hello bicycle lovers,
I am attempting to organize a "bike day" here in Gainesville this sunday to
get the idea circulating about forming a community bicycle project. earlier
attempts have failed--the last, our beloved "kickstand", it seems, because
everyone involved was a student, and therefore too transient to commit to the
project. I am hoping that this event will capture the attention of people who
are a little mroe settled, and who will be able to keep the project running
smoothly, even during the times when gainesville dies--winter break and summer
vacation.
i am hoping that i can get some ideas from you folks for how to introduce this
project, as it is currently just a concept for free bike repair (and community
building!) rather than an actual thing. i'm not really sure where to start,
but i am hoping to draw a crowd and get them excited about the sort of things
that inspired me when i attended bike!bike! this year. i would love to hear
how you introduced you vision of a community bicycle shop to the people in
your city, how you drew volunteers, and what kind of model i can follow now
that i am starting completely from scratch and attempting to rebuild this
collective.
also!! i wanted to put together a take-home zine for everyone who attends,
maybe including some vignettes about bicycles, some repair tips, and
information on other bicycle projects around the country. if you guys could
send a paragraph or two on why your collective is awesome (or if you want to
contribute something else to put in this booklet) i think it might shed some
light on how incredibly vast and varied this free bicycle repair movement is.
thanks so much,
stephanie (The Kickstand, Gainesville, Florida)