't know why, but this just made me puke a little. > > > > Enjoy. > > > > http://bikes.urbanoutfitters.com/ > > > > Victor > > > > Plan B > > _______________________________________________ > > Thethinktank mailing list > > Thethinktank(a)bikecollectives.org > > To unsubscribe, send a blank email to > TheThinkTank-leave(a)bikecollectives.org > > To manage your subscription, plase visit: > > > http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.… > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 2 > Date: Thu, 10 Sep 2009 13:57:27 -0500 > From: "N.O.Bike Project" <nolabikeproject(a)gmail.com> > To: The Think Tank <thethinktank(a)bikecollectives.org> > Subject: Re: [TheThinkTank] Gross. > Message-ID: <4AA94C17.90003(a)gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed > > Jonathan, > > No, that's not it at all. > > I have a bit more of a problem with popularizing flip-flop hubs without > conscientious effort to explain the inherent risk in operation in the > interest of (huge)profit. > > But thanks for the generalization. > > Best, > Victor > > Jonathan Morrison wrote: > > I agree. I don't want everyone riding bikes, they are just for me and > > my cool friends! Now I have to drive a car because it is the > > "alternative" thing to do. > > > > In all seriousness, this will just end up with more butts on > > bikes. Hopefully you don't care if they bought a bike from a > > collective, a local bike shop, department store, urban outfitters, or > > the other places that will soon jump on the bandwagon -- as long as > > they riding a bike. > > > > If capitalism makes it cool to ride a bike, cool to be vegetarian, > > cool to shop local, or whatever initiaitive that would kill to be in > > the position cycling is right now -- then I say bleed the beast. > > Nothing, big or small, is perfect and there is bloodshed in every > > revolution, so pick your battles wisely. > > > > BTW, This is the 5th time it has been sent to me via various parts of > > the cycling community email lists. That is the kind of advertising > > that Urban Outfitters must dream of. > > > > Sincerely, > > > > Jonathan "I am bitter because I knew the band before they were > > popular" Morrison > > > > > > On Thu, Sep 10, 2009 at 11:04 AM, N.O.Bike Project > > <nolabikeproject(a)gmail.com <mailto:nolabikeproject@gmail.com>> wrote: > > > > Hey y'all, > > > > This isn't vital or on topic, unless you dig deep and start > > thinking about the commodification of bike culture, and the way > > that capitalism always seems to persevere. Just thought y'all > > would like to see what's cool these days. > > > > I don't know why, but this just made me puke a little. > > > > Enjoy. > > > > http://bikes.urbanoutfitters.com/ > > > > Victor > > > > Plan B > > _______________________________________________ > > Thethinktank mailing list > > Thethinktank(a)bikecollectives.org > > <mailto:Thethinktank@bikecollectives.org> > > To unsubscribe, send a blank email to > > TheThinkTank-leave(a)bikecollectives.org > > <mailto:TheThinkTank-leave@bikecollectives.org> > > To manage your subscription, plase visit: > > > http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.… > > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Thethinktank mailing list > > Thethinktank(a)bikecollectives.org > > To unsubscribe, send a blank email to > TheThinkTank-leave(a)bikecollectives.org > > To manage your subscription, plase visit: > > > http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.… > > > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 3 > Date: Thu, 10 Sep 2009 15:06:21 -0400 > From: Boson Au <instructions(a)gmail.com> > To: The Think Tank <thethinktank(a)bikecollectives.org> > Subject: Re: [TheThinkTank] Please Explain Fixie Fixation! > Message-ID: > <27f849560909101206q657d626em32b37a1ada6c3e08(a)mail.gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" > > there's defintely a romanticism of riding with fixed cogs. It is a more > mechanically simpler design and therefore, conjures up the connotations of > 'purity' that is really fashionable. > > > > > On Thu, Sep 10, 2009 at 2:39 PM, Wendy Monroe <wendy.monroe(a)usermail.com > >wrote: > > > This reminds me to ask something I've been wondering for awhile: why is > > riding with a fixed cog relatively fashionable, compared to riding with > > a. a one-speed coaster brake hub, or > > b. an internally-geared rear hub? > > > > Please educate me! > > > > Wendy Monroe > > ( 'no official name for project yet', Amsterdam) > > > > > > On 10 Sep 2009, at 19:04, N.O.Bike Project wrote: > > > > Hey y'all, > >> > >> This isn't vital or on topic, unless you dig deep and start thinking > about > >> the commodification of bike culture, and the way that capitalism always > >> seems to persevere. Just thought y'all would like to see what's cool > these > >> days. > >> > >> I don't know why, but this just made me puke a little. > >> > >> Enjoy. > >> > >> http://bikes.urbanoutfitters.com/ > >> > >> Victor > >> > >> Plan B > >> _______________________________________________ > >> Thethinktank mailing list > >> Thethinktank(a)bikecollectives.org > >> To unsubscribe, send a blank email to > >> TheThinkTank-leave(a)bikecollectives.org > >> To manage your subscription, plase visit: > >> > >> > http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.… > >> > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Thethinktank mailing list > > Thethinktank(a)bikecollectives.org > > To unsubscribe, send a blank email to > > TheThinkTank-leave(a)bikecollectives.org > > To manage your subscription, plase visit: > > > > > http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.… > > >

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Fwd: [People] Ghost Bike Removal and Reappearance
by veganboyjosh＠gmail.com 10 Sep '09

10 Sep '09

Apologies to those of you also on the Alliance list. Thought this was too cool to not forward. I thought I’d pass this story along to the list. Just over a week ago, our Mayor’s office had a ghost bike removed from public space without alerting the family of the cyclist that was killed. This got some decent press attention here, and is helping us make additional improvements to the intersection where the crash occurred. The family is understandably quite upset at this callous treatment and despite repeated attempts to contact his office about the removal he has still not responded. The bike was removed at the request of a local business owner after about a year of being locked up in the same place. Apparently, the business owner that thought it was unsightly even though the family and friends of the cyclist did a good job of maintaining it. It had become an important symbol to the bike community and reminded us all to be careful. Early this morning, in response to the removal of the ghost bike, 22 new ghost bikes appeared at the same intersection. It was quite a sight to see. Photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/biketrip2006/sets/72157622204193927/ Eric WABA Eric Gilliland Executive Director Washington Area Bicyclist Association 1803 Connecticut Ave NW, 3rd Floor Washington, DC 20009 p) 202-518-0524 f) 202-518-0936 e) gill(a)waba.org w) www.waba.org

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Re: [TheThinkTank] bikebike 2010
by lunch＠bikepirates.com 09 Sep '09

09 Sep '09

Hey Thinktank, We are very excited to be hosting the International Bike!Bike! conference here in Toronto next year. We will be having an initial organizational meeting sometime in the next few weeks and will decide then on the exact date. Most likely it will be at the end of July or sometime early August. Care packages will be sent via snailmail in the spring, so if you did not receive one last year (like if you are just starting a new project/shop) you should submit your address/contact to the Wiki as well as emailing it to us here (info(a)bikepirates.com). We know that crossing the border may be an issue - we have done it three years running - and may require a bit of work for many of you. But you have 11 months to get things processed. The delegates from MOBO have offered to help anyone needing assistance in processing or applying for their passport - they say it is not as difficult as you may think! We'll let you know when the website and forums are up and running. We would love to see more people talking over the website this year. Thanks to everyone in Minneapolis and all over the continent for making Bike!Bike! 2009 a great success and wonderful experience. Love, Ainsley, Geoff, and the Bike Pirate crew.

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Community Bicycle Programs in Amsterdam?
by Anthony Siracusa 07 Sep '09

07 Sep '09

Hello all-- I'm in Amsterdam as part of a year long journey across five continents to study bicycle cultures, and I'm wondering if anyone on the list knows about community bicycle programs in the Netherlands--particularly in Amsterdam. Any tips or leads are greatly appreciated! I found "Smerig" yesterday--a very well organized and 25 year old co-op operating in formerly squatted but now legal space. Any other suggestions are welcome! Best, -- Anthony Siracusa www.anthonysiracusa.blogspot.com +31 64 75 06 507 Thomas J. Watson Fellow, 2009-2010 People Using Pedal Power: Global Bicycling Communities www.watsonfellowship.org

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Re: [TheThinkTank] bike bike 09 on Flickr?
by Kristen L. Abdullah 05 Sep '09

05 Sep '09

Just posted my photos on flickr. the tag is bikebike 2009, and my username is krissyabdullah. hope you all like! On Thu Sep 03 03:04:21 EDT 2009, joshua muir <muirjoshua(a)gmail.com> wrote: > uploading some photos now. . . great to see you Boson. Great to > see a > whole bunch of other as well- Hopefully i'll make it to Toronto > next year. > > > josh > bike church santa cruz > > On Wed, Sep 2, 2009 at 4:54 AM, Boson Au <instructions(a)gmail.com> > wrote: > >> So I uploaded my personal bike bike pics up on flickr w the tag >> bikebike2009 >> >> if no one objects, perhaps we can all do that for this year's >> pics? I'd >> love to show people back home how awesome this was. >> >> -Boson Au >> velocipede bike project >> baltimore md >> velocipedebikeproject.org >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Thethinktank mailing list >> Thethinktank(a)bikecollectives.org >> To unsubscribe, send a blank email to >> TheThinkTank-leave(a)bikecollectives.org >> To manage your subscription, plase visit: >> >> http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.… >> >> > > > -- Joshua Muir > muirjoshua(a)gmail.com > > Frances Cycles -- www.francescycles.com > Handbuilt cycling framesets > Touring, Track, Road,Cross, and Cycletrucks for hauling any > distance > (831) 469-3369 > > The Bicycle Church Collective > Community Self-Service Cycle Repair > 3pm to 7pm everyday except Sunday > 703 Pacific Ave (enter on Spruce St) > Santa Cruz, CA 95060 > (831) 425-2453 > > _______________________________________________ > Thethinktank mailing list > Thethinktank(a)bikecollectives.org > To unsubscribe, send a blank email to > TheThinkTank-leave(a)bikecollectives.org > To manage your subscription, plase visit: > http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.… > Kristen Abdullah kabdullah(a)ufl.edu

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Freehub database
by andrew lynn 05 Sep '09

05 Sep '09

a few people brought up 'Freehub' database application (i believe developed at the bike kitchen?) in various contexts at BikeBike. Does anyone know how to get any more info on it? Is it free? does it require a dedicated server? is it modular? is it web-based? what is it useful for? Andrew Troy Bike Rescue -- andrew lynn | 518-573-7947 | troy, ny digital media | bike repair | tree work http://www.breathingplanet.net http://www.troybikerescue.org http://www.mediasanctuary.org http://flickr.com/photos/breathingplanet

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Think Tank, and Uniting the Rebels.
by veganboyjosh＠gmail.com 03 Sep '09

03 Sep '09

Hey Everyone, Thanks for coming to bikebike! and being so participatory. I got home, went over my notes, and realized I have two lists of email addresses. Apologies to everyone who's already on the thinktank list for receiving this twice. Just wanted to get this out to as many of you as possible. Please forward to those you think might be interested. One is folks who didn't know about or how to sign up for the Think Tank email listserv. To do that, just click the link below this paragraph, and you'll be added. It's not moderated, so if ever you decide that you don't want to receive emails anymore you'll need to unsubscribe yourself. <TheThinkTank-leave(a)bikecollectives.org> To manage your subscription, plase visit:http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollec… The other list I have, and I suspect some folks who aren't on ThinkTank will be interested in, is those of us who spoke about joining forces as collective bike shops into one big organization, or a federation, or something. The three big things this organization would do are: - Serve as a (501c3) fiscal sponsor for startups. Of course, this would only be offered to bike projects in the US, as other countries have other systems and requirements. Insurance also was mentioned as a possible benefit. - Be able to potentially approach tool and/or part manufacturers directly for lower cost for frequently ordered consumables like cables, brake pads, etc. - Offer some sort of structure for a "Woofing <http://www.wwoof.org/>" type program, where mechanics and organizers from one organization could visit and stay with another organization to check out their systems and organization. - Lastly, and the most easily doled out benefit this group could offer would be startup help for burgeoning projects. Either in the form of money that's collected from existing projects, grants, sales of parts to for-profit shops, etc...; and/or wisdom through offering sample paperwork from other orgs, such as sign up sheets, flyers, curricula, etc. The last one there seemed like the easiest place to start, since a knowledge share wouldn't require all that much infrastructure to establish. In fact, it's already in the works. There is a google spreadsheet here<http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=tEo1aMT9rFo0CgB_ESvW5JQ&hl=en>that hopefully will grow as folks add their information and add columns to track info for other shops, and we can use this to network with shops doing similar work, or with similar programs. Please add your project's name, and it's details when you get a chance. I've volunteered to be the lead person in getting this process started, but I have no experience organizing a group of existing organizations, so hopefully someone else can step in and offer up some expertise and keep the momentum going. Thanks to everyone who came to the workshops, discussed options and potential conflicts. I don't think any of the bulleted list above is out of our reach, but navigating through some of the trickier bits via email could eat up some time. josh.

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