On Wed, Apr 16, 2008 at 1:37 PM, rachael spiewak <rachael@sopobikes.org> wrote:

We've been running into this with the younger folks at the bike shop, and we have to be firm about our earn one bike and one bike only policy.  They're allowed to trade in their bike for a different one only if the one they're turning in is in good condition, and we regularly have chats about why our policy is what it is.  We also chat about how not to get your bike stolen.  It's hard when older siblings are the ones taking the bikes away from the kids who come up to the shop and otherwise abide by what we have to offer, so we do our best to be understanding.  The most we can do is create a system of accountability that makes sense for us, stick to our rules for the good of the entire shop community, and be understanding about extenuating circumstances. 

When we can find deals on locks, we buy a few and distribute them to folks who express the need for one.  That seems to work for some people.  The younger folks tend to lose keys, so combo locks work best for them.  I try to keep a list of their lock combinations and spare keys to help them out when things get lost or forgotten.

If folks don't trade cash for bikes, are they doing anything to create a sense of investment or ownership in the bikes?

-r

On Wed, Apr 16, 2008 at 3:24 PM, <plan_9@riseup.net> wrote:

We at the FM Community Bicycle Workshop have had a good,(read: busy,
chaotic, overwhelming) first spring openand have run into a few
unexpected situations regarding stolen bikes. We have a one bike a
year limit policy and have had individuals get bikes from us, then
come back the next week saying theirs was stolen and they want to get
another one. Some of these were pretty decent, modern bikes (trek
4300, Giant Cyprus, Diamondback BMX) and we don't want to suspect the
worst, that these bikes were pawned or sold for profit rather than
ridden, but we also don't want to open ourselves up to exploitation
either. We have put in place  a policy that if you bring us a copy of
your police report you are eligible for earning another bike, assuming
that folks wouldn't file a false police report. We don't live in an
area that has high bike theft rates, except for "bike hopping" where
people just grab a bike that isn't being used and leave it wherever
they end up. Basically, crime of opportunity rather than intent. The
bigger issue here is that we are getting folks bikes who can't
normally afford one, but not giving them the means to secure it. We
are interested in getting locks to give out to people who get bikes
from us through our referral system but are debating which is the best
solution. One idea would be to buy cheap cable locks in bulk. Another
idea we have had is a much more DIY approach: Get a roll of beefy
hardware store chain and a padlock and call it good. Has anyone run
into this? Thoughts?
-Andy FMCBW

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