hey folks. for our first 2.5 years, we've set up our open hours very informally. you show up, you can rip through used parts on your own, pick out a bike to fix up on your own, fix it up on your own, or ask for help fixing your bike if you like, too. this has been great, because it's offered a lot of people access to the shop without feeling overly regimented, but toward the end of each summer (peak season), the shop has gotten really chaotic, and some volunteers have started feeling pretty anxious, with all repair stands in use, more people all over the floor with their bikes turned upside down, kids running around all over the place, people asking for help every 30 seconds when you're already helping someone else, and it just being tricky to keep an eye on everything that's going on in the shop.
so, we're looking to move toward a setup where people all have to sign in with a greeter and get assigned to a volunteer to work with, and if there are no free volunteers/stands, you have to wait.
i'm sure most other shops are already doing this, so i thought i'd ask for your experiences/strategies/advice. some specific questions:
- do you have separate sign-up sheets for quick repairs vs. say building
a bike up from scratch?
- do you offer a comfy area to wait for those who need to?
- do you let people work on bikes without a volunteer?
- if so, do you make them "prove" that they know how to use the tools
properly or respect the shop?
- do you have one volunteer set up at a "flat fixing" station?
- how well does all of this stuff work?
but feel free to discuss things that those questions don't touch on.
thanks everybody, this list is such an amazing resource, macho of the bike dump
- do you have separate sign-up sheets for quick repairs vs. say building
a bike up from scratch?
We've experimented with a single list versus a split list for looking for a bike versus working on a bike. I personally prefer a single list, since it prevents having to police what people do once they are in the shop - i.e. I don't have to worry whether truing your wheel is going to be a quick task for you or not.
- do you offer a comfy area to wait for those who need to?
We have a shelf with bike books/magazines/pamphlets, some chairs, and some water. Mostly people just stand around though.
- do you let people work on bikes without a volunteer?
Yes - we have one person greeting people at the door while other mechanics work with people. Each mechanic works with 1-3 people depending on the level of assistance needed and the mechanic's preferences. When a mechanic is sure they can take an additional person they let the greeter know to let someone else in.
- if so, do you make them "prove" that they know how to use the tools
properly or respect the shop?
No. They check out the toolbox with an id, and the easy to break expensive tools are locked up, but generally if you say you know what you're doing we'll let you go at it without interference. In fact during really busy days we'll let people check out a set of tools with the explicit understanding that they will not be able to ask questions and that they will work outside the main shop area. Sometimes this leads to people taking apart a bottom bracket all over the floor and not knowing how to put it back together, but it also saves a lot of frustration and waiting for people who just need to adjust a brake and know what they're doing.
We also let people call ahead to get on the waiting list.
This conversation makes me wonder.. *how many people do you serve during a given shop session? *how many volunteers do you have per session? *how big is your shop/work space?
Our shop is pretty small, but we have a parking lot and year-round decent weather, so we can spread out a bit. Our sign in sheet, which doesn't get signed by everyone, reflects around 30 - 40 people coming through with around 7 people identifying as being available to help/volunteer. Sometimes we get overwhelmed by people needing help, but we've never considered a waiting area or waiting list (people DO wait for a volunteer to become available to help them, but it's not a formal process). I'm wondering how our space/resources/activity compares. Is this issue about to creep up on us? Should we start getting ready now to accommodate more people? I had already begun to expect demand to rise as it gets warmer out and as gas prices go up, but y'all are freaking me out a little.
(My ideal solution is a community bike shop in every community, by the way.)
-rachael/sopo/atlanta,ga
On Tue, Mar 4, 2008 at 1:55 PM, Stuart O Anderson soa@ri.cmu.edu wrote:
- do you have separate sign-up sheets for quick repairs vs. say
building
a bike up from scratch?
We've experimented with a single list versus a split list for looking for a bike versus working on a bike. I personally prefer a single list, since it prevents having to police what people do once they are in the shop - i.e. I don't have to worry whether truing your wheel is going to be a quick task for you or not.
- do you offer a comfy area to wait for those who need to?
We have a shelf with bike books/magazines/pamphlets, some chairs, and some water. Mostly people just stand around though.
- do you let people work on bikes without a volunteer?
Yes - we have one person greeting people at the door while other mechanics work with people. Each mechanic works with 1-3 people depending on the level of assistance needed and the mechanic's preferences. When a mechanic is sure they can take an additional person they let the greeter know to let someone else in.
- if so, do you make them "prove" that they know how to use the tools
properly or respect the shop?
No. They check out the toolbox with an id, and the easy to break expensive tools are locked up, but generally if you say you know what you're doing we'll let you go at it without interference. In fact during really busy days we'll let people check out a set of tools with the explicit understanding that they will not be able to ask questions and that they will work outside the main shop area. Sometimes this leads to people taking apart a bottom bracket all over the floor and not knowing how to put it back together, but it also saves a lot of frustration and waiting for people who just need to adjust a brake and know what they're doing.
We also let people call ahead to get on the waiting list. _______________________________________________ Thethinktank mailing list Thethinktank@bikecollectives.org
http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o...
On 4-Mar-08, at 11:56 AM, Macho Philipovich wrote:
- do you have separate sign-up sheets for quick repairs vs. say
building a bike up from scratch?
With our limited number of stations we do not yet feel the need for
sign-in sheets, and each Head Mechanic just keeps a head-count for
their shop report.
- do you offer a comfy area to wait for those who need to?
Not really, but we're hoping to move soon into a larger space, and
will make sure there's a proper waiting / chill out area.
- do you let people work on bikes without a volunteer?
Yes, but if we haven't seen them before will do try to monitor them
for a while.
- if so, do you make them "prove" that they know how to use the tools
properly or respect the shop?
We don't, and for the most part we've been very lucky.
- do you have one volunteer set up at a "flat fixing" station?
No, but I think it's a fine idea! Maybe in our new place...
Mark
thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org
-
Macho Philipovich -
Mark Rehder -
rachael spiewak -
Stuart O Anderson