I'm very interested in your responses as well. I'm trying to come up with a better way to give out our kids bikes. Traditionally we've worked with organizations and done larger events where we give away many kids bikes at once, but then we're left with piles of both fixed and in-waiting bikes that we don't have the storage for. In addition to the original questions, would y'all mind giving some feedback on:
- How do you manage the flow of kids needing bikes? Do you utilize a
wait list if you run out of kids bikes for the need in the community at the time?
- How do you track who gets bikes?
- Do you limit how many bikes one child is allowed? One bike/year more
or less?
- Do any of you use specific criteria for being eligible for a free
kid's bike?
Thanks!
Danielle Fry Director Ogden Bicycle Collective 936 28th Street Ogden, UT 84403
On Mon, Feb 20, 2017 at 4:26 PM, Bob Giordano mist@strans.org wrote:
One of our strongest and most popular programs over the years has been always offering free kids bikes. For age 10 and under we require no class nor service time (older than 10 and we have various earn-a-bike programs).
We do not charge, the bike is theirs to keep, and the family will come back year after year and swap to a larger size. We always have a large stock to choose from. We have more ready to go kid bikes in 'kid alley' and over flow kid bikes in 'kid corner'.
Many yet not all families donate into our shop jar. While we strive to have some kid bikes close to 'ride out the door' we want the kid (and parent) to finish off the bike with air, oil and some adjustments. We work together to make that happen.
We have found that this type of program brings in financial donations in many other ways, from general appeals to events to small local grants.
Other tidbits: we tend to remove hand brakes (unless in stellar condition) if the bike (most) has a coaster brake. we esp. look for anything sharp or broken to get off the bike, like remnants of a bell, reflector, chain guard. we help more with families that are struggling with the mechanical aspects, and remain more hands-off if it is say a parent/child wanting the building/bonding experience. if a parent ends up working on the bike without the child, we try to entice the child to help sort nuts and bolts, or draw a bike for the shop wall. we discourage training wheels yet help get them on if a parent insists. we make our own striders, looking for kid bikes that have low step thru frame and already have a drivetrain failure. it's honestly one of the most rewarding aspects of the community bicycle shop, here in Missoula.
-- Bob Giordano, Director Free Cycles Missoula Shop: 732 S. 1st St. West, ph. 541.7284 10AM-6PM Tues-Sat, www.freecycles.org Missoula Institute for Sustainable Transportation www.strans.org, mist@strans.org, 406.830.7676
On Monday, February 20, 2017, 3:27 PM, Aida Mas Baghaie aida.masb@gmail.com wrote:
Hey bike friends, We're starting a kids bike library/exchange in Vancouver, BC, where kids can borrow a bike until they grow out of it and then swap it for one
their
size. I've heard of a few different models for doing this, from kids bike swaps at events to shorter-term loans from library branches. Anyone run a program like this? If you do, please tell me about the useful things you've learned by answering these questions:
- what kind of program do you run? (i.e. kids bike swaps at events,
physical library, through earn-a-bike)
- how many bikes do you distribute/swap? do you charge anything for
them?
- how is the program funded?
- do you provide accessories (helmets, locks & lights) with the bikes?
if so, where do you get them from?
- any suggestions or words of wisdom for someone starting a kids bike
library/swap program? If you'd rather chat on the phone, just lemme know and I'll give you a call. thanks y'all! yaay more kids on bikes. <3 :D aida
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