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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 sales & Instruction - Pricing changes - Rethinking of business models IDEAS FOR THE FUTURE - Making shops mobile PEOPLE MANAGEMENT - Utilizing appointment systems - Focusing more on the local community - Fewer people coming to the shop - Some shops need more staff to meet demand SAFETY PRACTICES - Some shops are working with health officials to build best practices - Protocols for prioritizing individual and group health - Enhanced clean-up & disinfection practices - Rethinking airflow (HVAC, fans, swamp coolers) - Personal protective equipment (gloves & masks) - Distancing - Some shops are not allowing customers inside *INSIGHTS* - Organizations are going to need an online component to stay relevant - Organizations without a clear vision to fall back are going to suffer harder - Re-opening as business-as-usual is going to lead to virus spread That's all for now. Hope everyone is healthy. All the best, -- 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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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. One of our women has volunteered to reach out to volunteers who have not attended recently and encourage them to attend. We just entered partial lockdown again so this has not helped. Geoff Smart Back2Bikes <https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campai…> Virus-free. www.avast.com <https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campai…> <#DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2>

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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 inaccessible resource is not a resource *Tech Interventions* - Trend: Shops are moving services online - Examples: Online stores, repair videos, volunteer management Systems, and Zoom calls for repair help - Insight: Moving to digital excludes community members *Possible New Ways of Working* - Trend: Shops are being more structured about who is in the shop and when - Examples: Not allowing members with at-risk family, alternate hours shifts, limiting time spent in shop, and having customers wait outside - Trend: Shops are limiting their capacity for work to reduce transmission risk - Examples: Reduced hours, reduced amount of stations, elimination of drop-in hours - Insight: Shop staff are becoming pods Hope this can help your organizations consider how they are operating and in making decisions. Hang in there. -- 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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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 volunteers who are comfortable coming into the shops to help - Insight: Shops who operate indoors are a health hazard to volunteers - Insight: Leadership who are doing all the communication and setting up digital tools for volunteers are not using their time effectively. *New Ways of Working* - Trend: Shops are limiting volunteers in their shops - Examples: Some shops are keeping their volunteers outdoors to guide traffic or do repairs - Insight: Social distanced volunteers inside shops are a health risk -- 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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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 knowledge to size and sort wheels with? Pictures would be appreciated if you’ve got a physical setup. Thanks in advance! Katheryn Loewen Program Director and Lead Mechanic The Bike Kitchen

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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 brokers! wtf!) and thus our involvement makes us an unattractive risk to take on." I'm making the assumption that the Mechanical Gardens have a code of conduct or policy that states your non-negotiable values and is aligned for the greater good, community building and non-violence?...personally, I'd seek out another Insurer who shares your values...or....if you feel the EDC's values are closely aligned with your own, I'd also share the challenge with them...maybe they could recommend an Insurer or share a statement of solidarity that could act as leverage? I'd also lean into rather than away from the Insurer/s who've stated this to find out more. Insurance is all about risk after all. Aligning with all those who support racial equality and justice should be less risky, not more so. I'd frame every conversation in terms of risk and what is being done to mititgate that risk 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 02/07/2020 21:03, thethinktank-request(a)lists.bikecollectives.org wrote: > 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 brokers! wtf!) and thus > our involvement makes us an unattractive risk to take on.

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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 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/>

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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, 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… > >

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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. The demand for our services has increased enormously over the last few months. We would look very favourably on someone who is not currently eligible for the government Jobkeeper or Jobseeker schemes given they have the skills necessary for the position. Regards Geoff Smart Back2Bikes

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