https://wiki2.bikelover.org/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&feedformat=atom&user=SharperBike Collectives Wiki - User contributions [en]2026-04-05T21:04:31ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.39.6https://wiki2.bikelover.org/wiki/index.php?title=Bike!Bike!_2011&diff=12188Bike!Bike! 20112011-08-08T18:18:09Z<p>Sharper: /* Closing discussion - Bike!Bike! 2012 */</p>
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<div>'''[[Bike!Bike!]] 2011''' was held in San Marcos, Texas; hosted by [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|The Bike Cave]] and [[The San Marcos Community Bike Project]]. It took place from June 23-26th, 2011.[[File:bikebikebike2a.jpg|thumb]]<br />
<br />
<br />
== Workshops schedule ==<br />
<br />
{|border="1" align="left" style="text-align:left; border: 1px solid Black;" width="100%"<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Friday, June 24||Yoga Center || The Bike Cave || Sodatooth || Go 2 Danz || Library large room || Library small room || The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am|| || [[#Acquiring a permanent space]] || [[#Mobile Repair Clinic]] || || || ||<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm|| || [[#Managing social rides to promote bicycling]] || || [[#Bike touring]] || || ||<br />
|-<br />
|2:30pm - 4:00pm||[[#Teaching & learning styles]] || [[#Integrating bikes into the university fabric]] || || [[#Working in under-privileged communities]] || || ||<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm|| ||[[#Basics of the nonprofit sector and organizational form]] || || [[#Women and Transgender shop hours]] || || ||<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Saturday, June 25||Yoga Center || The Bike Cave || Sodatooth || Go 2 Danz || Library large room || Library small room || The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am|| || [[#Bike 101]]|| [[#Volunteer orientation]] || [[#Acro yoga]] || || || [[#Green space tour]]<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm|| || [[#Working with relationships]] || || [[#Working Together]] || || [[#Utilizing free open-source software]] ||<br />
|-<br />
|2:30pm - 4:00pm|| [[#Battlefield: Consensus]] || || || [[#Weather? What weather? (winter)]] || [[#Software developers exchange]] || [[#Please be kind to cyclists]] ||<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm|| [[#Analyzing work flows]] || [[#Recycled bike art]] || || || [[#Classes, Workshops, Space]] || ||<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Sunday, June 26||Yoga Center || The Bike Cave || Sodatooth || Go 2 Danz || Library large room || Library small room || The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am|| [[#Managing expectations of a cooperative bike shop]] || || || [[#Weather? What weather? (summer)]] || [[#Confronting car culture]] || || <br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 1:00pm|| || || || || [[#Closing discussion - Bike!Bike! 2012]] || || <br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
<br />
= Schedule =<br />
<br />
== As published ==<br />
<br />
{|border="0" align="left" style="text-align:left;"<br />
!scope="row" width="20%" colspan="2"| Wednesday, June 22<br />
|-<br />
|1:00-6:00pm||Pick up a loaner bike (if you're staying the night in Austin) at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|2:00pm - 6:00pm||Open house at UT's Orange Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|6:00 -10:00pm||Open house at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|11:00pm||Open house at Movemint Bike Cab Co. Shop (1301 east 4th street) <br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Thursday, June 23<br />
|-<br />
|11:00am - 1:00pm||Pick up your loaner bike (if you've just arrived in Austin) at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|1:00pm||Group ride from Austin's Yellow Bike Project to San Marcos (there will be a truck to take your things to San Marcos)<br />
|-<br />
|12:00 - 8:00pm||Check-In at San Marcos Public Library ($25 - $45, pay what you can, nobody will be turned away for lack of funds. Pick up your loaner bike and housing arraignments)<br />
|-<br />
|2:00 - 8:00pm||Fix up your bike at The Bike Cave<br />
|-<br />
|7:00 - 8:00pm||Welcome / Speak up & speak out!<br />
|-<br />
|8:00pm - 10:00pm||Casual welcome dinner at City / Plaza Park with music by Mariachi Nueva Generacion<br />
|-<br />
|9:30pm||A screening of "Dudey Free Zone: Women's and Transgender Bike Spaces" plus other short bike-related films. At The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Friday, June 24<br />
|-<br />
|8:00am - 1:00pm||Check-In continued for those who get here late at The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|1:00 - 2:30pm||Lunch<br />
|-<br />
|2:30 - 4:00pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|8:00pm - 9:00pm||The future of Bike! Bike! - a discussion to figure out where we're heading, and how we're getting there. A preview of which project(s) are interested in hosting in 2012.<br />
|-<br />
|7:00pm - 10:30pm||Bike polo on top of Speck Street Parking Garage (there will be a group ride leaving from Rio Vista at 6:00pm)<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 -11:00pm||Concert at The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Saturday, June 25<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|1:00 - 2:30pm||Lunch<br />
|-<br />
|2:30 - 4:00pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|9:00pm - 12:00am||BIKE! RIDE! BIKE! RIDE!<br />
|-<br />
|12:00am - ???||Dance party<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Sunday, June 26<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30 - 11:00am||Workshops / final brainstorm<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 1:00pm||Closing meeting, Bike! Bike! 2012 discussion<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
<br />
= Workshops =<br />
== Green space tour ==<br />
A bike tour of San Marcos green spaces<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Acquiring a permanent space ==<br />
Acquiring a permanent space instead of renting, working with the city for land or a building, fund-raising and micro-loans<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Acro yoga ==<br />
Skillshare<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Analyzing work flows ==<br />
Analyzing work flows within a bike project: setting up committees and more effective follow-up. How to reduce "ball droppage". Held at 4:30 PM on Saturday, June 25, 2011, at the Community Yoga Center.<br />
<br />
Facilitated by Susan of [[Third Hand Bicycle Cooperative]] in Columbus, Ohio.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Often in collectives, everyone will be off doing their own thing. This can lead to some jobs being repeated and others falling through the cracks. To combat this, it's helpful to identify all the processes at work in the collective, whether they deal with inputs to the collective, actions within the shop, or outputs leaving the collective.<br />
<br />
Third Hand streamlined their procedures by identifying all of the processes involved in handling this inputs and outputs. The frequency and nature of each task was discussed, and jobs were fit together as appropriate. Collections of jobs are given to various task forces, each empowered to deal with their issue without approval from the Board or the overarching Collective and charged with developing the policies that guide the completion of those tasks. The identification of tasks alone took half a day.<br />
<br />
To deal with the problem of one volunteer doing all of one job and leaving the organization without institutional knowledge, it was suggested to pick a primary and secondary person responsible for getting the job done. Another method would be to assign jobs at the beginning of each month, so that tasks get spread around more widely. Neither approach means that the person assigned has to do the task; they may delegate the task, they're just responsible for making sure it happens.<br />
<br />
Those assigned a job should make a short report back at a general meeting as to their success or failure. This helps the group know that necessary work is being accomplished and provides an avenue for new volunteers to find work. Since it's nearly impossible to penalize volunteers, enforcement has to be kept positive. In the case of an incomplete job, the group should ask why the job was not finished, and whether there was sufficient support from the group. Any remediation can be simply done by a reconstituted task force given a mandate to fix the problems.<br />
<br />
In Third Hand's experience, some jobs like outreach and volunteer coordination are best considered as "alternative shifts" -- as crucial as a regular shift, but handled in a radically different way.<br />
<br />
==== Examples ====<br />
Sample inputs, from the workshop:<br />
* Mail<br />
* Phone calls<br />
* E-mail<br />
* Donations (cash or stuff)<br />
* Visitors<br />
* Packages and deliveries<br />
* Complaints<br />
* Volunteer labor<br />
<br />
Sample inside tasks:<br />
* Cleaning<br />
* Tool ordering<br />
* Inventory<br />
* Budgeting<br />
* Parts sorting<br />
* Scheduling<br />
* Tracking<br />
* Sales<br />
<br />
Sample outputs:<br />
* Bikes<br />
* Knowledge<br />
* Rent/utilities<br />
* Media<br />
* Mobile units<br />
* Volunteer appreciation<br />
* Newsletters/flyers<br />
* Mail and e-mail<br />
* Tax returns<br />
* Deposits<br />
<br />
Sample task forces:<br />
* Finances (Sales, Budgeting, Bill Payment)<br />
* Tool and parts orders<br />
* Community relations<br />
* Volunteer coordination<br />
* IT/Tech<br />
* Outreach<br />
* Conflict resolution<br />
<br />
Processes can be determined by looking at the inputs. For Mail, mail would be picked up and sorted to give to the appropriate group (finance, outreach, ordering, etc.), with a time frame of "every open shop". Third Hand spent half a day just identifying processes like these.<br />
<br />
==== Handling tasks ====<br />
After the processes are identified, task forces can be drawn up to handle them, and each task force can then draft the necessary policies to complete the tasks. <br />
<br />
Meetings help ensure tasks are done. Task forces can present whether they've kept up with their tasks and ask for additional help if necessary. Any resolution at one meeting should have a report back from the person responsible for the project at the next meeting. Also, if a new task comes up, it is possible to send it straight to a task force without bogging down the rest of the meeting. Routine items seem to be the best suited towards this task force method, as they are rarely out of consensus.<br />
<br />
Assigning a job exclusively to one volunteer can cause problems if that volunteer has to step aside for whatever reason. Two options to deal with this were to pick a primary and secondary contact for each job or to rotate each job frequently, so that skills and knowledge are more widely distributed within the group. A "bus test" was suggested; if a volunteer were hit by a bus tomorrow, would their tasks still get done? And if not, why not?<br />
<br />
Widespread knowledge can also help keep minutia of tasks to a minimum and prevent people from overspecializing or enforcing difficult job requirements on others.<br />
<br />
If a task slips through the cracks and remains undone, a new task force can be established specifically to fix the problem and catch up the organization.<br />
<br />
== Basics of the nonprofit sector and organizational form ==<br />
=== Details ===<br />
Held on Friday, June 24, at the [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|Bike Cave]].<br />
<br />
Facilitated by Charles from the [[Bloomington Community Bike Project]].<br />
<br />
Topics were determined by the participants at the beginning of the workshop and ran across a wide spectrum of general information on nonprofit management.<br />
<br />
=== General notes ===<br />
In 2006, the U.S. IRS published a rule requiring some sort of reporting as to an organization's status, even if it was just a postcard sent in. A number of small nonprofits lost their exemption for not following this rule.<br />
<br />
It is important to have a way to evaluate an organization's performance as it relates to its mission.<br />
<br />
Every organization needs a statutory agent -- someone who can sign for the organization and provides the IRS with "a throat to choke" if things go downhill.<br />
<br />
Meeting minutes have to be kept. Google Docs and a local wiki are both good resources, allowing necessary modifications. One organization had a lot of success keeping an internet-enabled computer in meetings, transcribing in realtime, and e-mailing the attendees immediately.<br />
<br />
Most states and regions have nonprofit resource centers and many libraries have nonprofit guides. Use them as best you can. If a resource provides facilitation training, it is usually worth it to send members. <br />
<br />
==== Fundraising opportunities ====<br />
Contract work can provide a good revenue source for a shop, but organizations must be careful that the contract closely matches the organization's priorities. It does little good to spend volunteer or paid staff time on special work that doesn't help the organization much. Grants can be a similar resource sink; the best grants are those that give you money for doing what you do. Always be prepared to walk away from a grant or a contract.<br />
<br />
When searching for grants, it helps to have a relationship with a grant writer. Be sure to look beyond bicycle-specific grants, too; a lot of bike collective work can fall under categories like sustainability, health, or ecology.<br />
<br />
==== Why to incorporate ====<br />
Small shops can skirt by without incorporation, but setting up a nonprofit brings a few major benefits.<br />
<br />
Incorporation makes it easier to get insurance and liability coverage, protecting volunteers in case of lawsuits. Incorporated nonprofits can also receive tax-deductible donations, avoid income taxes, and are in a better position to compete for grants and fundraising.<br />
<br />
==== Setup ====<br />
The constitution, bylaws, and policies were described as different facets of how to organize a nonprofit's structure.<br />
<br />
The ''constitution'' itself should be short -- little more than a mission statement and a prominent mention of the organization's tax exempt status.<br />
<br />
The ''bylaws'' should ratify the organization's best practices. As they are a legal document governing the organization, they should be concise and flexible and avoid dictating specific policies. Try to write in what should happen -- what the shop can do, what someone should expect when their come in, and so on, without saying how to accomplish those goals. Well-written bylaws also allow anyone reviewing them to see whether the organization is keeping true to its promises and offer an opportunity to change course if things go bad.<br />
<br />
All details about how to actually run the shop and organization belong in the ''policies and procedures''. <br />
<br />
==== [[Bicycle Kitchen (Los Angeles)|L.A. Bike Kitchen]] overview ====<br />
Arlen from the Los Angeles Bike Kitchen summarized how their organization is set up.<br />
<br />
The Bike Kitchen has three volunteer levels. Shadows graduate to volunteers once they've completed a general knowledge worksheet. Volunteers that work four shifts a month (about 12 hours) and do something extra special for the organization can then move up to "cook".<br />
<br />
There are four quarterly "cooks" meetings, run under supermajority consensus rules, utilizing an outside (and objective) facilitator. There is also one annual camp held with a paid outside facilitator. Board meetings are held monthly with a rotating facilitator chosen from the group.<br />
<br />
Day-to-day operations and policies are handled by "gruppos"; ad hoc autonomous committees with specific charters. These committees are not required to accept input from anyone else. Presumably, anyone with strong feelings on, for example, what tools to order, would sit on the ordering gruppo.<br />
<br />
Example gruppos:<br />
* Finance<br />
* Ordering<br />
* Operations (as related to bike projects)<br />
* "Smooth shifting" -- ergonomics and accessibility<br />
* Volunteer coordination<br />
* Neighbor relations<br />
* "Space exploration" -- researching a new shop location<br />
<br />
There was no built-in accountability measures; everything just worked.<br />
<br />
== Battlefield: Consensus ==<br />
Decision making - the good, the bad, and the ugly. A reprise of 2010's Battlefield: Consensus.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Bike 101 ==<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Bike touring ==<br />
What to take, how to pack, where to sleep and eat, and of course, where to go.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Classes, Workshops, Space ==<br />
Doing Meaningful Outreach with Communities in Your Neighborhood.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
<br />
'''How do you programs “translate” in your/near by communities?”'''<br />
<br />
<br />
How are you defining “Community”?<br />
<br />
How inclusive is your space? How Accessible?<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Lava Monsters of Death (these will hold you back, don’t let them!)'''<br />
<br />
<br />
Using excessive “they” “them” or “those people”<br />
<br />
Assuming people know what you know.<br />
<br />
Assuming people are intentionally (behaving/acting) being fucked up<br />
<br />
Confusing critiques/analysis of behaviour dynamics as vicious existential personal attacks of Doom against you, yes you! <br />
<br />
<br />
'''Success Stories of Workshops that help out reach to under privileged communities.'''<br />
<br />
Multi language bike mechanics, teach english or learn spanish at the same time as teaching bike mechanics, <br />
<br />
<br />
Get Doctors to prescribe bike riding, get them to send people to your collective.<br />
<br />
<br />
Organize group rides that tie in a neighborhood’s resources that are not well used, go to farmer’s markets, put baskets on bikes.<br />
<br />
<br />
Safe routes to schools has been successful in getting more kids to ride.<br />
<br />
<br />
Find teachers who are bike sympathetic.<br />
<br />
<br />
Canvas the neighborhood, knock door to door, flyer (tear offs work well), bring tools to fix flats, mobil bike repair!<br />
<br />
<br />
Get in contact with a neighborhood organization, they often don’t have websites, you can find them sometimes through the police department.<br />
<br />
<br />
Be wary of giving “big free give away!” if you don’t have enough, it can create a weird and tense atmosphere.<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Confronting car culture ==<br />
Dealing with dominant culture on a personal level and effecting cultural shift.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== How the City of San Marcos, Texas bicycle map was created ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Managing expectations of a cooperative bike shop ==<br />
How to manage expectations and orient new people quickly to the cooperative shop environment<br />
=== Details ===<br />
Held Sunday, June 25, 2011 at 9:30 AM at Community Yoga<br />
<br />
The facilitator did not arrive, so this was used as a general discussion instead.<br />
<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
There are many sets of expectations in each shop. Shops expect certain behaviors of volunteers, customers, and paid staff. People in the shop have expectations of the shop itself and what they will get out of it. Most of these expectations are not written down, meaning all persons in a shop have to negotiate certain expectations -- both the reasonable and the unreasonable. <br />
<br />
In most cases clear communication can create a reasonable and healthy set of expectations between a shop and the people within, helping the shop work much more smoothly. Specific shop policies are really just a way to write down those expectations as rules.<br />
<br />
==== Customers ====<br />
As it's possible for a shop (or its staff) to earn a bad reputation for not fulfilling false expectations, it's crucial to present what a shop does and does not do, to quash these false expectations.<br />
<br />
Misunderstandings about what the shop does can run the gamut; some shops have been heard to "give away new bikes", others to "fix your bike". These might have come by word of mouth from other shop users or from referring agency. The purpose and rules of a shop need to be clearly communicated to all users as soon as possible, via a short and concise elevator speech, handout card, or some other method. <br />
<br />
Not all customers will respond to the same mode of communication the same way, so it can be helpful to tailor one's elevator speech or rundown in order to make it more easily assimilated.<br />
<br />
==== Volunteers ====<br />
Not everyone volunteers for the same reasons, and if a volunteer job isn't fun, it's less likely to get done. All volunteers need to be integrated into the organization, whether they intend simply to wrench intermittently or try to find a place in the organization's structure. For both, it's important to get a volunteer to state their reasons for volunteering and why; including a volunteer "contract" in volunteer training may be an option, though of attendees, only the [[Bike Dump]] had experience with one and it did not work.<br />
<br />
The shop also has expectations of volunteers -- service commitments and the like -- that may not be understood by volunteers. In one example, the organization expected members of its governing body to step down when they started volunteering less frequently, while the volunteers expected to retain their position. A conflict like this could be prevented with established and enforced policies.<br />
<br />
lack of fulfillment of expectations can cause volunteers to drop out of circulation; a volunteer expecting to be on a leadership track and is denied advancement -- for whatever reason -- is likely to have a negative experience with the organization. <br />
<br />
==== Organization ====<br />
Since the organization can only act through its agents, it is important that the decisionmakers understand what the organization needs and expects from the people coming in. It should expect its decisionmakers to be nonideological and fair, that it has a corps of volunteers capable of handling its affairs autonomously and without interruption, and that its policies will be enforced equally. <br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
Ultimately, projecting positive expectations and sticking to them as consistently as possible will go a long way towards ensuring that everyone around an organization has their reasonable expectations met.<br />
<br />
When possible, write those expectations down, and make sure they are enforced and reinforced by everyone in the shop.<br />
<br />
== Integrating bikes into the university fabric ==<br />
Integrating bikes into the university fabric via student and staff collaboration<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
University of Texas loans bikes for 1 year. They charge the borrower for unreturned or damaged bikes and they are currently trying to get these fees put on students' records to ensure they are paid. In their case the university itself is liable for injury.<br />
<br />
Most shops however have no official ties or agreement with their university.<br />
<br />
==== How do you get along with for profit shops? ====<br />
Mixed reviews, some don't like having the competition while others will donate directly to the shop.<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
The organizers of this workshop had planned to give a formal presentation but instead just had an informal discussion. The discussion quickly went off topic, it was not moderated at all. It most likely would have been much more productive had the organizers stuck to their original plan.<br />
<br />
== Managing social rides to promote bicycling ==<br />
From fringe to mainstream: how social cycling can ... and make our cities better<br />
=== Details ===<br />
Held at 11:15 AM on Friday, June 24 at the Bike Cave.<br />
Elliott McFadden of [http://austinontwowheels.org/ Austin on Two Wheels] and Violet Crown Cycles started by describing his views of cycling promotion and two methods seen in Austin of directly working to get people riding bikes. After this, he answered questions in a general discussion format.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
==== Failures in bicycle promotion ====<br />
Elliot identified two somewhat conflicting methods of increasing cycling from the cycling industry and from political advocacy.<br />
* Industry: Bicycle sales in the U.S. have remained stagnant over since the 1970s, despite significant growth in population. To increase sales, the bicycle industry has focused on making bikes more niche -- selling new bikes to their existing market.<br />
* Advocacy: Advocates lobby decision makers for better infrastructure, but do so without growing a grassroots bicycle population or establishing cycling within the community.<br />
Until bicycling is seen as a normal community behavior, bicyclists will continue to be classified by convenient stereotypes, like the spandex/carbon weekend warrior, the hipster scofflaw, and the sanctimonious environmentalist.<br />
==== Strategy ====<br />
Defining "regime" as an interconnected group of businesses and leaders with a common world view, Elliott noted that the current regime is in favor of growing consumption and fossil fuel use. At the national level, this means the oil and auto industries. At the local level, it includes developers, auto dealers, and news entities, whose future profits depend on growth. Tellingly, 30% of all ad revenue for media entities comes from car companies.<br />
Regime change must then be the goal of a bicycle promoter. Find negative ways to describe the current regime (dirty, expensive, destructive, long travel times in cars) and positive ways to describe the desired regime (healthy, thrifty, sustainable, quality family time). Form partnerships with businesses and organizations that can benefit from a new regime.<br />
==== Social cycling ====<br />
To replace the negative stereotypes of bicyclists, it is important to develop an atmosphere that encourages riding by more members of the community. Bicycling should be made to be more comfortable -- no races, no work-outs, regular clothes, open to everyone. The joys of being out, riding with regular people, should be paramount. <br />
Commuting is often a big sell by industry and advocates; it allows shops to sell specialized "commuter" bicycles and advocates to focus on connecting routes, but as a sales point, it has two crippling problems: nobody likes to go to work, and most people go to work alone. Instead, social cycling should be a focus: just get many people together to ride bikes. Austin has two models that work in tandem: Social Cycling Austin and Austin on Two Wheels, an "affiliated business concept".<br />
===== Social Cycling Austin =====<br />
Social Cycling Austin is a volunteer production started two years ago as a free ride -- participants just show up for a weekly social ride, drawing 200-300 riders on average and as many as 500. It partners with local businesses, usually a bar or restaurant, and rides with traffic, not against it.<br />
This model is easy to start (it just requires two people) and its open structure makes it accessible to all. It doesn't have to be affiliated with any business, so it can work with and for everyone. Because of its loose nature, it's easy to change what doesn't work or even dismantle the ride. It doesn't need any investment to start up, as most organizing can be done through social networks and guerrilla marketing.<br />
Unfortunately, it also has no control over who shows up, making it difficult to deal with troublemakers and easy for the ride to grow beyond the capacity of the leaders or prevent the ride from being co-opted by other organizations. A focus on bars as a final destination also makes it easy for this sort of ride to turn into a "booze cruise", adding additional challenges to the organization and often depressing its ability to draw women riders. Additionally, it is easy for organizing volunteers to burn out and the undefined liability might cause problems in case of injury.<br />
===== Affiliated Business Concept =====<br />
In an affiliated business concept, the rides are run as a business, usually as smaller fee-based rides than as large-scale free-for-alls.<br />
Because a business controls the ride, it's possible to tailor rides for specific demographics; women, families, suburbanites, etc. It's also easier to get different business partners and variety in the ride -- restaurants may provide food and drink samples, galleries may partner for art rides, or retail establishments for shopping rides. A business is also better able to provide a clear line of liability in case of accident and maintain a paid staff of ride leaders and organizers to provide a higher level of service. Austin on Two Wheels, for example, capped rides at 50 participants and provided one ride leader for every ten people to watch over unlocked bikes and help keep rides safe.<br />
This concept also carries some challenges. Partners must be committed to growth; it can take 18-24 months for the concept to turn a sustainable profit and its longer-term viability has not been tested, though it may be a reasonable loss leader for a bike shop. It also limits partnerships to a single member of each sector; one bike shop, one newspaper, or one boutique. The clear line of liability also means that the operating business has insurance requirements to carry and will likely have to enforce helmet use.<br />
==== Discussion ====<br />
Both rides appeal to different people, but the demographics of the riders were mostly white, though unintentionally so. For the open social rides, this was because the ride started from one social circle and its business preferences. For the paid rides, this was because they were seeking sustainable income. Since bicycles seen as a lesser mode of transportation in impoverished communities and represent gentrification, it can be difficult to promote them, though groups like the Major Taylor Group are trying to increase African American ridership. Either way, more racially diverse ride leadership should help diversify rider participation.<br />
Other problems with social cycling rides were identified. It's easy for the ride's somewhat high turnover to give it over to more aggressive cycling, and efforts to rein it in can be paternalistic.<br />
Responses to paid rides were overwhelmingly positive. Of 300 participants, 60% were women, and every ride had a bicyclist that had not ridden at all in the past year. Of survey respondents, 85% loved the ride, 97% would do it again, and 84% were more likely to revisit the participating businesses. No complaints were received of the ride being too fast, and the complaints of 1/3 of the respondents that the ride was too slow were dismissed. As for distance, the longest single ride was 10 miles and the longest single stretch was five miles, but most rides were just a few miles in stretches of two miles or less at a 10-12 mph pace. <br />
The high ratio of leaders to participants of the paid rides helped keep them very well organized. Walkie-talkies were given to the front and back leaders and other riders would circulate through the ride, keeping riders lined up, directing traffic at intersections, and encouraging the ride to behave well in regards to other users. It helped that the Austin Police Department was non-reactionary, so there was no backlash from law enforcement.<br />
Paid rides started with an intro of the leaders and the participants signing of a waiver stating they knew the rules of the road and agreed to follow ride leader instructions.<br />
Marketing was done through their own website, and partnering businesses were encouraged to do their own promotion as well. It was emphasized that time, rather than distance, was mentioned in all promotions. Though a six mile ride would take about 30 minutes, 30 minutes seemed like an easier ride than six miles. Ride classifications were right out; letter-assignments mean nothing to the new riders being targeted.<br />
Hurting businesses were suggested as rich prospects, as a few dozen potential customers can be enticing. Visits to any business should be during slow hours, though, to minimize disruption to regular services and provide customers when the business would be otherwise idle -- restaurants on Saturday afternoons are a good example. <br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Mobile Repair Clinic ==<br />
Held at 9:30 AM on Friday, June 24, at Sodatooth art gallery. Operating a mobile on-the-go repair clinic through the city and community organizations.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
The original facilitator did not show up for this workshop but the intent was fairly self evident by the name of the workshop. It was begun with a go-around and then by asking the question 'who currently operates a mobile repair unit?'<br />
The [[Bike Cage]] from Winnipeg told us that they began as a purely mobile shop until they had enough resources and a space to operate from a permanent location. The [[Bike Root]] from Calgary told us that the opposite was true for them, they began with a full shop but after losing their space, kept operations going by setting up in various locations on their campus and around town.<br />
==== To fix or not? Where do you draw the line? ====<br />
There were various answers to this question, some shops will only fix flats and minor brake and gear issues. Others were willing to fix anything as long as the tools were available. Arguments for the former included<br />
* lack of proper tools<br />
* lack of more advanced tools or replacement parts in case anything went wrong<br />
* lack of knowledge / trust in the knowledge of some casual volunteers that might attend a mobile repair clinic<br />
* some provide more hand on repair for mobile units to decrease liability in case a bike owner injures themselves but providing more complicated repairs ourselves increases liability in case the owner injures themselves on their bike afterwards.<br />
and for the latter:<br />
* We should do our best to get more bikes fixed and on the road<br />
* We're confident in our skills<br />
* The worst thing that might happen is that a bike that wasn't on the road is now still not on the road<br />
* We make bike owners fix their bikes themselves so we are not liable<br />
==== Other services ====<br />
In addition to offering minor repairs, the Bike Cage's mobile unit doubles as a bike valet service. There was no elaboration on how the system works.<br />
==== Getting the message across that a mobile tune tent is not a fully functioning tent ====<br />
It seemed to be a common problem that when individuals in the community would hear about a free tune-up possibility, they would often bring in bikes that need repairs far beyond what could be done at a tune tent. It was suggested to avoid this, advertise as "light bike repair".<br />
==== Who holds the tools? ====<br />
We had a discussion about if the volunteer should fix the bike for the owner or provide the owner with the tools and teach how to fix the bike hands-off. Whether or not tools were handed to the bike owner, teaching at least by the volunteer explaining what he or she was doing seemed to be the norm. The issues behind whether or not to let the owner fix the bike seemed to be liability dependent on both sides. If the volunteer fixes the bike, the shop becomes liable if the bike causes injury down the road while normally the bike owner has not signed a liability waiver to use the tools, so the shop could be liable if they hurt themselves while repairing their bike.<br />
==== Ride or drive? ====<br />
We had a discussion on whether or not to drive the equipment to the location or use a trailer. No one seemed to be passionate for either but there are a lot of options out there for trailers big and small. [[Fargo Moorhead Community Bicycle Workshop|Fargo]] rides with a huge 4x6 trailer.<br />
==== Off topic discussion ====<br />
The conversation went off topic many times but did produce a few interesting ideas:<br />
* [[The Orioles Bike Cage|Winnipeg]] uses a punch card, much like one you would find a a coffee shop or fast food location, to punch out skills that a volunteer has learned. Once the card is completely punched the volunteer can start fixing bikes for others.<br />
* While discussing how to get enough replacement parts, another bike shop told us they provide local bike shops with barrels which the shops can use to put parts that are still usable but would otherwise throw away. The barrels would be picked up and emptied at regular intervals. This shop did not have a problem finding parts when needed as a result.<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Please be kind to cyclists ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Recycled bike art ==<br />
Turning garbage into gold.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
<br />
[[File:Bike Craft - Tube Shoe Laces.pdf|200px|thumb|left|alt text]]<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Software developers exchange ==<br />
Projects being worked on, have worked on, or areas they (you) are interested / skilled in.<br />
<br />
Held Saturday, June 25, at 2:30 PM at the San Marcos Public Library.<br />
<br />
Facilitated by [[User:Godwin|Godwin]] of [[The Bike Root]] in Calgary.<br />
<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Participants briefly described their technical experience, specifically any coding projects and languages they've used. A few participants were experienced programmers; most were interested in learning or helping a project in other ways like documentation and testing.<br />
[[Austin Yellow Bike Project]]'s tracking code was discussed and briefly compared to the [[Bike Kitchen (San Francisco, CA, USA)|San Francisco Bicycle Kitchen]]'s Freehub software.<br />
<br />
The Yellow Bike Project released their code for public use, and it was noted that SLC had already made a Joomla plugin. The YBP software was also demonstrated live at the workshop.<br />
<br />
Steve of [[Fargo Moorhead Community Bicycle Workshop|Fargo]] and Godwin were (or soon will be) working on independent applications, but the general consensus coalesced around a few ideals.<br />
<br />
Any software development push should be oriented towards a web-based solution for the greatest ease in rolling out across various platforms, though it would make it more difficult to install as a software package and could lead to data security and access problems if provided as a hosting service, as SFBK does with Freehub. Additionally, this software should start with one shop in order to develop one full set of features. All features should be written as plugins to a basic core, allowing features to be added as required by various shops.<br />
Yellow Bike Project's software may make a suitable core for such a push.<br />
<br />
A general wishlist was hashed out, in no particular order:<br />
* Work-trade management<br />
* Granular volunteer time tracking<br />
* Varied reporting options<br />
* Donation tracking<br />
* Bike and inventory tracking (including completion of projects)<br />
* Visitor tracking<br />
* Communications options (e-mail lists, contacting expiring memberships)<br />
* Sales tracking (though not point-of-sale)<br />
* Volunteer skill tracking<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
[[Godwin]] will direct a new open source project starting in September 2011. The system will be modular so that individual plugins can be added or modified as needed to ensure that collectives don't have to modify the way they do things simply because the software does not conform to their model.<br />
<br />
== Teaching & learning styles ==<br />
Teaching & learning styles in community bike shops; a discussion about different approaches, what works and what doesn't work as well<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== The future of Bike! Bike! ==<br />
Where are we going and how are we going to get there? Also, a quick (but no-decisions-made) discussion about where Bike! Bike! will be held in 2012 (that will be decided during the final meeting on Sunday, June 26).<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Utilizing free open-source software ==<br />
Operating systems and work documents to benefit your project.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Despite "charity" pricing for software packages from major publishers like Microsoft and Adobe, some software is priced beyond the range of a co-operative's budget, or would be used to infrequently as to make a purchase pointless.<br />
Fortunately, the open source community has responded with a number of free replacements for major software, including for the operating system itself. Most of these packages can be found in [[Computer Resources]].<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Volunteer orientation ==<br />
Addressing safe space concerns, and a conversation about empowering and maintaining a committed volunteer base<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
<br />
The Volunteer workshop was hosted by Alex from [[Plan B]] in New Orleans. Among the discussed strategies for integrating new volunteers into a coop/collective were shadowing, which is a form of watching and learning, and checklists of shop skills. The purpose of a checklist is to provide structure for learning bike maintenance as well as how a particular shop runs. <br />
<br />
The [[Bicycle Kitchen (Los Angeles)]] has a one page fold-up booklet designed for this purpose that is pretty damn nifty. They also include extra curricular activities for new volunteers, and once a booklet is completed that volunteer is asked to be a cook. Volunteers are under the iron-fisted dominion of a volunteer coordinator who answers emails and manages a shadow list. In some shops a volunteer coordinator is a paid position or managed by a subcommittee. <br />
<br />
==== Volunteers and Encouragement ====<br />
<br />
Four out of five bike coop volunteers agree that encouragement is necessary to keep on new volunteers. Some shops have monthly orientations in order to introduce newcomers to the shop and the ideas behind it, general behaviors, a mission statement, run through different situations, and at times gender dynamics are incorporated. Other ballin' forms of encouragement are retreats like camping or bike rides as well as games and skits. <br />
<br />
Social events are a good form of initiation and build community. [[Bicycle Kitchen (Los Angeles)]] has volunteer only shop hours and the [[Bikerowave]], also in LA, is required by law to have at least four parties a year. Parties and social get togethers are also pretty awesome because free food is a volunteer magnet. Often breweries or certain restaurants are enthusiastic to donate to these types of events.<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Weather? What weather? (summer) ==<br />
How you and your bike can survive the heat<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Weather? What weather? (winter) ==<br />
How you and your bike can survive the cold<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Women and Transgender shop hours ==<br />
Policies, Politics, Allies<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working in under-privileged communities ==<br />
Working in under-privileged communities: challenges and opportunities<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Facilitators:<br />
<br />
[[Bike Kitchen]]/[[La Bici Digna]] (Arlen) and [[Bikerowave]]/[[Bici Libre]] (Bobby):<br />
<br />
<br />
Keep your eyes on the prize (don’t forget why you’re doing this, don’t let your limitations stop you)<br />
<br />
<br />
Dynamics in work space an issue, (shop isn’t located in the right place) <br />
<br />
-try mobile workshop?<br />
La Bici Digna started with a mobil work shop at the day labor center working with City of Lights. <br />
<br />
<br />
Low community buyin? <br />
<br />
-try partnering w/ another organization that organizes in “that” community. (try contacting a country’s embassy to let them know you exist, find out what communities you want to encourage and talk to the leaders in that community) <br />
<br />
<br />
Not enough Resources?<br />
<br />
-try seeing groups that are stoked, already active.<br />
<br />
<br />
Chill out. Be Patient (It takes time to build up trust and awareness of your resource.)<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Stories:'''<br />
<br />
Bici Libre got a free space to house abandoned bikes. They seek to provide a space where people can learn job skills and leadership skills. They have a list of activities that can be done by non-bike mechanic volunteers. Group jobs such as cleaning parts or cutting tubes can be really good for some cultures who will enjoy the communal experience. It’s important to talk to the poeple you are trying to engage to ask them what they want to contribute, or what they want to get out of it.<br />
<br />
<br />
Sometimes the way we think the bicycle collective “should” run is not the way some under privileged communities want to run their own. Often, people will want to start a for-profit shop. It’s important to not get stuck in your ideas, to learn also how to communicate in another person’s language. You can use the terms they know, even if it’s the “wrong” term, whats important is that you both get on the same page. There’s a reason you are trying to engage a different dynamic in the bike shop, you should be willing to learn from new people, not just try to tell them what/how to do. <br />
<br />
<br />
'''Multi lingual bike diagram:'''<br />
<br />
La Bici Digna had a poster of a bike with lines to all the parts. They asked their participant to write on posted notes the names of the parts of the bike that they knew. With all the many dialects present, the digram ended up having four names for nearly every part. <br />
<br />
<br />
Denver’s [[The Bike Depot]] works with [Big Brother] and [Big Sister]. They are then able to pay for kids to volunteer.<br />
<br />
<br />
Lots of collectives have earn a bike programs, or free bikes to people on welfare.<br />
<br />
<br />
One collective got a high school student credit for volunteering at the shop.<br />
<br />
Another works directly with Refugee camps.<br />
<br />
<br />
'''How do you deal with theft?''' - Story from the [[Bike Kitchen]]<br />
<br />
The bike kitchen experienced a wave of theft. Bikes were being stolen right out side the shop, and also, many 15mm wrenches and other tools which might assist in bicycle theft. At first they were completely worried and frustrated that they were possibly assisting in that theft. But what they hadn’t expected was that this wave of bicycle theft resulted in the creation of a bike scene in the surrounding neighborhoods. The exact people who they were trying to get into the shop, trying to foster interest in the bicycle as a mode of transportation, started riding bikes. “It just wasn’t on our terms.” - Arlen ([[Bike Kitchen]]/[[La Bici Digna]])<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Workshop continues in [[#Classes, Workshops, Space]]<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working Together ==<br />
Increasing Inter-Organization Collaboration. The intention of this workshop was to talk about all of the ways in which we as bicycle collectives of different sorts who run our services in many different ways, can share our experiences, successes, failures, and tangible output in order to help other collectives both start and continue to thrive.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
[[User:Godwin|Godwin]] directed this workshop while [[Bob Wolfe]] facilitated in providing a speakers list. A large sheet of paper was used to help keep visible notes, at the end of the discussion the notes were the following:<br />
* '''Current Tools'''<br />
** [[BOOP]]<br />
** [http://www.bikebike.org/ Bike!Bike!]<br />
** Think Tank e-mail list (sign up on Bike Collectives website)<br />
** [http://www.bikecollectives.org/ Bike Collectives Network]<br />
** [[Main Page|Bike Collectives Wiki]]<br />
** Various collaborative tools such as our Google Docs list of organizations and Google Maps visualization of orgs across North America<br />
* '''What we need these tools for'''<br />
** Learn how to start a collective<br />
** Learn how to continue running a collective<br />
** Find example documents<br />
*** Volunteer Privileges<br />
*** Todo for new volunteers<br />
*** Financials<br />
*** Fliers<br />
*** Curricula<br />
*** Manuals<br />
*** 501c and not-for-profit forms<br />
*** Tool lists<br />
*** Inventory<br />
*** Price guide<br />
*** Mission statement<br />
*** Bylaws<br />
*** Safe space<br />
*** Legal documents<br />
*** Letters for grant writing<br />
** Find out how other organizations run their various programmes<br />
** Partner with other organizations<br />
* '''Brainstorming Ideas which could help'''<br />
** A Bike!Bike! Wiki<br />
** Have more involved wiki moderators who will make suggestions for improvements<br />
** News feed on wiki<br />
** Email individuals to improve pages<br />
** New list-serve other than the [[Think Tank]] which can be used for these emails<br />
** More list-serves for different purposes<br />
** Online Forums<br />
** Request documents, pages, and improvements once a year or at other regular intervals<br />
** Rid the wiki of closed shops<br />
** RSS feeds on the wiki<br />
** Separate blog or paper news<br />
** Paypal donations on [[BCN]] or the wiki<br />
** An umbrella or 'helping hand' organization<br />
** A seed fund<br />
** Micro Loans for starting up shops<br />
** A no-reply list-serve<br />
* An 'umbrella' organization goes against many principles that are held by most shops however a 'helping hand' organization that acts as a third party to facilitate to spread of knowledge and possibly funds would likely not.<br />
* To improve the wiki it will take some active moderating and contacting of individuals.<br />
* The wiki is difficult to navigate so it should be reorganized<br />
* Bikecollectives.org is not serving any other purpose other than providing the wiki.<br />
* The [[Think Tank]] is too much for many to handle, there are too many emails about things that many don't care about.<br />
* Godwin promised to contact the current owners of bikecollectives.org to see if improvements could be made.<br />
* Adding increased moderation of the wiki will be looked into<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working with relationships ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Closing discussion - Bike!Bike! 2012 ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Around 40 attendees participated in the closing discussion on Sunday, June 26, at 11:00 AM at the San Marcos Public Library.<br />
<br />
====Suggestions====<br />
The discussion started with some suggestions on improving the flow of the conference. The lack of an evening discussion group would have made it easier to decompress from each days' activities. Missing facilitators were a notable occurrence, though most or all workshops turned into group discussions anyway. More proactive scheduling and announcements would have helped attendees better figure out what workshops were coming up and where to find them; posting official schedules at each location and on a Google calendar (for those with omnipresent network connections) and making lunchtime announcements might have worked well.<br />
<br />
The loaner bikes from San Marcos, Yellow Bike Project, and Orange Bike Project were all handled really well, and the inaugural bike ride from Austin to San Marcos was an awesome way to break the ice and establish some camaraderie. The position and timing of locations was perfect; an attendee could roam across town relatively quickly but still make it with plenty of time to spare. The recommendation of cool-down spots was also very welcome, and the maps were helpful.<br />
<br />
As a host city, San Marcos was superb. The small town atmosphere was incredible. The community was quick to give support and very accepting and welcoming of the attendees.<br />
<br />
==== Matt's thoughts ====<br />
As the primary organizer, Matt of the San Marcos Bike Project was asked how he thought the event came together. Speaking honestly, he thought it was terrible. From his perspective, the workshops sort of took care of themselves. Though he'd been working on Bike!Bike! for eight months, 90% of the actual work was done in the last week.<br />
<br />
If he was doing it over again, he would have kept better records, including more centralized documents. Nothing that people do things when they're asked to, he would have done a lot more delegating. All in all, he spent about two hours a day working on it, but should have spent three.<br />
<br />
70 people from out-of-town registered.<br />
<br />
==== Other comments ====<br />
All in all, the number of attendees seemed manageable -- not too many, not too few -- but there could have been more outreach to other groups. Regional Bike!Bike!s were identified as a double-edged sword; they made it easier for people to access them and were far more intimate affairs, but they also depress turnout at The Bike!Bike!. A big Bike!Bike! can have a big impact, and it may be worthwhile to maximize that impact.<br />
<br />
Though San Marcos was an excellent host city, it was noted that small-market airports tend to be more expensive to fly into and out of, putting up a barrier to some smaller organizations. As San Marcos was not a "destination" in its own right, it was still a positive experience; few attendees would have gone to San Marcos on their own, but it showed that these events can have a different kind of draw and community impact.<br />
<br />
==== Bike!Bike! 2012 bids ====<br />
===== Sacramento =====<br />
The Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen opened the bids for 2012. Noting that they've been operating for five years and moved into a stable and large space three years ago, they're reaching a maturity point as a collective. They have incredible community support for their special events.<br />
<br />
As a city, Sacramento is committed to earning Gold status as a Bicycle Friendly Community, and Bike!Bike! would dovetail nicely with an indie bike cred fed by community initiatives to build a velodrome and bring the 2012 North American Handmade Bicycle Show and a 2012 bike polo tournament to town. And though it's trying for Gold status, the city leadership doesn't seem yet to know how to "do" bicycling, so Bike!Bike! could help provide even more guidance.<br />
<br />
In terms of geography, Sacramento is easy to navigate, sits on major east-west and north-south rail lines, and is exceptionally flat. The bicycle friendly town of Davis is nearby, and the Davis Bike Collective just hosted a regional conference and could be tapped for support as Austin groups helped San Marcos.<br />
<br />
Because of the desire to amplify their bicycle events, Sacramento would likely not bid for Bike!Bike! in the near future.<br />
<br />
===== Los Angeles =====<br />
The Bicycle Kitchen explicitly did not want to vie for 2012, but wanted to throw its hat in the ring now for 2013 or 2014.<br />
<br />
The Kitchen has been open for seven years, and in those seven years, 11 other co-ops have started, likely to be 15 by 2013. The city has recently started its Ciclovia program, closing down seven miles of roadways to car traffic and letting real people take the streets. It's also a hip town, with a bicycle demolition derby in June and as many as 1,000 riders on a social ride on any given night.<br />
<br />
The (admitted) goal in L.A. hosting is to break down some stereotypes of L.A. and show off the amazing things the region has been doing recently.<br />
<br />
===== Columbus =====<br />
Third Hand presented an argument for Columbus. There was an overarching silence in at the end of Bike!Bike! Toronto regarding Columbus' bid, and in that time, a second bike co-operative has opened in the Ohio city. Citing Columbus' status as a community on the edge of bike greatness and its large university, hosting a Bike!Bike! could help galvanize its cycle culture. The city sent three representatives to the conference this year, and has other cities (Cincinnati and Cleveland) nearby that it can draw on for resources. As a host city, Columbus would also be a step up from San Marcos in terms of size, and while June is a difficult month for co-ops, there is a big music festival in September that could be glommed onto.<br />
<br />
Third Hand's space is also adjacent to a collective fabrication and workshop space, opening up options to facilitate hands-on creation, welding, screen-printing, and other creative arts. <br />
<br />
Columbus strongly feels it is ready for a Bike!Bike! and may host a regional conference if their bid fails.<br />
<br />
==== Digression ====<br />
At this point, a few participants spoke up to reiterate that the decision on where to send Bike!Bike! in 2012 should revolve around the city's infrastructure, feasibility of transportation for participants, and the need of a region (not just one city) to feel he impact of Bike!Bike!. Bike!Bike! exists for information exchange, support, and outreach. A city's status as a nice vacation destination shouldn't give it a leg up or hold it down in vying for the conference.<br />
<br />
==== Bids ====<br />
===== Vancouver =====<br />
In addition to a co-op on its university grounds, Vancouver's paid-staff-run shop operates out of two spaces. Vancouver itself is quite bike-friendly, with good infrastructure, plenty of bike organizing, a strong sport cycling culture, a bid for a new bike share program, mountains for trial riding, and natural barriers to the growth of the city. June, 2012 will also see a VeloCity commercial and planning conference, providing a unique opportunity to line up grassroots bicycle action against more corporate channels. Victoria, BC, and Bellingham, WA, are also close by for support.<br />
<br />
As a special consideration, the Pacific Northwest has never seen a Bike!Bike! -- the closest to the region was the San Francisco conference.<br />
<br />
==== Discussion ====<br />
While Canadian representation at Bike!Bike! was significant, there were concerns that holding the conference two of three years in a Canadian city might put an undue burden on the majority American contingent.<br />
<br />
Additionally, one hope with San Marcos was to bring in Mexican groups and bike collectives, but that did not materialize. On the plus side, most participants felt that Bike!Bike! made a tremendous impact in San Marcos, and the community was pleased with the respect and care Bike!Bike! attendees treated the public spaces used. Middle America could benefit greatly from this sort of experience.<br />
<br />
==== Bids ====<br />
===== Winnipeg =====<br />
Like Los Angeles, Winnipeg was hoping to start vying for hosting Bike!Bike! in 2013. The city has grown by leaps and bounds and currently boasts eight bike co-ops and various school shops. Despite its weather, it has become a cycling community, though because it is a generally low-income place, bicycles are seen as functional, not fashionable, though many elements of a strong cycle culture exist there: a ciclovia, bike polo, tall bike groups, and so on.<br />
<br />
==== Discussion ====<br />
Bike!Bike! locations have tried to move regionally -- north and south as well as from coast to coast. Sacramento and Vancouver benefit from the fact that the conference has not been further west than San Marcos in four years, even though coastal states are seeing an immense bicycle growth -- L.A. doesn't even need Bike!Bike!, but ''wants'' it.<br />
<br />
There were some concerns about how well Bike!Bike! and VeloCity could co-exist if held simultaneously. On the plus side, it could force a conversation between two different bike cultures, but a large corporate-sponsored event could easily sideline Bike!Bike!.<br />
<br />
Columbus' suggestion to hold Bike!Bike! in September could backfire; it would make attendance extremely difficult for most students. There was also some concern that two smallish host cities in a row could depress attendance and cause Bike!Bike! to lose traction going forward. <br />
<br />
Bike!Bike!'s effectiveness as an outreach tool was called into question. While there was interaction with locals, most of the conversations and discussions were held with fellow participants. This, however, does help re-energize volunteers to work in their own shops and communities. The outreach opportunities with Bike!Bike! are usually accidental or incidental as people read about and watch the conference. The organizing for Bike!Bike! and the impact it has is usually best seen long after the conference has disbanded. Columbus and Sacramento could both benefit from that push.<br />
<br />
In terms of geographic priorities, it was noted that the conference is in the South now and hosted by a small city, so preference should be given to a large Northern city. Attendees also seemed to enjoy the idea of connecting scruffy bike punks to besuited planners that a simultaneous VeloCity-Bike!Bike! schedule could entail.<br />
<br />
The Bicycle Kitchen recommended holding a straw poll to get initial preferences among attendees for the various cities. All bids had a willingness and the ability to host Bike!Bike!, so the decision should come down to what the participants were looking for in the next Bike!Bike!. After that, the bidding cities should meet separately to hash out between them who would host, as happened at the end of Bike!Bike! 2010.<br />
<br />
==== Results ====<br />
After a long discussion period, Vancouver was announced as the host city for Bike!Bike! 2012.<br />
<br />
= Contact =<br />
* [[Bike!Bike!]] website: http://www.bikebike.org<br />
* [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|The Bike Cave]]'s website: http://thebikecave.org<br />
* Email: [mailto:bikebike2011@gmail.com bikebike2011@gmail.com]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Bike!Bike!]]</div>Sharperhttps://wiki2.bikelover.org/wiki/index.php?title=Bike!Bike!_2011&diff=12187Bike!Bike! 20112011-08-08T18:11:36Z<p>Sharper: /* Closing discussion - Bike!Bike! 2012 */</p>
<hr />
<div>'''[[Bike!Bike!]] 2011''' was held in San Marcos, Texas; hosted by [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|The Bike Cave]] and [[The San Marcos Community Bike Project]]. It took place from June 23-26th, 2011.[[File:bikebikebike2a.jpg|thumb]]<br />
<br />
<br />
== Workshops schedule ==<br />
<br />
{|border="1" align="left" style="text-align:left; border: 1px solid Black;" width="100%"<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Friday, June 24||Yoga Center || The Bike Cave || Sodatooth || Go 2 Danz || Library large room || Library small room || The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am|| || [[#Acquiring a permanent space]] || [[#Mobile Repair Clinic]] || || || ||<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm|| || [[#Managing social rides to promote bicycling]] || || [[#Bike touring]] || || ||<br />
|-<br />
|2:30pm - 4:00pm||[[#Teaching & learning styles]] || [[#Integrating bikes into the university fabric]] || || [[#Working in under-privileged communities]] || || ||<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm|| ||[[#Basics of the nonprofit sector and organizational form]] || || [[#Women and Transgender shop hours]] || || ||<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Saturday, June 25||Yoga Center || The Bike Cave || Sodatooth || Go 2 Danz || Library large room || Library small room || The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am|| || [[#Bike 101]]|| [[#Volunteer orientation]] || [[#Acro yoga]] || || || [[#Green space tour]]<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm|| || [[#Working with relationships]] || || [[#Working Together]] || || [[#Utilizing free open-source software]] ||<br />
|-<br />
|2:30pm - 4:00pm|| [[#Battlefield: Consensus]] || || || [[#Weather? What weather? (winter)]] || [[#Software developers exchange]] || [[#Please be kind to cyclists]] ||<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm|| [[#Analyzing work flows]] || [[#Recycled bike art]] || || || [[#Classes, Workshops, Space]] || ||<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Sunday, June 26||Yoga Center || The Bike Cave || Sodatooth || Go 2 Danz || Library large room || Library small room || The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am|| [[#Managing expectations of a cooperative bike shop]] || || || [[#Weather? What weather? (summer)]] || [[#Confronting car culture]] || || <br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 1:00pm|| || || || || [[#Closing discussion - Bike!Bike! 2012]] || || <br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
<br />
= Schedule =<br />
<br />
== As published ==<br />
<br />
{|border="0" align="left" style="text-align:left;"<br />
!scope="row" width="20%" colspan="2"| Wednesday, June 22<br />
|-<br />
|1:00-6:00pm||Pick up a loaner bike (if you're staying the night in Austin) at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|2:00pm - 6:00pm||Open house at UT's Orange Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|6:00 -10:00pm||Open house at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|11:00pm||Open house at Movemint Bike Cab Co. Shop (1301 east 4th street) <br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Thursday, June 23<br />
|-<br />
|11:00am - 1:00pm||Pick up your loaner bike (if you've just arrived in Austin) at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|1:00pm||Group ride from Austin's Yellow Bike Project to San Marcos (there will be a truck to take your things to San Marcos)<br />
|-<br />
|12:00 - 8:00pm||Check-In at San Marcos Public Library ($25 - $45, pay what you can, nobody will be turned away for lack of funds. Pick up your loaner bike and housing arraignments)<br />
|-<br />
|2:00 - 8:00pm||Fix up your bike at The Bike Cave<br />
|-<br />
|7:00 - 8:00pm||Welcome / Speak up & speak out!<br />
|-<br />
|8:00pm - 10:00pm||Casual welcome dinner at City / Plaza Park with music by Mariachi Nueva Generacion<br />
|-<br />
|9:30pm||A screening of "Dudey Free Zone: Women's and Transgender Bike Spaces" plus other short bike-related films. At The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Friday, June 24<br />
|-<br />
|8:00am - 1:00pm||Check-In continued for those who get here late at The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|1:00 - 2:30pm||Lunch<br />
|-<br />
|2:30 - 4:00pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|8:00pm - 9:00pm||The future of Bike! Bike! - a discussion to figure out where we're heading, and how we're getting there. A preview of which project(s) are interested in hosting in 2012.<br />
|-<br />
|7:00pm - 10:30pm||Bike polo on top of Speck Street Parking Garage (there will be a group ride leaving from Rio Vista at 6:00pm)<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 -11:00pm||Concert at The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Saturday, June 25<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|1:00 - 2:30pm||Lunch<br />
|-<br />
|2:30 - 4:00pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|9:00pm - 12:00am||BIKE! RIDE! BIKE! RIDE!<br />
|-<br />
|12:00am - ???||Dance party<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Sunday, June 26<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30 - 11:00am||Workshops / final brainstorm<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 1:00pm||Closing meeting, Bike! Bike! 2012 discussion<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
<br />
= Workshops =<br />
== Green space tour ==<br />
A bike tour of San Marcos green spaces<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Acquiring a permanent space ==<br />
Acquiring a permanent space instead of renting, working with the city for land or a building, fund-raising and micro-loans<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Acro yoga ==<br />
Skillshare<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Analyzing work flows ==<br />
Analyzing work flows within a bike project: setting up committees and more effective follow-up. How to reduce "ball droppage". Held at 4:30 PM on Saturday, June 25, 2011, at the Community Yoga Center.<br />
<br />
Facilitated by Susan of [[Third Hand Bicycle Cooperative]] in Columbus, Ohio.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Often in collectives, everyone will be off doing their own thing. This can lead to some jobs being repeated and others falling through the cracks. To combat this, it's helpful to identify all the processes at work in the collective, whether they deal with inputs to the collective, actions within the shop, or outputs leaving the collective.<br />
<br />
Third Hand streamlined their procedures by identifying all of the processes involved in handling this inputs and outputs. The frequency and nature of each task was discussed, and jobs were fit together as appropriate. Collections of jobs are given to various task forces, each empowered to deal with their issue without approval from the Board or the overarching Collective and charged with developing the policies that guide the completion of those tasks. The identification of tasks alone took half a day.<br />
<br />
To deal with the problem of one volunteer doing all of one job and leaving the organization without institutional knowledge, it was suggested to pick a primary and secondary person responsible for getting the job done. Another method would be to assign jobs at the beginning of each month, so that tasks get spread around more widely. Neither approach means that the person assigned has to do the task; they may delegate the task, they're just responsible for making sure it happens.<br />
<br />
Those assigned a job should make a short report back at a general meeting as to their success or failure. This helps the group know that necessary work is being accomplished and provides an avenue for new volunteers to find work. Since it's nearly impossible to penalize volunteers, enforcement has to be kept positive. In the case of an incomplete job, the group should ask why the job was not finished, and whether there was sufficient support from the group. Any remediation can be simply done by a reconstituted task force given a mandate to fix the problems.<br />
<br />
In Third Hand's experience, some jobs like outreach and volunteer coordination are best considered as "alternative shifts" -- as crucial as a regular shift, but handled in a radically different way.<br />
<br />
==== Examples ====<br />
Sample inputs, from the workshop:<br />
* Mail<br />
* Phone calls<br />
* E-mail<br />
* Donations (cash or stuff)<br />
* Visitors<br />
* Packages and deliveries<br />
* Complaints<br />
* Volunteer labor<br />
<br />
Sample inside tasks:<br />
* Cleaning<br />
* Tool ordering<br />
* Inventory<br />
* Budgeting<br />
* Parts sorting<br />
* Scheduling<br />
* Tracking<br />
* Sales<br />
<br />
Sample outputs:<br />
* Bikes<br />
* Knowledge<br />
* Rent/utilities<br />
* Media<br />
* Mobile units<br />
* Volunteer appreciation<br />
* Newsletters/flyers<br />
* Mail and e-mail<br />
* Tax returns<br />
* Deposits<br />
<br />
Sample task forces:<br />
* Finances (Sales, Budgeting, Bill Payment)<br />
* Tool and parts orders<br />
* Community relations<br />
* Volunteer coordination<br />
* IT/Tech<br />
* Outreach<br />
* Conflict resolution<br />
<br />
Processes can be determined by looking at the inputs. For Mail, mail would be picked up and sorted to give to the appropriate group (finance, outreach, ordering, etc.), with a time frame of "every open shop". Third Hand spent half a day just identifying processes like these.<br />
<br />
==== Handling tasks ====<br />
After the processes are identified, task forces can be drawn up to handle them, and each task force can then draft the necessary policies to complete the tasks. <br />
<br />
Meetings help ensure tasks are done. Task forces can present whether they've kept up with their tasks and ask for additional help if necessary. Any resolution at one meeting should have a report back from the person responsible for the project at the next meeting. Also, if a new task comes up, it is possible to send it straight to a task force without bogging down the rest of the meeting. Routine items seem to be the best suited towards this task force method, as they are rarely out of consensus.<br />
<br />
Assigning a job exclusively to one volunteer can cause problems if that volunteer has to step aside for whatever reason. Two options to deal with this were to pick a primary and secondary contact for each job or to rotate each job frequently, so that skills and knowledge are more widely distributed within the group. A "bus test" was suggested; if a volunteer were hit by a bus tomorrow, would their tasks still get done? And if not, why not?<br />
<br />
Widespread knowledge can also help keep minutia of tasks to a minimum and prevent people from overspecializing or enforcing difficult job requirements on others.<br />
<br />
If a task slips through the cracks and remains undone, a new task force can be established specifically to fix the problem and catch up the organization.<br />
<br />
== Basics of the nonprofit sector and organizational form ==<br />
=== Details ===<br />
Held on Friday, June 24, at the [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|Bike Cave]].<br />
<br />
Facilitated by Charles from the [[Bloomington Community Bike Project]].<br />
<br />
Topics were determined by the participants at the beginning of the workshop and ran across a wide spectrum of general information on nonprofit management.<br />
<br />
=== General notes ===<br />
In 2006, the U.S. IRS published a rule requiring some sort of reporting as to an organization's status, even if it was just a postcard sent in. A number of small nonprofits lost their exemption for not following this rule.<br />
<br />
It is important to have a way to evaluate an organization's performance as it relates to its mission.<br />
<br />
Every organization needs a statutory agent -- someone who can sign for the organization and provides the IRS with "a throat to choke" if things go downhill.<br />
<br />
Meeting minutes have to be kept. Google Docs and a local wiki are both good resources, allowing necessary modifications. One organization had a lot of success keeping an internet-enabled computer in meetings, transcribing in realtime, and e-mailing the attendees immediately.<br />
<br />
Most states and regions have nonprofit resource centers and many libraries have nonprofit guides. Use them as best you can. If a resource provides facilitation training, it is usually worth it to send members. <br />
<br />
==== Fundraising opportunities ====<br />
Contract work can provide a good revenue source for a shop, but organizations must be careful that the contract closely matches the organization's priorities. It does little good to spend volunteer or paid staff time on special work that doesn't help the organization much. Grants can be a similar resource sink; the best grants are those that give you money for doing what you do. Always be prepared to walk away from a grant or a contract.<br />
<br />
When searching for grants, it helps to have a relationship with a grant writer. Be sure to look beyond bicycle-specific grants, too; a lot of bike collective work can fall under categories like sustainability, health, or ecology.<br />
<br />
==== Why to incorporate ====<br />
Small shops can skirt by without incorporation, but setting up a nonprofit brings a few major benefits.<br />
<br />
Incorporation makes it easier to get insurance and liability coverage, protecting volunteers in case of lawsuits. Incorporated nonprofits can also receive tax-deductible donations, avoid income taxes, and are in a better position to compete for grants and fundraising.<br />
<br />
==== Setup ====<br />
The constitution, bylaws, and policies were described as different facets of how to organize a nonprofit's structure.<br />
<br />
The ''constitution'' itself should be short -- little more than a mission statement and a prominent mention of the organization's tax exempt status.<br />
<br />
The ''bylaws'' should ratify the organization's best practices. As they are a legal document governing the organization, they should be concise and flexible and avoid dictating specific policies. Try to write in what should happen -- what the shop can do, what someone should expect when their come in, and so on, without saying how to accomplish those goals. Well-written bylaws also allow anyone reviewing them to see whether the organization is keeping true to its promises and offer an opportunity to change course if things go bad.<br />
<br />
All details about how to actually run the shop and organization belong in the ''policies and procedures''. <br />
<br />
==== [[Bicycle Kitchen (Los Angeles)|L.A. Bike Kitchen]] overview ====<br />
Arlen from the Los Angeles Bike Kitchen summarized how their organization is set up.<br />
<br />
The Bike Kitchen has three volunteer levels. Shadows graduate to volunteers once they've completed a general knowledge worksheet. Volunteers that work four shifts a month (about 12 hours) and do something extra special for the organization can then move up to "cook".<br />
<br />
There are four quarterly "cooks" meetings, run under supermajority consensus rules, utilizing an outside (and objective) facilitator. There is also one annual camp held with a paid outside facilitator. Board meetings are held monthly with a rotating facilitator chosen from the group.<br />
<br />
Day-to-day operations and policies are handled by "gruppos"; ad hoc autonomous committees with specific charters. These committees are not required to accept input from anyone else. Presumably, anyone with strong feelings on, for example, what tools to order, would sit on the ordering gruppo.<br />
<br />
Example gruppos:<br />
* Finance<br />
* Ordering<br />
* Operations (as related to bike projects)<br />
* "Smooth shifting" -- ergonomics and accessibility<br />
* Volunteer coordination<br />
* Neighbor relations<br />
* "Space exploration" -- researching a new shop location<br />
<br />
There was no built-in accountability measures; everything just worked.<br />
<br />
== Battlefield: Consensus ==<br />
Decision making - the good, the bad, and the ugly. A reprise of 2010's Battlefield: Consensus.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Bike 101 ==<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Bike touring ==<br />
What to take, how to pack, where to sleep and eat, and of course, where to go.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Classes, Workshops, Space ==<br />
Doing Meaningful Outreach with Communities in Your Neighborhood.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
<br />
'''How do you programs “translate” in your/near by communities?”'''<br />
<br />
<br />
How are you defining “Community”?<br />
<br />
How inclusive is your space? How Accessible?<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Lava Monsters of Death (these will hold you back, don’t let them!)'''<br />
<br />
<br />
Using excessive “they” “them” or “those people”<br />
<br />
Assuming people know what you know.<br />
<br />
Assuming people are intentionally (behaving/acting) being fucked up<br />
<br />
Confusing critiques/analysis of behaviour dynamics as vicious existential personal attacks of Doom against you, yes you! <br />
<br />
<br />
'''Success Stories of Workshops that help out reach to under privileged communities.'''<br />
<br />
Multi language bike mechanics, teach english or learn spanish at the same time as teaching bike mechanics, <br />
<br />
<br />
Get Doctors to prescribe bike riding, get them to send people to your collective.<br />
<br />
<br />
Organize group rides that tie in a neighborhood’s resources that are not well used, go to farmer’s markets, put baskets on bikes.<br />
<br />
<br />
Safe routes to schools has been successful in getting more kids to ride.<br />
<br />
<br />
Find teachers who are bike sympathetic.<br />
<br />
<br />
Canvas the neighborhood, knock door to door, flyer (tear offs work well), bring tools to fix flats, mobil bike repair!<br />
<br />
<br />
Get in contact with a neighborhood organization, they often don’t have websites, you can find them sometimes through the police department.<br />
<br />
<br />
Be wary of giving “big free give away!” if you don’t have enough, it can create a weird and tense atmosphere.<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Confronting car culture ==<br />
Dealing with dominant culture on a personal level and effecting cultural shift.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== How the City of San Marcos, Texas bicycle map was created ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Managing expectations of a cooperative bike shop ==<br />
How to manage expectations and orient new people quickly to the cooperative shop environment<br />
=== Details ===<br />
Held Sunday, June 25, 2011 at 9:30 AM at Community Yoga<br />
<br />
The facilitator did not arrive, so this was used as a general discussion instead.<br />
<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
There are many sets of expectations in each shop. Shops expect certain behaviors of volunteers, customers, and paid staff. People in the shop have expectations of the shop itself and what they will get out of it. Most of these expectations are not written down, meaning all persons in a shop have to negotiate certain expectations -- both the reasonable and the unreasonable. <br />
<br />
In most cases clear communication can create a reasonable and healthy set of expectations between a shop and the people within, helping the shop work much more smoothly. Specific shop policies are really just a way to write down those expectations as rules.<br />
<br />
==== Customers ====<br />
As it's possible for a shop (or its staff) to earn a bad reputation for not fulfilling false expectations, it's crucial to present what a shop does and does not do, to quash these false expectations.<br />
<br />
Misunderstandings about what the shop does can run the gamut; some shops have been heard to "give away new bikes", others to "fix your bike". These might have come by word of mouth from other shop users or from referring agency. The purpose and rules of a shop need to be clearly communicated to all users as soon as possible, via a short and concise elevator speech, handout card, or some other method. <br />
<br />
Not all customers will respond to the same mode of communication the same way, so it can be helpful to tailor one's elevator speech or rundown in order to make it more easily assimilated.<br />
<br />
==== Volunteers ====<br />
Not everyone volunteers for the same reasons, and if a volunteer job isn't fun, it's less likely to get done. All volunteers need to be integrated into the organization, whether they intend simply to wrench intermittently or try to find a place in the organization's structure. For both, it's important to get a volunteer to state their reasons for volunteering and why; including a volunteer "contract" in volunteer training may be an option, though of attendees, only the [[Bike Dump]] had experience with one and it did not work.<br />
<br />
The shop also has expectations of volunteers -- service commitments and the like -- that may not be understood by volunteers. In one example, the organization expected members of its governing body to step down when they started volunteering less frequently, while the volunteers expected to retain their position. A conflict like this could be prevented with established and enforced policies.<br />
<br />
lack of fulfillment of expectations can cause volunteers to drop out of circulation; a volunteer expecting to be on a leadership track and is denied advancement -- for whatever reason -- is likely to have a negative experience with the organization. <br />
<br />
==== Organization ====<br />
Since the organization can only act through its agents, it is important that the decisionmakers understand what the organization needs and expects from the people coming in. It should expect its decisionmakers to be nonideological and fair, that it has a corps of volunteers capable of handling its affairs autonomously and without interruption, and that its policies will be enforced equally. <br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
Ultimately, projecting positive expectations and sticking to them as consistently as possible will go a long way towards ensuring that everyone around an organization has their reasonable expectations met.<br />
<br />
When possible, write those expectations down, and make sure they are enforced and reinforced by everyone in the shop.<br />
<br />
== Integrating bikes into the university fabric ==<br />
Integrating bikes into the university fabric via student and staff collaboration<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
University of Texas loans bikes for 1 year. They charge the borrower for unreturned or damaged bikes and they are currently trying to get these fees put on students' records to ensure they are paid. In their case the university itself is liable for injury.<br />
<br />
Most shops however have no official ties or agreement with their university.<br />
<br />
==== How do you get along with for profit shops? ====<br />
Mixed reviews, some don't like having the competition while others will donate directly to the shop.<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
The organizers of this workshop had planned to give a formal presentation but instead just had an informal discussion. The discussion quickly went off topic, it was not moderated at all. It most likely would have been much more productive had the organizers stuck to their original plan.<br />
<br />
== Managing social rides to promote bicycling ==<br />
From fringe to mainstream: how social cycling can ... and make our cities better<br />
=== Details ===<br />
Held at 11:15 AM on Friday, June 24 at the Bike Cave.<br />
Elliott McFadden of [http://austinontwowheels.org/ Austin on Two Wheels] and Violet Crown Cycles started by describing his views of cycling promotion and two methods seen in Austin of directly working to get people riding bikes. After this, he answered questions in a general discussion format.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
==== Failures in bicycle promotion ====<br />
Elliot identified two somewhat conflicting methods of increasing cycling from the cycling industry and from political advocacy.<br />
* Industry: Bicycle sales in the U.S. have remained stagnant over since the 1970s, despite significant growth in population. To increase sales, the bicycle industry has focused on making bikes more niche -- selling new bikes to their existing market.<br />
* Advocacy: Advocates lobby decision makers for better infrastructure, but do so without growing a grassroots bicycle population or establishing cycling within the community.<br />
Until bicycling is seen as a normal community behavior, bicyclists will continue to be classified by convenient stereotypes, like the spandex/carbon weekend warrior, the hipster scofflaw, and the sanctimonious environmentalist.<br />
==== Strategy ====<br />
Defining "regime" as an interconnected group of businesses and leaders with a common world view, Elliott noted that the current regime is in favor of growing consumption and fossil fuel use. At the national level, this means the oil and auto industries. At the local level, it includes developers, auto dealers, and news entities, whose future profits depend on growth. Tellingly, 30% of all ad revenue for media entities comes from car companies.<br />
Regime change must then be the goal of a bicycle promoter. Find negative ways to describe the current regime (dirty, expensive, destructive, long travel times in cars) and positive ways to describe the desired regime (healthy, thrifty, sustainable, quality family time). Form partnerships with businesses and organizations that can benefit from a new regime.<br />
==== Social cycling ====<br />
To replace the negative stereotypes of bicyclists, it is important to develop an atmosphere that encourages riding by more members of the community. Bicycling should be made to be more comfortable -- no races, no work-outs, regular clothes, open to everyone. The joys of being out, riding with regular people, should be paramount. <br />
Commuting is often a big sell by industry and advocates; it allows shops to sell specialized "commuter" bicycles and advocates to focus on connecting routes, but as a sales point, it has two crippling problems: nobody likes to go to work, and most people go to work alone. Instead, social cycling should be a focus: just get many people together to ride bikes. Austin has two models that work in tandem: Social Cycling Austin and Austin on Two Wheels, an "affiliated business concept".<br />
===== Social Cycling Austin =====<br />
Social Cycling Austin is a volunteer production started two years ago as a free ride -- participants just show up for a weekly social ride, drawing 200-300 riders on average and as many as 500. It partners with local businesses, usually a bar or restaurant, and rides with traffic, not against it.<br />
This model is easy to start (it just requires two people) and its open structure makes it accessible to all. It doesn't have to be affiliated with any business, so it can work with and for everyone. Because of its loose nature, it's easy to change what doesn't work or even dismantle the ride. It doesn't need any investment to start up, as most organizing can be done through social networks and guerrilla marketing.<br />
Unfortunately, it also has no control over who shows up, making it difficult to deal with troublemakers and easy for the ride to grow beyond the capacity of the leaders or prevent the ride from being co-opted by other organizations. A focus on bars as a final destination also makes it easy for this sort of ride to turn into a "booze cruise", adding additional challenges to the organization and often depressing its ability to draw women riders. Additionally, it is easy for organizing volunteers to burn out and the undefined liability might cause problems in case of injury.<br />
===== Affiliated Business Concept =====<br />
In an affiliated business concept, the rides are run as a business, usually as smaller fee-based rides than as large-scale free-for-alls.<br />
Because a business controls the ride, it's possible to tailor rides for specific demographics; women, families, suburbanites, etc. It's also easier to get different business partners and variety in the ride -- restaurants may provide food and drink samples, galleries may partner for art rides, or retail establishments for shopping rides. A business is also better able to provide a clear line of liability in case of accident and maintain a paid staff of ride leaders and organizers to provide a higher level of service. Austin on Two Wheels, for example, capped rides at 50 participants and provided one ride leader for every ten people to watch over unlocked bikes and help keep rides safe.<br />
This concept also carries some challenges. Partners must be committed to growth; it can take 18-24 months for the concept to turn a sustainable profit and its longer-term viability has not been tested, though it may be a reasonable loss leader for a bike shop. It also limits partnerships to a single member of each sector; one bike shop, one newspaper, or one boutique. The clear line of liability also means that the operating business has insurance requirements to carry and will likely have to enforce helmet use.<br />
==== Discussion ====<br />
Both rides appeal to different people, but the demographics of the riders were mostly white, though unintentionally so. For the open social rides, this was because the ride started from one social circle and its business preferences. For the paid rides, this was because they were seeking sustainable income. Since bicycles seen as a lesser mode of transportation in impoverished communities and represent gentrification, it can be difficult to promote them, though groups like the Major Taylor Group are trying to increase African American ridership. Either way, more racially diverse ride leadership should help diversify rider participation.<br />
Other problems with social cycling rides were identified. It's easy for the ride's somewhat high turnover to give it over to more aggressive cycling, and efforts to rein it in can be paternalistic.<br />
Responses to paid rides were overwhelmingly positive. Of 300 participants, 60% were women, and every ride had a bicyclist that had not ridden at all in the past year. Of survey respondents, 85% loved the ride, 97% would do it again, and 84% were more likely to revisit the participating businesses. No complaints were received of the ride being too fast, and the complaints of 1/3 of the respondents that the ride was too slow were dismissed. As for distance, the longest single ride was 10 miles and the longest single stretch was five miles, but most rides were just a few miles in stretches of two miles or less at a 10-12 mph pace. <br />
The high ratio of leaders to participants of the paid rides helped keep them very well organized. Walkie-talkies were given to the front and back leaders and other riders would circulate through the ride, keeping riders lined up, directing traffic at intersections, and encouraging the ride to behave well in regards to other users. It helped that the Austin Police Department was non-reactionary, so there was no backlash from law enforcement.<br />
Paid rides started with an intro of the leaders and the participants signing of a waiver stating they knew the rules of the road and agreed to follow ride leader instructions.<br />
Marketing was done through their own website, and partnering businesses were encouraged to do their own promotion as well. It was emphasized that time, rather than distance, was mentioned in all promotions. Though a six mile ride would take about 30 minutes, 30 minutes seemed like an easier ride than six miles. Ride classifications were right out; letter-assignments mean nothing to the new riders being targeted.<br />
Hurting businesses were suggested as rich prospects, as a few dozen potential customers can be enticing. Visits to any business should be during slow hours, though, to minimize disruption to regular services and provide customers when the business would be otherwise idle -- restaurants on Saturday afternoons are a good example. <br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Mobile Repair Clinic ==<br />
Held at 9:30 AM on Friday, June 24, at Sodatooth art gallery. Operating a mobile on-the-go repair clinic through the city and community organizations.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
The original facilitator did not show up for this workshop but the intent was fairly self evident by the name of the workshop. It was begun with a go-around and then by asking the question 'who currently operates a mobile repair unit?'<br />
The [[Bike Cage]] from Winnipeg told us that they began as a purely mobile shop until they had enough resources and a space to operate from a permanent location. The [[Bike Root]] from Calgary told us that the opposite was true for them, they began with a full shop but after losing their space, kept operations going by setting up in various locations on their campus and around town.<br />
==== To fix or not? Where do you draw the line? ====<br />
There were various answers to this question, some shops will only fix flats and minor brake and gear issues. Others were willing to fix anything as long as the tools were available. Arguments for the former included<br />
* lack of proper tools<br />
* lack of more advanced tools or replacement parts in case anything went wrong<br />
* lack of knowledge / trust in the knowledge of some casual volunteers that might attend a mobile repair clinic<br />
* some provide more hand on repair for mobile units to decrease liability in case a bike owner injures themselves but providing more complicated repairs ourselves increases liability in case the owner injures themselves on their bike afterwards.<br />
and for the latter:<br />
* We should do our best to get more bikes fixed and on the road<br />
* We're confident in our skills<br />
* The worst thing that might happen is that a bike that wasn't on the road is now still not on the road<br />
* We make bike owners fix their bikes themselves so we are not liable<br />
==== Other services ====<br />
In addition to offering minor repairs, the Bike Cage's mobile unit doubles as a bike valet service. There was no elaboration on how the system works.<br />
==== Getting the message across that a mobile tune tent is not a fully functioning tent ====<br />
It seemed to be a common problem that when individuals in the community would hear about a free tune-up possibility, they would often bring in bikes that need repairs far beyond what could be done at a tune tent. It was suggested to avoid this, advertise as "light bike repair".<br />
==== Who holds the tools? ====<br />
We had a discussion about if the volunteer should fix the bike for the owner or provide the owner with the tools and teach how to fix the bike hands-off. Whether or not tools were handed to the bike owner, teaching at least by the volunteer explaining what he or she was doing seemed to be the norm. The issues behind whether or not to let the owner fix the bike seemed to be liability dependent on both sides. If the volunteer fixes the bike, the shop becomes liable if the bike causes injury down the road while normally the bike owner has not signed a liability waiver to use the tools, so the shop could be liable if they hurt themselves while repairing their bike.<br />
==== Ride or drive? ====<br />
We had a discussion on whether or not to drive the equipment to the location or use a trailer. No one seemed to be passionate for either but there are a lot of options out there for trailers big and small. [[Fargo Moorhead Community Bicycle Workshop|Fargo]] rides with a huge 4x6 trailer.<br />
==== Off topic discussion ====<br />
The conversation went off topic many times but did produce a few interesting ideas:<br />
* [[The Orioles Bike Cage|Winnipeg]] uses a punch card, much like one you would find a a coffee shop or fast food location, to punch out skills that a volunteer has learned. Once the card is completely punched the volunteer can start fixing bikes for others.<br />
* While discussing how to get enough replacement parts, another bike shop told us they provide local bike shops with barrels which the shops can use to put parts that are still usable but would otherwise throw away. The barrels would be picked up and emptied at regular intervals. This shop did not have a problem finding parts when needed as a result.<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Please be kind to cyclists ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Recycled bike art ==<br />
Turning garbage into gold.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
<br />
[[File:Bike Craft - Tube Shoe Laces.pdf|200px|thumb|left|alt text]]<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Software developers exchange ==<br />
Projects being worked on, have worked on, or areas they (you) are interested / skilled in.<br />
<br />
Held Saturday, June 25, at 2:30 PM at the San Marcos Public Library.<br />
<br />
Facilitated by [[User:Godwin|Godwin]] of [[The Bike Root]] in Calgary.<br />
<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Participants briefly described their technical experience, specifically any coding projects and languages they've used. A few participants were experienced programmers; most were interested in learning or helping a project in other ways like documentation and testing.<br />
[[Austin Yellow Bike Project]]'s tracking code was discussed and briefly compared to the [[Bike Kitchen (San Francisco, CA, USA)|San Francisco Bicycle Kitchen]]'s Freehub software.<br />
<br />
The Yellow Bike Project released their code for public use, and it was noted that SLC had already made a Joomla plugin. The YBP software was also demonstrated live at the workshop.<br />
<br />
Steve of [[Fargo Moorhead Community Bicycle Workshop|Fargo]] and Godwin were (or soon will be) working on independent applications, but the general consensus coalesced around a few ideals.<br />
<br />
Any software development push should be oriented towards a web-based solution for the greatest ease in rolling out across various platforms, though it would make it more difficult to install as a software package and could lead to data security and access problems if provided as a hosting service, as SFBK does with Freehub. Additionally, this software should start with one shop in order to develop one full set of features. All features should be written as plugins to a basic core, allowing features to be added as required by various shops.<br />
Yellow Bike Project's software may make a suitable core for such a push.<br />
<br />
A general wishlist was hashed out, in no particular order:<br />
* Work-trade management<br />
* Granular volunteer time tracking<br />
* Varied reporting options<br />
* Donation tracking<br />
* Bike and inventory tracking (including completion of projects)<br />
* Visitor tracking<br />
* Communications options (e-mail lists, contacting expiring memberships)<br />
* Sales tracking (though not point-of-sale)<br />
* Volunteer skill tracking<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
[[Godwin]] will direct a new open source project starting in September 2011. The system will be modular so that individual plugins can be added or modified as needed to ensure that collectives don't have to modify the way they do things simply because the software does not conform to their model.<br />
<br />
== Teaching & learning styles ==<br />
Teaching & learning styles in community bike shops; a discussion about different approaches, what works and what doesn't work as well<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== The future of Bike! Bike! ==<br />
Where are we going and how are we going to get there? Also, a quick (but no-decisions-made) discussion about where Bike! Bike! will be held in 2012 (that will be decided during the final meeting on Sunday, June 26).<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Utilizing free open-source software ==<br />
Operating systems and work documents to benefit your project.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Despite "charity" pricing for software packages from major publishers like Microsoft and Adobe, some software is priced beyond the range of a co-operative's budget, or would be used to infrequently as to make a purchase pointless.<br />
Fortunately, the open source community has responded with a number of free replacements for major software, including for the operating system itself. Most of these packages can be found in [[Computer Resources]].<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Volunteer orientation ==<br />
Addressing safe space concerns, and a conversation about empowering and maintaining a committed volunteer base<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
<br />
The Volunteer workshop was hosted by Alex from [[Plan B]] in New Orleans. Among the discussed strategies for integrating new volunteers into a coop/collective were shadowing, which is a form of watching and learning, and checklists of shop skills. The purpose of a checklist is to provide structure for learning bike maintenance as well as how a particular shop runs. <br />
<br />
The [[Bicycle Kitchen (Los Angeles)]] has a one page fold-up booklet designed for this purpose that is pretty damn nifty. They also include extra curricular activities for new volunteers, and once a booklet is completed that volunteer is asked to be a cook. Volunteers are under the iron-fisted dominion of a volunteer coordinator who answers emails and manages a shadow list. In some shops a volunteer coordinator is a paid position or managed by a subcommittee. <br />
<br />
==== Volunteers and Encouragement ====<br />
<br />
Four out of five bike coop volunteers agree that encouragement is necessary to keep on new volunteers. Some shops have monthly orientations in order to introduce newcomers to the shop and the ideas behind it, general behaviors, a mission statement, run through different situations, and at times gender dynamics are incorporated. Other ballin' forms of encouragement are retreats like camping or bike rides as well as games and skits. <br />
<br />
Social events are a good form of initiation and build community. [[Bicycle Kitchen (Los Angeles)]] has volunteer only shop hours and the [[Bikerowave]], also in LA, is required by law to have at least four parties a year. Parties and social get togethers are also pretty awesome because free food is a volunteer magnet. Often breweries or certain restaurants are enthusiastic to donate to these types of events.<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Weather? What weather? (summer) ==<br />
How you and your bike can survive the heat<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Weather? What weather? (winter) ==<br />
How you and your bike can survive the cold<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Women and Transgender shop hours ==<br />
Policies, Politics, Allies<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working in under-privileged communities ==<br />
Working in under-privileged communities: challenges and opportunities<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Facilitators:<br />
<br />
[[Bike Kitchen]]/[[La Bici Digna]] (Arlen) and [[Bikerowave]]/[[Bici Libre]] (Bobby):<br />
<br />
<br />
Keep your eyes on the prize (don’t forget why you’re doing this, don’t let your limitations stop you)<br />
<br />
<br />
Dynamics in work space an issue, (shop isn’t located in the right place) <br />
<br />
-try mobile workshop?<br />
La Bici Digna started with a mobil work shop at the day labor center working with City of Lights. <br />
<br />
<br />
Low community buyin? <br />
<br />
-try partnering w/ another organization that organizes in “that” community. (try contacting a country’s embassy to let them know you exist, find out what communities you want to encourage and talk to the leaders in that community) <br />
<br />
<br />
Not enough Resources?<br />
<br />
-try seeing groups that are stoked, already active.<br />
<br />
<br />
Chill out. Be Patient (It takes time to build up trust and awareness of your resource.)<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Stories:'''<br />
<br />
Bici Libre got a free space to house abandoned bikes. They seek to provide a space where people can learn job skills and leadership skills. They have a list of activities that can be done by non-bike mechanic volunteers. Group jobs such as cleaning parts or cutting tubes can be really good for some cultures who will enjoy the communal experience. It’s important to talk to the poeple you are trying to engage to ask them what they want to contribute, or what they want to get out of it.<br />
<br />
<br />
Sometimes the way we think the bicycle collective “should” run is not the way some under privileged communities want to run their own. Often, people will want to start a for-profit shop. It’s important to not get stuck in your ideas, to learn also how to communicate in another person’s language. You can use the terms they know, even if it’s the “wrong” term, whats important is that you both get on the same page. There’s a reason you are trying to engage a different dynamic in the bike shop, you should be willing to learn from new people, not just try to tell them what/how to do. <br />
<br />
<br />
'''Multi lingual bike diagram:'''<br />
<br />
La Bici Digna had a poster of a bike with lines to all the parts. They asked their participant to write on posted notes the names of the parts of the bike that they knew. With all the many dialects present, the digram ended up having four names for nearly every part. <br />
<br />
<br />
Denver’s [[The Bike Depot]] works with [Big Brother] and [Big Sister]. They are then able to pay for kids to volunteer.<br />
<br />
<br />
Lots of collectives have earn a bike programs, or free bikes to people on welfare.<br />
<br />
<br />
One collective got a high school student credit for volunteering at the shop.<br />
<br />
Another works directly with Refugee camps.<br />
<br />
<br />
'''How do you deal with theft?''' - Story from the [[Bike Kitchen]]<br />
<br />
The bike kitchen experienced a wave of theft. Bikes were being stolen right out side the shop, and also, many 15mm wrenches and other tools which might assist in bicycle theft. At first they were completely worried and frustrated that they were possibly assisting in that theft. But what they hadn’t expected was that this wave of bicycle theft resulted in the creation of a bike scene in the surrounding neighborhoods. The exact people who they were trying to get into the shop, trying to foster interest in the bicycle as a mode of transportation, started riding bikes. “It just wasn’t on our terms.” - Arlen ([[Bike Kitchen]]/[[La Bici Digna]])<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Workshop continues in [[#Classes, Workshops, Space]]<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working Together ==<br />
Increasing Inter-Organization Collaboration. The intention of this workshop was to talk about all of the ways in which we as bicycle collectives of different sorts who run our services in many different ways, can share our experiences, successes, failures, and tangible output in order to help other collectives both start and continue to thrive.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
[[User:Godwin|Godwin]] directed this workshop while [[Bob Wolfe]] facilitated in providing a speakers list. A large sheet of paper was used to help keep visible notes, at the end of the discussion the notes were the following:<br />
* '''Current Tools'''<br />
** [[BOOP]]<br />
** [http://www.bikebike.org/ Bike!Bike!]<br />
** Think Tank e-mail list (sign up on Bike Collectives website)<br />
** [http://www.bikecollectives.org/ Bike Collectives Network]<br />
** [[Main Page|Bike Collectives Wiki]]<br />
** Various collaborative tools such as our Google Docs list of organizations and Google Maps visualization of orgs across North America<br />
* '''What we need these tools for'''<br />
** Learn how to start a collective<br />
** Learn how to continue running a collective<br />
** Find example documents<br />
*** Volunteer Privileges<br />
*** Todo for new volunteers<br />
*** Financials<br />
*** Fliers<br />
*** Curricula<br />
*** Manuals<br />
*** 501c and not-for-profit forms<br />
*** Tool lists<br />
*** Inventory<br />
*** Price guide<br />
*** Mission statement<br />
*** Bylaws<br />
*** Safe space<br />
*** Legal documents<br />
*** Letters for grant writing<br />
** Find out how other organizations run their various programmes<br />
** Partner with other organizations<br />
* '''Brainstorming Ideas which could help'''<br />
** A Bike!Bike! Wiki<br />
** Have more involved wiki moderators who will make suggestions for improvements<br />
** News feed on wiki<br />
** Email individuals to improve pages<br />
** New list-serve other than the [[Think Tank]] which can be used for these emails<br />
** More list-serves for different purposes<br />
** Online Forums<br />
** Request documents, pages, and improvements once a year or at other regular intervals<br />
** Rid the wiki of closed shops<br />
** RSS feeds on the wiki<br />
** Separate blog or paper news<br />
** Paypal donations on [[BCN]] or the wiki<br />
** An umbrella or 'helping hand' organization<br />
** A seed fund<br />
** Micro Loans for starting up shops<br />
** A no-reply list-serve<br />
* An 'umbrella' organization goes against many principles that are held by most shops however a 'helping hand' organization that acts as a third party to facilitate to spread of knowledge and possibly funds would likely not.<br />
* To improve the wiki it will take some active moderating and contacting of individuals.<br />
* The wiki is difficult to navigate so it should be reorganized<br />
* Bikecollectives.org is not serving any other purpose other than providing the wiki.<br />
* The [[Think Tank]] is too much for many to handle, there are too many emails about things that many don't care about.<br />
* Godwin promised to contact the current owners of bikecollectives.org to see if improvements could be made.<br />
* Adding increased moderation of the wiki will be looked into<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working with relationships ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Closing discussion - Bike!Bike! 2012 ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Around 40 attendees participated in the closing discussion on Sunday, June 26, at 11:00 AM at the San Marcos Public Library.<br />
<br />
====Suggestions====<br />
The discussion started with some suggestions on improving the flow of the conference. The lack of an evening discussion group would have made it easier to decompress from each days' activities. Missing facilitators were a notable occurrence, though most or all workshops turned into group discussions anyway. More proactive scheduling and announcements would have helped attendees better figure out what workshops were coming up and where to find them; posting official schedules at each location and on a Google calendar (for those with omnipresent network connections) and making lunchtime announcements might have worked well.<br />
<br />
The loaner bikes from San Marcos, Yellow Bike Project, and Orange Bike Project were all handled really well, and the inaugural bike ride from Austin to San Marcos was an awesome way to break the ice and establish some camaraderie. The position and timing of locations was perfect; an attendee could roam across town relatively quickly but still make it with plenty of time to spare. The recommendation of cool-down spots was also very welcome, and the maps were helpful.<br />
<br />
As a host city, San Marcos was superb. The small town atmosphere was incredible. The community was quick to give support and very accepting and welcoming of the attendees.<br />
<br />
==== Matt's thoughts ====<br />
As the primary organizer, Matt of the San Marcos Bike Project was asked how he thought the event came together. Speaking honestly, he thought it was terrible. From his perspective, the workshops sort of took care of themselves. Though he'd been working on Bike!Bike! for eight months, 90% of the actual work was done in the last week.<br />
<br />
If he was doing it over again, he would have kept better records, including more centralized documents. Nothing that people do things when they're asked to, he would have done a lot more delegating. All in all, he spent about two hours a day working on it, but should have spent three.<br />
<br />
70 people from out-of-town registered.<br />
<br />
==== Other comments ====<br />
All in all, the number of attendees seemed manageable -- not too many, not too few -- but there could have been more outreach to other groups. Regional Bike!Bike!s were identified as a double-edged sword; they made it easier for people to access them and were far more intimate affairs, but they also depress turnout at The Bike!Bike!. A big Bike!Bike! can have a big impact, and it may be worthwhile to maximize that impact.<br />
<br />
Though San Marcos was an excellent host city, it was noted that small-market airports tend to be more expensive to fly into and out of, putting up a barrier to some smaller organizations. As San Marcos was not a "destination" in its own right, it was still a positive experience; few attendees would have gone to San Marcos on their own, but it showed that these events can have a different kind of draw and community impact.<br />
<br />
==== Bike!Bike! 2012 bids ====<br />
===== Sacramento =====<br />
The Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen opened the bids for 2012. Noting that they've been operating for five years and moved into a stable and large space three years ago, they're reaching a maturity point as a collective. They have incredible community support for their special events.<br />
<br />
As a city, Sacramento is committed to earning Gold status as a Bicycle Friendly Community, and Bike!Bike! would dovetail nicely with an indie bike cred fed by community initiatives to build a velodrome and bring the 2012 North American Handmade Bicycle Show and a 2012 bike polo tournament to town. And though it's trying for Gold status, the city leadership doesn't seem yet to know how to "do" bicycling, so Bike!Bike! could help provide even more guidance.<br />
<br />
In terms of geography, Sacramento is easy to navigate, sits on major east-west and north-south rail lines, and is exceptionally flat. The bicycle friendly town of Davis is nearby, and the Davis Bike Collective just hosted a regional conference and could be tapped for support as Austin groups helped San Marcos.<br />
<br />
Because of the desire to amplify their bicycle events, Sacramento would likely not bid for Bike!Bike! in the near future.<br />
<br />
===== Los Angeles =====<br />
The Bicycle Kitchen explicitly did not want to vie for 2012, but wanted to throw its hat in the ring now for 2013 or 2014.<br />
<br />
The Kitchen has been open for seven years, and in those seven years, 11 other co-ops have started, likely to be 15 by 2013. The city has recently started its Ciclovia program, closing down seven miles of roadways to car traffic and letting real people take the streets. It's also a hip town, with a bicycle demolition derby in June and as many as 1,000 riders on a social ride on any given night.<br />
<br />
The (admitted) goal in L.A. hosting is to break down some stereotypes of L.A. and show off the amazing things the region has been doing recently.<br />
<br />
===== Columbus =====<br />
Third Hand presented an argument for Columbus. There was an overarching silence in at the end of Bike!Bike! Toronto regarding Columbus' bid, and in that time, a second bike co-operative has opened in the Ohio city. Citing Columbus' status as a community on the edge of bike greatness and its large university, hosting a Bike!Bike! could help galvanize its cycle culture. The city sent three representatives to the conference this year, and has other cities (Cincinnati and Cleveland) nearby that it can draw on for resources. As a host city, Columbus would also be a step up from San Marcos in terms of size, and while June is a difficult month for co-ops, there is a big music festival in September that could be glommed onto.<br />
<br />
Third Hand's space is also adjacent to a collective fabrication and workshop space, opening up options to facilitate hands-on creation, welding, screen-printing, and other creative arts. <br />
<br />
Columbus strongly feels it is ready for a Bike!Bike! and may host a regional conference if their bid fails.<br />
<br />
===== Digression =====<br />
At this point, a few participants spoke up to reiterate that the decision on where to send Bike!Bike! in 2012 should revolve around the city's infrastructure, feasibility of transportation for participants, and the need of a region (not just one city) to feel he impact of Bike!Bike!. Bike!Bike! exists for information exchange, support, and outreach. A city's status as a nice vacation destination shouldn't give it a leg up or hold it down in vying for the conference.<br />
<br />
===== Vancouver =====<br />
In addition to a co-op on its university grounds, Vancouver's paid-staff-run shop operates out of two spaces. Vancouver itself is quite bike-friendly, with good infrastructure, plenty of bike organizing, a strong sport cycling culture, a bid for a new bike share program, mountains for trial riding, and natural barriers to the growth of the city. June, 2012 will also see a VeloCity commercial and planning conference, providing a unique opportunity to line up grassroots bicycle action against more corporate channels. Victoria, BC, and Bellingham, WA, are also close by for support.<br />
<br />
As a special consideration, the Pacific Northwest has never seen a Bike!Bike! -- the closest to the region was the San Francisco conference.<br />
<br />
===== Discussion =====<br />
While Canadian representation at Bike!Bike! was significant, there were concerns that holding the conference two of three years in a Canadian city might put an undue burden on the majority American contingent.<br />
<br />
Additionally, one hope with San Marcos was to bring in Mexican groups and bike collectives, but that did not materialize. On the plus side, most participants felt that Bike!Bike! made a tremendous impact in San Marcos, and the community was pleased with the respect and care Bike!Bike! attendees treated the public spaces used. Middle America could benefit greatly from this sort of experience.<br />
<br />
===== Winnipeg =====<br />
Like Los Angeles, Winnipeg was hoping to start vying for hosting Bike!Bike! in 2013. The city has grown by leaps and bounds and currently boasts eight bike co-ops and various school shops. Despite its weather, it has become a cycling community, though because it is a generally low-income place, bicycles are seen as functional, not fashionable, though many elements of a strong cycle culture exist there: a ciclovia, bike polo, tall bike groups, and so on.<br />
<br />
===== Discussion =====<br />
Bike!Bike! locations have tried to move regionally -- north and south as well as from coast to coast. Sacramento and Vancouver benefit from the fact that the conference has not been further west than San Marcos in four years, even though coastal states are seeing an immense bicycle growth -- L.A. doesn't even need Bike!Bike!, but ''wants'' it.<br />
<br />
There were some concerns about how well Bike!Bike! and VeloCity could co-exist if held simultaneously. On the plus side, it could force a conversation between two different bike cultures, but a large corporate-sponsored event could easily sideline Bike!Bike!.<br />
<br />
Columbus' suggestion to hold Bike!Bike! in September could backfire; it would make attendance extremely difficult for most students. There was also some concern that two smallish host cities in a row could depress attendance and cause Bike!Bike! to lose traction going forward. <br />
<br />
Bike!Bike!'s effectiveness as an outreach tool was called into question. While there was interaction with locals, most of the conversations and discussions were held with fellow participants. This, however, does help re-energize volunteers to work in their own shops and communities. The outreach opportunities with Bike!Bike! are usually accidental or incidental as people read about and watch the conference. The organizing for Bike!Bike! and the impact it has is usually best seen long after the conference has disbanded. Columbus and Sacramento could both benefit from that push.<br />
<br />
In terms of geographic priorities, it was noted that the conference is in the South now and hosted by a small city, so preference should be given to a large Northern city. Attendees also seemed to enjoy the idea of connecting scruffy bike punks to besuited planners that a simultaneous VeloCity-Bike!Bike! schedule could entail.<br />
<br />
The Bicycle Kitchen recommended holding a straw poll to get initial preferences among attendees for the various cities. All bids had a willingness and the ability to host Bike!Bike!, so the decision should come down to what the participants were looking for in the next Bike!Bike!. After that, the bidding cities should meet separately to hash out between them who would host, as happened at the end of Bike!Bike! 2010.<br />
<br />
===== Results =====<br />
After a long discussion period, Vancouver was announced as the host city for Bike!Bike! 2012.<br />
<br />
= Contact =<br />
* [[Bike!Bike!]] website: http://www.bikebike.org<br />
* [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|The Bike Cave]]'s website: http://thebikecave.org<br />
* Email: [mailto:bikebike2011@gmail.com bikebike2011@gmail.com]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Bike!Bike!]]</div>Sharperhttps://wiki2.bikelover.org/wiki/index.php?title=Bike!Bike!_2011&diff=11398Bike!Bike! 20112011-07-22T20:17:15Z<p>Sharper: /* Closing discussion - Bike!Bike! 2012 */</p>
<hr />
<div>'''Bike!Bike! 2011''' was held in San Marcos, Texas; hosted by [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|The Bike Cave]] and [[The San Marcos Community Bike Project]]. It took place from June 23-26th, 2011.[[File:bikebikebike2a.jpg|thumb]]<br />
<br />
<br />
== Workshops schedule ==<br />
<br />
{|border="1" align="left" style="text-align:left; border: 1px solid Black;" width="100%"<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Friday, June 24||Yoga Center || The Bike Cave || Sodatooth || Go 2 Danz || Library large room || Library small room || The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am|| || [[#Acquiring a permanent space]] || [[#Mobile Repair Clinic]] || || || ||<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm|| || [[#Managing social rides to promote bicycling]] || || [[#Bike touring]] || || ||<br />
|-<br />
|2:30pm - 4:00pm||[[#Teaching & learning styles]] || [[#Integrating bikes into the university fabric]] || || [[#Working in under-privileged communities]] || || ||<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm|| ||[[#Basics of the nonprofit sector and organizational form]] || || [[#Women and Transgender shop hours]] || || ||<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Saturday, June 25||Yoga Center || The Bike Cave || Sodatooth || Go 2 Danz || Library large room || Library small room || The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am|| || [[#Bike 101]]|| [[#Volunteer orientation]] || [[#Acro yoga]] || || || [[#Green space tour]]<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm|| || [[#Working with relationships]] || || [[#Working Together]] || || [[#Utilizing free open-source software]] ||<br />
|-<br />
|2:30pm - 4:00pm|| [[#Battlefield: Consensus]] || || || [[#Weather? What weather? (winter)]] || [[#Software developers exchange]] || [[#Please be kind to cyclists]] ||<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm|| [[#Analyzing work flows]] || [[#Recycled bike art]] || || || [[#Classes, Workshops, Space]] || ||<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Sunday, June 26||Yoga Center || The Bike Cave || Sodatooth || Go 2 Danz || Library large room || Library small room || The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am|| [[#Managing expectations of a cooperative bike shop]] || || || [[#Weather? What weather? (summer)]] || [[#Confronting car culture]] || || <br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 1:00pm|| || || || || [[#Closing discussion - Bike!Bike! 2012]] || || <br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
<br />
= Schedule =<br />
<br />
== As published ==<br />
<br />
{|border="0" align="left" style="text-align:left;"<br />
!scope="row" width="20%" colspan="2"| Wednesday, June 22<br />
|-<br />
|1:00-6:00pm||Pick up a loaner bike (if you're staying the night in Austin) at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|2:00pm - 6:00pm||Open house at UT's Orange Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|6:00 -10:00pm||Open house at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|11:00pm||Open house at Movemint Bike Cab Co. Shop (1301 east 4th street) <br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Thursday, June 23<br />
|-<br />
|11:00am - 1:00pm||Pick up your loaner bike (if you've just arrived in Austin) at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|1:00pm||Group ride from Austin's Yellow Bike Project to San Marcos (there will be a truck to take your things to San Marcos)<br />
|-<br />
|12:00 - 8:00pm||Check-In at San Marcos Public Library ($25 - $45, pay what you can, nobody will be turned away for lack of funds. Pick up your loaner bike and housing arraignments)<br />
|-<br />
|2:00 - 8:00pm||Fix up your bike at The Bike Cave<br />
|-<br />
|7:00 - 8:00pm||Welcome / Speak up & speak out!<br />
|-<br />
|8:00pm - 10:00pm||Casual welcome dinner at City / Plaza Park with music by Mariachi Nueva Generacion<br />
|-<br />
|9:30pm||A screening of "Dudey Free Zone: Women's and Transgender Bike Spaces" plus other short bike-related films. At The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Friday, June 24<br />
|-<br />
|8:00am - 1:00pm||Check-In continued for those who get here late at The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|1:00 - 2:30pm||Lunch<br />
|-<br />
|2:30 - 4:00pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|8:00pm - 9:00pm||The future of Bike! Bike! - a discussion to figure out where we're heading, and how we're getting there. A preview of which project(s) are interested in hosting in 2012.<br />
|-<br />
|7:00pm - 10:30pm||Bike polo on top of Speck Street Parking Garage (there will be a group ride leaving from Rio Vista at 6:00pm)<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 -11:00pm||Concert at The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Saturday, June 25<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|1:00 - 2:30pm||Lunch<br />
|-<br />
|2:30 - 4:00pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|9:00pm - 12:00am||BIKE! RIDE! BIKE! RIDE!<br />
|-<br />
|12:00am - ???||Dance party<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Sunday, June 26<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30 - 11:00am||Workshops / final brainstorm<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 1:00pm||Closing meeting, Bike! Bike! 2012 discussion<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
<br />
= Workshops =<br />
== Green space tour ==<br />
A bike tour of San Marcos green spaces<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Acquiring a permanent space ==<br />
Acquiring a permanent space instead of renting, working with the city for land or a building, fund-raising and micro-loans<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Acro yoga ==<br />
Skillshare<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Analyzing work flows ==<br />
Analyzing work flows within a bike project: setting up committees and more effective follow-up. How to reduce "ball droppage". Held at 4:30 PM on Saturday, June 25, 2011, at the Community Yoga Center.<br />
<br />
Facilitated by Susan of [[Third Hand Bicycle Cooperative]] in Columbus, Ohio.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Often in collectives, everyone will be off doing their own thing. This can lead to some jobs being repeated and others falling through the cracks. To combat this, it's helpful to identify all the processes at work in the collective, whether they deal with inputs to the collective, actions within the shop, or outputs leaving the collective.<br />
<br />
Third Hand streamlined their procedures by identifying all of the processes involved in handling this inputs and outputs. The frequency and nature of each task was discussed, and jobs were fit together as appropriate. Collections of jobs are given to various task forces, each empowered to deal with their issue without approval from the Board or the overarching Collective and charged with developing the policies that guide the completion of those tasks. The identification of tasks alone took half a day.<br />
<br />
To deal with the problem of one volunteer doing all of one job and leaving the organization without institutional knowledge, it was suggested to pick a primary and secondary person responsible for getting the job done. Another method would be to assign jobs at the beginning of each month, so that tasks get spread around more widely. Neither approach means that the person assigned has to do the task; they may delegate the task, they're just responsible for making sure it happens.<br />
<br />
Those assigned a job should make a short report back at a general meeting as to their success or failure. This helps the group know that necessary work is being accomplished and provides an avenue for new volunteers to find work. Since it's nearly impossible to penalize volunteers, enforcement has to be kept positive. In the case of an incomplete job, the group should ask why the job was not finished, and whether there was sufficient support from the group. Any remediation can be simply done by a reconstituted task force given a mandate to fix the problems.<br />
<br />
In Third Hand's experience, some jobs like outreach and volunteer coordination are best considered as "alternative shifts" -- as crucial as a regular shift, but handled in a radically different way.<br />
<br />
==== Examples ====<br />
Sample inputs, from the workshop:<br />
* Mail<br />
* Phone calls<br />
* E-mail<br />
* Donations (cash or stuff)<br />
* Visitors<br />
* Packages and deliveries<br />
* Complaints<br />
* Volunteer labor<br />
<br />
Sample inside tasks:<br />
* Cleaning<br />
* Tool ordering<br />
* Inventory<br />
* Budgeting<br />
* Parts sorting<br />
* Scheduling<br />
* Tracking<br />
* Sales<br />
<br />
Sample outputs:<br />
* Bikes<br />
* Knowledge<br />
* Rent/utilities<br />
* Media<br />
* Mobile units<br />
* Volunteer appreciation<br />
* Newsletters/flyers<br />
* Mail and e-mail<br />
* Tax returns<br />
* Deposits<br />
<br />
Sample task forces:<br />
* Finances (Sales, Budgeting, Bill Payment)<br />
* Tool and parts orders<br />
* Community relations<br />
* Volunteer coordination<br />
* IT/Tech<br />
* Outreach<br />
* Conflict resolution<br />
<br />
Processes can be determined by looking at the inputs. For Mail, mail would be picked up and sorted to give to the appropriate group (finance, outreach, ordering, etc.), with a time frame of "every open shop". Third Hand spent half a day just identifying processes like these.<br />
<br />
==== Handling tasks ====<br />
After the processes are identified, task forces can be drawn up to handle them, and each task force can then draft the necessary policies to complete the tasks. <br />
<br />
Meetings help ensure tasks are done. Task forces can present whether they've kept up with their tasks and ask for additional help if necessary. Any resolution at one meeting should have a report back from the person responsible for the project at the next meeting. Also, if a new task comes up, it is possible to send it straight to a task force without bogging down the rest of the meeting. Routine items seem to be the best suited towards this task force method, as they are rarely out of consensus.<br />
<br />
Assigning a job exclusively to one volunteer can cause problems if that volunteer has to step aside for whatever reason. Two options to deal with this were to pick a primary and secondary contact for each job or to rotate each job frequently, so that skills and knowledge are more widely distributed within the group. A "bus test" was suggested; if a volunteer were hit by a bus tomorrow, would their tasks still get done? And if not, why not?<br />
<br />
Widespread knowledge can also help keep minutia of tasks to a minimum and prevent people from overspecializing or enforcing difficult job requirements on others.<br />
<br />
If a task slips through the cracks and remains undone, a new task force can be established specifically to fix the problem and catch up the organization.<br />
<br />
== Basics of the nonprofit sector and organizational form ==<br />
=== Details ===<br />
Held on Friday, June 24, at the [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|Bike Cave]].<br />
<br />
Facilitated by Charles from the [[Bloomington Community Bike Project]].<br />
<br />
Topics were determined by the participants at the beginning of the workshop and ran across a wide spectrum of general information on nonprofit management.<br />
<br />
=== General notes ===<br />
In 2006, the U.S. IRS published a rule requiring some sort of reporting as to an organization's status, even if it was just a postcard sent in. A number of small nonprofits lost their exemption for not following this rule.<br />
<br />
It is important to have a way to evaluate an organization's performance as it relates to its mission.<br />
<br />
Every organization needs a statutory agent -- someone who can sign for the organization and provides the IRS with "a throat to choke" if things go downhill.<br />
<br />
Meeting minutes have to be kept. Google Docs and a local wiki are both good resources, allowing necessary modifications. One organization had a lot of success keeping an internet-enabled computer in meetings, transcribing in realtime, and e-mailing the attendees immediately.<br />
<br />
Most states and regions have nonprofit resource centers and many libraries have nonprofit guides. Use them as best you can. If a resource provides facilitation training, it is usually worth it to send members. <br />
<br />
==== Fundraising opportunities ====<br />
Contract work can provide a good revenue source for a shop, but organizations must be careful that the contract closely matches the organization's priorities. It does little good to spend volunteer or paid staff time on special work that doesn't help the organization much. Grants can be a similar resource sink; the best grants are those that give you money for doing what you do. Always be prepared to walk away from a grant or a contract.<br />
<br />
When searching for grants, it helps to have a relationship with a grant writer. Be sure to look beyond bicycle-specific grants, too; a lot of bike collective work can fall under categories like sustainability, health, or ecology.<br />
<br />
==== Why to incorporate ====<br />
Small shops can skirt by without incorporation, but setting up a nonprofit brings a few major benefits.<br />
<br />
Incorporation makes it easier to get insurance and liability coverage, protecting volunteers in case of lawsuits. Incorporated nonprofits can also receive tax-deductible donations, avoid income taxes, and are in a better position to compete for grants and fundraising.<br />
<br />
==== Setup ====<br />
The constitution, bylaws, and policies were described as different facets of how to organize a nonprofit's structure.<br />
<br />
The ''constitution'' itself should be short -- little more than a mission statement and a prominent mention of the organization's tax exempt status.<br />
<br />
The ''bylaws'' should ratify the organization's best practices. As they are a legal document governing the organization, they should be concise and flexible and avoid dictating specific policies. Try to write in what should happen -- what the shop can do, what someone should expect when their come in, and so on, without saying how to accomplish those goals. Well-written bylaws also allow anyone reviewing them to see whether the organization is keeping true to its promises and offer an opportunity to change course if things go bad.<br />
<br />
All details about how to actually run the shop and organization belong in the ''policies and procedures''. <br />
<br />
==== [[Bicycle Kitchen (Los Angeles)|L.A. Bike Kitchen]] overview ====<br />
Arlen from the Los Angeles Bike Kitchen summarized how their organization is set up.<br />
<br />
The Bike Kitchen has three volunteer levels. Shadows graduate to volunteers once they've completed a general knowledge worksheet. Volunteers that work four shifts a month (about 12 hours) and do something extra special for the organization can then move up to "cook".<br />
<br />
There are four quarterly "cooks" meetings, run under supermajority consensus rules, utilizing an outside (and objective) facilitator. There is also one annual camp held with a paid outside facilitator. Board meetings are held monthly with a rotating facilitator chosen from the group.<br />
<br />
Day-to-day operations and policies are handled by "gruppos"; ad hoc autonomous committees with specific charters. These committees are not required to accept input from anyone else. Presumably, anyone with strong feelings on, for example, what tools to order, would sit on the ordering gruppo.<br />
<br />
Example gruppos:<br />
* Finance<br />
* Ordering<br />
* Operations (as related to bike projects)<br />
* "Smooth shifting" -- ergonomics and accessibility<br />
* Volunteer coordination<br />
* Neighbor relations<br />
* "Space exploration" -- researching a new shop location<br />
<br />
There was no built-in accountability measures; everything just worked.<br />
<br />
== Battlefield: Consensus ==<br />
Decision making - the good, the bad, and the ugly. A reprise of 2010's Battlefield: Consensus.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Bike 101 ==<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Bike touring ==<br />
What to take, how to pack, where to sleep and eat, and of course, where to go.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Classes, Workshops, Space ==<br />
Doing Meaningful Outreach with Communities in Your Neighborhood.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
<br />
'''How do you programs “translate” in your/near by communities?”'''<br />
<br />
<br />
How are you defining “Community”?<br />
<br />
How inclusive is your space? How Accessible?<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Lava Monsters of Death (these will hold you back, don’t let them!)'''<br />
<br />
<br />
Using excessive “they” “them” or “those people”<br />
<br />
Assuming people know what you know.<br />
<br />
Assuming people are intentionally (behaving/acting) being fucked up<br />
<br />
Confusing critiques/analysis of behaviour dynamics as vicious existential personal attacks of Doom against you, yes you! <br />
<br />
<br />
'''Success Stories of Workshops that help out reach to under privileged communities.'''<br />
<br />
Multi language bike mechanics, teach english or learn spanish at the same time as teaching bike mechanics, <br />
<br />
<br />
Get Doctors to prescribe bike riding, get them to send people to your collective.<br />
<br />
<br />
Organize group rides that tie in a neighborhood’s resources that are not well used, go to farmer’s markets, put baskets on bikes.<br />
<br />
<br />
Safe routes to schools has been successful in getting more kids to ride.<br />
<br />
<br />
Find teachers who are bike sympathetic.<br />
<br />
<br />
Canvas the neighborhood, knock door to door, flyer (tear offs work well), bring tools to fix flats, mobil bike repair!<br />
<br />
<br />
Get in contact with a neighborhood organization, they often don’t have websites, you can find them sometimes through the police department.<br />
<br />
<br />
Be wary of giving “big free give away!” if you don’t have enough, it can create a weird and tense atmosphere.<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Confronting car culture ==<br />
Dealing with dominant culture on a personal level and effecting cultural shift.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== How the City of San Marcos, Texas bicycle map was created ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Managing expectations of a cooperative bike shop ==<br />
How to manage expectations and orient new people quickly to the cooperative shop environment<br />
=== Details ===<br />
Held Sunday, June 25, 2011 at 9:30 AM at Community Yoga<br />
<br />
The facilitator did not arrive, so this was used as a general discussion instead.<br />
<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
There are many sets of expectations in each shop. Shops expect certain behaviors of volunteers, customers, and paid staff. People in the shop have expectations of the shop itself and what they will get out of it. Most of these expectations are not written down, meaning all persons in a shop have to negotiate certain expectations -- both the reasonable and the unreasonable. <br />
<br />
In most cases clear communication can create a reasonable and healthy set of expectations between a shop and the people within, helping the shop work much more smoothly. Specific shop policies are really just a way to write down those expectations as rules.<br />
<br />
==== Customers ====<br />
As it's possible for a shop (or its staff) to earn a bad reputation for not fulfilling false expectations, it's crucial to present what a shop does and does not do, to quash these false expectations.<br />
<br />
Misunderstandings about what the shop does can run the gamut; some shops have been heard to "give away new bikes", others to "fix your bike". These might have come by word of mouth from other shop users or from referring agency. The purpose and rules of a shop need to be clearly communicated to all users as soon as possible, via a short and concise elevator speech, handout card, or some other method. <br />
<br />
Not all customers will respond to the same mode of communication the same way, so it can be helpful to tailor one's elevator speech or rundown in order to make it more easily assimilated.<br />
<br />
==== Volunteers ====<br />
Not everyone volunteers for the same reasons, and if a volunteer job isn't fun, it's less likely to get done. All volunteers need to be integrated into the organization, whether they intend simply to wrench intermittently or try to find a place in the organization's structure. For both, it's important to get a volunteer to state their reasons for volunteering and why; including a volunteer "contract" in volunteer training may be an option, though of attendees, only the [[Bike Dump]] had experience with one and it did not work.<br />
<br />
The shop also has expectations of volunteers -- service commitments and the like -- that may not be understood by volunteers. In one example, the organization expected members of its governing body to step down when they started volunteering less frequently, while the volunteers expected to retain their position. A conflict like this could be prevented with established and enforced policies.<br />
<br />
lack of fulfillment of expectations can cause volunteers to drop out of circulation; a volunteer expecting to be on a leadership track and is denied advancement -- for whatever reason -- is likely to have a negative experience with the organization. <br />
<br />
==== Organization ====<br />
Since the organization can only act through its agents, it is important that the decisionmakers understand what the organization needs and expects from the people coming in. It should expect its decisionmakers to be nonideological and fair, that it has a corps of volunteers capable of handling its affairs autonomously and without interruption, and that its policies will be enforced equally. <br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
Ultimately, projecting positive expectations and sticking to them as consistently as possible will go a long way towards ensuring that everyone around an organization has their reasonable expectations met.<br />
<br />
When possible, write those expectations down, and make sure they are enforced and reinforced by everyone in the shop.<br />
<br />
== Integrating bikes into the university fabric ==<br />
Integrating bikes into the university fabric via student and staff collaboration<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
University of Texas loans bikes for 1 year. They charge the borrower for unreturned or damaged bikes and they are currently trying to get these fees put on students' records to ensure they are paid. In their case the university itself is liable for injury.<br />
<br />
Most shops however have no official ties or agreement with their university.<br />
<br />
==== How do you get along with for profit shops? ====<br />
Mixed reviews, some don't like having the competition while others will donate directly to the shop.<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
The organizers of this workshop had planned to give a formal presentation but instead just had an informal discussion. The discussion quickly went off topic, it was not moderated at all. It most likely would have been much more productive had the organizers stuck to their original plan.<br />
<br />
== Managing social rides to promote bicycling ==<br />
From fringe to mainstream: how social cycling can ... and make our cities better<br />
=== Details ===<br />
Held at 11:15 AM on Friday, June 24 at the Bike Cave.<br />
Elliott McFadden of [http://austinontwowheels.org/ Austin on Two Wheels] and Violet Crown Cycles started by describing his views of cycling promotion and two methods seen in Austin of directly working to get people riding bikes. After this, he answered questions in a general discussion format.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
==== Failures in bicycle promotion ====<br />
Elliot identified two somewhat conflicting methods of increasing cycling from the cycling industry and from political advocacy.<br />
* Industry: Bicycle sales in the U.S. have remained stagnant over since the 1970s, despite significant growth in population. To increase sales, the bicycle industry has focused on making bikes more niche -- selling new bikes to their existing market.<br />
* Advocacy: Advocates lobby decision makers for better infrastructure, but do so without growing a grassroots bicycle population or establishing cycling within the community.<br />
Until bicycling is seen as a normal community behavior, bicyclists will continue to be classified by convenient stereotypes, like the spandex/carbon weekend warrior, the hipster scofflaw, and the sanctimonious environmentalist.<br />
==== Strategy ====<br />
Defining "regime" as an interconnected group of businesses and leaders with a common world view, Elliott noted that the current regime is in favor of growing consumption and fossil fuel use. At the national level, this means the oil and auto industries. At the local level, it includes developers, auto dealers, and news entities, whose future profits depend on growth. Tellingly, 30% of all ad revenue for media entities comes from car companies.<br />
Regime change must then be the goal of a bicycle promoter. Find negative ways to describe the current regime (dirty, expensive, destructive, long travel times in cars) and positive ways to describe the desired regime (healthy, thrifty, sustainable, quality family time). Form partnerships with businesses and organizations that can benefit from a new regime.<br />
==== Social cycling ====<br />
To replace the negative stereotypes of bicyclists, it is important to develop an atmosphere that encourages riding by more members of the community. Bicycling should be made to be more comfortable -- no races, no work-outs, regular clothes, open to everyone. The joys of being out, riding with regular people, should be paramount. <br />
Commuting is often a big sell by industry and advocates; it allows shops to sell specialized "commuter" bicycles and advocates to focus on connecting routes, but as a sales point, it has two crippling problems: nobody likes to go to work, and most people go to work alone. Instead, social cycling should be a focus: just get many people together to ride bikes. Austin has two models that work in tandem: Social Cycling Austin and Austin on Two Wheels, an "affiliated business concept".<br />
===== Social Cycling Austin =====<br />
Social Cycling Austin is a volunteer production started two years ago as a free ride -- participants just show up for a weekly social ride, drawing 200-300 riders on average and as many as 500. It partners with local businesses, usually a bar or restaurant, and rides with traffic, not against it.<br />
This model is easy to start (it just requires two people) and its open structure makes it accessible to all. It doesn't have to be affiliated with any business, so it can work with and for everyone. Because of its loose nature, it's easy to change what doesn't work or even dismantle the ride. It doesn't need any investment to start up, as most organizing can be done through social networks and guerrilla marketing.<br />
Unfortunately, it also has no control over who shows up, making it difficult to deal with troublemakers and easy for the ride to grow beyond the capacity of the leaders or prevent the ride from being co-opted by other organizations. A focus on bars as a final destination also makes it easy for this sort of ride to turn into a "booze cruise", adding additional challenges to the organization and often depressing its ability to draw women riders. Additionally, it is easy for organizing volunteers to burn out and the undefined liability might cause problems in case of injury.<br />
===== Affiliated Business Concept =====<br />
In an affiliated business concept, the rides are run as a business, usually as smaller fee-based rides than as large-scale free-for-alls.<br />
Because a business controls the ride, it's possible to tailor rides for specific demographics; women, families, suburbanites, etc. It's also easier to get different business partners and variety in the ride -- restaurants may provide food and drink samples, galleries may partner for art rides, or retail establishments for shopping rides. A business is also better able to provide a clear line of liability in case of accident and maintain a paid staff of ride leaders and organizers to provide a higher level of service. Austin on Two Wheels, for example, capped rides at 50 participants and provided one ride leader for every ten people to watch over unlocked bikes and help keep rides safe.<br />
This concept also carries some challenges. Partners must be committed to growth; it can take 18-24 months for the concept to turn a sustainable profit and its longer-term viability has not been tested, though it may be a reasonable loss leader for a bike shop. It also limits partnerships to a single member of each sector; one bike shop, one newspaper, or one boutique. The clear line of liability also means that the operating business has insurance requirements to carry and will likely have to enforce helmet use.<br />
==== Discussion ====<br />
Both rides appeal to different people, but the demographics of the riders were mostly white, though unintentionally so. For the open social rides, this was because the ride started from one social circle and its business preferences. For the paid rides, this was because they were seeking sustainable income. Since bicycles seen as a lesser mode of transportation in impoverished communities and represent gentrification, it can be difficult to promote them, though groups like the Major Taylor Group are trying to increase African American ridership. Either way, more racially diverse ride leadership should help diversify rider participation.<br />
Other problems with social cycling rides were identified. It's easy for the ride's somewhat high turnover to give it over to more aggressive cycling, and efforts to rein it in can be paternalistic.<br />
Responses to paid rides were overwhelmingly positive. Of 300 participants, 60% were women, and every ride had a bicyclist that had not ridden at all in the past year. Of survey respondents, 85% loved the ride, 97% would do it again, and 84% were more likely to revisit the participating businesses. No complaints were received of the ride being too fast, and the complaints of 1/3 of the respondents that the ride was too slow were dismissed. As for distance, the longest single ride was 10 miles and the longest single stretch was five miles, but most rides were just a few miles in stretches of two miles or less at a 10-12 mph pace. <br />
The high ratio of leaders to participants of the paid rides helped keep them very well organized. Walkie-talkies were given to the front and back leaders and other riders would circulate through the ride, keeping riders lined up, directing traffic at intersections, and encouraging the ride to behave well in regards to other users. It helped that the Austin Police Department was non-reactionary, so there was no backlash from law enforcement.<br />
Paid rides started with an intro of the leaders and the participants signing of a waiver stating they knew the rules of the road and agreed to follow ride leader instructions.<br />
Marketing was done through their own website, and partnering businesses were encouraged to do their own promotion as well. It was emphasized that time, rather than distance, was mentioned in all promotions. Though a six mile ride would take about 30 minutes, 30 minutes seemed like an easier ride than six miles. Ride classifications were right out; letter-assignments mean nothing to the new riders being targeted.<br />
Hurting businesses were suggested as rich prospects, as a few dozen potential customers can be enticing. Visits to any business should be during slow hours, though, to minimize disruption to regular services and provide customers when the business would be otherwise idle -- restaurants on Saturday afternoons are a good example. <br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Mobile Repair Clinic ==<br />
Held at 9:30 AM on Friday, June 24, at Sodatooth art gallery. Operating a mobile on-the-go repair clinic through the city and community organizations.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
The original facilitator did not show up for this workshop but the intent was fairly self evident by the name of the workshop. It was begun with a go-around and then by asking the question 'who currently operates a mobile repair unit?'<br />
The [[Bike Cage]] from Winnipeg told us that they began as a purely mobile shop until they had enough resources and a space to operate from a permanent location. The [[Bike Root]] from Calgary told us that the opposite was true for them, they began with a full shop but after losing their space, kept operations going by setting up in various locations on their campus and around town.<br />
==== To fix or not? Where do you draw the line? ====<br />
There were various answers to this question, some shops will only fix flats and minor brake and gear issues. Others were willing to fix anything as long as the tools were available. Arguments for the former included<br />
* lack of proper tools<br />
* lack of more advanced tools or replacement parts in case anything went wrong<br />
* lack of knowledge / trust in the knowledge of some casual volunteers that might attend a mobile repair clinic<br />
* some provide more hand on repair for mobile units to decrease liability in case a bike owner injures themselves but providing more complicated repairs ourselves increases liability in case the owner injures themselves on their bike afterwards.<br />
and for the latter:<br />
* We should do our best to get more bikes fixed and on the road<br />
* We're confident in our skills<br />
* The worst thing that might happen is that a bike that wasn't on the road is now still not on the road<br />
* We make bike owners fix their bikes themselves so we are not liable<br />
==== Other services ====<br />
In addition to offering minor repairs, the Bike Cage's mobile unit doubles as a bike valet service. There was no elaboration on how the system works.<br />
==== Getting the message across that a mobile tune tent is not a fully functioning tent ====<br />
It seemed to be a common problem that when individuals in the community would hear about a free tune-up possibility, they would often bring in bikes that need repairs far beyond what could be done at a tune tent. It was suggested to avoid this, advertise as "light bike repair".<br />
==== Who holds the tools? ====<br />
We had a discussion about if the volunteer should fix the bike for the owner or provide the owner with the tools and teach how to fix the bike hands-off. Whether or not tools were handed to the bike owner, teaching at least by the volunteer explaining what he or she was doing seemed to be the norm. The issues behind whether or not to let the owner fix the bike seemed to be liability dependent on both sides. If the volunteer fixes the bike, the shop becomes liable if the bike causes injury down the road while normally the bike owner has not signed a liability waiver to use the tools, so the shop could be liable if they hurt themselves while repairing their bike.<br />
==== Ride or drive? ====<br />
We had a discussion on whether or not to drive the equipment to the location or use a trailer. No one seemed to be passionate for either but there are a lot of options out there for trailers big and small. [[Fargo Moorhead Community Bicycle Workshop|Fargo]] rides with a huge 4x6 trailer.<br />
==== Off topic discussion ====<br />
The conversation went off topic many times but did produce a few interesting ideas:<br />
* [[The Orioles Bike Cage|Winnipeg]] uses a punch card, much like one you would find a a coffee shop or fast food location, to punch out skills that a volunteer has learned. Once the card is completely punched the volunteer can start fixing bikes for others.<br />
* While discussing how to get enough replacement parts, another bike shop told us they provide local bike shops with barrels which the shops can use to put parts that are still usable but would otherwise throw away. The barrels would be picked up and emptied at regular intervals. This shop did not have a problem finding parts when needed as a result.<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Please be kind to cyclists ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Recycled bike art ==<br />
Turning garbage into gold.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
<br />
[[File:Bike Craft - Tube Shoe Laces.pdf|200px|thumb|left|alt text]]<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Software developers exchange ==<br />
Projects being worked on, have worked on, or areas they (you) are interested / skilled in.<br />
<br />
Held Saturday, June 25, at 2:30 PM at the San Marcos Public Library.<br />
<br />
Facilitated by [[User:Godwin|Godwin]] of [[The Bike Root]] in Calgary.<br />
<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Participants briefly described their technical experience, specifically any coding projects and languages they've used. A few participants were experienced programmers; most were interested in learning or helping a project in other ways like documentation and testing.<br />
[[Austin Yellow Bike Project]]'s tracking code was discussed and briefly compared to the [[Bike Kitchen (San Francisco, CA, USA)|San Francisco Bicycle Kitchen]]'s Freehub software.<br />
<br />
The Yellow Bike Project released their code for public use, and it was noted that SLC had already made a Joomla plugin. The YBP software was also demonstrated live at the workshop.<br />
<br />
Steve of [[Fargo Moorhead Community Bicycle Workshop|Fargo]] and Godwin were (or soon will be) working on independent applications, but the general consensus coalesced around a few ideals.<br />
<br />
Any software development push should be oriented towards a web-based solution for the greatest ease in rolling out across various platforms, though it would make it more difficult to install as a software package and could lead to data security and access problems if provided as a hosting service, as SFBK does with Freehub. Additionally, this software should start with one shop in order to develop one full set of features. All features should be written as plugins to a basic core, allowing features to be added as required by various shops.<br />
Yellow Bike Project's software may make a suitable core for such a push.<br />
<br />
A general wishlist was hashed out, in no particular order:<br />
* Work-trade management<br />
* Granular volunteer time tracking<br />
* Varied reporting options<br />
* Donation tracking<br />
* Bike and inventory tracking (including completion of projects)<br />
* Visitor tracking<br />
* Communications options (e-mail lists, contacting expiring memberships)<br />
* Sales tracking (though not point-of-sale)<br />
* Volunteer skill tracking<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
[[Godwin]] will direct a new open source project starting in September 2011. The system will be modular so that individual plugins can be added or modified as needed to ensure that collectives don't have to modify the way they do things simply because the software does not conform to their model.<br />
<br />
== Teaching & learning styles ==<br />
Teaching & learning styles in community bike shops; a discussion about different approaches, what works and what doesn't work as well<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== The future of Bike! Bike! ==<br />
Where are we going and how are we going to get there? Also, a quick (but no-decisions-made) discussion about where Bike! Bike! will be held in 2012 (that will be decided during the final meeting on Sunday, June 26).<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Utilizing free open-source software ==<br />
Operating systems and work documents to benefit your project.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Despite "charity" pricing for software packages from major publishers like Microsoft and Adobe, some software is priced beyond the range of a co-operative's budget, or would be used to infrequently as to make a purchase pointless.<br />
Fortunately, the open source community has responded with a number of free replacements for major software, including for the operating system itself. Most of these packages can be found in [[Computer Resources]].<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Volunteer orientation ==<br />
Addressing safe space concerns, and a conversation about empowering and maintaining a committed volunteer base<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Weather? What weather? (summer) ==<br />
How you and your bike can survive the heat<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Weather? What weather? (winter) ==<br />
How you and your bike can survive the cold<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Women and Transgender shop hours ==<br />
Policies, Politics, Allies<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working in under-privileged communities ==<br />
Working in under-privileged communities: challenges and opportunities<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Facilitators:<br />
<br />
[[Bike Kitchen]]/[[La Bici Digna]] (Arlen) and [[Bikerowave]]/[[Bici Libre]] (Bobby):<br />
<br />
<br />
Keep your eyes on the prize (don’t forget why you’re doing this, don’t let your limitations stop you)<br />
<br />
<br />
Dynamics in work space an issue, (shop isn’t located in the right place) <br />
<br />
-try mobile workshop?<br />
La Bici Digna started with a mobil work shop at the day labor center working with City of Lights. <br />
<br />
<br />
Low community buyin? <br />
<br />
-try partnering w/ another organization that organizes in “that” community. (try contacting a country’s embassy to let them know you exist, find out what communities you want to encourage and talk to the leaders in that community) <br />
<br />
<br />
Not enough Resources?<br />
<br />
-try seeing groups that are stoked, already active.<br />
<br />
<br />
Chill out. Be Patient (It takes time to build up trust and awareness of your resource.)<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Stories:'''<br />
<br />
Bici Libre got a free space to house abandoned bikes. They seek to provide a space where people can learn job skills and leadership skills. They have a list of activities that can be done by non-bike mechanic volunteers. Group jobs such as cleaning parts or cutting tubes can be really good for some cultures who will enjoy the communal experience. It’s important to talk to the poeple you are trying to engage to ask them what they want to contribute, or what they want to get out of it.<br />
<br />
<br />
Sometimes the way we think the bicycle collective “should” run is not the way some under privileged communities want to run their own. Often, people will want to start a for-profit shop. It’s important to not get stuck in your ideas, to learn also how to communicate in another person’s language. You can use the terms they know, even if it’s the “wrong” term, whats important is that you both get on the same page. There’s a reason you are trying to engage a different dynamic in the bike shop, you should be willing to learn from new people, not just try to tell them what/how to do. <br />
<br />
<br />
'''Multi lingual bike diagram:'''<br />
<br />
La Bici Digna had a poster of a bike with lines to all the parts. They asked their participant to write on posted notes the names of the parts of the bike that they knew. With all the many dialects present, the digram ended up having four names for nearly every part. <br />
<br />
<br />
Denver’s [[The Bike Depot]] works with [Big Brother] and [Big Sister]. They are then able to pay for kids to volunteer.<br />
<br />
<br />
Lots of collectives have earn a bike programs, or free bikes to people on welfare.<br />
<br />
<br />
One collective got a high school student credit for volunteering at the shop.<br />
<br />
Another works directly with Refugee camps.<br />
<br />
<br />
'''How do you deal with theft?''' - Story from the [[Bike Kitchen]]<br />
<br />
The bike kitchen experienced a wave of theft. Bikes were being stolen right out side the shop, and also, many 15mm wrenches and other tools which might assist in bicycle theft. At first they were completely worried and frustrated that they were possibly assisting in that theft. But what they hadn’t expected was that this wave of bicycle theft resulted in the creation of a bike scene in the surrounding neighborhoods. The exact people who they were trying to get into the shop, trying to foster interest in the bicycle as a mode of transportation, started riding bikes. “It just wasn’t on our terms.” - Arlen ([[Bike Kitchen]]/[[La Bici Digna]])<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Workshop continues in [[#Classes, Workshops, Space]]<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working Together ==<br />
Increasing Inter-Organization Collaboration. The intention of this workshop was to talk about all of the ways in which we as bicycle collectives of different sorts who run our services in many different ways, can share our experiences, successes, failures, and tangible output in order to help other collectives both start and continue to thrive.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
[[User:Godwin|Godwin]] directed this workshop while [[Bob Wolfe]] facilitated in providing a speakers list. A large sheet of paper was used to help keep visible notes, at the end of the discussion the notes were the following:<br />
* '''Current Tools'''<br />
** [[BOOP]]<br />
** [http://www.bikebike.org/ Bike!Bike!]<br />
** Think Tank e-mail list (sign up on Bike Collectives website)<br />
** [http://www.bikecollectives.org/ Bike Collectives Network]<br />
** [[Main Page|Bike Collectives Wiki]]<br />
** Various collaborative tools such as our Google Docs list of organizations and Google Maps visualization of orgs across North America<br />
* '''What we need these tools for'''<br />
** Learn how to start a collective<br />
** Learn how to continue running a collective<br />
** Find example documents<br />
*** Volunteer Privileges<br />
*** Todo for new volunteers<br />
*** Financials<br />
*** Fliers<br />
*** Curricula<br />
*** Manuals<br />
*** 501c and not-for-profit forms<br />
*** Tool lists<br />
*** Inventory<br />
*** Price guide<br />
*** Mission statement<br />
*** Bylaws<br />
*** Safe space<br />
*** Legal documents<br />
*** Letters for grant writing<br />
** Find out how other organizations run their various programmes<br />
** Partner with other organizations<br />
* '''Brainstorming Ideas which could help'''<br />
** A Bike!Bike! Wiki<br />
** Have more involved wiki moderators who will make suggestions for improvements<br />
** News feed on wiki<br />
** Email individuals to improve pages<br />
** New list-serve other than the [[Think Tank]] which can be used for these emails<br />
** More list-serves for different purposes<br />
** Online Forums<br />
** Request documents, pages, and improvements once a year or at other regular intervals<br />
** Rid the wiki of closed shops<br />
** RSS feeds on the wiki<br />
** Separate blog or paper news<br />
** Paypal donations on [[BCN]] or the wiki<br />
** An umbrella or 'helping hand' organization<br />
** A seed fund<br />
** Micro Loans for starting up shops<br />
** A no-reply list-serve<br />
* An 'umbrella' organization goes against many principles that are held by most shops however a 'helping hand' organization that acts as a third party to facilitate to spread of knowledge and possibly funds would likely not.<br />
* To improve the wiki it will take some active moderating and contacting of individuals.<br />
* The wiki is difficult to navigate so it should be reorganized<br />
* Bikecollectives.org is not serving any other purpose other than providing the wiki.<br />
* The [[Think Tank]] is too much for many to handle, there are too many emails about things that many don't care about.<br />
* Godwin promised to contact the current owners of bikecollectives.org to see if improvements could be made.<br />
* Adding increased moderation of the wiki will be looked into<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working with relationships ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Closing discussion - Bike!Bike! 2012 ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Around 40 attendees participated in the closing discussion on Sunday, June 26, at 11:00 AM at the San Marcos Public Library.<br />
<br />
====Suggestions====<br />
The discussion started with some suggestions on improving the flow of the conference. The lack of an evening discussion group would have made it easier to decompress from each days' activities. Missing facilitators were a notable occurrence, though most or all workshops turned into group discussions anyway. More proactive scheduling and announcements would have helped attendees better figure out what workshops were coming up and where to find them; posting official schedules at each location and on a Google calendar (for those with omnipresent network connections) and making lunchtime announcements might have worked well.<br />
<br />
The loaner bikes from San Marcos, Yellow Bike Project, and Orange Bike Project were all handled really well, and the inaugural bike ride from Austin to San Marcos was an awesome way to break the ice and establish some camaraderie. The position and timing of locations was perfect; an attendee could roam across town relatively quickly but still make it with plenty of time to spare. The recommendation of cool-down spots was also very welcome, and the maps were helpful.<br />
<br />
As a host city, San Marcos was superb. The small town atmosphere was incredible. The community was quick to give support and very accepting and welcoming of the attendees.<br />
<br />
==== Matt's thoughts ====<br />
As the primary organizer, Matt of the San Marcos Bike Project was asked how he thought the event came together. Speaking honestly, he thought it was terrible. From his perspective, the workshops sort of took care of themselves. Though he'd been working on Bike!Bike! for eight months, 90% of the actual work was done in the last week.<br />
<br />
If he was doing it over again, he would have kept better records, including more centralized documents. Nothing that people do things when they're asked to, he would have done a lot more delegating. All in all, he spent about two hours a day working on it, but should have spent three.<br />
<br />
70 people from out-of-town registered.<br />
<br />
==== Other comments ====<br />
All in all, the number of attendees seemed manageable -- not too many, not too few -- but there could have been more outreach to other groups. Regional Bike!Bike!s were identified as a double-edged sword; they made it easier for people to access them and were far more intimate affairs, but they also depress turnout at The Bike!Bike!. A big Bike!Bike! can have a big impact, and it may be worthwhile to maximize that impact.<br />
<br />
Though San Marcos was an excellent host city, it was noted that small-market airports tend to be more expensive to fly into and out of, putting up a barrier to some smaller organizations. As San Marcos was not a "destination" in its own right, it was still a positive experience; few attendees would have gone to San Marcos on their own, but it showed that these events can have a different kind of draw and community impact.<br />
<br />
==== Bike!Bike! 2012 bids ====<br />
===== Sacramento =====<br />
The Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen opened the bids for 2012. Noting that they've been operating for five years and moved into a stable and large space three years ago, they're reaching a maturity point as a collective. They have incredible community support for their special events.<br />
<br />
As a city, Sacramento is committed to earning Gold status as a Bicycle Friendly Community, and Bike!Bike! would dovetail nicely with an indie bike cred fed by community initiatives to build a velodrome and bring the 2012 North American Handmade Bicycle Show and a 2012 bike polo tournament to town. And though it's trying for Gold status, the city leadership doesn't seem yet to know how to "do" bicycling, so Bike!Bike! could help provide even more guidance.<br />
<br />
In terms of geography, Sacramento is easy to navigate, sits on major east-west and north-south rail lines, and is exceptionally flat. The bicycle friendly town of Davis is nearby, and the Davis Bike Collective just hosted a regional conference and could be tapped for support as Austin groups helped San Marcos.<br />
<br />
===== Los Angeles =====<br />
The Bicycle Kitchen explicitly did not want to vie for 2012, but wanted to throw its hat in the ring now for 2013 or 2014.<br />
<br />
The Kitchen has been open for seven years, and in those seven years, 11 other co-ops have started, likely to be 15 by 2013. The city has recently started its Ciclovia program, closing down seven miles of roadways to car traffic and letting real people take the streets. It's also a hip town, with a bicycle demolition derby in June and as many as 1,000 riders on a social ride on any given night.<br />
<br />
The (admitted) goal in L.A. hosting is to break down some stereotypes of L.A. and show off the amazing things the region has been doing recently.<br />
<br />
===== Columbus =====<br />
<br />
<br />
===== Vancouver =====<br />
<br />
= Contact =<br />
* [[Bike!Bike!]] website: http://www.bikebike.org<br />
* [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|The Bike Cave]]'s website: http://thebikecave.org<br />
* Email: [mailto:bikebike2011@gmail.com bikebike2011@gmail.com]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Bike!Bike!]]</div>Sharperhttps://wiki2.bikelover.org/wiki/index.php?title=Bike!Bike!_2011&diff=11397Bike!Bike! 20112011-07-22T19:22:18Z<p>Sharper: /* Closing discussion - Bike!Bike! 2012 */</p>
<hr />
<div>'''Bike!Bike! 2011''' was held in San Marcos, Texas; hosted by [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|The Bike Cave]] and [[The San Marcos Community Bike Project]]. It took place from June 23-26th, 2011.[[File:bikebikebike2a.jpg|thumb]]<br />
<br />
<br />
== Workshops schedule ==<br />
<br />
{|border="1" align="left" style="text-align:left; border: 1px solid Black;" width="100%"<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Friday, June 24||Yoga Center || The Bike Cave || Sodatooth || Go 2 Danz || Library large room || Library small room || The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am|| || [[#Acquiring a permanent space]] || [[#Mobile Repair Clinic]] || || || ||<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm|| || [[#Managing social rides to promote bicycling]] || || [[#Bike touring]] || || ||<br />
|-<br />
|2:30pm - 4:00pm||[[#Teaching & learning styles]] || [[#Integrating bikes into the university fabric]] || || [[#Working in under-privileged communities]] || || ||<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm|| ||[[#Basics of the nonprofit sector and organizational form]] || || [[#Women and Transgender shop hours]] || || ||<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Saturday, June 25||Yoga Center || The Bike Cave || Sodatooth || Go 2 Danz || Library large room || Library small room || The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am|| || [[#Bike 101]]|| [[#Volunteer orientation]] || [[#Acro yoga]] || || || [[#Green space tour]]<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm|| || [[#Working with relationships]] || || [[#Working Together]] || || [[#Utilizing free open-source software]] ||<br />
|-<br />
|2:30pm - 4:00pm|| [[#Battlefield: Consensus]] || || || [[#Weather? What weather? (winter)]] || [[#Software developers exchange]] || [[#Please be kind to cyclists]] ||<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm|| [[#Analyzing work flows]] || [[#Recycled bike art]] || || || [[#Classes, Workshops, Space]] || ||<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Sunday, June 26||Yoga Center || The Bike Cave || Sodatooth || Go 2 Danz || Library large room || Library small room || The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am|| [[#Managing expectations of a cooperative bike shop]] || || || [[#Weather? What weather? (summer)]] || [[#Confronting car culture]] || || <br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 1:00pm|| || || || || [[#Closing discussion - Bike!Bike! 2012]] || || <br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
<br />
= Schedule =<br />
<br />
== As published ==<br />
<br />
{|border="0" align="left" style="text-align:left;"<br />
!scope="row" width="20%" colspan="2"| Wednesday, June 22<br />
|-<br />
|1:00-6:00pm||Pick up a loaner bike (if you're staying the night in Austin) at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|2:00pm - 6:00pm||Open house at UT's Orange Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|6:00 -10:00pm||Open house at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|11:00pm||Open house at Movemint Bike Cab Co. Shop (1301 east 4th street) <br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Thursday, June 23<br />
|-<br />
|11:00am - 1:00pm||Pick up your loaner bike (if you've just arrived in Austin) at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|1:00pm||Group ride from Austin's Yellow Bike Project to San Marcos (there will be a truck to take your things to San Marcos)<br />
|-<br />
|12:00 - 8:00pm||Check-In at San Marcos Public Library ($25 - $45, pay what you can, nobody will be turned away for lack of funds. Pick up your loaner bike and housing arraignments)<br />
|-<br />
|2:00 - 8:00pm||Fix up your bike at The Bike Cave<br />
|-<br />
|7:00 - 8:00pm||Welcome / Speak up & speak out!<br />
|-<br />
|8:00pm - 10:00pm||Casual welcome dinner at City / Plaza Park with music by Mariachi Nueva Generacion<br />
|-<br />
|9:30pm||A screening of "Dudey Free Zone: Women's and Transgender Bike Spaces" plus other short bike-related films. At The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Friday, June 24<br />
|-<br />
|8:00am - 1:00pm||Check-In continued for those who get here late at The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|1:00 - 2:30pm||Lunch<br />
|-<br />
|2:30 - 4:00pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|8:00pm - 9:00pm||The future of Bike! Bike! - a discussion to figure out where we're heading, and how we're getting there. A preview of which project(s) are interested in hosting in 2012.<br />
|-<br />
|7:00pm - 10:30pm||Bike polo on top of Speck Street Parking Garage (there will be a group ride leaving from Rio Vista at 6:00pm)<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 -11:00pm||Concert at The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Saturday, June 25<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|1:00 - 2:30pm||Lunch<br />
|-<br />
|2:30 - 4:00pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|9:00pm - 12:00am||BIKE! RIDE! BIKE! RIDE!<br />
|-<br />
|12:00am - ???||Dance party<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Sunday, June 26<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30 - 11:00am||Workshops / final brainstorm<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 1:00pm||Closing meeting, Bike! Bike! 2012 discussion<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
<br />
= Workshops =<br />
== Green space tour ==<br />
A bike tour of San Marcos green spaces<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Acquiring a permanent space ==<br />
Acquiring a permanent space instead of renting, working with the city for land or a building, fund-raising and micro-loans<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Acro yoga ==<br />
Skillshare<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Analyzing work flows ==<br />
Analyzing work flows within a bike project: setting up committees and more effective follow-up. How to reduce "ball droppage". Held at 4:30 PM on Saturday, June 25, 2011, at the Community Yoga Center.<br />
<br />
Facilitated by Susan of [[Third Hand Bicycle Cooperative]] in Columbus, Ohio.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Often in collectives, everyone will be off doing their own thing. This can lead to some jobs being repeated and others falling through the cracks. To combat this, it's helpful to identify all the processes at work in the collective, whether they deal with inputs to the collective, actions within the shop, or outputs leaving the collective.<br />
<br />
Third Hand streamlined their procedures by identifying all of the processes involved in handling this inputs and outputs. The frequency and nature of each task was discussed, and jobs were fit together as appropriate. Collections of jobs are given to various task forces, each empowered to deal with their issue without approval from the Board or the overarching Collective and charged with developing the policies that guide the completion of those tasks. The identification of tasks alone took half a day.<br />
<br />
To deal with the problem of one volunteer doing all of one job and leaving the organization without institutional knowledge, it was suggested to pick a primary and secondary person responsible for getting the job done. Another method would be to assign jobs at the beginning of each month, so that tasks get spread around more widely. Neither approach means that the person assigned has to do the task; they may delegate the task, they're just responsible for making sure it happens.<br />
<br />
Those assigned a job should make a short report back at a general meeting as to their success or failure. This helps the group know that necessary work is being accomplished and provides an avenue for new volunteers to find work. Since it's nearly impossible to penalize volunteers, enforcement has to be kept positive. In the case of an incomplete job, the group should ask why the job was not finished, and whether there was sufficient support from the group. Any remediation can be simply done by a reconstituted task force given a mandate to fix the problems.<br />
<br />
In Third Hand's experience, some jobs like outreach and volunteer coordination are best considered as "alternative shifts" -- as crucial as a regular shift, but handled in a radically different way.<br />
<br />
==== Examples ====<br />
Sample inputs, from the workshop:<br />
* Mail<br />
* Phone calls<br />
* E-mail<br />
* Donations (cash or stuff)<br />
* Visitors<br />
* Packages and deliveries<br />
* Complaints<br />
* Volunteer labor<br />
<br />
Sample inside tasks:<br />
* Cleaning<br />
* Tool ordering<br />
* Inventory<br />
* Budgeting<br />
* Parts sorting<br />
* Scheduling<br />
* Tracking<br />
* Sales<br />
<br />
Sample outputs:<br />
* Bikes<br />
* Knowledge<br />
* Rent/utilities<br />
* Media<br />
* Mobile units<br />
* Volunteer appreciation<br />
* Newsletters/flyers<br />
* Mail and e-mail<br />
* Tax returns<br />
* Deposits<br />
<br />
Sample task forces:<br />
* Finances (Sales, Budgeting, Bill Payment)<br />
* Tool and parts orders<br />
* Community relations<br />
* Volunteer coordination<br />
* IT/Tech<br />
* Outreach<br />
* Conflict resolution<br />
<br />
Processes can be determined by looking at the inputs. For Mail, mail would be picked up and sorted to give to the appropriate group (finance, outreach, ordering, etc.), with a time frame of "every open shop". Third Hand spent half a day just identifying processes like these.<br />
<br />
==== Handling tasks ====<br />
After the processes are identified, task forces can be drawn up to handle them, and each task force can then draft the necessary policies to complete the tasks. <br />
<br />
Meetings help ensure tasks are done. Task forces can present whether they've kept up with their tasks and ask for additional help if necessary. Any resolution at one meeting should have a report back from the person responsible for the project at the next meeting. Also, if a new task comes up, it is possible to send it straight to a task force without bogging down the rest of the meeting. Routine items seem to be the best suited towards this task force method, as they are rarely out of consensus.<br />
<br />
Assigning a job exclusively to one volunteer can cause problems if that volunteer has to step aside for whatever reason. Two options to deal with this were to pick a primary and secondary contact for each job or to rotate each job frequently, so that skills and knowledge are more widely distributed within the group. A "bus test" was suggested; if a volunteer were hit by a bus tomorrow, would their tasks still get done? And if not, why not?<br />
<br />
Widespread knowledge can also help keep minutia of tasks to a minimum and prevent people from overspecializing or enforcing difficult job requirements on others.<br />
<br />
If a task slips through the cracks and remains undone, a new task force can be established specifically to fix the problem and catch up the organization.<br />
<br />
== Basics of the nonprofit sector and organizational form ==<br />
=== Details ===<br />
Held on Friday, June 24, at the [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|Bike Cave]].<br />
<br />
Facilitated by Charles from the [[Bloomington Community Bike Project]].<br />
<br />
Topics were determined by the participants at the beginning of the workshop and ran across a wide spectrum of general information on nonprofit management.<br />
<br />
=== General notes ===<br />
In 2006, the U.S. IRS published a rule requiring some sort of reporting as to an organization's status, even if it was just a postcard sent in. A number of small nonprofits lost their exemption for not following this rule.<br />
<br />
It is important to have a way to evaluate an organization's performance as it relates to its mission.<br />
<br />
Every organization needs a statutory agent -- someone who can sign for the organization and provides the IRS with "a throat to choke" if things go downhill.<br />
<br />
Meeting minutes have to be kept. Google Docs and a local wiki are both good resources, allowing necessary modifications. One organization had a lot of success keeping an internet-enabled computer in meetings, transcribing in realtime, and e-mailing the attendees immediately.<br />
<br />
Most states and regions have nonprofit resource centers and many libraries have nonprofit guides. Use them as best you can. If a resource provides facilitation training, it is usually worth it to send members. <br />
<br />
==== Fundraising opportunities ====<br />
Contract work can provide a good revenue source for a shop, but organizations must be careful that the contract closely matches the organization's priorities. It does little good to spend volunteer or paid staff time on special work that doesn't help the organization much. Grants can be a similar resource sink; the best grants are those that give you money for doing what you do. Always be prepared to walk away from a grant or a contract.<br />
<br />
When searching for grants, it helps to have a relationship with a grant writer. Be sure to look beyond bicycle-specific grants, too; a lot of bike collective work can fall under categories like sustainability, health, or ecology.<br />
<br />
==== Why to incorporate ====<br />
Small shops can skirt by without incorporation, but setting up a nonprofit brings a few major benefits.<br />
<br />
Incorporation makes it easier to get insurance and liability coverage, protecting volunteers in case of lawsuits. Incorporated nonprofits can also receive tax-deductible donations, avoid income taxes, and are in a better position to compete for grants and fundraising.<br />
<br />
==== Setup ====<br />
The constitution, bylaws, and policies were described as different facets of how to organize a nonprofit's structure.<br />
<br />
The ''constitution'' itself should be short -- little more than a mission statement and a prominent mention of the organization's tax exempt status.<br />
<br />
The ''bylaws'' should ratify the organization's best practices. As they are a legal document governing the organization, they should be concise and flexible and avoid dictating specific policies. Try to write in what should happen -- what the shop can do, what someone should expect when their come in, and so on, without saying how to accomplish those goals. Well-written bylaws also allow anyone reviewing them to see whether the organization is keeping true to its promises and offer an opportunity to change course if things go bad.<br />
<br />
All details about how to actually run the shop and organization belong in the ''policies and procedures''. <br />
<br />
==== [[Bicycle Kitchen (Los Angeles)|L.A. Bike Kitchen]] overview ====<br />
Arlen from the Los Angeles Bike Kitchen summarized how their organization is set up.<br />
<br />
The Bike Kitchen has three volunteer levels. Shadows graduate to volunteers once they've completed a general knowledge worksheet. Volunteers that work four shifts a month (about 12 hours) and do something extra special for the organization can then move up to "cook".<br />
<br />
There are four quarterly "cooks" meetings, run under supermajority consensus rules, utilizing an outside (and objective) facilitator. There is also one annual camp held with a paid outside facilitator. Board meetings are held monthly with a rotating facilitator chosen from the group.<br />
<br />
Day-to-day operations and policies are handled by "gruppos"; ad hoc autonomous committees with specific charters. These committees are not required to accept input from anyone else. Presumably, anyone with strong feelings on, for example, what tools to order, would sit on the ordering gruppo.<br />
<br />
Example gruppos:<br />
* Finance<br />
* Ordering<br />
* Operations (as related to bike projects)<br />
* "Smooth shifting" -- ergonomics and accessibility<br />
* Volunteer coordination<br />
* Neighbor relations<br />
* "Space exploration" -- researching a new shop location<br />
<br />
There was no built-in accountability measures; everything just worked.<br />
<br />
== Battlefield: Consensus ==<br />
Decision making - the good, the bad, and the ugly. A reprise of 2010's Battlefield: Consensus.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Bike 101 ==<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Bike touring ==<br />
What to take, how to pack, where to sleep and eat, and of course, where to go.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Classes, Workshops, Space ==<br />
Doing Meaningful Outreach with Communities in Your Neighborhood.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
<br />
'''How do you programs “translate” in your/near by communities?”'''<br />
<br />
<br />
How are you defining “Community”?<br />
<br />
How inclusive is your space? How Accessible?<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Lava Monsters of Death (these will hold you back, don’t let them!)'''<br />
<br />
<br />
Using excessive “they” “them” or “those people”<br />
<br />
Assuming people know what you know.<br />
<br />
Assuming people are intentionally (behaving/acting) being fucked up<br />
<br />
Confusing critiques/analysis of behaviour dynamics as vicious existential personal attacks of Doom against you, yes you! <br />
<br />
<br />
'''Success Stories of Workshops that help out reach to under privileged communities.'''<br />
<br />
Multi language bike mechanics, teach english or learn spanish at the same time as teaching bike mechanics, <br />
<br />
<br />
Get Doctors to prescribe bike riding, get them to send people to your collective.<br />
<br />
<br />
Organize group rides that tie in a neighborhood’s resources that are not well used, go to farmer’s markets, put baskets on bikes.<br />
<br />
<br />
Safe routes to schools has been successful in getting more kids to ride.<br />
<br />
<br />
Find teachers who are bike sympathetic.<br />
<br />
<br />
Canvas the neighborhood, knock door to door, flyer (tear offs work well), bring tools to fix flats, mobil bike repair!<br />
<br />
<br />
Get in contact with a neighborhood organization, they often don’t have websites, you can find them sometimes through the police department.<br />
<br />
<br />
Be wary of giving “big free give away!” if you don’t have enough, it can create a weird and tense atmosphere.<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Confronting car culture ==<br />
Dealing with dominant culture on a personal level and effecting cultural shift.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== How the City of San Marcos, Texas bicycle map was created ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Managing expectations of a cooperative bike shop ==<br />
How to manage expectations and orient new people quickly to the cooperative shop environment<br />
=== Details ===<br />
Held Sunday, June 25, 2011 at 9:30 AM at Community Yoga<br />
<br />
The facilitator did not arrive, so this was used as a general discussion instead.<br />
<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
There are many sets of expectations in each shop. Shops expect certain behaviors of volunteers, customers, and paid staff. People in the shop have expectations of the shop itself and what they will get out of it. Most of these expectations are not written down, meaning all persons in a shop have to negotiate certain expectations -- both the reasonable and the unreasonable. <br />
<br />
In most cases clear communication can create a reasonable and healthy set of expectations between a shop and the people within, helping the shop work much more smoothly. Specific shop policies are really just a way to write down those expectations as rules.<br />
<br />
==== Customers ====<br />
As it's possible for a shop (or its staff) to earn a bad reputation for not fulfilling false expectations, it's crucial to present what a shop does and does not do, to quash these false expectations.<br />
<br />
Misunderstandings about what the shop does can run the gamut; some shops have been heard to "give away new bikes", others to "fix your bike". These might have come by word of mouth from other shop users or from referring agency. The purpose and rules of a shop need to be clearly communicated to all users as soon as possible, via a short and concise elevator speech, handout card, or some other method. <br />
<br />
Not all customers will respond to the same mode of communication the same way, so it can be helpful to tailor one's elevator speech or rundown in order to make it more easily assimilated.<br />
<br />
==== Volunteers ====<br />
Not everyone volunteers for the same reasons, and if a volunteer job isn't fun, it's less likely to get done. All volunteers need to be integrated into the organization, whether they intend simply to wrench intermittently or try to find a place in the organization's structure. For both, it's important to get a volunteer to state their reasons for volunteering and why; including a volunteer "contract" in volunteer training may be an option, though of attendees, only the [[Bike Dump]] had experience with one and it did not work.<br />
<br />
The shop also has expectations of volunteers -- service commitments and the like -- that may not be understood by volunteers. In one example, the organization expected members of its governing body to step down when they started volunteering less frequently, while the volunteers expected to retain their position. A conflict like this could be prevented with established and enforced policies.<br />
<br />
lack of fulfillment of expectations can cause volunteers to drop out of circulation; a volunteer expecting to be on a leadership track and is denied advancement -- for whatever reason -- is likely to have a negative experience with the organization. <br />
<br />
==== Organization ====<br />
Since the organization can only act through its agents, it is important that the decisionmakers understand what the organization needs and expects from the people coming in. It should expect its decisionmakers to be nonideological and fair, that it has a corps of volunteers capable of handling its affairs autonomously and without interruption, and that its policies will be enforced equally. <br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
Ultimately, projecting positive expectations and sticking to them as consistently as possible will go a long way towards ensuring that everyone around an organization has their reasonable expectations met.<br />
<br />
When possible, write those expectations down, and make sure they are enforced and reinforced by everyone in the shop.<br />
<br />
== Integrating bikes into the university fabric ==<br />
Integrating bikes into the university fabric via student and staff collaboration<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
University of Texas loans bikes for 1 year. They charge the borrower for unreturned or damaged bikes and they are currently trying to get these fees put on students' records to ensure they are paid. In their case the university itself is liable for injury.<br />
<br />
Most shops however have no official ties or agreement with their university.<br />
<br />
==== How do you get along with for profit shops? ====<br />
Mixed reviews, some don't like having the competition while others will donate directly to the shop.<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
The organizers of this workshop had planned to give a formal presentation but instead just had an informal discussion. The discussion quickly went off topic, it was not moderated at all. It most likely would have been much more productive had the organizers stuck to their original plan.<br />
<br />
== Managing social rides to promote bicycling ==<br />
From fringe to mainstream: how social cycling can ... and make our cities better<br />
=== Details ===<br />
Held at 11:15 AM on Friday, June 24 at the Bike Cave.<br />
Elliott McFadden of [http://austinontwowheels.org/ Austin on Two Wheels] and Violet Crown Cycles started by describing his views of cycling promotion and two methods seen in Austin of directly working to get people riding bikes. After this, he answered questions in a general discussion format.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
==== Failures in bicycle promotion ====<br />
Elliot identified two somewhat conflicting methods of increasing cycling from the cycling industry and from political advocacy.<br />
* Industry: Bicycle sales in the U.S. have remained stagnant over since the 1970s, despite significant growth in population. To increase sales, the bicycle industry has focused on making bikes more niche -- selling new bikes to their existing market.<br />
* Advocacy: Advocates lobby decision makers for better infrastructure, but do so without growing a grassroots bicycle population or establishing cycling within the community.<br />
Until bicycling is seen as a normal community behavior, bicyclists will continue to be classified by convenient stereotypes, like the spandex/carbon weekend warrior, the hipster scofflaw, and the sanctimonious environmentalist.<br />
==== Strategy ====<br />
Defining "regime" as an interconnected group of businesses and leaders with a common world view, Elliott noted that the current regime is in favor of growing consumption and fossil fuel use. At the national level, this means the oil and auto industries. At the local level, it includes developers, auto dealers, and news entities, whose future profits depend on growth. Tellingly, 30% of all ad revenue for media entities comes from car companies.<br />
Regime change must then be the goal of a bicycle promoter. Find negative ways to describe the current regime (dirty, expensive, destructive, long travel times in cars) and positive ways to describe the desired regime (healthy, thrifty, sustainable, quality family time). Form partnerships with businesses and organizations that can benefit from a new regime.<br />
==== Social cycling ====<br />
To replace the negative stereotypes of bicyclists, it is important to develop an atmosphere that encourages riding by more members of the community. Bicycling should be made to be more comfortable -- no races, no work-outs, regular clothes, open to everyone. The joys of being out, riding with regular people, should be paramount. <br />
Commuting is often a big sell by industry and advocates; it allows shops to sell specialized "commuter" bicycles and advocates to focus on connecting routes, but as a sales point, it has two crippling problems: nobody likes to go to work, and most people go to work alone. Instead, social cycling should be a focus: just get many people together to ride bikes. Austin has two models that work in tandem: Social Cycling Austin and Austin on Two Wheels, an "affiliated business concept".<br />
===== Social Cycling Austin =====<br />
Social Cycling Austin is a volunteer production started two years ago as a free ride -- participants just show up for a weekly social ride, drawing 200-300 riders on average and as many as 500. It partners with local businesses, usually a bar or restaurant, and rides with traffic, not against it.<br />
This model is easy to start (it just requires two people) and its open structure makes it accessible to all. It doesn't have to be affiliated with any business, so it can work with and for everyone. Because of its loose nature, it's easy to change what doesn't work or even dismantle the ride. It doesn't need any investment to start up, as most organizing can be done through social networks and guerrilla marketing.<br />
Unfortunately, it also has no control over who shows up, making it difficult to deal with troublemakers and easy for the ride to grow beyond the capacity of the leaders or prevent the ride from being co-opted by other organizations. A focus on bars as a final destination also makes it easy for this sort of ride to turn into a "booze cruise", adding additional challenges to the organization and often depressing its ability to draw women riders. Additionally, it is easy for organizing volunteers to burn out and the undefined liability might cause problems in case of injury.<br />
===== Affiliated Business Concept =====<br />
In an affiliated business concept, the rides are run as a business, usually as smaller fee-based rides than as large-scale free-for-alls.<br />
Because a business controls the ride, it's possible to tailor rides for specific demographics; women, families, suburbanites, etc. It's also easier to get different business partners and variety in the ride -- restaurants may provide food and drink samples, galleries may partner for art rides, or retail establishments for shopping rides. A business is also better able to provide a clear line of liability in case of accident and maintain a paid staff of ride leaders and organizers to provide a higher level of service. Austin on Two Wheels, for example, capped rides at 50 participants and provided one ride leader for every ten people to watch over unlocked bikes and help keep rides safe.<br />
This concept also carries some challenges. Partners must be committed to growth; it can take 18-24 months for the concept to turn a sustainable profit and its longer-term viability has not been tested, though it may be a reasonable loss leader for a bike shop. It also limits partnerships to a single member of each sector; one bike shop, one newspaper, or one boutique. The clear line of liability also means that the operating business has insurance requirements to carry and will likely have to enforce helmet use.<br />
==== Discussion ====<br />
Both rides appeal to different people, but the demographics of the riders were mostly white, though unintentionally so. For the open social rides, this was because the ride started from one social circle and its business preferences. For the paid rides, this was because they were seeking sustainable income. Since bicycles seen as a lesser mode of transportation in impoverished communities and represent gentrification, it can be difficult to promote them, though groups like the Major Taylor Group are trying to increase African American ridership. Either way, more racially diverse ride leadership should help diversify rider participation.<br />
Other problems with social cycling rides were identified. It's easy for the ride's somewhat high turnover to give it over to more aggressive cycling, and efforts to rein it in can be paternalistic.<br />
Responses to paid rides were overwhelmingly positive. Of 300 participants, 60% were women, and every ride had a bicyclist that had not ridden at all in the past year. Of survey respondents, 85% loved the ride, 97% would do it again, and 84% were more likely to revisit the participating businesses. No complaints were received of the ride being too fast, and the complaints of 1/3 of the respondents that the ride was too slow were dismissed. As for distance, the longest single ride was 10 miles and the longest single stretch was five miles, but most rides were just a few miles in stretches of two miles or less at a 10-12 mph pace. <br />
The high ratio of leaders to participants of the paid rides helped keep them very well organized. Walkie-talkies were given to the front and back leaders and other riders would circulate through the ride, keeping riders lined up, directing traffic at intersections, and encouraging the ride to behave well in regards to other users. It helped that the Austin Police Department was non-reactionary, so there was no backlash from law enforcement.<br />
Paid rides started with an intro of the leaders and the participants signing of a waiver stating they knew the rules of the road and agreed to follow ride leader instructions.<br />
Marketing was done through their own website, and partnering businesses were encouraged to do their own promotion as well. It was emphasized that time, rather than distance, was mentioned in all promotions. Though a six mile ride would take about 30 minutes, 30 minutes seemed like an easier ride than six miles. Ride classifications were right out; letter-assignments mean nothing to the new riders being targeted.<br />
Hurting businesses were suggested as rich prospects, as a few dozen potential customers can be enticing. Visits to any business should be during slow hours, though, to minimize disruption to regular services and provide customers when the business would be otherwise idle -- restaurants on Saturday afternoons are a good example. <br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Mobile Repair Clinic ==<br />
Held at 9:30 AM on Friday, June 24, at Sodatooth art gallery. Operating a mobile on-the-go repair clinic through the city and community organizations.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
The original facilitator did not show up for this workshop but the intent was fairly self evident by the name of the workshop. It was begun with a go-around and then by asking the question 'who currently operates a mobile repair unit?'<br />
The [[Bike Cage]] from Winnipeg told us that they began as a purely mobile shop until they had enough resources and a space to operate from a permanent location. The [[Bike Root]] from Calgary told us that the opposite was true for them, they began with a full shop but after losing their space, kept operations going by setting up in various locations on their campus and around town.<br />
==== To fix or not? Where do you draw the line? ====<br />
There were various answers to this question, some shops will only fix flats and minor brake and gear issues. Others were willing to fix anything as long as the tools were available. Arguments for the former included<br />
* lack of proper tools<br />
* lack of more advanced tools or replacement parts in case anything went wrong<br />
* lack of knowledge / trust in the knowledge of some casual volunteers that might attend a mobile repair clinic<br />
* some provide more hand on repair for mobile units to decrease liability in case a bike owner injures themselves but providing more complicated repairs ourselves increases liability in case the owner injures themselves on their bike afterwards.<br />
and for the latter:<br />
* We should do our best to get more bikes fixed and on the road<br />
* We're confident in our skills<br />
* The worst thing that might happen is that a bike that wasn't on the road is now still not on the road<br />
* We make bike owners fix their bikes themselves so we are not liable<br />
==== Other services ====<br />
In addition to offering minor repairs, the Bike Cage's mobile unit doubles as a bike valet service. There was no elaboration on how the system works.<br />
==== Getting the message across that a mobile tune tent is not a fully functioning tent ====<br />
It seemed to be a common problem that when individuals in the community would hear about a free tune-up possibility, they would often bring in bikes that need repairs far beyond what could be done at a tune tent. It was suggested to avoid this, advertise as "light bike repair".<br />
==== Who holds the tools? ====<br />
We had a discussion about if the volunteer should fix the bike for the owner or provide the owner with the tools and teach how to fix the bike hands-off. Whether or not tools were handed to the bike owner, teaching at least by the volunteer explaining what he or she was doing seemed to be the norm. The issues behind whether or not to let the owner fix the bike seemed to be liability dependent on both sides. If the volunteer fixes the bike, the shop becomes liable if the bike causes injury down the road while normally the bike owner has not signed a liability waiver to use the tools, so the shop could be liable if they hurt themselves while repairing their bike.<br />
==== Ride or drive? ====<br />
We had a discussion on whether or not to drive the equipment to the location or use a trailer. No one seemed to be passionate for either but there are a lot of options out there for trailers big and small. [[Fargo Moorhead Community Bicycle Workshop|Fargo]] rides with a huge 4x6 trailer.<br />
==== Off topic discussion ====<br />
The conversation went off topic many times but did produce a few interesting ideas:<br />
* [[The Orioles Bike Cage|Winnipeg]] uses a punch card, much like one you would find a a coffee shop or fast food location, to punch out skills that a volunteer has learned. Once the card is completely punched the volunteer can start fixing bikes for others.<br />
* While discussing how to get enough replacement parts, another bike shop told us they provide local bike shops with barrels which the shops can use to put parts that are still usable but would otherwise throw away. The barrels would be picked up and emptied at regular intervals. This shop did not have a problem finding parts when needed as a result.<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Please be kind to cyclists ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Recycled bike art ==<br />
Turning garbage into gold.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
<br />
[[File:Bike Craft - Tube Shoe Laces.pdf|200px|thumb|left|alt text]]<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Software developers exchange ==<br />
Projects being worked on, have worked on, or areas they (you) are interested / skilled in.<br />
<br />
Held Saturday, June 25, at 2:30 PM at the San Marcos Public Library.<br />
<br />
Facilitated by [[User:Godwin|Godwin]] of [[The Bike Root]] in Calgary.<br />
<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Participants briefly described their technical experience, specifically any coding projects and languages they've used. A few participants were experienced programmers; most were interested in learning or helping a project in other ways like documentation and testing.<br />
[[Austin Yellow Bike Project]]'s tracking code was discussed and briefly compared to the [[Bike Kitchen (San Francisco, CA, USA)|San Francisco Bicycle Kitchen]]'s Freehub software.<br />
<br />
The Yellow Bike Project released their code for public use, and it was noted that SLC had already made a Joomla plugin. The YBP software was also demonstrated live at the workshop.<br />
<br />
Steve of [[Fargo Moorhead Community Bicycle Workshop|Fargo]] and Godwin were (or soon will be) working on independent applications, but the general consensus coalesced around a few ideals.<br />
<br />
Any software development push should be oriented towards a web-based solution for the greatest ease in rolling out across various platforms, though it would make it more difficult to install as a software package and could lead to data security and access problems if provided as a hosting service, as SFBK does with Freehub. Additionally, this software should start with one shop in order to develop one full set of features. All features should be written as plugins to a basic core, allowing features to be added as required by various shops.<br />
Yellow Bike Project's software may make a suitable core for such a push.<br />
<br />
A general wishlist was hashed out, in no particular order:<br />
* Work-trade management<br />
* Granular volunteer time tracking<br />
* Varied reporting options<br />
* Donation tracking<br />
* Bike and inventory tracking (including completion of projects)<br />
* Visitor tracking<br />
* Communications options (e-mail lists, contacting expiring memberships)<br />
* Sales tracking (though not point-of-sale)<br />
* Volunteer skill tracking<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
[[Godwin]] will direct a new open source project starting in September 2011. The system will be modular so that individual plugins can be added or modified as needed to ensure that collectives don't have to modify the way they do things simply because the software does not conform to their model.<br />
<br />
== Teaching & learning styles ==<br />
Teaching & learning styles in community bike shops; a discussion about different approaches, what works and what doesn't work as well<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== The future of Bike! Bike! ==<br />
Where are we going and how are we going to get there? Also, a quick (but no-decisions-made) discussion about where Bike! Bike! will be held in 2012 (that will be decided during the final meeting on Sunday, June 26).<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Utilizing free open-source software ==<br />
Operating systems and work documents to benefit your project.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Despite "charity" pricing for software packages from major publishers like Microsoft and Adobe, some software is priced beyond the range of a co-operative's budget, or would be used to infrequently as to make a purchase pointless.<br />
Fortunately, the open source community has responded with a number of free replacements for major software, including for the operating system itself. Most of these packages can be found in [[Computer Resources]].<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Volunteer orientation ==<br />
Addressing safe space concerns, and a conversation about empowering and maintaining a committed volunteer base<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Weather? What weather? (summer) ==<br />
How you and your bike can survive the heat<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Weather? What weather? (winter) ==<br />
How you and your bike can survive the cold<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Women and Transgender shop hours ==<br />
Policies, Politics, Allies<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working in under-privileged communities ==<br />
Working in under-privileged communities: challenges and opportunities<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Facilitators:<br />
<br />
[[Bike Kitchen]]/[[La Bici Digna]] (Arlen) and [[Bikerowave]]/[[Bici Libre]] (Bobby):<br />
<br />
<br />
Keep your eyes on the prize (don’t forget why you’re doing this, don’t let your limitations stop you)<br />
<br />
<br />
Dynamics in work space an issue, (shop isn’t located in the right place) <br />
<br />
-try mobile workshop?<br />
La Bici Digna started with a mobil work shop at the day labor center working with City of Lights. <br />
<br />
<br />
Low community buyin? <br />
<br />
-try partnering w/ another organization that organizes in “that” community. (try contacting a country’s embassy to let them know you exist, find out what communities you want to encourage and talk to the leaders in that community) <br />
<br />
<br />
Not enough Resources?<br />
<br />
-try seeing groups that are stoked, already active.<br />
<br />
<br />
Chill out. Be Patient (It takes time to build up trust and awareness of your resource.)<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Stories:'''<br />
<br />
Bici Libre got a free space to house abandoned bikes. They seek to provide a space where people can learn job skills and leadership skills. They have a list of activities that can be done by non-bike mechanic volunteers. Group jobs such as cleaning parts or cutting tubes can be really good for some cultures who will enjoy the communal experience. It’s important to talk to the poeple you are trying to engage to ask them what they want to contribute, or what they want to get out of it.<br />
<br />
<br />
Sometimes the way we think the bicycle collective “should” run is not the way some under privileged communities want to run their own. Often, people will want to start a for-profit shop. It’s important to not get stuck in your ideas, to learn also how to communicate in another person’s language. You can use the terms they know, even if it’s the “wrong” term, whats important is that you both get on the same page. There’s a reason you are trying to engage a different dynamic in the bike shop, you should be willing to learn from new people, not just try to tell them what/how to do. <br />
<br />
<br />
'''Multi lingual bike diagram:'''<br />
<br />
La Bici Digna had a poster of a bike with lines to all the parts. They asked their participant to write on posted notes the names of the parts of the bike that they knew. With all the many dialects present, the digram ended up having four names for nearly every part. <br />
<br />
<br />
Denver’s [[The Bike Depot]] works with [Big Brother] and [Big Sister]. They are then able to pay for kids to volunteer.<br />
<br />
<br />
Lots of collectives have earn a bike programs, or free bikes to people on welfare.<br />
<br />
<br />
One collective got a high school student credit for volunteering at the shop.<br />
<br />
Another works directly with Refugee camps.<br />
<br />
<br />
'''How do you deal with theft?''' - Story from the [[Bike Kitchen]]<br />
<br />
The bike kitchen experienced a wave of theft. Bikes were being stolen right out side the shop, and also, many 15mm wrenches and other tools which might assist in bicycle theft. At first they were completely worried and frustrated that they were possibly assisting in that theft. But what they hadn’t expected was that this wave of bicycle theft resulted in the creation of a bike scene in the surrounding neighborhoods. The exact people who they were trying to get into the shop, trying to foster interest in the bicycle as a mode of transportation, started riding bikes. “It just wasn’t on our terms.” - Arlen ([[Bike Kitchen]]/[[La Bici Digna]])<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Workshop continues in [[#Classes, Workshops, Space]]<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working Together ==<br />
Increasing Inter-Organization Collaboration. The intention of this workshop was to talk about all of the ways in which we as bicycle collectives of different sorts who run our services in many different ways, can share our experiences, successes, failures, and tangible output in order to help other collectives both start and continue to thrive.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
[[User:Godwin|Godwin]] directed this workshop while [[Bob Wolfe]] facilitated in providing a speakers list. A large sheet of paper was used to help keep visible notes, at the end of the discussion the notes were the following:<br />
* '''Current Tools'''<br />
** [[BOOP]]<br />
** [http://www.bikebike.org/ Bike!Bike!]<br />
** Think Tank e-mail list (sign up on Bike Collectives website)<br />
** [http://www.bikecollectives.org/ Bike Collectives Network]<br />
** [[Main Page|Bike Collectives Wiki]]<br />
** Various collaborative tools such as our Google Docs list of organizations and Google Maps visualization of orgs across North America<br />
* '''What we need these tools for'''<br />
** Learn how to start a collective<br />
** Learn how to continue running a collective<br />
** Find example documents<br />
*** Volunteer Privileges<br />
*** Todo for new volunteers<br />
*** Financials<br />
*** Fliers<br />
*** Curricula<br />
*** Manuals<br />
*** 501c and not-for-profit forms<br />
*** Tool lists<br />
*** Inventory<br />
*** Price guide<br />
*** Mission statement<br />
*** Bylaws<br />
*** Safe space<br />
*** Legal documents<br />
*** Letters for grant writing<br />
** Find out how other organizations run their various programmes<br />
** Partner with other organizations<br />
* '''Brainstorming Ideas which could help'''<br />
** A Bike!Bike! Wiki<br />
** Have more involved wiki moderators who will make suggestions for improvements<br />
** News feed on wiki<br />
** Email individuals to improve pages<br />
** New list-serve other than the [[Think Tank]] which can be used for these emails<br />
** More list-serves for different purposes<br />
** Online Forums<br />
** Request documents, pages, and improvements once a year or at other regular intervals<br />
** Rid the wiki of closed shops<br />
** RSS feeds on the wiki<br />
** Separate blog or paper news<br />
** Paypal donations on [[BCN]] or the wiki<br />
** An umbrella or 'helping hand' organization<br />
** A seed fund<br />
** Micro Loans for starting up shops<br />
** A no-reply list-serve<br />
* An 'umbrella' organization goes against many principles that are held by most shops however a 'helping hand' organization that acts as a third party to facilitate to spread of knowledge and possibly funds would likely not.<br />
* To improve the wiki it will take some active moderating and contacting of individuals.<br />
* The wiki is difficult to navigate so it should be reorganized<br />
* Bikecollectives.org is not serving any other purpose other than providing the wiki.<br />
* The [[Think Tank]] is too much for many to handle, there are too many emails about things that many don't care about.<br />
* Godwin promised to contact the current owners of bikecollectives.org to see if improvements could be made.<br />
* Adding increased moderation of the wiki will be looked into<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working with relationships ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Closing discussion - Bike!Bike! 2012 ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Around 40 attendees participated in the closing discussion on Sunday, June 26, at 11:00 AM at the San Marcos Public Library.<br />
<br />
====Suggestions====<br />
The discussion started with some suggestions on improving the flow of the conference. The lack of an evening discussion group would have made it easier to decompress from each days' activities. Missing facilitators were a notable occurrence, though most or all workshops turned into group discussions anyway. More proactive scheduling and announcements would have helped attendees better figure out what workshops were coming up and where to find them; posting official schedules at each location and on a Google calendar (for those with omnipresent network connections) and making lunchtime announcements might have worked well.<br />
<br />
The loaner bikes from San Marcos, Yellow Bike Project, and Orange Bike Project were all handled really well, and the inaugural bike ride from Austin to San Marcos was an awesome way to break the ice and establish some camaraderie. The position and timing of locations was perfect; an attendee could roam across town relatively quickly but still make it with plenty of time to spare. The recommendation of cool-down spots was also very welcome, and the maps were helpful.<br />
<br />
As a host city, San Marcos was superb. The small town atmosphere was incredible. The community was quick to give support and very accepting and welcoming of the attendees.<br />
<br />
==== Matt's thoughts ====<br />
As the primary organizer, Matt of the San Marcos Bike Project was asked how he thought the event came together. Speaking honestly, he thought it was terrible. From his perspective, the workshops sort of took care of themselves. Though he'd been working on Bike!Bike! for eight months, 90% of the actual work was done in the last week.<br />
<br />
If he was doing it over again, he would have kept better records, including more centralized documents. Nothing that people do things when they're asked to, he would have done a lot more delegating. All in all, he spent about two hours a day working on it, but should have spent three.<br />
<br />
70 people from out-of-town registered.<br />
<br />
==== Other comments ====<br />
All in all, the number of attendees seemed manageable -- not too many, not too few -- but there could have been more outreach to other groups. Regional Bike!Bike!s were identified as a double-edged sword; they made it easier for people to access them and were far more intimate affairs, but they also depress turnout at The Bike!Bike!. A big Bike!Bike! can have a big impact, and it may be worthwhile to maximize that impact.<br />
<br />
Though San Marcos was an excellent host city, it was noted that small-market airports tend to be more expensive to fly into and out of, putting up a barrier to some smaller organizations. As San Marcos was not a "destination" in its own right, it was still a positive experience; few attendees would have gone to San Marcos on their own, but it showed that these events can have a different kind of draw and community impact.<br />
<br />
==== Bike!Bike! 2012 bids ====<br />
===== Sacramento =====<br />
The Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen opened the bids for 2012. Noting that they've been operating for five years and moved into a stable and large space three years ago, they're reaching a maturity point as a collective. They have incredible community support for their special events.<br />
<br />
As a city, Sacramento is committed to earning Gold status as a Bicycle Friendly Community, and Bike!Bike! would dovetail nicely with an indie bike cred fed by community initiatives to build a velodrome and bring the 2012 North American Handmade Bicycle Show and a 2012 bike polo tournament to town. And though it's trying for Gold status, the city leadership doesn't seem yet to know how to "do" bicycling, so Bike!Bike! could help provide even more guidance.<br />
<br />
In terms of geography, Sacramento is easy to navigate, sits on major east-west and north-south rail lines, and is exceptionally flat. The bicycle friendly town of Davis is nearby, and the Davis Bike Collective just hosted a regional conference and could be tapped for support as Austin groups helped San Marcos.<br />
<br />
===== Los Angeles =====<br />
The Bicycle Kitchen explicitly did not want to vie for 2012, but wanted to throw its hat in the ring now for 2013 or 2014.<br />
<br />
The Kitchen has been open for seven years, and in those seven years, 11 other co-ops have started, likely to be 15 by 2013. The city has recently started its Ciclovia program, closing down seven miles of roadways to car traffic and letting real people take the streets. It's also a hip town, with a bicycle demolition derby in June and as many as 1,000 riders on a social ride on any given night.<br />
<br />
The goal in L.A. hosting is to break down some stereotypes of L.A. and show off the amazing things the region has been doing recently.<br />
<br />
===== Columbus =====<br />
<br />
===== Vancouver =====<br />
<br />
= Contact =<br />
* [[Bike!Bike!]] website: http://www.bikebike.org<br />
* [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|The Bike Cave]]'s website: http://thebikecave.org<br />
* Email: [mailto:bikebike2011@gmail.com bikebike2011@gmail.com]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Bike!Bike!]]</div>Sharperhttps://wiki2.bikelover.org/wiki/index.php?title=Bike!Bike!_2011&diff=11396Bike!Bike! 20112011-07-22T18:36:42Z<p>Sharper: /* Notes */</p>
<hr />
<div>'''Bike!Bike! 2011''' was held in San Marcos, Texas; hosted by [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|The Bike Cave]] and [[The San Marcos Community Bike Project]]. It took place from June 23-26th, 2011.[[File:bikebikebike2a.jpg|thumb]]<br />
<br />
<br />
== Workshops schedule ==<br />
<br />
{|border="1" align="left" style="text-align:left; border: 1px solid Black;" width="100%"<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Friday, June 24||Yoga Center || The Bike Cave || Sodatooth || Go 2 Danz || Library large room || Library small room || The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am|| || [[#Acquiring a permanent space]] || [[#Mobile Repair Clinic]] || || || ||<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm|| || [[#Managing social rides to promote bicycling]] || || [[#Bike touring]] || || ||<br />
|-<br />
|2:30pm - 4:00pm||[[#Teaching & learning styles]] || [[#Integrating bikes into the university fabric]] || || [[#Working in under-privileged communities]] || || ||<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm|| ||[[#Basics of the nonprofit sector and organizational form]] || || [[#Women and Transgender shop hours]] || || ||<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Saturday, June 25||Yoga Center || The Bike Cave || Sodatooth || Go 2 Danz || Library large room || Library small room || The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am|| || [[#Bike 101]]|| [[#Volunteer orientation]] || [[#Acro yoga]] || || || [[#Green space tour]]<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm|| || [[#Working with relationships]] || || [[#Working Together]] || || [[#Utilizing free open-source software]] ||<br />
|-<br />
|2:30pm - 4:00pm|| [[#Battlefield: Consensus]] || || || [[#Weather? What weather? (winter)]] || [[#Software developers exchange]] || [[#Please be kind to cyclists]] ||<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm|| [[#Analyzing work flows]] || [[#Recycled bike art]] || || || [[#Classes, Workshops, Space]] || ||<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Sunday, June 26||Yoga Center || The Bike Cave || Sodatooth || Go 2 Danz || Library large room || Library small room || The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am|| [[#Managing expectations of a cooperative bike shop]] || || || [[#Weather? What weather? (summer)]] || [[#Confronting car culture]] || || <br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 1:00pm|| || || || || [[#Closing discussion - Bike!Bike! 2012]] || || <br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
<br />
= Schedule =<br />
<br />
== As published ==<br />
<br />
{|border="0" align="left" style="text-align:left;"<br />
!scope="row" width="20%" colspan="2"| Wednesday, June 22<br />
|-<br />
|1:00-6:00pm||Pick up a loaner bike (if you're staying the night in Austin) at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|2:00pm - 6:00pm||Open house at UT's Orange Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|6:00 -10:00pm||Open house at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|11:00pm||Open house at Movemint Bike Cab Co. Shop (1301 east 4th street) <br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Thursday, June 23<br />
|-<br />
|11:00am - 1:00pm||Pick up your loaner bike (if you've just arrived in Austin) at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|1:00pm||Group ride from Austin's Yellow Bike Project to San Marcos (there will be a truck to take your things to San Marcos)<br />
|-<br />
|12:00 - 8:00pm||Check-In at San Marcos Public Library ($25 - $45, pay what you can, nobody will be turned away for lack of funds. Pick up your loaner bike and housing arraignments)<br />
|-<br />
|2:00 - 8:00pm||Fix up your bike at The Bike Cave<br />
|-<br />
|7:00 - 8:00pm||Welcome / Speak up & speak out!<br />
|-<br />
|8:00pm - 10:00pm||Casual welcome dinner at City / Plaza Park with music by Mariachi Nueva Generacion<br />
|-<br />
|9:30pm||A screening of "Dudey Free Zone: Women's and Transgender Bike Spaces" plus other short bike-related films. At The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Friday, June 24<br />
|-<br />
|8:00am - 1:00pm||Check-In continued for those who get here late at The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|1:00 - 2:30pm||Lunch<br />
|-<br />
|2:30 - 4:00pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|8:00pm - 9:00pm||The future of Bike! Bike! - a discussion to figure out where we're heading, and how we're getting there. A preview of which project(s) are interested in hosting in 2012.<br />
|-<br />
|7:00pm - 10:30pm||Bike polo on top of Speck Street Parking Garage (there will be a group ride leaving from Rio Vista at 6:00pm)<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 -11:00pm||Concert at The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Saturday, June 25<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|1:00 - 2:30pm||Lunch<br />
|-<br />
|2:30 - 4:00pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|9:00pm - 12:00am||BIKE! RIDE! BIKE! RIDE!<br />
|-<br />
|12:00am - ???||Dance party<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Sunday, June 26<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30 - 11:00am||Workshops / final brainstorm<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 1:00pm||Closing meeting, Bike! Bike! 2012 discussion<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
<br />
= Workshops =<br />
== Green space tour ==<br />
A bike tour of San Marcos green spaces<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Acquiring a permanent space ==<br />
Acquiring a permanent space instead of renting, working with the city for land or a building, fund-raising and micro-loans<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Acro yoga ==<br />
Skillshare<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Analyzing work flows ==<br />
Analyzing work flows within a bike project: setting up committees and more effective follow-up. How to reduce "ball droppage". Held at 4:30 PM on Saturday, June 25, 2011, at the Community Yoga Center.<br />
<br />
Facilitated by Susan of [[Third Hand Bicycle Cooperative]] in Columbus, Ohio.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Often in collectives, everyone will be off doing their own thing. This can lead to some jobs being repeated and others falling through the cracks. To combat this, it's helpful to identify all the processes at work in the collective, whether they deal with inputs to the collective, actions within the shop, or outputs leaving the collective.<br />
<br />
Third Hand streamlined their procedures by identifying all of the processes involved in handling this inputs and outputs. The frequency and nature of each task was discussed, and jobs were fit together as appropriate. Collections of jobs are given to various task forces, each empowered to deal with their issue without approval from the Board or the overarching Collective and charged with developing the policies that guide the completion of those tasks. The identification of tasks alone took half a day.<br />
<br />
To deal with the problem of one volunteer doing all of one job and leaving the organization without institutional knowledge, it was suggested to pick a primary and secondary person responsible for getting the job done. Another method would be to assign jobs at the beginning of each month, so that tasks get spread around more widely. Neither approach means that the person assigned has to do the task; they may delegate the task, they're just responsible for making sure it happens.<br />
<br />
Those assigned a job should make a short report back at a general meeting as to their success or failure. This helps the group know that necessary work is being accomplished and provides an avenue for new volunteers to find work. Since it's nearly impossible to penalize volunteers, enforcement has to be kept positive. In the case of an incomplete job, the group should ask why the job was not finished, and whether there was sufficient support from the group. Any remediation can be simply done by a reconstituted task force given a mandate to fix the problems.<br />
<br />
In Third Hand's experience, some jobs like outreach and volunteer coordination are best considered as "alternative shifts" -- as crucial as a regular shift, but handled in a radically different way.<br />
<br />
==== Examples ====<br />
Sample inputs, from the workshop:<br />
* Mail<br />
* Phone calls<br />
* E-mail<br />
* Donations (cash or stuff)<br />
* Visitors<br />
* Packages and deliveries<br />
* Complaints<br />
* Volunteer labor<br />
<br />
Sample inside tasks:<br />
* Cleaning<br />
* Tool ordering<br />
* Inventory<br />
* Budgeting<br />
* Parts sorting<br />
* Scheduling<br />
* Tracking<br />
* Sales<br />
<br />
Sample outputs:<br />
* Bikes<br />
* Knowledge<br />
* Rent/utilities<br />
* Media<br />
* Mobile units<br />
* Volunteer appreciation<br />
* Newsletters/flyers<br />
* Mail and e-mail<br />
* Tax returns<br />
* Deposits<br />
<br />
Sample task forces:<br />
* Finances (Sales, Budgeting, Bill Payment)<br />
* Tool and parts orders<br />
* Community relations<br />
* Volunteer coordination<br />
* IT/Tech<br />
* Outreach<br />
* Conflict resolution<br />
<br />
Processes can be determined by looking at the inputs. For Mail, mail would be picked up and sorted to give to the appropriate group (finance, outreach, ordering, etc.), with a time frame of "every open shop". Third Hand spent half a day just identifying processes like these.<br />
<br />
==== Handling tasks ====<br />
After the processes are identified, task forces can be drawn up to handle them, and each task force can then draft the necessary policies to complete the tasks. <br />
<br />
Meetings help ensure tasks are done. Task forces can present whether they've kept up with their tasks and ask for additional help if necessary. Any resolution at one meeting should have a report back from the person responsible for the project at the next meeting. Also, if a new task comes up, it is possible to send it straight to a task force without bogging down the rest of the meeting. Routine items seem to be the best suited towards this task force method, as they are rarely out of consensus.<br />
<br />
Assigning a job exclusively to one volunteer can cause problems if that volunteer has to step aside for whatever reason. Two options to deal with this were to pick a primary and secondary contact for each job or to rotate each job frequently, so that skills and knowledge are more widely distributed within the group. A "bus test" was suggested; if a volunteer were hit by a bus tomorrow, would their tasks still get done? And if not, why not?<br />
<br />
Widespread knowledge can also help keep minutia of tasks to a minimum and prevent people from overspecializing or enforcing difficult job requirements on others.<br />
<br />
If a task slips through the cracks and remains undone, a new task force can be established specifically to fix the problem and catch up the organization.<br />
<br />
== Basics of the nonprofit sector and organizational form ==<br />
=== Details ===<br />
Held on Friday, June 24, at the [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|Bike Cave]].<br />
<br />
Facilitated by Charles from the [[Bloomington Community Bike Project]].<br />
<br />
Topics were determined by the participants at the beginning of the workshop and ran across a wide spectrum of general information on nonprofit management.<br />
<br />
=== General notes ===<br />
In 2006, the U.S. IRS published a rule requiring some sort of reporting as to an organization's status, even if it was just a postcard sent in. A number of small nonprofits lost their exemption for not following this rule.<br />
<br />
It is important to have a way to evaluate an organization's performance as it relates to its mission.<br />
<br />
Every organization needs a statutory agent -- someone who can sign for the organization and provides the IRS with "a throat to choke" if things go downhill.<br />
<br />
Meeting minutes have to be kept. Google Docs and a local wiki are both good resources, allowing necessary modifications. One organization had a lot of success keeping an internet-enabled computer in meetings, transcribing in realtime, and e-mailing the attendees immediately.<br />
<br />
Most states and regions have nonprofit resource centers and many libraries have nonprofit guides. Use them as best you can. If a resource provides facilitation training, it is usually worth it to send members. <br />
<br />
==== Fundraising opportunities ====<br />
Contract work can provide a good revenue source for a shop, but organizations must be careful that the contract closely matches the organization's priorities. It does little good to spend volunteer or paid staff time on special work that doesn't help the organization much. Grants can be a similar resource sink; the best grants are those that give you money for doing what you do. Always be prepared to walk away from a grant or a contract.<br />
<br />
When searching for grants, it helps to have a relationship with a grant writer. Be sure to look beyond bicycle-specific grants, too; a lot of bike collective work can fall under categories like sustainability, health, or ecology.<br />
<br />
==== Why to incorporate ====<br />
Small shops can skirt by without incorporation, but setting up a nonprofit brings a few major benefits.<br />
<br />
Incorporation makes it easier to get insurance and liability coverage, protecting volunteers in case of lawsuits. Incorporated nonprofits can also receive tax-deductible donations, avoid income taxes, and are in a better position to compete for grants and fundraising.<br />
<br />
==== Setup ====<br />
The constitution, bylaws, and policies were described as different facets of how to organize a nonprofit's structure.<br />
<br />
The ''constitution'' itself should be short -- little more than a mission statement and a prominent mention of the organization's tax exempt status.<br />
<br />
The ''bylaws'' should ratify the organization's best practices. As they are a legal document governing the organization, they should be concise and flexible and avoid dictating specific policies. Try to write in what should happen -- what the shop can do, what someone should expect when their come in, and so on, without saying how to accomplish those goals. Well-written bylaws also allow anyone reviewing them to see whether the organization is keeping true to its promises and offer an opportunity to change course if things go bad.<br />
<br />
All details about how to actually run the shop and organization belong in the ''policies and procedures''. <br />
<br />
==== [[Bicycle Kitchen (Los Angeles)|L.A. Bike Kitchen]] overview ====<br />
Arlen from the Los Angeles Bike Kitchen summarized how their organization is set up.<br />
<br />
The Bike Kitchen has three volunteer levels. Shadows graduate to volunteers once they've completed a general knowledge worksheet. Volunteers that work four shifts a month (about 12 hours) and do something extra special for the organization can then move up to "cook".<br />
<br />
There are four quarterly "cooks" meetings, run under supermajority consensus rules, utilizing an outside (and objective) facilitator. There is also one annual camp held with a paid outside facilitator. Board meetings are held monthly with a rotating facilitator chosen from the group.<br />
<br />
Day-to-day operations and policies are handled by "gruppos"; ad hoc autonomous committees with specific charters. These committees are not required to accept input from anyone else. Presumably, anyone with strong feelings on, for example, what tools to order, would sit on the ordering gruppo.<br />
<br />
Example gruppos:<br />
* Finance<br />
* Ordering<br />
* Operations (as related to bike projects)<br />
* "Smooth shifting" -- ergonomics and accessibility<br />
* Volunteer coordination<br />
* Neighbor relations<br />
* "Space exploration" -- researching a new shop location<br />
<br />
There was no built-in accountability measures; everything just worked.<br />
<br />
== Battlefield: Consensus ==<br />
Decision making - the good, the bad, and the ugly. A reprise of 2010's Battlefield: Consensus.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Bike 101 ==<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Bike touring ==<br />
What to take, how to pack, where to sleep and eat, and of course, where to go.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Classes, Workshops, Space ==<br />
Doing Meaningful Outreach with Communities in Your Neighborhood.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
<br />
'''How do you programs “translate” in your/near by communities?”'''<br />
<br />
<br />
How are you defining “Community”?<br />
<br />
How inclusive is your space? How Accessible?<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Lava Monsters of Death (these will hold you back, don’t let them!)'''<br />
<br />
<br />
Using excessive “they” “them” or “those people”<br />
<br />
Assuming people know what you know.<br />
<br />
Assuming people are intentionally (behaving/acting) being fucked up<br />
<br />
Confusing critiques/analysis of behaviour dynamics as vicious existential personal attacks of Doom against you, yes you! <br />
<br />
<br />
'''Success Stories of Workshops that help out reach to under privileged communities.'''<br />
<br />
Multi language bike mechanics, teach english or learn spanish at the same time as teaching bike mechanics, <br />
<br />
<br />
Get Doctors to prescribe bike riding, get them to send people to your collective.<br />
<br />
<br />
Organize group rides that tie in a neighborhood’s resources that are not well used, go to farmer’s markets, put baskets on bikes.<br />
<br />
<br />
Safe routes to schools has been successful in getting more kids to ride.<br />
<br />
<br />
Find teachers who are bike sympathetic.<br />
<br />
<br />
Canvas the neighborhood, knock door to door, flyer (tear offs work well), bring tools to fix flats, mobil bike repair!<br />
<br />
<br />
Get in contact with a neighborhood organization, they often don’t have websites, you can find them sometimes through the police department.<br />
<br />
<br />
Be wary of giving “big free give away!” if you don’t have enough, it can create a weird and tense atmosphere.<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Confronting car culture ==<br />
Dealing with dominant culture on a personal level and effecting cultural shift.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== How the City of San Marcos, Texas bicycle map was created ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Managing expectations of a cooperative bike shop ==<br />
How to manage expectations and orient new people quickly to the cooperative shop environment<br />
=== Details ===<br />
Held Sunday, June 25, 2011 at 9:30 AM at Community Yoga<br />
<br />
The facilitator did not arrive, so this was used as a general discussion instead.<br />
<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
There are many sets of expectations in each shop. Shops expect certain behaviors of volunteers, customers, and paid staff. People in the shop have expectations of the shop itself and what they will get out of it. Most of these expectations are not written down, meaning all persons in a shop have to negotiate certain expectations -- both the reasonable and the unreasonable. <br />
<br />
In most cases clear communication can create a reasonable and healthy set of expectations between a shop and the people within, helping the shop work much more smoothly. Specific shop policies are really just a way to write down those expectations as rules.<br />
<br />
==== Customers ====<br />
As it's possible for a shop (or its staff) to earn a bad reputation for not fulfilling false expectations, it's crucial to present what a shop does and does not do, to quash these false expectations.<br />
<br />
Misunderstandings about what the shop does can run the gamut; some shops have been heard to "give away new bikes", others to "fix your bike". These might have come by word of mouth from other shop users or from referring agency. The purpose and rules of a shop need to be clearly communicated to all users as soon as possible, via a short and concise elevator speech, handout card, or some other method. <br />
<br />
Not all customers will respond to the same mode of communication the same way, so it can be helpful to tailor one's elevator speech or rundown in order to make it more easily assimilated.<br />
<br />
==== Volunteers ====<br />
Not everyone volunteers for the same reasons, and if a volunteer job isn't fun, it's less likely to get done. All volunteers need to be integrated into the organization, whether they intend simply to wrench intermittently or try to find a place in the organization's structure. For both, it's important to get a volunteer to state their reasons for volunteering and why; including a volunteer "contract" in volunteer training may be an option, though of attendees, only the [[Bike Dump]] had experience with one and it did not work.<br />
<br />
The shop also has expectations of volunteers -- service commitments and the like -- that may not be understood by volunteers. In one example, the organization expected members of its governing body to step down when they started volunteering less frequently, while the volunteers expected to retain their position. A conflict like this could be prevented with established and enforced policies.<br />
<br />
lack of fulfillment of expectations can cause volunteers to drop out of circulation; a volunteer expecting to be on a leadership track and is denied advancement -- for whatever reason -- is likely to have a negative experience with the organization. <br />
<br />
==== Organization ====<br />
Since the organization can only act through its agents, it is important that the decisionmakers understand what the organization needs and expects from the people coming in. It should expect its decisionmakers to be nonideological and fair, that it has a corps of volunteers capable of handling its affairs autonomously and without interruption, and that its policies will be enforced equally. <br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
Ultimately, projecting positive expectations and sticking to them as consistently as possible will go a long way towards ensuring that everyone around an organization has their reasonable expectations met.<br />
<br />
When possible, write those expectations down, and make sure they are enforced and reinforced by everyone in the shop.<br />
<br />
== Integrating bikes into the university fabric ==<br />
Integrating bikes into the university fabric via student and staff collaboration<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
University of Texas loans bikes for 1 year. They charge the borrower for unreturned or damaged bikes and they are currently trying to get these fees put on students' records to ensure they are paid. In their case the university itself is liable for injury.<br />
<br />
Most shops however have no official ties or agreement with their university.<br />
<br />
==== How do you get along with for profit shops? ====<br />
Mixed reviews, some don't like having the competition while others will donate directly to the shop.<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
The organizers of this workshop had planned to give a formal presentation but instead just had an informal discussion. The discussion quickly went off topic, it was not moderated at all. It most likely would have been much more productive had the organizers stuck to their original plan.<br />
<br />
== Managing social rides to promote bicycling ==<br />
From fringe to mainstream: how social cycling can ... and make our cities better<br />
=== Details ===<br />
Held at 11:15 AM on Friday, June 24 at the Bike Cave.<br />
Elliott McFadden of [http://austinontwowheels.org/ Austin on Two Wheels] and Violet Crown Cycles started by describing his views of cycling promotion and two methods seen in Austin of directly working to get people riding bikes. After this, he answered questions in a general discussion format.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
==== Failures in bicycle promotion ====<br />
Elliot identified two somewhat conflicting methods of increasing cycling from the cycling industry and from political advocacy.<br />
* Industry: Bicycle sales in the U.S. have remained stagnant over since the 1970s, despite significant growth in population. To increase sales, the bicycle industry has focused on making bikes more niche -- selling new bikes to their existing market.<br />
* Advocacy: Advocates lobby decision makers for better infrastructure, but do so without growing a grassroots bicycle population or establishing cycling within the community.<br />
Until bicycling is seen as a normal community behavior, bicyclists will continue to be classified by convenient stereotypes, like the spandex/carbon weekend warrior, the hipster scofflaw, and the sanctimonious environmentalist.<br />
==== Strategy ====<br />
Defining "regime" as an interconnected group of businesses and leaders with a common world view, Elliott noted that the current regime is in favor of growing consumption and fossil fuel use. At the national level, this means the oil and auto industries. At the local level, it includes developers, auto dealers, and news entities, whose future profits depend on growth. Tellingly, 30% of all ad revenue for media entities comes from car companies.<br />
Regime change must then be the goal of a bicycle promoter. Find negative ways to describe the current regime (dirty, expensive, destructive, long travel times in cars) and positive ways to describe the desired regime (healthy, thrifty, sustainable, quality family time). Form partnerships with businesses and organizations that can benefit from a new regime.<br />
==== Social cycling ====<br />
To replace the negative stereotypes of bicyclists, it is important to develop an atmosphere that encourages riding by more members of the community. Bicycling should be made to be more comfortable -- no races, no work-outs, regular clothes, open to everyone. The joys of being out, riding with regular people, should be paramount. <br />
Commuting is often a big sell by industry and advocates; it allows shops to sell specialized "commuter" bicycles and advocates to focus on connecting routes, but as a sales point, it has two crippling problems: nobody likes to go to work, and most people go to work alone. Instead, social cycling should be a focus: just get many people together to ride bikes. Austin has two models that work in tandem: Social Cycling Austin and Austin on Two Wheels, an "affiliated business concept".<br />
===== Social Cycling Austin =====<br />
Social Cycling Austin is a volunteer production started two years ago as a free ride -- participants just show up for a weekly social ride, drawing 200-300 riders on average and as many as 500. It partners with local businesses, usually a bar or restaurant, and rides with traffic, not against it.<br />
This model is easy to start (it just requires two people) and its open structure makes it accessible to all. It doesn't have to be affiliated with any business, so it can work with and for everyone. Because of its loose nature, it's easy to change what doesn't work or even dismantle the ride. It doesn't need any investment to start up, as most organizing can be done through social networks and guerrilla marketing.<br />
Unfortunately, it also has no control over who shows up, making it difficult to deal with troublemakers and easy for the ride to grow beyond the capacity of the leaders or prevent the ride from being co-opted by other organizations. A focus on bars as a final destination also makes it easy for this sort of ride to turn into a "booze cruise", adding additional challenges to the organization and often depressing its ability to draw women riders. Additionally, it is easy for organizing volunteers to burn out and the undefined liability might cause problems in case of injury.<br />
===== Affiliated Business Concept =====<br />
In an affiliated business concept, the rides are run as a business, usually as smaller fee-based rides than as large-scale free-for-alls.<br />
Because a business controls the ride, it's possible to tailor rides for specific demographics; women, families, suburbanites, etc. It's also easier to get different business partners and variety in the ride -- restaurants may provide food and drink samples, galleries may partner for art rides, or retail establishments for shopping rides. A business is also better able to provide a clear line of liability in case of accident and maintain a paid staff of ride leaders and organizers to provide a higher level of service. Austin on Two Wheels, for example, capped rides at 50 participants and provided one ride leader for every ten people to watch over unlocked bikes and help keep rides safe.<br />
This concept also carries some challenges. Partners must be committed to growth; it can take 18-24 months for the concept to turn a sustainable profit and its longer-term viability has not been tested, though it may be a reasonable loss leader for a bike shop. It also limits partnerships to a single member of each sector; one bike shop, one newspaper, or one boutique. The clear line of liability also means that the operating business has insurance requirements to carry and will likely have to enforce helmet use.<br />
==== Discussion ====<br />
Both rides appeal to different people, but the demographics of the riders were mostly white, though unintentionally so. For the open social rides, this was because the ride started from one social circle and its business preferences. For the paid rides, this was because they were seeking sustainable income. Since bicycles seen as a lesser mode of transportation in impoverished communities and represent gentrification, it can be difficult to promote them, though groups like the Major Taylor Group are trying to increase African American ridership. Either way, more racially diverse ride leadership should help diversify rider participation.<br />
Other problems with social cycling rides were identified. It's easy for the ride's somewhat high turnover to give it over to more aggressive cycling, and efforts to rein it in can be paternalistic.<br />
Responses to paid rides were overwhelmingly positive. Of 300 participants, 60% were women, and every ride had a bicyclist that had not ridden at all in the past year. Of survey respondents, 85% loved the ride, 97% would do it again, and 84% were more likely to revisit the participating businesses. No complaints were received of the ride being too fast, and the complaints of 1/3 of the respondents that the ride was too slow were dismissed. As for distance, the longest single ride was 10 miles and the longest single stretch was five miles, but most rides were just a few miles in stretches of two miles or less at a 10-12 mph pace. <br />
The high ratio of leaders to participants of the paid rides helped keep them very well organized. Walkie-talkies were given to the front and back leaders and other riders would circulate through the ride, keeping riders lined up, directing traffic at intersections, and encouraging the ride to behave well in regards to other users. It helped that the Austin Police Department was non-reactionary, so there was no backlash from law enforcement.<br />
Paid rides started with an intro of the leaders and the participants signing of a waiver stating they knew the rules of the road and agreed to follow ride leader instructions.<br />
Marketing was done through their own website, and partnering businesses were encouraged to do their own promotion as well. It was emphasized that time, rather than distance, was mentioned in all promotions. Though a six mile ride would take about 30 minutes, 30 minutes seemed like an easier ride than six miles. Ride classifications were right out; letter-assignments mean nothing to the new riders being targeted.<br />
Hurting businesses were suggested as rich prospects, as a few dozen potential customers can be enticing. Visits to any business should be during slow hours, though, to minimize disruption to regular services and provide customers when the business would be otherwise idle -- restaurants on Saturday afternoons are a good example. <br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Mobile Repair Clinic ==<br />
Held at 9:30 AM on Friday, June 24, at Sodatooth art gallery. Operating a mobile on-the-go repair clinic through the city and community organizations.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
The original facilitator did not show up for this workshop but the intent was fairly self evident by the name of the workshop. It was begun with a go-around and then by asking the question 'who currently operates a mobile repair unit?'<br />
The [[Bike Cage]] from Winnipeg told us that they began as a purely mobile shop until they had enough resources and a space to operate from a permanent location. The [[Bike Root]] from Calgary told us that the opposite was true for them, they began with a full shop but after losing their space, kept operations going by setting up in various locations on their campus and around town.<br />
==== To fix or not? Where do you draw the line? ====<br />
There were various answers to this question, some shops will only fix flats and minor brake and gear issues. Others were willing to fix anything as long as the tools were available. Arguments for the former included<br />
* lack of proper tools<br />
* lack of more advanced tools or replacement parts in case anything went wrong<br />
* lack of knowledge / trust in the knowledge of some casual volunteers that might attend a mobile repair clinic<br />
* some provide more hand on repair for mobile units to decrease liability in case a bike owner injures themselves but providing more complicated repairs ourselves increases liability in case the owner injures themselves on their bike afterwards.<br />
and for the latter:<br />
* We should do our best to get more bikes fixed and on the road<br />
* We're confident in our skills<br />
* The worst thing that might happen is that a bike that wasn't on the road is now still not on the road<br />
* We make bike owners fix their bikes themselves so we are not liable<br />
==== Other services ====<br />
In addition to offering minor repairs, the Bike Cage's mobile unit doubles as a bike valet service. There was no elaboration on how the system works.<br />
==== Getting the message across that a mobile tune tent is not a fully functioning tent ====<br />
It seemed to be a common problem that when individuals in the community would hear about a free tune-up possibility, they would often bring in bikes that need repairs far beyond what could be done at a tune tent. It was suggested to avoid this, advertise as "light bike repair".<br />
==== Who holds the tools? ====<br />
We had a discussion about if the volunteer should fix the bike for the owner or provide the owner with the tools and teach how to fix the bike hands-off. Whether or not tools were handed to the bike owner, teaching at least by the volunteer explaining what he or she was doing seemed to be the norm. The issues behind whether or not to let the owner fix the bike seemed to be liability dependent on both sides. If the volunteer fixes the bike, the shop becomes liable if the bike causes injury down the road while normally the bike owner has not signed a liability waiver to use the tools, so the shop could be liable if they hurt themselves while repairing their bike.<br />
==== Ride or drive? ====<br />
We had a discussion on whether or not to drive the equipment to the location or use a trailer. No one seemed to be passionate for either but there are a lot of options out there for trailers big and small. [[Fargo Moorhead Community Bicycle Workshop|Fargo]] rides with a huge 4x6 trailer.<br />
==== Off topic discussion ====<br />
The conversation went off topic many times but did produce a few interesting ideas:<br />
* [[The Orioles Bike Cage|Winnipeg]] uses a punch card, much like one you would find a a coffee shop or fast food location, to punch out skills that a volunteer has learned. Once the card is completely punched the volunteer can start fixing bikes for others.<br />
* While discussing how to get enough replacement parts, another bike shop told us they provide local bike shops with barrels which the shops can use to put parts that are still usable but would otherwise throw away. The barrels would be picked up and emptied at regular intervals. This shop did not have a problem finding parts when needed as a result.<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Please be kind to cyclists ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Recycled bike art ==<br />
Turning garbage into gold.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
<br />
[[File:Bike Craft - Tube Shoe Laces.pdf|200px|thumb|left|alt text]]<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Software developers exchange ==<br />
Projects being worked on, have worked on, or areas they (you) are interested / skilled in.<br />
<br />
Held Saturday, June 25, at 2:30 PM at the San Marcos Public Library.<br />
<br />
Facilitated by [[User:Godwin|Godwin]] of [[The Bike Root]] in Calgary.<br />
<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Participants briefly described their technical experience, specifically any coding projects and languages they've used. A few participants were experienced programmers; most were interested in learning or helping a project in other ways like documentation and testing.<br />
[[Austin Yellow Bike Project]]'s tracking code was discussed and briefly compared to the [[Bike Kitchen (San Francisco, CA, USA)|San Francisco Bicycle Kitchen]]'s Freehub software.<br />
<br />
The Yellow Bike Project released their code for public use, and it was noted that SLC had already made a Joomla plugin. The YBP software was also demonstrated live at the workshop.<br />
<br />
Steve of [[Fargo Moorhead Community Bicycle Workshop|Fargo]] and Godwin were (or soon will be) working on independent applications, but the general consensus coalesced around a few ideals.<br />
<br />
Any software development push should be oriented towards a web-based solution for the greatest ease in rolling out across various platforms, though it would make it more difficult to install as a software package and could lead to data security and access problems if provided as a hosting service, as SFBK does with Freehub. Additionally, this software should start with one shop in order to develop one full set of features. All features should be written as plugins to a basic core, allowing features to be added as required by various shops.<br />
Yellow Bike Project's software may make a suitable core for such a push.<br />
<br />
A general wishlist was hashed out, in no particular order:<br />
* Work-trade management<br />
* Granular volunteer time tracking<br />
* Varied reporting options<br />
* Donation tracking<br />
* Bike and inventory tracking (including completion of projects)<br />
* Visitor tracking<br />
* Communications options (e-mail lists, contacting expiring memberships)<br />
* Sales tracking (though not point-of-sale)<br />
* Volunteer skill tracking<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
[[Godwin]] will direct a new open source project starting in September 2011. The system will be modular so that individual plugins can be added or modified as needed to ensure that collectives don't have to modify the way they do things simply because the software does not conform to their model.<br />
<br />
== Teaching & learning styles ==<br />
Teaching & learning styles in community bike shops; a discussion about different approaches, what works and what doesn't work as well<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== The future of Bike! Bike! ==<br />
Where are we going and how are we going to get there? Also, a quick (but no-decisions-made) discussion about where Bike! Bike! will be held in 2012 (that will be decided during the final meeting on Sunday, June 26).<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Utilizing free open-source software ==<br />
Operating systems and work documents to benefit your project.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Despite "charity" pricing for software packages from major publishers like Microsoft and Adobe, some software is priced beyond the range of a co-operative's budget, or would be used to infrequently as to make a purchase pointless.<br />
Fortunately, the open source community has responded with a number of free replacements for major software, including for the operating system itself. Most of these packages can be found in [[Computer Resources]].<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Volunteer orientation ==<br />
Addressing safe space concerns, and a conversation about empowering and maintaining a committed volunteer base<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Weather? What weather? (summer) ==<br />
How you and your bike can survive the heat<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Weather? What weather? (winter) ==<br />
How you and your bike can survive the cold<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Women and Transgender shop hours ==<br />
Policies, Politics, Allies<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working in under-privileged communities ==<br />
Working in under-privileged communities: challenges and opportunities<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Facilitators:<br />
<br />
[[Bike Kitchen]]/[[La Bici Digna]] (Arlen) and [[Bikerowave]]/[[Bici Libre]] (Bobby):<br />
<br />
<br />
Keep your eyes on the prize (don’t forget why you’re doing this, don’t let your limitations stop you)<br />
<br />
<br />
Dynamics in work space an issue, (shop isn’t located in the right place) <br />
<br />
-try mobile workshop?<br />
La Bici Digna started with a mobil work shop at the day labor center working with City of Lights. <br />
<br />
<br />
Low community buyin? <br />
<br />
-try partnering w/ another organization that organizes in “that” community. (try contacting a country’s embassy to let them know you exist, find out what communities you want to encourage and talk to the leaders in that community) <br />
<br />
<br />
Not enough Resources?<br />
<br />
-try seeing groups that are stoked, already active.<br />
<br />
<br />
Chill out. Be Patient (It takes time to build up trust and awareness of your resource.)<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Stories:'''<br />
<br />
Bici Libre got a free space to house abandoned bikes. They seek to provide a space where people can learn job skills and leadership skills. They have a list of activities that can be done by non-bike mechanic volunteers. Group jobs such as cleaning parts or cutting tubes can be really good for some cultures who will enjoy the communal experience. It’s important to talk to the poeple you are trying to engage to ask them what they want to contribute, or what they want to get out of it.<br />
<br />
<br />
Sometimes the way we think the bicycle collective “should” run is not the way some under privileged communities want to run their own. Often, people will want to start a for-profit shop. It’s important to not get stuck in your ideas, to learn also how to communicate in another person’s language. You can use the terms they know, even if it’s the “wrong” term, whats important is that you both get on the same page. There’s a reason you are trying to engage a different dynamic in the bike shop, you should be willing to learn from new people, not just try to tell them what/how to do. <br />
<br />
<br />
'''Multi lingual bike diagram:'''<br />
<br />
La Bici Digna had a poster of a bike with lines to all the parts. They asked their participant to write on posted notes the names of the parts of the bike that they knew. With all the many dialects present, the digram ended up having four names for nearly every part. <br />
<br />
<br />
Denver’s [[The Bike Depot]] works with [Big Brother] and [Big Sister]. They are then able to pay for kids to volunteer.<br />
<br />
<br />
Lots of collectives have earn a bike programs, or free bikes to people on welfare.<br />
<br />
<br />
One collective got a high school student credit for volunteering at the shop.<br />
<br />
Another works directly with Refugee camps.<br />
<br />
<br />
'''How do you deal with theft?''' - Story from the [[Bike Kitchen]]<br />
<br />
The bike kitchen experienced a wave of theft. Bikes were being stolen right out side the shop, and also, many 15mm wrenches and other tools which might assist in bicycle theft. At first they were completely worried and frustrated that they were possibly assisting in that theft. But what they hadn’t expected was that this wave of bicycle theft resulted in the creation of a bike scene in the surrounding neighborhoods. The exact people who they were trying to get into the shop, trying to foster interest in the bicycle as a mode of transportation, started riding bikes. “It just wasn’t on our terms.” - Arlen ([[Bike Kitchen]]/[[La Bici Digna]])<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Workshop continues in [[#Classes, Workshops, Space]]<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working Together ==<br />
Increasing Inter-Organization Collaboration. The intention of this workshop was to talk about all of the ways in which we as bicycle collectives of different sorts who run our services in many different ways, can share our experiences, successes, failures, and tangible output in order to help other collectives both start and continue to thrive.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
[[User:Godwin|Godwin]] directed this workshop while [[Bob Wolfe]] facilitated in providing a speakers list. A large sheet of paper was used to help keep visible notes, at the end of the discussion the notes were the following:<br />
* '''Current Tools'''<br />
** [[BOOP]]<br />
** [http://www.bikebike.org/ Bike!Bike!]<br />
** Think Tank e-mail list (sign up on Bike Collectives website)<br />
** [http://www.bikecollectives.org/ Bike Collectives Network]<br />
** [[Main Page|Bike Collectives Wiki]]<br />
** Various collaborative tools such as our Google Docs list of organizations and Google Maps visualization of orgs across North America<br />
* '''What we need these tools for'''<br />
** Learn how to start a collective<br />
** Learn how to continue running a collective<br />
** Find example documents<br />
*** Volunteer Privileges<br />
*** Todo for new volunteers<br />
*** Financials<br />
*** Fliers<br />
*** Curricula<br />
*** Manuals<br />
*** 501c and not-for-profit forms<br />
*** Tool lists<br />
*** Inventory<br />
*** Price guide<br />
*** Mission statement<br />
*** Bylaws<br />
*** Safe space<br />
*** Legal documents<br />
*** Letters for grant writing<br />
** Find out how other organizations run their various programmes<br />
** Partner with other organizations<br />
* '''Brainstorming Ideas which could help'''<br />
** A Bike!Bike! Wiki<br />
** Have more involved wiki moderators who will make suggestions for improvements<br />
** News feed on wiki<br />
** Email individuals to improve pages<br />
** New list-serve other than the [[Think Tank]] which can be used for these emails<br />
** More list-serves for different purposes<br />
** Online Forums<br />
** Request documents, pages, and improvements once a year or at other regular intervals<br />
** Rid the wiki of closed shops<br />
** RSS feeds on the wiki<br />
** Separate blog or paper news<br />
** Paypal donations on [[BCN]] or the wiki<br />
** An umbrella or 'helping hand' organization<br />
** A seed fund<br />
** Micro Loans for starting up shops<br />
** A no-reply list-serve<br />
* An 'umbrella' organization goes against many principles that are held by most shops however a 'helping hand' organization that acts as a third party to facilitate to spread of knowledge and possibly funds would likely not.<br />
* To improve the wiki it will take some active moderating and contacting of individuals.<br />
* The wiki is difficult to navigate so it should be reorganized<br />
* Bikecollectives.org is not serving any other purpose other than providing the wiki.<br />
* The [[Think Tank]] is too much for many to handle, there are too many emails about things that many don't care about.<br />
* Godwin promised to contact the current owners of bikecollectives.org to see if improvements could be made.<br />
* Adding increased moderation of the wiki will be looked into<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working with relationships ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Closing discussion - Bike!Bike! 2012 ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
= Contact =<br />
* [[Bike!Bike!]] website: http://www.bikebike.org<br />
* [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|The Bike Cave]]'s website: http://thebikecave.org<br />
* Email: [mailto:bikebike2011@gmail.com bikebike2011@gmail.com]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Bike!Bike!]]</div>Sharperhttps://wiki2.bikelover.org/wiki/index.php?title=Bike!Bike!_2011&diff=11395Bike!Bike! 20112011-07-22T18:27:20Z<p>Sharper: </p>
<hr />
<div>'''Bike!Bike! 2011''' was held in San Marcos, Texas; hosted by [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|The Bike Cave]] and [[The San Marcos Community Bike Project]]. It took place from June 23-26th, 2011.[[File:bikebikebike2a.jpg|thumb]]<br />
<br />
<br />
== Workshops schedule ==<br />
<br />
{|border="1" align="left" style="text-align:left; border: 1px solid Black;" width="100%"<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Friday, June 24||Yoga Center || The Bike Cave || Sodatooth || Go 2 Danz || Library large room || Library small room || The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am|| || [[#Acquiring a permanent space]] || [[#Mobile Repair Clinic]] || || || ||<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm|| || [[#Managing social rides to promote bicycling]] || || [[#Bike touring]] || || ||<br />
|-<br />
|2:30pm - 4:00pm||[[#Teaching & learning styles]] || [[#Integrating bikes into the university fabric]] || || [[#Working in under-privileged communities]] || || ||<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm|| ||[[#Basics of the nonprofit sector and organizational form]] || || [[#Women and Transgender shop hours]] || || ||<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Saturday, June 25||Yoga Center || The Bike Cave || Sodatooth || Go 2 Danz || Library large room || Library small room || The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am|| || [[#Bike 101]]|| [[#Volunteer orientation]] || [[#Acro yoga]] || || || [[#Green space tour]]<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm|| || [[#Working with relationships]] || || [[#Working Together]] || || [[#Utilizing free open-source software]] ||<br />
|-<br />
|2:30pm - 4:00pm|| [[#Battlefield: Consensus]] || || || [[#Weather? What weather? (winter)]] || [[#Software developers exchange]] || [[#Please be kind to cyclists]] ||<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm|| [[#Analyzing work flows]] || [[#Recycled bike art]] || || || [[#Classes, Workshops, Space]] || ||<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Sunday, June 26||Yoga Center || The Bike Cave || Sodatooth || Go 2 Danz || Library large room || Library small room || The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am|| [[#Managing expectations of a cooperative bike shop]] || || || [[#Weather? What weather? (summer)]] || [[#Confronting car culture]] || || <br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 1:00pm|| || || || || [[#Closing discussion - Bike!Bike! 2012]] || || <br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
<br />
= Schedule =<br />
<br />
== As published ==<br />
<br />
{|border="0" align="left" style="text-align:left;"<br />
!scope="row" width="20%" colspan="2"| Wednesday, June 22<br />
|-<br />
|1:00-6:00pm||Pick up a loaner bike (if you're staying the night in Austin) at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|2:00pm - 6:00pm||Open house at UT's Orange Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|6:00 -10:00pm||Open house at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|11:00pm||Open house at Movemint Bike Cab Co. Shop (1301 east 4th street) <br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Thursday, June 23<br />
|-<br />
|11:00am - 1:00pm||Pick up your loaner bike (if you've just arrived in Austin) at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|1:00pm||Group ride from Austin's Yellow Bike Project to San Marcos (there will be a truck to take your things to San Marcos)<br />
|-<br />
|12:00 - 8:00pm||Check-In at San Marcos Public Library ($25 - $45, pay what you can, nobody will be turned away for lack of funds. Pick up your loaner bike and housing arraignments)<br />
|-<br />
|2:00 - 8:00pm||Fix up your bike at The Bike Cave<br />
|-<br />
|7:00 - 8:00pm||Welcome / Speak up & speak out!<br />
|-<br />
|8:00pm - 10:00pm||Casual welcome dinner at City / Plaza Park with music by Mariachi Nueva Generacion<br />
|-<br />
|9:30pm||A screening of "Dudey Free Zone: Women's and Transgender Bike Spaces" plus other short bike-related films. At The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Friday, June 24<br />
|-<br />
|8:00am - 1:00pm||Check-In continued for those who get here late at The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|1:00 - 2:30pm||Lunch<br />
|-<br />
|2:30 - 4:00pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|8:00pm - 9:00pm||The future of Bike! Bike! - a discussion to figure out where we're heading, and how we're getting there. A preview of which project(s) are interested in hosting in 2012.<br />
|-<br />
|7:00pm - 10:30pm||Bike polo on top of Speck Street Parking Garage (there will be a group ride leaving from Rio Vista at 6:00pm)<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 -11:00pm||Concert at The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Saturday, June 25<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|1:00 - 2:30pm||Lunch<br />
|-<br />
|2:30 - 4:00pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|9:00pm - 12:00am||BIKE! RIDE! BIKE! RIDE!<br />
|-<br />
|12:00am - ???||Dance party<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Sunday, June 26<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30 - 11:00am||Workshops / final brainstorm<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 1:00pm||Closing meeting, Bike! Bike! 2012 discussion<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
<br />
= Workshops =<br />
== Green space tour ==<br />
A bike tour of San Marcos green spaces<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Acquiring a permanent space ==<br />
Acquiring a permanent space instead of renting, working with the city for land or a building, fund-raising and micro-loans<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Acro yoga ==<br />
Skillshare<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Analyzing work flows ==<br />
Analyzing work flows within a bike project: setting up committees and more effective follow-up. How to reduce "ball droppage". Held at 4:30 PM on Saturday, June 25, 2011, at the Community Yoga Center.<br />
<br />
Facilitated by Susan of [[Third Hand Bicycle Cooperative]] in Columbus, Ohio.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Often in collectives, everyone will be off doing their own thing. This can lead to some jobs being repeated and others falling through the cracks. To combat this, it's helpful to identify all the processes at work in the collective, whether they deal with inputs to the collective, actions within the shop, or outputs leaving the collective.<br />
<br />
Third Hand streamlined their procedures by identifying all of the processes involved in handling this inputs and outputs. The frequency and nature of each task was discussed, and jobs were fit together as appropriate. Collections of jobs are given to various task forces, each empowered to deal with their issue without approval from the Board or the overarching Collective and charged with developing the policies that guide the completion of those tasks. The identification of tasks alone took half a day.<br />
<br />
To deal with the problem of one volunteer doing all of one job and leaving the organization without institutional knowledge, it was suggested to pick a primary and secondary person responsible for getting the job done. Another method would be to assign jobs at the beginning of each month, so that tasks get spread around more widely. Neither approach means that the person assigned has to do the task; they may delegate the task, they're just responsible for making sure it happens.<br />
<br />
Those assigned a job should make a short report back at a general meeting as to their success or failure. This helps the group know that necessary work is being accomplished and provides an avenue for new volunteers to find work. Since it's nearly impossible to penalize volunteers, enforcement has to be kept positive. In the case of an incomplete job, the group should ask why the job was not finished, and whether there was sufficient support from the group. Any remediation can be simply done by a reconstituted task force given a mandate to fix the problems.<br />
<br />
In Third Hand's experience, some jobs like outreach and volunteer coordination are best considered as "alternative shifts" -- as crucial as a regular shift, but handled in a radically different way.<br />
<br />
==== Examples ====<br />
Sample inputs, from the workshop:<br />
* Mail<br />
* Phone calls<br />
* E-mail<br />
* Donations (cash or stuff)<br />
* Visitors<br />
* Packages and deliveries<br />
* Complaints<br />
* Volunteer labor<br />
<br />
Sample inside tasks:<br />
* Cleaning<br />
* Tool ordering<br />
* Inventory<br />
* Budgeting<br />
* Parts sorting<br />
* Scheduling<br />
* Tracking<br />
* Sales<br />
<br />
Sample outputs:<br />
* Bikes<br />
* Knowledge<br />
* Rent/utilities<br />
* Media<br />
* Mobile units<br />
* Volunteer appreciation<br />
* Newsletters/flyers<br />
* Mail and e-mail<br />
* Tax returns<br />
* Deposits<br />
<br />
Sample task forces:<br />
* Finances (Sales, Budgeting, Bill Payment)<br />
* Tool and parts orders<br />
* Community relations<br />
* Volunteer coordination<br />
* IT/Tech<br />
* Outreach<br />
* Conflict resolution<br />
<br />
Processes can be determined by looking at the inputs. For Mail, mail would be picked up and sorted to give to the appropriate group (finance, outreach, ordering, etc.), with a time frame of "every open shop". Third Hand spent half a day just identifying processes like these.<br />
<br />
==== Handling tasks ====<br />
After the processes are identified, task forces can be drawn up to handle them, and each task force can then draft the necessary policies to complete the tasks. <br />
<br />
Meetings help ensure tasks are done. Task forces can present whether they've kept up with their tasks and ask for additional help if necessary. Any resolution at one meeting should have a report back from the person responsible for the project at the next meeting. Also, if a new task comes up, it is possible to send it straight to a task force without bogging down the rest of the meeting. Routine items seem to be the best suited towards this task force method, as they are rarely out of consensus.<br />
<br />
Assigning a job exclusively to one volunteer can cause problems if that volunteer has to step aside for whatever reason. Two options to deal with this were to pick a primary and secondary contact for each job or to rotate each job frequently, so that skills and knowledge are more widely distributed within the group. A "bus test" was suggested; if a volunteer were hit by a bus tomorrow, would their tasks still get done? And if not, why not?<br />
<br />
Widespread knowledge can also help keep minutia of tasks to a minimum and prevent people from overspecializing or enforcing difficult job requirements on others.<br />
<br />
If a task slips through the cracks and remains undone, a new task force can be established specifically to fix the problem and catch up the organization.<br />
<br />
== Basics of the nonprofit sector and organizational form ==<br />
=== Details ===<br />
Held on Friday, June 24, at the [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|Bike Cave]].<br />
<br />
Facilitated by Charles from the [[Bloomington Community Bike Project]].<br />
<br />
Topics were determined by the participants at the beginning of the workshop and ran across a wide spectrum of general information on nonprofit management.<br />
<br />
=== General notes ===<br />
In 2006, the U.S. IRS published a rule requiring some sort of reporting as to an organization's status, even if it was just a postcard sent in. A number of small nonprofits lost their exemption for not following this rule.<br />
<br />
It is important to have a way to evaluate an organization's performance as it relates to its mission.<br />
<br />
Every organization needs a statutory agent -- someone who can sign for the organization and provides the IRS with "a throat to choke" if things go downhill.<br />
<br />
Meeting minutes have to be kept. Google Docs and a local wiki are both good resources, allowing necessary modifications. One organization had a lot of success keeping an internet-enabled computer in meetings, transcribing in realtime, and e-mailing the attendees immediately.<br />
<br />
Most states and regions have nonprofit resource centers and many libraries have nonprofit guides. Use them as best you can. If a resource provides facilitation training, it is usually worth it to send members. <br />
<br />
==== Fundraising opportunities ====<br />
Contract work can provide a good revenue source for a shop, but organizations must be careful that the contract closely matches the organization's priorities. It does little good to spend volunteer or paid staff time on special work that doesn't help the organization much. Grants can be a similar resource sink; the best grants are those that give you money for doing what you do. Always be prepared to walk away from a grant or a contract.<br />
<br />
When searching for grants, it helps to have a relationship with a grant writer. Be sure to look beyond bicycle-specific grants, too; a lot of bike collective work can fall under categories like sustainability, health, or ecology.<br />
<br />
==== Why to incorporate ====<br />
Small shops can skirt by without incorporation, but setting up a nonprofit brings a few major benefits.<br />
<br />
Incorporation makes it easier to get insurance and liability coverage, protecting volunteers in case of lawsuits. Incorporated nonprofits can also receive tax-deductible donations, avoid income taxes, and are in a better position to compete for grants and fundraising.<br />
<br />
==== Setup ====<br />
The constitution, bylaws, and policies were described as different facets of how to organize a nonprofit's structure.<br />
<br />
The ''constitution'' itself should be short -- little more than a mission statement and a prominent mention of the organization's tax exempt status.<br />
<br />
The ''bylaws'' should ratify the organization's best practices. As they are a legal document governing the organization, they should be concise and flexible and avoid dictating specific policies. Try to write in what should happen -- what the shop can do, what someone should expect when their come in, and so on, without saying how to accomplish those goals. Well-written bylaws also allow anyone reviewing them to see whether the organization is keeping true to its promises and offer an opportunity to change course if things go bad.<br />
<br />
All details about how to actually run the shop and organization belong in the ''policies and procedures''. <br />
<br />
==== [[Bicycle Kitchen (Los Angeles)|L.A. Bike Kitchen]] overview ====<br />
Arlen from the Los Angeles Bike Kitchen summarized how their organization is set up.<br />
<br />
The Bike Kitchen has three volunteer levels. Shadows graduate to volunteers once they've completed a general knowledge worksheet. Volunteers that work four shifts a month (about 12 hours) and do something extra special for the organization can then move up to "cook".<br />
<br />
There are four quarterly "cooks" meetings, run under supermajority consensus rules, utilizing an outside (and objective) facilitator. There is also one annual camp held with a paid outside facilitator. Board meetings are held monthly with a rotating facilitator chosen from the group.<br />
<br />
Day-to-day operations and policies are handled by "gruppos"; ad hoc autonomous committees with specific charters. These committees are not required to accept input from anyone else. Presumably, anyone with strong feelings on, for example, what tools to order, would sit on the ordering gruppo.<br />
<br />
Example gruppos:<br />
* Finance<br />
* Ordering<br />
* Operations (as related to bike projects)<br />
* "Smooth shifting" -- ergonomics and accessibility<br />
* Volunteer coordination<br />
* Neighbor relations<br />
* "Space exploration" -- researching a new shop location<br />
<br />
There was no built-in accountability measures; everything just worked.<br />
<br />
== Battlefield: Consensus ==<br />
Decision making - the good, the bad, and the ugly. A reprise of 2010's Battlefield: Consensus.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Bike 101 ==<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Bike touring ==<br />
What to take, how to pack, where to sleep and eat, and of course, where to go.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Classes, Workshops, Space ==<br />
Doing Meaningful Outreach with Communities in Your Neighborhood.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
<br />
'''How do you programs “translate” in your/near by communities?”'''<br />
<br />
<br />
How are you defining “Community”?<br />
<br />
How inclusive is your space? How Accessible?<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Lava Monsters of Death (these will hold you back, don’t let them!)'''<br />
<br />
<br />
Using excessive “they” “them” or “those people”<br />
<br />
Assuming people know what you know.<br />
<br />
Assuming people are intentionally (behaving/acting) being fucked up<br />
<br />
Confusing critiques/analysis of behaviour dynamics as vicious existential personal attacks of Doom against you, yes you! <br />
<br />
<br />
'''Success Stories of Workshops that help out reach to under privileged communities.'''<br />
<br />
Multi language bike mechanics, teach english or learn spanish at the same time as teaching bike mechanics, <br />
<br />
<br />
Get Doctors to prescribe bike riding, get them to send people to your collective.<br />
<br />
<br />
Organize group rides that tie in a neighborhood’s resources that are not well used, go to farmer’s markets, put baskets on bikes.<br />
<br />
<br />
Safe routes to schools has been successful in getting more kids to ride.<br />
<br />
<br />
Find teachers who are bike sympathetic.<br />
<br />
<br />
Canvas the neighborhood, knock door to door, flyer (tear offs work well), bring tools to fix flats, mobil bike repair!<br />
<br />
<br />
Get in contact with a neighborhood organization, they often don’t have websites, you can find them sometimes through the police department.<br />
<br />
<br />
Be wary of giving “big free give away!” if you don’t have enough, it can create a weird and tense atmosphere.<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Confronting car culture ==<br />
Dealing with dominant culture on a personal level and effecting cultural shift.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== How the City of San Marcos, Texas bicycle map was created ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Managing expectations of a cooperative bike shop ==<br />
How to manage expectations and orient new people quickly to the cooperative shop environment<br />
=== Details ===<br />
Held Sunday, June 25, 2011 at 9:30 AM at Community Yoga<br />
<br />
The facilitator did not arrive, so this was used as a general discussion instead.<br />
<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
There are many sets of expectations in each shop. Shops expect certain behaviors of volunteers, customers, and paid staff. People in the shop have expectations of the shop itself and what they will get out of it. Most of these expectations are not written down, meaning all persons in a shop have to negotiate certain expectations -- both the reasonable and the unreasonable. <br />
<br />
In most cases clear communication can create a reasonable and healthy set of expectations between a shop and the people within, helping the shop work much more smoothly. Specific shop policies are really just a way to write down those expectations as rules.<br />
<br />
==== Customers ====<br />
As it's possible for a shop (or its staff) to earn a bad reputation for not fulfilling false expectations, it's crucial to present what a shop does and does not do, to quash these false expectations.<br />
<br />
Misunderstandings about what the shop does can run the gamut; some shops have been heard to "give away new bikes", others to "fix your bike". These might have come by word of mouth from other shop users or from referring agency. The purpose and rules of a shop need to be clearly communicated to all users as soon as possible, via a short and concise elevator speech, handout card, or some other method. <br />
<br />
Not all customers will respond to the same mode of communication the same way, so it can be helpful to tailor one's elevator speech or rundown in order to make it more easily assimilated.<br />
<br />
==== Volunteers ====<br />
Not everyone volunteers for the same reasons, and if a volunteer job isn't fun, it's less likely to get done. All volunteers need to be integrated into the organization, whether they intend simply to wrench intermittently or try to find a place in the organization's structure. For both, it's important to get a volunteer to state their reasons for volunteering and why; including a volunteer "contract" in volunteer training may be an option, though of attendees, only the [[Bike Dump]] had experience with one and it did not work.<br />
<br />
The shop also has expectations of volunteers -- service commitments and the like -- that may not be understood by volunteers. In one example, the organization expected members of its governing body to step down when they started volunteering less frequently, while the volunteers expected to retain their position. A conflict like this could be prevented with established and enforced policies.<br />
<br />
lack of fulfillment of expectations can cause volunteers to drop out of circulation; a volunteer expecting to be on a leadership track and is denied advancement -- for whatever reason -- is likely to have a negative experience with the organization. <br />
<br />
==== Organization ====<br />
Since the organization can only act through its agents, it is important that the decisionmakers understand what the organization needs and expects from the people coming in. It should expect its decisionmakers to be nonideological and fair, that it has a corps of volunteers capable of handling its affairs autonomously and without interruption, and that its policies will be enforced equally. <br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
Ultimately, projecting positive expectations and sticking to them as consistently as possible will go a long way towards ensuring that everyone around an organization has their reasonable expectations met.<br />
<br />
When possible, write those expectations down, and make sure they are enforced and reinforced by everyone in the shop.<br />
<br />
== Integrating bikes into the university fabric ==<br />
Integrating bikes into the university fabric via student and staff collaboration<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
University of Texas loans bikes for 1 year. They charge the borrower for unreturned or damaged bikes and they are currently trying to get these fees put on students' records to ensure they are paid. In their case the university itself is liable for injury.<br />
<br />
Most shops however have no official ties or agreement with their university.<br />
<br />
==== How do you get along with for profit shops? ====<br />
Mixed reviews, some don't like having the competition while others will donate directly to the shop.<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
The organizers of this workshop had planned to give a formal presentation but instead just had an informal discussion. The discussion quickly went off topic, it was not moderated at all. It most likely would have been much more productive had the organizers stuck to their original plan.<br />
<br />
== Managing social rides to promote bicycling ==<br />
From fringe to mainstream: how social cycling can ... and make our cities better<br />
=== Details ===<br />
Held at 11:15 AM on Friday, June 24 at the Bike Cave.<br />
Elliott McFadden of [http://austinontwowheels.org/ Austin on Two Wheels] and Violet Crown Cycles started by describing his views of cycling promotion and two methods seen in Austin of directly working to get people riding bikes. After this, he answered questions in a general discussion format.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
==== Failures in bicycle promotion ====<br />
Elliot identified two somewhat conflicting methods of increasing cycling from the cycling industry and from political advocacy.<br />
* Industry: Bicycle sales in the U.S. have remained stagnant over since the 1970s, despite significant growth in population. To increase sales, the bicycle industry has focused on making bikes more niche -- selling new bikes to their existing market.<br />
* Advocacy: Advocates lobby decision makers for better infrastructure, but do so without growing a grassroots bicycle population or establishing cycling within the community.<br />
Until bicycling is seen as a normal community behavior, bicyclists will continue to be classified by convenient stereotypes, like the spandex/carbon weekend warrior, the hipster scofflaw, and the sanctimonious environmentalist.<br />
==== Strategy ====<br />
Defining "regime" as an interconnected group of businesses and leaders with a common world view, Elliott noted that the current regime is in favor of growing consumption and fossil fuel use. At the national level, this means the oil and auto industries. At the local level, it includes developers, auto dealers, and news entities, whose future profits depend on growth. Tellingly, 30% of all ad revenue for media entities comes from car companies.<br />
Regime change must then be the goal of a bicycle promoter. Find negative ways to describe the current regime (dirty, expensive, destructive, long travel times in cars) and positive ways to describe the desired regime (healthy, thrifty, sustainable, quality family time). Form partnerships with businesses and organizations that can benefit from a new regime.<br />
==== Social cycling ====<br />
To replace the negative stereotypes of bicyclists, it is important to develop an atmosphere that encourages riding by more members of the community. Bicycling should be made to be more comfortable -- no races, no work-outs, regular clothes, open to everyone. The joys of being out, riding with regular people, should be paramount. <br />
Commuting is often a big sell by industry and advocates; it allows shops to sell specialized "commuter" bicycles and advocates to focus on connecting routes, but as a sales point, it has two crippling problems: nobody likes to go to work, and most people go to work alone. Instead, social cycling should be a focus: just get many people together to ride bikes. Austin has two models that work in tandem: Social Cycling Austin and Austin on Two Wheels, an "affiliated business concept".<br />
===== Social Cycling Austin =====<br />
Social Cycling Austin is a volunteer production started two years ago as a free ride -- participants just show up for a weekly social ride, drawing 200-300 riders on average and as many as 500. It partners with local businesses, usually a bar or restaurant, and rides with traffic, not against it.<br />
This model is easy to start (it just requires two people) and its open structure makes it accessible to all. It doesn't have to be affiliated with any business, so it can work with and for everyone. Because of its loose nature, it's easy to change what doesn't work or even dismantle the ride. It doesn't need any investment to start up, as most organizing can be done through social networks and guerrilla marketing.<br />
Unfortunately, it also has no control over who shows up, making it difficult to deal with troublemakers and easy for the ride to grow beyond the capacity of the leaders or prevent the ride from being co-opted by other organizations. A focus on bars as a final destination also makes it easy for this sort of ride to turn into a "booze cruise", adding additional challenges to the organization and often depressing its ability to draw women riders. Additionally, it is easy for organizing volunteers to burn out and the undefined liability might cause problems in case of injury.<br />
===== Affiliated Business Concept =====<br />
In an affiliated business concept, the rides are run as a business, usually as smaller fee-based rides than as large-scale free-for-alls.<br />
Because a business controls the ride, it's possible to tailor rides for specific demographics; women, families, suburbanites, etc. It's also easier to get different business partners and variety in the ride -- restaurants may provide food and drink samples, galleries may partner for art rides, or retail establishments for shopping rides. A business is also better able to provide a clear line of liability in case of accident and maintain a paid staff of ride leaders and organizers to provide a higher level of service. Austin on Two Wheels, for example, capped rides at 50 participants and provided one ride leader for every ten people to watch over unlocked bikes and help keep rides safe.<br />
This concept also carries some challenges. Partners must be committed to growth; it can take 18-24 months for the concept to turn a sustainable profit and its longer-term viability has not been tested, though it may be a reasonable loss leader for a bike shop. It also limits partnerships to a single member of each sector; one bike shop, one newspaper, or one boutique. The clear line of liability also means that the operating business has insurance requirements to carry and will likely have to enforce helmet use.<br />
==== Discussion ====<br />
Both rides appeal to different people, but the demographics of the riders were mostly white, though unintentionally so. For the open social rides, this was because the ride started from one social circle and its business preferences. For the paid rides, this was because they were seeking sustainable income. Since bicycles seen as a lesser mode of transportation in impoverished communities and represent gentrification, it can be difficult to promote them, though groups like the Major Taylor Group are trying to increase African American ridership. Either way, more racially diverse ride leadership should help diversify rider participation.<br />
Other problems with social cycling rides were identified. It's easy for the ride's somewhat high turnover to give it over to more aggressive cycling, and efforts to rein it in can be paternalistic.<br />
Responses to paid rides were overwhelmingly positive. Of 300 participants, 60% were women, and every ride had a bicyclist that had not ridden at all in the past year. Of survey respondents, 85% loved the ride, 97% would do it again, and 84% were more likely to revisit the participating businesses. No complaints were received of the ride being too fast, and the complaints of 1/3 of the respondents that the ride was too slow were dismissed. As for distance, the longest single ride was 10 miles and the longest single stretch was five miles, but most rides were just a few miles in stretches of two miles or less at a 10-12 mph pace. <br />
The high ratio of leaders to participants of the paid rides helped keep them very well organized. Walkie-talkies were given to the front and back leaders and other riders would circulate through the ride, keeping riders lined up, directing traffic at intersections, and encouraging the ride to behave well in regards to other users. It helped that the Austin Police Department was non-reactionary, so there was no backlash from law enforcement.<br />
Paid rides started with an intro of the leaders and the participants signing of a waiver stating they knew the rules of the road and agreed to follow ride leader instructions.<br />
Marketing was done through their own website, and partnering businesses were encouraged to do their own promotion as well. It was emphasized that time, rather than distance, was mentioned in all promotions. Though a six mile ride would take about 30 minutes, 30 minutes seemed like an easier ride than six miles. Ride classifications were right out; letter-assignments mean nothing to the new riders being targeted.<br />
Hurting businesses were suggested as rich prospects, as a few dozen potential customers can be enticing. Visits to any business should be during slow hours, though, to minimize disruption to regular services and provide customers when the business would be otherwise idle -- restaurants on Saturday afternoons are a good example. <br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Mobile Repair Clinic ==<br />
Held at 9:30 AM on Friday, June 24, at Sodatooth art gallery. Operating a mobile on-the-go repair clinic through the city and community organizations.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
The original facilitator did not show up for this workshop but the intent was fairly self evident by the name of the workshop. It was begun with a go-around and then by asking the question 'who currently operates a mobile repair unit?'<br />
The [[Bike Cage]] from Winnipeg told us that they began as a purely mobile shop until they had enough resources and a space to operate from a permanent location. The [[Bike Root]] from Calgary told us that the opposite was true for them, they began with a full shop but after losing their space, kept operations going by setting up in various locations on their campus and around town.<br />
==== To fix or not? Where do you draw the line? ====<br />
There were various answers to this question, some shops will only fix flats and minor brake and gear issues. Others were willing to fix anything as long as the tools were available. Arguments for the former included<br />
* lack of proper tools<br />
* lack of more advanced tools or replacement parts in case anything went wrong<br />
* lack of knowledge / trust in the knowledge of some casual volunteers that might attend a mobile repair clinic<br />
* some provide more hand on repair for mobile units to decrease liability in case a bike owner injures themselves but providing more complicated repairs ourselves increases liability in case the owner injures themselves on their bike afterwards.<br />
and for the latter:<br />
* We should do our best to get more bikes fixed and on the road<br />
* We're confident in our skills<br />
* The worst thing that might happen is that a bike that wasn't on the road is now still not on the road<br />
* We make bike owners fix their bikes themselves so we are not liable<br />
==== Other services ====<br />
In addition to offering minor repairs, the Bike Cage's mobile unit doubles as a bike valet service. There was no elaboration on how the system works.<br />
==== Getting the message across that a mobile tune tent is not a fully functioning tent ====<br />
It seemed to be a common problem that when individuals in the community would hear about a free tune-up possibility, they would often bring in bikes that need repairs far beyond what could be done at a tune tent. It was suggested to avoid this, advertise as "light bike repair".<br />
==== Who holds the tools? ====<br />
We had a discussion about if the volunteer should fix the bike for the owner or provide the owner with the tools and teach how to fix the bike hands-off. Whether or not tools were handed to the bike owner, teaching at least by the volunteer explaining what he or she was doing seemed to be the norm. The issues behind whether or not to let the owner fix the bike seemed to be liability dependent on both sides. If the volunteer fixes the bike, the shop becomes liable if the bike causes injury down the road while normally the bike owner has not signed a liability waiver to use the tools, so the shop could be liable if they hurt themselves while repairing their bike.<br />
==== Ride or drive? ====<br />
We had a discussion on whether or not to drive the equipment to the location or use a trailer. No one seemed to be passionate for either but there are a lot of options out there for trailers big and small. [[Fargo Moorhead Community Bicycle Workshop|Fargo]] rides with a huge 4x6 trailer.<br />
==== Off topic discussion ====<br />
The conversation went off topic many times but did produce a few interesting ideas:<br />
* [[The Orioles Bike Cage|Winnipeg]] uses a punch card, much like one you would find a a coffee shop or fast food location, to punch out skills that a volunteer has learned. Once the card is completely punched the volunteer can start fixing bikes for others.<br />
* While discussing how to get enough replacement parts, another bike shop told us they provide local bike shops with barrels which the shops can use to put parts that are still usable but would otherwise throw away. The barrels would be picked up and emptied at regular intervals. This shop did not have a problem finding parts when needed as a result.<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Please be kind to cyclists ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Recycled bike art ==<br />
Turning garbage into gold.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
<br />
[[File:Bike Craft - Tube Shoe Laces.pdf|200px|thumb|left|alt text]]<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Software developers exchange ==<br />
Projects being worked on, have worked on, or areas they (you) are interested / skilled in.<br />
<br />
Held Saturday, June 25, at 2:30 PM at the San Marcos Public Library.<br />
<br />
Facilitated by [[User:Godwin|Godwin]] of [[The Bike Root]] in Calgary.<br />
<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Participants briefly described their technical experience, specifically any coding projects and languages they've used. A few participants were experienced programmers; most were interested in learning or helping a project in other ways like documentation and testing.<br />
[[Austin Yellow Bike Project]]'s tracking code was discussed and briefly compared to the [[Bike Kitchen (San Francisco, CA, USA)|San Francisco Bicycle Kitchen]]'s Freehub software.<br />
<br />
The Yellow Bike Project released their code for public use, and it was noted that SLC had already made a Joomla plugin. The YBP software was also demonstrated live at the workshop.<br />
<br />
Steve of [[Fargo Moorhead Community Bicycle Workshop|Fargo]] and Godwin were (or soon will be) working on independent applications, but the general consensus coalesced around a few ideals.<br />
<br />
Any software development push should be oriented towards a web-based solution for the greatest ease in rolling out across various platforms, though it would make it more difficult to install as a software package and could lead to data security and access problems if provided as a hosting service, as SFBK does with Freehub. Additionally, this software should start with one shop in order to develop one full set of features. All features should be written as plugins to a basic core, allowing features to be added as required by various shops.<br />
Yellow Bike Project's software may make a suitable core for such a push.<br />
<br />
A general wishlist was hashed out, in no particular order:<br />
* Work-trade management<br />
* Granular volunteer time tracking<br />
* Varied reporting options<br />
* Donation tracking<br />
* Bike and inventory tracking (including completion of projects)<br />
* Visitor tracking<br />
* Communications options (e-mail lists, contacting expiring memberships)<br />
* Sales tracking (though not point-of-sale)<br />
* Volunteer skill tracking<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
[[Godwin]] will direct a new open source project starting in September 2011. The system will be modular so that individual plugins can be added or modified as needed to ensure that collectives don't have to modify the way they do things simply because the software does not conform to their model.<br />
<br />
== Teaching & learning styles ==<br />
Teaching & learning styles in community bike shops; a discussion about different approaches, what works and what doesn't work as well<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== The future of Bike! Bike! ==<br />
Where are we going and how are we going to get there? Also, a quick (but no-decisions-made) discussion about where Bike! Bike! will be held in 2012 (that will be decided during the final meeting on Sunday, June 26).<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Utilizing free open-source software ==<br />
Operating systems and work documents to benefit your project.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Despite "charity" pricing for software packages from major publishers like Microsoft and Adobe, some software is priced beyond the range of a co-operative's budget, or would be used to infrequently as to make a purchase pointless.<br />
Fortunately, the open source community has responded with a number of free replacements for major software, including for the operating system itself. Most of these packages can be found in [[Computer Resources]].<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Volunteer orientation ==<br />
Addressing safe space concerns, and a conversation about empowering and maintaining a committed volunteer base<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Weather? What weather? (summer) ==<br />
How you and your bike can survive the heat<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Weather? What weather? (winter) ==<br />
How you and your bike can survive the cold<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Women and Transgender shop hours ==<br />
Policies, Politics, Allies<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working in under-privileged communities ==<br />
Working in under-privileged communities: challenges and opportunities<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Facilitators:<br />
<br />
[[Bike Kitchen]]/[[La Bici Digna]] (Arlen) and [[Bikerowave]]/[[Bici Libre]] (Bobby):<br />
<br />
<br />
Keep your eyes on the prize (don’t forget why you’re doing this, don’t let your limitations stop you)<br />
<br />
<br />
Dynamics in work space an issue, (shop isn’t located in the right place) <br />
<br />
-try mobile workshop?<br />
La Bici Digna started with a mobil work shop at the day labor center working with City of Lights. <br />
<br />
<br />
Low community buyin? <br />
<br />
-try partnering w/ another organization that organizes in “that” community. (try contacting a country’s embassy to let them know you exist, find out what communities you want to encourage and talk to the leaders in that community) <br />
<br />
<br />
Not enough Resources?<br />
<br />
-try seeing groups that are stoked, already active.<br />
<br />
<br />
Chill out. Be Patient (It takes time to build up trust and awareness of your resource.)<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Stories:'''<br />
<br />
Bici Libre got a free space to house abandoned bikes. They seek to provide a space where people can learn job skills and leadership skills. They have a list of activities that can be done by non-bike mechanic volunteers. Group jobs such as cleaning parts or cutting tubes can be really good for some cultures who will enjoy the communal experience. It’s important to talk to the poeple you are trying to engage to ask them what they want to contribute, or what they want to get out of it.<br />
<br />
<br />
Sometimes the way we think the bicycle collective “should” run is not the way some under privileged communities want to run their own. Often, people will want to start a for-profit shop. It’s important to not get stuck in your ideas, to learn also how to communicate in another person’s language. You can use the terms they know, even if it’s the “wrong” term, whats important is that you both get on the same page. There’s a reason you are trying to engage a different dynamic in the bike shop, you should be willing to learn from new people, not just try to tell them what/how to do. <br />
<br />
<br />
'''Multi lingual bike diagram:'''<br />
<br />
La Bici Digna had a poster of a bike with lines to all the parts. They asked their participant to write on posted notes the names of the parts of the bike that they knew. With all the many dialects present, the digram ended up having four names for nearly every part. <br />
<br />
<br />
Denver’s [[The Bike Depot]] works with [Big Brother] and [Big Sister]. They are then able to pay for kids to volunteer.<br />
<br />
<br />
Lots of collectives have earn a bike programs, or free bikes to people on welfare.<br />
<br />
<br />
One collective got a high school student credit for volunteering at the shop.<br />
<br />
Another works directly with Refugee camps.<br />
<br />
<br />
'''How do you deal with theft?''' - Story from the [[Bike Kitchen]]<br />
<br />
The bike kitchen experienced a wave of theft. Bikes were being stolen right out side the shop, and also, many 15mm wrenches and other tools which might assist in bicycle theft. At first they were completely worried and frustrated that they were possibly assisting in that theft. But what they hadn’t expected was that this wave of bicycle theft resulted in the creation of a bike scene in the surrounding neighborhoods. The exact people who they were trying to get into the shop, trying to foster interest in the bicycle as a mode of transportation, started riding bikes. “It just wasn’t on our terms.” - Arlen ([[Bike Kitchen]]/[[La Bici Digna]])<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Workshop continues in [[#Classes, Workshops, Space]]<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working Together ==<br />
Increasing Inter-Organization Collaboration. The intention of this workshop was to talk about all of the ways in which we as bicycle collectives of different sorts who run our services in many different ways, can share our experiences, successes, failures, and tangible output in order to help other collectives both start and continue to thrive.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
[[User:Godwin|Godwin]] directed this workshop while [[Bob Wolfe]] facilitated in providing a speakers list. A large sheet of paper was used to help keep visible notes, at the end of the discussion the notes were the following:<br />
* '''Current Tools'''<br />
** [[BOOP]]<br />
** [[Bike!Bike!]]<br />
** [[Think Tank]]<br />
** [[Bike Collectives Network]]<br />
** [[Bike Collectives Wiki]]<br />
** Various collaborative tools such as our Google Docs list of organizations and Google Maps visualization of orgs across North America<br />
* '''What we need these tools for'''<br />
** Learn how to start a collective<br />
** Learn how to continue running a collective<br />
** Find example documents<br />
*** Volunteer Privileges<br />
*** Todo for new volunteers<br />
*** Financials<br />
*** Fliers<br />
*** Curricula<br />
*** Manuals<br />
*** 501c and not-for-profit forms<br />
*** Tool lists<br />
*** Inventory<br />
*** Price guide<br />
*** Mission statement<br />
*** Bylaws<br />
*** Safe space<br />
*** Legal documents<br />
*** Letters for grant writing<br />
** Find out how other organizations run their various programmes<br />
** Partner with other organizations<br />
* '''Brainstorming Ideas which could help'''<br />
** A Bike!Bike! Wiki<br />
** Have more involved wiki moderators who will make suggestions for improvements<br />
** News feed on wiki<br />
** Email individuals to improve pages<br />
** New list-serve other than the [[Think Tank]] which can be used for these emails<br />
** More list-serves for different purposes<br />
** Online Forums<br />
** Request documents, pages, and improvements once a year or at other regular intervals<br />
** Rid the wiki of closed shops<br />
** RSS feeds on the wiki<br />
** Separate blog or paper news<br />
** Paypal donations on [[BCN]] or the wiki<br />
** An umbrella or 'helping hand' organization<br />
** A seed fund<br />
** Micro Loans for starting up shops<br />
** A no-reply list-serve<br />
* An 'umbrella' organization goes against many principles that are held by most shops however a 'helping hand' organization that acts as a third party to facilitate to spread of knowledge and possibly funds would likely not.<br />
* To improve the wiki it will take some active moderating and contacting of individuals.<br />
* The wiki is difficult to navigate so it should be reorganized<br />
* Bikecollectives.org is not serving any other purpose other than providing the wiki.<br />
* The [[Think Tank]] is too much for many to handle, there are too many emails about things that many don't care about.<br />
* Godwin promised to contact the current owners of bikecollectives.org to see if improvements could be made.<br />
* Adding increased moderation of the wiki will be looked into<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working with relationships ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Closing discussion - Bike!Bike! 2012 ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
= Contact =<br />
* [[Bike!Bike!]] website: http://www.bikebike.org<br />
* [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|The Bike Cave]]'s website: http://thebikecave.org<br />
* Email: [mailto:bikebike2011@gmail.com bikebike2011@gmail.com]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Bike!Bike!]]</div>Sharperhttps://wiki2.bikelover.org/wiki/index.php?title=Bike!Bike!_2011&diff=11394Bike!Bike! 20112011-07-22T18:27:13Z<p>Sharper: </p>
<hr />
<div>'''Bike!Bike! 2011''' was held in San Marcos, Texas; hosted by [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|The Bike Cave]] and [[The San Marcos Community Bike Project]]. It took place from June 23-26th, 2011.[[File:bikebikebike2a.jpg|thumb]]<br />
<br />
<br />
== Workshops schedule ==<br />
<br />
{|border="1" align="left" style="text-align:left; border: 1px solid Black;" width="100%"<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Friday, June 24||Yoga Center || The Bike Cave || Sodatooth || Go 2 Danz || Library large room || Library small room || The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am|| || [[#Acquiring a permanent space]] || [[#Mobile Repair Clinic]] || || || ||<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm|| || [[#Managing social rides to promote bicycling]] || || [[#Bike touring]] || || ||<br />
|-<br />
|2:30pm - 4:00pm||[[#Teaching & learning styles]] || [[#Integrating bikes into the university fabric]] || || [[#Working in under-privileged communities]] || || ||<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm|| ||[[#Basics of the nonprofit sector and organizational form]] || || [[#Women and Transgender shop hours]] || || ||<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Saturday, June 25||Yoga Center || The Bike Cave || Sodatooth || Go 2 Danz || Library large room || Library small room || The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am|| || [[#Bike 101]]|| [[#Volunteer orientation]] || [[#Acro yoga]] || || || [[#Green space tour]]<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm|| || [[#Working with relationships]] || || [[#Working Together]] || || [[#Utilizing free open-source software]] ||<br />
|-<br />
|2:30pm - 4:00pm|| [[#Battlefield: Consensus]] || || || [[#Weather? What weather? (winter)]] || [[#Software developers exchange]] || [[#Please be kind to cyclists]] ||<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm|| [[#Analyzing work flows]] || [[#Recycled bike art]] || || || [[#Classes, Workshops, Space]] || ||<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Sunday, June 26||Yoga Center || The Bike Cave || Sodatooth || Go 2 Danz || Library large room || Library small room || The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am|| [[#Managing expectations of a cooperative bike shop]] || || || [[#Weather? What weather? (summer)]] || [[#Confronting car culture]] || || <br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 1:00pm|| || || || || [[#Closing discussion - Bike!Bike! 2012]] || || <br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
<br />
= Schedule =<br />
<br />
== As published ==<br />
<br />
{|border="0" align="left" style="text-align:left;"<br />
!scope="row" width="20%" colspan="2"| Wednesday, June 22<br />
|-<br />
|1:00-6:00pm||Pick up a loaner bike (if you're staying the night in Austin) at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|2:00pm - 6:00pm||Open house at UT's Orange Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|6:00 -10:00pm||Open house at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|11:00pm||Open house at Movemint Bike Cab Co. Shop (1301 east 4th street) <br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Thursday, June 23<br />
|-<br />
|11:00am - 1:00pm||Pick up your loaner bike (if you've just arrived in Austin) at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|1:00pm||Group ride from Austin's Yellow Bike Project to San Marcos (there will be a truck to take your things to San Marcos)<br />
|-<br />
|12:00 - 8:00pm||Check-In at San Marcos Public Library ($25 - $45, pay what you can, nobody will be turned away for lack of funds. Pick up your loaner bike and housing arraignments)<br />
|-<br />
|2:00 - 8:00pm||Fix up your bike at The Bike Cave<br />
|-<br />
|7:00 - 8:00pm||Welcome / Speak up & speak out!<br />
|-<br />
|8:00pm - 10:00pm||Casual welcome dinner at City / Plaza Park with music by Mariachi Nueva Generacion<br />
|-<br />
|9:30pm||A screening of "Dudey Free Zone: Women's and Transgender Bike Spaces" plus other short bike-related films. At The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Friday, June 24<br />
|-<br />
|8:00am - 1:00pm||Check-In continued for those who get here late at The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|1:00 - 2:30pm||Lunch<br />
|-<br />
|2:30 - 4:00pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|8:00pm - 9:00pm||The future of Bike! Bike! - a discussion to figure out where we're heading, and how we're getting there. A preview of which project(s) are interested in hosting in 2012.<br />
|-<br />
|7:00pm - 10:30pm||Bike polo on top of Speck Street Parking Garage (there will be a group ride leaving from Rio Vista at 6:00pm)<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 -11:00pm||Concert at The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Saturday, June 25<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|1:00 - 2:30pm||Lunch<br />
|-<br />
|2:30 - 4:00pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|9:00pm - 12:00am||BIKE! RIDE! BIKE! RIDE!<br />
|-<br />
|12:00am - ???||Dance party<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Sunday, June 26<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30 - 11:00am||Workshops / final brainstorm<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 1:00pm||Closing meeting, Bike! Bike! 2012 discussion<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
<br />
= Workshops =<br />
== Green space tour ==<br />
A bike tour of San Marcos green spaces<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Acquiring a permanent space ==<br />
Acquiring a permanent space instead of renting, working with the city for land or a building, fund-raising and micro-loans<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Acro yoga ==<br />
Skillshare<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Analyzing work flows ==<br />
Analyzing work flows within a bike project: setting up committees and more effective follow-up. How to reduce "ball droppage". Held at 4:30 PM on Saturday, June 25, 2011, at the Community Yoga Center.<br />
<br />
Facilitated by Susan of [[Third Hand Bicycle Cooperative]] in Columbus, Ohio.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Often in collectives, everyone will be off doing their own thing. This can lead to some jobs being repeated and others falling through the cracks. To combat this, it's helpful to identify all the processes at work in the collective, whether they deal with inputs to the collective, actions within the shop, or outputs leaving the collective.<br />
<br />
Third Hand streamlined their procedures by identifying all of the processes involved in handling this inputs and outputs. The frequency and nature of each task was discussed, and jobs were fit together as appropriate. Collections of jobs are given to various task forces, each empowered to deal with their issue without approval from the Board or the overarching Collective and charged with developing the policies that guide the completion of those tasks. The identification of tasks alone took half a day.<br />
<br />
To deal with the problem of one volunteer doing all of one job and leaving the organization without institutional knowledge, it was suggested to pick a primary and secondary person responsible for getting the job done. Another method would be to assign jobs at the beginning of each month, so that tasks get spread around more widely. Neither approach means that the person assigned has to do the task; they may delegate the task, they're just responsible for making sure it happens.<br />
<br />
Those assigned a job should make a short report back at a general meeting as to their success or failure. This helps the group know that necessary work is being accomplished and provides an avenue for new volunteers to find work. Since it's nearly impossible to penalize volunteers, enforcement has to be kept positive. In the case of an incomplete job, the group should ask why the job was not finished, and whether there was sufficient support from the group. Any remediation can be simply done by a reconstituted task force given a mandate to fix the problems.<br />
<br />
In Third Hand's experience, some jobs like outreach and volunteer coordination are best considered as "alternative shifts" -- as crucial as a regular shift, but handled in a radically different way.<br />
<br />
==== Examples ====<br />
Sample inputs, from the workshop:<br />
* Mail<br />
* Phone calls<br />
* E-mail<br />
* Donations (cash or stuff)<br />
* Visitors<br />
* Packages and deliveries<br />
* Complaints<br />
* Volunteer labor<br />
<br />
Sample inside tasks:<br />
* Cleaning<br />
* Tool ordering<br />
* Inventory<br />
* Budgeting<br />
* Parts sorting<br />
* Scheduling<br />
* Tracking<br />
* Sales<br />
<br />
Sample outputs:<br />
* Bikes<br />
* Knowledge<br />
* Rent/utilities<br />
* Media<br />
* Mobile units<br />
* Volunteer appreciation<br />
* Newsletters/flyers<br />
* Mail and e-mail<br />
* Tax returns<br />
* Deposits<br />
<br />
Sample task forces:<br />
* Finances (Sales, Budgeting, Bill Payment)<br />
* Tool and parts orders<br />
* Community relations<br />
* Volunteer coordination<br />
* IT/Tech<br />
* Outreach<br />
* Conflict resolution<br />
<br />
Processes can be determined by looking at the inputs. For Mail, mail would be picked up and sorted to give to the appropriate group (finance, outreach, ordering, etc.), with a time frame of "every open shop". Third Hand spent half a day just identifying processes like these.<br />
<br />
==== Handling tasks ====<br />
After the processes are identified, task forces can be drawn up to handle them, and each task force can then draft the necessary policies to complete the tasks. <br />
<br />
Meetings help ensure tasks are done. Task forces can present whether they've kept up with their tasks and ask for additional help if necessary. Any resolution at one meeting should have a report back from the person responsible for the project at the next meeting. Also, if a new task comes up, it is possible to send it straight to a task force without bogging down the rest of the meeting. Routine items seem to be the best suited towards this task force method, as they are rarely out of consensus.<br />
<br />
Assigning a job exclusively to one volunteer can cause problems if that volunteer has to step aside for whatever reason. Two options to deal with this were to pick a primary and secondary contact for each job or to rotate each job frequently, so that skills and knowledge are more widely distributed within the group. A "bus test" was suggested; if a volunteer were hit by a bus tomorrow, would their tasks still get done? And if not, why not?<br />
<br />
Widespread knowledge can also help keep minutia of tasks to a minimum and prevent people from overspecializing or enforcing difficult job requirements on others.<br />
<br />
If a task slips through the cracks and remains undone, a new task force can be established specifically to fix the problem and catch up the organization.<br />
<br />
== Basics of the nonprofit sector and organizational form ==<br />
=== Details ===<br />
Held on Friday, June 24, at the [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|Bike Cave]].<br />
<br />
Facilitated by Charles from the [[Bloomington Community Bike Project]].<br />
<br />
Topics were determined by the participants at the beginning of the workshop and ran across a wide spectrum of general information on nonprofit management.<br />
<br />
=== General notes ===<br />
In 2006, the U.S. IRS published a rule requiring some sort of reporting as to an organization's status, even if it was just a postcard sent in. A number of small nonprofits lost their exemption for not following this rule.<br />
<br />
It is important to have a way to evaluate an organization's performance as it relates to its mission.<br />
<br />
Every organization needs a statutory agent -- someone who can sign for the organization and provides the IRS with "a throat to choke" if things go downhill.<br />
<br />
Meeting minutes have to be kept. Google Docs and a local wiki are both good resources, allowing necessary modifications. One organization had a lot of success keeping an internet-enabled computer in meetings, transcribing in realtime, and e-mailing the attendees immediately.<br />
<br />
Most states and regions have nonprofit resource centers and many libraries have nonprofit guides. Use them as best you can. If a resource provides facilitation training, it is usually worth it to send members. <br />
<br />
==== Fundraising opportunities ====<br />
Contract work can provide a good revenue source for a shop, but organizations must be careful that the contract closely matches the organization's priorities. It does little good to spend volunteer or paid staff time on special work that doesn't help the organization much. Grants can be a similar resource sink; the best grants are those that give you money for doing what you do. Always be prepared to walk away from a grant or a contract.<br />
<br />
When searching for grants, it helps to have a relationship with a grant writer. Be sure to look beyond bicycle-specific grants, too; a lot of bike collective work can fall under categories like sustainability, health, or ecology.<br />
<br />
==== Why to incorporate ====<br />
Small shops can skirt by without incorporation, but setting up a nonprofit brings a few major benefits.<br />
<br />
Incorporation makes it easier to get insurance and liability coverage, protecting volunteers in case of lawsuits. Incorporated nonprofits can also receive tax-deductible donations, avoid income taxes, and are in a better position to compete for grants and fundraising.<br />
<br />
==== Setup ====<br />
The constitution, bylaws, and policies were described as different facets of how to organize a nonprofit's structure.<br />
<br />
The ''constitution'' itself should be short -- little more than a mission statement and a prominent mention of the organization's tax exempt status.<br />
<br />
The ''bylaws'' should ratify the organization's best practices. As they are a legal document governing the organization, they should be concise and flexible and avoid dictating specific policies. Try to write in what should happen -- what the shop can do, what someone should expect when their come in, and so on, without saying how to accomplish those goals. Well-written bylaws also allow anyone reviewing them to see whether the organization is keeping true to its promises and offer an opportunity to change course if things go bad.<br />
<br />
All details about how to actually run the shop and organization belong in the ''policies and procedures''. <br />
<br />
==== [[Bicycle Kitchen (Los Angeles)|L.A. Bike Kitchen]] overview ====<br />
Arlen from the Los Angeles Bike Kitchen summarized how their organization is set up.<br />
<br />
The Bike Kitchen has three volunteer levels. Shadows graduate to volunteers once they've completed a general knowledge worksheet. Volunteers that work four shifts a month (about 12 hours) and do something extra special for the organization can then move up to "cook".<br />
<br />
There are four quarterly "cooks" meetings, run under supermajority consensus rules, utilizing an outside (and objective) facilitator. There is also one annual camp held with a paid outside facilitator. Board meetings are held monthly with a rotating facilitator chosen from the group.<br />
<br />
Day-to-day operations and policies are handled by "gruppos"; ad hoc autonomous committees with specific charters. These committees are not required to accept input from anyone else. Presumably, anyone with strong feelings on, for example, what tools to order, would sit on the ordering gruppo.<br />
<br />
Example gruppos:<br />
* Finance<br />
* Ordering<br />
* Operations (as related to bike projects)<br />
* "Smooth shifting" -- ergonomics and accessibility<br />
* Volunteer coordination<br />
* Neighbor relations<br />
* "Space exploration" -- researching a new shop location<br />
<br />
There was no built-in accountability measures; everything just worked.<br />
<br />
== Battlefield: Consensus ==<br />
Decision making - the good, the bad, and the ugly. A reprise of 2010's Battlefield: Consensus.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Bike 101 ==<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Bike touring ==<br />
What to take, how to pack, where to sleep and eat, and of course, where to go.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Classes, Workshops, Space ==<br />
Doing Meaningful Outreach with Communities in Your Neighborhood.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
<br />
'''How do you programs “translate” in your/near by communities?”'''<br />
<br />
<br />
How are you defining “Community”?<br />
<br />
How inclusive is your space? How Accessible?<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Lava Monsters of Death (these will hold you back, don’t let them!)'''<br />
<br />
<br />
Using excessive “they” “them” or “those people”<br />
<br />
Assuming people know what you know.<br />
<br />
Assuming people are intentionally (behaving/acting) being fucked up<br />
<br />
Confusing critiques/analysis of behaviour dynamics as vicious existential personal attacks of Doom against you, yes you! <br />
<br />
<br />
'''Success Stories of Workshops that help out reach to under privileged communities.'''<br />
<br />
Multi language bike mechanics, teach english or learn spanish at the same time as teaching bike mechanics, <br />
<br />
<br />
Get Doctors to prescribe bike riding, get them to send people to your collective.<br />
<br />
<br />
Organize group rides that tie in a neighborhood’s resources that are not well used, go to farmer’s markets, put baskets on bikes.<br />
<br />
<br />
Safe routes to schools has been successful in getting more kids to ride.<br />
<br />
<br />
Find teachers who are bike sympathetic.<br />
<br />
<br />
Canvas the neighborhood, knock door to door, flyer (tear offs work well), bring tools to fix flats, mobil bike repair!<br />
<br />
<br />
Get in contact with a neighborhood organization, they often don’t have websites, you can find them sometimes through the police department.<br />
<br />
<br />
Be wary of giving “big free give away!” if you don’t have enough, it can create a weird and tense atmosphere.<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Confronting car culture ==<br />
Dealing with dominant culture on a personal level and effecting cultural shift.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== How the City of San Marcos, Texas bicycle map was created ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Managing expectations of a cooperative bike shop ==<br />
How to manage expectations and orient new people quickly to the cooperative shop environment<br />
=== Details ===<br />
Held Sunday, June 25, 2011 at 9:30 AM at Community Yoga<br />
<br />
The facilitator did not arrive, so this was used as a general discussion instead.<br />
<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
There are many sets of expectations in each shop. Shops expect certain behaviors of volunteers, customers, and paid staff. People in the shop have expectations of the shop itself and what they will get out of it. Most of these expectations are not written down, meaning all persons in a shop have to negotiate certain expectations -- both the reasonable and the unreasonable. <br />
<br />
In most cases clear communication can create a reasonable and healthy set of expectations between a shop and the people within, helping the shop work much more smoothly. Specific shop policies are really just a way to write down those expectations as rules.<br />
<br />
==== Customers ====<br />
As it's possible for a shop (or its staff) to earn a bad reputation for not fulfilling false expectations, it's crucial to present what a shop does and does not do, to quash these false expectations.<br />
<br />
Misunderstandings about what the shop does can run the gamut; some shops have been heard to "give away new bikes", others to "fix your bike". These might have come by word of mouth from other shop users or from referring agency. The purpose and rules of a shop need to be clearly communicated to all users as soon as possible, via a short and concise elevator speech, handout card, or some other method. <br />
<br />
Not all customers will respond to the same mode of communication the same way, so it can be helpful to tailor one's elevator speech or rundown in order to make it more easily assimilated.<br />
<br />
==== Volunteers ====<br />
Not everyone volunteers for the same reasons, and if a volunteer job isn't fun, it's less likely to get done. All volunteers need to be integrated into the organization, whether they intend simply to wrench intermittently or try to find a place in the organization's structure. For both, it's important to get a volunteer to state their reasons for volunteering and why; including a volunteer "contract" in volunteer training may be an option, though of attendees, only the [[Bike Dump]] had experience with one and it did not work.<br />
<br />
The shop also has expectations of volunteers -- service commitments and the like -- that may not be understood by volunteers. In one example, the organization expected members of its governing body to step down when they started volunteering less frequently, while the volunteers expected to retain their position. A conflict like this could be prevented with established and enforced policies.<br />
<br />
lack of fulfillment of expectations can cause volunteers to drop out of circulation; a volunteer expecting to be on a leadership track and is denied advancement -- for whatever reason -- is likely to have a negative experience with the organization. <br />
<br />
==== Organization ====<br />
Since the organization can only act through its agents, it is important that the decisionmakers understand what the organization needs and expects from the people coming in. It should expect its decisionmakers to be nonideological and fair, that it has a corps of volunteers capable of handling its affairs autonomously and without interruption, and that its policies will be enforced equally. <br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
Ultimately, projecting positive expectations and sticking to them as consistently as possible will go a long way towards ensuring that everyone around an organization has their reasonable expectations met.<br />
<br />
When possible, write those expectations down, and make sure they are enforced and reinforced by everyone in the shop.<br />
<br />
== Integrating bikes into the university fabric ==<br />
Integrating bikes into the university fabric via student and staff collaboration<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
University of Texas loans bikes for 1 year. They charge the borrower for unreturned or damaged bikes and they are currently trying to get these fees put on students' records to ensure they are paid. In their case the university itself is liable for injury.<br />
<br />
Most shops however have no official ties or agreement with their university.<br />
<br />
==== How do you get along with for profit shops? ====<br />
Mixed reviews, some don't like having the competition while others will donate directly to the shop.<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
The organizers of this workshop had planned to give a formal presentation but instead just had an informal discussion. The discussion quickly went off topic, it was not moderated at all. It most likely would have been much more productive had the organizers stuck to their original plan.<br />
<br />
== Managing social rides to promote bicycling ==<br />
From fringe to mainstream: how social cycling can ... and make our cities better<br />
=== Details ===<br />
Held at 11:15 AM on Friday, June 24 at the Bike Cave.<br />
Elliott McFadden of [http://austinontwowheels.org/ Austin on Two Wheels] and Violet Crown Cycles started by describing his views of cycling promotion and two methods seen in Austin of directly working to get people riding bikes. After this, he answered questions in a general discussion format.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
==== Failures in bicycle promotion ====<br />
Elliot identified two somewhat conflicting methods of increasing cycling from the cycling industry and from political advocacy.<br />
* Industry: Bicycle sales in the U.S. have remained stagnant over since the 1970s, despite significant growth in population. To increase sales, the bicycle industry has focused on making bikes more niche -- selling new bikes to their existing market.<br />
* Advocacy: Advocates lobby decision makers for better infrastructure, but do so without growing a grassroots bicycle population or establishing cycling within the community.<br />
Until bicycling is seen as a normal community behavior, bicyclists will continue to be classified by convenient stereotypes, like the spandex/carbon weekend warrior, the hipster scofflaw, and the sanctimonious environmentalist.<br />
==== Strategy ====<br />
Defining "regime" as an interconnected group of businesses and leaders with a common world view, Elliott noted that the current regime is in favor of growing consumption and fossil fuel use. At the national level, this means the oil and auto industries. At the local level, it includes developers, auto dealers, and news entities, whose future profits depend on growth. Tellingly, 30% of all ad revenue for media entities comes from car companies.<br />
Regime change must then be the goal of a bicycle promoter. Find negative ways to describe the current regime (dirty, expensive, destructive, long travel times in cars) and positive ways to describe the desired regime (healthy, thrifty, sustainable, quality family time). Form partnerships with businesses and organizations that can benefit from a new regime.<br />
==== Social cycling ====<br />
To replace the negative stereotypes of bicyclists, it is important to develop an atmosphere that encourages riding by more members of the community. Bicycling should be made to be more comfortable -- no races, no work-outs, regular clothes, open to everyone. The joys of being out, riding with regular people, should be paramount. <br />
Commuting is often a big sell by industry and advocates; it allows shops to sell specialized "commuter" bicycles and advocates to focus on connecting routes, but as a sales point, it has two crippling problems: nobody likes to go to work, and most people go to work alone. Instead, social cycling should be a focus: just get many people together to ride bikes. Austin has two models that work in tandem: Social Cycling Austin and Austin on Two Wheels, an "affiliated business concept".<br />
===== Social Cycling Austin =====<br />
Social Cycling Austin is a volunteer production started two years ago as a free ride -- participants just show up for a weekly social ride, drawing 200-300 riders on average and as many as 500. It partners with local businesses, usually a bar or restaurant, and rides with traffic, not against it.<br />
This model is easy to start (it just requires two people) and its open structure makes it accessible to all. It doesn't have to be affiliated with any business, so it can work with and for everyone. Because of its loose nature, it's easy to change what doesn't work or even dismantle the ride. It doesn't need any investment to start up, as most organizing can be done through social networks and guerrilla marketing.<br />
Unfortunately, it also has no control over who shows up, making it difficult to deal with troublemakers and easy for the ride to grow beyond the capacity of the leaders or prevent the ride from being co-opted by other organizations. A focus on bars as a final destination also makes it easy for this sort of ride to turn into a "booze cruise", adding additional challenges to the organization and often depressing its ability to draw women riders. Additionally, it is easy for organizing volunteers to burn out and the undefined liability might cause problems in case of injury.<br />
===== Affiliated Business Concept =====<br />
In an affiliated business concept, the rides are run as a business, usually as smaller fee-based rides than as large-scale free-for-alls.<br />
Because a business controls the ride, it's possible to tailor rides for specific demographics; women, families, suburbanites, etc. It's also easier to get different business partners and variety in the ride -- restaurants may provide food and drink samples, galleries may partner for art rides, or retail establishments for shopping rides. A business is also better able to provide a clear line of liability in case of accident and maintain a paid staff of ride leaders and organizers to provide a higher level of service. Austin on Two Wheels, for example, capped rides at 50 participants and provided one ride leader for every ten people to watch over unlocked bikes and help keep rides safe.<br />
This concept also carries some challenges. Partners must be committed to growth; it can take 18-24 months for the concept to turn a sustainable profit and its longer-term viability has not been tested, though it may be a reasonable loss leader for a bike shop. It also limits partnerships to a single member of each sector; one bike shop, one newspaper, or one boutique. The clear line of liability also means that the operating business has insurance requirements to carry and will likely have to enforce helmet use.<br />
==== Discussion ====<br />
Both rides appeal to different people, but the demographics of the riders were mostly white, though unintentionally so. For the open social rides, this was because the ride started from one social circle and its business preferences. For the paid rides, this was because they were seeking sustainable income. Since bicycles seen as a lesser mode of transportation in impoverished communities and represent gentrification, it can be difficult to promote them, though groups like the Major Taylor Group are trying to increase African American ridership. Either way, more racially diverse ride leadership should help diversify rider participation.<br />
Other problems with social cycling rides were identified. It's easy for the ride's somewhat high turnover to give it over to more aggressive cycling, and efforts to rein it in can be paternalistic.<br />
Responses to paid rides were overwhelmingly positive. Of 300 participants, 60% were women, and every ride had a bicyclist that had not ridden at all in the past year. Of survey respondents, 85% loved the ride, 97% would do it again, and 84% were more likely to revisit the participating businesses. No complaints were received of the ride being too fast, and the complaints of 1/3 of the respondents that the ride was too slow were dismissed. As for distance, the longest single ride was 10 miles and the longest single stretch was five miles, but most rides were just a few miles in stretches of two miles or less at a 10-12 mph pace. <br />
The high ratio of leaders to participants of the paid rides helped keep them very well organized. Walkie-talkies were given to the front and back leaders and other riders would circulate through the ride, keeping riders lined up, directing traffic at intersections, and encouraging the ride to behave well in regards to other users. It helped that the Austin Police Department was non-reactionary, so there was no backlash from law enforcement.<br />
Paid rides started with an intro of the leaders and the participants signing of a waiver stating they knew the rules of the road and agreed to follow ride leader instructions.<br />
Marketing was done through their own website, and partnering businesses were encouraged to do their own promotion as well. It was emphasized that time, rather than distance, was mentioned in all promotions. Though a six mile ride would take about 30 minutes, 30 minutes seemed like an easier ride than six miles. Ride classifications were right out; letter-assignments mean nothing to the new riders being targeted.<br />
Hurting businesses were suggested as rich prospects, as a few dozen potential customers can be enticing. Visits to any business should be during slow hours, though, to minimize disruption to regular services and provide customers when the business would be otherwise idle -- restaurants on Saturday afternoons are a good example. <br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Mobile Repair Clinic ==<br />
Held at 9:30 AM on Friday, June 24, at Sodatooth art gallery. Operating a mobile on-the-go repair clinic through the city and community organizations.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
The original facilitator did not show up for this workshop but the intent was fairly self evident by the name of the workshop. It was begun with a go-around and then by asking the question 'who currently operates a mobile repair unit?'<br />
The [[Bike Cage]] from Winnipeg told us that they began as a purely mobile shop until they had enough resources and a space to operate from a permanent location. The [[Bike Root]] from Calgary told us that the opposite was true for them, they began with a full shop but after losing their space, kept operations going by setting up in various locations on their campus and around town.<br />
==== To fix or not? Where do you draw the line? ====<br />
There were various answers to this question, some shops will only fix flats and minor brake and gear issues. Others were willing to fix anything as long as the tools were available. Arguments for the former included<br />
* lack of proper tools<br />
* lack of more advanced tools or replacement parts in case anything went wrong<br />
* lack of knowledge / trust in the knowledge of some casual volunteers that might attend a mobile repair clinic<br />
* some provide more hand on repair for mobile units to decrease liability in case a bike owner injures themselves but providing more complicated repairs ourselves increases liability in case the owner injures themselves on their bike afterwards.<br />
and for the latter:<br />
* We should do our best to get more bikes fixed and on the road<br />
* We're confident in our skills<br />
* The worst thing that might happen is that a bike that wasn't on the road is now still not on the road<br />
* We make bike owners fix their bikes themselves so we are not liable<br />
==== Other services ====<br />
In addition to offering minor repairs, the Bike Cage's mobile unit doubles as a bike valet service. There was no elaboration on how the system works.<br />
==== Getting the message across that a mobile tune tent is not a fully functioning tent ====<br />
It seemed to be a common problem that when individuals in the community would hear about a free tune-up possibility, they would often bring in bikes that need repairs far beyond what could be done at a tune tent. It was suggested to avoid this, advertise as "light bike repair".<br />
==== Who holds the tools? ====<br />
We had a discussion about if the volunteer should fix the bike for the owner or provide the owner with the tools and teach how to fix the bike hands-off. Whether or not tools were handed to the bike owner, teaching at least by the volunteer explaining what he or she was doing seemed to be the norm. The issues behind whether or not to let the owner fix the bike seemed to be liability dependent on both sides. If the volunteer fixes the bike, the shop becomes liable if the bike causes injury down the road while normally the bike owner has not signed a liability waiver to use the tools, so the shop could be liable if they hurt themselves while repairing their bike.<br />
==== Ride or drive? ====<br />
We had a discussion on whether or not to drive the equipment to the location or use a trailer. No one seemed to be passionate for either but there are a lot of options out there for trailers big and small. [[Fargo Moorhead Community Bicycle Workshop|Fargo]] rides with a huge 4x6 trailer.<br />
==== Off topic discussion ====<br />
The conversation went off topic many times but did produce a few interesting ideas:<br />
* [[The Orioles Bike Cage|Winnipeg]] uses a punch card, much like one you would find a a coffee shop or fast food location, to punch out skills that a volunteer has learned. Once the card is completely punched the volunteer can start fixing bikes for others.<br />
* While discussing how to get enough replacement parts, another bike shop told us they provide local bike shops with barrels which the shops can use to put parts that are still usable but would otherwise throw away. The barrels would be picked up and emptied at regular intervals. This shop did not have a problem finding parts when needed as a result.<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Please be kind to cyclists ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Recycled bike art ==<br />
Turning garbage into gold.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
<br />
[[File:Bike Craft - Tube Shoe Laces.pdf|200px|thumb|left|alt text]]<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Software developers exchange ==<br />
Projects being worked on, have worked on, or areas they (you) are interested / skilled in.<br />
<br />
Held Saturday, June 25, at 2:30 PM at the San Marcos Public Library.<br />
<br />
Facilitated by [[User:Godwin|Godwin]] of [[The Bike Root]] in Calgary.<br />
<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Participants briefly described their technical experience, specifically any coding projects and languages they've used. A few participants were experienced programmers; most were interested in learning or helping a project in other ways like documentation and testing.<br />
[[Austin Yellow Bike Project]]'s tracking code was discussed and briefly compared to the [[Bike Kitchen (San Francisco, CA, USA)|San Francisco Bicycle Kitchen]]'s Freehub software.<br />
<br />
The Yellow Bike Project released their code for public use, and it was noted that SLC had already made a Joomla plugin. The YBP software was also demonstrated live at the workshop.<br />
<br />
Steve of [[Fargo Moorhead Community Bicycle Workshop|Fargo]] and Godwin were (or soon will be) working on independent applications, but the general consensus coalesced around a few ideals.<br />
<br />
Any software development push should be oriented towards a web-based solution for the greatest ease in rolling out across various platforms, though it would make it more difficult to install as a software package and could lead to data security and access problems if provided as a hosting service, as SFBK does with Freehub. Additionally, this software should start with one shop in order to develop one full set of features. All features should be written as plugins to a basic core, allowing features to be added as required by various shops.<br />
Yellow Bike Project's software may make a suitable core for such a push.<br />
<br />
A general wishlist was hashed out, in no particular order:<br />
* Work-trade management<br />
* Granular volunteer time tracking<br />
* Varied reporting options<br />
* Donation tracking<br />
* Bike and inventory tracking (including completion of projects)<br />
* Visitor tracking<br />
* Communications options (e-mail lists, contacting expiring memberships)<br />
* Sales tracking (though not point-of-sale)<br />
* Volunteer skill tracking<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
[[Godwin]] will direct a new open source project starting in September 2011. The system will be modular so that individual plugins can be added or modified as needed to ensure that collectives don't have to modify the way they do things simply because the software does not conform to their model.<br />
<br />
== Teaching & learning styles ==<br />
Teaching & learning styles in community bike shops; a discussion about different approaches, what works and what doesn't work as well<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== The future of Bike! Bike! ==<br />
Where are we going and how are we going to get there? Also, a quick (but no-decisions-made) discussion about where Bike! Bike! will be held in 2012 (that will be decided during the final meeting on Sunday, June 26).<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Utilizing free open-source software ==<br />
Operating systems and work documents to benefit your project.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Despite "charity" pricing for software packages from major publishers like Microsoft and Adobe, some software is priced beyond the range of a co-operative's budget, or would be used to infrequently as to make a purchase pointless.<br />
Fortunately, the open source community has responded with a number of free replacements for major software, including for the operating system itself. Most of these packages can be found in [[Computer Resources]].<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Volunteer orientation ==<br />
Addressing safe space concerns, and a conversation about empowering and maintaining a committed volunteer base<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Weather? What weather? (summer) ==<br />
How you and your bike can survive the heat<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Weather? What weather? (winter) ==<br />
How you and your bike can survive the cold<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Women and Transgender shop hours ==<br />
Policies, Politics, Allies<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working in under-privileged communities ==<br />
Working in under-privileged communities: challenges and opportunities<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Facilitators:<br />
<br />
[[Bike Kitchen]]/[[La Bici Digna]] (Arlen) and [[Bikerowave]]/[[Bici Libre]] (Bobby):<br />
<br />
<br />
Keep your eyes on the prize (don’t forget why you’re doing this, don’t let your limitations stop you)<br />
<br />
<br />
Dynamics in work space an issue, (shop isn’t located in the right place) <br />
<br />
-try mobile workshop?<br />
La Bici Digna started with a mobil work shop at the day labor center working with City of Lights. <br />
<br />
<br />
Low community buyin? <br />
<br />
-try partnering w/ another organization that organizes in “that” community. (try contacting a country’s embassy to let them know you exist, find out what communities you want to encourage and talk to the leaders in that community) <br />
<br />
<br />
Not enough Resources?<br />
<br />
-try seeing groups that are stoked, already active.<br />
<br />
<br />
Chill out. Be Patient (It takes time to build up trust and awareness of your resource.)<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Stories:'''<br />
<br />
Bici Libre got a free space to house abandoned bikes. They seek to provide a space where people can learn job skills and leadership skills. They have a list of activities that can be done by non-bike mechanic volunteers. Group jobs such as cleaning parts or cutting tubes can be really good for some cultures who will enjoy the communal experience. It’s important to talk to the poeple you are trying to engage to ask them what they want to contribute, or what they want to get out of it.<br />
<br />
<br />
Sometimes the way we think the bicycle collective “should” run is not the way some under privileged communities want to run their own. Often, people will want to start a for-profit shop. It’s important to not get stuck in your ideas, to learn also how to communicate in another person’s language. You can use the terms they know, even if it’s the “wrong” term, whats important is that you both get on the same page. There’s a reason you are trying to engage a different dynamic in the bike shop, you should be willing to learn from new people, not just try to tell them what/how to do. <br />
<br />
<br />
'''Multi lingual bike diagram:'''<br />
<br />
La Bici Digna had a poster of a bike with lines to all the parts. They asked their participant to write on posted notes the names of the parts of the bike that they knew. With all the many dialects present, the digram ended up having four names for nearly every part. <br />
<br />
<br />
Denver’s [[The Bike Depot]] works with [Big Brother] and [Big Sister]. They are then able to pay for kids to volunteer.<br />
<br />
<br />
Lots of collectives have earn a bike programs, or free bikes to people on welfare.<br />
<br />
<br />
One collective got a high school student credit for volunteering at the shop.<br />
<br />
Another works directly with Refugee camps.<br />
<br />
<br />
'''How do you deal with theft?''' - Story from the [[Bike Kitchen]]<br />
<br />
The bike kitchen experienced a wave of theft. Bikes were being stolen right out side the shop, and also, many 15mm wrenches and other tools which might assist in bicycle theft. At first they were completely worried and frustrated that they were possibly assisting in that theft. But what they hadn’t expected was that this wave of bicycle theft resulted in the creation of a bike scene in the surrounding neighborhoods. The exact people who they were trying to get into the shop, trying to foster interest in the bicycle as a mode of transportation, started riding bikes. “It just wasn’t on our terms.” - Arlen ([[Bike Kitchen]]/[[La Bici Digna]])<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Workshop continues in [[#Classes, Workshops, Space]]<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working Together ==<br />
Increasing Inter-Organization Collaboration. The intention of this workshop was to talk about all of the ways in which we as bicycle collectives of different sorts who run our services in many different ways, can share our experiences, successes, failures, and tangible output in order to help other collectives both start and continue to thrive.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
[[User:Godwin|Godwin]] directed this workshop while [[Bob Wolfe]] facilitated in providing a speakers list. A large sheet of paper was used to help keep visible notes, at the end of the discussion the notes were the following:<br />
* '''Current Tools'''<br />
** [[BOOP]]<br />
** [[Bike!Bike!]]<br />
** [[Think Tank]]<br />
** [[Bike Collectives Network]]<br />
** [[Bike Collectives Wiki]]<br />
** Various collaborative tools such as our Google Docs list of organizations and Google Maps visualization of orgs across North America<br />
* '''What we need these tools for'''<br />
** Learn how to start a collective<br />
** Learn how to continue running a collective<br />
** Find example documents<br />
*** Volunteer Privileges<br />
*** Todo for new volunteers<br />
*** Financials<br />
*** Fliers<br />
*** Curricula<br />
*** Manuals<br />
*** 501c and not-for-profit forms<br />
*** Tool lists<br />
*** Inventory<br />
*** Price guide<br />
*** Mission statement<br />
*** Bylaws<br />
*** Safe space<br />
*** Legal documents<br />
*** Letters for grant writing<br />
** Find out how other organizations run their various programmes<br />
** Partner with other organizations<br />
* '''Brainstorming Ideas which could help'''<br />
** A Bike!Bike! Wiki<br />
** Have more involved wiki moderators who will make suggestions for improvements<br />
** News feed on wiki<br />
** Email individuals to improve pages<br />
** New list-serve other than the [[Think Tank]] which can be used for these emails<br />
** More list-serves for different purposes<br />
** Online Forums<br />
** Request documents, pages, and improvements once a year or at other regular intervals<br />
** Rid the wiki of closed shops<br />
** RSS feeds on the wiki<br />
** Separate blog or paper news<br />
** Paypal donations on [[BCN]] or the wiki<br />
** An umbrella or 'helping hand' organization<br />
** A seed fund<br />
** Micro Loans for starting up shops<br />
** A no-reply list-serve<br />
* An 'umbrella' organization goes against many principles that are held by most shops however a 'helping hand' organization that acts as a third party to facilitate to spread of knowledge and possibly funds would likely not.<br />
* To improve the wiki it will take some active moderating and contacting of individuals.<br />
* The wiki is difficult to navigate so it should be reorganized<br />
* Bikecollectives.org is not serving any other purpose other than providing the wiki.<br />
* The [[Think Tank]] is too much for many to handle, there are too many emails about things that many don't care about.<br />
* Godwin promised to contact the current owners of bikevollectives.org to see if improvements could be made.<br />
* Adding increased moderation of the wiki will be looked into<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working with relationships ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Closing discussion - Bike!Bike! 2012 ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
= Contact =<br />
* [[Bike!Bike!]] website: http://www.bikebike.org<br />
* [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|The Bike Cave]]'s website: http://thebikecave.org<br />
* Email: [mailto:bikebike2011@gmail.com bikebike2011@gmail.com]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Bike!Bike!]]</div>Sharperhttps://wiki2.bikelover.org/wiki/index.php?title=Computer_Resources&diff=11393Computer Resources2011-07-21T15:02:41Z<p>Sharper: </p>
<hr />
<div>== Operating systems ==<br />
=== GNU/Linux ===<br />
Originally written as a free Unix clone by Finnish programmer Linus Torvalds in 1992, it quickly grew a large and devoted developer base for its open architecture and low cost. It is maintained as free and open source software, meaning anyone can read the original source code, make changes or contributions, and (hopefully) donate their changes back to the project for future inclusion.<br />
<br />
Linux is the basic "kernel", the part of the operating system that provides ways to handle the hardware. On top of this sits the "GNU" stack -- a set of programs developed by the Free Software Foundation that allow users to interact with the operating system at a very low level. Tools like `ls` (which '''l'''i'''s'''ts files in a directory) are GNU programs that pull information from the linux kernel. A number of graphical user interfaces have been developed to provide simpler and more intuitive ways to operate the computer.<br />
<br />
Many companies and organizations have developed their own "distributions" of GNU/Linux. These are installable packages of various software meant to provide end users with a complete operating computer in a style similar to Windows or Mac OS X. Most distributions also have ways to easily find, download, and install free and open source software packages to provide additional functions like word processing or video playing.<br />
<br />
In conversation with everyone but the hardest of hardcore nerds, "linux" or "Linux" is usually fine to refer to the combination of the kernel, the GNU stack, graphical user interface, and even the distribution.<br />
<br />
==== Common distributions ====<br />
* [http://www.ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu] is the current leader in linux distributions, having focused on ease of use for the end user. A number of variants based on Ubuntu exist: for netbooks specifically, to change window managers, or in a server-specific configuration.<br />
* [http://fedoraproject.org/ Fedora] started as a project by Red Hat, an early and respected linux service company, to focus on providing the latest software in the linux world.<br />
* [http://www.opensuse.org/en/ OpenSuSE] is a somewhat milquetoast distribution, allowing a wide range of software with an interest in stability.<br />
* [http://www.linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] focuses on extreme ease-of-use and is second only to Ubuntu in market share.<br />
* [http://puppylinux.org/ Puppy Linux] is designed to be small and quick, operating from a USB stick and on older and more constrained hardware than other, more fully-featured distributions.<br />
<br />
=== Unix ===<br />
Unix was developed forty years ago at AT&T's Bell Labs as an operating system for early digital computers. It has since been rewritten, remixed, copied, and released countless times by many different companies and organizations, and it often finds a home on high-powered servers. Underneath its polished user interface, Mac OS X is built on Unix underpinnings. "Full" versions of Unix are usually designed for enterprise use, making them gratuitously overpowered for small community shops.<br />
<br />
==== Versions ====<br />
* [http://openindiana.org/ OpenIndiana] is a community fork of the OpenSolaris project originally started by Sun Microsystems and discontinued by Oracle. Primarily made for enterprise use, it is still under development and <br />
* Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD) is a catch-all term for a copy of Unix made by students at the University of California in the 1980s. It has since evolved into three major distributions: the general purpose [http://www.freebsd.org/ FreeBSD], the network-focused [http://www.netbsd.org/ NetBSD], and the ultra-secure [http://www.openbsd.org/ OpenBSD].<br />
<br />
== Replacements for proprietary software ==<br />
Many free and open source replacements for proprietary software were originally built for GNU/Linux. In some cases, this may require downloading and installing Linux-based graphics layers (like X11) or operating environments (like [http://www.cygwin.com/ Cygwin]) in order to run them on Windows or Mac. If special software is required, it is usually made quite clear (and available) on the project's download page.<br />
<br />
=== Microsoft Office ===<br />
* [http://www.openoffice.org/ OpenOffice.org] - recently bought by Oracle and given to Apache after some controversy, this is the most common replacement for the Office suite and can read and write old and new Office file formats. Free, open source (LGPL), available for Linux, Mac, and Windows.<br />
* [http://www.libreoffice.org/ LibreOffice] - fork of OpenOffice.org made by the community after discomfort with Oracle, this is nearly identical to its predecessor. Free, open source (LGPL), available for Linux, Mac, and Windows.<br />
* [http://www.koffice.org/ KOffice] - Office replacement made specifically for the KDE window management system within Linux. Free, open source (GPL and LGPL), available for Linux with some preliminary support for Mac and Windows.<br />
* [http://www.abisource.com/ AbiWord] - Word processing program only. Free, open source (GPL), available for Linux and Windows. Mac development tends to lag.<br />
<br />
=== Adobe products ===<br />
* [http://www.gimp.org/ Gimp] - raster/bitmap image editor, replacing Photoshop. Free, open source (GPL), available for Linux, Mac, and Windows.<br />
* [http://inkscape.org/ Inkscape] - vector graphics editor, replacing Illustrator. Free, open source (GPL), available for Linux, Mac, and Windows.<br />
* [http://www.scribus.net/ Scribus] - desktop publishing application, replacing InDesign. Free, open source (GPL), available for Linux, Mac, and Windows.<br />
* [http://kompozer.net/ Kompozer] - WYSIWYG web page design (HTML and CSS), replacing Dreamweaver. Free, open source (MPL, GPL, and LGPL), available for Linux, Mac, and Windows.<br />
<br />
== Other resources ==<br />
*[http://riseup.net/ Riseup.net] is a radical tool that provides secure email accounts and email lists for activists and organizers. <br />
<br />
*[http://resist.ca/ Resist.ca] also provides secure email accounts and lists, except they're from Canada.<br />
<br />
*[http://doodle.com/ Doodle] makes little charts that you email out to a group to find a good meeting time. Everybody fills out their availability and you can easily see what time works best.<br />
<br />
=== Collective/Co-Operative tracking ===<br />
* [http://civicrm.org/ CiviCRM] is a flexible customer relationship management tool, and can be set up to track volunteer hours and customer visits.<br />
* [http://freehub.bikekitchen.org/ FreeHub] is a web-based membership tracker developed by the [[Bike Kitchen (San Francisco, CA, USA)|San Francisco Bicycle Kitchen]], available either hosted by SFBC or as a locally served site.<br />
* [[Austin Yellow Bike Project]] has their own volunteer and membership tracker that may be available to other collectives.</div>Sharperhttps://wiki2.bikelover.org/wiki/index.php?title=Computer_Resources&diff=11392Computer Resources2011-07-21T15:01:15Z<p>Sharper: </p>
<hr />
<div>== Operating systems ==<br />
=== GNU/Linux ===<br />
Originally written as a free Unix clone by Finnish programmer Linus Torvalds in 1992, it quickly grew a large and devoted developer base for its open architecture and low cost. It is maintained as free and open source software, meaning anyone can read the original source code, make changes or contributions, and (hopefully) donate their changes back to the project for future inclusion.<br />
<br />
Linux is the basic "kernel", the part of the operating system that provides ways to handle the hardware. On top of this sits the "GNU" stack -- a set of programs developed by the Free Software Foundation that allow users to interact with the operating system at a very low level. Tools like `ls` (which '''l'''i'''s'''ts files in a directory) are GNU programs that pull information from the linux kernel. A number of graphical user interfaces have been developed to provide simpler and more intuitive ways to operate the computer.<br />
<br />
Many companies and organizations have developed their own "distributions" of GNU/Linux. These are installable packages of various software meant to provide end users with a complete operating computer in a style similar to Windows or Mac OS X. Most distributions also have ways to easily find, download, and install free and open source software packages to provide additional functions like word processing or video playing.<br />
<br />
In conversation with everyone but the hardest of hardcore nerds, "linux" or "Linux" is usually fine to refer to the combination of the kernel, the GNU stack, graphical user interface, and even the distribution.<br />
<br />
==== Common distributions ====<br />
* [http://www.ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu] is the current leader in linux distributions, having focused on ease of use for the end user. A number of variants based on Ubuntu exist: for netbooks specifically, to change window managers, or in a server-specific configuration.<br />
* [http://fedoraproject.org/ Fedora] started as a project by Red Hat, an early and respected linux service company, to focus on providing the latest software in the linux world.<br />
* [http://www.opensuse.org/en/ OpenSuSE] is a somewhat milquetoast distribution, allowing a wide range of software with an interest in stability.<br />
* [http://www.linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] focuses on extreme ease-of-use and is second only to Ubuntu in market share.<br />
* [http://puppylinux.org/ Puppy Linux] is designed to be small and quick, operating from a USB stick and on older and more constrained hardware than other, more fully-featured distributions.<br />
<br />
=== Unix ===<br />
Unix was developed forty years ago at AT&T's Bell Labs as an operating system for early digital computers. It has since been rewritten, remixed, copied, and released countless times by many different companies and organizations, and it often finds a home on high-powered servers. Underneath its polished user interface, Mac OS X is built on Unix underpinnings. "Full" versions of Unix are usually designed for enterprise use, making them gratuitously overpowered for small community shops.<br />
<br />
==== Versions ====<br />
* [http://openindiana.org/ OpenIndiana] is a community fork of the OpenSolaris project originally started by Sun Microsystems and discontinued by Oracle. Primarily made for enterprise use, it is still under development and <br />
* Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD) is a catch-all term for a copy of Unix made by students at the University of California in the 1980s. It has since evolved into three major distributions: the general purpose [http://www.freebsd.org/ FreeBSD], the network-focused [http://www.netbsd.org/ NetBSD], and the ultra-secure [http://www.openbsd.org/ OpenBSD].<br />
<br />
== Replacements for proprietary software ==<br />
Many free and open source replacements for proprietary software were originally built for GNU/Linux. In some cases, this may require downloading and installing Linux-based graphics layers (like X11) or operating environments (like [http://www.cygwin.com/ Cygwin]) in order to run them on Windows or Mac. If special software is required, it is usually made quite clear (and available) on the project's download page.<br />
<br />
=== Microsoft Office ===<br />
* [http://www.openoffice.org/ OpenOffice.org] - recently bought by Oracle and given to Apache after some controversy, this is the most common replacement for the Office suite and can read and write old and new Office file formats. Free, open source (LGPL), available for Linux, Mac, and Windows.<br />
* [http://www.libreoffice.org/ LibreOffice] - fork of OpenOffice.org made by the community after discomfort with Oracle, this is nearly identical to its predecessor. Free, open source (LGPL), available for Linux, Mac, and Windows.<br />
* [http://www.koffice.org/ KOffice] - Office replacement made specifically for the KDE window management system within Linux. Free, open source (GPL and LGPL), available for Linux with some preliminary support for Mac and Windows.<br />
* [http://www.abisource.com/ AbiWord] - Word processing program only. Free, open source (GPL), available for Linux and Windows. Mac development tends to lag.<br />
<br />
=== Adobe products ===<br />
* [http://www.gimp.org/ Gimp] - raster/bitmap image editor, replacing Photoshop. Free, open source (GPL), available for Linux, Mac, and Windows.<br />
* [http://inkscape.org/ Inkscape] - vector graphics editor, replacing Illustrator. Free, open source (GPL), available for Linux, Mac, and Windows.<br />
* [http://www.scribus.net/ Scribus] - desktop publishing application, replacing InDesign. Free, open source (GPL), available for Linux, Mac, and Windows.<br />
* [http://kompozer.net/ Kompozer] - WYSIWYG web page design (HTML and CSS), replacing Dreamweaver. Free, open source (MPL, GPL, and LGPL), available for Linux, Mac, and Windows.<br />
<br />
=== Other resources ===<br />
*[http://riseup.net/ Riseup.net] is a radical tool that provides secure email accounts and email lists for activists and organizers. <br />
<br />
*[http://resist.ca/ Resist.ca] also provides secure email accounts and lists, except they're from Canada.<br />
<br />
*[http://doodle.com/ Doodle] makes little charts that you email out to a group to find a good meeting time. Everybody fills out their availability and you can easily see what time works best.<br />
<br />
=== Collective/Co-Operative tracking ===<br />
* [http://civicrm.org/ CiviCRM] is a flexible customer relationship management tool, and can be set up to track volunteer hours and customer visits.<br />
* [http://freehub.bikekitchen.org/ FreeHub] is a web-based membership tracker developed by the [[Bike Kitchen (San Francisco, CA, USA)|San Francisco Bicycle Kitchen]], available either hosted by SFBC or as a locally served site.<br />
* [[Austin Yellow Bike Project]] has their own volunteer and membership tracker that may be available to other collectives.</div>Sharperhttps://wiki2.bikelover.org/wiki/index.php?title=Bike!Bike!_2011&diff=11391Bike!Bike! 20112011-07-20T19:56:32Z<p>Sharper: /* Managing expectations of a cooperative bike shop */</p>
<hr />
<div>'''Bike!Bike! 2011''' was held in San Marcos, Texas; hosted by [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|The Bike Cave]] and [[The San Marcos Community Bike Project]]. It took place from June 23-26th, 2011.[[File:bikebikebike2a.jpg|thumb]]<br />
<br />
<br />
== Workshops schedule ==<br />
<br />
{|border="1" align="left" style="text-align:left; border: 1px solid Black;" width="100%"<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Friday, June 24||Yoga Center || The Bike Cave || Sodatooth || Go 2 Danz || Library large room || Library small room || The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am|| || [[#Acquiring a permanent space]] || [[#Mobile Repair Clinic]] || || || ||<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm|| || [[#Managing social rides to promote bicycling]] || || [[#Bike touring]] || || ||<br />
|-<br />
|2:30pm - 4:00pm||[[#Teaching & learning styles]] || [[#Integrating bikes into the university fabric]] || || [[#Working in under-privileged communities]] || || ||<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm|| ||[[#Basics of the nonprofit sector and organizational form]] || || [[#Women and Transgender shop hours]] || || ||<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Saturday, June 25||Yoga Center || The Bike Cave || Sodatooth || Go 2 Danz || Library large room || Library small room || The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am|| || [[#Bike 101]]|| [[#Volunteer orientation]] || [[#Acro yoga]] || || || [[#Green space tour]]<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm|| || [[#Working with relationships]] || || [[#Working Together]] || || [[#Utilizing free open-source software]] ||<br />
|-<br />
|2:30pm - 4:00pm|| [[#Battlefield: Consensus]] || || || [[#Weather? What weather? (winter)]] || [[#Software developers exchange]] || [[#Please be kind to cyclists]] ||<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm|| [[#Analyzing work flows]] || [[#Recycled bike art]] || || || [[#Classes, Workshops, Space]] || ||<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Sunday, June 26||Yoga Center || The Bike Cave || Sodatooth || Go 2 Danz || Library large room || Library small room || The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am|| [[#Managing expectations of a cooperative bike shop]] || || || [[#Weather? What weather? (summer)]] || [[#Confronting car culture]] || || <br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 1:00pm|| || || || || [[#Closing discussion - Bike!Bike! 2012]] || || <br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
<br />
= Schedule =<br />
<br />
== As published ==<br />
<br />
{|border="0" align="left" style="text-align:left;"<br />
!scope="row" width="20%" colspan="2"| Wednesday, June 22<br />
|-<br />
|1:00-6:00pm||Pick up a loaner bike (if you're staying the night in Austin) at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|2:00pm - 6:00pm||Open house at UT's Orange Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|6:00 -10:00pm||Open house at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|11:00pm||Open house at Movemint Bike Cab Co. Shop (1301 east 4th street) <br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Thursday, June 23<br />
|-<br />
|11:00am - 1:00pm||Pick up your loaner bike (if you've just arrived in Austin) at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|1:00pm||Group ride from Austin's Yellow Bike Project to San Marcos (there will be a truck to take your things to San Marcos)<br />
|-<br />
|12:00 - 8:00pm||Check-In at San Marcos Public Library ($25 - $45, pay what you can, nobody will be turned away for lack of funds. Pick up your loaner bike and housing arraignments)<br />
|-<br />
|2:00 - 8:00pm||Fix up your bike at The Bike Cave<br />
|-<br />
|7:00 - 8:00pm||Welcome / Speak up & speak out!<br />
|-<br />
|8:00pm - 10:00pm||Casual welcome dinner at City / Plaza Park with music by Mariachi Nueva Generacion<br />
|-<br />
|9:30pm||A screening of "Dudey Free Zone: Women's and Transgender Bike Spaces" plus other short bike-related films. At The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Friday, June 24<br />
|-<br />
|8:00am - 1:00pm||Check-In continued for those who get here late at The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|1:00 - 2:30pm||Lunch<br />
|-<br />
|2:30 - 4:00pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|8:00pm - 9:00pm||The future of Bike! Bike! - a discussion to figure out where we're heading, and how we're getting there. A preview of which project(s) are interested in hosting in 2012.<br />
|-<br />
|7:00pm - 10:30pm||Bike polo on top of Speck Street Parking Garage (there will be a group ride leaving from Rio Vista at 6:00pm)<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 -11:00pm||Concert at The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Saturday, June 25<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|1:00 - 2:30pm||Lunch<br />
|-<br />
|2:30 - 4:00pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|9:00pm - 12:00am||BIKE! RIDE! BIKE! RIDE!<br />
|-<br />
|12:00am - ???||Dance party<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Sunday, June 26<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30 - 11:00am||Workshops / final brainstorm<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 1:00pm||Closing meeting, Bike! Bike! 2012 discussion<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
<br />
= Workshops =<br />
== Green space tour ==<br />
A bike tour of San Marcos green spaces<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Acquiring a permanent space ==<br />
Acquiring a permanent space instead of renting, working with the city for land or a building, fund-raising and micro-loans<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Acro yoga ==<br />
Skillshare<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Analyzing work flows ==<br />
Analyzing work flows within a bike project: setting up committees and more effective follow-up. How to reduce "ball droppage". Held at 4:30 PM on Saturday, June 25, 2011, at the Community Yoga Center.<br />
<br />
Facilitated by Susan of [[Third Hand Bicycle Cooperative]] in Columbus, Ohio.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Often in collectives, everyone will be off doing their own thing. This can lead to some jobs being repeated and others falling through the cracks. To combat this, it's helpful to identify all the processes at work in the collective, whether they deal with inputs to the collective, actions within the shop, or outputs leaving the collective.<br />
<br />
Third Hand streamlined their procedures by identifying all of the processes involved in handling this inputs and outputs. The frequency and nature of each task was discussed, and jobs were fit together as appropriate. Collections of jobs are given to various task forces, each empowered to deal with their issue without approval from the Board or the overarching Collective and charged with developing the policies that guide the completion of those tasks. The identification of tasks alone took half a day.<br />
<br />
To deal with the problem of one volunteer doing all of one job and leaving the organization without institutional knowledge, it was suggested to pick a primary and secondary person responsible for getting the job done. Another method would be to assign jobs at the beginning of each month, so that tasks get spread around more widely. Neither approach means that the person assigned has to do the task; they may delegate the task, they're just responsible for making sure it happens.<br />
<br />
Those assigned a job should make a short report back at a general meeting as to their success or failure. This helps the group know that necessary work is being accomplished and provides an avenue for new volunteers to find work. Since it's nearly impossible to penalize volunteers, enforcement has to be kept positive. In the case of an incomplete job, the group should ask why the job was not finished, and whether there was sufficient support from the group. Any remediation can be simply done by a reconstituted task force given a mandate to fix the problems.<br />
<br />
In Third Hand's experience, some jobs like outreach and volunteer coordination are best considered as "alternative shifts" -- as crucial as a regular shift, but handled in a radically different way.<br />
<br />
==== Examples ====<br />
Sample inputs, from the workshop:<br />
* Mail<br />
* Phone calls<br />
* E-mail<br />
* Donations (cash or stuff)<br />
* Visitors<br />
* Packages and deliveries<br />
* Complaints<br />
* Volunteer labor<br />
<br />
Sample inside tasks:<br />
* Cleaning<br />
* Tool ordering<br />
* Inventory<br />
* Budgeting<br />
* Parts sorting<br />
* Scheduling<br />
* Tracking<br />
* Sales<br />
<br />
Sample outputs:<br />
* Bikes<br />
* Knowledge<br />
* Rent/utilities<br />
* Media<br />
* Mobile units<br />
* Volunteer appreciation<br />
* Newsletters/flyers<br />
* Mail and e-mail<br />
* Tax returns<br />
* Deposits<br />
<br />
Sample task forces:<br />
* Finances (Sales, Budgeting, Bill Payment)<br />
* Tool and parts orders<br />
* Community relations<br />
* Volunteer coordination<br />
* IT/Tech<br />
* Outreach<br />
* Conflict resolution<br />
<br />
Processes can be determined by looking at the inputs. For Mail, mail would be picked up and sorted to give to the appropriate group (finance, outreach, ordering, etc.), with a time frame of "every open shop". Third Hand spent half a day just identifying processes like these.<br />
<br />
==== Handling tasks ====<br />
After the processes are identified, task forces can be drawn up to handle them, and each task force can then draft the necessary policies to complete the tasks. <br />
<br />
Meetings help ensure tasks are done. Task forces can present whether they've kept up with their tasks and ask for additional help if necessary. Any resolution at one meeting should have a report back from the person responsible for the project at the next meeting. Also, if a new task comes up, it is possible to send it straight to a task force without bogging down the rest of the meeting. Routine items seem to be the best suited towards this task force method, as they are rarely out of consensus.<br />
<br />
Assigning a job exclusively to one volunteer can cause problems if that volunteer has to step aside for whatever reason. Two options to deal with this were to pick a primary and secondary contact for each job or to rotate each job frequently, so that skills and knowledge are more widely distributed within the group. A "bus test" was suggested; if a volunteer were hit by a bus tomorrow, would their tasks still get done? And if not, why not?<br />
<br />
Widespread knowledge can also help keep minutia of tasks to a minimum and prevent people from overspecializing or enforcing difficult job requirements on others.<br />
<br />
If a task slips through the cracks and remains undone, a new task force can be established specifically to fix the problem and catch up the organization.<br />
<br />
== Basics of the nonprofit sector and organizational form ==<br />
=== Details ===<br />
Held on Friday, June 24, at the [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|Bike Cave]].<br />
<br />
Facilitated by Charles from the [[Bloomington Community Bike Project]].<br />
<br />
Topics were determined by the participants at the beginning of the workshop and ran across a wide spectrum of general information on nonprofit management.<br />
<br />
=== General notes ===<br />
In 2006, the U.S. IRS published a rule requiring some sort of reporting as to an organization's status, even if it was just a postcard sent in. A number of small nonprofits lost their exemption for not following this rule.<br />
<br />
It is important to have a way to evaluate an organization's performance as it relates to its mission.<br />
<br />
Every organization needs a statutory agent -- someone who can sign for the organization and provides the IRS with "a throat to choke" if things go downhill.<br />
<br />
Meeting minutes have to be kept. Google Docs and a local wiki are both good resources, allowing necessary modifications. One organization had a lot of success keeping an internet-enabled computer in meetings, transcribing in realtime, and e-mailing the attendees immediately.<br />
<br />
Most states and regions have nonprofit resource centers and many libraries have nonprofit guides. Use them as best you can. If a resource provides facilitation training, it is usually worth it to send members. <br />
<br />
==== Fundraising opportunities ====<br />
Contract work can provide a good revenue source for a shop, but organizations must be careful that the contract closely matches the organization's priorities. It does little good to spend volunteer or paid staff time on special work that doesn't help the organization much. Grants can be a similar resource sink; the best grants are those that give you money for doing what you do. Always be prepared to walk away from a grant or a contract.<br />
<br />
When searching for grants, it helps to have a relationship with a grant writer. Be sure to look beyond bicycle-specific grants, too; a lot of bike collective work can fall under categories like sustainability, health, or ecology.<br />
<br />
==== Why to incorporate ====<br />
Small shops can skirt by without incorporation, but setting up a nonprofit brings a few major benefits.<br />
<br />
Incorporation makes it easier to get insurance and liability coverage, protecting volunteers in case of lawsuits. Incorporated nonprofits can also receive tax-deductible donations, avoid income taxes, and are in a better position to compete for grants and fundraising.<br />
<br />
==== Setup ====<br />
The constitution, bylaws, and policies were described as different facets of how to organize a nonprofit's structure.<br />
<br />
The ''constitution'' itself should be short -- little more than a mission statement and a prominent mention of the organization's tax exempt status.<br />
<br />
The ''bylaws'' should ratify the organization's best practices. As they are a legal document governing the organization, they should be concise and flexible and avoid dictating specific policies. Try to write in what should happen -- what the shop can do, what someone should expect when their come in, and so on, without saying how to accomplish those goals. Well-written bylaws also allow anyone reviewing them to see whether the organization is keeping true to its promises and offer an opportunity to change course if things go bad.<br />
<br />
All details about how to actually run the shop and organization belong in the ''policies and procedures''. <br />
<br />
==== [[Bicycle Kitchen (Los Angeles)|L.A. Bike Kitchen]] overview ====<br />
Arlen from the Los Angeles Bike Kitchen summarized how their organization is set up.<br />
<br />
The Bike Kitchen has three volunteer levels. Shadows graduate to volunteers once they've completed a general knowledge worksheet. Volunteers that work four shifts a month (about 12 hours) and do something extra special for the organization can then move up to "cook".<br />
<br />
There are four quarterly "cooks" meetings, run under supermajority consensus rules, utilizing an outside (and objective) facilitator. There is also one annual camp held with a paid outside facilitator. Board meetings are held monthly with a rotating facilitator chosen from the group.<br />
<br />
Day-to-day operations and policies are handled by "gruppos"; ad hoc autonomous committees with specific charters. These committees are not required to accept input from anyone else. Presumably, anyone with strong feelings on, for example, what tools to order, would sit on the ordering gruppo.<br />
<br />
Example gruppos:<br />
* Finance<br />
* Ordering<br />
* Operations (as related to bike projects)<br />
* "Smooth shifting" -- ergonomics and accessibility<br />
* Volunteer coordination<br />
* Neighbor relations<br />
* "Space exploration" -- researching a new shop location<br />
<br />
There was no built-in accountability measures; everything just worked.<br />
<br />
== Battlefield: Consensus ==<br />
Decision making - the good, the bad, and the ugly. A reprise of 2010's Battlefield: Consensus.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Bike 101 ==<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Bike touring ==<br />
What to take, how to pack, where to sleep and eat, and of course, where to go.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Classes, Workshops, Space ==<br />
Doing Meaningful Outreach with Communities in Your Neighborhood.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
<br />
'''How do you programs “translate” in your/near by communities?”'''<br />
<br />
<br />
How are you defining “Community”?<br />
<br />
How inclusive is your space? How Accessible?<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Lava Monsters of Death (these will hold you back, don’t let them!)'''<br />
<br />
<br />
Using excessive “they” “them” or “those people”<br />
<br />
Assuming people know what you know.<br />
<br />
Assuming people are intentionally (behaving/acting) being fucked up<br />
<br />
Confusing critiques/analysis of behaviour dynamics as vicious existential personal attacks of Doom against you, yes you! <br />
<br />
<br />
'''Success Stories of Workshops that help out reach to under privileged communities.'''<br />
<br />
Multi language bike mechanics, teach english or learn spanish at the same time as teaching bike mechanics, <br />
<br />
<br />
Get Doctors to prescribe bike riding, get them to send people to your collective.<br />
<br />
<br />
Organize group rides that tie in a neighborhood’s resources that are not well used, go to farmer’s markets, put baskets on bikes.<br />
<br />
<br />
Safe routes to schools has been successful in getting more kids to ride.<br />
<br />
<br />
Find teachers who are bike sympathetic.<br />
<br />
<br />
Canvas the neighborhood, knock door to door, flyer (tear offs work well), bring tools to fix flats, mobil bike repair!<br />
<br />
<br />
Get in contact with a neighborhood organization, they often don’t have websites, you can find them sometimes through the police department.<br />
<br />
<br />
Be wary of giving “big free give away!” if you don’t have enough, it can create a weird and tense atmosphere.<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Closing discussion - Bike!Bike! 2012 ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Confronting car culture ==<br />
Dealing with dominant culture on a personal level and effecting cultural shift.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== How the City of San Marcos, Texas bicycle map was created ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Managing expectations of a cooperative bike shop ==<br />
How to manage expectations and orient new people quickly to the cooperative shop environment<br />
=== Details ===<br />
Held Sunday, June 25, 2011 at 9:30 AM at Community Yoga<br />
<br />
The facilitator did not arrive, so this was used as a general discussion instead.<br />
<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
There are many sets of expectations in each shop. Shops expect certain behaviors of volunteers, customers, and paid staff. People in the shop have expectations of the shop itself and what they will get out of it. Most of these expectations are not written down, meaning all persons in a shop have to negotiate certain expectations -- both the reasonable and the unreasonable. <br />
<br />
In most cases clear communication can create a reasonable and healthy set of expectations between a shop and the people within, helping the shop work much more smoothly. Specific shop policies are really just a way to write down those expectations as rules.<br />
<br />
==== Customers ====<br />
As it's possible for a shop (or its staff) to earn a bad reputation for not fulfilling false expectations, it's crucial to present what a shop does and does not do, to quash these false expectations.<br />
<br />
Misunderstandings about what the shop does can run the gamut; some shops have been heard to "give away new bikes", others to "fix your bike". These might have come by word of mouth from other shop users or from referring agency. The purpose and rules of a shop need to be clearly communicated to all users as soon as possible, via a short and concise elevator speech, handout card, or some other method. <br />
<br />
Not all customers will respond to the same mode of communication the same way, so it can be helpful to tailor one's elevator speech or rundown in order to make it more easily assimilated.<br />
<br />
==== Volunteers ====<br />
Not everyone volunteers for the same reasons, and if a volunteer job isn't fun, it's less likely to get done. All volunteers need to be integrated into the organization, whether they intend simply to wrench intermittently or try to find a place in the organization's structure. For both, it's important to get a volunteer to state their reasons for volunteering and why; including a volunteer "contract" in volunteer training may be an option, though of attendees, only the [[Bike Dump]] had experience with one and it did not work.<br />
<br />
The shop also has expectations of volunteers -- service commitments and the like -- that may not be understood by volunteers. In one example, the organization expected members of its governing body to step down when they started volunteering less frequently, while the volunteers expected to retain their position. A conflict like this could be prevented with established and enforced policies.<br />
<br />
lack of fulfillment of expectations can cause volunteers to drop out of circulation; a volunteer expecting to be on a leadership track and is denied advancement -- for whatever reason -- is likely to have a negative experience with the organization. <br />
<br />
==== Organization ====<br />
Since the organization can only act through its agents, it is important that the decisionmakers understand what the organization needs and expects from the people coming in. It should expect its decisionmakers to be nonideological and fair, that it has a corps of volunteers capable of handling its affairs autonomously and without interruption, and that its policies will be enforced equally. <br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
Ultimately, projecting positive expectations and sticking to them as consistently as possible will go a long way towards ensuring that everyone around an organization has their reasonable expectations met.<br />
<br />
When possible, write those expectations down, and make sure they are enforced and reinforced by everyone in the shop.<br />
<br />
== Integrating bikes into the university fabric ==<br />
Integrating bikes into the university fabric via student and staff collaboration<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
University of Texas loans bikes for 1 year. They charge the borrower for unreturned or damaged bikes and they are currently trying to get these fees put on students' records to ensure they are paid. In their case the university itself is liable for injury.<br />
<br />
Most shops however have no official ties or agreement with their university.<br />
<br />
==== How do you get along with for profit shops? ====<br />
Mixed reviews, some don't like having the competition while others will donate directly to the shop.<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
The organizers of this workshop had planned to give a formal presentation but instead just had an informal discussion. The discussion quickly went off topic, it was not moderated at all. It most likely would have been much more productive had the organizers stuck to their original plan.<br />
<br />
== Managing social rides to promote bicycling ==<br />
From fringe to mainstream: how social cycling can ... and make our cities better<br />
=== Details ===<br />
Held at 11:15 AM on Friday, June 24 at the Bike Cave.<br />
Elliott McFadden of [http://austinontwowheels.org/ Austin on Two Wheels] and Violet Crown Cycles started by describing his views of cycling promotion and two methods seen in Austin of directly working to get people riding bikes. After this, he answered questions in a general discussion format.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
==== Failures in bicycle promotion ====<br />
Elliot identified two somewhat conflicting methods of increasing cycling from the cycling industry and from political advocacy.<br />
* Industry: Bicycle sales in the U.S. have remained stagnant over since the 1970s, despite significant growth in population. To increase sales, the bicycle industry has focused on making bikes more niche -- selling new bikes to their existing market.<br />
* Advocacy: Advocates lobby decision makers for better infrastructure, but do so without growing a grassroots bicycle population or establishing cycling within the community.<br />
Until bicycling is seen as a normal community behavior, bicyclists will continue to be classified by convenient stereotypes, like the spandex/carbon weekend warrior, the hipster scofflaw, and the sanctimonious environmentalist.<br />
==== Strategy ====<br />
Defining "regime" as an interconnected group of businesses and leaders with a common world view, Elliott noted that the current regime is in favor of growing consumption and fossil fuel use. At the national level, this means the oil and auto industries. At the local level, it includes developers, auto dealers, and news entities, whose future profits depend on growth. Tellingly, 30% of all ad revenue for media entities comes from car companies.<br />
Regime change must then be the goal of a bicycle promoter. Find negative ways to describe the current regime (dirty, expensive, destructive, long travel times in cars) and positive ways to describe the desired regime (healthy, thrifty, sustainable, quality family time). Form partnerships with businesses and organizations that can benefit from a new regime.<br />
==== Social cycling ====<br />
To replace the negative stereotypes of bicyclists, it is important to develop an atmosphere that encourages riding by more members of the community. Bicycling should be made to be more comfortable -- no races, no work-outs, regular clothes, open to everyone. The joys of being out, riding with regular people, should be paramount. <br />
Commuting is often a big sell by industry and advocates; it allows shops to sell specialized "commuter" bicycles and advocates to focus on connecting routes, but as a sales point, it has two crippling problems: nobody likes to go to work, and most people go to work alone. Instead, social cycling should be a focus: just get many people together to ride bikes. Austin has two models that work in tandem: Social Cycling Austin and Austin on Two Wheels, an "affiliated business concept".<br />
===== Social Cycling Austin =====<br />
Social Cycling Austin is a volunteer production started two years ago as a free ride -- participants just show up for a weekly social ride, drawing 200-300 riders on average and as many as 500. It partners with local businesses, usually a bar or restaurant, and rides with traffic, not against it.<br />
This model is easy to start (it just requires two people) and its open structure makes it accessible to all. It doesn't have to be affiliated with any business, so it can work with and for everyone. Because of its loose nature, it's easy to change what doesn't work or even dismantle the ride. It doesn't need any investment to start up, as most organizing can be done through social networks and guerrilla marketing.<br />
Unfortunately, it also has no control over who shows up, making it difficult to deal with troublemakers and easy for the ride to grow beyond the capacity of the leaders or prevent the ride from being co-opted by other organizations. A focus on bars as a final destination also makes it easy for this sort of ride to turn into a "booze cruise", adding additional challenges to the organization and often depressing its ability to draw women riders. Additionally, it is easy for organizing volunteers to burn out and the undefined liability might cause problems in case of injury.<br />
===== Affiliated Business Concept =====<br />
In an affiliated business concept, the rides are run as a business, usually as smaller fee-based rides than as large-scale free-for-alls.<br />
Because a business controls the ride, it's possible to tailor rides for specific demographics; women, families, suburbanites, etc. It's also easier to get different business partners and variety in the ride -- restaurants may provide food and drink samples, galleries may partner for art rides, or retail establishments for shopping rides. A business is also better able to provide a clear line of liability in case of accident and maintain a paid staff of ride leaders and organizers to provide a higher level of service. Austin on Two Wheels, for example, capped rides at 50 participants and provided one ride leader for every ten people to watch over unlocked bikes and help keep rides safe.<br />
This concept also carries some challenges. Partners must be committed to growth; it can take 18-24 months for the concept to turn a sustainable profit and its longer-term viability has not been tested, though it may be a reasonable loss leader for a bike shop. It also limits partnerships to a single member of each sector; one bike shop, one newspaper, or one boutique. The clear line of liability also means that the operating business has insurance requirements to carry and will likely have to enforce helmet use.<br />
==== Discussion ====<br />
Both rides appeal to different people, but the demographics of the riders were mostly white, though unintentionally so. For the open social rides, this was because the ride started from one social circle and its business preferences. For the paid rides, this was because they were seeking sustainable income. Since bicycles seen as a lesser mode of transportation in impoverished communities and represent gentrification, it can be difficult to promote them, though groups like the Major Taylor Group are trying to increase African American ridership. Either way, more racially diverse ride leadership should help diversify rider participation.<br />
Other problems with social cycling rides were identified. It's easy for the ride's somewhat high turnover to give it over to more aggressive cycling, and efforts to rein it in can be paternalistic.<br />
Responses to paid rides were overwhelmingly positive. Of 300 participants, 60% were women, and every ride had a bicyclist that had not ridden at all in the past year. Of survey respondents, 85% loved the ride, 97% would do it again, and 84% were more likely to revisit the participating businesses. No complaints were received of the ride being too fast, and the complaints of 1/3 of the respondents that the ride was too slow were dismissed. As for distance, the longest single ride was 10 miles and the longest single stretch was five miles, but most rides were just a few miles in stretches of two miles or less at a 10-12 mph pace. <br />
The high ratio of leaders to participants of the paid rides helped keep them very well organized. Walkie-talkies were given to the front and back leaders and other riders would circulate through the ride, keeping riders lined up, directing traffic at intersections, and encouraging the ride to behave well in regards to other users. It helped that the Austin Police Department was non-reactionary, so there was no backlash from law enforcement.<br />
Paid rides started with an intro of the leaders and the participants signing of a waiver stating they knew the rules of the road and agreed to follow ride leader instructions.<br />
Marketing was done through their own website, and partnering businesses were encouraged to do their own promotion as well. It was emphasized that time, rather than distance, was mentioned in all promotions. Though a six mile ride would take about 30 minutes, 30 minutes seemed like an easier ride than six miles. Ride classifications were right out; letter-assignments mean nothing to the new riders being targeted.<br />
Hurting businesses were suggested as rich prospects, as a few dozen potential customers can be enticing. Visits to any business should be during slow hours, though, to minimize disruption to regular services and provide customers when the business would be otherwise idle -- restaurants on Saturday afternoons are a good example. <br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Mobile Repair Clinic ==<br />
Held at 9:30 AM on Friday, June 24, at Sodatooth art gallery. Operating a mobile on-the-go repair clinic through the city and community organizations.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
The original facilitator did not show up for this workshop but the intent was fairly self evident by the name of the workshop. It was begun with a go-around and then by asking the question 'who currently operates a mobile repair unit?'<br />
The [[Bike Cage]] from Winnipeg told us that they began as a purely mobile shop until they had enough resources and a space to operate from a permanent location. The [[Bike Root]] from Calgary told us that the opposite was true for them, they began with a full shop but after losing their space, kept operations going by setting up in various locations on their campus and around town.<br />
==== To fix or not? Where do you draw the line? ====<br />
There were various answers to this question, some shops will only fix flats and minor brake and gear issues. Others were willing to fix anything as long as the tools were available. Arguments for the former included<br />
* lack of proper tools<br />
* lack of more advanced tools or replacement parts in case anything went wrong<br />
* lack of knowledge / trust in the knowledge of some casual volunteers that might attend a mobile repair clinic<br />
* some provide more hand on repair for mobile units to decrease liability in case a bike owner injures themselves but providing more complicated repairs ourselves increases liability in case the owner injures themselves on their bike afterwards.<br />
and for the latter:<br />
* We should do our best to get more bikes fixed and on the road<br />
* We're confident in our skills<br />
* The worst thing that might happen is that a bike that wasn't on the road is now still not on the road<br />
* We make bike owners fix their bikes themselves so we are not liable<br />
==== Other services ====<br />
In addition to offering minor repairs, the Bike Cage's mobile unit doubles as a bike valet service. There was no elaboration on how the system works.<br />
==== Getting the message across that a mobile tune tent is not a fully functioning tent ====<br />
It seemed to be a common problem that when individuals in the community would hear about a free tune-up possibility, they would often bring in bikes that need repairs far beyond what could be done at a tune tent. It was suggested to avoid this, advertise as "light bike repair".<br />
==== Who holds the tools? ====<br />
We had a discussion about if the volunteer should fix the bike for the owner or provide the owner with the tools and teach how to fix the bike hands-off. Whether or not tools were handed to the bike owner, teaching at least by the volunteer explaining what he or she was doing seemed to be the norm. The issues behind whether or not to let the owner fix the bike seemed to be liability dependent on both sides. If the volunteer fixes the bike, the shop becomes liable if the bike causes injury down the road while normally the bike owner has not signed a liability waiver to use the tools, so the shop could be liable if they hurt themselves while repairing their bike.<br />
==== Ride or drive? ====<br />
We had a discussion on whether or not to drive the equipment to the location or use a trailer. No one seemed to be passionate for either but there are a lot of options out there for trailers big and small. [[Fargo Moorhead Community Bicycle Workshop|Fargo]] rides with a huge 4x6 trailer.<br />
==== Off topic discussion ====<br />
The conversation went off topic many times but did produce a few interesting ideas:<br />
* [[The Orioles Bike Cage|Winnipeg]] uses a punch card, much like one you would find a a coffee shop or fast food location, to punch out skills that a volunteer has learned. Once the card is completely punched the volunteer can start fixing bikes for others.<br />
* While discussing how to get enough replacement parts, another bike shop told us they provide local bike shops with barrels which the shops can use to put parts that are still usable but would otherwise throw away. The barrels would be picked up and emptied at regular intervals. This shop did not have a problem finding parts when needed as a result.<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Please be kind to cyclists ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Recycled bike art ==<br />
Turning garbage into gold.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
<br />
[[File:Bike Craft - Tube Shoe Laces.pdf|200px|thumb|left|alt text]]<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Software developers exchange ==<br />
Projects being worked on, have worked on, or areas they (you) are interested / skilled in.<br />
<br />
Held Saturday, June 25, at 2:30 PM at the San Marcos Public Library.<br />
<br />
Facilitated by [[User:Godwin|Godwin]] of [[The Bike Root]] in Calgary.<br />
<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Participants briefly described their technical experience, specifically any coding projects and languages they've used. A few participants were experienced programmers; most were interested in learning or helping a project in other ways like documentation and testing.<br />
[[Austin Yellow Bike Project]]'s tracking code was discussed and briefly compared to the [[Bike Kitchen (San Francisco, CA, USA)|San Francisco Bicycle Kitchen]]'s Freehub software.<br />
<br />
The Yellow Bike Project released their code for public use, and it was noted that SLC had already made a Joomla plugin. The YBP software was also demonstrated live at the workshop.<br />
<br />
Steve of [[Fargo Moorhead Community Bicycle Workshop|Fargo]] and Godwin were (or soon will be) working on independent applications, but the general consensus coalesced around a few ideals.<br />
<br />
Any software development push should be oriented towards a web-based solution for the greatest ease in rolling out across various platforms, though it would make it more difficult to install as a software package and could lead to data security and access problems if provided as a hosting service, as SFBK does with Freehub. Additionally, this software should start with one shop in order to develop one full set of features. All features should be written as plugins to a basic core, allowing features to be added as required by various shops.<br />
Yellow Bike Project's software may make a suitable core for such a push.<br />
<br />
A general wishlist was hashed out, in no particular order:<br />
* Work-trade management<br />
* Granular volunteer time tracking<br />
* Varied reporting options<br />
* Donation tracking<br />
* Bike and inventory tracking (including completion of projects)<br />
* Visitor tracking<br />
* Communications options (e-mail lists, contacting expiring memberships)<br />
* Sales tracking (though not point-of-sale)<br />
* Volunteer skill tracking<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
[[Godwin]] will direct a new open source project starting in September 2011. The system will be modular so that individual plugins can be added or modified as needed to ensure that collectives don't have to modify the way they do things simply because the software does not conform to their model.<br />
<br />
== Teaching & learning styles ==<br />
Teaching & learning styles in community bike shops; a discussion about different approaches, what works and what doesn't work as well<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== The future of Bike! Bike! ==<br />
Where are we going and how are we going to get there? Also, a quick (but no-decisions-made) discussion about where Bike! Bike! will be held in 2012 (that will be decided during the final meeting on Sunday, June 26).<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Utilizing free open-source software ==<br />
Operating systems and work documents to benefit your project.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Despite "charity" pricing for software packages from major publishers like Microsoft and Adobe, some software is priced beyond the range of a co-operative's budget, or would be used to infrequently as to make a purchase pointless.<br />
Fortunately, the open source community has responded with a number of free replacements for major software, including for the operating system itself. Most of these packages can be found in [[Computer Resources]].<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Volunteer orientation ==<br />
Addressing safe space concerns, and a conversation about empowering and maintaining a committed volunteer base<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Weather? What weather? (summer) ==<br />
How you and your bike can survive the heat<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Weather? What weather? (winter) ==<br />
How you and your bike can survive the cold<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Women and Transgender shop hours ==<br />
Policies, Politics, Allies<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working in under-privileged communities ==<br />
Working in under-privileged communities: challenges and opportunities<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Facilitators:<br />
<br />
[[Bike Kitchen]]/[[La Bici Digna]] (Arlen) and [[Bikerowave]]/[[Bici Libre]] (Bobby):<br />
<br />
<br />
Keep your eyes on the prize (don’t forget why you’re doing this, don’t let your limitations stop you)<br />
<br />
<br />
Dynamics in work space an issue, (shop isn’t located in the right place) <br />
<br />
-try mobile workshop?<br />
La Bici Digna started with a mobil work shop at the day labor center working with City of Lights. <br />
<br />
<br />
Low community buyin? <br />
<br />
-try partnering w/ another organization that organizes in “that” community. (try contacting a country’s embassy to let them know you exist, find out what communities you want to encourage and talk to the leaders in that community) <br />
<br />
<br />
Not enough Resources?<br />
<br />
-try seeing groups that are stoked, already active.<br />
<br />
<br />
Chill out. Be Patient (It takes time to build up trust and awareness of your resource.)<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Stories:'''<br />
<br />
Bici Libre got a free space to house abandoned bikes. They seek to provide a space where people can learn job skills and leadership skills. They have a list of activities that can be done by non-bike mechanic volunteers. Group jobs such as cleaning parts or cutting tubes can be really good for some cultures who will enjoy the communal experience. It’s important to talk to the poeple you are trying to engage to ask them what they want to contribute, or what they want to get out of it.<br />
<br />
<br />
Sometimes the way we think the bicycle collective “should” run is not the way some under privileged communities want to run their own. Often, people will want to start a for-profit shop. It’s important to not get stuck in your ideas, to learn also how to communicate in another person’s language. You can use the terms they know, even if it’s the “wrong” term, whats important is that you both get on the same page. There’s a reason you are trying to engage a different dynamic in the bike shop, you should be willing to learn from new people, not just try to tell them what/how to do. <br />
<br />
<br />
'''Multi lingual bike diagram:'''<br />
<br />
La Bici Digna had a poster of a bike with lines to all the parts. They asked their participant to write on posted notes the names of the parts of the bike that they knew. With all the many dialects present, the digram ended up having four names for nearly every part. <br />
<br />
<br />
Denver’s [[The Bike Depot]] works with [Big Brother] and [Big Sister]. They are then able to pay for kids to volunteer.<br />
<br />
<br />
Lots of collectives have earn a bike programs, or free bikes to people on welfare.<br />
<br />
<br />
One collective got a high school student credit for volunteering at the shop.<br />
<br />
Another works directly with Refugee camps.<br />
<br />
<br />
'''How do you deal with theft?''' - Story from the [[Bike Kitchen]]<br />
<br />
The bike kitchen experienced a wave of theft. Bikes were being stolen right out side the shop, and also, many 15mm wrenches and other tools which might assist in bicycle theft. At first they were completely worried and frustrated that they were possibly assisting in that theft. But what they hadn’t expected was that this wave of bicycle theft resulted in the creation of a bike scene in the surrounding neighborhoods. The exact people who they were trying to get into the shop, trying to foster interest in the bicycle as a mode of transportation, started riding bikes. “It just wasn’t on our terms.” - Arlen ([[Bike Kitchen]]/[[La Bici Digna]])<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Workshop continues in [[#Classes, Workshops, Space]]<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working Together ==<br />
Increasing Inter-Organization Collaboration. The intention of this workshop was to talk about all of the ways in which we as bicycle collectives of different sorts who run our services in many different ways, can share our experiences, successes, failures, and tangible output in order to help other collectives both start and continue to thrive.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
[[User:Godwin|Godwin]] directed this workshop while [[Bob Wolfe]] facilitated in providing a speakers list. A large sheet of paper was used to help keep visible notes, at the end of the discussion the notes were the following:<br />
* '''Current Tools'''<br />
** [[BOOP]]<br />
** [[Bike!Bike!]]<br />
** [[Think Tank]]<br />
** [[Bike Collectives Network]]<br />
** [[Bike Collectives Wiki]]<br />
** Various collaborative tools such as our Google Docs list of organizations and Google Maps visualization of orgs across North America<br />
* '''What we need these tools for'''<br />
** Learn how to start a collective<br />
** Learn how to continue running a collective<br />
** Find example documents<br />
*** Volunteer Privileges<br />
*** Todo for new volunteers<br />
*** Financials<br />
*** Fliers<br />
*** Curricula<br />
*** Manuals<br />
*** 501c and not-for-profit forms<br />
*** Tool lists<br />
*** Inventory<br />
*** Price guide<br />
*** Mission statement<br />
*** Bylaws<br />
*** Safe space<br />
*** Legal documents<br />
*** Letters for grant writing<br />
** Find out how other organizations run their various programmes<br />
** Partner with other organizations<br />
* '''Brainstorming Ideas which could help'''<br />
** A Bike!Bike! Wiki<br />
** Have more involved wiki moderators who will make suggestions for improvements<br />
** News feed on wiki<br />
** Email individuals to improve pages<br />
** New list-serve other than the [[Think Tank]] which can be used for these emails<br />
** More list-serves for different purposes<br />
** Online Forums<br />
** Request documents, pages, and improvements once a year or at other regular intervals<br />
** Rid the wiki of closed shops<br />
** RSS feeds on the wiki<br />
** Separate blog or paper news<br />
** Paypal donations on [[BCN]] or the wiki<br />
** An umbrella or 'helping hand' organization<br />
** A seed fund<br />
** Micro Loans for starting up shops<br />
** A no-reply list-serve<br />
* An 'umbrella' organization goes against many principles that are held by most shops however a 'helping hand' organization that acts as a third party to facilitate to spread of knowledge and possibly funds would likely not.<br />
* To improve the wiki it will take some active moderating and contacting of individuals.<br />
* The wiki is difficult to navigate so it should be reorganized<br />
* Bikecollectives.org is not serving any other purpose other than providing the wiki.<br />
* The [[Think Tank]] is too much for many to handle, there are too many emails about things that many don't care about.<br />
* Godwin promised to contact the current owners of bikevollectives.org to see if improvements could be made.<br />
* Adding increased moderation of the wiki will be looked into<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working with relationships ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
= Contact =<br />
* [[Bike!Bike!]] website: http://www.bikebike.org<br />
* [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|The Bike Cave]]'s website: http://thebikecave.org<br />
* Email: [mailto:bikebike2011@gmail.com bikebike2011@gmail.com]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Bike!Bike!]]</div>Sharperhttps://wiki2.bikelover.org/wiki/index.php?title=Bike!Bike!_2011&diff=11390Bike!Bike! 20112011-07-20T19:17:55Z<p>Sharper: </p>
<hr />
<div>'''Bike!Bike! 2011''' was held in San Marcos, Texas; hosted by [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|The Bike Cave]] and [[The San Marcos Community Bike Project]]. It took place from June 23-26th, 2011.[[File:bikebikebike2a.jpg|thumb]]<br />
<br />
<br />
== Workshops schedule ==<br />
<br />
{|border="1" align="left" style="text-align:left; border: 1px solid Black;" width="100%"<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Friday, June 24||Yoga Center || The Bike Cave || Sodatooth || Go 2 Danz || Library large room || Library small room || The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am|| || [[#Acquiring a permanent space]] || [[#Mobile Repair Clinic]] || || || ||<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm|| || [[#Managing social rides to promote bicycling]] || || [[#Bike touring]] || || ||<br />
|-<br />
|2:30pm - 4:00pm||[[#Teaching & learning styles]] || [[#Integrating bikes into the university fabric]] || || [[#Working in under-privileged communities]] || || ||<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm|| ||[[#Basics of the nonprofit sector and organizational form]] || || [[#Women and Transgender shop hours]] || || ||<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Saturday, June 25||Yoga Center || The Bike Cave || Sodatooth || Go 2 Danz || Library large room || Library small room || The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am|| || [[#Bike 101]]|| [[#Volunteer orientation]] || [[#Acro yoga]] || || || [[#Green space tour]]<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm|| || [[#Working with relationships]] || || [[#Working Together]] || || [[#Utilizing free open-source software]] ||<br />
|-<br />
|2:30pm - 4:00pm|| [[#Battlefield: Consensus]] || || || [[#Weather? What weather? (winter)]] || [[#Software developers exchange]] || [[#Please be kind to cyclists]] ||<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm|| [[#Analyzing work flows]] || [[#Recycled bike art]] || || || [[#Classes, Workshops, Space]] || ||<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Sunday, June 26||Yoga Center || The Bike Cave || Sodatooth || Go 2 Danz || Library large room || Library small room || The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am|| [[#Managing expectations of a cooperative bike shop]] || || || [[#Weather? What weather? (summer)]] || [[#Confronting car culture]] || || <br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 1:00pm|| || || || || [[#Closing discussion - Bike!Bike! 2012]] || || <br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
<br />
= Schedule =<br />
<br />
== As published ==<br />
<br />
{|border="0" align="left" style="text-align:left;"<br />
!scope="row" width="20%" colspan="2"| Wednesday, June 22<br />
|-<br />
|1:00-6:00pm||Pick up a loaner bike (if you're staying the night in Austin) at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|2:00pm - 6:00pm||Open house at UT's Orange Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|6:00 -10:00pm||Open house at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|11:00pm||Open house at Movemint Bike Cab Co. Shop (1301 east 4th street) <br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Thursday, June 23<br />
|-<br />
|11:00am - 1:00pm||Pick up your loaner bike (if you've just arrived in Austin) at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|1:00pm||Group ride from Austin's Yellow Bike Project to San Marcos (there will be a truck to take your things to San Marcos)<br />
|-<br />
|12:00 - 8:00pm||Check-In at San Marcos Public Library ($25 - $45, pay what you can, nobody will be turned away for lack of funds. Pick up your loaner bike and housing arraignments)<br />
|-<br />
|2:00 - 8:00pm||Fix up your bike at The Bike Cave<br />
|-<br />
|7:00 - 8:00pm||Welcome / Speak up & speak out!<br />
|-<br />
|8:00pm - 10:00pm||Casual welcome dinner at City / Plaza Park with music by Mariachi Nueva Generacion<br />
|-<br />
|9:30pm||A screening of "Dudey Free Zone: Women's and Transgender Bike Spaces" plus other short bike-related films. At The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Friday, June 24<br />
|-<br />
|8:00am - 1:00pm||Check-In continued for those who get here late at The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|1:00 - 2:30pm||Lunch<br />
|-<br />
|2:30 - 4:00pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|8:00pm - 9:00pm||The future of Bike! Bike! - a discussion to figure out where we're heading, and how we're getting there. A preview of which project(s) are interested in hosting in 2012.<br />
|-<br />
|7:00pm - 10:30pm||Bike polo on top of Speck Street Parking Garage (there will be a group ride leaving from Rio Vista at 6:00pm)<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 -11:00pm||Concert at The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Saturday, June 25<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|1:00 - 2:30pm||Lunch<br />
|-<br />
|2:30 - 4:00pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|9:00pm - 12:00am||BIKE! RIDE! BIKE! RIDE!<br />
|-<br />
|12:00am - ???||Dance party<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Sunday, June 26<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30 - 11:00am||Workshops / final brainstorm<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 1:00pm||Closing meeting, Bike! Bike! 2012 discussion<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
<br />
= Workshops =<br />
== Green space tour ==<br />
A bike tour of San Marcos green spaces<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Acquiring a permanent space ==<br />
Acquiring a permanent space instead of renting, working with the city for land or a building, fund-raising and micro-loans<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Acro yoga ==<br />
Skillshare<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Analyzing work flows ==<br />
Analyzing work flows within a bike project: setting up committees and more effective follow-up. How to reduce "ball droppage". Held at 4:30 PM on Saturday, June 25, 2011, at the Community Yoga Center.<br />
<br />
Facilitated by Susan of [[Third Hand Bicycle Cooperative]] in Columbus, Ohio.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Often in collectives, everyone will be off doing their own thing. This can lead to some jobs being repeated and others falling through the cracks. To combat this, it's helpful to identify all the processes at work in the collective, whether they deal with inputs to the collective, actions within the shop, or outputs leaving the collective.<br />
<br />
Third Hand streamlined their procedures by identifying all of the processes involved in handling this inputs and outputs. The frequency and nature of each task was discussed, and jobs were fit together as appropriate. Collections of jobs are given to various task forces, each empowered to deal with their issue without approval from the Board or the overarching Collective and charged with developing the policies that guide the completion of those tasks. The identification of tasks alone took half a day.<br />
<br />
To deal with the problem of one volunteer doing all of one job and leaving the organization without institutional knowledge, it was suggested to pick a primary and secondary person responsible for getting the job done. Another method would be to assign jobs at the beginning of each month, so that tasks get spread around more widely. Neither approach means that the person assigned has to do the task; they may delegate the task, they're just responsible for making sure it happens.<br />
<br />
Those assigned a job should make a short report back at a general meeting as to their success or failure. This helps the group know that necessary work is being accomplished and provides an avenue for new volunteers to find work. Since it's nearly impossible to penalize volunteers, enforcement has to be kept positive. In the case of an incomplete job, the group should ask why the job was not finished, and whether there was sufficient support from the group. Any remediation can be simply done by a reconstituted task force given a mandate to fix the problems.<br />
<br />
In Third Hand's experience, some jobs like outreach and volunteer coordination are best considered as "alternative shifts" -- as crucial as a regular shift, but handled in a radically different way.<br />
<br />
==== Examples ====<br />
Sample inputs, from the workshop:<br />
* Mail<br />
* Phone calls<br />
* E-mail<br />
* Donations (cash or stuff)<br />
* Visitors<br />
* Packages and deliveries<br />
* Complaints<br />
* Volunteer labor<br />
<br />
Sample inside tasks:<br />
* Cleaning<br />
* Tool ordering<br />
* Inventory<br />
* Budgeting<br />
* Parts sorting<br />
* Scheduling<br />
* Tracking<br />
* Sales<br />
<br />
Sample outputs:<br />
* Bikes<br />
* Knowledge<br />
* Rent/utilities<br />
* Media<br />
* Mobile units<br />
* Volunteer appreciation<br />
* Newsletters/flyers<br />
* Mail and e-mail<br />
* Tax returns<br />
* Deposits<br />
<br />
Sample task forces:<br />
* Finances (Sales, Budgeting, Bill Payment)<br />
* Tool and parts orders<br />
* Community relations<br />
* Volunteer coordination<br />
* IT/Tech<br />
* Outreach<br />
* Conflict resolution<br />
<br />
Processes can be determined by looking at the inputs. For Mail, mail would be picked up and sorted to give to the appropriate group (finance, outreach, ordering, etc.), with a time frame of "every open shop". Third Hand spent half a day just identifying processes like these.<br />
<br />
==== Handling tasks ====<br />
After the processes are identified, task forces can be drawn up to handle them, and each task force can then draft the necessary policies to complete the tasks. <br />
<br />
Meetings help ensure tasks are done. Task forces can present whether they've kept up with their tasks and ask for additional help if necessary. Any resolution at one meeting should have a report back from the person responsible for the project at the next meeting. Also, if a new task comes up, it is possible to send it straight to a task force without bogging down the rest of the meeting. Routine items seem to be the best suited towards this task force method, as they are rarely out of consensus.<br />
<br />
Assigning a job exclusively to one volunteer can cause problems if that volunteer has to step aside for whatever reason. Two options to deal with this were to pick a primary and secondary contact for each job or to rotate each job frequently, so that skills and knowledge are more widely distributed within the group. A "bus test" was suggested; if a volunteer were hit by a bus tomorrow, would their tasks still get done? And if not, why not?<br />
<br />
Widespread knowledge can also help keep minutia of tasks to a minimum and prevent people from overspecializing or enforcing difficult job requirements on others.<br />
<br />
If a task slips through the cracks and remains undone, a new task force can be established specifically to fix the problem and catch up the organization.<br />
<br />
== Basics of the nonprofit sector and organizational form ==<br />
=== Details ===<br />
Held on Friday, June 24, at the [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|Bike Cave]].<br />
<br />
Facilitated by Charles from the [[Bloomington Community Bike Project]].<br />
<br />
Topics were determined by the participants at the beginning of the workshop and ran across a wide spectrum of general information on nonprofit management.<br />
<br />
=== General notes ===<br />
In 2006, the U.S. IRS published a rule requiring some sort of reporting as to an organization's status, even if it was just a postcard sent in. A number of small nonprofits lost their exemption for not following this rule.<br />
<br />
It is important to have a way to evaluate an organization's performance as it relates to its mission.<br />
<br />
Every organization needs a statutory agent -- someone who can sign for the organization and provides the IRS with "a throat to choke" if things go downhill.<br />
<br />
Meeting minutes have to be kept. Google Docs and a local wiki are both good resources, allowing necessary modifications. One organization had a lot of success keeping an internet-enabled computer in meetings, transcribing in realtime, and e-mailing the attendees immediately.<br />
<br />
Most states and regions have nonprofit resource centers and many libraries have nonprofit guides. Use them as best you can. If a resource provides facilitation training, it is usually worth it to send members. <br />
<br />
==== Fundraising opportunities ====<br />
Contract work can provide a good revenue source for a shop, but organizations must be careful that the contract closely matches the organization's priorities. It does little good to spend volunteer or paid staff time on special work that doesn't help the organization much. Grants can be a similar resource sink; the best grants are those that give you money for doing what you do. Always be prepared to walk away from a grant or a contract.<br />
<br />
When searching for grants, it helps to have a relationship with a grant writer. Be sure to look beyond bicycle-specific grants, too; a lot of bike collective work can fall under categories like sustainability, health, or ecology.<br />
<br />
==== Why to incorporate ====<br />
Small shops can skirt by without incorporation, but setting up a nonprofit brings a few major benefits.<br />
<br />
Incorporation makes it easier to get insurance and liability coverage, protecting volunteers in case of lawsuits. Incorporated nonprofits can also receive tax-deductible donations, avoid income taxes, and are in a better position to compete for grants and fundraising.<br />
<br />
==== Setup ====<br />
The constitution, bylaws, and policies were described as different facets of how to organize a nonprofit's structure.<br />
<br />
The ''constitution'' itself should be short -- little more than a mission statement and a prominent mention of the organization's tax exempt status.<br />
<br />
The ''bylaws'' should ratify the organization's best practices. As they are a legal document governing the organization, they should be concise and flexible and avoid dictating specific policies. Try to write in what should happen -- what the shop can do, what someone should expect when their come in, and so on, without saying how to accomplish those goals. Well-written bylaws also allow anyone reviewing them to see whether the organization is keeping true to its promises and offer an opportunity to change course if things go bad.<br />
<br />
All details about how to actually run the shop and organization belong in the ''policies and procedures''. <br />
<br />
==== [[Bicycle Kitchen (Los Angeles)|L.A. Bike Kitchen]] overview ====<br />
Arlen from the Los Angeles Bike Kitchen summarized how their organization is set up.<br />
<br />
The Bike Kitchen has three volunteer levels. Shadows graduate to volunteers once they've completed a general knowledge worksheet. Volunteers that work four shifts a month (about 12 hours) and do something extra special for the organization can then move up to "cook".<br />
<br />
There are four quarterly "cooks" meetings, run under supermajority consensus rules, utilizing an outside (and objective) facilitator. There is also one annual camp held with a paid outside facilitator. Board meetings are held monthly with a rotating facilitator chosen from the group.<br />
<br />
Day-to-day operations and policies are handled by "gruppos"; ad hoc autonomous committees with specific charters. These committees are not required to accept input from anyone else. Presumably, anyone with strong feelings on, for example, what tools to order, would sit on the ordering gruppo.<br />
<br />
Example gruppos:<br />
* Finance<br />
* Ordering<br />
* Operations (as related to bike projects)<br />
* "Smooth shifting" -- ergonomics and accessibility<br />
* Volunteer coordination<br />
* Neighbor relations<br />
* "Space exploration" -- researching a new shop location<br />
<br />
There was no built-in accountability measures; everything just worked.<br />
<br />
== Battlefield: Consensus ==<br />
Decision making - the good, the bad, and the ugly. A reprise of 2010's Battlefield: Consensus.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Bike 101 ==<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Bike touring ==<br />
What to take, how to pack, where to sleep and eat, and of course, where to go.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Classes, Workshops, Space ==<br />
Doing Meaningful Outreach with Communities in Your Neighborhood.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
<br />
'''How do you programs “translate” in your/near by communities?”'''<br />
<br />
<br />
How are you defining “Community”?<br />
<br />
How inclusive is your space? How Accessible?<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Lava Monsters of Death (these will hold you back, don’t let them!)'''<br />
<br />
<br />
Using excessive “they” “them” or “those people”<br />
<br />
Assuming people know what you know.<br />
<br />
Assuming people are intentionally (behaving/acting) being fucked up<br />
<br />
Confusing critiques/analysis of behaviour dynamics as vicious existential personal attacks of Doom against you, yes you! <br />
<br />
<br />
'''Success Stories of Workshops that help out reach to under privileged communities.'''<br />
<br />
Multi language bike mechanics, teach english or learn spanish at the same time as teaching bike mechanics, <br />
<br />
<br />
Get Doctors to prescribe bike riding, get them to send people to your collective.<br />
<br />
<br />
Organize group rides that tie in a neighborhood’s resources that are not well used, go to farmer’s markets, put baskets on bikes.<br />
<br />
<br />
Safe routes to schools has been successful in getting more kids to ride.<br />
<br />
<br />
Find teachers who are bike sympathetic.<br />
<br />
<br />
Canvas the neighborhood, knock door to door, flyer (tear offs work well), bring tools to fix flats, mobil bike repair!<br />
<br />
<br />
Get in contact with a neighborhood organization, they often don’t have websites, you can find them sometimes through the police department.<br />
<br />
<br />
Be wary of giving “big free give away!” if you don’t have enough, it can create a weird and tense atmosphere.<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Closing discussion - Bike!Bike! 2012 ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Confronting car culture ==<br />
Dealing with dominant culture on a personal level and effecting cultural shift.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== How the City of San Marcos, Texas bicycle map was created ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Managing expectations of a cooperative bike shop ==<br />
How to manage expectations and orient new people quickly to the cooperative shop environment<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Integrating bikes into the university fabric ==<br />
Integrating bikes into the university fabric via student and staff collaboration<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
University of Texas loans bikes for 1 year. They charge the borrower for unreturned or damaged bikes and they are currently trying to get these fees put on students' records to ensure they are paid. In their case the university itself is liable for injury.<br />
<br />
Most shops however have no official ties or agreement with their university.<br />
<br />
==== How do you get along with for profit shops? ====<br />
Mixed reviews, some don't like having the competition while others will donate directly to the shop.<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
The organizers of this workshop had planned to give a formal presentation but instead just had an informal discussion. The discussion quickly went off topic, it was not moderated at all. It most likely would have been much more productive had the organizers stuck to their original plan.<br />
<br />
== Managing social rides to promote bicycling ==<br />
From fringe to mainstream: how social cycling can ... and make our cities better<br />
=== Details ===<br />
Held at 11:15 AM on Friday, June 24 at the Bike Cave.<br />
Elliott McFadden of [http://austinontwowheels.org/ Austin on Two Wheels] and Violet Crown Cycles started by describing his views of cycling promotion and two methods seen in Austin of directly working to get people riding bikes. After this, he answered questions in a general discussion format.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
==== Failures in bicycle promotion ====<br />
Elliot identified two somewhat conflicting methods of increasing cycling from the cycling industry and from political advocacy.<br />
* Industry: Bicycle sales in the U.S. have remained stagnant over since the 1970s, despite significant growth in population. To increase sales, the bicycle industry has focused on making bikes more niche -- selling new bikes to their existing market.<br />
* Advocacy: Advocates lobby decision makers for better infrastructure, but do so without growing a grassroots bicycle population or establishing cycling within the community.<br />
Until bicycling is seen as a normal community behavior, bicyclists will continue to be classified by convenient stereotypes, like the spandex/carbon weekend warrior, the hipster scofflaw, and the sanctimonious environmentalist.<br />
==== Strategy ====<br />
Defining "regime" as an interconnected group of businesses and leaders with a common world view, Elliott noted that the current regime is in favor of growing consumption and fossil fuel use. At the national level, this means the oil and auto industries. At the local level, it includes developers, auto dealers, and news entities, whose future profits depend on growth. Tellingly, 30% of all ad revenue for media entities comes from car companies.<br />
Regime change must then be the goal of a bicycle promoter. Find negative ways to describe the current regime (dirty, expensive, destructive, long travel times in cars) and positive ways to describe the desired regime (healthy, thrifty, sustainable, quality family time). Form partnerships with businesses and organizations that can benefit from a new regime.<br />
==== Social cycling ====<br />
To replace the negative stereotypes of bicyclists, it is important to develop an atmosphere that encourages riding by more members of the community. Bicycling should be made to be more comfortable -- no races, no work-outs, regular clothes, open to everyone. The joys of being out, riding with regular people, should be paramount. <br />
Commuting is often a big sell by industry and advocates; it allows shops to sell specialized "commuter" bicycles and advocates to focus on connecting routes, but as a sales point, it has two crippling problems: nobody likes to go to work, and most people go to work alone. Instead, social cycling should be a focus: just get many people together to ride bikes. Austin has two models that work in tandem: Social Cycling Austin and Austin on Two Wheels, an "affiliated business concept".<br />
===== Social Cycling Austin =====<br />
Social Cycling Austin is a volunteer production started two years ago as a free ride -- participants just show up for a weekly social ride, drawing 200-300 riders on average and as many as 500. It partners with local businesses, usually a bar or restaurant, and rides with traffic, not against it.<br />
This model is easy to start (it just requires two people) and its open structure makes it accessible to all. It doesn't have to be affiliated with any business, so it can work with and for everyone. Because of its loose nature, it's easy to change what doesn't work or even dismantle the ride. It doesn't need any investment to start up, as most organizing can be done through social networks and guerrilla marketing.<br />
Unfortunately, it also has no control over who shows up, making it difficult to deal with troublemakers and easy for the ride to grow beyond the capacity of the leaders or prevent the ride from being co-opted by other organizations. A focus on bars as a final destination also makes it easy for this sort of ride to turn into a "booze cruise", adding additional challenges to the organization and often depressing its ability to draw women riders. Additionally, it is easy for organizing volunteers to burn out and the undefined liability might cause problems in case of injury.<br />
===== Affiliated Business Concept =====<br />
In an affiliated business concept, the rides are run as a business, usually as smaller fee-based rides than as large-scale free-for-alls.<br />
Because a business controls the ride, it's possible to tailor rides for specific demographics; women, families, suburbanites, etc. It's also easier to get different business partners and variety in the ride -- restaurants may provide food and drink samples, galleries may partner for art rides, or retail establishments for shopping rides. A business is also better able to provide a clear line of liability in case of accident and maintain a paid staff of ride leaders and organizers to provide a higher level of service. Austin on Two Wheels, for example, capped rides at 50 participants and provided one ride leader for every ten people to watch over unlocked bikes and help keep rides safe.<br />
This concept also carries some challenges. Partners must be committed to growth; it can take 18-24 months for the concept to turn a sustainable profit and its longer-term viability has not been tested, though it may be a reasonable loss leader for a bike shop. It also limits partnerships to a single member of each sector; one bike shop, one newspaper, or one boutique. The clear line of liability also means that the operating business has insurance requirements to carry and will likely have to enforce helmet use.<br />
==== Discussion ====<br />
Both rides appeal to different people, but the demographics of the riders were mostly white, though unintentionally so. For the open social rides, this was because the ride started from one social circle and its business preferences. For the paid rides, this was because they were seeking sustainable income. Since bicycles seen as a lesser mode of transportation in impoverished communities and represent gentrification, it can be difficult to promote them, though groups like the Major Taylor Group are trying to increase African American ridership. Either way, more racially diverse ride leadership should help diversify rider participation.<br />
Other problems with social cycling rides were identified. It's easy for the ride's somewhat high turnover to give it over to more aggressive cycling, and efforts to rein it in can be paternalistic.<br />
Responses to paid rides were overwhelmingly positive. Of 300 participants, 60% were women, and every ride had a bicyclist that had not ridden at all in the past year. Of survey respondents, 85% loved the ride, 97% would do it again, and 84% were more likely to revisit the participating businesses. No complaints were received of the ride being too fast, and the complaints of 1/3 of the respondents that the ride was too slow were dismissed. As for distance, the longest single ride was 10 miles and the longest single stretch was five miles, but most rides were just a few miles in stretches of two miles or less at a 10-12 mph pace. <br />
The high ratio of leaders to participants of the paid rides helped keep them very well organized. Walkie-talkies were given to the front and back leaders and other riders would circulate through the ride, keeping riders lined up, directing traffic at intersections, and encouraging the ride to behave well in regards to other users. It helped that the Austin Police Department was non-reactionary, so there was no backlash from law enforcement.<br />
Paid rides started with an intro of the leaders and the participants signing of a waiver stating they knew the rules of the road and agreed to follow ride leader instructions.<br />
Marketing was done through their own website, and partnering businesses were encouraged to do their own promotion as well. It was emphasized that time, rather than distance, was mentioned in all promotions. Though a six mile ride would take about 30 minutes, 30 minutes seemed like an easier ride than six miles. Ride classifications were right out; letter-assignments mean nothing to the new riders being targeted.<br />
Hurting businesses were suggested as rich prospects, as a few dozen potential customers can be enticing. Visits to any business should be during slow hours, though, to minimize disruption to regular services and provide customers when the business would be otherwise idle -- restaurants on Saturday afternoons are a good example. <br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Mobile Repair Clinic ==<br />
Held at 9:30 AM on Friday, June 24, at Sodatooth art gallery. Operating a mobile on-the-go repair clinic through the city and community organizations.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
The original facilitator did not show up for this workshop but the intent was fairly self evident by the name of the workshop. It was begun with a go-around and then by asking the question 'who currently operates a mobile repair unit?'<br />
The [[Bike Cage]] from Winnipeg told us that they began as a purely mobile shop until they had enough resources and a space to operate from a permanent location. The [[Bike Root]] from Calgary told us that the opposite was true for them, they began with a full shop but after losing their space, kept operations going by setting up in various locations on their campus and around town.<br />
==== To fix or not? Where do you draw the line? ====<br />
There were various answers to this question, some shops will only fix flats and minor brake and gear issues. Others were willing to fix anything as long as the tools were available. Arguments for the former included<br />
* lack of proper tools<br />
* lack of more advanced tools or replacement parts in case anything went wrong<br />
* lack of knowledge / trust in the knowledge of some casual volunteers that might attend a mobile repair clinic<br />
* some provide more hand on repair for mobile units to decrease liability in case a bike owner injures themselves but providing more complicated repairs ourselves increases liability in case the owner injures themselves on their bike afterwards.<br />
and for the latter:<br />
* We should do our best to get more bikes fixed and on the road<br />
* We're confident in our skills<br />
* The worst thing that might happen is that a bike that wasn't on the road is now still not on the road<br />
* We make bike owners fix their bikes themselves so we are not liable<br />
==== Other services ====<br />
In addition to offering minor repairs, the Bike Cage's mobile unit doubles as a bike valet service. There was no elaboration on how the system works.<br />
==== Getting the message across that a mobile tune tent is not a fully functioning tent ====<br />
It seemed to be a common problem that when individuals in the community would hear about a free tune-up possibility, they would often bring in bikes that need repairs far beyond what could be done at a tune tent. It was suggested to avoid this, advertise as "light bike repair".<br />
==== Who holds the tools? ====<br />
We had a discussion about if the volunteer should fix the bike for the owner or provide the owner with the tools and teach how to fix the bike hands-off. Whether or not tools were handed to the bike owner, teaching at least by the volunteer explaining what he or she was doing seemed to be the norm. The issues behind whether or not to let the owner fix the bike seemed to be liability dependent on both sides. If the volunteer fixes the bike, the shop becomes liable if the bike causes injury down the road while normally the bike owner has not signed a liability waiver to use the tools, so the shop could be liable if they hurt themselves while repairing their bike.<br />
==== Ride or drive? ====<br />
We had a discussion on whether or not to drive the equipment to the location or use a trailer. No one seemed to be passionate for either but there are a lot of options out there for trailers big and small. [[Fargo Moorhead Community Bicycle Workshop|Fargo]] rides with a huge 4x6 trailer.<br />
==== Off topic discussion ====<br />
The conversation went off topic many times but did produce a few interesting ideas:<br />
* [[The Orioles Bike Cage|Winnipeg]] uses a punch card, much like one you would find a a coffee shop or fast food location, to punch out skills that a volunteer has learned. Once the card is completely punched the volunteer can start fixing bikes for others.<br />
* While discussing how to get enough replacement parts, another bike shop told us they provide local bike shops with barrels which the shops can use to put parts that are still usable but would otherwise throw away. The barrels would be picked up and emptied at regular intervals. This shop did not have a problem finding parts when needed as a result.<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Please be kind to cyclists ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Recycled bike art ==<br />
Turning garbage into gold.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
<br />
[[File:Bike Craft - Tube Shoe Laces.pdf|200px|thumb|left|alt text]]<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Software developers exchange ==<br />
Projects being worked on, have worked on, or areas they (you) are interested / skilled in.<br />
<br />
Held Saturday, June 25, at 2:30 PM at the San Marcos Public Library.<br />
<br />
Facilitated by [[User:Godwin|Godwin]] of [[The Bike Root]] in Calgary.<br />
<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Participants briefly described their technical experience, specifically any coding projects and languages they've used. A few participants were experienced programmers; most were interested in learning or helping a project in other ways like documentation and testing.<br />
[[Austin Yellow Bike Project]]'s tracking code was discussed and briefly compared to the [[Bike Kitchen (San Francisco, CA, USA)|San Francisco Bicycle Kitchen]]'s Freehub software.<br />
<br />
The Yellow Bike Project released their code for public use, and it was noted that SLC had already made a Joomla plugin. The YBP software was also demonstrated live at the workshop.<br />
<br />
Steve of [[Fargo Moorhead Community Bicycle Workshop|Fargo]] and Godwin were (or soon will be) working on independent applications, but the general consensus coalesced around a few ideals.<br />
<br />
Any software development push should be oriented towards a web-based solution for the greatest ease in rolling out across various platforms, though it would make it more difficult to install as a software package and could lead to data security and access problems if provided as a hosting service, as SFBK does with Freehub. Additionally, this software should start with one shop in order to develop one full set of features. All features should be written as plugins to a basic core, allowing features to be added as required by various shops.<br />
Yellow Bike Project's software may make a suitable core for such a push.<br />
<br />
A general wishlist was hashed out, in no particular order:<br />
* Work-trade management<br />
* Granular volunteer time tracking<br />
* Varied reporting options<br />
* Donation tracking<br />
* Bike and inventory tracking (including completion of projects)<br />
* Visitor tracking<br />
* Communications options (e-mail lists, contacting expiring memberships)<br />
* Sales tracking (though not point-of-sale)<br />
* Volunteer skill tracking<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
[[Godwin]] will direct a new open source project starting in September 2011. The system will be modular so that individual plugins can be added or modified as needed to ensure that collectives don't have to modify the way they do things simply because the software does not conform to their model.<br />
<br />
== Teaching & learning styles ==<br />
Teaching & learning styles in community bike shops; a discussion about different approaches, what works and what doesn't work as well<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== The future of Bike! Bike! ==<br />
Where are we going and how are we going to get there? Also, a quick (but no-decisions-made) discussion about where Bike! Bike! will be held in 2012 (that will be decided during the final meeting on Sunday, June 26).<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Utilizing free open-source software ==<br />
Operating systems and work documents to benefit your project.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Despite "charity" pricing for software packages from major publishers like Microsoft and Adobe, some software is priced beyond the range of a co-operative's budget, or would be used to infrequently as to make a purchase pointless.<br />
Fortunately, the open source community has responded with a number of free replacements for major software, including for the operating system itself. Most of these packages can be found in [[Computer Resources]].<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Volunteer orientation ==<br />
Addressing safe space concerns, and a conversation about empowering and maintaining a committed volunteer base<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Weather? What weather? (summer) ==<br />
How you and your bike can survive the heat<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Weather? What weather? (winter) ==<br />
How you and your bike can survive the cold<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Women and Transgender shop hours ==<br />
Policies, Politics, Allies<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working in under-privileged communities ==<br />
Working in under-privileged communities: challenges and opportunities<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Facilitators:<br />
<br />
[[Bike Kitchen]]/[[La Bici Digna]] (Arlen) and [[Bikerowave]]/[[Bici Libre]] (Bobby):<br />
<br />
<br />
Keep your eyes on the prize (don’t forget why you’re doing this, don’t let your limitations stop you)<br />
<br />
<br />
Dynamics in work space an issue, (shop isn’t located in the right place) <br />
<br />
-try mobile workshop?<br />
La Bici Digna started with a mobil work shop at the day labor center working with City of Lights. <br />
<br />
<br />
Low community buyin? <br />
<br />
-try partnering w/ another organization that organizes in “that” community. (try contacting a country’s embassy to let them know you exist, find out what communities you want to encourage and talk to the leaders in that community) <br />
<br />
<br />
Not enough Resources?<br />
<br />
-try seeing groups that are stoked, already active.<br />
<br />
<br />
Chill out. Be Patient (It takes time to build up trust and awareness of your resource.)<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Stories:'''<br />
<br />
Bici Libre got a free space to house abandoned bikes. They seek to provide a space where people can learn job skills and leadership skills. They have a list of activities that can be done by non-bike mechanic volunteers. Group jobs such as cleaning parts or cutting tubes can be really good for some cultures who will enjoy the communal experience. It’s important to talk to the poeple you are trying to engage to ask them what they want to contribute, or what they want to get out of it.<br />
<br />
<br />
Sometimes the way we think the bicycle collective “should” run is not the way some under privileged communities want to run their own. Often, people will want to start a for-profit shop. It’s important to not get stuck in your ideas, to learn also how to communicate in another person’s language. You can use the terms they know, even if it’s the “wrong” term, whats important is that you both get on the same page. There’s a reason you are trying to engage a different dynamic in the bike shop, you should be willing to learn from new people, not just try to tell them what/how to do. <br />
<br />
<br />
'''Multi lingual bike diagram:'''<br />
<br />
La Bici Digna had a poster of a bike with lines to all the parts. They asked their participant to write on posted notes the names of the parts of the bike that they knew. With all the many dialects present, the digram ended up having four names for nearly every part. <br />
<br />
<br />
Denver’s [[The Bike Depot]] works with [Big Brother] and [Big Sister]. They are then able to pay for kids to volunteer.<br />
<br />
<br />
Lots of collectives have earn a bike programs, or free bikes to people on welfare.<br />
<br />
<br />
One collective got a high school student credit for volunteering at the shop.<br />
<br />
Another works directly with Refugee camps.<br />
<br />
<br />
'''How do you deal with theft?''' - Story from the [[Bike Kitchen]]<br />
<br />
The bike kitchen experienced a wave of theft. Bikes were being stolen right out side the shop, and also, many 15mm wrenches and other tools which might assist in bicycle theft. At first they were completely worried and frustrated that they were possibly assisting in that theft. But what they hadn’t expected was that this wave of bicycle theft resulted in the creation of a bike scene in the surrounding neighborhoods. The exact people who they were trying to get into the shop, trying to foster interest in the bicycle as a mode of transportation, started riding bikes. “It just wasn’t on our terms.” - Arlen ([[Bike Kitchen]]/[[La Bici Digna]])<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Workshop continues in [[#Classes, Workshops, Space]]<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working Together ==<br />
Increasing Inter-Organization Collaboration. The intention of this workshop was to talk about all of the ways in which we as bicycle collectives of different sorts who run our services in many different ways, can share our experiences, successes, failures, and tangible output in order to help other collectives both start and continue to thrive.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
[[User:Godwin|Godwin]] directed this workshop while [[Bob Wolfe]] facilitated in providing a speakers list. A large sheet of paper was used to help keep visible notes, at the end of the discussion the notes were the following:<br />
* '''Current Tools'''<br />
** [[BOOP]]<br />
** [[Bike!Bike!]]<br />
** [[Think Tank]]<br />
** [[Bike Collectives Network]]<br />
** [[Bike Collectives Wiki]]<br />
** Various collaborative tools such as our Google Docs list of organizations and Google Maps visualization of orgs across North America<br />
* '''What we need these tools for'''<br />
** Learn how to start a collective<br />
** Learn how to continue running a collective<br />
** Find example documents<br />
*** Volunteer Privileges<br />
*** Todo for new volunteers<br />
*** Financials<br />
*** Fliers<br />
*** Curricula<br />
*** Manuals<br />
*** 501c and not-for-profit forms<br />
*** Tool lists<br />
*** Inventory<br />
*** Price guide<br />
*** Mission statement<br />
*** Bylaws<br />
*** Safe space<br />
*** Legal documents<br />
*** Letters for grant writing<br />
** Find out how other organizations run their various programmes<br />
** Partner with other organizations<br />
* '''Brainstorming Ideas which could help'''<br />
** A Bike!Bike! Wiki<br />
** Have more involved wiki moderators who will make suggestions for improvements<br />
** News feed on wiki<br />
** Email individuals to improve pages<br />
** New list-serve other than the [[Think Tank]] which can be used for these emails<br />
** More list-serves for different purposes<br />
** Online Forums<br />
** Request documents, pages, and improvements once a year or at other regular intervals<br />
** Rid the wiki of closed shops<br />
** RSS feeds on the wiki<br />
** Separate blog or paper news<br />
** Paypal donations on [[BCN]] or the wiki<br />
** An umbrella or 'helping hand' organization<br />
** A seed fund<br />
** Micro Loans for starting up shops<br />
** A no-reply list-serve<br />
* An 'umbrella' organization goes against many principles that are held by most shops however a 'helping hand' organization that acts as a third party to facilitate to spread of knowledge and possibly funds would likely not.<br />
* To improve the wiki it will take some active moderating and contacting of individuals.<br />
* The wiki is difficult to navigate so it should be reorganized<br />
* Bikecollectives.org is not serving any other purpose other than providing the wiki.<br />
* The [[Think Tank]] is too much for many to handle, there are too many emails about things that many don't care about.<br />
* Godwin promised to contact the current owners of bikevollectives.org to see if improvements could be made.<br />
* Adding increased moderation of the wiki will be looked into<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working with relationships ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
= Contact =<br />
* [[Bike!Bike!]] website: http://www.bikebike.org<br />
* [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|The Bike Cave]]'s website: http://thebikecave.org<br />
* Email: [mailto:bikebike2011@gmail.com bikebike2011@gmail.com]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Bike!Bike!]]</div>Sharperhttps://wiki2.bikelover.org/wiki/index.php?title=Bike!Bike!_2011&diff=11389Bike!Bike! 20112011-07-20T19:14:42Z<p>Sharper: /* Notes */</p>
<hr />
<div>'''Bike!Bike! 2011''' was held in San Marcos, Texas; hosted by [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|The Bike Cave]] and [[The San Marcos Community Bike Project]]. It took place from June 23-26th, 2011.[[File:bikebikebike2a.jpg|thumb]]<br />
<br />
<br />
== Workshops schedule ==<br />
<br />
{|border="1" align="left" style="text-align:left; border: 1px solid Black;" width="100%"<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Friday, June 24||Yoga Center || The Bike Cave || Sodatooth || Go 2 Danz || Library large room || Library small room || The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am|| || [[#Acquiring a permanent space]] || [[#Mobile Repair Clinic]] || || || ||<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm|| || [[#Managing social rides to promote bicycling]] || || [[#Bike touring]] || || ||<br />
|-<br />
|2:30pm - 4:00pm||[[#Teaching & learning styles]] || [[#Integrating bikes into the university fabric]] || || [[#Working in under-privileged communities]] || || ||<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm|| ||[[#Basics of the nonprofit sector and organizational form]] || || [[#Women and Transgender shop hours]] || || ||<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Saturday, June 25||Yoga Center || The Bike Cave || Sodatooth || Go 2 Danz || Library large room || Library small room || The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am|| || [[#Bike 101]]|| [[#Volunteer orientation]] || [[#Acro yoga]] || || || [[#Green space tour]]<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm|| || [[#Working with relationships]] || || [[#Working Together]] || || [[#Utilizing free open-source software]] ||<br />
|-<br />
|2:30pm - 4:00pm|| [[#Battlefield: Consensus]] || || || [[#Weather? What weather? (winter)]] || [[#Software developers exchange]] || [[#Please be kind to cyclists]] ||<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm|| [[#Analyzing work flows]] || [[#Recycled bike art]] || || || [[#Classes, Workshops, Space]] || ||<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Sunday, June 26||Yoga Center || The Bike Cave || Sodatooth || Go 2 Danz || Library large room || Library small room || The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am|| [[#Managing expectations of a cooperative bike shop]] || || || [[#Weather? What weather? (summer)]] || [[#Confronting car culture]] || || <br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 1:00pm|| || || || || [[#Closing discussion - Bike!Bike! 2012]] || || <br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
<br />
= Schedule =<br />
<br />
== As published ==<br />
<br />
{|border="0" align="left" style="text-align:left;"<br />
!scope="row" width="20%" colspan="2"| Wednesday, June 22<br />
|-<br />
|1:00-6:00pm||Pick up a loaner bike (if you're staying the night in Austin) at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|2:00pm - 6:00pm||Open house at UT's Orange Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|6:00 -10:00pm||Open house at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|11:00pm||Open house at Movemint Bike Cab Co. Shop (1301 east 4th street) <br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Thursday, June 23<br />
|-<br />
|11:00am - 1:00pm||Pick up your loaner bike (if you've just arrived in Austin) at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|1:00pm||Group ride from Austin's Yellow Bike Project to San Marcos (there will be a truck to take your things to San Marcos)<br />
|-<br />
|12:00 - 8:00pm||Check-In at San Marcos Public Library ($25 - $45, pay what you can, nobody will be turned away for lack of funds. Pick up your loaner bike and housing arraignments)<br />
|-<br />
|2:00 - 8:00pm||Fix up your bike at The Bike Cave<br />
|-<br />
|7:00 - 8:00pm||Welcome / Speak up & speak out!<br />
|-<br />
|8:00pm - 10:00pm||Casual welcome dinner at City / Plaza Park with music by Mariachi Nueva Generacion<br />
|-<br />
|9:30pm||A screening of "Dudey Free Zone: Women's and Transgender Bike Spaces" plus other short bike-related films. At The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Friday, June 24<br />
|-<br />
|8:00am - 1:00pm||Check-In continued for those who get here late at The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|1:00 - 2:30pm||Lunch<br />
|-<br />
|2:30 - 4:00pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|8:00pm - 9:00pm||The future of Bike! Bike! - a discussion to figure out where we're heading, and how we're getting there. A preview of which project(s) are interested in hosting in 2012.<br />
|-<br />
|7:00pm - 10:30pm||Bike polo on top of Speck Street Parking Garage (there will be a group ride leaving from Rio Vista at 6:00pm)<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 -11:00pm||Concert at The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Saturday, June 25<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|1:00 - 2:30pm||Lunch<br />
|-<br />
|2:30 - 4:00pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|9:00pm - 12:00am||BIKE! RIDE! BIKE! RIDE!<br />
|-<br />
|12:00am - ???||Dance party<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Sunday, June 26<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30 - 11:00am||Workshops / final brainstorm<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 1:00pm||Closing meeting, Bike! Bike! 2012 discussion<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
<br />
= Workshops =<br />
== Green space tour ==<br />
A bike tour of San Marcos green spaces<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Acquiring a permanent space ==<br />
Acquiring a permanent space instead of renting, working with the city for land or a building, fund-raising and micro-loans<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Acro yoga ==<br />
Skillshare<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Analyzing work flows ==<br />
Analyzing work flows within a bike project: setting up committees and more effective follow-up. How to reduce "ball droppage". Held at 4:30 PM on Saturday, June 25, 2011, at the Community Yoga Center.<br />
<br />
Facilitated by Susan of [[Third Hand Bicycle Cooperative]] in Columbus, Ohio.<br />
== Analyzing work flows ==<br />
Analyzing work flows within a bike project: setting up committees and more effective follow-up. How to reduce "ball droppage". Held at 4:30 PM on Saturday, June 25, 2011, at the Community Yoga Center.<br />
<br />
Facilitated by Susan of [[Third Hand Bicycle Cooperative]] in Columbus, Ohio.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Often in collectives, everyone will be off doing their own thing. This can lead to some jobs being repeated and others falling through the cracks. To combat this, it's helpful to identify all the processes at work in the collective, whether they deal with inputs to the collective, actions within the shop, or outputs leaving the collective.<br />
<br />
Third Hand streamlined their procedures by identifying all of the processes involved in handling this inputs and outputs. The frequency and nature of each task was discussed, and jobs were fit together as appropriate. Collections of jobs are given to various task forces, each empowered to deal with their issue without approval from the Board or the overarching Collective and charged with developing the policies that guide the completion of those tasks. The identification of tasks alone took half a day.<br />
<br />
To deal with the problem of one volunteer doing all of one job and leaving the organization without institutional knowledge, it was suggested to pick a primary and secondary person responsible for getting the job done. Another method would be to assign jobs at the beginning of each month, so that tasks get spread around more widely. Neither approach means that the person assigned has to do the task; they may delegate the task, they're just responsible for making sure it happens.<br />
<br />
Those assigned a job should make a short report back at a general meeting as to their success or failure. This helps the group know that necessary work is being accomplished and provides an avenue for new volunteers to find work. Since it's nearly impossible to penalize volunteers, enforcement has to be kept positive. In the case of an incomplete job, the group should ask why the job was not finished, and whether there was sufficient support from the group. Any remediation can be simply done by a reconstituted task force given a mandate to fix the problems.<br />
<br />
In Third Hand's experience, some jobs like outreach and volunteer coordination are best considered as "alternative shifts" -- as crucial as a regular shift, but handled in a radically different way.<br />
<br />
==== Examples ====<br />
Sample inputs, from the workshop:<br />
* Mail<br />
* Phone calls<br />
* E-mail<br />
* Donations (cash or stuff)<br />
* Visitors<br />
* Packages and deliveries<br />
* Complaints<br />
* Volunteer labor<br />
<br />
Sample inside tasks:<br />
* Cleaning<br />
* Tool ordering<br />
* Inventory<br />
* Budgeting<br />
* Parts sorting<br />
* Scheduling<br />
* Tracking<br />
* Sales<br />
<br />
Sample outputs:<br />
* Bikes<br />
* Knowledge<br />
* Rent/utilities<br />
* Media<br />
* Mobile units<br />
* Volunteer appreciation<br />
* Newsletters/flyers<br />
* Mail and e-mail<br />
* Tax returns<br />
* Deposits<br />
<br />
Sample task forces:<br />
* Finances (Sales, Budgeting, Bill Payment)<br />
* Tool and parts orders<br />
* Community relations<br />
* Volunteer coordination<br />
* IT/Tech<br />
* Outreach<br />
* Conflict resolution<br />
<br />
Processes can be determined by looking at the inputs. For Mail, mail would be picked up and sorted to give to the appropriate group (finance, outreach, ordering, etc.), with a time frame of "every open shop". Third Hand spent half a day just identifying processes like these.<br />
<br />
=== Handling tasks ===<br />
After the processes are identified, task forces can be drawn up to handle them, and each task force can then draft the necessary policies to complete the tasks. <br />
<br />
Meetings help ensure tasks are done. Task forces can present whether they've kept up with their tasks and ask for additional help if necessary. Any resolution at one meeting should have a report back from the person responsible for the project at the next meeting. Also, if a new task comes up, it is possible to send it straight to a task force without bogging down the rest of the meeting. Routine items seem to be the best suited towards this task force method, as they are rarely out of consensus.<br />
<br />
Assigning a job exclusively to one volunteer can cause problems if that volunteer has to step aside for whatever reason. Two options to deal with this were to pick a primary and secondary contact for each job or to rotate each job frequently, so that skills and knowledge are more widely distributed within the group. A "bus test" was suggested; if a volunteer were hit by a bus tomorrow, would their tasks still get done? And if not, why not?<br />
<br />
Widespread knowledge can also help keep minutia of tasks to a minimum and prevent people from overspecializing or enforcing difficult job requirements on others.<br />
<br />
If a task slips through the cracks and remains undone, a new task force can be established specifically to fix the problem and catch up the organization.<br />
<br />
=== Unfinished ===<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Basics of the nonprofit sector and organizational form ==<br />
=== Details ===<br />
Held on Friday, June 24, at the [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|Bike Cave]].<br />
<br />
Facilitated by Charles from the [[Bloomington Community Bike Project]].<br />
<br />
Topics were determined by the participants at the beginning of the workshop and ran across a wide spectrum of general information on nonprofit management.<br />
<br />
=== General notes ===<br />
In 2006, the U.S. IRS published a rule requiring some sort of reporting as to an organization's status, even if it was just a postcard sent in. A number of small nonprofits lost their exemption for not following this rule.<br />
<br />
It is important to have a way to evaluate an organization's performance as it relates to its mission.<br />
<br />
Every organization needs a statutory agent -- someone who can sign for the organization and provides the IRS with "a throat to choke" if things go downhill.<br />
<br />
Meeting minutes have to be kept. Google Docs and a local wiki are both good resources, allowing necessary modifications. One organization had a lot of success keeping an internet-enabled computer in meetings, transcribing in realtime, and e-mailing the attendees immediately.<br />
<br />
Most states and regions have nonprofit resource centers and many libraries have nonprofit guides. Use them as best you can. If a resource provides facilitation training, it is usually worth it to send members. <br />
<br />
==== Fundraising opportunities ====<br />
Contract work can provide a good revenue source for a shop, but organizations must be careful that the contract closely matches the organization's priorities. It does little good to spend volunteer or paid staff time on special work that doesn't help the organization much. Grants can be a similar resource sink; the best grants are those that give you money for doing what you do. Always be prepared to walk away from a grant or a contract.<br />
<br />
When searching for grants, it helps to have a relationship with a grant writer. Be sure to look beyond bicycle-specific grants, too; a lot of bike collective work can fall under categories like sustainability, health, or ecology.<br />
<br />
==== Why to incorporate ====<br />
Small shops can skirt by without incorporation, but setting up a nonprofit brings a few major benefits.<br />
<br />
Incorporation makes it easier to get insurance and liability coverage, protecting volunteers in case of lawsuits. Incorporated nonprofits can also receive tax-deductible donations, avoid income taxes, and are in a better position to compete for grants and fundraising.<br />
<br />
==== Setup ====<br />
The constitution, bylaws, and policies were described as different facets of how to organize a nonprofit's structure.<br />
<br />
The ''constitution'' itself should be short -- little more than a mission statement and a prominent mention of the organization's tax exempt status.<br />
<br />
The ''bylaws'' should ratify the organization's best practices. As they are a legal document governing the organization, they should be concise and flexible and avoid dictating specific policies. Try to write in what should happen -- what the shop can do, what someone should expect when their come in, and so on, without saying how to accomplish those goals. Well-written bylaws also allow anyone reviewing them to see whether the organization is keeping true to its promises and offer an opportunity to change course if things go bad.<br />
<br />
All details about how to actually run the shop and organization belong in the ''policies and procedures''. <br />
<br />
==== [[Bicycle Kitchen (Los Angeles)|L.A. Bike Kitchen]] overview ====<br />
Arlen from the Los Angeles Bike Kitchen summarized how their organization is set up.<br />
<br />
The Bike Kitchen has three volunteer levels. Shadows graduate to volunteers once they've completed a general knowledge worksheet. Volunteers that work four shifts a month (about 12 hours) and do something extra special for the organization can then move up to "cook".<br />
<br />
There are four quarterly "cooks" meetings, run under supermajority consensus rules, utilizing an outside (and objective) facilitator. There is also one annual camp held with a paid outside facilitator. Board meetings are held monthly with a rotating facilitator chosen from the group.<br />
<br />
Day-to-day operations and policies are handled by "gruppos"; ad hoc autonomous committees with specific charters. These committees are not required to accept input from anyone else. Presumably, anyone with strong feelings on, for example, what tools to order, would sit on the ordering gruppo.<br />
<br />
Example gruppos:<br />
* Finance<br />
* Ordering<br />
* Operations (as related to bike projects)<br />
* "Smooth shifting" -- ergonomics and accessibility<br />
* Volunteer coordination<br />
* Neighbor relations<br />
* "Space exploration" -- researching a new shop location<br />
<br />
There was no built-in accountability measures; everything just worked.<br />
<br />
== Battlefield: Consensus ==<br />
Decision making - the good, the bad, and the ugly. A reprise of 2010's Battlefield: Consensus.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Bike 101 ==<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Bike touring ==<br />
What to take, how to pack, where to sleep and eat, and of course, where to go.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Classes, Workshops, Space ==<br />
Doing Meaningful Outreach with Communities in Your Neighborhood.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
<br />
'''How do you programs “translate” in your/near by communities?”'''<br />
<br />
<br />
How are you defining “Community”?<br />
<br />
How inclusive is your space? How Accessible?<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Lava Monsters of Death (these will hold you back, don’t let them!)'''<br />
<br />
<br />
Using excessive “they” “them” or “those people”<br />
<br />
Assuming people know what you know.<br />
<br />
Assuming people are intentionally (behaving/acting) being fucked up<br />
<br />
Confusing critiques/analysis of behaviour dynamics as vicious existential personal attacks of Doom against you, yes you! <br />
<br />
<br />
'''Success Stories of Workshops that help out reach to under privileged communities.'''<br />
<br />
Multi language bike mechanics, teach english or learn spanish at the same time as teaching bike mechanics, <br />
<br />
<br />
Get Doctors to prescribe bike riding, get them to send people to your collective.<br />
<br />
<br />
Organize group rides that tie in a neighborhood’s resources that are not well used, go to farmer’s markets, put baskets on bikes.<br />
<br />
<br />
Safe routes to schools has been successful in getting more kids to ride.<br />
<br />
<br />
Find teachers who are bike sympathetic.<br />
<br />
<br />
Canvas the neighborhood, knock door to door, flyer (tear offs work well), bring tools to fix flats, mobil bike repair!<br />
<br />
<br />
Get in contact with a neighborhood organization, they often don’t have websites, you can find them sometimes through the police department.<br />
<br />
<br />
Be wary of giving “big free give away!” if you don’t have enough, it can create a weird and tense atmosphere.<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Closing discussion - Bike!Bike! 2012 ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Confronting car culture ==<br />
Dealing with dominant culture on a personal level and effecting cultural shift.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== How the City of San Marcos, Texas bicycle map was created ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Managing expectations of a cooperative bike shop ==<br />
How to manage expectations and orient new people quickly to the cooperative shop environment<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Integrating bikes into the university fabric ==<br />
Integrating bikes into the university fabric via student and staff collaboration<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
University of Texas loans bikes for 1 year. They charge the borrower for unreturned or damaged bikes and they are currently trying to get these fees put on students' records to ensure they are paid. In their case the university itself is liable for injury.<br />
<br />
Most shops however have no official ties or agreement with their university.<br />
<br />
==== How do you get along with for profit shops? ====<br />
Mixed reviews, some don't like having the competition while others will donate directly to the shop.<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
The organizers of this workshop had planned to give a formal presentation but instead just had an informal discussion. The discussion quickly went off topic, it was not moderated at all. It most likely would have been much more productive had the organizers stuck to their original plan.<br />
<br />
== Managing social rides to promote bicycling ==<br />
From fringe to mainstream: how social cycling can ... and make our cities better<br />
=== Details ===<br />
Held at 11:15 AM on Friday, June 24 at the Bike Cave.<br />
Elliott McFadden of [http://austinontwowheels.org/ Austin on Two Wheels] and Violet Crown Cycles started by describing his views of cycling promotion and two methods seen in Austin of directly working to get people riding bikes. After this, he answered questions in a general discussion format.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
==== Failures in bicycle promotion ====<br />
Elliot identified two somewhat conflicting methods of increasing cycling from the cycling industry and from political advocacy.<br />
* Industry: Bicycle sales in the U.S. have remained stagnant over since the 1970s, despite significant growth in population. To increase sales, the bicycle industry has focused on making bikes more niche -- selling new bikes to their existing market.<br />
* Advocacy: Advocates lobby decision makers for better infrastructure, but do so without growing a grassroots bicycle population or establishing cycling within the community.<br />
Until bicycling is seen as a normal community behavior, bicyclists will continue to be classified by convenient stereotypes, like the spandex/carbon weekend warrior, the hipster scofflaw, and the sanctimonious environmentalist.<br />
==== Strategy ====<br />
Defining "regime" as an interconnected group of businesses and leaders with a common world view, Elliott noted that the current regime is in favor of growing consumption and fossil fuel use. At the national level, this means the oil and auto industries. At the local level, it includes developers, auto dealers, and news entities, whose future profits depend on growth. Tellingly, 30% of all ad revenue for media entities comes from car companies.<br />
Regime change must then be the goal of a bicycle promoter. Find negative ways to describe the current regime (dirty, expensive, destructive, long travel times in cars) and positive ways to describe the desired regime (healthy, thrifty, sustainable, quality family time). Form partnerships with businesses and organizations that can benefit from a new regime.<br />
==== Social cycling ====<br />
To replace the negative stereotypes of bicyclists, it is important to develop an atmosphere that encourages riding by more members of the community. Bicycling should be made to be more comfortable -- no races, no work-outs, regular clothes, open to everyone. The joys of being out, riding with regular people, should be paramount. <br />
Commuting is often a big sell by industry and advocates; it allows shops to sell specialized "commuter" bicycles and advocates to focus on connecting routes, but as a sales point, it has two crippling problems: nobody likes to go to work, and most people go to work alone. Instead, social cycling should be a focus: just get many people together to ride bikes. Austin has two models that work in tandem: Social Cycling Austin and Austin on Two Wheels, an "affiliated business concept".<br />
===== Social Cycling Austin =====<br />
Social Cycling Austin is a volunteer production started two years ago as a free ride -- participants just show up for a weekly social ride, drawing 200-300 riders on average and as many as 500. It partners with local businesses, usually a bar or restaurant, and rides with traffic, not against it.<br />
This model is easy to start (it just requires two people) and its open structure makes it accessible to all. It doesn't have to be affiliated with any business, so it can work with and for everyone. Because of its loose nature, it's easy to change what doesn't work or even dismantle the ride. It doesn't need any investment to start up, as most organizing can be done through social networks and guerrilla marketing.<br />
Unfortunately, it also has no control over who shows up, making it difficult to deal with troublemakers and easy for the ride to grow beyond the capacity of the leaders or prevent the ride from being co-opted by other organizations. A focus on bars as a final destination also makes it easy for this sort of ride to turn into a "booze cruise", adding additional challenges to the organization and often depressing its ability to draw women riders. Additionally, it is easy for organizing volunteers to burn out and the undefined liability might cause problems in case of injury.<br />
===== Affiliated Business Concept =====<br />
In an affiliated business concept, the rides are run as a business, usually as smaller fee-based rides than as large-scale free-for-alls.<br />
Because a business controls the ride, it's possible to tailor rides for specific demographics; women, families, suburbanites, etc. It's also easier to get different business partners and variety in the ride -- restaurants may provide food and drink samples, galleries may partner for art rides, or retail establishments for shopping rides. A business is also better able to provide a clear line of liability in case of accident and maintain a paid staff of ride leaders and organizers to provide a higher level of service. Austin on Two Wheels, for example, capped rides at 50 participants and provided one ride leader for every ten people to watch over unlocked bikes and help keep rides safe.<br />
This concept also carries some challenges. Partners must be committed to growth; it can take 18-24 months for the concept to turn a sustainable profit and its longer-term viability has not been tested, though it may be a reasonable loss leader for a bike shop. It also limits partnerships to a single member of each sector; one bike shop, one newspaper, or one boutique. The clear line of liability also means that the operating business has insurance requirements to carry and will likely have to enforce helmet use.<br />
==== Discussion ====<br />
Both rides appeal to different people, but the demographics of the riders were mostly white, though unintentionally so. For the open social rides, this was because the ride started from one social circle and its business preferences. For the paid rides, this was because they were seeking sustainable income. Since bicycles seen as a lesser mode of transportation in impoverished communities and represent gentrification, it can be difficult to promote them, though groups like the Major Taylor Group are trying to increase African American ridership. Either way, more racially diverse ride leadership should help diversify rider participation.<br />
Other problems with social cycling rides were identified. It's easy for the ride's somewhat high turnover to give it over to more aggressive cycling, and efforts to rein it in can be paternalistic.<br />
Responses to paid rides were overwhelmingly positive. Of 300 participants, 60% were women, and every ride had a bicyclist that had not ridden at all in the past year. Of survey respondents, 85% loved the ride, 97% would do it again, and 84% were more likely to revisit the participating businesses. No complaints were received of the ride being too fast, and the complaints of 1/3 of the respondents that the ride was too slow were dismissed. As for distance, the longest single ride was 10 miles and the longest single stretch was five miles, but most rides were just a few miles in stretches of two miles or less at a 10-12 mph pace. <br />
The high ratio of leaders to participants of the paid rides helped keep them very well organized. Walkie-talkies were given to the front and back leaders and other riders would circulate through the ride, keeping riders lined up, directing traffic at intersections, and encouraging the ride to behave well in regards to other users. It helped that the Austin Police Department was non-reactionary, so there was no backlash from law enforcement.<br />
Paid rides started with an intro of the leaders and the participants signing of a waiver stating they knew the rules of the road and agreed to follow ride leader instructions.<br />
Marketing was done through their own website, and partnering businesses were encouraged to do their own promotion as well. It was emphasized that time, rather than distance, was mentioned in all promotions. Though a six mile ride would take about 30 minutes, 30 minutes seemed like an easier ride than six miles. Ride classifications were right out; letter-assignments mean nothing to the new riders being targeted.<br />
Hurting businesses were suggested as rich prospects, as a few dozen potential customers can be enticing. Visits to any business should be during slow hours, though, to minimize disruption to regular services and provide customers when the business would be otherwise idle -- restaurants on Saturday afternoons are a good example. <br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Mobile Repair Clinic ==<br />
Held at 9:30 AM on Friday, June 24, at Sodatooth art gallery. Operating a mobile on-the-go repair clinic through the city and community organizations.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
The original facilitator did not show up for this workshop but the intent was fairly self evident by the name of the workshop. It was begun with a go-around and then by asking the question 'who currently operates a mobile repair unit?'<br />
The [[Bike Cage]] from Winnipeg told us that they began as a purely mobile shop until they had enough resources and a space to operate from a permanent location. The [[Bike Root]] from Calgary told us that the opposite was true for them, they began with a full shop but after losing their space, kept operations going by setting up in various locations on their campus and around town.<br />
==== To fix or not? Where do you draw the line? ====<br />
There were various answers to this question, some shops will only fix flats and minor brake and gear issues. Others were willing to fix anything as long as the tools were available. Arguments for the former included<br />
* lack of proper tools<br />
* lack of more advanced tools or replacement parts in case anything went wrong<br />
* lack of knowledge / trust in the knowledge of some casual volunteers that might attend a mobile repair clinic<br />
* some provide more hand on repair for mobile units to decrease liability in case a bike owner injures themselves but providing more complicated repairs ourselves increases liability in case the owner injures themselves on their bike afterwards.<br />
and for the latter:<br />
* We should do our best to get more bikes fixed and on the road<br />
* We're confident in our skills<br />
* The worst thing that might happen is that a bike that wasn't on the road is now still not on the road<br />
* We make bike owners fix their bikes themselves so we are not liable<br />
==== Other services ====<br />
In addition to offering minor repairs, the Bike Cage's mobile unit doubles as a bike valet service. There was no elaboration on how the system works.<br />
==== Getting the message across that a mobile tune tent is not a fully functioning tent ====<br />
It seemed to be a common problem that when individuals in the community would hear about a free tune-up possibility, they would often bring in bikes that need repairs far beyond what could be done at a tune tent. It was suggested to avoid this, advertise as "light bike repair".<br />
==== Who holds the tools? ====<br />
We had a discussion about if the volunteer should fix the bike for the owner or provide the owner with the tools and teach how to fix the bike hands-off. Whether or not tools were handed to the bike owner, teaching at least by the volunteer explaining what he or she was doing seemed to be the norm. The issues behind whether or not to let the owner fix the bike seemed to be liability dependent on both sides. If the volunteer fixes the bike, the shop becomes liable if the bike causes injury down the road while normally the bike owner has not signed a liability waiver to use the tools, so the shop could be liable if they hurt themselves while repairing their bike.<br />
==== Ride or drive? ====<br />
We had a discussion on whether or not to drive the equipment to the location or use a trailer. No one seemed to be passionate for either but there are a lot of options out there for trailers big and small. [[Fargo Moorhead Community Bicycle Workshop|Fargo]] rides with a huge 4x6 trailer.<br />
==== Off topic discussion ====<br />
The conversation went off topic many times but did produce a few interesting ideas:<br />
* [[The Orioles Bike Cage|Winnipeg]] uses a punch card, much like one you would find a a coffee shop or fast food location, to punch out skills that a volunteer has learned. Once the card is completely punched the volunteer can start fixing bikes for others.<br />
* While discussing how to get enough replacement parts, another bike shop told us they provide local bike shops with barrels which the shops can use to put parts that are still usable but would otherwise throw away. The barrels would be picked up and emptied at regular intervals. This shop did not have a problem finding parts when needed as a result.<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Please be kind to cyclists ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Recycled bike art ==<br />
Turning garbage into gold.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
<br />
[[File:Bike Craft - Tube Shoe Laces.pdf|200px|thumb|left|alt text]]<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Software developers exchange ==<br />
Projects being worked on, have worked on, or areas they (you) are interested / skilled in.<br />
<br />
Held Saturday, June 25, at 2:30 PM at the San Marcos Public Library.<br />
<br />
Facilitated by [[User:Godwin|Godwin]] of [[The Bike Root]] in Calgary.<br />
<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Participants briefly described their technical experience, specifically any coding projects and languages they've used. A few participants were experienced programmers; most were interested in learning or helping a project in other ways like documentation and testing.<br />
[[Austin Yellow Bike Project]]'s tracking code was discussed and briefly compared to the [[Bike Kitchen (San Francisco, CA, USA)|San Francisco Bicycle Kitchen]]'s Freehub software.<br />
<br />
The Yellow Bike Project released their code for public use, and it was noted that SLC had already made a Joomla plugin. The YBP software was also demonstrated live at the workshop.<br />
<br />
Steve of [[Fargo Moorhead Community Bicycle Workshop|Fargo]] and Godwin were (or soon will be) working on independent applications, but the general consensus coalesced around a few ideals.<br />
<br />
Any software development push should be oriented towards a web-based solution for the greatest ease in rolling out across various platforms, though it would make it more difficult to install as a software package and could lead to data security and access problems if provided as a hosting service, as SFBK does with Freehub. Additionally, this software should start with one shop in order to develop one full set of features. All features should be written as plugins to a basic core, allowing features to be added as required by various shops.<br />
Yellow Bike Project's software may make a suitable core for such a push.<br />
<br />
A general wishlist was hashed out, in no particular order:<br />
* Work-trade management<br />
* Granular volunteer time tracking<br />
* Varied reporting options<br />
* Donation tracking<br />
* Bike and inventory tracking (including completion of projects)<br />
* Visitor tracking<br />
* Communications options (e-mail lists, contacting expiring memberships)<br />
* Sales tracking (though not point-of-sale)<br />
* Volunteer skill tracking<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
[[Godwin]] will direct a new open source project starting in September 2011. The system will be modular so that individual plugins can be added or modified as needed to ensure that collectives don't have to modify the way they do things simply because the software does not conform to their model.<br />
<br />
== Teaching & learning styles ==<br />
Teaching & learning styles in community bike shops; a discussion about different approaches, what works and what doesn't work as well<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== The future of Bike! Bike! ==<br />
Where are we going and how are we going to get there? Also, a quick (but no-decisions-made) discussion about where Bike! Bike! will be held in 2012 (that will be decided during the final meeting on Sunday, June 26).<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Utilizing free open-source software ==<br />
Operating systems and work documents to benefit your project.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Despite "charity" pricing for software packages from major publishers like Microsoft and Adobe, some software is priced beyond the range of a co-operative's budget, or would be used to infrequently as to make a purchase pointless.<br />
Fortunately, the open source community has responded with a number of free replacements for major software, including for the operating system itself. Most of these packages can be found in [[Computer Resources]].<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Volunteer orientation ==<br />
Addressing safe space concerns, and a conversation about empowering and maintaining a committed volunteer base<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Weather? What weather? (summer) ==<br />
How you and your bike can survive the heat<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Weather? What weather? (winter) ==<br />
How you and your bike can survive the cold<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Women and Transgender shop hours ==<br />
Policies, Politics, Allies<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working in under-privileged communities ==<br />
Working in under-privileged communities: challenges and opportunities<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Facilitators:<br />
<br />
[[Bike Kitchen]]/[[La Bici Digna]] (Arlen) and [[Bikerowave]]/[[Bici Libre]] (Bobby):<br />
<br />
<br />
Keep your eyes on the prize (don’t forget why you’re doing this, don’t let your limitations stop you)<br />
<br />
<br />
Dynamics in work space an issue, (shop isn’t located in the right place) <br />
<br />
-try mobile workshop?<br />
La Bici Digna started with a mobil work shop at the day labor center working with City of Lights. <br />
<br />
<br />
Low community buyin? <br />
<br />
-try partnering w/ another organization that organizes in “that” community. (try contacting a country’s embassy to let them know you exist, find out what communities you want to encourage and talk to the leaders in that community) <br />
<br />
<br />
Not enough Resources?<br />
<br />
-try seeing groups that are stoked, already active.<br />
<br />
<br />
Chill out. Be Patient (It takes time to build up trust and awareness of your resource.)<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Stories:'''<br />
<br />
Bici Libre got a free space to house abandoned bikes. They seek to provide a space where people can learn job skills and leadership skills. They have a list of activities that can be done by non-bike mechanic volunteers. Group jobs such as cleaning parts or cutting tubes can be really good for some cultures who will enjoy the communal experience. It’s important to talk to the poeple you are trying to engage to ask them what they want to contribute, or what they want to get out of it.<br />
<br />
<br />
Sometimes the way we think the bicycle collective “should” run is not the way some under privileged communities want to run their own. Often, people will want to start a for-profit shop. It’s important to not get stuck in your ideas, to learn also how to communicate in another person’s language. You can use the terms they know, even if it’s the “wrong” term, whats important is that you both get on the same page. There’s a reason you are trying to engage a different dynamic in the bike shop, you should be willing to learn from new people, not just try to tell them what/how to do. <br />
<br />
<br />
'''Multi lingual bike diagram:'''<br />
<br />
La Bici Digna had a poster of a bike with lines to all the parts. They asked their participant to write on posted notes the names of the parts of the bike that they knew. With all the many dialects present, the digram ended up having four names for nearly every part. <br />
<br />
<br />
Denver’s [[The Bike Depot]] works with [Big Brother] and [Big Sister]. They are then able to pay for kids to volunteer.<br />
<br />
<br />
Lots of collectives have earn a bike programs, or free bikes to people on welfare.<br />
<br />
<br />
One collective got a high school student credit for volunteering at the shop.<br />
<br />
Another works directly with Refugee camps.<br />
<br />
<br />
'''How do you deal with theft?''' - Story from the [[Bike Kitchen]]<br />
<br />
The bike kitchen experienced a wave of theft. Bikes were being stolen right out side the shop, and also, many 15mm wrenches and other tools which might assist in bicycle theft. At first they were completely worried and frustrated that they were possibly assisting in that theft. But what they hadn’t expected was that this wave of bicycle theft resulted in the creation of a bike scene in the surrounding neighborhoods. The exact people who they were trying to get into the shop, trying to foster interest in the bicycle as a mode of transportation, started riding bikes. “It just wasn’t on our terms.” - Arlen ([[Bike Kitchen]]/[[La Bici Digna]])<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Workshop continues in [[#Classes, Workshops, Space]]<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working Together ==<br />
Increasing Inter-Organization Collaboration. The intention of this workshop was to talk about all of the ways in which we as bicycle collectives of different sorts who run our services in many different ways, can share our experiences, successes, failures, and tangible output in order to help other collectives both start and continue to thrive.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
[[User:Godwin|Godwin]] directed this workshop while [[Bob Wolfe]] facilitated in providing a speakers list. A large sheet of paper was used to help keep visible notes, at the end of the discussion the notes were the following:<br />
* '''Current Tools'''<br />
** [[BOOP]]<br />
** [[Bike!Bike!]]<br />
** [[Think Tank]]<br />
** [[Bike Collectives Network]]<br />
** [[Bike Collectives Wiki]]<br />
** Various collaborative tools such as our Google Docs list of organizations and Google Maps visualization of orgs across North America<br />
* '''What we need these tools for'''<br />
** Learn how to start a collective<br />
** Learn how to continue running a collective<br />
** Find example documents<br />
*** Volunteer Privileges<br />
*** Todo for new volunteers<br />
*** Financials<br />
*** Fliers<br />
*** Curricula<br />
*** Manuals<br />
*** 501c and not-for-profit forms<br />
*** Tool lists<br />
*** Inventory<br />
*** Price guide<br />
*** Mission statement<br />
*** Bylaws<br />
*** Safe space<br />
*** Legal documents<br />
*** Letters for grant writing<br />
** Find out how other organizations run their various programmes<br />
** Partner with other organizations<br />
* '''Brainstorming Ideas which could help'''<br />
** A Bike!Bike! Wiki<br />
** Have more involved wiki moderators who will make suggestions for improvements<br />
** News feed on wiki<br />
** Email individuals to improve pages<br />
** New list-serve other than the [[Think Tank]] which can be used for these emails<br />
** More list-serves for different purposes<br />
** Online Forums<br />
** Request documents, pages, and improvements once a year or at other regular intervals<br />
** Rid the wiki of closed shops<br />
** RSS feeds on the wiki<br />
** Separate blog or paper news<br />
** Paypal donations on [[BCN]] or the wiki<br />
** An umbrella or 'helping hand' organization<br />
** A seed fund<br />
** Micro Loans for starting up shops<br />
** A no-reply list-serve<br />
* An 'umbrella' organization goes against many principles that are held by most shops however a 'helping hand' organization that acts as a third party to facilitate to spread of knowledge and possibly funds would likely not.<br />
* To improve the wiki it will take some active moderating and contacting of individuals.<br />
* The wiki is difficult to navigate so it should be reorganized<br />
* Bikecollectives.org is not serving any other purpose other than providing the wiki.<br />
* The [[Think Tank]] is too much for many to handle, there are too many emails about things that many don't care about.<br />
* Godwin promised to contact the current owners of bikevollectives.org to see if improvements could be made.<br />
* Adding increased moderation of the wiki will be looked into<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working with relationships ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
= Contact =<br />
* [[Bike!Bike!]] website: http://www.bikebike.org<br />
* [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|The Bike Cave]]'s website: http://thebikecave.org<br />
* Email: [mailto:bikebike2011@gmail.com bikebike2011@gmail.com]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Bike!Bike!]]</div>Sharperhttps://wiki2.bikelover.org/wiki/index.php?title=Bike!Bike!_2011&diff=11343Bike!Bike! 20112011-07-14T22:34:26Z<p>Sharper: /* Notes */</p>
<hr />
<div>'''Bike!Bike! 2011''' was held in San Marcos, Texas; hosted by [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|The Bike Cave]] and [[The San Marcos Community Bike Project]]. It took place from June 23-26th, 2011.[[File:bikebikebike2a.jpg|thumb]]<br />
<br />
==Summary==<br />
<br />
= Schedule =<br />
== As published ==<br />
{|border="0" align="left" style="text-align:left;"<br />
!scope="row" width="20%" colspan="2"| Wednesday, June 22<br />
|-<br />
|1:00-6:00pm||Pick up a loaner bike (if you're staying the night in Austin) at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|2:00pm - 6:00pm||Open house at UT's Orange Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|6:00 -10:00pm||Open house at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|11:00pm||Open house at Movemint Bike Cab Co. Shop (1301 east 4th street) <br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Thursday, June 23<br />
|-<br />
|11:00am - 1:00pm||Pick up your loaner bike (if you've just arrived in Austin) at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|1:00pm||Group ride from Austin's Yellow Bike Project to San Marcos (there will be a truck to take your things to San Marcos)<br />
|-<br />
|12:00 - 8:00pm||Check-In at San Marcos Public Library ($25 - $45, pay what you can, nobody will be turned away for lack of funds. Pick up your loaner bike and housing arraignments)<br />
|-<br />
|2:00 - 8:00pm||Fix up your bike at The Bike Cave<br />
|-<br />
|7:00 - 8:00pm||Welcome / Speak up & speak out!<br />
|-<br />
|8:00pm - 10:00pm||Casual welcome dinner at City / Plaza Park with music by Mariachi Nueva Generacion<br />
|-<br />
|9:30pm||A screening of "Dudey Free Zone: Women's and Transgender Bike Spaces" plus other short bike-related films. At The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Friday, June 24<br />
|-<br />
|8:00am - 1:00pm||Check-In continued for those who get here late at The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|1:00 - 2:30pm||Lunch<br />
|-<br />
|2:30 - 4:00pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|8:00pm - 9:00pm||The future of Bike! Bike! - a discussion to figure out where we're heading, and how we're getting there. A preview of which project(s) are interested in hosting in 2012.<br />
|-<br />
|7:00pm - 10:30pm||Bike polo on top of Speck Street Parking Garage (there will be a group ride leaving from Rio Vista at 6:00pm)<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 -11:00pm||Concert at The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Saturday, June 25<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|1:00 - 2:30pm||Lunch<br />
|-<br />
|2:30 - 4:00pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|9:00pm - 12:00am||BIKE! RIDE! BIKE! RIDE!<br />
|-<br />
|12:00am - ???||Dance party<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Sunday, June 26<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30 - 11:00am||Workshops / final brainstorm<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 1:00pm||Closing meeting, Bike! Bike! 2012 discussion<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
== Workshops schedule ==<br />
{|border="1" align="left" style="text-align:left; border: 1px solid Black;" width="100%"<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Friday, June 24||Yoga Center || The Bike Cave || Sodatooth || Go 2 Danz || Library large room || Library small room || The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am|| || [[#Acquiring a permanent space]] || [[#Mobile Repair Clinic]] || || || ||<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm|| || [[#Managing social rides to promote bicycling]] || || [[#Bike touring]] || || ||<br />
|-<br />
|2:30pm - 4:00pm||[[#Teaching & learning styles]] || [[#Integrating bikes into the university fabric]] || || [[#Working in under-privileged communities]] || || ||<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm|| ||[[#Basics of the nonprofit sector and organizational form]] || || [[#Women and Transgender shop hours]] || || ||<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Saturday, June 25||Yoga Center || The Bike Cave || Sodatooth || Go 2 Danz || Library large room || Library small room || The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am|| || [[#Bike 101]]|| [[#Volunteer orientation]] || [[#Acro yoga]] || || || [[#Green space tour]]<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm|| || [[#Working with relationships]] || || [[#Working Together]] || || [[#Utilizing free open-source software]] ||<br />
|-<br />
|2:30pm - 4:00pm|| [[#Battlefield: Consensus]] || || || [[#Weather? What weather? (winter)]] || [[#Software developers exchange]] || [[#Please be kind to cyclists]] ||<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm|| [[#Analyzing work flows]] || [[#Recycled bike art]] || || || [[#Classes, Workshops, Space]] || ||<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Sunday, June 26||Yoga Center || The Bike Cave || Sodatooth || Go 2 Danz || Library large room || Library small room || The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am|| [[#Managing expectations of a cooperative bike shop]] || || || [[#Weather? What weather? (summer)]] || [[#Confronting car culture]] || || <br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 1:00pm|| || || || || [[#Closing discussion - Bike!Bike! 2012]] || || <br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
= Workshops =<br />
== Green space tour ==<br />
A bike tour of San Marcos green spaces<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Acquiring a permanent space ==<br />
Acquiring a permanent space instead of renting, working with the city for land or a building, fund-raising and micro-loans<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Acro yoga ==<br />
Skillshare<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Analyzing work flows ==<br />
Analyzing work flows within a bike project: setting up committees and more effective follow-up. How to reduce "ball droppage". Held at 4:30 PM on Saturday, June 25, 2011, at the Community Yoga Center.<br />
<br />
Facilitated by Susan of [[Third Hand Bicycle Cooperative]] in Columbus, Ohio.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Often in collectives, everyone will be off doing their own thing. This can lead to some jobs being repeated and others falling through the cracks. To combat this, it's helpful to identify all the processes at work in the collective, whether they deal with inputs to the collective, actions within the shop, or outputs leaving the collective.<br />
<br />
Third Hand streamlined their procedures by identifying all of the processes involved in handling this inputs and outputs. The frequency and nature of each task was discussed, and jobs were fit together as appropriate. Collections of jobs are given to various task forces, each empowered to deal with their issue without approval from the Board or the overarching Collective and charged with developing the policies that guide the completion of those tasks. The identification of tasks alone took half a day.<br />
<br />
To deal with the problem of one volunteer doing all of one job and leaving the organization without institutional knowledge, it was suggested to pick a primary and secondary person responsible for getting the job done. Another method would be to assign jobs at the beginning of each month, so that tasks get spread around more widely. Neither approach means that the person assigned has to do the task; they may delegate the task, they're just responsible for making sure it happens.<br />
<br />
Those assigned a job should make a short report back at a general meeting as to their success or failure. This helps the group know that necessary work is being accomplished and provides an avenue for new volunteers to find work. Since it's nearly impossible to penalize volunteers, enforcement has to be kept positive. In the case of an incomplete job, the group should ask why the job was not finished, and whether there was sufficient support from the group. Any remediation can be simply done by a reconstituted task force given a mandate to fix the problems.<br />
<br />
In Third Hand's experience, some jobs like outreach and volunteer coordination are best considered as "alternative shifts" -- as crucial as a regular shift, but handled in a radically different way.<br />
<br />
==== Examples ====<br />
Sample inputs, from the workshop:<br />
* Mail<br />
* Phone calls<br />
* E-mail<br />
* Donations (cash or stuff)<br />
* Visitors<br />
* Packages and deliveries<br />
* Complaints<br />
* Volunteer labor<br />
<br />
Sample inside tasks:<br />
* Cleaning<br />
* Tool ordering<br />
* Inventory<br />
* Budgeting<br />
* Parts sorting<br />
* Scheduling<br />
* Tracking<br />
* Sales<br />
<br />
Sample outputs:<br />
* Bikes<br />
* Knowledge<br />
* Rent/utilities<br />
* Media<br />
* Mobile units<br />
* Volunteer appreciation<br />
* Newsletters/flyers<br />
* Mail and e-mail<br />
* Tax returns<br />
* Deposits<br />
<br />
Sample task forces:<br />
* Finances (Sales, Budgeting, Bill Payment)<br />
* Tool and parts orders<br />
* Community relations<br />
* Volunteer coordination<br />
* IT/Tech<br />
* Outreach<br />
* Conflict resolution<br />
<br />
Processes can be determined by looking at the inputs. For Mail, mail would be picked up and sorted to give to the appropriate group (finance, outreach, ordering, etc.). The time frame for mail would be "every open shop".<br />
<br />
=== Unfinished ===<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Basics of the nonprofit sector and organizational form ==<br />
=== Details ===<br />
Held on Friday, June 24, at the [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|Bike Cave]].<br />
<br />
Facilitated by Charles from the [[Bloomington Community Bike Project]].<br />
<br />
Topics were determined by the participants at the beginning of the workshop and ran across a wide spectrum of general information on nonprofit management.<br />
<br />
=== General notes ===<br />
In 2006, the U.S. IRS published a rule requiring some sort of reporting as to an organization's status, even if it was just a postcard sent in. A number of small nonprofits lost their exemption for not following this rule.<br />
<br />
It is important to have a way to evaluate an organization's performance as it relates to its mission.<br />
<br />
Every organization needs a statutory agent -- someone who can sign for the organization and provides the IRS with "a throat to choke" if things go downhill.<br />
<br />
Meeting minutes have to be kept. Google Docs and a local wiki are both good resources, allowing necessary modifications. One organization had a lot of success keeping an internet-enabled computer in meetings, transcribing in realtime, and e-mailing the attendees immediately.<br />
<br />
Most states and regions have nonprofit resource centers and many libraries have nonprofit guides. Use them as best you can. If a resource provides facilitation training, it is usually worth it to send members. <br />
<br />
==== Fundraising opportunities ====<br />
Contract work can provide a good revenue source for a shop, but organizations must be careful that the contract closely matches the organization's priorities. It does little good to spend volunteer or paid staff time on special work that doesn't help the organization much. Grants can be a similar resource sink; the best grants are those that give you money for doing what you do. Always be prepared to walk away from a grant or a contract.<br />
<br />
When searching for grants, it helps to have a relationship with a grant writer. Be sure to look beyond bicycle-specific grants, too; a lot of bike collective work can fall under categories like sustainability, health, or ecology.<br />
<br />
==== Why to incorporate ====<br />
Small shops can skirt by without incorporation, but setting up a nonprofit brings a few major benefits.<br />
<br />
Incorporation makes it easier to get insurance and liability coverage, protecting volunteers in case of lawsuits. Incorporated nonprofits can also receive tax-deductible donations, avoid income taxes, and are in a better position to compete for grants and fundraising.<br />
<br />
==== Setup ====<br />
The constitution, bylaws, and policies were described as different facets of how to organize a nonprofit's structure.<br />
<br />
The ''constitution'' itself should be short -- little more than a mission statement and a prominent mention of the organization's tax exempt status.<br />
<br />
The ''bylaws'' should ratify the organization's best practices. As they are a legal document governing the organization, they should be concise and flexible and avoid dictating specific policies. Try to write in what should happen -- what the shop can do, what someone should expect when their come in, and so on, without saying how to accomplish those goals. Well-written bylaws also allow anyone reviewing them to see whether the organization is keeping true to its promises and offer an opportunity to change course if things go bad.<br />
<br />
All details about how to actually run the shop and organization belong in the ''policies and procedures''. <br />
<br />
==== [[Bicycle Kitchen (Los Angeles)|L.A. Bike Kitchen]] overview ====<br />
Arlen from the Los Angeles Bike Kitchen summarized how their organization is set up.<br />
<br />
The Bike Kitchen has three volunteer levels. Shadows graduate to volunteers once they've completed a general knowledge worksheet. Volunteers that work four shifts a month (about 12 hours) and do something extra special for the organization can then move up to "cook".<br />
<br />
There are four quarterly "cooks" meetings, run under supermajority consensus rules, utilizing an outside (and objective) facilitator. There is also one annual camp held with a paid outside facilitator. Board meetings are held monthly with a rotating facilitator chosen from the group.<br />
<br />
Day-to-day operations and policies are handled by "gruppos"; ad hoc autonomous committees with specific charters. These committees are not required to accept input from anyone else. Presumably, anyone with strong feelings on, for example, what tools to order, would sit on the ordering gruppo.<br />
<br />
Example gruppos:<br />
* Finance<br />
* Ordering<br />
* Operations (as related to bike projects)<br />
* "Smooth shifting" -- ergonomics and accessibility<br />
* Volunteer coordination<br />
* Neighbor relations<br />
* "Space exploration" -- researching a new shop location<br />
<br />
There was no built-in accountability measures; everything just worked.<br />
<br />
== Battlefield: Consensus ==<br />
Decision making - the good, the bad, and the ugly. A reprise of 2010's Battlefield: Consensus.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Bike 101 ==<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Bike touring ==<br />
What to take, how to pack, where to sleep and eat, and of course, where to go.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Classes, Workshops, Space ==<br />
Doing Meaningful Outreach with Communities in Your Neighborhood.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
<br />
'''How do you programs “translate” in your/near by communities?”'''<br />
<br />
<br />
How are you defining “Community”?<br />
<br />
How inclusive is your space? How Accessible?<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Lava Monsters of Death (these will hold you back, don’t let them!)'''<br />
<br />
<br />
Using excessive “they” “them” or “those people”<br />
<br />
Assuming people know what you know.<br />
<br />
Assuming people are intentionally (behaving/acting) being fucked up<br />
<br />
Confusing critiques/analysis of behaviour dynamics as vicious existential personal attacks of Doom against you, yes you! <br />
<br />
<br />
'''Success Stories of Workshops that help out reach to under privileged communities.'''<br />
<br />
Multi language bike mechanics, teach english or learn spanish at the same time as teaching bike mechanics, <br />
<br />
<br />
Get Doctors to prescribe bike riding, get them to send people to your collective.<br />
<br />
<br />
Organize group rides that tie in a neighborhood’s resources that are not well used, go to farmer’s markets, put baskets on bikes.<br />
<br />
<br />
Safe routes to schools has been successful in getting more kids to ride.<br />
<br />
<br />
Find teachers who are bike sympathetic.<br />
<br />
<br />
Canvas the neighborhood, knock door to door, flyer (tear offs work well), bring tools to fix flats, mobil bike repair!<br />
<br />
<br />
Get in contact with a neighborhood organization, they often don’t have websites, you can find them sometimes through the police department.<br />
<br />
<br />
Be wary of giving “big free give away!” if you don’t have enough, it can create a weird and tense atmosphere.<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Closing discussion - Bike!Bike! 2012 ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Confronting car culture ==<br />
Dealing with dominant culture on a personal level and effecting cultural shift.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== How the City of San Marcos, Texas bicycle map was created ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Managing expectations of a cooperative bike shop ==<br />
How to manage expectations and orient new people quickly to the cooperative shop environment<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Integrating bikes into the university fabric ==<br />
Integrating bikes into the university fabric via student and staff collaboration<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Managing social rides to promote bicycling ==<br />
From fringe to mainstream: how social cycling can ... and make our cities better<br />
=== Details ===<br />
Held at 11:15 AM on Friday, June 24 at the Bike Cave.<br />
Elliott McFadden of [http://austinontwowheels.org/ Austin on Two Wheels] and Violet Crown Cycles started by describing his views of cycling promotion and two methods seen in Austin of directly working to get people riding bikes. After this, he answered questions in a general discussion format.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
==== Failures in bicycle promotion ====<br />
Elliot identified two somewhat conflicting methods of increasing cycling from the cycling industry and from political advocacy.<br />
* Industry: Bicycle sales in the U.S. have remained stagnant over since the 1970s, despite significant growth in population. To increase sales, the bicycle industry has focused on making bikes more niche -- selling new bikes to their existing market.<br />
* Advocacy: Advocates lobby decision makers for better infrastructure, but do so without growing a grassroots bicycle population or establishing cycling within the community.<br />
Until bicycling is seen as a normal community behavior, bicyclists will continue to be classified by convenient stereotypes, like the spandex/carbon weekend warrior, the hipster scofflaw, and the sanctimonious environmentalist.<br />
==== Strategy ====<br />
Defining "regime" as an interconnected group of businesses and leaders with a common world view, Elliott noted that the current regime is in favor of growing consumption and fossil fuel use. At the national level, this means the oil and auto industries. At the local level, it includes developers, auto dealers, and news entities, whose future profits depend on growth. Tellingly, 30% of all ad revenue for media entities comes from car companies.<br />
Regime change must then be the goal of a bicycle promoter. Find negative ways to describe the current regime (dirty, expensive, destructive, long travel times in cars) and positive ways to describe the desired regime (healthy, thrifty, sustainable, quality family time). Form partnerships with businesses and organizations that can benefit from a new regime.<br />
==== Social cycling ====<br />
To replace the negative stereotypes of bicyclists, it is important to develop an atmosphere that encourages riding by more members of the community. Bicycling should be made to be more comfortable -- no races, no work-outs, regular clothes, open to everyone. The joys of being out, riding with regular people, should be paramount. <br />
Commuting is often a big sell by industry and advocates; it allows shops to sell specialized "commuter" bicycles and advocates to focus on connecting routes, but as a sales point, it has two crippling problems: nobody likes to go to work, and most people go to work alone. Instead, social cycling should be a focus: just get many people together to ride bikes. Austin has two models that work in tandem: Social Cycling Austin and Austin on Two Wheels, an "affiliated business concept".<br />
===== Social Cycling Austin =====<br />
Social Cycling Austin is a volunteer production started two years ago as a free ride -- participants just show up for a weekly social ride, drawing 200-300 riders on average and as many as 500. It partners with local businesses, usually a bar or restaurant, and rides with traffic, not against it.<br />
This model is easy to start (it just requires two people) and its open structure makes it accessible to all. It doesn't have to be affiliated with any business, so it can work with and for everyone. Because of its loose nature, it's easy to change what doesn't work or even dismantle the ride. It doesn't need any investment to start up, as most organizing can be done through social networks and guerrilla marketing.<br />
Unfortunately, it also has no control over who shows up, making it difficult to deal with troublemakers and easy for the ride to grow beyond the capacity of the leaders or prevent the ride from being co-opted by other organizations. A focus on bars as a final destination also makes it easy for this sort of ride to turn into a "booze cruise", adding additional challenges to the organization and often depressing its ability to draw women riders. Additionally, it is easy for organizing volunteers to burn out and the undefined liability might cause problems in case of injury.<br />
===== Affiliated Business Concept =====<br />
In an affiliated business concept, the rides are run as a business, usually as smaller fee-based rides than as large-scale free-for-alls.<br />
Because a business controls the ride, it's possible to tailor rides for specific demographics; women, families, suburbanites, etc. It's also easier to get different business partners and variety in the ride -- restaurants may provide food and drink samples, galleries may partner for art rides, or retail establishments for shopping rides. A business is also better able to provide a clear line of liability in case of accident and maintain a paid staff of ride leaders and organizers to provide a higher level of service. Austin on Two Wheels, for example, capped rides at 50 participants and provided one ride leader for every ten people to watch over unlocked bikes and help keep rides safe.<br />
This concept also carries some challenges. Partners must be committed to growth; it can take 18-24 months for the concept to turn a sustainable profit and its longer-term viability has not been tested, though it may be a reasonable loss leader for a bike shop. It also limits partnerships to a single member of each sector; one bike shop, one newspaper, or one boutique. The clear line of liability also means that the operating business has insurance requirements to carry and will likely have to enforce helmet use.<br />
==== Discussion ====<br />
Both rides appeal to different people, but the demographics of the riders were mostly white, though unintentionally so. For the open social rides, this was because the ride started from one social circle and its business preferences. For the paid rides, this was because they were seeking sustainable income. Since bicycles seen as a lesser mode of transportation in impoverished communities and represent gentrification, it can be difficult to promote them, though groups like the Major Taylor Group are trying to increase African American ridership. Either way, more racially diverse ride leadership should help diversify rider participation.<br />
Other problems with social cycling rides were identified. It's easy for the ride's somewhat high turnover to give it over to more aggressive cycling, and efforts to rein it in can be paternalistic.<br />
Responses to paid rides were overwhelmingly positive. Of 300 participants, 60% were women, and every ride had a bicyclist that had not ridden at all in the past year. Of survey respondents, 85% loved the ride, 97% would do it again, and 84% were more likely to revisit the participating businesses. No complaints were received of the ride being too fast, and the complaints of 1/3 of the respondents that the ride was too slow were dismissed. As for distance, the longest single ride was 10 miles and the longest single stretch was five miles, but most rides were just a few miles in stretches of two miles or less at a 10-12 mph pace. <br />
The high ratio of leaders to participants of the paid rides helped keep them very well organized. Walkie-talkies were given to the front and back leaders and other riders would circulate through the ride, keeping riders lined up, directing traffic at intersections, and encouraging the ride to behave well in regards to other users. It helped that the Austin Police Department was non-reactionary, so there was no backlash from law enforcement.<br />
Paid rides started with an intro of the leaders and the participants signing of a waiver stating they knew the rules of the road and agreed to follow ride leader instructions.<br />
Marketing was done through their own website, and partnering businesses were encouraged to do their own promotion as well. It was emphasized that time, rather than distance, was mentioned in all promotions. Though a six mile ride would take about 30 minutes, 30 minutes seemed like an easier ride than six miles. Ride classifications were right out; letter-assignments mean nothing to the new riders being targeted.<br />
Hurting businesses were suggested as rich prospects, as a few dozen potential customers can be enticing. Visits to any business should be during slow hours, though, to minimize disruption to regular services and provide customers when the business would be otherwise idle -- restaurants on Saturday afternoons are a good example. <br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Mobile Repair Clinic ==<br />
Held at 9:30 AM on Friday, June 24, at Sodatooth art gallery. Operating a mobile on-the-go repair clinic through the city and community organizations.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
The original facilitator did not show up for this workshop but the intent was fairly self evident by the name of the workshop. It was begun with a go-around and then by asking the question 'who currently operates a mobile repair unit?'<br />
The [[Bike Cage]] from Winnipeg told us that they began as a purely mobile shop until they had enough resources and a space to operate from a permanent location. The [[Bike Root]] from Calgary told us that the opposite was true for them, they began with a full shop but after losing their space, kept operations going by setting up in various locations on their campus and around town.<br />
==== To fix or not? Where do you draw the line? ====<br />
There were various answers to this question, some shops will only fix flats and minor brake and gear issues. Others were willing to fix anything as long as the tools were available. Arguments for the former included<br />
* lack of proper tools<br />
* lack of more advanced tools or replacement parts in case anything went wrong<br />
* lack of knowledge / trust in the knowledge of some casual volunteers that might attend a mobile repair clinic<br />
* some provide more hand on repair for mobile units to decrease liability in case a bike owner injures themselves but providing more complicated repairs ourselves increases liability in case the owner injures themselves on their bike afterwards.<br />
and for the latter:<br />
* We should do our best to get more bikes fixed and on the road<br />
* We're confident in our skills<br />
* The worst thing that might happen is that a bike that wasn't on the road is now still not on the road<br />
* We make bike owners fix their bikes themselves so we are not liable<br />
==== Other services ====<br />
In addition to offering minor repairs, the Bike Cage's mobile unit doubles as a bike valet service. There was no elaboration on how the system works.<br />
==== Getting the message across that a mobile tune tent is not a fully functioning tent ====<br />
It seemed to be a common problem that when individuals in the community would hear about a free tune-up possibility, they would often bring in bikes that need repairs far beyond what could be done at a tune tent. It was suggested to avoid this, advertise as "light bike repair".<br />
==== Who holds the tools? ====<br />
We had a discussion about if the volunteer should fix the bike for the owner or provide the owner with the tools and teach how to fix the bike hands-off. Whether or not tools were handed to the bike owner, teaching at least by the volunteer explaining what he or she was doing seemed to be the norm. The issues behind whether or not to let the owner fix the bike seemed to be liability dependent on both sides. If the volunteer fixes the bike, the shop becomes liable if the bike causes injury down the road while normally the bike owner has not signed a liability waiver to use the tools, so the shop could be liable if they hurt themselves while repairing their bike.<br />
==== Ride or drive? ====<br />
We had a discussion on whether or not to drive the equipment to the location or use a trailer. No one seemed to be passionate for either but there are a lot of options out there for trailers big and small. [[Fargo Moorhead Community Bicycle Workshop|Fargo]] rides with a huge 4x6 trailer.<br />
==== Off topic discussion ====<br />
The conversation went off topic many times but did produce a few interesting ideas:<br />
* [[The Orioles Bike Cage|Winnipeg]] uses a punch card, much like one you would find a a coffee shop or fast food location, to punch out skills that a volunteer has learned. Once the card is completely punched the volunteer can start fixing bikes for others.<br />
* While discussing how to get enough replacement parts, another bike shop told us they provide local bike shops with barrels which the shops can use to put parts that are still usable but would otherwise throw away. The barrels would be picked up and emptied at regular intervals. This shop did not have a problem finding parts when needed as a result.<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Please be kind to cyclists ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Recycled bike art ==<br />
Turning garbage into gold.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
<br />
[[File:Bike Craft - Tube Shoe Laces.pdf|200px|thumb|left|alt text]]<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Software developers exchange ==<br />
Projects being worked on, have worked on, or areas they (you) are interested / skilled in.<br />
<br />
Held Saturday, June 25, at 2:30 PM at the San Marcos Public Library.<br />
<br />
Facilitated by [[User:Godwin|Godwin]] of [[The Bike Root]] in Calgary.<br />
<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Participants briefly described their technical experience, specifically any coding projects and languages they've used. A few participants were experienced programmers; most were interested in learning or helping a project in other ways like documentation and testing.<br />
[[Austin Yellow Bike Project]]'s tracking code was discussed and briefly compared to the [[Bike Kitchen (San Francisco, CA, USA)|San Francisco Bicycle Kitchen]]'s Freehub software.<br />
<br />
The Yellow Bike Project released their code for public use, and it was noted that SLC had already made a Joomla plugin. The YBP software was also demonstrated live at the workshop.<br />
<br />
Steve of [[Fargo Moorhead Community Bicycle Workshop|Fargo]] and Godwin were (or soon will be) working on independent applications, but the general consensus coalesced around a few ideals.<br />
<br />
Any software development push should be oriented towards a web-based solution for the greatest ease in rolling out across various platforms, though it would make it more difficult to install as a software package and could lead to data security and access problems if provided as a hosting service, as SFBK does with Freehub. Additionally, this software should start with one shop in order to develop one full set of features. All features should be written as plugins to a basic core, allowing features to be added as required by various shops.<br />
Yellow Bike Project's software may make a suitable core for such a push.<br />
<br />
A general wishlist was hashed out, in no particular order:<br />
* Work-trade management<br />
* Granular volunteer time tracking<br />
* Varied reporting options<br />
* Donation tracking<br />
* Bike and inventory tracking (including completion of projects)<br />
* Visitor tracking<br />
* Communications options (e-mail lists, contacting expiring memberships)<br />
* Sales tracking (though not point-of-sale)<br />
* Volunteer skill tracking<br />
<br />
== Teaching & learning styles ==<br />
Teaching & learning styles in community bike shops; a discussion about different approaches, what works and what doesn't work as well<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== The future of Bike! Bike! ==<br />
Where are we going and how are we going to get there? Also, a quick (but no-decisions-made) discussion about where Bike! Bike! will be held in 2012 (that will be decided during the final meeting on Sunday, June 26).<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Utilizing free open-source software ==<br />
Operating systems and work documents to benefit your project.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Despite "charity" pricing for software packages from major publishers like Microsoft and Adobe, some software is priced beyond the range of a co-operative's budget, or would be used to infrequently as to make a purchase pointless.<br />
Fortunately, the open source community has responded with a number of free replacements for major software, including for the operating system itself. Most of these packages can be found in [[Computer Resources]].<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Volunteer orientation ==<br />
Addressing safe space concerns, and a conversation about empowering and maintaining a committed volunteer base<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Weather? What weather? (summer) ==<br />
How you and your bike can survive the heat<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Weather? What weather? (winter) ==<br />
How you and your bike can survive the cold<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Women and Transgender shop hours ==<br />
Policies, Politics, Allies<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working in under-privileged communities ==<br />
Working in under-privileged communities: challenges and opportunities<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Facilitators:<br />
<br />
[[Bike Kitchen]]/[[La Bici Digna]] (Arlen) and [[Bikerowave]]/[[Bici Libre]] (Bobby):<br />
<br />
<br />
Keep your eyes on the prize (don’t forget why you’re doing this, don’t let your limitations stop you)<br />
<br />
<br />
Dynamics in work space an issue, (shop isn’t located in the right place) <br />
<br />
-try mobile workshop?<br />
La Bici Digna started with a mobil work shop at the day labor center working with City of Lights. <br />
<br />
<br />
Low community buyin? <br />
<br />
-try partnering w/ another organization that organizes in “that” community. (try contacting a country’s embassy to let them know you exist, find out what communities you want to encourage and talk to the leaders in that community) <br />
<br />
<br />
Not enough Resources?<br />
<br />
-try seeing groups that are stoked, already active.<br />
<br />
<br />
Chill out. Be Patient (It takes time to build up trust and awareness of your resource.)<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Stories:'''<br />
<br />
Bici Libre got a free space to house abandoned bikes. They seek to provide a space where people can learn job skills and leadership skills. They have a list of activities that can be done by non-bike mechanic volunteers. Group jobs such as cleaning parts or cutting tubes can be really good for some cultures who will enjoy the communal experience. It’s important to talk to the poeple you are trying to engage to ask them what they want to contribute, or what they want to get out of it.<br />
<br />
<br />
Sometimes the way we think the bicycle collective “should” run is not the way some under privileged communities want to run their own. Often, people will want to start a for-profit shop. It’s important to not get stuck in your ideas, to learn also how to communicate in another person’s language. You can use the terms they know, even if it’s the “wrong” term, whats important is that you both get on the same page. There’s a reason you are trying to engage a different dynamic in the bike shop, you should be willing to learn from new people, not just try to tell them what/how to do. <br />
<br />
<br />
'''Multi lingual bike diagram:'''<br />
<br />
La Bici Digna had a poster of a bike with lines to all the parts. They asked their participant to write on posted notes the names of the parts of the bike that they knew. With all the many dialects present, the digram ended up having four names for nearly every part. <br />
<br />
<br />
Denver’s [[The Bike Depot]] works with [Big Brother] and [Big Sister]. They are then able to pay for kids to volunteer.<br />
<br />
<br />
Lots of collectives have earn a bike programs, or free bikes to people on welfare.<br />
<br />
<br />
One collective got a high school student credit for volunteering at the shop.<br />
<br />
Another works directly with Refugee camps.<br />
<br />
<br />
'''How do you deal with theft?''' - Story from the [[Bike Kitchen]]<br />
<br />
The bike kitchen experienced a wave of theft. Bikes were being stolen right out side the shop, and also, many 15mm wrenches and other tools which might assist in bicycle theft. At first they were completely worried and frustrated that they were possibly assisting in that theft. But what they hadn’t expected was that this wave of bicycle theft resulted in the creation of a bike scene in the surrounding neighborhoods. The exact people who they were trying to get into the shop, trying to foster interest in the bicycle as a mode of transportation, started riding bikes. “It just wasn’t on our terms.” - Arlen ([[Bike Kitchen]]/[[La Bici Digna]])<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Workshop continues in [[#Classes, Workshops, Space]]<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working Together ==<br />
Increasing Inter-Organization Collaboration. The intention of this workshop was to talk about all of the ways in which we as bicycle collectives of different sorts who run our services in many different ways, can share our experiences, successes, failures, and tangible output in order to help other collectives both start and continue to thrive.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
[[User:Godwin|Godwin]] directed this workshop while [[Bob Wolfe]] facilitated in providing a speakers list. A large sheet of paper was used to help keep visible notes, at the end of the discussion the notes were the following:<br />
* '''Current Tools'''<br />
** [[BOOP]]<br />
** [[Bike!Bike!]]<br />
** [[Think Tank]]<br />
** [[Bike Collectives Network]]<br />
** [[Bike Collectives Wiki]]<br />
** Various collaborative tools such as our Google Docs list of organizations and Google Maps visualization of orgs across North America<br />
* '''What we need these tools for'''<br />
** Learn how to start a collective<br />
** Learn how to continue running a collective<br />
** Find example documents<br />
*** Volunteer Privileges<br />
*** Todo for new volunteers<br />
*** Financials<br />
*** Fliers<br />
*** Curricula<br />
*** Manuals<br />
*** 501c and not-for-profit forms<br />
*** Tool lists<br />
*** Inventory<br />
*** Price guide<br />
*** Mission statement<br />
*** Bylaws<br />
*** Safe space<br />
*** Legal documents<br />
*** Letters for grant writing<br />
** Find out how other organizations run their various programmes<br />
** Partner with other organizations<br />
* '''Brainstorming Ideas which could help'''<br />
** A Bike!Bike! Wiki<br />
** Have more involved wiki moderators who will make suggestions for improvements<br />
** News feed on wiki<br />
** Email individuals to improve pages<br />
** New list-serve other than the [[Think Tank]] which can be used for these emails<br />
** More list-serves for different purposes<br />
** Online Forums<br />
** Request documents, pages, and improvements once a year or at other regular intervals<br />
** Rid the wiki of closed shops<br />
** RSS feeds on the wiki<br />
** Separate blog or paper news<br />
** Paypal donations on [[BCN]] or the wiki<br />
** An umbrella or 'helping hand' organization<br />
** A seed fund<br />
** Micro Loans for starting up shops<br />
** A no-reply list-serve<br />
* An 'umbrella' organization goes against many principles that are held by most shops however a 'helping hand' organization that acts as a third party to facilitate to spread of knowledge and possibly funds would likely not.<br />
* To improve the wiki it will take some active moderating and contacting of individuals.<br />
* The wiki is difficult to navigate so it should be reorganized<br />
* Bikecollectives.org is not serving any other purpose other than providing the wiki.<br />
* The [[Think Tank]] is too much for many to handle, there are too many emails about things that many don't care about.<br />
* Godwin promised to contact the current owners of bikevollectives.org to see if improvements could be made.<br />
* Adding increased moderation of the wiki will be looked into<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working with relationships ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
= Contact =<br />
* [[Bike!Bike!]] website: http://www.bikebike.org<br />
* [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|The Bike Cave]]'s website: http://thebikecave.org<br />
* Email: [mailto:bikebike2011@gmail.com bikebike2011@gmail.com]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Bike!Bike!]]</div>Sharperhttps://wiki2.bikelover.org/wiki/index.php?title=Bike!Bike!_2011&diff=11342Bike!Bike! 20112011-07-14T22:29:10Z<p>Sharper: /* Analyzing work flows */</p>
<hr />
<div>'''Bike!Bike! 2011''' was held in San Marcos, Texas; hosted by [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|The Bike Cave]] and [[The San Marcos Community Bike Project]]. It took place from June 23-26th, 2011.[[File:bikebikebike2a.jpg|thumb]]<br />
<br />
==Summary==<br />
<br />
= Schedule =<br />
== As published ==<br />
{|border="0" align="left" style="text-align:left;"<br />
!scope="row" width="20%" colspan="2"| Wednesday, June 22<br />
|-<br />
|1:00-6:00pm||Pick up a loaner bike (if you're staying the night in Austin) at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|2:00pm - 6:00pm||Open house at UT's Orange Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|6:00 -10:00pm||Open house at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|11:00pm||Open house at Movemint Bike Cab Co. Shop (1301 east 4th street) <br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Thursday, June 23<br />
|-<br />
|11:00am - 1:00pm||Pick up your loaner bike (if you've just arrived in Austin) at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|1:00pm||Group ride from Austin's Yellow Bike Project to San Marcos (there will be a truck to take your things to San Marcos)<br />
|-<br />
|12:00 - 8:00pm||Check-In at San Marcos Public Library ($25 - $45, pay what you can, nobody will be turned away for lack of funds. Pick up your loaner bike and housing arraignments)<br />
|-<br />
|2:00 - 8:00pm||Fix up your bike at The Bike Cave<br />
|-<br />
|7:00 - 8:00pm||Welcome / Speak up & speak out!<br />
|-<br />
|8:00pm - 10:00pm||Casual welcome dinner at City / Plaza Park with music by Mariachi Nueva Generacion<br />
|-<br />
|9:30pm||A screening of "Dudey Free Zone: Women's and Transgender Bike Spaces" plus other short bike-related films. At The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Friday, June 24<br />
|-<br />
|8:00am - 1:00pm||Check-In continued for those who get here late at The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|1:00 - 2:30pm||Lunch<br />
|-<br />
|2:30 - 4:00pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|8:00pm - 9:00pm||The future of Bike! Bike! - a discussion to figure out where we're heading, and how we're getting there. A preview of which project(s) are interested in hosting in 2012.<br />
|-<br />
|7:00pm - 10:30pm||Bike polo on top of Speck Street Parking Garage (there will be a group ride leaving from Rio Vista at 6:00pm)<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 -11:00pm||Concert at The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Saturday, June 25<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|1:00 - 2:30pm||Lunch<br />
|-<br />
|2:30 - 4:00pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|9:00pm - 12:00am||BIKE! RIDE! BIKE! RIDE!<br />
|-<br />
|12:00am - ???||Dance party<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Sunday, June 26<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30 - 11:00am||Workshops / final brainstorm<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 1:00pm||Closing meeting, Bike! Bike! 2012 discussion<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
== Workshops schedule ==<br />
{|border="1" align="left" style="text-align:left; border: 1px solid Black;" width="100%"<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Friday, June 24||Yoga Center || The Bike Cave || Sodatooth || Go 2 Danz || Library large room || Library small room || The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am|| || [[#Acquiring a permanent space]] || [[#Mobile Repair Clinic]] || || || ||<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm|| || [[#Managing social rides to promote bicycling]] || || [[#Bike touring]] || || ||<br />
|-<br />
|2:30pm - 4:00pm||[[#Teaching & learning styles]] || [[#Integrating bikes into the university fabric]] || || [[#Working in under-privileged communities]] || || ||<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm|| ||[[#Basics of the nonprofit sector and organizational form]] || || [[#Women and Transgender shop hours]] || || ||<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Saturday, June 25||Yoga Center || The Bike Cave || Sodatooth || Go 2 Danz || Library large room || Library small room || The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am|| || [[#Bike 101]]|| [[#Volunteer orientation]] || [[#Acro yoga]] || || || [[#Green space tour]]<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm|| || [[#Working with relationships]] || || [[#Working Together]] || || [[#Utilizing free open-source software]] ||<br />
|-<br />
|2:30pm - 4:00pm|| [[#Battlefield: Consensus]] || || || [[#Weather? What weather? (winter)]] || [[#Software developers exchange]] || [[#Please be kind to cyclists]] ||<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm|| [[#Analyzing work flows]] || [[#Recycled bike art]] || || || [[#Classes, Workshops, Space]] || ||<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Sunday, June 26||Yoga Center || The Bike Cave || Sodatooth || Go 2 Danz || Library large room || Library small room || The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am|| [[#Managing expectations of a cooperative bike shop]] || || || [[#Weather? What weather? (summer)]] || [[#Confronting car culture]] || || <br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 1:00pm|| || || || || [[#Closing discussion - Bike!Bike! 2012]] || || <br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
= Workshops =<br />
== Green space tour ==<br />
A bike tour of San Marcos green spaces<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Acquiring a permanent space ==<br />
Acquiring a permanent space instead of renting, working with the city for land or a building, fund-raising and micro-loans<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Acro yoga ==<br />
Skillshare<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Analyzing work flows ==<br />
Analyzing work flows within a bike project: setting up committees and more effective follow-up. How to reduce "ball droppage". Held at 4:30 PM on Saturday, June 25, 2011, at the Community Yoga Center.<br />
<br />
Facilitated by Susan of [[Third Hand Bicycle Cooperative]] in Columbus, Ohio.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Often in collectives, everyone will be off doing their own thing. This can lead to some jobs being repeated and others falling through the cracks. To combat this, it's helpful to identify all the processes at work in the collective, whether they deal with inputs to the collective, actions within the shop, or outputs leaving the collective.<br />
<br />
Third Hand streamlined their procedures by identifying all of the processes involved in handling this inputs and outputs. The frequency and nature of each task was discussed, and jobs were fit together as appropriate. Collections of jobs are given to various task forces, each empowered to deal with their issue without approval from the Board or the overarching Collective and charged with developing the policies that guide the completion of those tasks. The identification of tasks alone took half a day.<br />
<br />
To deal with the problem of one volunteer doing all of one job and leaving the organization without institutional knowledge, it was suggested to pick a primary and secondary person responsible for getting the job done. Another method would be to assign jobs at the beginning of each month, so that tasks get spread around more widely. Neither approach means that the person assigned has to do the task; they may delegate the task, they're just responsible for making sure it happens.<br />
<br />
Those assigned a job should make a short report back at a general meeting as to their success or failure. This helps the group know that necessary work is being accomplished and provides an avenue for new volunteers to find work. Since it's nearly impossible to penalize volunteers, enforcement has to be kept positive. In the case of an incomplete job, the group should ask why the job was not finished, and whether there was sufficient support from the group. Any remediation can be simply done by a reconstituted task force given a mandate to fix the problems.<br />
<br />
In Third Hand's experience, some jobs like outreach and volunteer coordination are best considered as "alternative shifts" -- as crucial as a regular shift, but handled in a radically different way.<br />
<br />
==== Examples ====<br />
Sample inputs, from the workshop:<br />
* Mail<br />
* Phone calls<br />
* E-mail<br />
* Donations (cash or stuff)<br />
* Visitors<br />
* Packages and deliveries<br />
* Complaints<br />
* Volunteer labor<br />
<br />
Sample inside tasks:<br />
* Cleaning<br />
* Tool ordering<br />
* Inventory<br />
* Budgeting<br />
* Parts sorting<br />
* Scheduling<br />
* Tracking<br />
* Sales<br />
<br />
Sample outputs:<br />
* Bikes<br />
* Knowledge<br />
* Rent/utilities<br />
* Media<br />
* Mobile units<br />
* Volunteer appreciation<br />
* Newsletters/flyers<br />
* Mail and e-mail<br />
* Tax returns<br />
* Deposits<br />
<br />
Sample task forces:<br />
* Finances (Sales, Budgeting, Bill Payment)<br />
* Tool and parts orders<br />
* Community relations<br />
* Volunteer coordination<br />
* IT/Tech<br />
* Outreach<br />
* Conflict resolution<br />
<br />
Processes can be determined by looking at the inputs. For Mail, mail would be picked up and sorted to give to the appropriate group (finance, outreach, ordering, etc.). The time frame for mail would be "every open shop".<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Basics of the nonprofit sector and organizational form ==<br />
=== Details ===<br />
Held on Friday, June 24, at the [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|Bike Cave]].<br />
<br />
Facilitated by Charles from the [[Bloomington Community Bike Project]].<br />
<br />
Topics were determined by the participants at the beginning of the workshop and ran across a wide spectrum of general information on nonprofit management.<br />
<br />
=== General notes ===<br />
In 2006, the U.S. IRS published a rule requiring some sort of reporting as to an organization's status, even if it was just a postcard sent in. A number of small nonprofits lost their exemption for not following this rule.<br />
<br />
It is important to have a way to evaluate an organization's performance as it relates to its mission.<br />
<br />
Every organization needs a statutory agent -- someone who can sign for the organization and provides the IRS with "a throat to choke" if things go downhill.<br />
<br />
Meeting minutes have to be kept. Google Docs and a local wiki are both good resources, allowing necessary modifications. One organization had a lot of success keeping an internet-enabled computer in meetings, transcribing in realtime, and e-mailing the attendees immediately.<br />
<br />
Most states and regions have nonprofit resource centers and many libraries have nonprofit guides. Use them as best you can. If a resource provides facilitation training, it is usually worth it to send members. <br />
<br />
==== Fundraising opportunities ====<br />
Contract work can provide a good revenue source for a shop, but organizations must be careful that the contract closely matches the organization's priorities. It does little good to spend volunteer or paid staff time on special work that doesn't help the organization much. Grants can be a similar resource sink; the best grants are those that give you money for doing what you do. Always be prepared to walk away from a grant or a contract.<br />
<br />
When searching for grants, it helps to have a relationship with a grant writer. Be sure to look beyond bicycle-specific grants, too; a lot of bike collective work can fall under categories like sustainability, health, or ecology.<br />
<br />
==== Why to incorporate ====<br />
Small shops can skirt by without incorporation, but setting up a nonprofit brings a few major benefits.<br />
<br />
Incorporation makes it easier to get insurance and liability coverage, protecting volunteers in case of lawsuits. Incorporated nonprofits can also receive tax-deductible donations, avoid income taxes, and are in a better position to compete for grants and fundraising.<br />
<br />
==== Setup ====<br />
The constitution, bylaws, and policies were described as different facets of how to organize a nonprofit's structure.<br />
<br />
The ''constitution'' itself should be short -- little more than a mission statement and a prominent mention of the organization's tax exempt status.<br />
<br />
The ''bylaws'' should ratify the organization's best practices. As they are a legal document governing the organization, they should be concise and flexible and avoid dictating specific policies. Try to write in what should happen -- what the shop can do, what someone should expect when their come in, and so on, without saying how to accomplish those goals. Well-written bylaws also allow anyone reviewing them to see whether the organization is keeping true to its promises and offer an opportunity to change course if things go bad.<br />
<br />
All details about how to actually run the shop and organization belong in the ''policies and procedures''. <br />
<br />
==== [[Bicycle Kitchen (Los Angeles)|L.A. Bike Kitchen]] overview ====<br />
Arlen from the Los Angeles Bike Kitchen summarized how their organization is set up.<br />
<br />
The Bike Kitchen has three volunteer levels. Shadows graduate to volunteers once they've completed a general knowledge worksheet. Volunteers that work four shifts a month (about 12 hours) and do something extra special for the organization can then move up to "cook".<br />
<br />
There are four quarterly "cooks" meetings, run under supermajority consensus rules, utilizing an outside (and objective) facilitator. There is also one annual camp held with a paid outside facilitator. Board meetings are held monthly with a rotating facilitator chosen from the group.<br />
<br />
Day-to-day operations and policies are handled by "gruppos"; ad hoc autonomous committees with specific charters. These committees are not required to accept input from anyone else. Presumably, anyone with strong feelings on, for example, what tools to order, would sit on the ordering gruppo.<br />
<br />
Example gruppos:<br />
* Finance<br />
* Ordering<br />
* Operations (as related to bike projects)<br />
* "Smooth shifting" -- ergonomics and accessibility<br />
* Volunteer coordination<br />
* Neighbor relations<br />
* "Space exploration" -- researching a new shop location<br />
<br />
There was no built-in accountability measures; everything just worked.<br />
<br />
== Battlefield: Consensus ==<br />
Decision making - the good, the bad, and the ugly. A reprise of 2010's Battlefield: Consensus.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Bike 101 ==<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Bike touring ==<br />
What to take, how to pack, where to sleep and eat, and of course, where to go.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Classes, Workshops, Space ==<br />
Doing Meaningful Outreach with Communities in Your Neighborhood.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
<br />
'''How do you programs “translate” in your/near by communities?”'''<br />
<br />
<br />
How are you defining “Community”?<br />
<br />
How inclusive is your space? How Accessible?<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Lava Monsters of Death (these will hold you back, don’t let them!)'''<br />
<br />
<br />
Using excessive “they” “them” or “those people”<br />
<br />
Assuming people know what you know.<br />
<br />
Assuming people are intentionally (behaving/acting) being fucked up<br />
<br />
Confusing critiques/analysis of behaviour dynamics as vicious existential personal attacks of Doom against you, yes you! <br />
<br />
<br />
'''Success Stories of Workshops that help out reach to under privileged communities.'''<br />
<br />
Multi language bike mechanics, teach english or learn spanish at the same time as teaching bike mechanics, <br />
<br />
<br />
Get Doctors to prescribe bike riding, get them to send people to your collective.<br />
<br />
<br />
Organize group rides that tie in a neighborhood’s resources that are not well used, go to farmer’s markets, put baskets on bikes.<br />
<br />
<br />
Safe routes to schools has been successful in getting more kids to ride.<br />
<br />
<br />
Find teachers who are bike sympathetic.<br />
<br />
<br />
Canvas the neighborhood, knock door to door, flyer (tear offs work well), bring tools to fix flats, mobil bike repair!<br />
<br />
<br />
Get in contact with a neighborhood organization, they often don’t have websites, you can find them sometimes through the police department.<br />
<br />
<br />
Be wary of giving “big free give away!” if you don’t have enough, it can create a weird and tense atmosphere.<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Closing discussion - Bike!Bike! 2012 ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Confronting car culture ==<br />
Dealing with dominant culture on a personal level and effecting cultural shift.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== How the City of San Marcos, Texas bicycle map was created ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Managing expectations of a cooperative bike shop ==<br />
How to manage expectations and orient new people quickly to the cooperative shop environment<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Integrating bikes into the university fabric ==<br />
Integrating bikes into the university fabric via student and staff collaboration<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Managing social rides to promote bicycling ==<br />
From fringe to mainstream: how social cycling can ... and make our cities better<br />
=== Details ===<br />
Held at 11:15 AM on Friday, June 24 at the Bike Cave.<br />
Elliott McFadden of [http://austinontwowheels.org/ Austin on Two Wheels] and Violet Crown Cycles started by describing his views of cycling promotion and two methods seen in Austin of directly working to get people riding bikes. After this, he answered questions in a general discussion format.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
==== Failures in bicycle promotion ====<br />
Elliot identified two somewhat conflicting methods of increasing cycling from the cycling industry and from political advocacy.<br />
* Industry: Bicycle sales in the U.S. have remained stagnant over since the 1970s, despite significant growth in population. To increase sales, the bicycle industry has focused on making bikes more niche -- selling new bikes to their existing market.<br />
* Advocacy: Advocates lobby decision makers for better infrastructure, but do so without growing a grassroots bicycle population or establishing cycling within the community.<br />
Until bicycling is seen as a normal community behavior, bicyclists will continue to be classified by convenient stereotypes, like the spandex/carbon weekend warrior, the hipster scofflaw, and the sanctimonious environmentalist.<br />
==== Strategy ====<br />
Defining "regime" as an interconnected group of businesses and leaders with a common world view, Elliott noted that the current regime is in favor of growing consumption and fossil fuel use. At the national level, this means the oil and auto industries. At the local level, it includes developers, auto dealers, and news entities, whose future profits depend on growth. Tellingly, 30% of all ad revenue for media entities comes from car companies.<br />
Regime change must then be the goal of a bicycle promoter. Find negative ways to describe the current regime (dirty, expensive, destructive, long travel times in cars) and positive ways to describe the desired regime (healthy, thrifty, sustainable, quality family time). Form partnerships with businesses and organizations that can benefit from a new regime.<br />
==== Social cycling ====<br />
To replace the negative stereotypes of bicyclists, it is important to develop an atmosphere that encourages riding by more members of the community. Bicycling should be made to be more comfortable -- no races, no work-outs, regular clothes, open to everyone. The joys of being out, riding with regular people, should be paramount. <br />
Commuting is often a big sell by industry and advocates; it allows shops to sell specialized "commuter" bicycles and advocates to focus on connecting routes, but as a sales point, it has two crippling problems: nobody likes to go to work, and most people go to work alone. Instead, social cycling should be a focus: just get many people together to ride bikes. Austin has two models that work in tandem: Social Cycling Austin and Austin on Two Wheels, an "affiliated business concept".<br />
===== Social Cycling Austin =====<br />
Social Cycling Austin is a volunteer production started two years ago as a free ride -- participants just show up for a weekly social ride, drawing 200-300 riders on average and as many as 500. It partners with local businesses, usually a bar or restaurant, and rides with traffic, not against it.<br />
This model is easy to start (it just requires two people) and its open structure makes it accessible to all. It doesn't have to be affiliated with any business, so it can work with and for everyone. Because of its loose nature, it's easy to change what doesn't work or even dismantle the ride. It doesn't need any investment to start up, as most organizing can be done through social networks and guerrilla marketing.<br />
Unfortunately, it also has no control over who shows up, making it difficult to deal with troublemakers and easy for the ride to grow beyond the capacity of the leaders or prevent the ride from being co-opted by other organizations. A focus on bars as a final destination also makes it easy for this sort of ride to turn into a "booze cruise", adding additional challenges to the organization and often depressing its ability to draw women riders. Additionally, it is easy for organizing volunteers to burn out and the undefined liability might cause problems in case of injury.<br />
===== Affiliated Business Concept =====<br />
In an affiliated business concept, the rides are run as a business, usually as smaller fee-based rides than as large-scale free-for-alls.<br />
Because a business controls the ride, it's possible to tailor rides for specific demographics; women, families, suburbanites, etc. It's also easier to get different business partners and variety in the ride -- restaurants may provide food and drink samples, galleries may partner for art rides, or retail establishments for shopping rides. A business is also better able to provide a clear line of liability in case of accident and maintain a paid staff of ride leaders and organizers to provide a higher level of service. Austin on Two Wheels, for example, capped rides at 50 participants and provided one ride leader for every ten people to watch over unlocked bikes and help keep rides safe.<br />
This concept also carries some challenges. Partners must be committed to growth; it can take 18-24 months for the concept to turn a sustainable profit and its longer-term viability has not been tested, though it may be a reasonable loss leader for a bike shop. It also limits partnerships to a single member of each sector; one bike shop, one newspaper, or one boutique. The clear line of liability also means that the operating business has insurance requirements to carry and will likely have to enforce helmet use.<br />
==== Discussion ====<br />
Both rides appeal to different people, but the demographics of the riders were mostly white, though unintentionally so. For the open social rides, this was because the ride started from one social circle and its business preferences. For the paid rides, this was because they were seeking sustainable income. Since bicycles seen as a lesser mode of transportation in impoverished communities and represent gentrification, it can be difficult to promote them, though groups like the Major Taylor Group are trying to increase African American ridership. Either way, more racially diverse ride leadership should help diversify rider participation.<br />
Other problems with social cycling rides were identified. It's easy for the ride's somewhat high turnover to give it over to more aggressive cycling, and efforts to rein it in can be paternalistic.<br />
Responses to paid rides were overwhelmingly positive. Of 300 participants, 60% were women, and every ride had a bicyclist that had not ridden at all in the past year. Of survey respondents, 85% loved the ride, 97% would do it again, and 84% were more likely to revisit the participating businesses. No complaints were received of the ride being too fast, and the complaints of 1/3 of the respondents that the ride was too slow were dismissed. As for distance, the longest single ride was 10 miles and the longest single stretch was five miles, but most rides were just a few miles in stretches of two miles or less at a 10-12 mph pace. <br />
The high ratio of leaders to participants of the paid rides helped keep them very well organized. Walkie-talkies were given to the front and back leaders and other riders would circulate through the ride, keeping riders lined up, directing traffic at intersections, and encouraging the ride to behave well in regards to other users. It helped that the Austin Police Department was non-reactionary, so there was no backlash from law enforcement.<br />
Paid rides started with an intro of the leaders and the participants signing of a waiver stating they knew the rules of the road and agreed to follow ride leader instructions.<br />
Marketing was done through their own website, and partnering businesses were encouraged to do their own promotion as well. It was emphasized that time, rather than distance, was mentioned in all promotions. Though a six mile ride would take about 30 minutes, 30 minutes seemed like an easier ride than six miles. Ride classifications were right out; letter-assignments mean nothing to the new riders being targeted.<br />
Hurting businesses were suggested as rich prospects, as a few dozen potential customers can be enticing. Visits to any business should be during slow hours, though, to minimize disruption to regular services and provide customers when the business would be otherwise idle -- restaurants on Saturday afternoons are a good example. <br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Mobile Repair Clinic ==<br />
Held at 9:30 AM on Friday, June 24, at Sodatooth art gallery. Operating a mobile on-the-go repair clinic through the city and community organizations.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
The original facilitator did not show up for this workshop but the intent was fairly self evident by the name of the workshop. It was begun with a go-around and then by asking the question 'who currently operates a mobile repair unit?'<br />
The [[Bike Cage]] from Winnipeg told us that they began as a purely mobile shop until they had enough resources and a space to operate from a permanent location. The [[Bike Root]] from Calgary told us that the opposite was true for them, they began with a full shop but after losing their space, kept operations going by setting up in various locations on their campus and around town.<br />
==== To fix or not? Where do you draw the line? ====<br />
There were various answers to this question, some shops will only fix flats and minor brake and gear issues. Others were willing to fix anything as long as the tools were available. Arguments for the former included<br />
* lack of proper tools<br />
* lack of more advanced tools or replacement parts in case anything went wrong<br />
* lack of knowledge / trust in the knowledge of some casual volunteers that might attend a mobile repair clinic<br />
* some provide more hand on repair for mobile units to decrease liability in case a bike owner injures themselves but providing more complicated repairs ourselves increases liability in case the owner injures themselves on their bike afterwards.<br />
and for the latter:<br />
* We should do our best to get more bikes fixed and on the road<br />
* We're confident in our skills<br />
* The worst thing that might happen is that a bike that wasn't on the road is now still not on the road<br />
* We make bike owners fix their bikes themselves so we are not liable<br />
==== Other services ====<br />
In addition to offering minor repairs, the Bike Cage's mobile unit doubles as a bike valet service. There was no elaboration on how the system works.<br />
==== Getting the message across that a mobile tune tent is not a fully functioning tent ====<br />
It seemed to be a common problem that when individuals in the community would hear about a free tune-up possibility, they would often bring in bikes that need repairs far beyond what could be done at a tune tent. It was suggested to avoid this, advertise as "light bike repair".<br />
==== Who holds the tools? ====<br />
We had a discussion about if the volunteer should fix the bike for the owner or provide the owner with the tools and teach how to fix the bike hands-off. Whether or not tools were handed to the bike owner, teaching at least by the volunteer explaining what he or she was doing seemed to be the norm. The issues behind whether or not to let the owner fix the bike seemed to be liability dependent on both sides. If the volunteer fixes the bike, the shop becomes liable if the bike causes injury down the road while normally the bike owner has not signed a liability waiver to use the tools, so the shop could be liable if they hurt themselves while repairing their bike.<br />
==== Ride or drive? ====<br />
We had a discussion on whether or not to drive the equipment to the location or use a trailer. No one seemed to be passionate for either but there are a lot of options out there for trailers big and small. [[Fargo Moorhead Community Bicycle Workshop|Fargo]] rides with a huge 4x6 trailer.<br />
==== Off topic discussion ====<br />
The conversation went off topic many times but did produce a few interesting ideas:<br />
* [[The Orioles Bike Cage|Winnipeg]] uses a punch card, much like one you would find a a coffee shop or fast food location, to punch out skills that a volunteer has learned. Once the card is completely punched the volunteer can start fixing bikes for others.<br />
* While discussing how to get enough replacement parts, another bike shop told us they provide local bike shops with barrels which the shops can use to put parts that are still usable but would otherwise throw away. The barrels would be picked up and emptied at regular intervals. This shop did not have a problem finding parts when needed as a result.<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Please be kind to cyclists ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Recycled bike art ==<br />
Turning garbage into gold.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
<br />
[[File:Bike Craft - Tube Shoe Laces.pdf|200px|thumb|left|alt text]]<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Software developers exchange ==<br />
Projects being worked on, have worked on, or areas they (you) are interested / skilled in.<br />
<br />
Held Saturday, June 25, at 2:30 PM at the San Marcos Public Library.<br />
<br />
Facilitated by [[User:Godwin|Godwin]] of [[The Bike Root]] in Calgary.<br />
<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Participants briefly described their technical experience, specifically any coding projects and languages they've used. A few participants were experienced programmers; most were interested in learning or helping a project in other ways like documentation and testing.<br />
[[Austin Yellow Bike Project]]'s tracking code was discussed and briefly compared to the [[Bike Kitchen (San Francisco, CA, USA)|San Francisco Bicycle Kitchen]]'s Freehub software.<br />
<br />
The Yellow Bike Project released their code for public use, and it was noted that SLC had already made a Joomla plugin. The YBP software was also demonstrated live at the workshop.<br />
<br />
Steve of [[Fargo Moorhead Community Bicycle Workshop|Fargo]] and Godwin were (or soon will be) working on independent applications, but the general consensus coalesced around a few ideals.<br />
<br />
Any software development push should be oriented towards a web-based solution for the greatest ease in rolling out across various platforms, though it would make it more difficult to install as a software package and could lead to data security and access problems if provided as a hosting service, as SFBK does with Freehub. Additionally, this software should start with one shop in order to develop one full set of features. All features should be written as plugins to a basic core, allowing features to be added as required by various shops.<br />
Yellow Bike Project's software may make a suitable core for such a push.<br />
<br />
A general wishlist was hashed out, in no particular order:<br />
* Work-trade management<br />
* Granular volunteer time tracking<br />
* Varied reporting options<br />
* Donation tracking<br />
* Bike and inventory tracking (including completion of projects)<br />
* Visitor tracking<br />
* Communications options (e-mail lists, contacting expiring memberships)<br />
* Sales tracking (though not point-of-sale)<br />
* Volunteer skill tracking<br />
<br />
== Teaching & learning styles ==<br />
Teaching & learning styles in community bike shops; a discussion about different approaches, what works and what doesn't work as well<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== The future of Bike! Bike! ==<br />
Where are we going and how are we going to get there? Also, a quick (but no-decisions-made) discussion about where Bike! Bike! will be held in 2012 (that will be decided during the final meeting on Sunday, June 26).<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Utilizing free open-source software ==<br />
Operating systems and work documents to benefit your project.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Despite "charity" pricing for software packages from major publishers like Microsoft and Adobe, some software is priced beyond the range of a co-operative's budget, or would be used to infrequently as to make a purchase pointless.<br />
Fortunately, the open source community has responded with a number of free replacements for major software, including for the operating system itself. Most of these packages can be found in [[Computer Resources]].<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Volunteer orientation ==<br />
Addressing safe space concerns, and a conversation about empowering and maintaining a committed volunteer base<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Weather? What weather? (summer) ==<br />
How you and your bike can survive the heat<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Weather? What weather? (winter) ==<br />
How you and your bike can survive the cold<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Women and Transgender shop hours ==<br />
Policies, Politics, Allies<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working in under-privileged communities ==<br />
Working in under-privileged communities: challenges and opportunities<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Facilitators:<br />
<br />
[[Bike Kitchen]]/[[La Bici Digna]] (Arlen) and [[Bikerowave]]/[[Bici Libre]] (Bobby):<br />
<br />
<br />
Keep your eyes on the prize (don’t forget why you’re doing this, don’t let your limitations stop you)<br />
<br />
<br />
Dynamics in work space an issue, (shop isn’t located in the right place) <br />
<br />
-try mobile workshop?<br />
La Bici Digna started with a mobil work shop at the day labor center working with City of Lights. <br />
<br />
<br />
Low community buyin? <br />
<br />
-try partnering w/ another organization that organizes in “that” community. (try contacting a country’s embassy to let them know you exist, find out what communities you want to encourage and talk to the leaders in that community) <br />
<br />
<br />
Not enough Resources?<br />
<br />
-try seeing groups that are stoked, already active.<br />
<br />
<br />
Chill out. Be Patient (It takes time to build up trust and awareness of your resource.)<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Stories:'''<br />
<br />
Bici Libre got a free space to house abandoned bikes. They seek to provide a space where people can learn job skills and leadership skills. They have a list of activities that can be done by non-bike mechanic volunteers. Group jobs such as cleaning parts or cutting tubes can be really good for some cultures who will enjoy the communal experience. It’s important to talk to the poeple you are trying to engage to ask them what they want to contribute, or what they want to get out of it.<br />
<br />
<br />
Sometimes the way we think the bicycle collective “should” run is not the way some under privileged communities want to run their own. Often, people will want to start a for-profit shop. It’s important to not get stuck in your ideas, to learn also how to communicate in another person’s language. You can use the terms they know, even if it’s the “wrong” term, whats important is that you both get on the same page. There’s a reason you are trying to engage a different dynamic in the bike shop, you should be willing to learn from new people, not just try to tell them what/how to do. <br />
<br />
<br />
'''Multi lingual bike diagram:'''<br />
<br />
La Bici Digna had a poster of a bike with lines to all the parts. They asked their participant to write on posted notes the names of the parts of the bike that they knew. With all the many dialects present, the digram ended up having four names for nearly every part. <br />
<br />
<br />
Denver’s [[The Bike Depot]] works with [Big Brother] and [Big Sister]. They are then able to pay for kids to volunteer.<br />
<br />
<br />
Lots of collectives have earn a bike programs, or free bikes to people on welfare.<br />
<br />
<br />
One collective got a high school student credit for volunteering at the shop.<br />
<br />
Another works directly with Refugee camps.<br />
<br />
<br />
'''How do you deal with theft?''' - Story from the [[Bike Kitchen]]<br />
<br />
The bike kitchen experienced a wave of theft. Bikes were being stolen right out side the shop, and also, many 15mm wrenches and other tools which might assist in bicycle theft. At first they were completely worried and frustrated that they were possibly assisting in that theft. But what they hadn’t expected was that this wave of bicycle theft resulted in the creation of a bike scene in the surrounding neighborhoods. The exact people who they were trying to get into the shop, trying to foster interest in the bicycle as a mode of transportation, started riding bikes. “It just wasn’t on our terms.” - Arlen ([[Bike Kitchen]]/[[La Bici Digna]])<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Workshop continues in [[#Classes, Workshops, Space]]<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working Together ==<br />
Increasing Inter-Organization Collaboration. The intention of this workshop was to talk about all of the ways in which we as bicycle collectives of different sorts who run our services in many different ways, can share our experiences, successes, failures, and tangible output in order to help other collectives both start and continue to thrive.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
[[User:Godwin|Godwin]] directed this workshop while [[Bob Wolfe]] facilitated in providing a speakers list. A large sheet of paper was used to help keep visible notes, at the end of the discussion the notes were the following:<br />
* '''Current Tools'''<br />
** [[BOOP]]<br />
** [[Bike!Bike!]]<br />
** [[Think Tank]]<br />
** [[Bike Collectives Network]]<br />
** [[Bike Collectives Wiki]]<br />
** Various collaborative tools such as our Google Docs list of organizations and Google Maps visualization of orgs across North America<br />
* '''What we need these tools for'''<br />
** Learn how to start a collective<br />
** Learn how to continue running a collective<br />
** Find example documents<br />
*** Volunteer Privileges<br />
*** Todo for new volunteers<br />
*** Financials<br />
*** Fliers<br />
*** Curricula<br />
*** Manuals<br />
*** 501c and not-for-profit forms<br />
*** Tool lists<br />
*** Inventory<br />
*** Price guide<br />
*** Mission statement<br />
*** Bylaws<br />
*** Safe space<br />
*** Legal documents<br />
*** Letters for grant writing<br />
** Find out how other organizations run their various programmes<br />
** Partner with other organizations<br />
* '''Brainstorming Ideas which could help'''<br />
** A Bike!Bike! Wiki<br />
** Have more involved wiki moderators who will make suggestions for improvements<br />
** News feed on wiki<br />
** Email individuals to improve pages<br />
** New list-serve other than the [[Think Tank]] which can be used for these emails<br />
** More list-serves for different purposes<br />
** Online Forums<br />
** Request documents, pages, and improvements once a year or at other regular intervals<br />
** Rid the wiki of closed shops<br />
** RSS feeds on the wiki<br />
** Separate blog or paper news<br />
** Paypal donations on [[BCN]] or the wiki<br />
** An umbrella or 'helping hand' organization<br />
** A seed fund<br />
** Micro Loans for starting up shops<br />
** A no-reply list-serve<br />
* An 'umbrella' organization goes against many principles that are held by most shops however a 'helping hand' organization that acts as a third party to facilitate to spread of knowledge and possibly funds would likely not.<br />
* To improve the wiki it will take some active moderating and contacting of individuals.<br />
* The wiki is difficult to navigate so it should be reorganized<br />
* Bikecollectives.org is not serving any other purpose other than providing the wiki.<br />
* The [[Think Tank]] is too much for many to handle, there are too many emails about things that many don't care about.<br />
* Godwin promised to contact the current owners of bikevollectives.org to see if improvements could be made.<br />
* Adding increased moderation of the wiki will be looked into<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working with relationships ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
= Contact =<br />
* [[Bike!Bike!]] website: http://www.bikebike.org<br />
* [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|The Bike Cave]]'s website: http://thebikecave.org<br />
* Email: [mailto:bikebike2011@gmail.com bikebike2011@gmail.com]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Bike!Bike!]]</div>Sharperhttps://wiki2.bikelover.org/wiki/index.php?title=Bike!Bike!_2011&diff=11341Bike!Bike! 20112011-07-14T22:25:36Z<p>Sharper: /* As published */</p>
<hr />
<div>'''Bike!Bike! 2011''' was held in San Marcos, Texas; hosted by [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|The Bike Cave]] and [[The San Marcos Community Bike Project]]. It took place from June 23-26th, 2011.[[File:bikebikebike2a.jpg|thumb]]<br />
<br />
==Summary==<br />
<br />
= Schedule =<br />
== As published ==<br />
{|border="0" align="left" style="text-align:left;"<br />
!scope="row" width="20%" colspan="2"| Wednesday, June 22<br />
|-<br />
|1:00-6:00pm||Pick up a loaner bike (if you're staying the night in Austin) at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|2:00pm - 6:00pm||Open house at UT's Orange Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|6:00 -10:00pm||Open house at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|11:00pm||Open house at Movemint Bike Cab Co. Shop (1301 east 4th street) <br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Thursday, June 23<br />
|-<br />
|11:00am - 1:00pm||Pick up your loaner bike (if you've just arrived in Austin) at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|1:00pm||Group ride from Austin's Yellow Bike Project to San Marcos (there will be a truck to take your things to San Marcos)<br />
|-<br />
|12:00 - 8:00pm||Check-In at San Marcos Public Library ($25 - $45, pay what you can, nobody will be turned away for lack of funds. Pick up your loaner bike and housing arraignments)<br />
|-<br />
|2:00 - 8:00pm||Fix up your bike at The Bike Cave<br />
|-<br />
|7:00 - 8:00pm||Welcome / Speak up & speak out!<br />
|-<br />
|8:00pm - 10:00pm||Casual welcome dinner at City / Plaza Park with music by Mariachi Nueva Generacion<br />
|-<br />
|9:30pm||A screening of "Dudey Free Zone: Women's and Transgender Bike Spaces" plus other short bike-related films. At The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Friday, June 24<br />
|-<br />
|8:00am - 1:00pm||Check-In continued for those who get here late at The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|1:00 - 2:30pm||Lunch<br />
|-<br />
|2:30 - 4:00pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|8:00pm - 9:00pm||The future of Bike! Bike! - a discussion to figure out where we're heading, and how we're getting there. A preview of which project(s) are interested in hosting in 2012.<br />
|-<br />
|7:00pm - 10:30pm||Bike polo on top of Speck Street Parking Garage (there will be a group ride leaving from Rio Vista at 6:00pm)<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 -11:00pm||Concert at The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Saturday, June 25<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|1:00 - 2:30pm||Lunch<br />
|-<br />
|2:30 - 4:00pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|9:00pm - 12:00am||BIKE! RIDE! BIKE! RIDE!<br />
|-<br />
|12:00am - ???||Dance party<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Sunday, June 26<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30 - 11:00am||Workshops / final brainstorm<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 1:00pm||Closing meeting, Bike! Bike! 2012 discussion<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
== Workshops schedule ==<br />
{|border="1" align="left" style="text-align:left; border: 1px solid Black;" width="100%"<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Friday, June 24||Yoga Center || The Bike Cave || Sodatooth || Go 2 Danz || Library large room || Library small room || The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am|| || [[#Acquiring a permanent space]] || [[#Mobile Repair Clinic]] || || || ||<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm|| || [[#Managing social rides to promote bicycling]] || || [[#Bike touring]] || || ||<br />
|-<br />
|2:30pm - 4:00pm||[[#Teaching & learning styles]] || [[#Integrating bikes into the university fabric]] || || [[#Working in under-privileged communities]] || || ||<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm|| ||[[#Basics of the nonprofit sector and organizational form]] || || [[#Women and Transgender shop hours]] || || ||<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Saturday, June 25||Yoga Center || The Bike Cave || Sodatooth || Go 2 Danz || Library large room || Library small room || The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am|| || [[#Bike 101]]|| [[#Volunteer orientation]] || [[#Acro yoga]] || || || [[#Green space tour]]<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm|| || [[#Working with relationships]] || || [[#Working Together]] || || [[#Utilizing free open-source software]] ||<br />
|-<br />
|2:30pm - 4:00pm|| [[#Battlefield: Consensus]] || || || [[#Weather? What weather? (winter)]] || [[#Software developers exchange]] || [[#Please be kind to cyclists]] ||<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm|| [[#Analyzing work flows]] || [[#Recycled bike art]] || || || [[#Classes, Workshops, Space]] || ||<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Sunday, June 26||Yoga Center || The Bike Cave || Sodatooth || Go 2 Danz || Library large room || Library small room || The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am|| [[#Managing expectations of a cooperative bike shop]] || || || [[#Weather? What weather? (summer)]] || [[#Confronting car culture]] || || <br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 1:00pm|| || || || || [[#Closing discussion - Bike!Bike! 2012]] || || <br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
= Workshops =<br />
== Green space tour ==<br />
A bike tour of San Marcos green spaces<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Acquiring a permanent space ==<br />
Acquiring a permanent space instead of renting, working with the city for land or a building, fund-raising and micro-loans<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Acro yoga ==<br />
Skillshare<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Analyzing work flows ==<br />
Analyzing work flows within a bike project: setting up committees and more effective follow-up. How to reduce "ball droppage". Held at 4:30 PM on Saturday, June 25, 2011, at the Community Yoga Center.<br />
Facilitated by Susan of [[Third Hand Bicycle Cooperative]] in Columbus, Ohio.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Often in collectives, everyone will be off doing their own thing. This can lead to some jobs being repeated and others falling through the cracks. To combat this, it's helpful to identify all the processes at work in the collective, whether they deal with inputs to the collective, actions within the shop, or outputs leaving the collective.<br />
Third Hand streamlined their procedures by identifying all of the processes involved in handling this inputs and outputs. The frequency and nature of each task was discussed, and jobs were fit together as appropriate. Collections of jobs are given to various task forces, each empowered to deal with their issue without approval from the Board or the overarching Collective and charged with developing the policies that guide the completion of those tasks. The identification of tasks alone took half a day.<br />
To deal with the problem of one volunteer doing all of one job and leaving the organization without institutional knowledge, it was suggested to pick a primary and secondary person responsible for getting the job done. Another method would be to assign jobs at the beginning of each month, so that tasks get spread around more widely. Neither approach means that the person assigned has to do the task; they may delegate the task, they're just responsible for making sure it happens.<br />
Those assigned a job should make a short report back at a general meeting as to their success or failure. This helps the group know that necessary work is being accomplished and provides an avenue for new volunteers to find work. Since it's nearly impossible to penalize volunteers, enforcement has to be kept positive. In the case of an incomplete job, the group should ask why the job was not finished, and whether there was sufficient support from the group. Any remediation can be simply done by a reconstituted task force given a mandate to fix the problems.<br />
In Third Hand's experience, some jobs like outreach and volunteer coordination are best considered as "alternative shifts" -- as crucial as a regular shift, but handled in a radically different way.<br />
==== Examples ====<br />
Sample inputs, from the workshop:<br />
* Mail<br />
* Phone calls<br />
* E-mail<br />
* Donations (cash or stuff)<br />
* Visitors<br />
* Packages and deliveries<br />
* Complaints<br />
* Volunteer labor<br />
Sample inside tasks:<br />
* Cleaning<br />
* Tool ordering<br />
* Inventory<br />
* Budgeting<br />
* Parts sorting<br />
* Scheduling<br />
* Tracking<br />
* Sales<br />
Sample outputs:<br />
* Bikes<br />
* Knowledge<br />
* Rent/utilities<br />
* Media<br />
* Mobile units<br />
* Volunteer appreciation<br />
* Newsletters/flyers<br />
* Mail and e-mail<br />
* Tax returns<br />
* Deposits<br />
Sample task forces:<br />
* Finances (Sales, Budgeting, Bill Payment)<br />
* Tool and parts orders<br />
* Community relations<br />
* Volunteer coordination<br />
* IT/Tech<br />
* Outreach<br />
* Conflict resolution<br />
Processes can be determined by looking at the inputs. For Mail, mail would be picked up and sorted to give to the appropriate group (finance, outreach, ordering, etc.). The time frame for mail would be "every open shop".<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Basics of the nonprofit sector and organizational form ==<br />
=== Details ===<br />
Held on Friday, June 24, at the [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|Bike Cave]].<br />
<br />
Facilitated by Charles from the [[Bloomington Community Bike Project]].<br />
<br />
Topics were determined by the participants at the beginning of the workshop and ran across a wide spectrum of general information on nonprofit management.<br />
<br />
=== General notes ===<br />
In 2006, the U.S. IRS published a rule requiring some sort of reporting as to an organization's status, even if it was just a postcard sent in. A number of small nonprofits lost their exemption for not following this rule.<br />
<br />
It is important to have a way to evaluate an organization's performance as it relates to its mission.<br />
<br />
Every organization needs a statutory agent -- someone who can sign for the organization and provides the IRS with "a throat to choke" if things go downhill.<br />
<br />
Meeting minutes have to be kept. Google Docs and a local wiki are both good resources, allowing necessary modifications. One organization had a lot of success keeping an internet-enabled computer in meetings, transcribing in realtime, and e-mailing the attendees immediately.<br />
<br />
Most states and regions have nonprofit resource centers and many libraries have nonprofit guides. Use them as best you can. If a resource provides facilitation training, it is usually worth it to send members. <br />
<br />
==== Fundraising opportunities ====<br />
Contract work can provide a good revenue source for a shop, but organizations must be careful that the contract closely matches the organization's priorities. It does little good to spend volunteer or paid staff time on special work that doesn't help the organization much. Grants can be a similar resource sink; the best grants are those that give you money for doing what you do. Always be prepared to walk away from a grant or a contract.<br />
<br />
When searching for grants, it helps to have a relationship with a grant writer. Be sure to look beyond bicycle-specific grants, too; a lot of bike collective work can fall under categories like sustainability, health, or ecology.<br />
<br />
==== Why to incorporate ====<br />
Small shops can skirt by without incorporation, but setting up a nonprofit brings a few major benefits.<br />
<br />
Incorporation makes it easier to get insurance and liability coverage, protecting volunteers in case of lawsuits. Incorporated nonprofits can also receive tax-deductible donations, avoid income taxes, and are in a better position to compete for grants and fundraising.<br />
<br />
==== Setup ====<br />
The constitution, bylaws, and policies were described as different facets of how to organize a nonprofit's structure.<br />
<br />
The ''constitution'' itself should be short -- little more than a mission statement and a prominent mention of the organization's tax exempt status.<br />
<br />
The ''bylaws'' should ratify the organization's best practices. As they are a legal document governing the organization, they should be concise and flexible and avoid dictating specific policies. Try to write in what should happen -- what the shop can do, what someone should expect when their come in, and so on, without saying how to accomplish those goals. Well-written bylaws also allow anyone reviewing them to see whether the organization is keeping true to its promises and offer an opportunity to change course if things go bad.<br />
<br />
All details about how to actually run the shop and organization belong in the ''policies and procedures''. <br />
<br />
==== [[Bicycle Kitchen (Los Angeles)|L.A. Bike Kitchen]] overview ====<br />
Arlen from the Los Angeles Bike Kitchen summarized how their organization is set up.<br />
<br />
The Bike Kitchen has three volunteer levels. Shadows graduate to volunteers once they've completed a general knowledge worksheet. Volunteers that work four shifts a month (about 12 hours) and do something extra special for the organization can then move up to "cook".<br />
<br />
There are four quarterly "cooks" meetings, run under supermajority consensus rules, utilizing an outside (and objective) facilitator. There is also one annual camp held with a paid outside facilitator. Board meetings are held monthly with a rotating facilitator chosen from the group.<br />
<br />
Day-to-day operations and policies are handled by "gruppos"; ad hoc autonomous committees with specific charters. These committees are not required to accept input from anyone else. Presumably, anyone with strong feelings on, for example, what tools to order, would sit on the ordering gruppo.<br />
<br />
Example gruppos:<br />
* Finance<br />
* Ordering<br />
* Operations (as related to bike projects)<br />
* "Smooth shifting" -- ergonomics and accessibility<br />
* Volunteer coordination<br />
* Neighbor relations<br />
* "Space exploration" -- researching a new shop location<br />
<br />
There was no built-in accountability measures; everything just worked.<br />
<br />
== Battlefield: Consensus ==<br />
Decision making - the good, the bad, and the ugly. A reprise of 2010's Battlefield: Consensus.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Bike 101 ==<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Bike touring ==<br />
What to take, how to pack, where to sleep and eat, and of course, where to go.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Classes, Workshops, Space ==<br />
Doing Meaningful Outreach with Communities in Your Neighborhood.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
<br />
'''How do you programs “translate” in your/near by communities?”'''<br />
<br />
<br />
How are you defining “Community”?<br />
<br />
How inclusive is your space? How Accessible?<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Lava Monsters of Death (these will hold you back, don’t let them!)'''<br />
<br />
<br />
Using excessive “they” “them” or “those people”<br />
<br />
Assuming people know what you know.<br />
<br />
Assuming people are intentionally (behaving/acting) being fucked up<br />
<br />
Confusing critiques/analysis of behaviour dynamics as vicious existential personal attacks of Doom against you, yes you! <br />
<br />
<br />
'''Success Stories of Workshops that help out reach to under privileged communities.'''<br />
<br />
Multi language bike mechanics, teach english or learn spanish at the same time as teaching bike mechanics, <br />
<br />
<br />
Get Doctors to prescribe bike riding, get them to send people to your collective.<br />
<br />
<br />
Organize group rides that tie in a neighborhood’s resources that are not well used, go to farmer’s markets, put baskets on bikes.<br />
<br />
<br />
Safe routes to schools has been successful in getting more kids to ride.<br />
<br />
<br />
Find teachers who are bike sympathetic.<br />
<br />
<br />
Canvas the neighborhood, knock door to door, flyer (tear offs work well), bring tools to fix flats, mobil bike repair!<br />
<br />
<br />
Get in contact with a neighborhood organization, they often don’t have websites, you can find them sometimes through the police department.<br />
<br />
<br />
Be wary of giving “big free give away!” if you don’t have enough, it can create a weird and tense atmosphere.<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Closing discussion - Bike!Bike! 2012 ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Confronting car culture ==<br />
Dealing with dominant culture on a personal level and effecting cultural shift.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== How the City of San Marcos, Texas bicycle map was created ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Managing expectations of a cooperative bike shop ==<br />
How to manage expectations and orient new people quickly to the cooperative shop environment<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Integrating bikes into the university fabric ==<br />
Integrating bikes into the university fabric via student and staff collaboration<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Managing social rides to promote bicycling ==<br />
From fringe to mainstream: how social cycling can ... and make our cities better<br />
=== Details ===<br />
Held at 11:15 AM on Friday, June 24 at the Bike Cave.<br />
Elliott McFadden of [http://austinontwowheels.org/ Austin on Two Wheels] and Violet Crown Cycles started by describing his views of cycling promotion and two methods seen in Austin of directly working to get people riding bikes. After this, he answered questions in a general discussion format.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
==== Failures in bicycle promotion ====<br />
Elliot identified two somewhat conflicting methods of increasing cycling from the cycling industry and from political advocacy.<br />
* Industry: Bicycle sales in the U.S. have remained stagnant over since the 1970s, despite significant growth in population. To increase sales, the bicycle industry has focused on making bikes more niche -- selling new bikes to their existing market.<br />
* Advocacy: Advocates lobby decision makers for better infrastructure, but do so without growing a grassroots bicycle population or establishing cycling within the community.<br />
Until bicycling is seen as a normal community behavior, bicyclists will continue to be classified by convenient stereotypes, like the spandex/carbon weekend warrior, the hipster scofflaw, and the sanctimonious environmentalist.<br />
==== Strategy ====<br />
Defining "regime" as an interconnected group of businesses and leaders with a common world view, Elliott noted that the current regime is in favor of growing consumption and fossil fuel use. At the national level, this means the oil and auto industries. At the local level, it includes developers, auto dealers, and news entities, whose future profits depend on growth. Tellingly, 30% of all ad revenue for media entities comes from car companies.<br />
Regime change must then be the goal of a bicycle promoter. Find negative ways to describe the current regime (dirty, expensive, destructive, long travel times in cars) and positive ways to describe the desired regime (healthy, thrifty, sustainable, quality family time). Form partnerships with businesses and organizations that can benefit from a new regime.<br />
==== Social cycling ====<br />
To replace the negative stereotypes of bicyclists, it is important to develop an atmosphere that encourages riding by more members of the community. Bicycling should be made to be more comfortable -- no races, no work-outs, regular clothes, open to everyone. The joys of being out, riding with regular people, should be paramount. <br />
Commuting is often a big sell by industry and advocates; it allows shops to sell specialized "commuter" bicycles and advocates to focus on connecting routes, but as a sales point, it has two crippling problems: nobody likes to go to work, and most people go to work alone. Instead, social cycling should be a focus: just get many people together to ride bikes. Austin has two models that work in tandem: Social Cycling Austin and Austin on Two Wheels, an "affiliated business concept".<br />
===== Social Cycling Austin =====<br />
Social Cycling Austin is a volunteer production started two years ago as a free ride -- participants just show up for a weekly social ride, drawing 200-300 riders on average and as many as 500. It partners with local businesses, usually a bar or restaurant, and rides with traffic, not against it.<br />
This model is easy to start (it just requires two people) and its open structure makes it accessible to all. It doesn't have to be affiliated with any business, so it can work with and for everyone. Because of its loose nature, it's easy to change what doesn't work or even dismantle the ride. It doesn't need any investment to start up, as most organizing can be done through social networks and guerrilla marketing.<br />
Unfortunately, it also has no control over who shows up, making it difficult to deal with troublemakers and easy for the ride to grow beyond the capacity of the leaders or prevent the ride from being co-opted by other organizations. A focus on bars as a final destination also makes it easy for this sort of ride to turn into a "booze cruise", adding additional challenges to the organization and often depressing its ability to draw women riders. Additionally, it is easy for organizing volunteers to burn out and the undefined liability might cause problems in case of injury.<br />
===== Affiliated Business Concept =====<br />
In an affiliated business concept, the rides are run as a business, usually as smaller fee-based rides than as large-scale free-for-alls.<br />
Because a business controls the ride, it's possible to tailor rides for specific demographics; women, families, suburbanites, etc. It's also easier to get different business partners and variety in the ride -- restaurants may provide food and drink samples, galleries may partner for art rides, or retail establishments for shopping rides. A business is also better able to provide a clear line of liability in case of accident and maintain a paid staff of ride leaders and organizers to provide a higher level of service. Austin on Two Wheels, for example, capped rides at 50 participants and provided one ride leader for every ten people to watch over unlocked bikes and help keep rides safe.<br />
This concept also carries some challenges. Partners must be committed to growth; it can take 18-24 months for the concept to turn a sustainable profit and its longer-term viability has not been tested, though it may be a reasonable loss leader for a bike shop. It also limits partnerships to a single member of each sector; one bike shop, one newspaper, or one boutique. The clear line of liability also means that the operating business has insurance requirements to carry and will likely have to enforce helmet use.<br />
==== Discussion ====<br />
Both rides appeal to different people, but the demographics of the riders were mostly white, though unintentionally so. For the open social rides, this was because the ride started from one social circle and its business preferences. For the paid rides, this was because they were seeking sustainable income. Since bicycles seen as a lesser mode of transportation in impoverished communities and represent gentrification, it can be difficult to promote them, though groups like the Major Taylor Group are trying to increase African American ridership. Either way, more racially diverse ride leadership should help diversify rider participation.<br />
Other problems with social cycling rides were identified. It's easy for the ride's somewhat high turnover to give it over to more aggressive cycling, and efforts to rein it in can be paternalistic.<br />
Responses to paid rides were overwhelmingly positive. Of 300 participants, 60% were women, and every ride had a bicyclist that had not ridden at all in the past year. Of survey respondents, 85% loved the ride, 97% would do it again, and 84% were more likely to revisit the participating businesses. No complaints were received of the ride being too fast, and the complaints of 1/3 of the respondents that the ride was too slow were dismissed. As for distance, the longest single ride was 10 miles and the longest single stretch was five miles, but most rides were just a few miles in stretches of two miles or less at a 10-12 mph pace. <br />
The high ratio of leaders to participants of the paid rides helped keep them very well organized. Walkie-talkies were given to the front and back leaders and other riders would circulate through the ride, keeping riders lined up, directing traffic at intersections, and encouraging the ride to behave well in regards to other users. It helped that the Austin Police Department was non-reactionary, so there was no backlash from law enforcement.<br />
Paid rides started with an intro of the leaders and the participants signing of a waiver stating they knew the rules of the road and agreed to follow ride leader instructions.<br />
Marketing was done through their own website, and partnering businesses were encouraged to do their own promotion as well. It was emphasized that time, rather than distance, was mentioned in all promotions. Though a six mile ride would take about 30 minutes, 30 minutes seemed like an easier ride than six miles. Ride classifications were right out; letter-assignments mean nothing to the new riders being targeted.<br />
Hurting businesses were suggested as rich prospects, as a few dozen potential customers can be enticing. Visits to any business should be during slow hours, though, to minimize disruption to regular services and provide customers when the business would be otherwise idle -- restaurants on Saturday afternoons are a good example. <br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Mobile Repair Clinic ==<br />
Held at 9:30 AM on Friday, June 24, at Sodatooth art gallery. Operating a mobile on-the-go repair clinic through the city and community organizations.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
The original facilitator did not show up for this workshop but the intent was fairly self evident by the name of the workshop. It was begun with a go-around and then by asking the question 'who currently operates a mobile repair unit?'<br />
The [[Bike Cage]] from Winnipeg told us that they began as a purely mobile shop until they had enough resources and a space to operate from a permanent location. The [[Bike Root]] from Calgary told us that the opposite was true for them, they began with a full shop but after losing their space, kept operations going by setting up in various locations on their campus and around town.<br />
==== To fix or not? Where do you draw the line? ====<br />
There were various answers to this question, some shops will only fix flats and minor brake and gear issues. Others were willing to fix anything as long as the tools were available. Arguments for the former included<br />
* lack of proper tools<br />
* lack of more advanced tools or replacement parts in case anything went wrong<br />
* lack of knowledge / trust in the knowledge of some casual volunteers that might attend a mobile repair clinic<br />
* some provide more hand on repair for mobile units to decrease liability in case a bike owner injures themselves but providing more complicated repairs ourselves increases liability in case the owner injures themselves on their bike afterwards.<br />
and for the latter:<br />
* We should do our best to get more bikes fixed and on the road<br />
* We're confident in our skills<br />
* The worst thing that might happen is that a bike that wasn't on the road is now still not on the road<br />
* We make bike owners fix their bikes themselves so we are not liable<br />
==== Other services ====<br />
In addition to offering minor repairs, the Bike Cage's mobile unit doubles as a bike valet service. There was no elaboration on how the system works.<br />
==== Getting the message across that a mobile tune tent is not a fully functioning tent ====<br />
It seemed to be a common problem that when individuals in the community would hear about a free tune-up possibility, they would often bring in bikes that need repairs far beyond what could be done at a tune tent. It was suggested to avoid this, advertise as "light bike repair".<br />
==== Who holds the tools? ====<br />
We had a discussion about if the volunteer should fix the bike for the owner or provide the owner with the tools and teach how to fix the bike hands-off. Whether or not tools were handed to the bike owner, teaching at least by the volunteer explaining what he or she was doing seemed to be the norm. The issues behind whether or not to let the owner fix the bike seemed to be liability dependent on both sides. If the volunteer fixes the bike, the shop becomes liable if the bike causes injury down the road while normally the bike owner has not signed a liability waiver to use the tools, so the shop could be liable if they hurt themselves while repairing their bike.<br />
==== Ride or drive? ====<br />
We had a discussion on whether or not to drive the equipment to the location or use a trailer. No one seemed to be passionate for either but there are a lot of options out there for trailers big and small. [[Fargo Moorhead Community Bicycle Workshop|Fargo]] rides with a huge 4x6 trailer.<br />
==== Off topic discussion ====<br />
The conversation went off topic many times but did produce a few interesting ideas:<br />
* [[The Orioles Bike Cage|Winnipeg]] uses a punch card, much like one you would find a a coffee shop or fast food location, to punch out skills that a volunteer has learned. Once the card is completely punched the volunteer can start fixing bikes for others.<br />
* While discussing how to get enough replacement parts, another bike shop told us they provide local bike shops with barrels which the shops can use to put parts that are still usable but would otherwise throw away. The barrels would be picked up and emptied at regular intervals. This shop did not have a problem finding parts when needed as a result.<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Please be kind to cyclists ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Recycled bike art ==<br />
Turning garbage into gold.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
<br />
[[File:Bike Craft - Tube Shoe Laces.pdf|200px|thumb|left|alt text]]<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Software developers exchange ==<br />
Projects being worked on, have worked on, or areas they (you) are interested / skilled in.<br />
<br />
Held Saturday, June 25, at 2:30 PM at the San Marcos Public Library.<br />
<br />
Facilitated by [[User:Godwin|Godwin]] of [[The Bike Root]] in Calgary.<br />
<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Participants briefly described their technical experience, specifically any coding projects and languages they've used. A few participants were experienced programmers; most were interested in learning or helping a project in other ways like documentation and testing.<br />
[[Austin Yellow Bike Project]]'s tracking code was discussed and briefly compared to the [[Bike Kitchen (San Francisco, CA, USA)|San Francisco Bicycle Kitchen]]'s Freehub software.<br />
<br />
The Yellow Bike Project released their code for public use, and it was noted that SLC had already made a Joomla plugin. The YBP software was also demonstrated live at the workshop.<br />
<br />
Steve of [[Fargo Moorhead Community Bicycle Workshop|Fargo]] and Godwin were (or soon will be) working on independent applications, but the general consensus coalesced around a few ideals.<br />
<br />
Any software development push should be oriented towards a web-based solution for the greatest ease in rolling out across various platforms, though it would make it more difficult to install as a software package and could lead to data security and access problems if provided as a hosting service, as SFBK does with Freehub. Additionally, this software should start with one shop in order to develop one full set of features. All features should be written as plugins to a basic core, allowing features to be added as required by various shops.<br />
Yellow Bike Project's software may make a suitable core for such a push.<br />
<br />
A general wishlist was hashed out, in no particular order:<br />
* Work-trade management<br />
* Granular volunteer time tracking<br />
* Varied reporting options<br />
* Donation tracking<br />
* Bike and inventory tracking (including completion of projects)<br />
* Visitor tracking<br />
* Communications options (e-mail lists, contacting expiring memberships)<br />
* Sales tracking (though not point-of-sale)<br />
* Volunteer skill tracking<br />
<br />
== Teaching & learning styles ==<br />
Teaching & learning styles in community bike shops; a discussion about different approaches, what works and what doesn't work as well<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== The future of Bike! Bike! ==<br />
Where are we going and how are we going to get there? Also, a quick (but no-decisions-made) discussion about where Bike! Bike! will be held in 2012 (that will be decided during the final meeting on Sunday, June 26).<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Utilizing free open-source software ==<br />
Operating systems and work documents to benefit your project.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Despite "charity" pricing for software packages from major publishers like Microsoft and Adobe, some software is priced beyond the range of a co-operative's budget, or would be used to infrequently as to make a purchase pointless.<br />
Fortunately, the open source community has responded with a number of free replacements for major software, including for the operating system itself. Most of these packages can be found in [[Computer Resources]].<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Volunteer orientation ==<br />
Addressing safe space concerns, and a conversation about empowering and maintaining a committed volunteer base<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Weather? What weather? (summer) ==<br />
How you and your bike can survive the heat<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Weather? What weather? (winter) ==<br />
How you and your bike can survive the cold<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Women and Transgender shop hours ==<br />
Policies, Politics, Allies<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working in under-privileged communities ==<br />
Working in under-privileged communities: challenges and opportunities<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Facilitators:<br />
<br />
[[Bike Kitchen]]/[[La Bici Digna]] (Arlen) and [[Bikerowave]]/[[Bici Libre]] (Bobby):<br />
<br />
<br />
Keep your eyes on the prize (don’t forget why you’re doing this, don’t let your limitations stop you)<br />
<br />
<br />
Dynamics in work space an issue, (shop isn’t located in the right place) <br />
<br />
-try mobile workshop?<br />
La Bici Digna started with a mobil work shop at the day labor center working with City of Lights. <br />
<br />
<br />
Low community buyin? <br />
<br />
-try partnering w/ another organization that organizes in “that” community. (try contacting a country’s embassy to let them know you exist, find out what communities you want to encourage and talk to the leaders in that community) <br />
<br />
<br />
Not enough Resources?<br />
<br />
-try seeing groups that are stoked, already active.<br />
<br />
<br />
Chill out. Be Patient (It takes time to build up trust and awareness of your resource.)<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Stories:'''<br />
<br />
Bici Libre got a free space to house abandoned bikes. They seek to provide a space where people can learn job skills and leadership skills. They have a list of activities that can be done by non-bike mechanic volunteers. Group jobs such as cleaning parts or cutting tubes can be really good for some cultures who will enjoy the communal experience. It’s important to talk to the poeple you are trying to engage to ask them what they want to contribute, or what they want to get out of it.<br />
<br />
<br />
Sometimes the way we think the bicycle collective “should” run is not the way some under privileged communities want to run their own. Often, people will want to start a for-profit shop. It’s important to not get stuck in your ideas, to learn also how to communicate in another person’s language. You can use the terms they know, even if it’s the “wrong” term, whats important is that you both get on the same page. There’s a reason you are trying to engage a different dynamic in the bike shop, you should be willing to learn from new people, not just try to tell them what/how to do. <br />
<br />
<br />
'''Multi lingual bike diagram:'''<br />
<br />
La Bici Digna had a poster of a bike with lines to all the parts. They asked their participant to write on posted notes the names of the parts of the bike that they knew. With all the many dialects present, the digram ended up having four names for nearly every part. <br />
<br />
<br />
Denver’s [[The Bike Depot]] works with [Big Brother] and [Big Sister]. They are then able to pay for kids to volunteer.<br />
<br />
<br />
Lots of collectives have earn a bike programs, or free bikes to people on welfare.<br />
<br />
<br />
One collective got a high school student credit for volunteering at the shop.<br />
<br />
Another works directly with Refugee camps.<br />
<br />
<br />
'''How do you deal with theft?''' - Story from the [[Bike Kitchen]]<br />
<br />
The bike kitchen experienced a wave of theft. Bikes were being stolen right out side the shop, and also, many 15mm wrenches and other tools which might assist in bicycle theft. At first they were completely worried and frustrated that they were possibly assisting in that theft. But what they hadn’t expected was that this wave of bicycle theft resulted in the creation of a bike scene in the surrounding neighborhoods. The exact people who they were trying to get into the shop, trying to foster interest in the bicycle as a mode of transportation, started riding bikes. “It just wasn’t on our terms.” - Arlen ([[Bike Kitchen]]/[[La Bici Digna]])<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Workshop continues in [[#Classes, Workshops, Space]]<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working Together ==<br />
Increasing Inter-Organization Collaboration. The intention of this workshop was to talk about all of the ways in which we as bicycle collectives of different sorts who run our services in many different ways, can share our experiences, successes, failures, and tangible output in order to help other collectives both start and continue to thrive.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
[[User:Godwin|Godwin]] directed this workshop while [[Bob Wolfe]] facilitated in providing a speakers list. A large sheet of paper was used to help keep visible notes, at the end of the discussion the notes were the following:<br />
* '''Current Tools'''<br />
** [[BOOP]]<br />
** [[Bike!Bike!]]<br />
** [[Think Tank]]<br />
** [[Bike Collectives Network]]<br />
** [[Bike Collectives Wiki]]<br />
** Various collaborative tools such as our Google Docs list of organizations and Google Maps visualization of orgs across North America<br />
* '''What we need these tools for'''<br />
** Learn how to start a collective<br />
** Learn how to continue running a collective<br />
** Find example documents<br />
*** Volunteer Privileges<br />
*** Todo for new volunteers<br />
*** Financials<br />
*** Fliers<br />
*** Curricula<br />
*** Manuals<br />
*** 501c and not-for-profit forms<br />
*** Tool lists<br />
*** Inventory<br />
*** Price guide<br />
*** Mission statement<br />
*** Bylaws<br />
*** Safe space<br />
*** Legal documents<br />
*** Letters for grant writing<br />
** Find out how other organizations run their various programmes<br />
** Partner with other organizations<br />
* '''Brainstorming Ideas which could help'''<br />
** A Bike!Bike! Wiki<br />
** Have more involved wiki moderators who will make suggestions for improvements<br />
** News feed on wiki<br />
** Email individuals to improve pages<br />
** New list-serve other than the [[Think Tank]] which can be used for these emails<br />
** More list-serves for different purposes<br />
** Online Forums<br />
** Request documents, pages, and improvements once a year or at other regular intervals<br />
** Rid the wiki of closed shops<br />
** RSS feeds on the wiki<br />
** Separate blog or paper news<br />
** Paypal donations on [[BCN]] or the wiki<br />
** An umbrella or 'helping hand' organization<br />
** A seed fund<br />
** Micro Loans for starting up shops<br />
** A no-reply list-serve<br />
* An 'umbrella' organization goes against many principles that are held by most shops however a 'helping hand' organization that acts as a third party to facilitate to spread of knowledge and possibly funds would likely not.<br />
* To improve the wiki it will take some active moderating and contacting of individuals.<br />
* The wiki is difficult to navigate so it should be reorganized<br />
* Bikecollectives.org is not serving any other purpose other than providing the wiki.<br />
* The [[Think Tank]] is too much for many to handle, there are too many emails about things that many don't care about.<br />
* Godwin promised to contact the current owners of bikevollectives.org to see if improvements could be made.<br />
* Adding increased moderation of the wiki will be looked into<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working with relationships ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
= Contact =<br />
* [[Bike!Bike!]] website: http://www.bikebike.org<br />
* [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|The Bike Cave]]'s website: http://thebikecave.org<br />
* Email: [mailto:bikebike2011@gmail.com bikebike2011@gmail.com]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Bike!Bike!]]</div>Sharperhttps://wiki2.bikelover.org/wiki/index.php?title=Bike!Bike!_2011&diff=11340Bike!Bike! 20112011-07-14T22:24:27Z<p>Sharper: /* L.A. Bike Kitchen overview */</p>
<hr />
<div>'''Bike!Bike! 2011''' was held in San Marcos, Texas; hosted by [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|The Bike Cave]] and [[The San Marcos Community Bike Project]]. It took place from June 23-26th, 2011.[[File:bikebikebike2a.jpg|thumb]]<br />
<br />
==Summary==<br />
<br />
= Schedule =<br />
== As published ==<br />
{|border="1" align="left" style="text-align:left;"<br />
!scope="row" width="20%" colspan="2"| Wednesday, June 22<br />
|-<br />
|1:00-6:00pm||Pick up a loaner bike (if you're staying the night in Austin) at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|2:00pm - 6:00pm||Open house at UT's Orange Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|6:00 -10:00pm||Open house at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|11:00pm||Open house at Movemint Bike Cab Co. Shop (1301 east 4th street) <br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Thursday, June 23<br />
|-<br />
|11:00am - 1:00pm||Pick up your loaner bike (if you've just arrived in Austin) at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|1:00pm||Group ride from Austin's Yellow Bike Project to San Marcos (there will be a truck to take your things to San Marcos)<br />
|-<br />
|12:00 - 8:00pm||Check-In at San Marcos Public Library ($25 - $45, pay what you can, nobody will be turned away for lack of funds. Pick up your loaner bike and housing arraignments)<br />
|-<br />
|2:00 - 8:00pm||Fix up your bike at The Bike Cave<br />
|-<br />
|7:00 - 8:00pm||Welcome / Speak up & speak out!<br />
|-<br />
|8:00pm - 10:00pm||Casual welcome dinner at City / Plaza Park with music by Mariachi Nueva Generacion<br />
|-<br />
|9:30pm||A screening of "Dudey Free Zone: Women's and Transgender Bike Spaces" plus other short bike-related films. At The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Friday, June 24<br />
|-<br />
|8:00am - 1:00pm||Check-In continued for those who get here late at The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|1:00 - 2:30pm||Lunch<br />
|-<br />
|2:30 - 4:00pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|8:00pm - 9:00pm||The future of Bike! Bike! - a discussion to figure out where we're heading, and how we're getting there. A preview of which project(s) are interested in hosting in 2012.<br />
|-<br />
|7:00pm - 10:30pm||Bike polo on top of Speck Street Parking Garage (there will be a group ride leaving from Rio Vista at 6:00pm)<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 -11:00pm||Concert at The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Saturday, June 25<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|1:00 - 2:30pm||Lunch<br />
|-<br />
|2:30 - 4:00pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|9:00pm - 12:00am||BIKE! RIDE! BIKE! RIDE!<br />
|-<br />
|12:00am - ???||Dance party<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Sunday, June 26<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30 - 11:00am||Workshops / final brainstorm<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 1:00pm||Closing meeting, Bike! Bike! 2012 discussion<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
== Workshops schedule ==<br />
{|border="1" align="left" style="text-align:left; border: 1px solid Black;" width="100%"<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Friday, June 24||Yoga Center || The Bike Cave || Sodatooth || Go 2 Danz || Library large room || Library small room || The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am|| || [[#Acquiring a permanent space]] || [[#Mobile Repair Clinic]] || || || ||<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm|| || [[#Managing social rides to promote bicycling]] || || [[#Bike touring]] || || ||<br />
|-<br />
|2:30pm - 4:00pm||[[#Teaching & learning styles]] || [[#Integrating bikes into the university fabric]] || || [[#Working in under-privileged communities]] || || ||<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm|| ||[[#Basics of the nonprofit sector and organizational form]] || || [[#Women and Transgender shop hours]] || || ||<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Saturday, June 25||Yoga Center || The Bike Cave || Sodatooth || Go 2 Danz || Library large room || Library small room || The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am|| || [[#Bike 101]]|| [[#Volunteer orientation]] || [[#Acro yoga]] || || || [[#Green space tour]]<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm|| || [[#Working with relationships]] || || [[#Working Together]] || || [[#Utilizing free open-source software]] ||<br />
|-<br />
|2:30pm - 4:00pm|| [[#Battlefield: Consensus]] || || || [[#Weather? What weather? (winter)]] || [[#Software developers exchange]] || [[#Please be kind to cyclists]] ||<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm|| [[#Analyzing work flows]] || [[#Recycled bike art]] || || || [[#Classes, Workshops, Space]] || ||<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Sunday, June 26||Yoga Center || The Bike Cave || Sodatooth || Go 2 Danz || Library large room || Library small room || The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am|| [[#Managing expectations of a cooperative bike shop]] || || || [[#Weather? What weather? (summer)]] || [[#Confronting car culture]] || || <br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 1:00pm|| || || || || [[#Closing discussion - Bike!Bike! 2012]] || || <br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
= Workshops =<br />
== Green space tour ==<br />
A bike tour of San Marcos green spaces<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Acquiring a permanent space ==<br />
Acquiring a permanent space instead of renting, working with the city for land or a building, fund-raising and micro-loans<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Acro yoga ==<br />
Skillshare<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Analyzing work flows ==<br />
Analyzing work flows within a bike project: setting up committees and more effective follow-up. How to reduce "ball droppage". Held at 4:30 PM on Saturday, June 25, 2011, at the Community Yoga Center.<br />
Facilitated by Susan of [[Third Hand Bicycle Cooperative]] in Columbus, Ohio.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Often in collectives, everyone will be off doing their own thing. This can lead to some jobs being repeated and others falling through the cracks. To combat this, it's helpful to identify all the processes at work in the collective, whether they deal with inputs to the collective, actions within the shop, or outputs leaving the collective.<br />
Third Hand streamlined their procedures by identifying all of the processes involved in handling this inputs and outputs. The frequency and nature of each task was discussed, and jobs were fit together as appropriate. Collections of jobs are given to various task forces, each empowered to deal with their issue without approval from the Board or the overarching Collective and charged with developing the policies that guide the completion of those tasks. The identification of tasks alone took half a day.<br />
To deal with the problem of one volunteer doing all of one job and leaving the organization without institutional knowledge, it was suggested to pick a primary and secondary person responsible for getting the job done. Another method would be to assign jobs at the beginning of each month, so that tasks get spread around more widely. Neither approach means that the person assigned has to do the task; they may delegate the task, they're just responsible for making sure it happens.<br />
Those assigned a job should make a short report back at a general meeting as to their success or failure. This helps the group know that necessary work is being accomplished and provides an avenue for new volunteers to find work. Since it's nearly impossible to penalize volunteers, enforcement has to be kept positive. In the case of an incomplete job, the group should ask why the job was not finished, and whether there was sufficient support from the group. Any remediation can be simply done by a reconstituted task force given a mandate to fix the problems.<br />
In Third Hand's experience, some jobs like outreach and volunteer coordination are best considered as "alternative shifts" -- as crucial as a regular shift, but handled in a radically different way.<br />
==== Examples ====<br />
Sample inputs, from the workshop:<br />
* Mail<br />
* Phone calls<br />
* E-mail<br />
* Donations (cash or stuff)<br />
* Visitors<br />
* Packages and deliveries<br />
* Complaints<br />
* Volunteer labor<br />
Sample inside tasks:<br />
* Cleaning<br />
* Tool ordering<br />
* Inventory<br />
* Budgeting<br />
* Parts sorting<br />
* Scheduling<br />
* Tracking<br />
* Sales<br />
Sample outputs:<br />
* Bikes<br />
* Knowledge<br />
* Rent/utilities<br />
* Media<br />
* Mobile units<br />
* Volunteer appreciation<br />
* Newsletters/flyers<br />
* Mail and e-mail<br />
* Tax returns<br />
* Deposits<br />
Sample task forces:<br />
* Finances (Sales, Budgeting, Bill Payment)<br />
* Tool and parts orders<br />
* Community relations<br />
* Volunteer coordination<br />
* IT/Tech<br />
* Outreach<br />
* Conflict resolution<br />
Processes can be determined by looking at the inputs. For Mail, mail would be picked up and sorted to give to the appropriate group (finance, outreach, ordering, etc.). The time frame for mail would be "every open shop".<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Basics of the nonprofit sector and organizational form ==<br />
=== Details ===<br />
Held on Friday, June 24, at the [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|Bike Cave]].<br />
<br />
Facilitated by Charles from the [[Bloomington Community Bike Project]].<br />
<br />
Topics were determined by the participants at the beginning of the workshop and ran across a wide spectrum of general information on nonprofit management.<br />
<br />
=== General notes ===<br />
In 2006, the U.S. IRS published a rule requiring some sort of reporting as to an organization's status, even if it was just a postcard sent in. A number of small nonprofits lost their exemption for not following this rule.<br />
<br />
It is important to have a way to evaluate an organization's performance as it relates to its mission.<br />
<br />
Every organization needs a statutory agent -- someone who can sign for the organization and provides the IRS with "a throat to choke" if things go downhill.<br />
<br />
Meeting minutes have to be kept. Google Docs and a local wiki are both good resources, allowing necessary modifications. One organization had a lot of success keeping an internet-enabled computer in meetings, transcribing in realtime, and e-mailing the attendees immediately.<br />
<br />
Most states and regions have nonprofit resource centers and many libraries have nonprofit guides. Use them as best you can. If a resource provides facilitation training, it is usually worth it to send members. <br />
<br />
==== Fundraising opportunities ====<br />
Contract work can provide a good revenue source for a shop, but organizations must be careful that the contract closely matches the organization's priorities. It does little good to spend volunteer or paid staff time on special work that doesn't help the organization much. Grants can be a similar resource sink; the best grants are those that give you money for doing what you do. Always be prepared to walk away from a grant or a contract.<br />
<br />
When searching for grants, it helps to have a relationship with a grant writer. Be sure to look beyond bicycle-specific grants, too; a lot of bike collective work can fall under categories like sustainability, health, or ecology.<br />
<br />
==== Why to incorporate ====<br />
Small shops can skirt by without incorporation, but setting up a nonprofit brings a few major benefits.<br />
<br />
Incorporation makes it easier to get insurance and liability coverage, protecting volunteers in case of lawsuits. Incorporated nonprofits can also receive tax-deductible donations, avoid income taxes, and are in a better position to compete for grants and fundraising.<br />
<br />
==== Setup ====<br />
The constitution, bylaws, and policies were described as different facets of how to organize a nonprofit's structure.<br />
<br />
The ''constitution'' itself should be short -- little more than a mission statement and a prominent mention of the organization's tax exempt status.<br />
<br />
The ''bylaws'' should ratify the organization's best practices. As they are a legal document governing the organization, they should be concise and flexible and avoid dictating specific policies. Try to write in what should happen -- what the shop can do, what someone should expect when their come in, and so on, without saying how to accomplish those goals. Well-written bylaws also allow anyone reviewing them to see whether the organization is keeping true to its promises and offer an opportunity to change course if things go bad.<br />
<br />
All details about how to actually run the shop and organization belong in the ''policies and procedures''. <br />
<br />
==== [[Bicycle Kitchen (Los Angeles)|L.A. Bike Kitchen]] overview ====<br />
Arlen from the Los Angeles Bike Kitchen summarized how their organization is set up.<br />
<br />
The Bike Kitchen has three volunteer levels. Shadows graduate to volunteers once they've completed a general knowledge worksheet. Volunteers that work four shifts a month (about 12 hours) and do something extra special for the organization can then move up to "cook".<br />
<br />
There are four quarterly "cooks" meetings, run under supermajority consensus rules, utilizing an outside (and objective) facilitator. There is also one annual camp held with a paid outside facilitator. Board meetings are held monthly with a rotating facilitator chosen from the group.<br />
<br />
Day-to-day operations and policies are handled by "gruppos"; ad hoc autonomous committees with specific charters. These committees are not required to accept input from anyone else. Presumably, anyone with strong feelings on, for example, what tools to order, would sit on the ordering gruppo.<br />
<br />
Example gruppos:<br />
* Finance<br />
* Ordering<br />
* Operations (as related to bike projects)<br />
* "Smooth shifting" -- ergonomics and accessibility<br />
* Volunteer coordination<br />
* Neighbor relations<br />
* "Space exploration" -- researching a new shop location<br />
<br />
There was no built-in accountability measures; everything just worked.<br />
<br />
== Battlefield: Consensus ==<br />
Decision making - the good, the bad, and the ugly. A reprise of 2010's Battlefield: Consensus.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Bike 101 ==<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Bike touring ==<br />
What to take, how to pack, where to sleep and eat, and of course, where to go.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Classes, Workshops, Space ==<br />
Doing Meaningful Outreach with Communities in Your Neighborhood.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
<br />
'''How do you programs “translate” in your/near by communities?”'''<br />
<br />
<br />
How are you defining “Community”?<br />
<br />
How inclusive is your space? How Accessible?<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Lava Monsters of Death (these will hold you back, don’t let them!)'''<br />
<br />
<br />
Using excessive “they” “them” or “those people”<br />
<br />
Assuming people know what you know.<br />
<br />
Assuming people are intentionally (behaving/acting) being fucked up<br />
<br />
Confusing critiques/analysis of behaviour dynamics as vicious existential personal attacks of Doom against you, yes you! <br />
<br />
<br />
'''Success Stories of Workshops that help out reach to under privileged communities.'''<br />
<br />
Multi language bike mechanics, teach english or learn spanish at the same time as teaching bike mechanics, <br />
<br />
<br />
Get Doctors to prescribe bike riding, get them to send people to your collective.<br />
<br />
<br />
Organize group rides that tie in a neighborhood’s resources that are not well used, go to farmer’s markets, put baskets on bikes.<br />
<br />
<br />
Safe routes to schools has been successful in getting more kids to ride.<br />
<br />
<br />
Find teachers who are bike sympathetic.<br />
<br />
<br />
Canvas the neighborhood, knock door to door, flyer (tear offs work well), bring tools to fix flats, mobil bike repair!<br />
<br />
<br />
Get in contact with a neighborhood organization, they often don’t have websites, you can find them sometimes through the police department.<br />
<br />
<br />
Be wary of giving “big free give away!” if you don’t have enough, it can create a weird and tense atmosphere.<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Closing discussion - Bike!Bike! 2012 ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Confronting car culture ==<br />
Dealing with dominant culture on a personal level and effecting cultural shift.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== How the City of San Marcos, Texas bicycle map was created ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Managing expectations of a cooperative bike shop ==<br />
How to manage expectations and orient new people quickly to the cooperative shop environment<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Integrating bikes into the university fabric ==<br />
Integrating bikes into the university fabric via student and staff collaboration<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Managing social rides to promote bicycling ==<br />
From fringe to mainstream: how social cycling can ... and make our cities better<br />
=== Details ===<br />
Held at 11:15 AM on Friday, June 24 at the Bike Cave.<br />
Elliott McFadden of [http://austinontwowheels.org/ Austin on Two Wheels] and Violet Crown Cycles started by describing his views of cycling promotion and two methods seen in Austin of directly working to get people riding bikes. After this, he answered questions in a general discussion format.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
==== Failures in bicycle promotion ====<br />
Elliot identified two somewhat conflicting methods of increasing cycling from the cycling industry and from political advocacy.<br />
* Industry: Bicycle sales in the U.S. have remained stagnant over since the 1970s, despite significant growth in population. To increase sales, the bicycle industry has focused on making bikes more niche -- selling new bikes to their existing market.<br />
* Advocacy: Advocates lobby decision makers for better infrastructure, but do so without growing a grassroots bicycle population or establishing cycling within the community.<br />
Until bicycling is seen as a normal community behavior, bicyclists will continue to be classified by convenient stereotypes, like the spandex/carbon weekend warrior, the hipster scofflaw, and the sanctimonious environmentalist.<br />
==== Strategy ====<br />
Defining "regime" as an interconnected group of businesses and leaders with a common world view, Elliott noted that the current regime is in favor of growing consumption and fossil fuel use. At the national level, this means the oil and auto industries. At the local level, it includes developers, auto dealers, and news entities, whose future profits depend on growth. Tellingly, 30% of all ad revenue for media entities comes from car companies.<br />
Regime change must then be the goal of a bicycle promoter. Find negative ways to describe the current regime (dirty, expensive, destructive, long travel times in cars) and positive ways to describe the desired regime (healthy, thrifty, sustainable, quality family time). Form partnerships with businesses and organizations that can benefit from a new regime.<br />
==== Social cycling ====<br />
To replace the negative stereotypes of bicyclists, it is important to develop an atmosphere that encourages riding by more members of the community. Bicycling should be made to be more comfortable -- no races, no work-outs, regular clothes, open to everyone. The joys of being out, riding with regular people, should be paramount. <br />
Commuting is often a big sell by industry and advocates; it allows shops to sell specialized "commuter" bicycles and advocates to focus on connecting routes, but as a sales point, it has two crippling problems: nobody likes to go to work, and most people go to work alone. Instead, social cycling should be a focus: just get many people together to ride bikes. Austin has two models that work in tandem: Social Cycling Austin and Austin on Two Wheels, an "affiliated business concept".<br />
===== Social Cycling Austin =====<br />
Social Cycling Austin is a volunteer production started two years ago as a free ride -- participants just show up for a weekly social ride, drawing 200-300 riders on average and as many as 500. It partners with local businesses, usually a bar or restaurant, and rides with traffic, not against it.<br />
This model is easy to start (it just requires two people) and its open structure makes it accessible to all. It doesn't have to be affiliated with any business, so it can work with and for everyone. Because of its loose nature, it's easy to change what doesn't work or even dismantle the ride. It doesn't need any investment to start up, as most organizing can be done through social networks and guerrilla marketing.<br />
Unfortunately, it also has no control over who shows up, making it difficult to deal with troublemakers and easy for the ride to grow beyond the capacity of the leaders or prevent the ride from being co-opted by other organizations. A focus on bars as a final destination also makes it easy for this sort of ride to turn into a "booze cruise", adding additional challenges to the organization and often depressing its ability to draw women riders. Additionally, it is easy for organizing volunteers to burn out and the undefined liability might cause problems in case of injury.<br />
===== Affiliated Business Concept =====<br />
In an affiliated business concept, the rides are run as a business, usually as smaller fee-based rides than as large-scale free-for-alls.<br />
Because a business controls the ride, it's possible to tailor rides for specific demographics; women, families, suburbanites, etc. It's also easier to get different business partners and variety in the ride -- restaurants may provide food and drink samples, galleries may partner for art rides, or retail establishments for shopping rides. A business is also better able to provide a clear line of liability in case of accident and maintain a paid staff of ride leaders and organizers to provide a higher level of service. Austin on Two Wheels, for example, capped rides at 50 participants and provided one ride leader for every ten people to watch over unlocked bikes and help keep rides safe.<br />
This concept also carries some challenges. Partners must be committed to growth; it can take 18-24 months for the concept to turn a sustainable profit and its longer-term viability has not been tested, though it may be a reasonable loss leader for a bike shop. It also limits partnerships to a single member of each sector; one bike shop, one newspaper, or one boutique. The clear line of liability also means that the operating business has insurance requirements to carry and will likely have to enforce helmet use.<br />
==== Discussion ====<br />
Both rides appeal to different people, but the demographics of the riders were mostly white, though unintentionally so. For the open social rides, this was because the ride started from one social circle and its business preferences. For the paid rides, this was because they were seeking sustainable income. Since bicycles seen as a lesser mode of transportation in impoverished communities and represent gentrification, it can be difficult to promote them, though groups like the Major Taylor Group are trying to increase African American ridership. Either way, more racially diverse ride leadership should help diversify rider participation.<br />
Other problems with social cycling rides were identified. It's easy for the ride's somewhat high turnover to give it over to more aggressive cycling, and efforts to rein it in can be paternalistic.<br />
Responses to paid rides were overwhelmingly positive. Of 300 participants, 60% were women, and every ride had a bicyclist that had not ridden at all in the past year. Of survey respondents, 85% loved the ride, 97% would do it again, and 84% were more likely to revisit the participating businesses. No complaints were received of the ride being too fast, and the complaints of 1/3 of the respondents that the ride was too slow were dismissed. As for distance, the longest single ride was 10 miles and the longest single stretch was five miles, but most rides were just a few miles in stretches of two miles or less at a 10-12 mph pace. <br />
The high ratio of leaders to participants of the paid rides helped keep them very well organized. Walkie-talkies were given to the front and back leaders and other riders would circulate through the ride, keeping riders lined up, directing traffic at intersections, and encouraging the ride to behave well in regards to other users. It helped that the Austin Police Department was non-reactionary, so there was no backlash from law enforcement.<br />
Paid rides started with an intro of the leaders and the participants signing of a waiver stating they knew the rules of the road and agreed to follow ride leader instructions.<br />
Marketing was done through their own website, and partnering businesses were encouraged to do their own promotion as well. It was emphasized that time, rather than distance, was mentioned in all promotions. Though a six mile ride would take about 30 minutes, 30 minutes seemed like an easier ride than six miles. Ride classifications were right out; letter-assignments mean nothing to the new riders being targeted.<br />
Hurting businesses were suggested as rich prospects, as a few dozen potential customers can be enticing. Visits to any business should be during slow hours, though, to minimize disruption to regular services and provide customers when the business would be otherwise idle -- restaurants on Saturday afternoons are a good example. <br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Mobile Repair Clinic ==<br />
Held at 9:30 AM on Friday, June 24, at Sodatooth art gallery. Operating a mobile on-the-go repair clinic through the city and community organizations.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
The original facilitator did not show up for this workshop but the intent was fairly self evident by the name of the workshop. It was begun with a go-around and then by asking the question 'who currently operates a mobile repair unit?'<br />
The [[Bike Cage]] from Winnipeg told us that they began as a purely mobile shop until they had enough resources and a space to operate from a permanent location. The [[Bike Root]] from Calgary told us that the opposite was true for them, they began with a full shop but after losing their space, kept operations going by setting up in various locations on their campus and around town.<br />
==== To fix or not? Where do you draw the line? ====<br />
There were various answers to this question, some shops will only fix flats and minor brake and gear issues. Others were willing to fix anything as long as the tools were available. Arguments for the former included<br />
* lack of proper tools<br />
* lack of more advanced tools or replacement parts in case anything went wrong<br />
* lack of knowledge / trust in the knowledge of some casual volunteers that might attend a mobile repair clinic<br />
* some provide more hand on repair for mobile units to decrease liability in case a bike owner injures themselves but providing more complicated repairs ourselves increases liability in case the owner injures themselves on their bike afterwards.<br />
and for the latter:<br />
* We should do our best to get more bikes fixed and on the road<br />
* We're confident in our skills<br />
* The worst thing that might happen is that a bike that wasn't on the road is now still not on the road<br />
* We make bike owners fix their bikes themselves so we are not liable<br />
==== Other services ====<br />
In addition to offering minor repairs, the Bike Cage's mobile unit doubles as a bike valet service. There was no elaboration on how the system works.<br />
==== Getting the message across that a mobile tune tent is not a fully functioning tent ====<br />
It seemed to be a common problem that when individuals in the community would hear about a free tune-up possibility, they would often bring in bikes that need repairs far beyond what could be done at a tune tent. It was suggested to avoid this, advertise as "light bike repair".<br />
==== Who holds the tools? ====<br />
We had a discussion about if the volunteer should fix the bike for the owner or provide the owner with the tools and teach how to fix the bike hands-off. Whether or not tools were handed to the bike owner, teaching at least by the volunteer explaining what he or she was doing seemed to be the norm. The issues behind whether or not to let the owner fix the bike seemed to be liability dependent on both sides. If the volunteer fixes the bike, the shop becomes liable if the bike causes injury down the road while normally the bike owner has not signed a liability waiver to use the tools, so the shop could be liable if they hurt themselves while repairing their bike.<br />
==== Ride or drive? ====<br />
We had a discussion on whether or not to drive the equipment to the location or use a trailer. No one seemed to be passionate for either but there are a lot of options out there for trailers big and small. [[Fargo Moorhead Community Bicycle Workshop|Fargo]] rides with a huge 4x6 trailer.<br />
==== Off topic discussion ====<br />
The conversation went off topic many times but did produce a few interesting ideas:<br />
* [[The Orioles Bike Cage|Winnipeg]] uses a punch card, much like one you would find a a coffee shop or fast food location, to punch out skills that a volunteer has learned. Once the card is completely punched the volunteer can start fixing bikes for others.<br />
* While discussing how to get enough replacement parts, another bike shop told us they provide local bike shops with barrels which the shops can use to put parts that are still usable but would otherwise throw away. The barrels would be picked up and emptied at regular intervals. This shop did not have a problem finding parts when needed as a result.<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Please be kind to cyclists ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Recycled bike art ==<br />
Turning garbage into gold.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
<br />
[[File:Bike Craft - Tube Shoe Laces.pdf|200px|thumb|left|alt text]]<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Software developers exchange ==<br />
Projects being worked on, have worked on, or areas they (you) are interested / skilled in.<br />
<br />
Held Saturday, June 25, at 2:30 PM at the San Marcos Public Library.<br />
<br />
Facilitated by [[User:Godwin|Godwin]] of [[The Bike Root]] in Calgary.<br />
<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Participants briefly described their technical experience, specifically any coding projects and languages they've used. A few participants were experienced programmers; most were interested in learning or helping a project in other ways like documentation and testing.<br />
[[Austin Yellow Bike Project]]'s tracking code was discussed and briefly compared to the [[Bike Kitchen (San Francisco, CA, USA)|San Francisco Bicycle Kitchen]]'s Freehub software.<br />
<br />
The Yellow Bike Project released their code for public use, and it was noted that SLC had already made a Joomla plugin. The YBP software was also demonstrated live at the workshop.<br />
<br />
Steve of [[Fargo Moorhead Community Bicycle Workshop|Fargo]] and Godwin were (or soon will be) working on independent applications, but the general consensus coalesced around a few ideals.<br />
<br />
Any software development push should be oriented towards a web-based solution for the greatest ease in rolling out across various platforms, though it would make it more difficult to install as a software package and could lead to data security and access problems if provided as a hosting service, as SFBK does with Freehub. Additionally, this software should start with one shop in order to develop one full set of features. All features should be written as plugins to a basic core, allowing features to be added as required by various shops.<br />
Yellow Bike Project's software may make a suitable core for such a push.<br />
<br />
A general wishlist was hashed out, in no particular order:<br />
* Work-trade management<br />
* Granular volunteer time tracking<br />
* Varied reporting options<br />
* Donation tracking<br />
* Bike and inventory tracking (including completion of projects)<br />
* Visitor tracking<br />
* Communications options (e-mail lists, contacting expiring memberships)<br />
* Sales tracking (though not point-of-sale)<br />
* Volunteer skill tracking<br />
<br />
== Teaching & learning styles ==<br />
Teaching & learning styles in community bike shops; a discussion about different approaches, what works and what doesn't work as well<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== The future of Bike! Bike! ==<br />
Where are we going and how are we going to get there? Also, a quick (but no-decisions-made) discussion about where Bike! Bike! will be held in 2012 (that will be decided during the final meeting on Sunday, June 26).<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Utilizing free open-source software ==<br />
Operating systems and work documents to benefit your project.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Despite "charity" pricing for software packages from major publishers like Microsoft and Adobe, some software is priced beyond the range of a co-operative's budget, or would be used to infrequently as to make a purchase pointless.<br />
Fortunately, the open source community has responded with a number of free replacements for major software, including for the operating system itself. Most of these packages can be found in [[Computer Resources]].<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Volunteer orientation ==<br />
Addressing safe space concerns, and a conversation about empowering and maintaining a committed volunteer base<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Weather? What weather? (summer) ==<br />
How you and your bike can survive the heat<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Weather? What weather? (winter) ==<br />
How you and your bike can survive the cold<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Women and Transgender shop hours ==<br />
Policies, Politics, Allies<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working in under-privileged communities ==<br />
Working in under-privileged communities: challenges and opportunities<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Facilitators:<br />
<br />
[[Bike Kitchen]]/[[La Bici Digna]] (Arlen) and [[Bikerowave]]/[[Bici Libre]] (Bobby):<br />
<br />
<br />
Keep your eyes on the prize (don’t forget why you’re doing this, don’t let your limitations stop you)<br />
<br />
<br />
Dynamics in work space an issue, (shop isn’t located in the right place) <br />
<br />
-try mobile workshop?<br />
La Bici Digna started with a mobil work shop at the day labor center working with City of Lights. <br />
<br />
<br />
Low community buyin? <br />
<br />
-try partnering w/ another organization that organizes in “that” community. (try contacting a country’s embassy to let them know you exist, find out what communities you want to encourage and talk to the leaders in that community) <br />
<br />
<br />
Not enough Resources?<br />
<br />
-try seeing groups that are stoked, already active.<br />
<br />
<br />
Chill out. Be Patient (It takes time to build up trust and awareness of your resource.)<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Stories:'''<br />
<br />
Bici Libre got a free space to house abandoned bikes. They seek to provide a space where people can learn job skills and leadership skills. They have a list of activities that can be done by non-bike mechanic volunteers. Group jobs such as cleaning parts or cutting tubes can be really good for some cultures who will enjoy the communal experience. It’s important to talk to the poeple you are trying to engage to ask them what they want to contribute, or what they want to get out of it.<br />
<br />
<br />
Sometimes the way we think the bicycle collective “should” run is not the way some under privileged communities want to run their own. Often, people will want to start a for-profit shop. It’s important to not get stuck in your ideas, to learn also how to communicate in another person’s language. You can use the terms they know, even if it’s the “wrong” term, whats important is that you both get on the same page. There’s a reason you are trying to engage a different dynamic in the bike shop, you should be willing to learn from new people, not just try to tell them what/how to do. <br />
<br />
<br />
'''Multi lingual bike diagram:'''<br />
<br />
La Bici Digna had a poster of a bike with lines to all the parts. They asked their participant to write on posted notes the names of the parts of the bike that they knew. With all the many dialects present, the digram ended up having four names for nearly every part. <br />
<br />
<br />
Denver’s [[The Bike Depot]] works with [Big Brother] and [Big Sister]. They are then able to pay for kids to volunteer.<br />
<br />
<br />
Lots of collectives have earn a bike programs, or free bikes to people on welfare.<br />
<br />
<br />
One collective got a high school student credit for volunteering at the shop.<br />
<br />
Another works directly with Refugee camps.<br />
<br />
<br />
'''How do you deal with theft?''' - Story from the [[Bike Kitchen]]<br />
<br />
The bike kitchen experienced a wave of theft. Bikes were being stolen right out side the shop, and also, many 15mm wrenches and other tools which might assist in bicycle theft. At first they were completely worried and frustrated that they were possibly assisting in that theft. But what they hadn’t expected was that this wave of bicycle theft resulted in the creation of a bike scene in the surrounding neighborhoods. The exact people who they were trying to get into the shop, trying to foster interest in the bicycle as a mode of transportation, started riding bikes. “It just wasn’t on our terms.” - Arlen ([[Bike Kitchen]]/[[La Bici Digna]])<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Workshop continues in [[#Classes, Workshops, Space]]<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working Together ==<br />
Increasing Inter-Organization Collaboration. The intention of this workshop was to talk about all of the ways in which we as bicycle collectives of different sorts who run our services in many different ways, can share our experiences, successes, failures, and tangible output in order to help other collectives both start and continue to thrive.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
[[User:Godwin|Godwin]] directed this workshop while [[Bob Wolfe]] facilitated in providing a speakers list. A large sheet of paper was used to help keep visible notes, at the end of the discussion the notes were the following:<br />
* '''Current Tools'''<br />
** [[BOOP]]<br />
** [[Bike!Bike!]]<br />
** [[Think Tank]]<br />
** [[Bike Collectives Network]]<br />
** [[Bike Collectives Wiki]]<br />
** Various collaborative tools such as our Google Docs list of organizations and Google Maps visualization of orgs across North America<br />
* '''What we need these tools for'''<br />
** Learn how to start a collective<br />
** Learn how to continue running a collective<br />
** Find example documents<br />
*** Volunteer Privileges<br />
*** Todo for new volunteers<br />
*** Financials<br />
*** Fliers<br />
*** Curricula<br />
*** Manuals<br />
*** 501c and not-for-profit forms<br />
*** Tool lists<br />
*** Inventory<br />
*** Price guide<br />
*** Mission statement<br />
*** Bylaws<br />
*** Safe space<br />
*** Legal documents<br />
*** Letters for grant writing<br />
** Find out how other organizations run their various programmes<br />
** Partner with other organizations<br />
* '''Brainstorming Ideas which could help'''<br />
** A Bike!Bike! Wiki<br />
** Have more involved wiki moderators who will make suggestions for improvements<br />
** News feed on wiki<br />
** Email individuals to improve pages<br />
** New list-serve other than the [[Think Tank]] which can be used for these emails<br />
** More list-serves for different purposes<br />
** Online Forums<br />
** Request documents, pages, and improvements once a year or at other regular intervals<br />
** Rid the wiki of closed shops<br />
** RSS feeds on the wiki<br />
** Separate blog or paper news<br />
** Paypal donations on [[BCN]] or the wiki<br />
** An umbrella or 'helping hand' organization<br />
** A seed fund<br />
** Micro Loans for starting up shops<br />
** A no-reply list-serve<br />
* An 'umbrella' organization goes against many principles that are held by most shops however a 'helping hand' organization that acts as a third party to facilitate to spread of knowledge and possibly funds would likely not.<br />
* To improve the wiki it will take some active moderating and contacting of individuals.<br />
* The wiki is difficult to navigate so it should be reorganized<br />
* Bikecollectives.org is not serving any other purpose other than providing the wiki.<br />
* The [[Think Tank]] is too much for many to handle, there are too many emails about things that many don't care about.<br />
* Godwin promised to contact the current owners of bikevollectives.org to see if improvements could be made.<br />
* Adding increased moderation of the wiki will be looked into<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working with relationships ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
= Contact =<br />
* [[Bike!Bike!]] website: http://www.bikebike.org<br />
* [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|The Bike Cave]]'s website: http://thebikecave.org<br />
* Email: [mailto:bikebike2011@gmail.com bikebike2011@gmail.com]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Bike!Bike!]]</div>Sharperhttps://wiki2.bikelover.org/wiki/index.php?title=Bike!Bike!_2011&diff=11339Bike!Bike! 20112011-07-14T22:20:15Z<p>Sharper: /* Basics of the nonprofit sector and organizational form */</p>
<hr />
<div>'''Bike!Bike! 2011''' was held in San Marcos, Texas; hosted by [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|The Bike Cave]] and [[The San Marcos Community Bike Project]]. It took place from June 23-26th, 2011.[[File:bikebikebike2a.jpg|thumb]]<br />
<br />
==Summary==<br />
<br />
= Schedule =<br />
== As published ==<br />
{|border="1" align="left" style="text-align:left;"<br />
!scope="row" width="20%" colspan="2"| Wednesday, June 22<br />
|-<br />
|1:00-6:00pm||Pick up a loaner bike (if you're staying the night in Austin) at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|2:00pm - 6:00pm||Open house at UT's Orange Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|6:00 -10:00pm||Open house at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|11:00pm||Open house at Movemint Bike Cab Co. Shop (1301 east 4th street) <br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Thursday, June 23<br />
|-<br />
|11:00am - 1:00pm||Pick up your loaner bike (if you've just arrived in Austin) at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|1:00pm||Group ride from Austin's Yellow Bike Project to San Marcos (there will be a truck to take your things to San Marcos)<br />
|-<br />
|12:00 - 8:00pm||Check-In at San Marcos Public Library ($25 - $45, pay what you can, nobody will be turned away for lack of funds. Pick up your loaner bike and housing arraignments)<br />
|-<br />
|2:00 - 8:00pm||Fix up your bike at The Bike Cave<br />
|-<br />
|7:00 - 8:00pm||Welcome / Speak up & speak out!<br />
|-<br />
|8:00pm - 10:00pm||Casual welcome dinner at City / Plaza Park with music by Mariachi Nueva Generacion<br />
|-<br />
|9:30pm||A screening of "Dudey Free Zone: Women's and Transgender Bike Spaces" plus other short bike-related films. At The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Friday, June 24<br />
|-<br />
|8:00am - 1:00pm||Check-In continued for those who get here late at The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|1:00 - 2:30pm||Lunch<br />
|-<br />
|2:30 - 4:00pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|8:00pm - 9:00pm||The future of Bike! Bike! - a discussion to figure out where we're heading, and how we're getting there. A preview of which project(s) are interested in hosting in 2012.<br />
|-<br />
|7:00pm - 10:30pm||Bike polo on top of Speck Street Parking Garage (there will be a group ride leaving from Rio Vista at 6:00pm)<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 -11:00pm||Concert at The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Saturday, June 25<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|1:00 - 2:30pm||Lunch<br />
|-<br />
|2:30 - 4:00pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|9:00pm - 12:00am||BIKE! RIDE! BIKE! RIDE!<br />
|-<br />
|12:00am - ???||Dance party<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Sunday, June 26<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30 - 11:00am||Workshops / final brainstorm<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 1:00pm||Closing meeting, Bike! Bike! 2012 discussion<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
== Workshops schedule ==<br />
{|border="1" align="left" style="text-align:left; border: 1px solid Black;" width="100%"<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Friday, June 24||Yoga Center || The Bike Cave || Sodatooth || Go 2 Danz || Library large room || Library small room || The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am|| || [[#Acquiring a permanent space]] || [[#Mobile Repair Clinic]] || || || ||<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm|| || [[#Managing social rides to promote bicycling]] || || [[#Bike touring]] || || ||<br />
|-<br />
|2:30pm - 4:00pm||[[#Teaching & learning styles]] || [[#Integrating bikes into the university fabric]] || || [[#Working in under-privileged communities]] || || ||<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm|| ||[[#Basics of the nonprofit sector and organizational form]] || || [[#Women and Transgender shop hours]] || || ||<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Saturday, June 25||Yoga Center || The Bike Cave || Sodatooth || Go 2 Danz || Library large room || Library small room || The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am|| || [[#Bike 101]]|| [[#Volunteer orientation]] || [[#Acro yoga]] || || || [[#Green space tour]]<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm|| || [[#Working with relationships]] || || [[#Working Together]] || || [[#Utilizing free open-source software]] ||<br />
|-<br />
|2:30pm - 4:00pm|| [[#Battlefield: Consensus]] || || || [[#Weather? What weather? (winter)]] || [[#Software developers exchange]] || [[#Please be kind to cyclists]] ||<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm|| [[#Analyzing work flows]] || [[#Recycled bike art]] || || || [[#Classes, Workshops, Space]] || ||<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Sunday, June 26||Yoga Center || The Bike Cave || Sodatooth || Go 2 Danz || Library large room || Library small room || The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am|| [[#Managing expectations of a cooperative bike shop]] || || || [[#Weather? What weather? (summer)]] || [[#Confronting car culture]] || || <br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 1:00pm|| || || || || [[#Closing discussion - Bike!Bike! 2012]] || || <br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
= Workshops =<br />
== Green space tour ==<br />
A bike tour of San Marcos green spaces<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Acquiring a permanent space ==<br />
Acquiring a permanent space instead of renting, working with the city for land or a building, fund-raising and micro-loans<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Acro yoga ==<br />
Skillshare<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Analyzing work flows ==<br />
Analyzing work flows within a bike project: setting up committees and more effective follow-up. How to reduce "ball droppage". Held at 4:30 PM on Saturday, June 25, 2011, at the Community Yoga Center.<br />
Facilitated by Susan of [[Third Hand Bicycle Cooperative]] in Columbus, Ohio.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Often in collectives, everyone will be off doing their own thing. This can lead to some jobs being repeated and others falling through the cracks. To combat this, it's helpful to identify all the processes at work in the collective, whether they deal with inputs to the collective, actions within the shop, or outputs leaving the collective.<br />
Third Hand streamlined their procedures by identifying all of the processes involved in handling this inputs and outputs. The frequency and nature of each task was discussed, and jobs were fit together as appropriate. Collections of jobs are given to various task forces, each empowered to deal with their issue without approval from the Board or the overarching Collective and charged with developing the policies that guide the completion of those tasks. The identification of tasks alone took half a day.<br />
To deal with the problem of one volunteer doing all of one job and leaving the organization without institutional knowledge, it was suggested to pick a primary and secondary person responsible for getting the job done. Another method would be to assign jobs at the beginning of each month, so that tasks get spread around more widely. Neither approach means that the person assigned has to do the task; they may delegate the task, they're just responsible for making sure it happens.<br />
Those assigned a job should make a short report back at a general meeting as to their success or failure. This helps the group know that necessary work is being accomplished and provides an avenue for new volunteers to find work. Since it's nearly impossible to penalize volunteers, enforcement has to be kept positive. In the case of an incomplete job, the group should ask why the job was not finished, and whether there was sufficient support from the group. Any remediation can be simply done by a reconstituted task force given a mandate to fix the problems.<br />
In Third Hand's experience, some jobs like outreach and volunteer coordination are best considered as "alternative shifts" -- as crucial as a regular shift, but handled in a radically different way.<br />
==== Examples ====<br />
Sample inputs, from the workshop:<br />
* Mail<br />
* Phone calls<br />
* E-mail<br />
* Donations (cash or stuff)<br />
* Visitors<br />
* Packages and deliveries<br />
* Complaints<br />
* Volunteer labor<br />
Sample inside tasks:<br />
* Cleaning<br />
* Tool ordering<br />
* Inventory<br />
* Budgeting<br />
* Parts sorting<br />
* Scheduling<br />
* Tracking<br />
* Sales<br />
Sample outputs:<br />
* Bikes<br />
* Knowledge<br />
* Rent/utilities<br />
* Media<br />
* Mobile units<br />
* Volunteer appreciation<br />
* Newsletters/flyers<br />
* Mail and e-mail<br />
* Tax returns<br />
* Deposits<br />
Sample task forces:<br />
* Finances (Sales, Budgeting, Bill Payment)<br />
* Tool and parts orders<br />
* Community relations<br />
* Volunteer coordination<br />
* IT/Tech<br />
* Outreach<br />
* Conflict resolution<br />
Processes can be determined by looking at the inputs. For Mail, mail would be picked up and sorted to give to the appropriate group (finance, outreach, ordering, etc.). The time frame for mail would be "every open shop".<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Basics of the nonprofit sector and organizational form ==<br />
=== Details ===<br />
Held on Friday, June 24, at the [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|Bike Cave]].<br />
<br />
Facilitated by Charles from the [[Bloomington Community Bike Project]].<br />
<br />
Topics were determined by the participants at the beginning of the workshop and ran across a wide spectrum of general information on nonprofit management.<br />
<br />
=== General notes ===<br />
In 2006, the U.S. IRS published a rule requiring some sort of reporting as to an organization's status, even if it was just a postcard sent in. A number of small nonprofits lost their exemption for not following this rule.<br />
<br />
It is important to have a way to evaluate an organization's performance as it relates to its mission.<br />
<br />
Every organization needs a statutory agent -- someone who can sign for the organization and provides the IRS with "a throat to choke" if things go downhill.<br />
<br />
Meeting minutes have to be kept. Google Docs and a local wiki are both good resources, allowing necessary modifications. One organization had a lot of success keeping an internet-enabled computer in meetings, transcribing in realtime, and e-mailing the attendees immediately.<br />
<br />
Most states and regions have nonprofit resource centers and many libraries have nonprofit guides. Use them as best you can. If a resource provides facilitation training, it is usually worth it to send members. <br />
<br />
==== Fundraising opportunities ====<br />
Contract work can provide a good revenue source for a shop, but organizations must be careful that the contract closely matches the organization's priorities. It does little good to spend volunteer or paid staff time on special work that doesn't help the organization much. Grants can be a similar resource sink; the best grants are those that give you money for doing what you do. Always be prepared to walk away from a grant or a contract.<br />
<br />
When searching for grants, it helps to have a relationship with a grant writer. Be sure to look beyond bicycle-specific grants, too; a lot of bike collective work can fall under categories like sustainability, health, or ecology.<br />
<br />
==== Why to incorporate ====<br />
Small shops can skirt by without incorporation, but setting up a nonprofit brings a few major benefits.<br />
<br />
Incorporation makes it easier to get insurance and liability coverage, protecting volunteers in case of lawsuits. Incorporated nonprofits can also receive tax-deductible donations, avoid income taxes, and are in a better position to compete for grants and fundraising.<br />
<br />
==== Setup ====<br />
The constitution, bylaws, and policies were described as different facets of how to organize a nonprofit's structure.<br />
<br />
The ''constitution'' itself should be short -- little more than a mission statement and a prominent mention of the organization's tax exempt status.<br />
<br />
The ''bylaws'' should ratify the organization's best practices. As they are a legal document governing the organization, they should be concise and flexible and avoid dictating specific policies. Try to write in what should happen -- what the shop can do, what someone should expect when their come in, and so on, without saying how to accomplish those goals. Well-written bylaws also allow anyone reviewing them to see whether the organization is keeping true to its promises and offer an opportunity to change course if things go bad.<br />
<br />
All details about how to actually run the shop and organization belong in the ''policies and procedures''. <br />
<br />
==== [[Bicycle Kitchen (Los Angeles)|L.A. Bike Kitchen]] overview ====<br />
Arlen from the Los Angeles Bike Kitchen summarized how their organization is set up.<br />
<br />
Three volunteer levels. Shadows graduate to volunteers once they've completed a general knowledge worksheet. Volunteers that work four shifts a month (about 12 hours) and do something extra special for the organization can then move up to "cook".<br />
<br />
There are four quarterly "cooks" meetings, run under supermajority consensus rules, utilizing an outside (and objective) facilitator. There is also one annual camp held with a paid outside facilitator. Board meetings are held monthly with a rotating facilitator chosen from the group.<br />
<br />
Day-to-day operations and policies are handled by "gruppos"; ad hoc autonomous committees with specific charters. These committees are not required to accept input from anyone else. Presumably, anyone with strong feelings on, for example, what tools to order, would sit on the ordering gruppo.<br />
<br />
Example gruppos:<br />
* Finance<br />
* Ordering<br />
* Operations (as related to bike projects)<br />
* "Smooth shifting" -- ergonomics and accessibility<br />
* Volunteer coordination<br />
* Neighbor relations<br />
* "Space exploration" -- researching a new shop location<br />
<br />
There was no built-in accountability measures; everything just worked.<br />
<br />
== Battlefield: Consensus ==<br />
Decision making - the good, the bad, and the ugly. A reprise of 2010's Battlefield: Consensus.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Bike 101 ==<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Bike touring ==<br />
What to take, how to pack, where to sleep and eat, and of course, where to go.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Classes, Workshops, Space ==<br />
Doing Meaningful Outreach with Communities in Your Neighborhood.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
<br />
'''How do you programs “translate” in your/near by communities?”'''<br />
<br />
<br />
How are you defining “Community”?<br />
<br />
How inclusive is your space? How Accessible?<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Lava Monsters of Death (these will hold you back, don’t let them!)'''<br />
<br />
<br />
Using excessive “they” “them” or “those people”<br />
<br />
Assuming people know what you know.<br />
<br />
Assuming people are intentionally (behaving/acting) being fucked up<br />
<br />
Confusing critiques/analysis of behaviour dynamics as vicious existential personal attacks of Doom against you, yes you! <br />
<br />
<br />
'''Success Stories of Workshops that help out reach to under privileged communities.'''<br />
<br />
Multi language bike mechanics, teach english or learn spanish at the same time as teaching bike mechanics, <br />
<br />
<br />
Get Doctors to prescribe bike riding, get them to send people to your collective.<br />
<br />
<br />
Organize group rides that tie in a neighborhood’s resources that are not well used, go to farmer’s markets, put baskets on bikes.<br />
<br />
<br />
Safe routes to schools has been successful in getting more kids to ride.<br />
<br />
<br />
Find teachers who are bike sympathetic.<br />
<br />
<br />
Canvas the neighborhood, knock door to door, flyer (tear offs work well), bring tools to fix flats, mobil bike repair!<br />
<br />
<br />
Get in contact with a neighborhood organization, they often don’t have websites, you can find them sometimes through the police department.<br />
<br />
<br />
Be wary of giving “big free give away!” if you don’t have enough, it can create a weird and tense atmosphere.<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Closing discussion - Bike!Bike! 2012 ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Confronting car culture ==<br />
Dealing with dominant culture on a personal level and effecting cultural shift.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== How the City of San Marcos, Texas bicycle map was created ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Managing expectations of a cooperative bike shop ==<br />
How to manage expectations and orient new people quickly to the cooperative shop environment<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Integrating bikes into the university fabric ==<br />
Integrating bikes into the university fabric via student and staff collaboration<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Managing social rides to promote bicycling ==<br />
From fringe to mainstream: how social cycling can ... and make our cities better<br />
=== Details ===<br />
Held at 11:15 AM on Friday, June 24 at the Bike Cave.<br />
Elliott McFadden of [http://austinontwowheels.org/ Austin on Two Wheels] and Violet Crown Cycles started by describing his views of cycling promotion and two methods seen in Austin of directly working to get people riding bikes. After this, he answered questions in a general discussion format.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
==== Failures in bicycle promotion ====<br />
Elliot identified two somewhat conflicting methods of increasing cycling from the cycling industry and from political advocacy.<br />
* Industry: Bicycle sales in the U.S. have remained stagnant over since the 1970s, despite significant growth in population. To increase sales, the bicycle industry has focused on making bikes more niche -- selling new bikes to their existing market.<br />
* Advocacy: Advocates lobby decision makers for better infrastructure, but do so without growing a grassroots bicycle population or establishing cycling within the community.<br />
Until bicycling is seen as a normal community behavior, bicyclists will continue to be classified by convenient stereotypes, like the spandex/carbon weekend warrior, the hipster scofflaw, and the sanctimonious environmentalist.<br />
==== Strategy ====<br />
Defining "regime" as an interconnected group of businesses and leaders with a common world view, Elliott noted that the current regime is in favor of growing consumption and fossil fuel use. At the national level, this means the oil and auto industries. At the local level, it includes developers, auto dealers, and news entities, whose future profits depend on growth. Tellingly, 30% of all ad revenue for media entities comes from car companies.<br />
Regime change must then be the goal of a bicycle promoter. Find negative ways to describe the current regime (dirty, expensive, destructive, long travel times in cars) and positive ways to describe the desired regime (healthy, thrifty, sustainable, quality family time). Form partnerships with businesses and organizations that can benefit from a new regime.<br />
==== Social cycling ====<br />
To replace the negative stereotypes of bicyclists, it is important to develop an atmosphere that encourages riding by more members of the community. Bicycling should be made to be more comfortable -- no races, no work-outs, regular clothes, open to everyone. The joys of being out, riding with regular people, should be paramount. <br />
Commuting is often a big sell by industry and advocates; it allows shops to sell specialized "commuter" bicycles and advocates to focus on connecting routes, but as a sales point, it has two crippling problems: nobody likes to go to work, and most people go to work alone. Instead, social cycling should be a focus: just get many people together to ride bikes. Austin has two models that work in tandem: Social Cycling Austin and Austin on Two Wheels, an "affiliated business concept".<br />
===== Social Cycling Austin =====<br />
Social Cycling Austin is a volunteer production started two years ago as a free ride -- participants just show up for a weekly social ride, drawing 200-300 riders on average and as many as 500. It partners with local businesses, usually a bar or restaurant, and rides with traffic, not against it.<br />
This model is easy to start (it just requires two people) and its open structure makes it accessible to all. It doesn't have to be affiliated with any business, so it can work with and for everyone. Because of its loose nature, it's easy to change what doesn't work or even dismantle the ride. It doesn't need any investment to start up, as most organizing can be done through social networks and guerrilla marketing.<br />
Unfortunately, it also has no control over who shows up, making it difficult to deal with troublemakers and easy for the ride to grow beyond the capacity of the leaders or prevent the ride from being co-opted by other organizations. A focus on bars as a final destination also makes it easy for this sort of ride to turn into a "booze cruise", adding additional challenges to the organization and often depressing its ability to draw women riders. Additionally, it is easy for organizing volunteers to burn out and the undefined liability might cause problems in case of injury.<br />
===== Affiliated Business Concept =====<br />
In an affiliated business concept, the rides are run as a business, usually as smaller fee-based rides than as large-scale free-for-alls.<br />
Because a business controls the ride, it's possible to tailor rides for specific demographics; women, families, suburbanites, etc. It's also easier to get different business partners and variety in the ride -- restaurants may provide food and drink samples, galleries may partner for art rides, or retail establishments for shopping rides. A business is also better able to provide a clear line of liability in case of accident and maintain a paid staff of ride leaders and organizers to provide a higher level of service. Austin on Two Wheels, for example, capped rides at 50 participants and provided one ride leader for every ten people to watch over unlocked bikes and help keep rides safe.<br />
This concept also carries some challenges. Partners must be committed to growth; it can take 18-24 months for the concept to turn a sustainable profit and its longer-term viability has not been tested, though it may be a reasonable loss leader for a bike shop. It also limits partnerships to a single member of each sector; one bike shop, one newspaper, or one boutique. The clear line of liability also means that the operating business has insurance requirements to carry and will likely have to enforce helmet use.<br />
==== Discussion ====<br />
Both rides appeal to different people, but the demographics of the riders were mostly white, though unintentionally so. For the open social rides, this was because the ride started from one social circle and its business preferences. For the paid rides, this was because they were seeking sustainable income. Since bicycles seen as a lesser mode of transportation in impoverished communities and represent gentrification, it can be difficult to promote them, though groups like the Major Taylor Group are trying to increase African American ridership. Either way, more racially diverse ride leadership should help diversify rider participation.<br />
Other problems with social cycling rides were identified. It's easy for the ride's somewhat high turnover to give it over to more aggressive cycling, and efforts to rein it in can be paternalistic.<br />
Responses to paid rides were overwhelmingly positive. Of 300 participants, 60% were women, and every ride had a bicyclist that had not ridden at all in the past year. Of survey respondents, 85% loved the ride, 97% would do it again, and 84% were more likely to revisit the participating businesses. No complaints were received of the ride being too fast, and the complaints of 1/3 of the respondents that the ride was too slow were dismissed. As for distance, the longest single ride was 10 miles and the longest single stretch was five miles, but most rides were just a few miles in stretches of two miles or less at a 10-12 mph pace. <br />
The high ratio of leaders to participants of the paid rides helped keep them very well organized. Walkie-talkies were given to the front and back leaders and other riders would circulate through the ride, keeping riders lined up, directing traffic at intersections, and encouraging the ride to behave well in regards to other users. It helped that the Austin Police Department was non-reactionary, so there was no backlash from law enforcement.<br />
Paid rides started with an intro of the leaders and the participants signing of a waiver stating they knew the rules of the road and agreed to follow ride leader instructions.<br />
Marketing was done through their own website, and partnering businesses were encouraged to do their own promotion as well. It was emphasized that time, rather than distance, was mentioned in all promotions. Though a six mile ride would take about 30 minutes, 30 minutes seemed like an easier ride than six miles. Ride classifications were right out; letter-assignments mean nothing to the new riders being targeted.<br />
Hurting businesses were suggested as rich prospects, as a few dozen potential customers can be enticing. Visits to any business should be during slow hours, though, to minimize disruption to regular services and provide customers when the business would be otherwise idle -- restaurants on Saturday afternoons are a good example. <br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Mobile Repair Clinic ==<br />
Held at 9:30 AM on Friday, June 24, at Sodatooth art gallery. Operating a mobile on-the-go repair clinic through the city and community organizations.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
The original facilitator did not show up for this workshop but the intent was fairly self evident by the name of the workshop. It was begun with a go-around and then by asking the question 'who currently operates a mobile repair unit?'<br />
The [[Bike Cage]] from Winnipeg told us that they began as a purely mobile shop until they had enough resources and a space to operate from a permanent location. The [[Bike Root]] from Calgary told us that the opposite was true for them, they began with a full shop but after losing their space, kept operations going by setting up in various locations on their campus and around town.<br />
==== To fix or not? Where do you draw the line? ====<br />
There were various answers to this question, some shops will only fix flats and minor brake and gear issues. Others were willing to fix anything as long as the tools were available. Arguments for the former included<br />
* lack of proper tools<br />
* lack of more advanced tools or replacement parts in case anything went wrong<br />
* lack of knowledge / trust in the knowledge of some casual volunteers that might attend a mobile repair clinic<br />
* some provide more hand on repair for mobile units to decrease liability in case a bike owner injures themselves but providing more complicated repairs ourselves increases liability in case the owner injures themselves on their bike afterwards.<br />
and for the latter:<br />
* We should do our best to get more bikes fixed and on the road<br />
* We're confident in our skills<br />
* The worst thing that might happen is that a bike that wasn't on the road is now still not on the road<br />
* We make bike owners fix their bikes themselves so we are not liable<br />
==== Other services ====<br />
In addition to offering minor repairs, the Bike Cage's mobile unit doubles as a bike valet service. There was no elaboration on how the system works.<br />
==== Getting the message across that a mobile tune tent is not a fully functioning tent ====<br />
It seemed to be a common problem that when individuals in the community would hear about a free tune-up possibility, they would often bring in bikes that need repairs far beyond what could be done at a tune tent. It was suggested to avoid this, advertise as "light bike repair".<br />
==== Who holds the tools? ====<br />
We had a discussion about if the volunteer should fix the bike for the owner or provide the owner with the tools and teach how to fix the bike hands-off. Whether or not tools were handed to the bike owner, teaching at least by the volunteer explaining what he or she was doing seemed to be the norm. The issues behind whether or not to let the owner fix the bike seemed to be liability dependent on both sides. If the volunteer fixes the bike, the shop becomes liable if the bike causes injury down the road while normally the bike owner has not signed a liability waiver to use the tools, so the shop could be liable if they hurt themselves while repairing their bike.<br />
==== Ride or drive? ====<br />
We had a discussion on whether or not to drive the equipment to the location or use a trailer. No one seemed to be passionate for either but there are a lot of options out there for trailers big and small. [[Fargo Moorhead Community Bicycle Workshop|Fargo]] rides with a huge 4x6 trailer.<br />
==== Off topic discussion ====<br />
The conversation went off topic many times but did produce a few interesting ideas:<br />
* [[The Orioles Bike Cage|Winnipeg]] uses a punch card, much like one you would find a a coffee shop or fast food location, to punch out skills that a volunteer has learned. Once the card is completely punched the volunteer can start fixing bikes for others.<br />
* While discussing how to get enough replacement parts, another bike shop told us they provide local bike shops with barrels which the shops can use to put parts that are still usable but would otherwise throw away. The barrels would be picked up and emptied at regular intervals. This shop did not have a problem finding parts when needed as a result.<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Please be kind to cyclists ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Recycled bike art ==<br />
Turning garbage into gold.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
<br />
[[File:Bike Craft - Tube Shoe Laces.pdf|200px|thumb|left|alt text]]<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Software developers exchange ==<br />
Projects being worked on, have worked on, or areas they (you) are interested / skilled in.<br />
<br />
Held Saturday, June 25, at 2:30 PM at the San Marcos Public Library.<br />
<br />
Facilitated by [[User:Godwin|Godwin]] of [[The Bike Root]] in Calgary.<br />
<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Participants briefly described their technical experience, specifically any coding projects and languages they've used. A few participants were experienced programmers; most were interested in learning or helping a project in other ways like documentation and testing.<br />
[[Austin Yellow Bike Project]]'s tracking code was discussed and briefly compared to the [[Bike Kitchen (San Francisco, CA, USA)|San Francisco Bicycle Kitchen]]'s Freehub software.<br />
<br />
The Yellow Bike Project released their code for public use, and it was noted that SLC had already made a Joomla plugin. The YBP software was also demonstrated live at the workshop.<br />
<br />
Steve of [[Fargo Moorhead Community Bicycle Workshop|Fargo]] and Godwin were (or soon will be) working on independent applications, but the general consensus coalesced around a few ideals.<br />
<br />
Any software development push should be oriented towards a web-based solution for the greatest ease in rolling out across various platforms, though it would make it more difficult to install as a software package and could lead to data security and access problems if provided as a hosting service, as SFBK does with Freehub. Additionally, this software should start with one shop in order to develop one full set of features. All features should be written as plugins to a basic core, allowing features to be added as required by various shops.<br />
Yellow Bike Project's software may make a suitable core for such a push.<br />
<br />
A general wishlist was hashed out, in no particular order:<br />
* Work-trade management<br />
* Granular volunteer time tracking<br />
* Varied reporting options<br />
* Donation tracking<br />
* Bike and inventory tracking (including completion of projects)<br />
* Visitor tracking<br />
* Communications options (e-mail lists, contacting expiring memberships)<br />
* Sales tracking (though not point-of-sale)<br />
* Volunteer skill tracking<br />
<br />
== Teaching & learning styles ==<br />
Teaching & learning styles in community bike shops; a discussion about different approaches, what works and what doesn't work as well<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== The future of Bike! Bike! ==<br />
Where are we going and how are we going to get there? Also, a quick (but no-decisions-made) discussion about where Bike! Bike! will be held in 2012 (that will be decided during the final meeting on Sunday, June 26).<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Utilizing free open-source software ==<br />
Operating systems and work documents to benefit your project.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Despite "charity" pricing for software packages from major publishers like Microsoft and Adobe, some software is priced beyond the range of a co-operative's budget, or would be used to infrequently as to make a purchase pointless.<br />
Fortunately, the open source community has responded with a number of free replacements for major software, including for the operating system itself. Most of these packages can be found in [[Computer Resources]].<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Volunteer orientation ==<br />
Addressing safe space concerns, and a conversation about empowering and maintaining a committed volunteer base<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Weather? What weather? (summer) ==<br />
How you and your bike can survive the heat<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Weather? What weather? (winter) ==<br />
How you and your bike can survive the cold<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Women and Transgender shop hours ==<br />
Policies, Politics, Allies<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working in under-privileged communities ==<br />
Working in under-privileged communities: challenges and opportunities<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Facilitators:<br />
<br />
[[Bike Kitchen]]/[[La Bici Digna]] (Arlen) and [[Bikerowave]]/[[Bici Libre]] (Bobby):<br />
<br />
<br />
Keep your eyes on the prize (don’t forget why you’re doing this, don’t let your limitations stop you)<br />
<br />
<br />
Dynamics in work space an issue, (shop isn’t located in the right place) <br />
<br />
-try mobile workshop?<br />
La Bici Digna started with a mobil work shop at the day labor center working with City of Lights. <br />
<br />
<br />
Low community buyin? <br />
<br />
-try partnering w/ another organization that organizes in “that” community. (try contacting a country’s embassy to let them know you exist, find out what communities you want to encourage and talk to the leaders in that community) <br />
<br />
<br />
Not enough Resources?<br />
<br />
-try seeing groups that are stoked, already active.<br />
<br />
<br />
Chill out. Be Patient (It takes time to build up trust and awareness of your resource.)<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Stories:'''<br />
<br />
Bici Libre got a free space to house abandoned bikes. They seek to provide a space where people can learn job skills and leadership skills. They have a list of activities that can be done by non-bike mechanic volunteers. Group jobs such as cleaning parts or cutting tubes can be really good for some cultures who will enjoy the communal experience. It’s important to talk to the poeple you are trying to engage to ask them what they want to contribute, or what they want to get out of it.<br />
<br />
<br />
Sometimes the way we think the bicycle collective “should” run is not the way some under privileged communities want to run their own. Often, people will want to start a for-profit shop. It’s important to not get stuck in your ideas, to learn also how to communicate in another person’s language. You can use the terms they know, even if it’s the “wrong” term, whats important is that you both get on the same page. There’s a reason you are trying to engage a different dynamic in the bike shop, you should be willing to learn from new people, not just try to tell them what/how to do. <br />
<br />
<br />
'''Multi lingual bike diagram:'''<br />
<br />
La Bici Digna had a poster of a bike with lines to all the parts. They asked their participant to write on posted notes the names of the parts of the bike that they knew. With all the many dialects present, the digram ended up having four names for nearly every part. <br />
<br />
<br />
Denver’s [[The Bike Depot]] works with [Big Brother] and [Big Sister]. They are then able to pay for kids to volunteer.<br />
<br />
<br />
Lots of collectives have earn a bike programs, or free bikes to people on welfare.<br />
<br />
<br />
One collective got a high school student credit for volunteering at the shop.<br />
<br />
Another works directly with Refugee camps.<br />
<br />
<br />
'''How do you deal with theft?''' - Story from the [[Bike Kitchen]]<br />
<br />
The bike kitchen experienced a wave of theft. Bikes were being stolen right out side the shop, and also, many 15mm wrenches and other tools which might assist in bicycle theft. At first they were completely worried and frustrated that they were possibly assisting in that theft. But what they hadn’t expected was that this wave of bicycle theft resulted in the creation of a bike scene in the surrounding neighborhoods. The exact people who they were trying to get into the shop, trying to foster interest in the bicycle as a mode of transportation, started riding bikes. “It just wasn’t on our terms.” - Arlen ([[Bike Kitchen]]/[[La Bici Digna]])<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Workshop continues in [[#Classes, Workshops, Space]]<br />
<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working Together ==<br />
Increasing Inter-Organization Collaboration. The intention of this workshop was to talk about all of the ways in which we as bicycle collectives of different sorts who run our services in many different ways, can share our experiences, successes, failures, and tangible output in order to help other collectives both start and continue to thrive.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
[[User:Godwin|Godwin]] directed this workshop while [[Bob Wolfe]] facilitated in providing a speakers list. A large sheet of paper was used to help keep visible notes, at the end of the discussion the notes were the following:<br />
* '''Current Tools'''<br />
** [[BOOP]]<br />
** [[Bike!Bike!]]<br />
** [[Think Tank]]<br />
** [[Bike Collectives Network]]<br />
** [[Bike Collectives Wiki]]<br />
** Various collaborative tools such as our Google Docs list of organizations and Google Maps visualization of orgs across North America<br />
* '''What we need these tools for'''<br />
** Learn how to start a collective<br />
** Learn how to continue running a collective<br />
** Find example documents<br />
*** Volunteer Privileges<br />
*** Todo for new volunteers<br />
*** Financials<br />
*** Fliers<br />
*** Curricula<br />
*** Manuals<br />
*** 501c and not-for-profit forms<br />
*** Tool lists<br />
*** Inventory<br />
*** Price guide<br />
*** Mission statement<br />
*** Bylaws<br />
*** Safe space<br />
*** Legal documents<br />
*** Letters for grant writing<br />
** Find out how other organizations run their various programmes<br />
** Partner with other organizations<br />
* '''Brainstorming Ideas which could help'''<br />
** A Bike!Bike! Wiki<br />
** Have more involved wiki moderators who will make suggestions for improvements<br />
** News feed on wiki<br />
** Email individuals to improve pages<br />
** New list-serve other than the [[Think Tank]] which can be used for these emails<br />
** More list-serves for different purposes<br />
** Online Forums<br />
** Request documents, pages, and improvements once a year or at other regular intervals<br />
** Rid the wiki of closed shops<br />
** RSS feeds on the wiki<br />
** Separate blog or paper news<br />
** Paypal donations on [[BCN]] or the wiki<br />
** An umbrella or 'helping hand' organization<br />
** A seed fund<br />
** Micro Loans for starting up shops<br />
** A no-reply list-serve<br />
* An 'umbrella' organization goes against many principles that are held by most shops however a 'helping hand' organization that acts as a third party to facilitate to spread of knowledge and possibly funds would likely not.<br />
* To improve the wiki it will take some active moderating and contacting of individuals.<br />
* The wiki is difficult to navigate so it should be reorganized<br />
* Bikecollectives.org is not serving any other purpose other than providing the wiki.<br />
* The [[Think Tank]] is too much for many to handle, there are too many emails about things that many don't care about.<br />
* Godwin promised to contact the current owners of bikevollectives.org to see if improvements could be made.<br />
* Adding increased moderation of the wiki will be looked into<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working with relationships ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
= Contact =<br />
* [[Bike!Bike!]] website: http://www.bikebike.org<br />
* [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|The Bike Cave]]'s website: http://thebikecave.org<br />
* Email: [mailto:bikebike2011@gmail.com bikebike2011@gmail.com]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Bike!Bike!]]</div>Sharperhttps://wiki2.bikelover.org/wiki/index.php?title=Sacramento_Bicycle_Kitchen&diff=11295Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen2011-07-06T18:54:49Z<p>Sharper: /* Hours */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:SBK_-_Scrollwork_Logo.png|thumb|Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen]]<br />
<br />
The '''Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen''' is a non-profit, volunteer run organization dedicated to teaching people how to fix their own bikes. We offer a place to learn and teach all things bicycle to all members of the community.<br />
<br />
==Mission Statement==<br />
The Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen exists to promote cycling as a low-cost, alternative form of transportation; enable self-sufficiency through knowledge of bicycle maintenance; and promote bicycle safety through education and classes.<br />
<br />
==Shop structure==<br />
The Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen operates with a figurehead Board of Directors, composed of the legally required officers: President, Secretary, and Treasurer. This group has delegated all policy and management to a "Core" group of around a dozen volunteers holding special assignments (financial coordination, shift management, volunteer coordination, and so on). Consistent volunteers are invited to a "staff" group of anywhere from 20 to 50 volunteers.<br />
<br />
All other persons in the shop are "patrons." Patrons are expected to donate money or time in exchange for the Bike Kitchen's services; Earn-A-Bike program participants are considered patrons paying for their bike with time, rather than as volunteers in the shop.<br />
<br />
===Keys===<br />
In general, the Core list is congruent with the list of non-vendor keyholders.<br />
<br />
==Services Offered==<br />
===Earn-A-Bike===<br />
Participants must complete ten hours (usually three shifts) of in-shop volunteering at any tasks. Participants are not allowed to work on the bike they will be taking home, but may work on others. At the completion of the ten hours, they receive a bike of our choosing, up to one a year, with exceptions rarely made with the shop manager's approval.<br />
<br />
===DIY maintenance===<br />
Tools and a stand are provided (a $5 donation is recommended) to anyone looking to borrow tools to work on their bike. For most shifts, volunteers are available to answer any maintenance questions and help ensure patrons learn mechanical skills at no extra charge.<br />
<br />
===Sales===<br />
Donated used parts are available. Generic parts are each sold for $5 or less, with higher-end parts held in a display case and marked with a special price. Used tubes are given away, but are uninspected and any patches necessary to fix a tube are available if the tube will be patched in-shop.<br />
<br />
Donated used bikes are available, priced based on the bike's operating condition and level of quality.<br />
<br />
No tools are sold. No new parts are sold, other than cables and housing.<br />
<br />
===Mobile fixery===<br />
A small mobile unit is set up to provide basic maintenance at festivals and special events. Most mobile repairs are done by volunteers, rather than by patrons. Used parts are not available from the mobile fixery.<br />
<br />
==Hours==<br />
{| border="1" cellpadding="4"<br />
|-<br />
! Day<br />
!align="center" | Hours<br />
! Open to...<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" align="left" | Tuesday<br />
| 6pm - 9pm<br />
| everyone<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" align="left" | Wednesday<br />
| 6pm - 9pm<br />
| everyone<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" align="left" | Thursday<br />
| 6pm - 9pm<br />
| everyone<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" align="left" rowspan="2" | Friday<br />
| 10am - 2pm<br />
| everyone<br />
|-<br />
| 6pm - 8pm<br />
| kids and families<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" align="left" | Saturday<br />
| 12pm - 4pm<br />
| everyone<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==History==<br />
The Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen started in early 2006 with a post to the internet forum CraigsList. It quickly grew into an an actual shop working out of the BrickHouse's space on Broadway in Oak Park in June, 2006. After two years of solvency and serving an underprivileged community in Oak Park, the shop moved to a more centralized space in midtown, picking up a different underprivileged community (an unofficial slogan is "fleecing hipsters to help the homeless") and opening up the option of special events with midtown's signature "Second Saturday". Operations at the new shop began with a big Second Saturday party in January, 2009.<br />
<br />
==Contact Info==<br />
Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen<br />
1915 I Street<br />
Sacramento, California, USA<br />
<br />
http://sacbikekitchen.org/<br />
mailto:info@sacbikekitchen.org<br />
<br />
<br />
== See Also ==<br />
<br />
* [[Community Bicycle Organizations]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Community Bicycle Organizations]]</div>Sharperhttps://wiki2.bikelover.org/wiki/index.php?title=Bike!Bike!_2011&diff=11294Bike!Bike! 20112011-07-06T18:29:32Z<p>Sharper: /* Software developers exchange */</p>
<hr />
<div>'''Bike!Bike! 2011''' was held in San Marcos, Texas; hosted by [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|The Bike Cave]] and [[The San Marcos Community Bike Project]]. It took place from June 23-26th, 2011.[[File:bikebikebike2a.jpg|thumb]]<br />
<br />
==Summary==<br />
<br />
= Schedule =<br />
== As published ==<br />
{|border="1" align="left" style="text-align:left;"<br />
!scope="row" width="20%" colspan="2"| Wednesday, June 22<br />
|-<br />
|1:00-6:00pm||Pick up a loaner bike (if you're staying the night in Austin) at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|2:00pm - 6:00pm||Open house at UT's Orange Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|6:00 -10:00pm||Open house at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|11:00pm||Open house at Movemint Bike Cab Co. Shop (1301 east 4th street) <br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Thursday, June 23<br />
|-<br />
|11:00am - 1:00pm||Pick up your loaner bike (if you've just arrived in Austin) at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|1:00pm||Group ride from Austin's Yellow Bike Project to San Marcos (there will be a truck to take your things to San Marcos)<br />
|-<br />
|12:00 - 8:00pm||Check-In at San Marcos Public Library ($25 - $45, pay what you can, nobody will be turned away for lack of funds. Pick up your loaner bike and housing arraignments)<br />
|-<br />
|2:00 - 8:00pm||Fix up your bike at The Bike Cave<br />
|-<br />
|7:00 - 8:00pm||Welcome / Speak up & speak out!<br />
|-<br />
|8:00pm - 10:00pm||Casual welcome dinner at City / Plaza Park with music by Mariachi Nueva Generacion<br />
|-<br />
|9:30pm||A screening of "Dudey Free Zone: Women's and Transgender Bike Spaces" plus other short bike-related films. At The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Friday, June 24<br />
|-<br />
|8:00am - 1:00pm||Check-In continued for those who get here late at The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|1:00 - 2:30pm||Lunch<br />
|-<br />
|2:30 - 4:00pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|8:00pm - 9:00pm||The future of Bike! Bike! - a discussion to figure out where we're heading, and how we're getting there. A preview of which project(s) are interested in hosting in 2012.<br />
|-<br />
|7:00pm - 10:30pm||Bike polo on top of Speck Street Parking Garage (there will be a group ride leaving from Rio Vista at 6:00pm)<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 -11:00pm||Concert at The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Saturday, June 25<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|1:00 - 2:30pm||Lunch<br />
|-<br />
|2:30 - 4:00pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|9:00pm - 12:00am||BIKE! RIDE! BIKE! RIDE!<br />
|-<br />
|12:00am - ???||Dance party<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" colspan="2" | Sunday, June 26<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30 - 11:00am||Workshops / final brainstorm<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 1:00pm||Closing meeting, Bike! Bike! 2012 discussion<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
== Workshops schedule ==<br />
{|border="1" align="left" style="text-align:left; border: 1px solid Black;" width="100%"<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Friday, June 24||Yoga Center || The Bike Cave || Sodatooth || Go 2 Danz || Library large room || Library small room || The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am|| || [[#Acquiring a permanent space]] || [[#Mobile Repair Clinic]] || || || ||<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm|| || [[#Managing social rides to promote bicycling]] || || [[#Bike touring]] || || ||<br />
|-<br />
|2:30pm - 4:00pm||[[#Teaching & learning styles]] || [[#Integrating bikes into the university fabric]] || || [[#Working in under-privileged communities]] || || ||<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm|| ||[[#Basics of the nonprofit sector and organizational form]] || || [[#Women and Transgender shop hours]] || || ||<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Saturday, June 25||Yoga Center || The Bike Cave || Sodatooth || Go 2 Danz || Library large room || Library small room || The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am|| || [[#Bike 101]]|| [[#Volunteer orientation]] || [[#Acro yoga]] || || || [[#Green space tour]]<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm|| || [[#Working with relationships]] || || [[#Working Together]] || || [[#Utilizing free open-source software]] ||<br />
|-<br />
|2:30pm - 4:00pm|| [[#Battlefield: Consensus]] || || || [[#Weather? What weather? (winter)]] || [[#Software developers exchange]] || [[#Please be kind to cyclists]] ||<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm|| [[#Analyzing work flows]] || [[#Recycled bike art]] || || || [[#Classes, Workshops, Space]] || ||<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Sunday, June 26||Yoga Center || The Bike Cave || Sodatooth || Go 2 Danz || Library large room || Library small room || The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am|| [[#Managing expectations of a cooperative bike shop]] || || || [[#Weather? What weather? (summer)]] || [[#Confronting car culture]] || || <br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 1:00pm|| || || || || [[#Closing discussion - Bike!Bike! 2012]] || || <br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
= Workshops =<br />
== Green space tour ==<br />
A bike tour of San Marcos green spaces<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Acquiring a permanent space ==<br />
Acquiring a permanent space instead of renting, working with the city for land or a building, fund-raising and micro-loans<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Acro yoga ==<br />
Skillshare<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Analyzing work flows ==<br />
Analyzing work flows within a bike project: setting up committees and more effective follow-up. How to reduce "ball droppage". Held at 4:30 PM on Saturday, June 25, 2011, at the Community Yoga Center.<br />
Facilitated by Susan of [[Third Hand Bicycle Cooperative]] in Columbus, Ohio.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Often in collectives, everyone will be off doing their own thing. This can lead to some jobs being repeated and others falling through the cracks. To combat this, it's helpful to identify all the processes at work in the collective, whether they deal with inputs to the collective, actions within the shop, or outputs leaving the collective.<br />
Third Hand streamlined their procedures by identifying all of the processes involved in handling this inputs and outputs. The frequency and nature of each task was discussed, and jobs were fit together as appropriate. Collections of jobs are given to various task forces, each empowered to deal with their issue without approval from the Board or the overarching Collective and charged with developing the policies that guide the completion of those tasks. The identification of tasks alone took half a day.<br />
To deal with the problem of one volunteer doing all of one job and leaving the organization without institutional knowledge, it was suggested to pick a primary and secondary person responsible for getting the job done. Another method would be to assign jobs at the beginning of each month, so that tasks get spread around more widely. Neither approach means that the person assigned has to do the task; they may delegate the task, they're just responsible for making sure it happens.<br />
Those assigned a job should make a short report back at a general meeting as to their success or failure. This helps the group know that necessary work is being accomplished and provides an avenue for new volunteers to find work. Since it's nearly impossible to penalize volunteers, enforcement has to be kept positive. In the case of an incomplete job, the group should ask why the job was not finished, and whether there was sufficient support from the group. Any remediation can be simply done by a reconstituted task force given a mandate to fix the problems.<br />
In Third Hand's experience, some jobs like outreach and volunteer coordination are best considered as "alternative shifts" -- as crucial as a regular shift, but handled in a radically different way.<br />
==== Examples ====<br />
Sample inputs, from the workshop:<br />
* Mail<br />
* Phone calls<br />
* E-mail<br />
* Donations (cash or stuff)<br />
* Visitors<br />
* Packages and deliveries<br />
* Complaints<br />
* Volunteer labor<br />
Sample inside tasks:<br />
* Cleaning<br />
* Tool ordering<br />
* Inventory<br />
* Budgeting<br />
* Parts sorting<br />
* Scheduling<br />
* Tracking<br />
* Sales<br />
Sample outputs:<br />
* Bikes<br />
* Knowledge<br />
* Rent/utilities<br />
* Media<br />
* Mobile units<br />
* Volunteer appreciation<br />
* Newsletters/flyers<br />
* Mail and e-mail<br />
* Tax returns<br />
* Deposits<br />
Sample task forces:<br />
* Finances (Sales, Budgeting, Bill Payment)<br />
* Tool and parts orders<br />
* Community relations<br />
* Volunteer coordination<br />
* IT/Tech<br />
* Outreach<br />
* Conflict resolution<br />
Processes can be determined by looking at the inputs. For Mail, mail would be picked up and sorted to give to the appropriate group (finance, outreach, ordering, etc.). The time frame for mail would be "every open shop".<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Basics of the nonprofit sector and organizational form ==<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Battlefield: Consensus ==<br />
Decision making - the good, the bad, and the ugly. A reprise of 2010's Battlefield: Consensus.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Bike 101 ==<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Bike touring ==<br />
What to take, how to pack, where to sleep and eat, and of course, where to go.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Classes, Workshops, Space ==<br />
Doing Meaningful Outreach with Communities in Your Neighborhood.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Closing discussion - Bike!Bike! 2012 ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Confronting car culture ==<br />
Dealing with dominant culture on a personal level and effecting cultural shift.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== How the City of San Marcos, Texas bicycle map was created ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Managing expectations of a cooperative bike shop ==<br />
How to manage expectations and orient new people quickly to the cooperative shop environment<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Integrating bikes into the university fabric ==<br />
Integrating bikes into the university fabric via student and staff collaboration<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Managing social rides to promote bicycling ==<br />
From fringe to mainstream: how social cycling can ... and make our cities better<br />
=== Details ===<br />
Held at 11:15 AM on Friday, June 24 at the Bike Cave.<br />
Elliott McFadden of [http://austinontwowheels.org/ Austin on Two Wheels] and Violet Crown Cycles started by describing his views of cycling promotion and two methods seen in Austin of directly working to get people riding bikes. After this, he answered questions in a general discussion format.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
==== Failures in bicycle promotion ====<br />
Elliot identified two somewhat conflicting methods of increasing cycling from the cycling industry and from political advocacy.<br />
* Industry: Bicycle sales in the U.S. have remained stagnant over since the 1970s, despite significant growth in population. To increase sales, the bicycle industry has focused on making bikes more niche -- selling new bikes to their existing market.<br />
* Advocacy: Advocates lobby decision makers for better infrastructure, but do so without growing a grassroots bicycle population or establishing cycling within the community.<br />
Until bicycling is seen as a normal community behavior, bicyclists will continue to be classified by convenient stereotypes, like the spandex/carbon weekend warrior, the hipster scofflaw, and the sanctimonious environmentalist.<br />
==== Strategy ====<br />
Defining "regime" as an interconnected group of businesses and leaders with a common world view, Elliott noted that the current regime is in favor of growing consumption and fossil fuel use. At the national level, this means the oil and auto industries. At the local level, it includes developers, auto dealers, and news entities, whose future profits depend on growth. Tellingly, 30% of all ad revenue for media entities comes from car companies.<br />
Regime change must then be the goal of a bicycle promoter. Find negative ways to describe the current regime (dirty, expensive, destructive, long travel times in cars) and positive ways to describe the desired regime (healthy, thrifty, sustainable, quality family time). Form partnerships with businesses and organizations that can benefit from a new regime.<br />
==== Social cycling ====<br />
To replace the negative stereotypes of bicyclists, it is important to develop an atmosphere that encourages riding by more members of the community. Bicycling should be made to be more comfortable -- no races, no work-outs, regular clothes, open to everyone. The joys of being out, riding with regular people, should be paramount. <br />
Commuting is often a big sell by industry and advocates; it allows shops to sell specialized "commuter" bicycles and advocates to focus on connecting routes, but as a sales point, it has two crippling problems: nobody likes to go to work, and most people go to work alone. Instead, social cycling should be a focus: just get many people together to ride bikes. Austin has two models that work in tandem: Social Cycling Austin and Austin on Two Wheels, an "affiliated business concept".<br />
===== Social Cycling Austin =====<br />
Social Cycling Austin is a volunteer production started two years ago as a free ride -- participants just show up for a weekly social ride, drawing 200-300 riders on average and as many as 500. It partners with local businesses, usually a bar or restaurant, and rides with traffic, not against it.<br />
This model is easy to start (it just requires two people) and its open structure makes it accessible to all. It doesn't have to be affiliated with any business, so it can work with and for everyone. Because of its loose nature, it's easy to change what doesn't work or even dismantle the ride. It doesn't need any investment to start up, as most organizing can be done through social networks and guerrilla marketing.<br />
Unfortunately, it also has no control over who shows up, making it difficult to deal with troublemakers and easy for the ride to grow beyond the capacity of the leaders or prevent the ride from being co-opted by other organizations. A focus on bars as a final destination also makes it easy for this sort of ride to turn into a "booze cruise", adding additional challenges to the organization and often depressing its ability to draw women riders. Additionally, it is easy for organizing volunteers to burn out and the undefined liability might cause problems in case of injury.<br />
===== Affiliated Business Concept =====<br />
In an affiliated business concept, the rides are run as a business, usually as smaller fee-based rides than as large-scale free-for-alls.<br />
Because a business controls the ride, it's possible to tailor rides for specific demographics; women, families, suburbanites, etc. It's also easier to get different business partners and variety in the ride -- restaurants may provide food and drink samples, galleries may partner for art rides, or retail establishments for shopping rides. A business is also better able to provide a clear line of liability in case of accident and maintain a paid staff of ride leaders and organizers to provide a higher level of service. Austin on Two Wheels, for example, capped rides at 50 participants and provided one ride leader for every ten people to watch over unlocked bikes and help keep rides safe.<br />
This concept also carries some challenges. Partners must be committed to growth; it can take 18-24 months for the concept to turn a sustainable profit and its longer-term viability has not been tested, though it may be a reasonable loss leader for a bike shop. It also limits partnerships to a single member of each sector; one bike shop, one newspaper, or one boutique. The clear line of liability also means that the operating business has insurance requirements to carry and will likely have to enforce helmet use.<br />
==== Discussion ====<br />
Both rides appeal to different people, but the demographics of the riders were mostly white, though unintentionally so. For the open social rides, this was because the ride started from one social circle and its business preferences. For the paid rides, this was because they were seeking sustainable income. Since bicycles seen as a lesser mode of transportation in impoverished communities and represent gentrification, it can be difficult to promote them, though groups like the Major Taylor Group are trying to increase African American ridership. Either way, more racially diverse ride leadership should help diversify rider participation.<br />
Other problems with social cycling rides were identified. It's easy for the ride's somewhat high turnover to give it over to more aggressive cycling, and efforts to rein it in can be paternalistic.<br />
Responses to paid rides were overwhelmingly positive. Of 300 participants, 60% were women, and every ride had a bicyclist that had not ridden at all in the past year. Of survey respondents, 85% loved the ride, 97% would do it again, and 84% were more likely to revisit the participating businesses. No complaints were received of the ride being too fast, and the complaints of 1/3 of the respondents that the ride was too slow were dismissed. As for distance, the longest single ride was 10 miles and the longest single stretch was five miles, but most rides were just a few miles in stretches of two miles or less at a 10-12 mph pace. <br />
The high ratio of leaders to participants of the paid rides helped keep them very well organized. Walkie-talkies were given to the front and back leaders and other riders would circulate through the ride, keeping riders lined up, directing traffic at intersections, and encouraging the ride to behave well in regards to other users. It helped that the Austin Police Department was non-reactionary, so there was no backlash from law enforcement.<br />
Paid rides started with an intro of the leaders and the participants signing of a waiver stating they knew the rules of the road and agreed to follow ride leader instructions.<br />
Marketing was done through their own website, and partnering businesses were encouraged to do their own promotion as well. It was emphasized that time, rather than distance, was mentioned in all promotions. Though a six mile ride would take about 30 minutes, 30 minutes seemed like an easier ride than six miles. Ride classifications were right out; letter-assignments mean nothing to the new riders being targeted.<br />
Hurting businesses were suggested as rich prospects, as a few dozen potential customers can be enticing. Visits to any business should be during slow hours, though, to minimize disruption to regular services and provide customers when the business would be otherwise idle -- restaurants on Saturday afternoons are a good example. <br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Mobile Repair Clinic ==<br />
Held at 9:30 AM on Friday, June 24, at Sodatooth art gallery. Operating a mobile on-the-go repair clinic through the city and community organizations.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
The original facilitator did not show up for this workshop but the intent was fairly self evident by the name of the workshop. It was begun with a go-around and then by asking the question 'who currently operates a mobile repair unit?'<br />
The [[Bike Cage]] from Winnipeg told us that they began as a purely mobile shop until they had enough resources and a space to operate from a permanent location. The [[Bike Root]] from Calgary told us that the opposite was true for them, they began with a full shop but after losing their space, kept operations going by setting up in various locations on their campus and around town.<br />
==== To fix or not? Where do you draw the line? ====<br />
There were various answers to this question, some shops will only fix flats and minor brake and gear issues. Others were willing to fix anything as long as the tools were available. Arguments for the former included<br />
* lack of proper tools<br />
* lack of more advanced tools or replacement parts in case anything went wrong<br />
* lack of knowledge / trust in the knowledge of some casual volunteers that might attend a mobile repair clinic<br />
* some provide more hand on repair for mobile units to decrease liability in case a bike owner injures themselves but providing more complicated repairs ourselves increases liability in case the owner injures themselves on their bike afterwards.<br />
and for the latter:<br />
* We should do our best to get more bikes fixed and on the road<br />
* We're confident in our skills<br />
* The worst thing that might happen is that a bike that wasn't on the road is now still not on the road<br />
* We make bike owners fix their bikes themselves so we are not liable<br />
==== Other services ====<br />
In addition to offering minor repairs, the Bike Cage's mobile unit doubles as a bike valet service. There was no elaboration on how the system works.<br />
==== Getting the message across that a mobile tune tent is not a fully functioning tent ====<br />
It seemed to be a common problem that when individuals in the community would hear about a free tune-up possibility, they would often bring in bikes that need repairs far beyond what could be done at a tune tent. It was suggested to avoid this, advertise as "light bike repair".<br />
==== Who holds the tools? ====<br />
We had a discussion about if the volunteer should fix the bike for the owner or provide the owner with the tools and teach how to fix the bike hands-off. Whether or not tools were handed to the bike owner, teaching at least by the volunteer explaining what he or she was doing seemed to be the norm. The issues behind whether or not to let the owner fix the bike seemed to be liability dependent on both sides. If the volunteer fixes the bike, the shop becomes liable if the bike causes injury down the road while normally the bike owner has not signed a liability waiver to use the tools, so the shop could be liable if they hurt themselves while repairing their bike.<br />
==== Ride or drive? ====<br />
We had a discussion on whether or not to drive the equipment to the location or use a trailer. No one seemed to be passionate for either but there are a lot of options out there for trailers big and small. [[Fargo Moorhead Community Bicycle Workshop|Fargo]] rides with a huge 4x6 trailer.<br />
==== Off topic discussion ====<br />
The conversation went off topic many times but did produce a few interesting ideas:<br />
* [[The Orioles Bike Cage|Winnipeg]] uses a punch card, much like one you would find a a coffee shop or fast food location, to punch out skills that a volunteer has learned. Once the card is completely punched the volunteer can start fixing bikes for others.<br />
* While discussing how to get enough replacement parts, another bike shop told us they provide local bike shops with barrels which the shops can use to put parts that are still usable but would otherwise throw away. The barrels would be picked up and emptied at regular intervals. This shop did not have a problem finding parts when needed as a result.<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Please be kind to cyclists ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Recycled bike art ==<br />
Turning garbage into gold.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Software developers exchange ==<br />
Projects being worked on, have worked on, or areas they (you) are interested / skilled in.<br />
<br />
Held Saturday, June 25, at 2:30 PM at the San Marcos Public Library.<br />
<br />
Facilitated by [[User:Godwin|Godwin]] of [[The Bike Root]] in Calgary.<br />
<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Participants briefly described their technical experience, specifically any coding projects and languages they've used. A few participants were experienced programmers; most were interested in learning or helping a project in other ways like documentation and testing.<br />
[[Austin Yellow Bike Project]]'s tracking code was discussed and briefly compared to the [[Bike Kitchen (San Francisco, CA, USA)|San Francisco Bicycle Kitchen]]'s Freehub software.<br />
<br />
The Yellow Bike Project released their code for public use, and it was noted that SLC had already made a Joomla plugin. The YBP software was also demonstrated live at the workshop.<br />
<br />
Steve of [[Fargo Moorhead Community Bicycle Workshop|Fargo]] and Godwin were (or soon will be) working on independent applications, but the general consensus coalesced around a few ideals.<br />
<br />
Any software development push should be oriented towards a web-based solution for the greatest ease in rolling out across various platforms, though it would make it more difficult to install as a software package and could lead to data security and access problems if provided as a hosting service, as SFBK does with Freehub. Additionally, this software should start with one shop in order to develop one full set of features. All features should be written as plugins to a basic core, allowing features to be added as required by various shops.<br />
Yellow Bike Project's software may make a suitable core for such a push.<br />
<br />
A general wishlist was hashed out, in no particular order:<br />
* Work-trade management<br />
* Granular volunteer time tracking<br />
* Varied reporting options<br />
* Donation tracking<br />
* Bike and inventory tracking (including completion of projects)<br />
* Visitor tracking<br />
* Communications options (e-mail lists, contacting expiring memberships)<br />
* Sales tracking (though not point-of-sale)<br />
* Volunteer skill tracking<br />
<br />
== Teaching & learning styles ==<br />
Teaching & learning styles in community bike shops; a discussion about different approaches, what works and what doesn't work as well<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== The future of Bike! Bike! ==<br />
Where are we going and how are we going to get there? Also, a quick (but no-decisions-made) discussion about where Bike! Bike! will be held in 2012 (that will be decided during the final meeting on Sunday, June 26).<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Utilizing free open-source software ==<br />
Operating systems and work documents to benefit your project.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Despite "charity" pricing for software packages from major publishers like Microsoft and Adobe, some software is priced beyond the range of a co-operative's budget, or would be used to infrequently as to make a purchase pointless.<br />
Fortunately, the open source community has responded with a number of free replacements for major software, including for the operating system itself. Most of these packages can be found in [[Computer Resources]].<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Volunteer orientation ==<br />
Addressing safe space concerns, and a conversation about empowering and maintaining a committed volunteer base<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Weather? What weather? (summer) ==<br />
How you and your bike can survive the heat<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Weather? What weather? (winter) ==<br />
How you and your bike can survive the cold<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Women and Transgender shop hours ==<br />
Policies, Politics, Allies<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working in under-privileged communities ==<br />
Working in under-privileged communities: challenges and opportunities<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working Together ==<br />
Increasing Inter-Organization Collaboration. The intention of this workshop was to talk about all of the ways in which we as bicycle collectives of different sorts who run our services in many different ways, can share our experiences, successes, failures, and tangible output in order to help other collectives both start and continue to thrive.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
[[User:Godwin|Godwin]] directed this workshop while [[Bob Wolfe]] facilitated in providing a speakers list. A large sheet of paper was used to help keep visible notes, at the end of the discussion the notes were the following:<br />
* '''Current Tools'''<br />
** [[BOOP]]<br />
** [[Bike!Bike!]]<br />
** [[Think Tank]]<br />
** [[Bike Collectives Network]]<br />
** [[Bike Collectives Wiki]]<br />
** Various collaborative tools such as our Google Docs list of organizations and Google Maps visualization of orgs across North America<br />
* '''What we need these tools for'''<br />
** Learn how to start a collective<br />
** Learn how to continue running a collective<br />
** Find example documents<br />
*** Volunteer Privileges<br />
*** Todo for new volunteers<br />
*** Financials<br />
*** Fliers<br />
*** Curricula<br />
*** Manuals<br />
*** 501c and not-for-profit forms<br />
*** Tool lists<br />
*** Inventory<br />
*** Price guide<br />
*** Mission statement<br />
*** Bylaws<br />
*** Safe space<br />
*** Legal documents<br />
*** Letters for grant writing<br />
** Find out how other organizations run their various programmes<br />
** Partner with other organizations<br />
* '''Brainstorming Ideas which could help'''<br />
** A Bike!Bike! Wiki<br />
** Have more involved wiki moderators who will make suggestions for improvements<br />
** News feed on wiki<br />
** Email individuals to improve pages<br />
** New list-serve other than the [[Think Tank]] which can be used for these emails<br />
** More list-serves for different purposes<br />
** Online Forums<br />
** Request documents, pages, and improvements once a year or at other regular intervals<br />
** Rid the wiki of closed shops<br />
** RSS feeds on the wiki<br />
** Separate blog or paper news<br />
** Paypal donations on [[BCN]] or the wiki<br />
** An umbrella or 'helping hand' organization<br />
** A seed fund<br />
** Micro Loans for starting up shops<br />
** A no-reply list-serve<br />
* An 'umbrella' organization goes against many principles that are held by most shops however a 'helping hand' organization that acts as a third party to facilitate to spread of knowledge and possibly funds would likely not.<br />
* To improve the wiki it will take some active moderating and contacting of individuals.<br />
* The wiki is difficult to navigate so it should be reorganized<br />
* Bikecollectives.org is not serving any other purpose other than providing the wiki.<br />
* The [[Think Tank]] is too much for many to handle, there are too many emails about things that many don't care about.<br />
* Godwin promised to contact the current owners of bikevollectives.org to see if improvements could be made.<br />
* Adding increased moderation of the wiki will be looked into<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working with relationships ==<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Outcome and Feedback ===<br />
<br />
= Contact =<br />
* [[Bike!Bike!]] website: http://www.bikebike.org<br />
* [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|The Bike Cave]]'s website: http://thebikecave.org<br />
* Email: [mailto:bikebike2011@gmail.com bikebike2011@gmail.com]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Bike!Bike!]]</div>Sharperhttps://wiki2.bikelover.org/wiki/index.php?title=Bike!Bike!_2011&diff=11228Bike!Bike! 20112011-07-01T21:24:15Z<p>Sharper: /* Analyzing work flows within a bike project: setting up committees and more effective follow-up. How to reduce "ball droppage" */</p>
<hr />
<div>'''Bike!Bike! 2011''' was held in San Marcos, Texas; hosted by [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|The Bike Cave]] and [[The San Marcos Community Bike Project]]. It took place from June 23-26th, 2011.[[File:bikebikebike2a.jpg]]<br />
<br />
==Summary==<br />
<br />
= Schedule =<br />
== As published ==<br />
{|border="1" align="left" style="text-align:left;"<br />
!scope="row" width="20%"| Wednesday, June 22<br />
|-<br />
|1:00-6:00pm||Pick up a loaner bike (if you're staying the night in Austin) at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|2:00pm - 6:00pm||Open house at UT's Orange Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|6:00 -10:00pm||Open house at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|11:00pm||Open house at Movemint Bike Cab Co. Shop (1301 east 4th street) <br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" | Thursday, June 23<br />
|-<br />
|11:00am - 1:00pm||Pick up your loaner bike (if you've just arrived in Austin) at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|1:00pm||Group ride from Austin's Yellow Bike Project to San Marcos (there will be a truck to take your things to San Marcos)<br />
|-<br />
|12:00 - 8:00pm||Check-In at San Marcos Public Library ($25 - $45, pay what you can, nobody will be turned away for lack of funds. Pick up your loaner bike and housing arraignments)<br />
|-<br />
|2:00 - 8:00pm||Fix up your bike at The Bike Cave<br />
|-<br />
|7:00 - 8:00pm||Welcome / Speak up & speak out!<br />
|-<br />
|8:00pm - 10:00pm||Casual welcome dinner at City / Plaza Park with music by Mariachi Nueva Generacion<br />
|-<br />
|9:30pm||A screening of "Dudey Free Zone: Women's and Transgender Bike Spaces" plus other short bike-related films. At The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" | Friday, June 24<br />
|-<br />
|8:00am - 1:00pm||Check-In continued for those who get here late at The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|1:00 - 2:30pm||Lunch<br />
|-<br />
|2:30 - 4:00pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|8:00pm - 9:00pm||The future of Bike! Bike! - a discussion to figure out where we're heading, and how we're getting there. A preview of which project(s) are interested in hosting in 2012.<br />
|-<br />
|7:00pm - 10:30pm||Bike polo on top of Speck Street Parking Garage (there will be a group ride leaving from Rio Vista at 6:00pm)<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 -11:00pm||Concert at The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" | Saturday, June 25<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|1:00 - 2:30pm||Lunch<br />
|-<br />
|2:30 - 4:00pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|9:00pm - 12:00am||BIKE! RIDE! BIKE! RIDE!<br />
|-<br />
|12:00am - ???||Dance party<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" | Sunday, June 26<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30 - 11:00am||Workshops / final brainstorm<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 1:00pm||Closing meeting, Bike! Bike! 2012 discussion<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
== Workshops schedule ==<br />
{|border="1" align="left" style="text-align:left;" width="100%"<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Friday, June 24<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am||Acquiring a permanent space || Mobile repair clinic<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm||Managing social rides to increase bicycling || Bike touring<br />
|-<br />
|2:30pm - 4:00pm||Teaching & learning styles || Integrating bikes into the university fabric || Working in underprivileged communities<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm||Basics of the nonprofit sector and organizational form || Women and transgender shop hours<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Saturday, June 25<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am|| Bike 101|| Volunteer orientation || Acro yoga || Green space tour<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm|| Working with relationships || working together || Utilizing free open-source software<br />
|-<br />
|2:30pm - 4:00pm|| Battlefield: Consensus || Weather? What weather? (winter) || Software developers exchange || Please be kind to cyclists<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm|| Analyzing work flows || Recycled bike art || Classes, workshops, space<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Sunday, June 26<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am|| Managing expectations of a cooperative bike shop || Weather? What weather? (summer)) || Confronting car culture<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 1:00pm|| Closing discussion - Bike!Bike! 2012<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
= Workshops =<br />
== A bike tour of San Marcos green spaces ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Acquiring a permanent space (instead of renting, working with the city for land or a building, fund-raising and micro-loans. ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Acro yoga: skillshare ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Analyzing work flows within a bike project: setting up committees and more effective follow-up. How to reduce "ball droppage" ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
Held at 4:30 PM on Saturday, June 25, 2011, at the Community Yoga Center.<br />
<br />
Facilitated by Susan of [[Third Hand Bicycle Cooperative]] in Columbus, Ohio.<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Often in collectives, everyone will be off doing their own thing. This can lead to some jobs being repeated and others falling through the cracks. To combat this, it's helpful to identify all the processes at work in the collective, whether they deal with inputs to the collective, actions within the shop, or outputs leaving the collective.<br />
<br />
Third Hand streamlined their procedures by identifying all of the processes involved in handling this inputs and outputs. The frequency and nature of each task was discussed, and jobs were fit together as appropriate. Collections of jobs are given to various task forces, each empowered to deal with their issue without approval from the Board or the overarching Collective and charged with developing the policies that guide the completion of those tasks. The identification of tasks alone took half a day.<br />
<br />
To deal with the problem of one volunteer doing all of one job and leaving the organization without institutional knowledge, it was suggested to pick a primary and secondary person responsible for getting the job done. Another method would be to assign jobs at the beginning of each month, so that tasks get spread around more widely. Neither approach means that the person assigned has to do the task; they may delegate the task, they're just responsible for making sure it happens.<br />
<br />
Those assigned a job should make a short report back at a general meeting as to their success or failure. This helps the group know that necessary work is being accomplished and provides an avenue for new volunteers to find work. Since it's nearly impossible to penalize volunteers, enforcement has to be kept positive. In the case of an incomplete job, the group should ask why the job was not finished, and whether there was sufficient support from the group. Any remediation can be simply done by a reconstituted task force given a mandate to fix the problems.<br />
<br />
In Third Hand's experience, some jobs like outreach and volunteer coordination are best considered as "alternative shifts" -- as crucial as a regular shift, but handled in a radically different way.<br />
<br />
==== Examples ====<br />
Sample inputs, from the workshop:<br />
* Mail<br />
* Phone calls<br />
* E-mail<br />
* Donations (cash or stuff)<br />
* Visitors<br />
* Packages and deliveries<br />
* Complaints<br />
* Volunteer labor<br />
<br />
Sample inside tasks:<br />
* Cleaning<br />
* Tool ordering<br />
* Inventory<br />
* Budgeting<br />
* Parts sorting<br />
* Scheduling<br />
* Tracking<br />
* Sales<br />
<br />
Sample outputs:<br />
* Bikes<br />
* Knowledge<br />
* Rent/utilities<br />
* Media<br />
* Mobile units<br />
* Volunteer appreciation<br />
* Newsletters/flyers<br />
* Mail and e-mail<br />
* Tax returns<br />
* Deposits<br />
<br />
Sample task forces:<br />
* Finances (Sales, Budgeting, Bill Payment)<br />
* Tool and parts orders<br />
* Community relations<br />
* Volunteer coordination<br />
* IT/Tech<br />
* Outreach<br />
* Conflict resolution<br />
<br />
Processes can be determined by looking at the inputs. For Mail, mail would be picked up and sorted to give to the appropriate group (finance, outreach, ordering, etc.). The time frame for mail would be "every open shop".<br />
<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Bike touring! What to take, how to pack, where to sleep and eat, and of course, where to go. ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Classes, Workshops, Space: Doing Meaningful Outreach with Communities in Your Neighborhood ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Confronting "car culture"; dealing with dominant culture on a personal level and effecting cultural shift. ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Decision making - the good, the bad, and the ugly. A reprise of 2010's Battlefield: Consensus. ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== How the City of San Marcos, Texas bicycle map was created ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== How to manage expectations and orient new people quickly to the cooperative shop environment ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Integrating bikes into the university fabric via student and staff collaboration ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Managing social rides to promote bicycling ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
From fringe to mainstream: how social cycling can ... and make our cities better<br />
<br />
=== Details ===<br />
Held at 11:15 AM on Friday, June 24 at the Bike Cave.<br />
<br />
Elliott McFadden of [http://austinontwowheels.org/ Austin on Two Wheels] and Violet Crown Cycles started by describing his views of cycling promotion and two methods seen in Austin of directly working to get people riding bikes. After this, he answered questions in a general discussion format.<br />
<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
==== Failures in bicycle promotion ====<br />
Elliot identified two somewhat conflicting methods of increasing cycling from the cycling industry and from political advocacy.<br />
<br />
* Industry: Bicycle sales in the U.S. have remained stagnant over since the 1970s, despite significant growth in population. To increase sales, the bicycle industry has focused on making bikes more niche -- selling new bikes to their existing market.<br />
* Advocacy: Advocates lobby decision makers for better infrastructure, but do so without growing a grassroots bicycle population or establishing cycling within the community.<br />
<br />
Until bicycling is seen as a normal community behavior, bicyclists will continue to be classified by convenient stereotypes, like the spandex/carbon weekend warrior, the hipster scofflaw, and the sanctimonious environmentalist.<br />
<br />
==== Strategy ====<br />
Defining "regime" as an interconnected group of businesses and leaders with a common world view, Elliott noted that the current regime is in favor of growing consumption and fossil fuel use. At the national level, this means the oil and auto industries. At the local level, it includes developers, auto dealers, and news entities, whose future profits depend on growth. Tellingly, 30% of all ad revenue for media entities comes from car companies.<br />
<br />
Regime change must then be the goal of a bicycle promoter. Find negative ways to describe the current regime (dirty, expensive, destructive, long travel times in cars) and positive ways to describe the desired regime (healthy, thrifty, sustainable, quality family time). Form partnerships with businesses and organizations that can benefit from a new regime.<br />
<br />
==== Social cycling ====<br />
To replace the negative stereotypes of bicyclists, it is important to develop an atmosphere that encourages riding by more members of the community. Bicycling should be made to be more comfortable -- no races, no work-outs, regular clothes, open to everyone. The joys of being out, riding with regular people, should be paramount. <br />
<br />
Commuting is often a big sell by industry and advocates; it allows shops to sell specialized "commuter" bicycles and advocates to focus on connecting routes, but as a sales point, it has two crippling problems: nobody likes to go to work, and most people go to work alone. Instead, social cycling should be a focus: just get many people together to ride bikes. Austin has two models that work in tandem: Social Cycling Austin and Austin on Two Wheels, an "affiliated business concept".<br />
<br />
===== Social Cycling Austin =====<br />
Social Cycling Austin is a volunteer production started two years ago as a free ride -- participants just show up for a weekly social ride, drawing 200-300 riders on average and as many as 500. It partners with local businesses, usually a bar or restaurant, and rides with traffic, not against it.<br />
<br />
This model is easy to start (it just requires two people) and its open structure makes it accessible to all. It doesn't have to be affiliated with any business, so it can work with and for everyone. Because of its loose nature, it's easy to change what doesn't work or even dismantle the ride. It doesn't need any investment to start up, as most organizing can be done through social networks and guerrilla marketing.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, it also has no control over who shows up, making it difficult to deal with troublemakers and easy for the ride to grow beyond the capacity of the leaders or prevent the ride from being co-opted by other organizations. A focus on bars as a final destination also makes it easy for this sort of ride to turn into a "booze cruise", adding additional challenges to the organization and often depressing its ability to draw women riders. Additionally, it is easy for organizing volunteers to burn out and the undefined liability might cause problems in case of injury.<br />
<br />
===== Affiliated Business Concept =====<br />
In an affiliated business concept, the rides are run as a business, usually as smaller fee-based rides than as large-scale free-for-alls.<br />
<br />
Because a business controls the ride, it's possible to tailor rides for specific demographics; women, families, suburbanites, etc. It's also easier to get different business partners and variety in the ride -- restaurants may provide food and drink samples, galleries may partner for art rides, or retail establishments for shopping rides. A business is also better able to provide a clear line of liability in case of accident and maintain a paid staff of ride leaders and organizers to provide a higher level of service. Austin on Two Wheels, for example, capped rides at 50 participants and provided one ride leader for every ten people to watch over unlocked bikes and help keep rides safe.<br />
<br />
This concept also carries some challenges. Partners must be committed to growth; it can take 18-24 months for the concept to turn a sustainable profit and its longer-term viability has not been tested, though it may be a reasonable loss leader for a bike shop. It also limits partnerships to a single member of each sector; one bike shop, one newspaper, or one boutique. The clear line of liability also means that the operating business has insurance requirements to carry and will likely have to enforce helmet use.<br />
<br />
==== Discussion ====<br />
Both rides appeal to different people, but the demographics of the riders were mostly white, though unintentionally so. For the open social rides, this was because the ride started from one social circle and its business preferences. For the paid rides, this was because they were seeking sustainable income. Since bicycles seen as a lesser mode of transportation in impoverished communities and represent gentrification, it can be difficult to promote them, though groups like the Major Taylor Group are trying to increase African American ridership. Either way, more racially diverse ride leadership should help diversify rider participation.<br />
<br />
Other problems with social cycling rides were identified. It's easy for the ride's somewhat high turnover to give it over to more aggressive cycling, and efforts to rein it in can be paternalistic.<br />
<br />
Responses to paid rides were overwhelmingly positive. Of 300 participants, 60% were women, and every ride had a bicyclist that had not ridden at all in the past year. Of survey respondents, 85% loved the ride, 97% would do it again, and 84% were more likely to revisit the participating businesses. No complaints were received of the ride being too fast, and the complaints of 1/3 of the respondents that the ride was too slow were dismissed. As for distance, the longest single ride was 10 miles and the longest single stretch was five miles, but most rides were just a few miles in stretches of two miles or less at a 10-12 mph pace. <br />
<br />
The high ratio of leaders to participants of the paid rides helped keep them very well organized. Walkie-talkies were given to the front and back leaders and other riders would circulate through the ride, keeping riders lined up, directing traffic at intersections, and encouraging the ride to behave well in regards to other users. It helped that the Austin Police Department was non-reactionary, so there was no backlash from law enforcement.<br />
<br />
Paid rides started with an intro of the leaders and the participants signing of a waiver stating they knew the rules of the road and agreed to follow ride leader instructions.<br />
<br />
Marketing was done through their own website, and partnering businesses were encouraged to do their own promotion as well. It was emphasized that time, rather than distance, was mentioned in all promotions. Though a six mile ride would take about 30 minutes, 30 minutes seemed like an easier ride than six miles. Ride classifications were right out; letter-assignments mean nothing to the new riders being targeted.<br />
<br />
Hurting businesses were suggested as rich prospects, as a few dozen potential customers can be enticing. Visits to any business should be during slow hours, though, to minimize disruption to regular services and provide customers when the business would be otherwise idle -- restaurants on Saturday afternoons are a good example. <br />
<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Operating a mobile on-the-go repair clinic through the city and community organizations ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
Held at 9:30 AM on Friday, June 24, at Sodatooth art gallery.<br />
<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
The original facilitator did not show up for this workshop but the intent was fairly self evident by the name of the workshop. It was begun with a go-around and then by asking the question 'who currently operates a mobile repair unit?'<br />
<br />
The [[Bike Cage]] from Winnipeg told us that they began as a purely mobile shop until they had enough resources and a space to operate from a permanent location. The [[Bike Root]] from Calgary told us that the opposite was true for them, they began with a full shop but after losing their space, kept operations going by setting up in various locations on their campus and around town.<br />
<br />
==== To fix or not? Where do you draw the line? ====<br />
There were various answers to this question, some shops will only fix flats and minor brake and gear issues. Others were willing to fix anything as long as the tools were available. Arguments for the former included<br />
* lack of proper tools<br />
* lack of more advanced tools or replacement parts in case anything went wrong<br />
* lack of knowledge / trust in the knowledge of some casual volunteers that might attend a mobile repair clinic<br />
* some provide more hand on repair for mobile units to decrease liability in case a bike owner injures themselves but providing more complicated repairs ourselves increases liability in case the owner injures themselves on their bike afterwards.<br />
<br />
and for the latter:<br />
* We should do our best to get more bikes fixed and on the road<br />
* We're confident in our skills<br />
* The worst thing that might happen is that a bike that wasn't on the road is now still not on the road<br />
* We make bike owners fix their bikes themselves so we are not liable<br />
<br />
==== Other services ====<br />
In addition to offering minor repairs, the Bike Cage's mobile unit doubles as a bike valet service. There was no elaboration on how the system works.<br />
<br />
==== Getting the message across that a mobile tune tent is not a fully functioning tent ====<br />
It seemed to be a common problem that when individuals in the community would hear about a free tune-up possibility, they would often bring in bikes that need repairs far beyond what could be done at a tune tent. It was suggested to avoid this, advertise as "light bike repair".<br />
<br />
==== Who holds the tools? ====<br />
We had a discussion about if the volunteer should fix the bike for the owner or provide the owner with the tools and teach how to fix the bike hands-off. Whether or not tools were handed to the bike owner, teaching at least by the volunteer explaining what he or she was doing seemed to be the norm. The issues behind whether or not to let the owner fix the bike seemed to be liability dependent on both sides. If the volunteer fixes the bike, the shop becomes liable if the bike causes injury down the road while normally the bike owner has not signed a liability waiver to use the tools, so the shop could be liable if they hurt themselves while repairing their bike.<br />
<br />
==== Ride or drive? ====<br />
We had a discussion on whether or not to drive the equipment to the location or use a trailer. No one seemed to be passionate for either but there are a lot of options out there for trailers big and small. [[Fargo Moorhead Community Bicycle Workshop|Fargo]] rides with a huge 4x6 trailer.<br />
<br />
==== Off topic discussion ====<br />
The conversation went off topic many times but did produce a few interesting ideas:<br />
* [[The Orioles Bike Cage|Winnipeg]] uses a punch card, much like one you would find a a coffee shop or fast food location, to punch out skills that a volunteer has learned. Once the card is completely punched the volunteer can start fixing bikes for others.<br />
* While discussing how to get enough replacement parts, another bike shop told us they provide local bike shops with barrels which the shops can use to put parts that are still usable but would otherwise throw away. The barrels would be picked up and emptied at regular intervals. This shop did not have a problem finding parts when needed as a result.<br />
<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Recycled bike art - Turning garbage into gold ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Software developers exchange: projects being worked on, have worked on, or areas they (you) are interested / skilled in ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
Held Saturday, June 25, at 2:30 PM at the San Marcos Public Library.<br />
<br />
Facilitated by Steve of [[Fargo Moorhead Community Bicycle Workshop| Fargo]].<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Participants briefly described their technical experience, specifically any coding projects and languages they've used. A few participants were experienced programmers; most were interested in learning or helping a project in other ways like documentation and testing.<br />
<br />
[[Austin Yellow Bike Project]]'s tracking code was discussed and briefly compared to the [[Bicycle Kitchen (San Francisco, CA)|San Francisco Bicycle Kitchen]]'s Freehub software.<br />
<br />
The Yellow Bike Project released their code for public use, and it was noted that SLC had already made a Joomla plugin. The YBP software was also demonstrated live at the workshop.<br />
<br />
Steve and [[User:Godwin]] of Calgary were (or soon will be) working on independent applications, but the general consensus coalesced around a few ideals.<br />
<br />
Any software development push should be oriented towards a web-based solution for the greatest ease in rolling out across various platforms, though it would make it more difficult to install as a software package and could lead to data security and access problems if provided as a hosting service, as SFBK does with Freehub. Additionally, this software should start with one shop in order to develop one full set of features. All features should be written as plugins to a basic core, allowing features to be added as required by various shops.<br />
<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
Yellow Bike Project's software may make a suitable core for such a push.<br />
<br />
A general wishlist was hashed out, in no particular order:<br />
* Work-trade management<br />
* Granular volunteer time tracking<br />
* Varied reporting options<br />
* Donation tracking<br />
* Bike and inventory tracking (including completion of projects)<br />
* Visitor tracking<br />
* Communications options (e-mail lists, contacting expiring memberships)<br />
* Sales tracking (though not point-of-sale)<br />
* Volunteer skill tracking<br />
<br />
== Teaching & learning styles in community bike shops; a discussion about different approaches, what works and what doesn't work as well ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== The future of Bike! Bike!. Where are we going and how are we going to get there? Also, a quick (but no-decisions-made) discussion about where Bike! Bike! will be held in 2012 (that will be decided during the final meeting on Sunday, June 26). ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Utilizing free open-source software (operating systems and work documents) to benefit your project. ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Despite "charity" pricing for software packages from major publishers like Microsoft and Adobe, some software is priced beyond the range of a co-operative's budget, or would be used to infrequently as to make a purchase pointless.<br />
<br />
Fortunately, the open source community has responded with a number of free replacements for major software, including for the operating system itself. Most of these packages can be found in [[Computer Resources]].<br />
<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Volunteer orientation: Addressing safe space concerns, and a conversation about empowering and maintaining a committed volunteer base ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Weather? What weather? How you and your bike can survive the heat and the cold (two workshops). ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Women and Transgender shop hours: Policies, Politics, Allies ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working in under-privileged communities: challenges and opportunities ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working Together: Increasing Inter-Organization Collaboration ==<br />
The intention of this workshop was to talk about all of the ways in which we as bicycle collectives of different sorts who run our services in many different ways, can share our experiences, successes, failures, and tangible output in order to help other collectives both start and continue to thrive.<br />
<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
[[User:Godwin|Godwin]] directed this workshop while [[Bob Wolfe]] facilitated in providing a speakers list. A large sheet of paper was used to help keep visible notes, at the end of the discussion the notes were the following:<br />
* '''Current Tools'''<br />
** [[BOOP]]<br />
** [[Bike!Bike!]]<br />
** [[Think Tank]]<br />
** [[Bike Collectives Network]]<br />
** [[Bike Collectives Wiki]]<br />
** Various collaborative tools such as our Google Docs list of organizations and Google Maps visualization of orgs across North America<br />
<br />
* '''What we need these tools for'''<br />
** Learn how to start a collective<br />
** Learn how to continue running a collective<br />
** Find example documents<br />
*** Volunteer Privileges<br />
*** Todo for new volunteers<br />
*** Financials<br />
*** Fliers<br />
*** Curricula<br />
*** Manuals<br />
*** 501c and not-for-profit forms<br />
*** Tool lists<br />
*** Inventory<br />
*** Price guide<br />
*** Mission statement<br />
*** Bylaws<br />
*** Safe space<br />
*** Legal documents<br />
*** Letters for grant writing<br />
** Find out how other organizations run their various programmes<br />
** Partner with other organizations<br />
<br />
* '''Brainstorming Ideas which could help'''<br />
** A Bike!Bike! Wiki<br />
** Have more involved wiki moderators who will make suggestions for improvements<br />
** News feed on wiki<br />
** Email individuals to improve pages<br />
** New list-serve other than the [[Think Tank]] which can be used for these emails<br />
** More list-serves for different purposes<br />
** Online Forums<br />
** Request documents, pages, and improvements once a year or at other regular intervals<br />
** Rid the wiki of closed shops<br />
** RSS feeds on the wiki<br />
** Separate blog or paper news<br />
** Paypal donations on [[BCN]] or the wiki<br />
** An umbrella or 'helping hand' organization<br />
** A seed fund<br />
** Micro Loans for starting up shops<br />
** A no-reply list-serve<br />
<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
* An 'umbrella' organization goes against many principles that are held by most shops however a 'helping hand' organization that acts as a third party to facilitate to spread of knowledge and possibly funds would likely not.<br />
* To improve the wiki it will take some active moderating and contacting of individuals.<br />
* The wiki is difficult to navigate so it should be reorganized<br />
* Bikecollectives.org is not serving any other purpose other than providing the wiki.<br />
* The [[Think Tank]] is too much for many to handle, there are too many emails about things that many don't care about.<br />
<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
* Godwin promised to contact the current owners of bikevollectives.org to see if improvements could be made.<br />
* Adding increased moderation of the wiki will be looked into<br />
<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Contact ==<br />
* [[Bike!Bike!]] website: http://www.bikebike.org<br />
* [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|The Bike Cave]]'s website: http://thebikecave.org<br />
* Email: [mailto:bikebike2011@gmail.com bikebike2011@gmail.com]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Bike!Bike!]]</div>Sharperhttps://wiki2.bikelover.org/wiki/index.php?title=Bike!Bike!_2011&diff=11226Bike!Bike! 20112011-07-01T18:54:14Z<p>Sharper: /* Software developers exchange: projects being worked on, have worked on, or areas they (you) are interested / skilled in */</p>
<hr />
<div>'''Bike!Bike! 2011''' was held in San Marcos, Texas; hosted by [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|The Bike Cave]] and [[The San Marcos Community Bike Project]]. It took place from June 23-26th, 2011.[[File:bikebikebike2a.jpg]]<br />
<br />
==Summary==<br />
<br />
= Schedule =<br />
== As published ==<br />
{|border="1" align="left" style="text-align:left;"<br />
!scope="row" width="20%"| Wednesday, June 22<br />
|-<br />
|1:00-6:00pm||Pick up a loaner bike (if you're staying the night in Austin) at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|2:00pm - 6:00pm||Open house at UT's Orange Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|6:00 -10:00pm||Open house at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|11:00pm||Open house at Movemint Bike Cab Co. Shop (1301 east 4th street) <br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" | Thursday, June 23<br />
|-<br />
|11:00am - 1:00pm||Pick up your loaner bike (if you've just arrived in Austin) at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|1:00pm||Group ride from Austin's Yellow Bike Project to San Marcos (there will be a truck to take your things to San Marcos)<br />
|-<br />
|12:00 - 8:00pm||Check-In at San Marcos Public Library ($25 - $45, pay what you can, nobody will be turned away for lack of funds. Pick up your loaner bike and housing arraignments)<br />
|-<br />
|2:00 - 8:00pm||Fix up your bike at The Bike Cave<br />
|-<br />
|7:00 - 8:00pm||Welcome / Speak up & speak out!<br />
|-<br />
|8:00pm - 10:00pm||Casual welcome dinner at City / Plaza Park with music by Mariachi Nueva Generacion<br />
|-<br />
|9:30pm||A screening of "Dudey Free Zone: Women's and Transgender Bike Spaces" plus other short bike-related films. At The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" | Friday, June 24<br />
|-<br />
|8:00am - 1:00pm||Check-In continued for those who get here late at The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|1:00 - 2:30pm||Lunch<br />
|-<br />
|2:30 - 4:00pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|8:00pm - 9:00pm||The future of Bike! Bike! - a discussion to figure out where we're heading, and how we're getting there. A preview of which project(s) are interested in hosting in 2012.<br />
|-<br />
|7:00pm - 10:30pm||Bike polo on top of Speck Street Parking Garage (there will be a group ride leaving from Rio Vista at 6:00pm)<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 -11:00pm||Concert at The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" | Saturday, June 25<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|1:00 - 2:30pm||Lunch<br />
|-<br />
|2:30 - 4:00pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|9:00pm - 12:00am||BIKE! RIDE! BIKE! RIDE!<br />
|-<br />
|12:00am - ???||Dance party<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" | Sunday, June 26<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30 - 11:00am||Workshops / final brainstorm<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 1:00pm||Closing meeting, Bike! Bike! 2012 discussion<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
== Workshops schedule ==<br />
{|border="1" align="left" style="text-align:left;" width="100%"<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Friday, June 24<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am||Acquiring a permanent space || Mobile repair clinic<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm||Managing social rides to increase bicycling || Bike touring<br />
|-<br />
|2:30pm - 4:00pm||Teaching & learning styles || Integrating bikes into the university fabric || Working in underprivileged communities<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm||Basics of the nonprofit sector and organizational form || Women and transgender shop hours<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Saturday, June 25<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am|| Bike 101|| Volunteer orientation || Acro yoga || Green space tour<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm|| Working with relationships || working together || Utilizing free open-source software<br />
|-<br />
|2:30pm - 4:00pm|| Battlefield: Consensus || Weather? What weather? (winter) || Software developers exchange || Please be kind to cyclists<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm|| Analyzing work flows || Recycled bike art || Classes, workshops, space<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Sunday, June 26<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am|| Managing expectations of a cooperative bike shop || Weather? What weather? (summer)) || Confronting car culture<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 1:00pm|| Closing discussion - Bike!Bike! 2012<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
= Workshops =<br />
== A bike tour of San Marcos green spaces ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Acquiring a permanent space (instead of renting, working with the city for land or a building, fund-raising and micro-loans. ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Acro yoga: skillshare ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Analyzing work flows within a bike project: setting up committees and more effective follow-up. How to reduce "ball droppage" ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Bike touring! What to take, how to pack, where to sleep and eat, and of course, where to go. ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Classes, Workshops, Space: Doing Meaningful Outreach with Communities in Your Neighborhood ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Confronting "car culture"; dealing with dominant culture on a personal level and effecting cultural shift. ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Decision making - the good, the bad, and the ugly. A reprise of 2010's Battlefield: Consensus. ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== How the City of San Marcos, Texas bicycle map was created ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== How to manage expectations and orient new people quickly to the cooperative shop environment ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Integrating bikes into the university fabric via student and staff collaboration ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Managing social rides to promote bicycling ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
From fringe to mainstream: how social cycling can ... and make our cities better<br />
<br />
=== Details ===<br />
Held at 11:15 AM on Friday, June 24 at the Bike Cave.<br />
<br />
Elliott McFadden of [http://austinontwowheels.org/ Austin on Two Wheels] and Violet Crown Cycles started by describing his views of cycling promotion and two methods seen in Austin of directly working to get people riding bikes. After this, he answered questions in a general discussion format.<br />
<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
==== Failures in bicycle promotion ====<br />
Elliot identified two somewhat conflicting methods of increasing cycling from the cycling industry and from political advocacy.<br />
<br />
* Industry: Bicycle sales in the U.S. have remained stagnant over since the 1970s, despite significant growth in population. To increase sales, the bicycle industry has focused on making bikes more niche -- selling new bikes to their existing market.<br />
* Advocacy: Advocates lobby decision makers for better infrastructure, but do so without growing a grassroots bicycle population or establishing cycling within the community.<br />
<br />
Until bicycling is seen as a normal community behavior, bicyclists will continue to be classified by convenient stereotypes, like the spandex/carbon weekend warrior, the hipster scofflaw, and the sanctimonious environmentalist.<br />
<br />
==== Strategy ====<br />
Defining "regime" as an interconnected group of businesses and leaders with a common world view, Elliott noted that the current regime is in favor of growing consumption and fossil fuel use. At the national level, this means the oil and auto industries. At the local level, it includes developers, auto dealers, and news entities, whose future profits depend on growth. Tellingly, 30% of all ad revenue for media entities comes from car companies.<br />
<br />
Regime change must then be the goal of a bicycle promoter. Find negative ways to describe the current regime (dirty, expensive, destructive, long travel times in cars) and positive ways to describe the desired regime (healthy, thrifty, sustainable, quality family time). Form partnerships with businesses and organizations that can benefit from a new regime.<br />
<br />
==== Social cycling ====<br />
To replace the negative stereotypes of bicyclists, it is important to develop an atmosphere that encourages riding by more members of the community. Bicycling should be made to be more comfortable -- no races, no work-outs, regular clothes, open to everyone. The joys of being out, riding with regular people, should be paramount. <br />
<br />
Commuting is often a big sell by industry and advocates; it allows shops to sell specialized "commuter" bicycles and advocates to focus on connecting routes, but as a sales point, it has two crippling problems: nobody likes to go to work, and most people go to work alone. Instead, social cycling should be a focus: just get many people together to ride bikes. Austin has two models that work in tandem: Social Cycling Austin and Austin on Two Wheels, an "affiliated business concept".<br />
<br />
===== Social Cycling Austin =====<br />
Social Cycling Austin is a volunteer production started two years ago as a free ride -- participants just show up for a weekly social ride, drawing 200-300 riders on average and as many as 500. It partners with local businesses, usually a bar or restaurant, and rides with traffic, not against it.<br />
<br />
This model is easy to start (it just requires two people) and its open structure makes it accessible to all. It doesn't have to be affiliated with any business, so it can work with and for everyone. Because of its loose nature, it's easy to change what doesn't work or even dismantle the ride. It doesn't need any investment to start up, as most organizing can be done through social networks and guerrilla marketing.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, it also has no control over who shows up, making it difficult to deal with troublemakers and easy for the ride to grow beyond the capacity of the leaders or prevent the ride from being co-opted by other organizations. A focus on bars as a final destination also makes it easy for this sort of ride to turn into a "booze cruise", adding additional challenges to the organization and often depressing its ability to draw women riders. Additionally, it is easy for organizing volunteers to burn out and the undefined liability might cause problems in case of injury.<br />
<br />
===== Affiliated Business Concept =====<br />
In an affiliated business concept, the rides are run as a business, usually as smaller fee-based rides than as large-scale free-for-alls.<br />
<br />
Because a business controls the ride, it's possible to tailor rides for specific demographics; women, families, suburbanites, etc. It's also easier to get different business partners and variety in the ride -- restaurants may provide food and drink samples, galleries may partner for art rides, or retail establishments for shopping rides. A business is also better able to provide a clear line of liability in case of accident and maintain a paid staff of ride leaders and organizers to provide a higher level of service. Austin on Two Wheels, for example, capped rides at 50 participants and provided one ride leader for every ten people to watch over unlocked bikes and help keep rides safe.<br />
<br />
This concept also carries some challenges. Partners must be committed to growth; it can take 18-24 months for the concept to turn a sustainable profit and its longer-term viability has not been tested, though it may be a reasonable loss leader for a bike shop. It also limits partnerships to a single member of each sector; one bike shop, one newspaper, or one boutique. The clear line of liability also means that the operating business has insurance requirements to carry and will likely have to enforce helmet use.<br />
<br />
==== Discussion ====<br />
Both rides appeal to different people, but the demographics of the riders were mostly white, though unintentionally so. For the open social rides, this was because the ride started from one social circle and its business preferences. For the paid rides, this was because they were seeking sustainable income. Since bicycles seen as a lesser mode of transportation in impoverished communities and represent gentrification, it can be difficult to promote them, though groups like the Major Taylor Group are trying to increase African American ridership. Either way, more racially diverse ride leadership should help diversify rider participation.<br />
<br />
Other problems with social cycling rides were identified. It's easy for the ride's somewhat high turnover to give it over to more aggressive cycling, and efforts to rein it in can be paternalistic.<br />
<br />
Responses to paid rides were overwhelmingly positive. Of 300 participants, 60% were women, and every ride had a bicyclist that had not ridden at all in the past year. Of survey respondents, 85% loved the ride, 97% would do it again, and 84% were more likely to revisit the participating businesses. No complaints were received of the ride being too fast, and the complaints of 1/3 of the respondents that the ride was too slow were dismissed. As for distance, the longest single ride was 10 miles and the longest single stretch was five miles, but most rides were just a few miles in stretches of two miles or less at a 10-12 mph pace. <br />
<br />
The high ratio of leaders to participants of the paid rides helped keep them very well organized. Walkie-talkies were given to the front and back leaders and other riders would circulate through the ride, keeping riders lined up, directing traffic at intersections, and encouraging the ride to behave well in regards to other users. It helped that the Austin Police Department was non-reactionary, so there was no backlash from law enforcement.<br />
<br />
Paid rides started with an intro of the leaders and the participants signing of a waiver stating they knew the rules of the road and agreed to follow ride leader instructions.<br />
<br />
Marketing was done through their own website, and partnering businesses were encouraged to do their own promotion as well. It was emphasized that time, rather than distance, was mentioned in all promotions. Though a six mile ride would take about 30 minutes, 30 minutes seemed like an easier ride than six miles. Ride classifications were right out; letter-assignments mean nothing to the new riders being targeted.<br />
<br />
Hurting businesses were suggested as rich prospects, as a few dozen potential customers can be enticing. Visits to any business should be during slow hours, though, to minimize disruption to regular services and provide customers when the business would be otherwise idle -- restaurants on Saturday afternoons are a good example. <br />
<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Operating a mobile on-the-go repair clinic through the city and community organizations ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
Held at 9:30 AM on Friday, June 24, at Sodatooth art gallery.<br />
<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
The original facilitator did not show up for this workshop but the intent was fairly self evident by the name of the workshop. It was begun with a go-around and then by asking the question 'who currently operates a mobile repair unit?'<br />
<br />
The [[Bike Cage]] from Winnipeg told us that they began as a purely mobile shop until they had enough resources and a space to operate from a permanent location. The [[Bike Root]] from Calgary told us that the opposite was true for them, they began with a full shop but after losing their space, kept operations going by setting up in various locations on their campus and around town.<br />
<br />
==== To fix or not? Where do you draw the line? ====<br />
There were various answers to this question, some shops will only fix flats and minor brake and gear issues. Others were willing to fix anything as long as the tools were available. Arguments for the former included<br />
* lack of proper tools<br />
* lack of more advanced tools or replacement parts in case anything went wrong<br />
* lack of knowledge / trust in the knowledge of some casual volunteers that might attend a mobile repair clinic<br />
* some provide more hand on repair for mobile units to decrease liability in case a bike owner injures themselves but providing more complicated repairs ourselves increases liability in case the owner injures themselves on their bike afterwards.<br />
<br />
and for the latter:<br />
* We should do our best to get more bikes fixed and on the road<br />
* We're confident in our skills<br />
* The worst thing that might happen is that a bike that wasn't on the road is now still not on the road<br />
* We make bike owners fix their bikes themselves so we are not liable<br />
<br />
==== Other services ====<br />
In addition to offering minor repairs, the Bike Cage's mobile unit doubles as a bike valet service. There was no elaboration on how the system works.<br />
<br />
==== Getting the message across that a mobile tune tent is not a fully functioning tent ====<br />
It seemed to be a common problem that when individuals in the community would hear about a free tune-up possibility, they would often bring in bikes that need repairs far beyond what could be done at a tune tent. It was suggested to avoid this, advertise as "light bike repair".<br />
<br />
==== Who holds the tools? ====<br />
We had a discussion about if the volunteer should fix the bike for the owner or provide the owner with the tools and teach how to fix the bike hands-off. Whether or not tools were handed to the bike owner, teaching at least by the volunteer explaining what he or she was doing seemed to be the norm. The issues behind whether or not to let the owner fix the bike seemed to be liability dependent on both sides. If the volunteer fixes the bike, the shop becomes liable if the bike causes injury down the road while normally the bike owner has not signed a liability waiver to use the tools, so the shop could be liable if they hurt themselves while repairing their bike.<br />
<br />
==== Ride or drive? ====<br />
We had a discussion on whether or not to drive the equipment to the location or use a trailer. No one seemed to be passionate for either but there are a lot of options out there for trailers big and small. [[Fargo Moorhead Community Bicycle Workshop|Fargo]] rides with a huge 4x6 trailer.<br />
<br />
==== Off topic discussion ====<br />
The conversation went off topic many times but did produce a few interesting ideas:<br />
* [[The Orioles Bike Cage|Winnipeg]] uses a punch card, much like one you would find a a coffee shop or fast food location, to punch out skills that a volunteer has learned. Once the card is completely punched the volunteer can start fixing bikes for others.<br />
* While discussing how to get enough replacement parts, another bike shop told us they provide local bike shops with barrels which the shops can use to put parts that are still usable but would otherwise throw away. The barrels would be picked up and emptied at regular intervals. This shop did not have a problem finding parts when needed as a result.<br />
<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Recycled bike art - Turning garbage into gold ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Software developers exchange: projects being worked on, have worked on, or areas they (you) are interested / skilled in ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
Held Saturday, June 25, at 2:30 PM at the San Marcos Public Library.<br />
<br />
Facilitated by Steve of [[Fargo Moorhead Community Bicycle Workshop| Fargo]].<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Participants briefly described their technical experience, specifically any coding projects and languages they've used. A few participants were experienced programmers; most were interested in learning or helping a project in other ways like documentation and testing.<br />
<br />
[[Austin Yellow Bike Project]]'s tracking code was discussed and briefly compared to the [[Bicycle Kitchen (San Francisco, CA)|San Francisco Bicycle Kitchen]]'s Freehub software.<br />
<br />
The Yellow Bike Project released their code for public use, and it was noted that SLC had already made a Joomla plugin. The YBP software was also demonstrated live at the workshop.<br />
<br />
Steve and [[User:Godwin]] of Calgary were (or soon will be) working on independent applications, but the general consensus coalesced around a few ideals.<br />
<br />
Any software development push should be oriented towards a web-based solution for the greatest ease in rolling out across various platforms, though it would make it more difficult to install as a software package and could lead to data security and access problems if provided as a hosting service, as SFBK does with Freehub. Additionally, this software should start with one shop in order to develop one full set of features. All features should be written as plugins to a basic core, allowing features to be added as required by various shops.<br />
<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
Yellow Bike Project's software may make a suitable core for such a push.<br />
<br />
A general wishlist was hashed out, in no particular order:<br />
* Work-trade management<br />
* Granular volunteer time tracking<br />
* Varied reporting options<br />
* Donation tracking<br />
* Bike and inventory tracking (including completion of projects)<br />
* Visitor tracking<br />
* Communications options (e-mail lists, contacting expiring memberships)<br />
* Sales tracking (though not point-of-sale)<br />
* Volunteer skill tracking<br />
<br />
== Teaching & learning styles in community bike shops; a discussion about different approaches, what works and what doesn't work as well ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== The future of Bike! Bike!. Where are we going and how are we going to get there? Also, a quick (but no-decisions-made) discussion about where Bike! Bike! will be held in 2012 (that will be decided during the final meeting on Sunday, June 26). ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Utilizing free open-source software (operating systems and work documents) to benefit your project. ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Despite "charity" pricing for software packages from major publishers like Microsoft and Adobe, some software is priced beyond the range of a co-operative's budget, or would be used to infrequently as to make a purchase pointless.<br />
<br />
Fortunately, the open source community has responded with a number of free replacements for major software, including for the operating system itself. Most of these packages can be found in [[Computer Resources]].<br />
<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Volunteer orientation: Addressing safe space concerns, and a conversation about empowering and maintaining a committed volunteer base ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Weather? What weather? How you and your bike can survive the heat and the cold (two workshops). ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Women and Transgender shop hours: Policies, Politics, Allies ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working in under-privileged communities: challenges and opportunities ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working Together: Increasing Inter-Organization Collaboration ==<br />
The intention of this workshop was to talk about all of the ways in which we as bicycle collectives of different sorts who run our services in many different ways, can share our experiences, successes, failures, and tangible output in order to help other collectives both start and continue to thrive.<br />
<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
[[User:Godwin|Godwin]] directed this workshop while [[Bob Wolfe]] facilitated in providing a speakers list. A large sheet of paper was used to help keep visible notes, at the end of the discussion the notes were the following:<br />
* '''Current Tools'''<br />
** [[BOOP]]<br />
** [[Bike!Bike!]]<br />
** [[Think Tank]]<br />
** [[Bike Collectives Network]]<br />
** [[Bike Collectives Wiki]]<br />
** Various collaborative tools such as our Google Docs list of organizations and Google Maps visualization of orgs across North America<br />
<br />
* '''What we need these tools for'''<br />
** Learn how to start a collective<br />
** Learn how to continue running a collective<br />
** Find example documents<br />
*** Volunteer Privileges<br />
*** Todo for new volunteers<br />
*** Financials<br />
*** Fliers<br />
*** Curricula<br />
*** Manuals<br />
*** 501c and not-for-profit forms<br />
*** Tool lists<br />
*** Inventory<br />
*** Price guide<br />
*** Mission statement<br />
*** Bylaws<br />
*** Safe space<br />
*** Legal documents<br />
*** Letters for grant writing<br />
** Find out how other organizations run their various programmes<br />
** Partner with other organizations<br />
<br />
* '''Brainstorming Ideas which could help'''<br />
** A Bike!Bike! Wiki<br />
** Have more involved wiki moderators who will make suggestions for improvements<br />
** News feed on wiki<br />
** Email individuals to improve pages<br />
** New list-serve other than the [[Think Tank]] which can be used for these emails<br />
** More list-serves for different purposes<br />
** Online Forums<br />
** Request documents, pages, and improvements once a year or at other regular intervals<br />
** Rid the wiki of closed shops<br />
** RSS feeds on the wiki<br />
** Separate blog or paper news<br />
** Paypal donations on [[BCN]] or the wiki<br />
** An umbrella or 'helping hand' organization<br />
** A seed fund<br />
** Micro Loans for starting up shops<br />
** A no-reply list-serve<br />
<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
* An 'umbrella' organization goes against many principles that are held by most shops however a 'helping hand' organization that acts as a third party to facilitate to spread of knowledge and possibly funds would likely not.<br />
* To improve the wiki it will take some active moderating and contacting of individuals.<br />
* The wiki is difficult to navigate so it should be reorganized<br />
* Bikecollectives.org is not serving any other purpose other than providing the wiki.<br />
* The [[Think Tank]] is too much for many to handle, there are too many emails about things that many don't care about.<br />
<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
* Godwin promised to contact the current owners of bikevollectives.org to see if improvements could be made.<br />
* Adding increased moderation of the wiki will be looked into<br />
<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Contact ==<br />
* [[Bike!Bike!]] website: http://www.bikebike.org<br />
* [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|The Bike Cave]]'s website: http://thebikecave.org<br />
* Email: [mailto:bikebike2011@gmail.com bikebike2011@gmail.com]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Bike!Bike!]]</div>Sharperhttps://wiki2.bikelover.org/wiki/index.php?title=Computer_Resources&diff=11224Computer Resources2011-07-01T18:25:55Z<p>Sharper: </p>
<hr />
<div>== Operating systems ==<br />
=== GNU/Linux ===<br />
Originally written as a free Unix clone by Finnish programmer Linus Torvalds in 1992, it quickly grew a large and devoted developer base for its open architecture and low cost. It is maintained as free and open source software, meaning anyone can read the original source code, make changes or contributions, and (hopefully) donate their changes back to the project for future inclusion.<br />
<br />
Linux is the basic "kernel", the part of the operating system that provides ways to handle the hardware. On top of this sits the "GNU" stack -- a set of programs developed by the Free Software Foundation that allow users to interact with the operating system at a very low level. Tools like `ls` (which '''l'''i'''s'''ts files in a directory) are GNU programs that pull information from the linux kernel. A number of graphical user interfaces have been developed to provide simpler and more intuitive ways to operate the computer.<br />
<br />
Many companies and organizations have developed their own "distributions" of GNU/Linux. These are installable packages of various software meant to provide end users with a complete operating computer in a style similar to Windows or Mac OS X. Most distributions also have ways to easily find, download, and install free and open source software packages to provide additional functions like word processing or video playing.<br />
<br />
In conversation with everyone but the hardest of hardcore nerds, "linux" or "Linux" is usually fine to refer to the combination of the kernel, the GNU stack, graphical user interface, and even the distribution.<br />
<br />
==== Common distributions ====<br />
* [http://www.ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu] is the current leader in linux distributions, having focused on ease of use for the end user. A number of variants based on Ubuntu exist: for netbooks specifically, to change window managers, or in a server-specific configuration.<br />
* [http://fedoraproject.org/ Fedora] started as a project by Red Hat, an early and respected linux service company, to focus on providing the latest software in the linux world.<br />
* [http://www.opensuse.org/en/ OpenSuSE] is a somewhat milquetoast distribution, allowing a wide range of software with an interest in stability.<br />
* [http://www.linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] focuses on extreme ease-of-use and is second only to Ubuntu in market share.<br />
* [http://puppylinux.org/ Puppy Linux] is designed to be small and quick, operating from a USB stick and on older and more constrained hardware than other, more fully-featured distributions.<br />
<br />
=== Unix ===<br />
Unix was developed forty years ago at AT&T's Bell Labs as an operating system for early digital computers. It has since been rewritten, remixed, copied, and released countless times by many different companies and organizations, and it often finds a home on high-powered servers. Underneath its polished user interface, Mac OS X is built on Unix underpinnings. "Full" versions of Unix are usually designed for enterprise use, making them gratuitously overpowered for small community shops.<br />
<br />
==== Versions ====<br />
* [http://openindiana.org/ OpenIndiana] is a community fork of the OpenSolaris project originally started by Sun Microsystems and discontinued by Oracle. Primarily made for enterprise use, it is still under development and <br />
* Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD) is a catch-all term for a copy of Unix made by students at the University of California in the 1980s. It has since evolved into three major distributions: the general purpose [http://www.freebsd.org/ FreeBSD], the network-focused [http://www.netbsd.org/ NetBSD], and the ultra-secure [http://www.openbsd.org/ OpenBSD].<br />
<br />
== Replacements for proprietary software ==<br />
Many free and open source replacements for proprietary software were originally built for GNU/Linux. In some cases, this may require downloading and installing Linux-based graphics layers (like X11) or operating environments (like [http://www.cygwin.com/ Cygwin]) in order to run them on Windows or Mac. If special software is required, it is usually made quite clear (and available) on the project's download page.<br />
<br />
=== Microsoft Office ===<br />
* [http://www.openoffice.org/ OpenOffice.org] - recently bought by Oracle and given to Apache after some controversy, this is the most common replacement for the Office suite and can read and write old and new Office file formats. Free, open source (LGPL), available for Linux, Mac, and Windows.<br />
* [http://www.libreoffice.org/ LibreOffice] - fork of OpenOffice.org made by the community after discomfort with Oracle, this is nearly identical to its predecessor. Free, open source (LGPL), available for Linux, Mac, and Windows.<br />
* [http://www.koffice.org/ KOffice] - Office replacement made specifically for the KDE window management system within Linux. Free, open source (GPL and LGPL), available for Linux with some preliminary support for Mac and Windows.<br />
* [http://www.abisource.com/ AbiWord] - Word processing program only. Free, open source (GPL), available for Linux and Windows. Mac development tends to lag.<br />
<br />
=== Adobe products ===<br />
* [http://www.gimp.org/ Gimp] - raster/bitmap image editor, replacing Photoshop. Free, open source (GPL), available for Linux, Mac, and Windows.<br />
* [http://inkscape.org/ Inkscape] - vector graphics editor, replacing Illustrator. Free, open source (GPL), available for Linux, Mac, and Windows.<br />
* [http://www.scribus.net/ Scribus] - desktop publishing application, replacing InDesign. Free, open source (GPL), available for Linux, Mac, and Windows.<br />
* [http://kompozer.net/ Kompozer] - WYSIWYG web page design (HTML and CSS), replacing Dreamweaver. Free, open source (MPL, GPL, and LGPL), available for Linux, Mac, and Windows.<br />
<br />
=== Other resources ===<br />
*[http://riseup.net/ Riseup.net] is a radical tool that provides secure email accounts and email lists for activists and organizers. <br />
<br />
*[http://resist.ca/ Resist.ca] also provides secure email accounts and lists, except they're from Canada.<br />
<br />
*[http://doodle.com/ Doodle] makes little charts that you email out to a group to find a good meeting time. Everybody fills out their availability and you can easily see what time works best.<br />
<br />
=== Collective/Co-Operative tracking ===<br />
* [http://civicrm.org/ CiviCRM] is a flexible customer relationship management tool, and can be set up to track volunteer hours and customer visits.<br />
* [http://freehub.bikekitchen.org/ FreeHub] is a web-based membership tracker developed by the [[Bike Kitchen (San Francisco, CA, USA)|San Francisco Bicycle Kitchen]], available either standalone or as a locally served site.<br />
* [[Austin Yellow Bike Project]] has their own volunteer and membership tracker that may be available to other collectives.</div>Sharperhttps://wiki2.bikelover.org/wiki/index.php?title=Computer_Resources&diff=11223Computer Resources2011-07-01T18:24:50Z<p>Sharper: </p>
<hr />
<div>== Operating systems ==<br />
=== GNU/Linux ===<br />
Originally written as a free Unix clone by Finnish programmer Linus Torvalds in 1992, it quickly grew a large and devoted developer base for its open architecture and low cost. It is maintained as free and open source software, meaning anyone can read the original source code, make changes or contributions, and (hopefully) donate their changes back to the project for future inclusion.<br />
<br />
Linux is the basic "kernel", the part of the operating system that provides ways to handle the hardware. On top of this sits the "GNU" stack -- a set of programs developed by the Free Software Foundation that allow users to interact with the operating system at a very low level. Tools like `ls` (which '''l'''i'''s'''ts files in a directory) are GNU programs that pull information from the linux kernel. A number of graphical user interfaces have been developed to provide simpler and more intuitive ways to operate the computer.<br />
<br />
Many companies and organizations have developed their own "distributions" of GNU/Linux. These are installable packages of various software meant to provide end users with a complete operating computer in a style similar to Windows or Mac OS X. Most distributions also have ways to easily find, download, and install free and open source software packages to provide additional functions like word processing or video playing.<br />
<br />
In conversation with everyone but the hardest of hardcore nerds, "linux" or "Linux" is usually fine to refer to the combination of the kernel, the GNU stack, graphical user interface, and even the distribution.<br />
<br />
==== Common distributions ====<br />
* [http://www.ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu] is the current leader in linux distributions, having focused on ease of use for the end user. A number of variants based on Ubuntu exist: for netbooks specifically, to change window managers, or in a server-specific configuration.<br />
* [http://fedoraproject.org/ Fedora] started as a project by Red Hat, an early and respected linux service company, to focus on providing the latest software in the linux world.<br />
* [http://www.opensuse.org/en/ OpenSuSE] is a somewhat milquetoast distribution, allowing a wide range of software with an interest in stability.<br />
* [http://www.linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] focuses on extreme ease-of-use and is second only to Ubuntu in market share.<br />
* [http://puppylinux.org/ Puppy Linux] is designed to be small and quick, operating from a USB stick and on older and more constrained hardware than other, more fully-featured distributions.<br />
<br />
=== Unix ===<br />
Unix was developed forty years ago at AT&T's Bell Labs as an operating system for early digital computers. It has since been rewritten, remixed, copied, and released countless times by many different companies and organizations, and it often finds a home on high-powered servers. Underneath its polished user interface, Mac OS X is built on Unix underpinnings. "Full" versions of Unix are usually designed for enterprise use, making them gratuitously overpowered for small community shops.<br />
<br />
==== Versions ====<br />
* [http://openindiana.org/ OpenIndiana] is a community fork of the OpenSolaris project originally started by Sun Microsystems and discontinued by Oracle. Primarily made for enterprise use, it is still under development and <br />
* Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD) is a catch-all term for a copy of Unix made by students at the University of California in the 1980s. It has since evolved into three major distributions: the general purpose [http://www.freebsd.org/ FreeBSD], the network-focused [http://www.netbsd.org/ NetBSD], and the ultra-secure [http://www.openbsd.org/ OpenBSD].<br />
<br />
== Replacements for proprietary software ==<br />
Many free and open source replacements for proprietary software were originally built for GNU/Linux. In some cases, this may require downloading and installing Linux-based graphics layers (like X11) or operating environments (like [http://www.cygwin.com/ Cygwin]) in order to run them on Windows or Mac. If special software is required, it is usually made quite clear (and available) on the project's download page.<br />
<br />
=== Microsoft Office ===<br />
* [http://www.openoffice.org/ OpenOffice.org] - recently bought by Oracle and given to Apache after some controversy, this is the most common replacement for the Office suite and can read and write old and new Office file formats. Free, open source (LGPL), available for Linux, Mac, and Windows.<br />
* [http://www.libreoffice.org/ LibreOffice] - fork of OpenOffice.org made by the community after discomfort with Oracle, this is nearly identical to its predecessor. Free, open source (LGPL), available for Linux, Mac, and Windows.<br />
* [http://www.koffice.org/ KOffice] - Office replacement made specifically for the KDE window management system within Linux. Free, open source (GPL and LGPL), available for Linux with some preliminary support for Mac and Windows.<br />
* [http://www.abisource.com/ AbiWord] - Word processing program only. Free, open source (GPL), available for Linux and Windows. Mac development tends to lag.<br />
<br />
=== Adobe products ===<br />
* [http://www.gimp.org/ Gimp] - raster/bitmap image editor, replacing Photoshop. Free, open source (GPL), available for Linux, Mac, and Windows.<br />
* [http://inkscape.org/ Inkscape] - vector graphics editor, replacing Illustrator. Free, open source (GPL), available for Linux, Mac, and Windows.<br />
* [http://www.scribus.net/ Scribus] - desktop publishing application, replacing InDesign. Free, open source (GPL), available for Linux, Mac, and Windows.<br />
* [http://kompozer.net/ Kompozer] - WYSIWYG web page design (HTML and CSS), replacing Dreamweaver. Free, open source (MPL, GPL, and LGPL), available for Linux, Mac, and Windows.<br />
<br />
=== Other resources ===<br />
*[http://riseup.net/ Riseup.net] is a radical tool that provides secure email accounts and email lists for activists and organizers. <br />
<br />
*[http://resist.ca/ Resist.ca] also provides secure email accounts and lists, except they're from Canada.<br />
<br />
*[http://doodle.com/ Doodle] makes little charts that you email out to a group to find a good meeting time. Everybody fills out their availability and you can easily see what time works best.<br />
<br />
=== Collective/Co-Operative tracking ===<br />
* [http://civicrm.org/ CiviCRM] is a flexible customer relationship management tool, and can be set up to track volunteer hours and customer visits.<br />
* [http://freehub.bikekitchen.org/ FreeHub] is a web-based membership tracker developed by the [[San Francisco Bicycle Kitchen]], available either standalone or as a locally served site.<br />
* [[Austin Yellow Bike Project]] has their own volunteer and membership tracker that may be available to other collectives.</div>Sharperhttps://wiki2.bikelover.org/wiki/index.php?title=Bike!Bike!_2011&diff=11222Bike!Bike! 20112011-07-01T18:15:53Z<p>Sharper: /* Utilizing free open-source software (operating systems and work documents) to benefit your project. */</p>
<hr />
<div>'''Bike!Bike! 2011''' was held in San Marcos, Texas; hosted by [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|The Bike Cave]] and [[The San Marcos Community Bike Project]]. It took place from June 23-26th, 2011.[[File:bikebikebike2a.jpg]]<br />
<br />
==Summary==<br />
<br />
= Schedule =<br />
== As published ==<br />
{|border="1" align="left" style="text-align:left;"<br />
!scope="row" width="20%"| Wednesday, June 22<br />
|-<br />
|1:00-6:00pm||Pick up a loaner bike (if you're staying the night in Austin) at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|2:00pm - 6:00pm||Open house at UT's Orange Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|6:00 -10:00pm||Open house at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|11:00pm||Open house at Movemint Bike Cab Co. Shop (1301 east 4th street) <br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" | Thursday, June 23<br />
|-<br />
|11:00am - 1:00pm||Pick up your loaner bike (if you've just arrived in Austin) at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|1:00pm||Group ride from Austin's Yellow Bike Project to San Marcos (there will be a truck to take your things to San Marcos)<br />
|-<br />
|12:00 - 8:00pm||Check-In at San Marcos Public Library ($25 - $45, pay what you can, nobody will be turned away for lack of funds. Pick up your loaner bike and housing arraignments)<br />
|-<br />
|2:00 - 8:00pm||Fix up your bike at The Bike Cave<br />
|-<br />
|7:00 - 8:00pm||Welcome / Speak up & speak out!<br />
|-<br />
|8:00pm - 10:00pm||Casual welcome dinner at City / Plaza Park with music by Mariachi Nueva Generacion<br />
|-<br />
|9:30pm||A screening of "Dudey Free Zone: Women's and Transgender Bike Spaces" plus other short bike-related films. At The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" | Friday, June 24<br />
|-<br />
|8:00am - 1:00pm||Check-In continued for those who get here late at The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|1:00 - 2:30pm||Lunch<br />
|-<br />
|2:30 - 4:00pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|8:00pm - 9:00pm||The future of Bike! Bike! - a discussion to figure out where we're heading, and how we're getting there. A preview of which project(s) are interested in hosting in 2012.<br />
|-<br />
|7:00pm - 10:30pm||Bike polo on top of Speck Street Parking Garage (there will be a group ride leaving from Rio Vista at 6:00pm)<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 -11:00pm||Concert at The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" | Saturday, June 25<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|1:00 - 2:30pm||Lunch<br />
|-<br />
|2:30 - 4:00pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|9:00pm - 12:00am||BIKE! RIDE! BIKE! RIDE!<br />
|-<br />
|12:00am - ???||Dance party<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" | Sunday, June 26<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30 - 11:00am||Workshops / final brainstorm<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 1:00pm||Closing meeting, Bike! Bike! 2012 discussion<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
== Workshops schedule ==<br />
{|border="1" align="left" style="text-align:left;" width="100%"<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Friday, June 24<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am||Acquiring a permanent space || Mobile repair clinic<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm||Managing social rides to increase bicycling || Bike touring<br />
|-<br />
|2:30pm - 4:00pm||Teaching & learning styles || Integrating bikes into the university fabric || Working in underprivileged communities<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm||Basics of the nonprofit sector and organizational form || Women and transgender shop hours<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Saturday, June 25<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am|| Bike 101|| Volunteer orientation || Acro yoga || Green space tour<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm|| Working with relationships || working together || Utilizing free open-source software<br />
|-<br />
|2:30pm - 4:00pm|| Battlefield: Consensus || Weather? What weather? (winter) || Software developers exchange || Please be kind to cyclists<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm|| Analyzing work flows || Recycled bike art || Classes, workshops, space<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Sunday, June 26<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am|| Managing expectations of a cooperative bike shop || Weather? What weather? (summer)) || Confronting car culture<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 1:00pm|| Closing discussion - Bike!Bike! 2012<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
= Workshops =<br />
== A bike tour of San Marcos green spaces ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Acquiring a permanent space (instead of renting, working with the city for land or a building, fund-raising and micro-loans. ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Acro yoga: skillshare ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Analyzing work flows within a bike project: setting up committees and more effective follow-up. How to reduce "ball droppage" ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Bike touring! What to take, how to pack, where to sleep and eat, and of course, where to go. ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Classes, Workshops, Space: Doing Meaningful Outreach with Communities in Your Neighborhood ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Confronting "car culture"; dealing with dominant culture on a personal level and effecting cultural shift. ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Decision making - the good, the bad, and the ugly. A reprise of 2010's Battlefield: Consensus. ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== How the City of San Marcos, Texas bicycle map was created ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== How to manage expectations and orient new people quickly to the cooperative shop environment ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Integrating bikes into the university fabric via student and staff collaboration ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Managing social rides to promote bicycling ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
From fringe to mainstream: how social cycling can ... and make our cities better<br />
<br />
=== Details ===<br />
Held at 11:15 AM on Friday, June 24 at the Bike Cave.<br />
<br />
Elliott McFadden of [http://austinontwowheels.org/ Austin on Two Wheels] and Violet Crown Cycles started by describing his views of cycling promotion and two methods seen in Austin of directly working to get people riding bikes. After this, he answered questions in a general discussion format.<br />
<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
==== Failures in bicycle promotion ====<br />
Elliot identified two somewhat conflicting methods of increasing cycling from the cycling industry and from political advocacy.<br />
<br />
* Industry: Bicycle sales in the U.S. have remained stagnant over since the 1970s, despite significant growth in population. To increase sales, the bicycle industry has focused on making bikes more niche -- selling new bikes to their existing market.<br />
* Advocacy: Advocates lobby decision makers for better infrastructure, but do so without growing a grassroots bicycle population or establishing cycling within the community.<br />
<br />
Until bicycling is seen as a normal community behavior, bicyclists will continue to be classified by convenient stereotypes, like the spandex/carbon weekend warrior, the hipster scofflaw, and the sanctimonious environmentalist.<br />
<br />
==== Strategy ====<br />
Defining "regime" as an interconnected group of businesses and leaders with a common world view, Elliott noted that the current regime is in favor of growing consumption and fossil fuel use. At the national level, this means the oil and auto industries. At the local level, it includes developers, auto dealers, and news entities, whose future profits depend on growth. Tellingly, 30% of all ad revenue for media entities comes from car companies.<br />
<br />
Regime change must then be the goal of a bicycle promoter. Find negative ways to describe the current regime (dirty, expensive, destructive, long travel times in cars) and positive ways to describe the desired regime (healthy, thrifty, sustainable, quality family time). Form partnerships with businesses and organizations that can benefit from a new regime.<br />
<br />
==== Social cycling ====<br />
To replace the negative stereotypes of bicyclists, it is important to develop an atmosphere that encourages riding by more members of the community. Bicycling should be made to be more comfortable -- no races, no work-outs, regular clothes, open to everyone. The joys of being out, riding with regular people, should be paramount. <br />
<br />
Commuting is often a big sell by industry and advocates; it allows shops to sell specialized "commuter" bicycles and advocates to focus on connecting routes, but as a sales point, it has two crippling problems: nobody likes to go to work, and most people go to work alone. Instead, social cycling should be a focus: just get many people together to ride bikes. Austin has two models that work in tandem: Social Cycling Austin and Austin on Two Wheels, an "affiliated business concept".<br />
<br />
===== Social Cycling Austin =====<br />
Social Cycling Austin is a volunteer production started two years ago as a free ride -- participants just show up for a weekly social ride, drawing 200-300 riders on average and as many as 500. It partners with local businesses, usually a bar or restaurant, and rides with traffic, not against it.<br />
<br />
This model is easy to start (it just requires two people) and its open structure makes it accessible to all. It doesn't have to be affiliated with any business, so it can work with and for everyone. Because of its loose nature, it's easy to change what doesn't work or even dismantle the ride. It doesn't need any investment to start up, as most organizing can be done through social networks and guerrilla marketing.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, it also has no control over who shows up, making it difficult to deal with troublemakers and easy for the ride to grow beyond the capacity of the leaders or prevent the ride from being co-opted by other organizations. A focus on bars as a final destination also makes it easy for this sort of ride to turn into a "booze cruise", adding additional challenges to the organization and often depressing its ability to draw women riders. Additionally, it is easy for organizing volunteers to burn out and the undefined liability might cause problems in case of injury.<br />
<br />
===== Affiliated Business Concept =====<br />
In an affiliated business concept, the rides are run as a business, usually as smaller fee-based rides than as large-scale free-for-alls.<br />
<br />
Because a business controls the ride, it's possible to tailor rides for specific demographics; women, families, suburbanites, etc. It's also easier to get different business partners and variety in the ride -- restaurants may provide food and drink samples, galleries may partner for art rides, or retail establishments for shopping rides. A business is also better able to provide a clear line of liability in case of accident and maintain a paid staff of ride leaders and organizers to provide a higher level of service. Austin on Two Wheels, for example, capped rides at 50 participants and provided one ride leader for every ten people to watch over unlocked bikes and help keep rides safe.<br />
<br />
This concept also carries some challenges. Partners must be committed to growth; it can take 18-24 months for the concept to turn a sustainable profit and its longer-term viability has not been tested, though it may be a reasonable loss leader for a bike shop. It also limits partnerships to a single member of each sector; one bike shop, one newspaper, or one boutique. The clear line of liability also means that the operating business has insurance requirements to carry and will likely have to enforce helmet use.<br />
<br />
==== Discussion ====<br />
Both rides appeal to different people, but the demographics of the riders were mostly white, though unintentionally so. For the open social rides, this was because the ride started from one social circle and its business preferences. For the paid rides, this was because they were seeking sustainable income. Since bicycles seen as a lesser mode of transportation in impoverished communities and represent gentrification, it can be difficult to promote them, though groups like the Major Taylor Group are trying to increase African American ridership. Either way, more racially diverse ride leadership should help diversify rider participation.<br />
<br />
Other problems with social cycling rides were identified. It's easy for the ride's somewhat high turnover to give it over to more aggressive cycling, and efforts to rein it in can be paternalistic.<br />
<br />
Responses to paid rides were overwhelmingly positive. Of 300 participants, 60% were women, and every ride had a bicyclist that had not ridden at all in the past year. Of survey respondents, 85% loved the ride, 97% would do it again, and 84% were more likely to revisit the participating businesses. No complaints were received of the ride being too fast, and the complaints of 1/3 of the respondents that the ride was too slow were dismissed. As for distance, the longest single ride was 10 miles and the longest single stretch was five miles, but most rides were just a few miles in stretches of two miles or less at a 10-12 mph pace. <br />
<br />
The high ratio of leaders to participants of the paid rides helped keep them very well organized. Walkie-talkies were given to the front and back leaders and other riders would circulate through the ride, keeping riders lined up, directing traffic at intersections, and encouraging the ride to behave well in regards to other users. It helped that the Austin Police Department was non-reactionary, so there was no backlash from law enforcement.<br />
<br />
Paid rides started with an intro of the leaders and the participants signing of a waiver stating they knew the rules of the road and agreed to follow ride leader instructions.<br />
<br />
Marketing was done through their own website, and partnering businesses were encouraged to do their own promotion as well. It was emphasized that time, rather than distance, was mentioned in all promotions. Though a six mile ride would take about 30 minutes, 30 minutes seemed like an easier ride than six miles. Ride classifications were right out; letter-assignments mean nothing to the new riders being targeted.<br />
<br />
Hurting businesses were suggested as rich prospects, as a few dozen potential customers can be enticing. Visits to any business should be during slow hours, though, to minimize disruption to regular services and provide customers when the business would be otherwise idle -- restaurants on Saturday afternoons are a good example. <br />
<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Operating a mobile on-the-go repair clinic through the city and community organizations ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
Held at 9:30 AM on Friday, June 24, at Sodatooth art gallery.<br />
<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
The original facilitator did not show up for this workshop but the intent was fairly self evident by the name of the workshop. It was begun with a go-around and then by asking the question 'who currently operates a mobile repair unit?'<br />
<br />
The [[Bike Cage]] from Winnipeg told us that they began as a purely mobile shop until they had enough resources and a space to operate from a permanent location. The [[Bike Root]] from Calgary told us that the opposite was true for them, they began with a full shop but after losing their space, kept operations going by setting up in various locations on their campus and around town.<br />
<br />
==== To fix or not? Where do you draw the line? ====<br />
There were various answers to this question, some shops will only fix flats and minor brake and gear issues. Others were willing to fix anything as long as the tools were available. Arguments for the former included<br />
* lack of proper tools<br />
* lack of more advanced tools or replacement parts in case anything went wrong<br />
* lack of knowledge / trust in the knowledge of some casual volunteers that might attend a mobile repair clinic<br />
* some provide more hand on repair for mobile units to decrease liability in case a bike owner injures themselves but providing more complicated repairs ourselves increases liability in case the owner injures themselves on their bike afterwards.<br />
<br />
and for the latter:<br />
* We should do our best to get more bikes fixed and on the road<br />
* We're confident in our skills<br />
* The worst thing that might happen is that a bike that wasn't on the road is now still not on the road<br />
* We make bike owners fix their bikes themselves so we are not liable<br />
<br />
==== Other services ====<br />
In addition to offering minor repairs, the Bike Cage's mobile unit doubles as a bike valet service. There was no elaboration on how the system works.<br />
<br />
==== Getting the message across that a mobile tune tent is not a fully functioning tent ====<br />
It seemed to be a common problem that when individuals in the community would hear about a free tune-up possibility, they would often bring in bikes that need repairs far beyond what could be done at a tune tent. It was suggested to avoid this, advertise as "light bike repair".<br />
<br />
==== Who holds the tools? ====<br />
We had a discussion about if the volunteer should fix the bike for the owner or provide the owner with the tools and teach how to fix the bike hands-off. Whether or not tools were handed to the bike owner, teaching at least by the volunteer explaining what he or she was doing seemed to be the norm. The issues behind whether or not to let the owner fix the bike seemed to be liability dependent on both sides. If the volunteer fixes the bike, the shop becomes liable if the bike causes injury down the road while normally the bike owner has not signed a liability waiver to use the tools, so the shop could be liable if they hurt themselves while repairing their bike.<br />
<br />
==== Ride or drive? ====<br />
We had a discussion on whether or not to drive the equipment to the location or use a trailer. No one seemed to be passionate for either but there are a lot of options out there for trailers big and small. [[Fargo Moorhead Community Bicycle Workshop|Fargo]] rides with a huge 4x6 trailer.<br />
<br />
==== Off topic discussion ====<br />
The conversation went off topic many times but did produce a few interesting ideas:<br />
* [[The Orioles Bike Cage|Winnipeg]] uses a punch card, much like one you would find a a coffee shop or fast food location, to punch out skills that a volunteer has learned. Once the card is completely punched the volunteer can start fixing bikes for others.<br />
* While discussing how to get enough replacement parts, another bike shop told us they provide local bike shops with barrels which the shops can use to put parts that are still usable but would otherwise throw away. The barrels would be picked up and emptied at regular intervals. This shop did not have a problem finding parts when needed as a result.<br />
<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Recycled bike art - Turning garbage into gold ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Software developers exchange: projects being worked on, have worked on, or areas they (you) are interested / skilled in ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Teaching & learning styles in community bike shops; a discussion about different approaches, what works and what doesn't work as well ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== The future of Bike! Bike!. Where are we going and how are we going to get there? Also, a quick (but no-decisions-made) discussion about where Bike! Bike! will be held in 2012 (that will be decided during the final meeting on Sunday, June 26). ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Utilizing free open-source software (operating systems and work documents) to benefit your project. ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
Despite "charity" pricing for software packages from major publishers like Microsoft and Adobe, some software is priced beyond the range of a co-operative's budget, or would be used to infrequently as to make a purchase pointless.<br />
<br />
Fortunately, the open source community has responded with a number of free replacements for major software, including for the operating system itself. Most of these packages can be found in [[Computer Resources]].<br />
<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Volunteer orientation: Addressing safe space concerns, and a conversation about empowering and maintaining a committed volunteer base ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Weather? What weather? How you and your bike can survive the heat and the cold (two workshops). ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Women and Transgender shop hours: Policies, Politics, Allies ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working in under-privileged communities: challenges and opportunities ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working Together: Increasing Inter-Organization Collaboration ==<br />
The intention of this workshop was to talk about all of the ways in which we as bicycle collectives of different sorts who run our services in many different ways, can share our experiences, successes, failures, and tangible output in order to help other collectives both start and continue to thrive.<br />
<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
[[User:Godwin|Godwin]] directed this workshop while [[Bob Wolfe]] facilitated in providing a speakers list. A large sheet of paper was used to help keep visible notes, at the end of the discussion the notes were the following:<br />
* '''Current Tools'''<br />
** [[BOOP]]<br />
** [[Bike!Bike!]]<br />
** [[Think Tank]]<br />
** [[Bike Collectives Network]]<br />
** [[Bike Collectives Wiki]]<br />
** Various collaborative tools such as our Google Docs list of organizations and Google Maps visualization of orgs across North America<br />
<br />
* '''What we need these tools for'''<br />
** Learn how to start a collective<br />
** Learn how to continue running a collective<br />
** Find example documents<br />
*** Volunteer Privileges<br />
*** Todo for new volunteers<br />
*** Financials<br />
*** Fliers<br />
*** Curricula<br />
*** Manuals<br />
*** 501c and not-for-profit forms<br />
*** Tool lists<br />
*** Inventory<br />
*** Price guide<br />
*** Mission statement<br />
*** Bylaws<br />
*** Safe space<br />
*** Legal documents<br />
*** Letters for grant writing<br />
** Find out how other organizations run their various programmes<br />
** Partner with other organizations<br />
<br />
* '''Brainstorming Ideas which could help'''<br />
** A Bike!Bike! Wiki<br />
** Have more involved wiki moderators who will make suggestions for improvements<br />
** News feed on wiki<br />
** Email individuals to improve pages<br />
** New list-serve other than the [[Think Tank]] which can be used for these emails<br />
** More list-serves for different purposes<br />
** Online Forums<br />
** Request documents, pages, and improvements once a year or at other regular intervals<br />
** Rid the wiki of closed shops<br />
** RSS feeds on the wiki<br />
** Separate blog or paper news<br />
** Paypal donations on [[BCN]] or the wiki<br />
** An umbrella or 'helping hand' organization<br />
** A seed fund<br />
** Micro Loans for starting up shops<br />
** A no-reply list-serve<br />
<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
* An 'umbrella' organization goes against many principles that are held by most shops however a 'helping hand' organization that acts as a third party to facilitate to spread of knowledge and possibly funds would likely not.<br />
* To improve the wiki it will take some active moderating and contacting of individuals.<br />
* The wiki is difficult to navigate so it should be reorganized<br />
* Bikecollectives.org is not serving any other purpose other than providing the wiki.<br />
* The [[Think Tank]] is too much for many to handle, there are too many emails about things that many don't care about.<br />
<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
* Godwin promised to contact the current owners of bikevollectives.org to see if improvements could be made.<br />
* Adding increased moderation of the wiki will be looked into<br />
<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Contact ==<br />
* [[Bike!Bike!]] website: http://www.bikebike.org<br />
* [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|The Bike Cave]]'s website: http://thebikecave.org<br />
* Email: [mailto:bikebike2011@gmail.com bikebike2011@gmail.com]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Bike!Bike!]]</div>Sharperhttps://wiki2.bikelover.org/wiki/index.php?title=Computer_Resources&diff=11204Computer Resources2011-06-30T17:18:43Z<p>Sharper: </p>
<hr />
<div>== Operating systems ==<br />
=== GNU/Linux ===<br />
Originally written as a free Unix clone by Finnish programmer Linus Torvalds in 1992, it quickly grew a large and devoted developer base for its open architecture and low cost. It is maintained as free and open source software, meaning anyone can read the original source code, make changes or contributions, and (hopefully) donate their changes back to the project for future inclusion.<br />
<br />
Linux is the basic "kernel", the part of the operating system that provides ways to handle the hardware. On top of this sits the "GNU" stack -- a set of programs developed by the Free Software Foundation that allow users to interact with the operating system at a very low level. Tools like `ls` (which '''l'''i'''s'''ts files in a directory) are GNU programs that pull information from the linux kernel. A number of graphical user interfaces have been developed to provide simpler and more intuitive ways to operate the computer.<br />
<br />
Many companies and organizations have developed their own "distributions" of GNU/Linux. These are installable packages of various software meant to provide end users with a complete operating computer in a style similar to Windows or Mac OS X. Most distributions also have ways to easily find, download, and install free and open source software packages to provide additional functions like word processing or video playing.<br />
<br />
In conversation with everyone but the hardest of hardcore nerds, "linux" or "Linux" is usually fine to refer to the combination of the kernel, the GNU stack, graphical user interface, and even the distribution.<br />
<br />
==== Common distributions ====<br />
* [http://www.ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu] is the current leader in linux distributions, having focused on ease of use for the end user. A number of variants based on Ubuntu exist: for netbooks specifically, to change window managers, or in a server-specific configuration.<br />
* [http://fedoraproject.org/ Fedora] started as a project by Red Hat, an early and respected linux service company, to focus on providing the latest software in the linux world.<br />
* [http://www.opensuse.org/en/ OpenSuSE] is a somewhat milquetoast distribution, allowing a wide range of software with an interest in stability.<br />
* [http://www.linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] focuses on extreme ease-of-use and is second only to Ubuntu in market share.<br />
* [http://puppylinux.org/ Puppy Linux] is designed to be small and quick, operating from a USB stick and on older and more constrained hardware than other, more fully-featured distributions.<br />
<br />
=== Unix ===<br />
Unix was developed forty years ago at AT&T's Bell Labs as an operating system for early digital computers. It has since been rewritten, remixed, copied, and released countless times by many different companies and organizations, and it often finds a home on high-powered servers. Underneath its polished user interface, Mac OS X is built on Unix underpinnings. "Full" versions of Unix are usually designed for enterprise use, making them gratuitously overpowered for small community shops.<br />
<br />
==== Versions ====<br />
* [http://openindiana.org/ OpenIndiana] is a community fork of the OpenSolaris project originally started by Sun Microsystems and discontinued by Oracle. Primarily made for enterprise use, it is still under development and <br />
* Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD) is a catch-all term for a copy of Unix made by students at the University of California in the 1980s. It has since evolved into three major distributions: the general purpose [http://www.freebsd.org/ FreeBSD], the network-focused [http://www.netbsd.org/ NetBSD], and the ultra-secure [http://www.openbsd.org/ OpenBSD].<br />
<br />
== Replacements for proprietary software ==<br />
Many free and open source replacements for proprietary software were originally built for GNU/Linux. In some cases, this may require downloading and installing Linux-based graphics layers (like X11) or operating environments (like [http://www.cygwin.com/ Cygwin]) in order to run them on Windows or Mac. If special software is required, it is usually made quite clear (and available) on the project's download page.<br />
<br />
=== Microsoft Office ===<br />
* [http://www.openoffice.org/ OpenOffice.org] - recently bought by Oracle and given to Apache after some controversy, this is the most common replacement for the Office suite and can read and write old and new Office file formats. Free, open source (LGPL), available for Linux, Mac, and Windows.<br />
* [http://www.libreoffice.org/ LibreOffice] - fork of OpenOffice.org made by the community after discomfort with Oracle, this is nearly identical to its predecessor. Free, open source (LGPL), available for Linux, Mac, and Windows.<br />
* [http://www.koffice.org/ KOffice] - Office replacement made specifically for the KDE window management system within Linux. Free, open source (GPL and LGPL), available for Linux with some preliminary support for Mac and Windows.<br />
* [http://www.abisource.com/ AbiWord] - Word processing program only. Free, open source (GPL), available for Linux and Windows. Mac development tends to lag.<br />
<br />
=== Adobe products ===<br />
* [http://www.gimp.org/ Gimp] - raster/bitmap image editor, replacing Photoshop. Free, open source (GPL), available for Linux, Mac, and Windows.<br />
* [http://inkscape.org/ Inkscape] - vector graphics editor, replacing Illustrator. Free, open source (GPL), available for Linux, Mac, and Windows.<br />
* [http://www.scribus.net/ Scribus] - desktop publishing application, replacing InDesign. Free, open source (GPL), available for Linux, Mac, and Windows.<br />
* [http://kompozer.net/ Kompozer] - WYSIWYG web page design (HTML and CSS), replacing Dreamweaver. Free, open source (MPL, GPL, and LGPL), available for Linux, Mac, and Windows.<br />
<br />
=== Web-based resources ===<br />
*[http://riseup.net/ Riseup.net] is a radical tool that provides secure email accounts and email lists for activists and organizers. <br />
<br />
*[http://resist.ca/ Resist.ca] also provides secure email accounts and lists, except they're from Canada.<br />
<br />
*[http://doodle.com/ Doodle] makes little charts that you email out to a group to find a good meeting time. Everybody fills out their availability and you can easily see what time works best.</div>Sharperhttps://wiki2.bikelover.org/wiki/index.php?title=Bike!Bike!_2011&diff=11193Bike!Bike! 20112011-06-29T22:11:13Z<p>Sharper: /* Workshops schedule */</p>
<hr />
<div>'''Bike!Bike! 2011''' was held in San Marcos, Texas; hosted by [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|The Bike Cave]] and [[The San Marcos Community Bike Project]]. It took place from June 23-26th, 2011.[[File:bikebikebike2a.jpg]]<br />
<br />
==Summary==<br />
<br />
= Schedule =<br />
== As published ==<br />
{|border="1" align="left" style="text-align:left;"<br />
!scope="row" width="20%"| Wednesday, June 22<br />
|-<br />
|1:00-6:00pm||Pick up a loaner bike (if you're staying the night in Austin) at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|2:00pm - 6:00pm||Open house at UT's Orange Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|6:00 -10:00pm||Open house at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|11:00pm||Open house at Movemint Bike Cab Co. Shop (1301 east 4th street) <br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" | Thursday, June 23<br />
|-<br />
|11:00am - 1:00pm||Pick up your loaner bike (if you've just arrived in Austin) at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|1:00pm||Group ride from Austin's Yellow Bike Project to San Marcos (there will be a truck to take your things to San Marcos)<br />
|-<br />
|12:00 - 8:00pm||Check-In at San Marcos Public Library ($25 - $45, pay what you can, nobody will be turned away for lack of funds. Pick up your loaner bike and housing arraignments)<br />
|-<br />
|2:00 - 8:00pm||Fix up your bike at The Bike Cave<br />
|-<br />
|7:00 - 8:00pm||Welcome / Speak up & speak out!<br />
|-<br />
|8:00pm - 10:00pm||Casual welcome dinner at City / Plaza Park with music by Mariachi Nueva Generacion<br />
|-<br />
|9:30pm||A screening of "Dudey Free Zone: Women's and Transgender Bike Spaces" plus other short bike-related films. At The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" | Friday, June 24<br />
|-<br />
|8:00am - 1:00pm||Check-In continued for those who get here late at The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|1:00 - 2:30pm||Lunch<br />
|-<br />
|2:30 - 4:00pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|8:00pm - 9:00pm||The future of Bike! Bike! - a discussion to figure out where we're heading, and how we're getting there. A preview of which project(s) are interested in hosting in 2012.<br />
|-<br />
|7:00pm - 10:30pm||Bike polo on top of Speck Street Parking Garage (there will be a group ride leaving from Rio Vista at 6:00pm)<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 -11:00pm||Concert at The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" | Saturday, June 25<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|1:00 - 2:30pm||Lunch<br />
|-<br />
|2:30 - 4:00pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|9:00pm - 12:00am||BIKE! RIDE! BIKE! RIDE!<br />
|-<br />
|12:00am - ???||Dance party<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" | Sunday, June 26<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30 - 11:00am||Workshops / final brainstorm<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 1:00pm||Closing meeting, Bike! Bike! 2012 discussion<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
== Workshops schedule ==<br />
{|border="1" align="left" style="text-align:left;" width="100%"<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Friday, June 24<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am||Acquiring a permanent space || Mobile repair clinic<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm||Managing social rides to increase bicycling || Bike touring<br />
|-<br />
|2:30pm - 4:00pm||Teaching & learning styles || Integrating bikes into the university fabric || Working in underprivileged communities<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm||Basics of the nonprofit sector and organizational form || Women and transgender shop hours<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Saturday, June 25<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am|| Bike 101|| Volunteer orientation || Acro yoga || Green space tour<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm|| Working with relationships || working together || Utilizing free open-source software<br />
|-<br />
|2:30pm - 4:00pm|| Battlefield: Consensus || Weather? What weather? (winter) || Software developers exchange || Please be kind to cyclists<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm|| Analyzing work flows || Recycled bike art || Classes, workshops, space<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Sunday, June 26<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am|| Managing expectations of a cooperative bike shop || Weather? What weather? (summer)) || Confronting car culture<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 1:00pm|| Closing discussion - Bike!Bike! 2012<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
= Workshops =<br />
== A bike tour of San Marcos green spaces ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Acquiring a permanent space (instead of renting, working with the city for land or a building, fund-raising and micro-loans. ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Acro yoga: skillshare ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Analyzing work flows within a bike project: setting up committees and more effective follow-up. How to reduce "ball droppage" ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Bike touring! What to take, how to pack, where to sleep and eat, and of course, where to go. ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Classes, Workshops, Space: Doing Meaningful Outreach with Communities in Your Neighborhood ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Confronting "car culture"; dealing with dominant culture on a personal level and effecting cultural shift. ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Decision making - the good, the bad, and the ugly. A reprise of 2010's Battlefield: Consensus. ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== How the City of San Marcos, Texas bicycle map was created ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== How to manage expectations and orient new people quickly to the cooperative shop environment ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Integrating bikes into the university fabric via student and staff collaboration ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Managing social rides to promote bicycling ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
From fringe to mainstream: how social cycling can ... and make our cities better<br />
<br />
=== Details ===<br />
Held at 11:15 AM on Friday, June 24 at the Bike Cave.<br />
<br />
Elliott McFadden of [http://austinontwowheels.org/ Austin on Two Wheels] and Violet Crown Cycles started by describing his views of cycling promotion and two methods seen in Austin of directly working to get people riding bikes. After this, he answered questions in a general discussion format.<br />
<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
==== Failures in bicycle promotion ====<br />
Elliot identified two somewhat conflicting methods of increasing cycling from the cycling industry and from political advocacy.<br />
<br />
* Industry: Bicycle sales in the U.S. have remained stagnant over since the 1970s, despite significant growth in population. To increase sales, the bicycle industry has focused on making bikes more niche -- selling new bikes to their existing market.<br />
* Advocacy: Advocates lobby decision makers for better infrastructure, but do so without growing a grassroots bicycle population or establishing cycling within the community.<br />
<br />
Until bicycling is seen as a normal community behavior, bicyclists will continue to be classified by convenient stereotypes, like the spandex/carbon weekend warrior, the hipster scofflaw, and the sanctimonious environmentalist.<br />
<br />
==== Strategy ====<br />
Defining "regime" as an interconnected group of businesses and leaders with a common world view, Elliott noted that the current regime is in favor of growing consumption and fossil fuel use. At the national level, this means the oil and auto industries. At the local level, it includes developers, auto dealers, and news entities, whose future profits depend on growth. Tellingly, 30% of all ad revenue for media entities comes from car companies.<br />
<br />
Regime change must then be the goal of a bicycle promoter. Find negative ways to describe the current regime (dirty, expensive, destructive, long travel times in cars) and positive ways to describe the desired regime (healthy, thrifty, sustainable, quality family time). Form partnerships with businesses and organizations that can benefit from a new regime.<br />
<br />
==== Social cycling ====<br />
To replace the negative stereotypes of bicyclists, it is important to develop an atmosphere that encourages riding by more members of the community. Bicycling should be made to be more comfortable -- no races, no work-outs, regular clothes, open to everyone. The joys of being out, riding with regular people, should be paramount. <br />
<br />
Commuting is often a big sell by industry and advocates; it allows shops to sell specialized "commuter" bicycles and advocates to focus on connecting routes, but as a sales point, it has two crippling problems: nobody likes to go to work, and most people go to work alone. Instead, social cycling should be a focus: just get many people together to ride bikes. Austin has two models that work in tandem: Social Cycling Austin and Austin on Two Wheels, an "affiliated business concept".<br />
<br />
===== Social Cycling Austin =====<br />
Social Cycling Austin is a volunteer production started two years ago as a free ride -- participants just show up for a weekly social ride, drawing 200-300 riders on average and as many as 500. It partners with local businesses, usually a bar or restaurant, and rides with traffic, not against it.<br />
<br />
This model is easy to start (it just requires two people) and its open structure makes it accessible to all. It doesn't have to be affiliated with any business, so it can work with and for everyone. Because of its loose nature, it's easy to change what doesn't work or even dismantle the ride. It doesn't need any investment to start up, as most organizing can be done through social networks and guerrilla marketing.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, it also has no control over who shows up, making it difficult to deal with troublemakers and easy for the ride to grow beyond the capacity of the leaders or prevent the ride from being co-opted by other organizations. A focus on bars as a final destination also makes it easy for this sort of ride to turn into a "booze cruise", adding additional challenges to the organization and often depressing its ability to draw women riders. Additionally, it is easy for organizing volunteers to burn out and the undefined liability might cause problems in case of injury.<br />
<br />
===== Affiliated Business Concept =====<br />
In an affiliated business concept, the rides are run as a business, usually as smaller fee-based rides than as large-scale free-for-alls.<br />
<br />
Because a business controls the ride, it's possible to tailor rides for specific demographics; women, families, suburbanites, etc. It's also easier to get different business partners and variety in the ride -- restaurants may provide food and drink samples, galleries may partner for art rides, or retail establishments for shopping rides. A business is also better able to provide a clear line of liability in case of accident and maintain a paid staff of ride leaders and organizers to provide a higher level of service. Austin on Two Wheels, for example, capped rides at 50 participants and provided one ride leader for every ten people to watch over unlocked bikes and help keep rides safe.<br />
<br />
This concept also carries some challenges. Partners must be committed to growth; it can take 18-24 months for the concept to turn a sustainable profit and its longer-term viability has not been tested, though it may be a reasonable loss leader for a bike shop. It also limits partnerships to a single member of each sector; one bike shop, one newspaper, or one boutique. The clear line of liability also means that the operating business has insurance requirements to carry and will likely have to enforce helmet use.<br />
<br />
==== Discussion ====<br />
Both rides appeal to different people, but the demographics of the riders were mostly white, though unintentionally so. For the open social rides, this was because the ride started from one social circle and its business preferences. For the paid rides, this was because they were seeking sustainable income. Since bicycles seen as a lesser mode of transportation in impoverished communities and represent gentrification, it can be difficult to promote them, though groups like the Major Taylor Group are trying to increase African American ridership. Either way, more racially diverse ride leadership should help diversify rider participation.<br />
<br />
Other problems with social cycling rides were identified. It's easy for the ride's somewhat high turnover to give it over to more aggressive cycling, and efforts to rein it in can be paternalistic.<br />
<br />
Responses to paid rides were overwhelmingly positive. Of 300 participants, 60% were women, and every ride had a bicyclist that had not ridden at all in the past year. Of survey respondents, 85% loved the ride, 97% would do it again, and 84% were more likely to revisit the participating businesses. No complaints were received of the ride being too fast, and the complaints of 1/3 of the respondents that the ride was too slow were dismissed. As for distance, the longest single ride was 10 miles and the longest single stretch was five miles, but most rides were just a few miles in stretches of two miles or less at a 10-12 mph pace. <br />
<br />
The high ratio of leaders to participants of the paid rides helped keep them very well organized. Walkie-talkies were given to the front and back leaders and other riders would circulate through the ride, keeping riders lined up, directing traffic at intersections, and encouraging the ride to behave well in regards to other users. It helped that the Austin Police Department was non-reactionary, so there was no backlash from law enforcement.<br />
<br />
Paid rides started with an intro of the leaders and the participants signing of a waiver stating they knew the rules of the road and agreed to follow ride leader instructions.<br />
<br />
Marketing was done through their own website, and partnering businesses were encouraged to do their own promotion as well. It was emphasized that time, rather than distance, was mentioned in all promotions. Though a six mile ride would take about 30 minutes, 30 minutes seemed like an easier ride than six miles. Ride classifications were right out; letter-assignments mean nothing to the new riders being targeted.<br />
<br />
Hurting businesses were suggested as rich prospects, as a few dozen potential customers can be enticing. Visits to any business should be during slow hours, though, to minimize disruption to regular services and provide customers when the business would be otherwise idle -- restaurants on Saturday afternoons are a good example. <br />
<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Operating a mobile on-the-go repair clinic through the city and community organizations ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
Held at 9:30 AM on Friday, June 24, at Sodatooth art gallery.<br />
<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
The original facilitator did not show up for this workshop but the intent was fairly self evident by the name of the workshop. It was begun with a go-around and then by asking the question 'who currently operates a mobile repair unit?'<br />
<br />
The [[Bike Cage]] from Winnipeg told us that they began as a purely mobile shop until they had enough resources and a space to operate from a permanent location. The [[Bike Root]] from Calgary told us that the opposite was true for them, they began with a full shop but after losing their space, kept operations going by setting up in various locations on their campus and around town.<br />
<br />
==== To fix or not? Where do you draw the line? ====<br />
There were various answers to this question, some shops will only fix flats and minor brake and gear issues. Others were willing to fix anything as long as the tools were available. Arguments for the former included<br />
* lack of proper tools<br />
* lack of more advanced tools or replacement parts in case anything went wrong<br />
* lack of knowledge / trust in the knowledge of some casual volunteers that might attend a mobile repair clinic<br />
* some provide more hand on repair for mobile units to decrease liability in case a bike owner injures themselves but providing more complicated repairs ourselves increases liability in case the owner injures themselves on their bike afterwards.<br />
<br />
and for the latter:<br />
* We should do our best to get more bikes fixed and on the road<br />
* We're confident in our skills<br />
* The worst thing that might happen is that a bike that wasn't on the road is now still not on the road<br />
* We make bike owners fix their bikes themselves so we are not liable<br />
<br />
==== Other services ====<br />
In addition to offering minor repairs, the Bike Cage's mobile unit doubles as a bike valet service. There was no elaboration on how the system works.<br />
<br />
==== Getting the message across that a mobile tune tent is not a fully functioning tent ====<br />
It seemed to be a common problem that when individuals in the community would hear about a free tune-up possibility, they would often bring in bikes that need repairs far beyond what could be done at a tune tent. It was suggested to avoid this, advertise as "light bike repair".<br />
<br />
==== Who holds the tools? ====<br />
We had a discussion about if the volunteer should fix the bike for the owner or provide the owner with the tools and teach how to fix the bike hands-off. Whether or not tools were handed to the bike owner, teaching at least by the volunteer explaining what he or she was doing seemed to be the norm. The issues behind whether or not to let the owner fix the bike seemed to be liability dependent on both sides. If the volunteer fixes the bike, the shop becomes liable if the bike causes injury down the road while normally the bike owner has not signed a liability waiver to use the tools, so the shop could be liable if they hurt themselves while repairing their bike.<br />
<br />
==== Ride or drive? ====<br />
We had a discussion on whether or not to drive the equipment to the location or use a trailer. No one seemed to be passionate for either but there are a lot of options out there for trailers big and small. [[Fargo Moorhead Community Bicycle Workshop|Fargo]] rides with a huge 4x6 trailer.<br />
<br />
==== Off topic discussion ====<br />
The conversation went off topic many times but did produce a few interesting ideas:<br />
* [[The Orioles Bike Cage|Winnipeg]] uses a punch card, much like one you would find a a coffee shop or fast food location, to punch out skills that a volunteer has learned. Once the card is completely punched the volunteer can start fixing bikes for others.<br />
* While discussing how to get enough replacement parts, another bike shop told us they provide local bike shops with barrels which the shops can use to put parts that are still usable but would otherwise throw away. The barrels would be picked up and emptied at regular intervals. This shop did not have a problem finding parts when needed as a result.<br />
<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Recycled bike art - Turning garbage into gold ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Software developers exchange: projects being worked on, have worked on, or areas they (you) are interested / skilled in ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Teaching & learning styles in community bike shops; a discussion about different approaches, what works and what doesn't work as well ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== The future of Bike! Bike!. Where are we going and how are we going to get there? Also, a quick (but no-decisions-made) discussion about where Bike! Bike! will be held in 2012 (that will be decided during the final meeting on Sunday, June 26). ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Utilizing free open-source software (operating systems and work documents) to benefit your project. ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Volunteer orientation: Addressing safe space concerns, and a conversation about empowering and maintaining a committed volunteer base ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Weather? What weather? How you and your bike can survive the heat and the cold (two workshops). ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Women and Transgender shop hours: Policies, Politics, Allies ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working in under-privileged communities: challenges and opportunities ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working Together: Increasing Inter-Organization Collaboration ==<br />
The intention of this workshop was to talk about all of the ways in which we as bicycle collectives of different sorts who run our services in many different ways, can share our experiences, successes, failures, and tangible output in order to help other collectives both start and continue to thrive.<br />
<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
[[User:Godwin|Godwin]] directed this workshop while [[Bob Wolfe]] facilitated in providing a speakers list. A large sheet of paper was used to help keep visible notes, at the end of the discussion the notes were the following:<br />
* '''Current Tools'''<br />
** [[BOOP]]<br />
** [[Bike!Bike!]]<br />
** [[Think Tank]]<br />
** [[Bike Collectives Network]]<br />
** [[Bike Collectives Wiki]]<br />
** Various collaborative tools such as our Google Docs list of organizations and Google Maps visualization of orgs across North America<br />
<br />
* '''What we need these tools for'''<br />
** Learn how to start a collective<br />
** Learn how to continue running a collective<br />
** Find example documents<br />
*** Volunteer Privileges<br />
*** Todo for new volunteers<br />
*** Financials<br />
*** Fliers<br />
*** Curricula<br />
*** Manuals<br />
*** 501c and not-for-profit forms<br />
*** Tool lists<br />
*** Inventory<br />
*** Price guide<br />
*** Mission statement<br />
*** Bylaws<br />
*** Safe space<br />
*** Legal documents<br />
*** Letters for grant writing<br />
** Find out how other organizations run their various programmes<br />
** Partner with other organizations<br />
<br />
* '''Brainstorming Ideas which could help'''<br />
** A Bike!Bike! Wiki<br />
** Have more involved wiki moderators who will make suggestions for improvements<br />
** News feed on wiki<br />
** Email individuals to improve pages<br />
** New list-serve other than the [[Think Tank]] which can be used for these emails<br />
** More list-serves for different purposes<br />
** Online Forums<br />
** Request documents, pages, and improvements once a year or at other regular intervals<br />
** Rid the wiki of closed shops<br />
** RSS feeds on the wiki<br />
** Separate blog or paper news<br />
** Paypal donations on [[BCN]] or the wiki<br />
** An umbrella or 'helping hand' organization<br />
** A seed fund<br />
** Micro Loans for starting up shops<br />
** A no-reply list-serve<br />
<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
* An 'umbrella' organization goes against many principles that are held by most shops however a 'helping hand' organization that acts as a third party to facilitate to spread of knowledge and possibly funds would likely not.<br />
* To improve the wiki it will take some active moderating and contacting of individuals.<br />
* The wiki is difficult to navigate so it should be reorganized<br />
* Bikecollectives.org is not serving any other purpose other than providing the wiki.<br />
* The [[Think Tank]] is too much for many to handle, there are too many emails about things that many don't care about.<br />
<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
* Godwin promised to contact the current owners of bikevollectives.org to see if improvements could be made.<br />
* Adding increased moderation of the wiki will be looked into<br />
<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Contact ==<br />
* [[Bike!Bike!]] website: http://www.bikebike.org<br />
* [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|The Bike Cave]]'s website: http://thebikecave.org<br />
* Email: [mailto:bikebike2011@gmail.com bikebike2011@gmail.com]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Bike!Bike!]]</div>Sharperhttps://wiki2.bikelover.org/wiki/index.php?title=Bike!Bike!_2011&diff=11192Bike!Bike! 20112011-06-29T22:09:00Z<p>Sharper: /* Schedule */</p>
<hr />
<div>'''Bike!Bike! 2011''' was held in San Marcos, Texas; hosted by [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|The Bike Cave]] and [[The San Marcos Community Bike Project]]. It took place from June 23-26th, 2011.[[File:bikebikebike2a.jpg]]<br />
<br />
==Summary==<br />
<br />
= Schedule =<br />
== As published ==<br />
{|border="1" align="left" style="text-align:left;"<br />
!scope="row" width="20%"| Wednesday, June 22<br />
|-<br />
|1:00-6:00pm||Pick up a loaner bike (if you're staying the night in Austin) at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|2:00pm - 6:00pm||Open house at UT's Orange Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|6:00 -10:00pm||Open house at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|11:00pm||Open house at Movemint Bike Cab Co. Shop (1301 east 4th street) <br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" | Thursday, June 23<br />
|-<br />
|11:00am - 1:00pm||Pick up your loaner bike (if you've just arrived in Austin) at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|1:00pm||Group ride from Austin's Yellow Bike Project to San Marcos (there will be a truck to take your things to San Marcos)<br />
|-<br />
|12:00 - 8:00pm||Check-In at San Marcos Public Library ($25 - $45, pay what you can, nobody will be turned away for lack of funds. Pick up your loaner bike and housing arraignments)<br />
|-<br />
|2:00 - 8:00pm||Fix up your bike at The Bike Cave<br />
|-<br />
|7:00 - 8:00pm||Welcome / Speak up & speak out!<br />
|-<br />
|8:00pm - 10:00pm||Casual welcome dinner at City / Plaza Park with music by Mariachi Nueva Generacion<br />
|-<br />
|9:30pm||A screening of "Dudey Free Zone: Women's and Transgender Bike Spaces" plus other short bike-related films. At The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" | Friday, June 24<br />
|-<br />
|8:00am - 1:00pm||Check-In continued for those who get here late at The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|1:00 - 2:30pm||Lunch<br />
|-<br />
|2:30 - 4:00pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|8:00pm - 9:00pm||The future of Bike! Bike! - a discussion to figure out where we're heading, and how we're getting there. A preview of which project(s) are interested in hosting in 2012.<br />
|-<br />
|7:00pm - 10:30pm||Bike polo on top of Speck Street Parking Garage (there will be a group ride leaving from Rio Vista at 6:00pm)<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 -11:00pm||Concert at The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" | Saturday, June 25<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|1:00 - 2:30pm||Lunch<br />
|-<br />
|2:30 - 4:00pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|9:00pm - 12:00am||BIKE! RIDE! BIKE! RIDE!<br />
|-<br />
|12:00am - ???||Dance party<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" | Sunday, June 26<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30 - 11:00am||Workshops / final brainstorm<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 1:00pm||Closing meeting, Bike! Bike! 2012 discussion<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
== Workshops schedule ==<br />
{|border="1" align="left" style="text-align:left;"<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Friday, June 24<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am||Acquiring a permanent space || Mobile repair clinic<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm||Managing social rides to increase bicycling || Bike touring<br />
|-<br />
|2:30pm - 4:00pm||Teaching & learning styles || Integrating bikes into the university fabric || Working in underprivileged communities<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm||Basics of the nonprofit sector and organizational form || Women and transgender shop hours<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Saturday, June 25<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am|| Bike 101|| Volunteer orientation || Acro yoga || Green space tour<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm|| Working with relationships || working together || Utilizing free open-source software<br />
|-<br />
|2:30pm - 4:00pm|| Battlefield: Consensus || Weather? What weather? (winter) || Software developers exchange || Please be kind to cyclists<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm|| Analyzing work flows || Recycled bike art || Classes, workshops, space<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" width="15%" | Sunday, June 26<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am|| Managing expectations of a cooperative bike shop || Weather? What weather? (summer)) || Confronting car culture<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 1:00pm|| Closing discussion - Bike!Bike! 2012<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
= Workshops =<br />
== A bike tour of San Marcos green spaces ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Acquiring a permanent space (instead of renting, working with the city for land or a building, fund-raising and micro-loans. ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Acro yoga: skillshare ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Analyzing work flows within a bike project: setting up committees and more effective follow-up. How to reduce "ball droppage" ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Bike touring! What to take, how to pack, where to sleep and eat, and of course, where to go. ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Classes, Workshops, Space: Doing Meaningful Outreach with Communities in Your Neighborhood ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Confronting "car culture"; dealing with dominant culture on a personal level and effecting cultural shift. ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Decision making - the good, the bad, and the ugly. A reprise of 2010's Battlefield: Consensus. ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== How the City of San Marcos, Texas bicycle map was created ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== How to manage expectations and orient new people quickly to the cooperative shop environment ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Integrating bikes into the university fabric via student and staff collaboration ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Managing social rides to promote bicycling ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
From fringe to mainstream: how social cycling can ... and make our cities better<br />
<br />
=== Details ===<br />
Held at 11:15 AM on Friday, June 24 at the Bike Cave.<br />
<br />
Elliott McFadden of [http://austinontwowheels.org/ Austin on Two Wheels] and Violet Crown Cycles started by describing his views of cycling promotion and two methods seen in Austin of directly working to get people riding bikes. After this, he answered questions in a general discussion format.<br />
<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
==== Failures in bicycle promotion ====<br />
Elliot identified two somewhat conflicting methods of increasing cycling from the cycling industry and from political advocacy.<br />
<br />
* Industry: Bicycle sales in the U.S. have remained stagnant over since the 1970s, despite significant growth in population. To increase sales, the bicycle industry has focused on making bikes more niche -- selling new bikes to their existing market.<br />
* Advocacy: Advocates lobby decision makers for better infrastructure, but do so without growing a grassroots bicycle population or establishing cycling within the community.<br />
<br />
Until bicycling is seen as a normal community behavior, bicyclists will continue to be classified by convenient stereotypes, like the spandex/carbon weekend warrior, the hipster scofflaw, and the sanctimonious environmentalist.<br />
<br />
==== Strategy ====<br />
Defining "regime" as an interconnected group of businesses and leaders with a common world view, Elliott noted that the current regime is in favor of growing consumption and fossil fuel use. At the national level, this means the oil and auto industries. At the local level, it includes developers, auto dealers, and news entities, whose future profits depend on growth. Tellingly, 30% of all ad revenue for media entities comes from car companies.<br />
<br />
Regime change must then be the goal of a bicycle promoter. Find negative ways to describe the current regime (dirty, expensive, destructive, long travel times in cars) and positive ways to describe the desired regime (healthy, thrifty, sustainable, quality family time). Form partnerships with businesses and organizations that can benefit from a new regime.<br />
<br />
==== Social cycling ====<br />
To replace the negative stereotypes of bicyclists, it is important to develop an atmosphere that encourages riding by more members of the community. Bicycling should be made to be more comfortable -- no races, no work-outs, regular clothes, open to everyone. The joys of being out, riding with regular people, should be paramount. <br />
<br />
Commuting is often a big sell by industry and advocates; it allows shops to sell specialized "commuter" bicycles and advocates to focus on connecting routes, but as a sales point, it has two crippling problems: nobody likes to go to work, and most people go to work alone. Instead, social cycling should be a focus: just get many people together to ride bikes. Austin has two models that work in tandem: Social Cycling Austin and Austin on Two Wheels, an "affiliated business concept".<br />
<br />
===== Social Cycling Austin =====<br />
Social Cycling Austin is a volunteer production started two years ago as a free ride -- participants just show up for a weekly social ride, drawing 200-300 riders on average and as many as 500. It partners with local businesses, usually a bar or restaurant, and rides with traffic, not against it.<br />
<br />
This model is easy to start (it just requires two people) and its open structure makes it accessible to all. It doesn't have to be affiliated with any business, so it can work with and for everyone. Because of its loose nature, it's easy to change what doesn't work or even dismantle the ride. It doesn't need any investment to start up, as most organizing can be done through social networks and guerrilla marketing.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, it also has no control over who shows up, making it difficult to deal with troublemakers and easy for the ride to grow beyond the capacity of the leaders or prevent the ride from being co-opted by other organizations. A focus on bars as a final destination also makes it easy for this sort of ride to turn into a "booze cruise", adding additional challenges to the organization and often depressing its ability to draw women riders. Additionally, it is easy for organizing volunteers to burn out and the undefined liability might cause problems in case of injury.<br />
<br />
===== Affiliated Business Concept =====<br />
In an affiliated business concept, the rides are run as a business, usually as smaller fee-based rides than as large-scale free-for-alls.<br />
<br />
Because a business controls the ride, it's possible to tailor rides for specific demographics; women, families, suburbanites, etc. It's also easier to get different business partners and variety in the ride -- restaurants may provide food and drink samples, galleries may partner for art rides, or retail establishments for shopping rides. A business is also better able to provide a clear line of liability in case of accident and maintain a paid staff of ride leaders and organizers to provide a higher level of service. Austin on Two Wheels, for example, capped rides at 50 participants and provided one ride leader for every ten people to watch over unlocked bikes and help keep rides safe.<br />
<br />
This concept also carries some challenges. Partners must be committed to growth; it can take 18-24 months for the concept to turn a sustainable profit and its longer-term viability has not been tested, though it may be a reasonable loss leader for a bike shop. It also limits partnerships to a single member of each sector; one bike shop, one newspaper, or one boutique. The clear line of liability also means that the operating business has insurance requirements to carry and will likely have to enforce helmet use.<br />
<br />
==== Discussion ====<br />
Both rides appeal to different people, but the demographics of the riders were mostly white, though unintentionally so. For the open social rides, this was because the ride started from one social circle and its business preferences. For the paid rides, this was because they were seeking sustainable income. Since bicycles seen as a lesser mode of transportation in impoverished communities and represent gentrification, it can be difficult to promote them, though groups like the Major Taylor Group are trying to increase African American ridership. Either way, more racially diverse ride leadership should help diversify rider participation.<br />
<br />
Other problems with social cycling rides were identified. It's easy for the ride's somewhat high turnover to give it over to more aggressive cycling, and efforts to rein it in can be paternalistic.<br />
<br />
Responses to paid rides were overwhelmingly positive. Of 300 participants, 60% were women, and every ride had a bicyclist that had not ridden at all in the past year. Of survey respondents, 85% loved the ride, 97% would do it again, and 84% were more likely to revisit the participating businesses. No complaints were received of the ride being too fast, and the complaints of 1/3 of the respondents that the ride was too slow were dismissed. As for distance, the longest single ride was 10 miles and the longest single stretch was five miles, but most rides were just a few miles in stretches of two miles or less at a 10-12 mph pace. <br />
<br />
The high ratio of leaders to participants of the paid rides helped keep them very well organized. Walkie-talkies were given to the front and back leaders and other riders would circulate through the ride, keeping riders lined up, directing traffic at intersections, and encouraging the ride to behave well in regards to other users. It helped that the Austin Police Department was non-reactionary, so there was no backlash from law enforcement.<br />
<br />
Paid rides started with an intro of the leaders and the participants signing of a waiver stating they knew the rules of the road and agreed to follow ride leader instructions.<br />
<br />
Marketing was done through their own website, and partnering businesses were encouraged to do their own promotion as well. It was emphasized that time, rather than distance, was mentioned in all promotions. Though a six mile ride would take about 30 minutes, 30 minutes seemed like an easier ride than six miles. Ride classifications were right out; letter-assignments mean nothing to the new riders being targeted.<br />
<br />
Hurting businesses were suggested as rich prospects, as a few dozen potential customers can be enticing. Visits to any business should be during slow hours, though, to minimize disruption to regular services and provide customers when the business would be otherwise idle -- restaurants on Saturday afternoons are a good example. <br />
<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Operating a mobile on-the-go repair clinic through the city and community organizations ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
Held at 9:30 AM on Friday, June 24, at Sodatooth art gallery.<br />
<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
The original facilitator did not show up for this workshop but the intent was fairly self evident by the name of the workshop. It was begun with a go-around and then by asking the question 'who currently operates a mobile repair unit?'<br />
<br />
The [[Bike Cage]] from Winnipeg told us that they began as a purely mobile shop until they had enough resources and a space to operate from a permanent location. The [[Bike Root]] from Calgary told us that the opposite was true for them, they began with a full shop but after losing their space, kept operations going by setting up in various locations on their campus and around town.<br />
<br />
==== To fix or not? Where do you draw the line? ====<br />
There were various answers to this question, some shops will only fix flats and minor brake and gear issues. Others were willing to fix anything as long as the tools were available. Arguments for the former included<br />
* lack of proper tools<br />
* lack of more advanced tools or replacement parts in case anything went wrong<br />
* lack of knowledge / trust in the knowledge of some casual volunteers that might attend a mobile repair clinic<br />
* some provide more hand on repair for mobile units to decrease liability in case a bike owner injures themselves but providing more complicated repairs ourselves increases liability in case the owner injures themselves on their bike afterwards.<br />
<br />
and for the latter:<br />
* We should do our best to get more bikes fixed and on the road<br />
* We're confident in our skills<br />
* The worst thing that might happen is that a bike that wasn't on the road is now still not on the road<br />
* We make bike owners fix their bikes themselves so we are not liable<br />
<br />
==== Other services ====<br />
In addition to offering minor repairs, the Bike Cage's mobile unit doubles as a bike valet service. There was no elaboration on how the system works.<br />
<br />
==== Getting the message across that a mobile tune tent is not a fully functioning tent ====<br />
It seemed to be a common problem that when individuals in the community would hear about a free tune-up possibility, they would often bring in bikes that need repairs far beyond what could be done at a tune tent. It was suggested to avoid this, advertise as "light bike repair".<br />
<br />
==== Who holds the tools? ====<br />
We had a discussion about if the volunteer should fix the bike for the owner or provide the owner with the tools and teach how to fix the bike hands-off. Whether or not tools were handed to the bike owner, teaching at least by the volunteer explaining what he or she was doing seemed to be the norm. The issues behind whether or not to let the owner fix the bike seemed to be liability dependent on both sides. If the volunteer fixes the bike, the shop becomes liable if the bike causes injury down the road while normally the bike owner has not signed a liability waiver to use the tools, so the shop could be liable if they hurt themselves while repairing their bike.<br />
<br />
==== Ride or drive? ====<br />
We had a discussion on whether or not to drive the equipment to the location or use a trailer. No one seemed to be passionate for either but there are a lot of options out there for trailers big and small. [[Fargo Moorhead Community Bicycle Workshop|Fargo]] rides with a huge 4x6 trailer.<br />
<br />
==== Off topic discussion ====<br />
The conversation went off topic many times but did produce a few interesting ideas:<br />
* [[The Orioles Bike Cage|Winnipeg]] uses a punch card, much like one you would find a a coffee shop or fast food location, to punch out skills that a volunteer has learned. Once the card is completely punched the volunteer can start fixing bikes for others.<br />
* While discussing how to get enough replacement parts, another bike shop told us they provide local bike shops with barrels which the shops can use to put parts that are still usable but would otherwise throw away. The barrels would be picked up and emptied at regular intervals. This shop did not have a problem finding parts when needed as a result.<br />
<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Recycled bike art - Turning garbage into gold ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Software developers exchange: projects being worked on, have worked on, or areas they (you) are interested / skilled in ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Teaching & learning styles in community bike shops; a discussion about different approaches, what works and what doesn't work as well ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== The future of Bike! Bike!. Where are we going and how are we going to get there? Also, a quick (but no-decisions-made) discussion about where Bike! Bike! will be held in 2012 (that will be decided during the final meeting on Sunday, June 26). ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Utilizing free open-source software (operating systems and work documents) to benefit your project. ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Volunteer orientation: Addressing safe space concerns, and a conversation about empowering and maintaining a committed volunteer base ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Weather? What weather? How you and your bike can survive the heat and the cold (two workshops). ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Women and Transgender shop hours: Policies, Politics, Allies ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working in under-privileged communities: challenges and opportunities ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working Together: Increasing Inter-Organization Collaboration ==<br />
The intention of this workshop was to talk about all of the ways in which we as bicycle collectives of different sorts who run our services in many different ways, can share our experiences, successes, failures, and tangible output in order to help other collectives both start and continue to thrive.<br />
<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
[[User:Godwin|Godwin]] directed this workshop while [[Bob Wolfe]] facilitated in providing a speakers list. A large sheet of paper was used to help keep visible notes, at the end of the discussion the notes were the following:<br />
* '''Current Tools'''<br />
** [[BOOP]]<br />
** [[Bike!Bike!]]<br />
** [[Think Tank]]<br />
** [[Bike Collectives Network]]<br />
** [[Bike Collectives Wiki]]<br />
** Various collaborative tools such as our Google Docs list of organizations and Google Maps visualization of orgs across North America<br />
<br />
* '''What we need these tools for'''<br />
** Learn how to start a collective<br />
** Learn how to continue running a collective<br />
** Find example documents<br />
*** Volunteer Privileges<br />
*** Todo for new volunteers<br />
*** Financials<br />
*** Fliers<br />
*** Curricula<br />
*** Manuals<br />
*** 501c and not-for-profit forms<br />
*** Tool lists<br />
*** Inventory<br />
*** Price guide<br />
*** Mission statement<br />
*** Bylaws<br />
*** Safe space<br />
*** Legal documents<br />
*** Letters for grant writing<br />
** Find out how other organizations run their various programmes<br />
** Partner with other organizations<br />
<br />
* '''Brainstorming Ideas which could help'''<br />
** A Bike!Bike! Wiki<br />
** Have more involved wiki moderators who will make suggestions for improvements<br />
** News feed on wiki<br />
** Email individuals to improve pages<br />
** New list-serve other than the [[Think Tank]] which can be used for these emails<br />
** More list-serves for different purposes<br />
** Online Forums<br />
** Request documents, pages, and improvements once a year or at other regular intervals<br />
** Rid the wiki of closed shops<br />
** RSS feeds on the wiki<br />
** Separate blog or paper news<br />
** Paypal donations on [[BCN]] or the wiki<br />
** An umbrella or 'helping hand' organization<br />
** A seed fund<br />
** Micro Loans for starting up shops<br />
** A no-reply list-serve<br />
<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
* An 'umbrella' organization goes against many principles that are held by most shops however a 'helping hand' organization that acts as a third party to facilitate to spread of knowledge and possibly funds would likely not.<br />
* To improve the wiki it will take some active moderating and contacting of individuals.<br />
* The wiki is difficult to navigate so it should be reorganized<br />
* Bikecollectives.org is not serving any other purpose other than providing the wiki.<br />
* The [[Think Tank]] is too much for many to handle, there are too many emails about things that many don't care about.<br />
<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
* Godwin promised to contact the current owners of bikevollectives.org to see if improvements could be made.<br />
* Adding increased moderation of the wiki will be looked into<br />
<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Contact ==<br />
* [[Bike!Bike!]] website: http://www.bikebike.org<br />
* [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|The Bike Cave]]'s website: http://thebikecave.org<br />
* Email: [mailto:bikebike2011@gmail.com bikebike2011@gmail.com]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Bike!Bike!]]</div>Sharperhttps://wiki2.bikelover.org/wiki/index.php?title=Bike!Bike!_2011&diff=11191Bike!Bike! 20112011-06-29T21:09:28Z<p>Sharper: /* Operating a mobile on-the-go repair clinic through the city and community organizations */</p>
<hr />
<div>'''Bike!Bike! 2011''' was held in San Marcos, Texas; hosted by [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|The Bike Cave]] and [[The San Marcos Community Bike Project]]. It took place from June 23-26th, 2011.[[File:bikebikebike2a.jpg]]<br />
<br />
==Summary==<br />
<br />
= Schedule =<br />
== Wednesday June 22 ==<br />
{|border="1" align="center" style="text-align:center;"<br />
|1:00-6:00pm||Pick up a loaner bike (if you're staying the night in Austin) at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|2:00pm - 6:00pm||Open house at UT's Orange Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|6:00 -10:00pm||Open house at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|11:00pm||Open house at Movemint Bike Cab Co. Shop (1301 east 4th street) <br />
|}<br />
<br />
== Thursday June 23 ==<br />
{|border="1" align="center" style="text-align:center;"<br />
|11:00am - 1:00pm||Pick up your loaner bike (if you've just arrived in Austin) at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|1:00pm||Group ride from Austin's Yellow Bike Project to San Marcos (there will be a truck to take your things to San Marcos)<br />
|-<br />
|12:00 - 8:00pm||Check-In at San Marcos Public Library ($25 - $45, pay what you can, nobody will be turned away for lack of funds. Pick up your loaner bike and housing arraignments)<br />
|-<br />
|2:00 - 8:00pm||Fix up your bike at The Bike Cave<br />
|-<br />
|7:00 - 8:00pm||Welcome / Speak up & speak out!<br />
|-<br />
|8:00pm - 10:00pm||Casual welcome dinner at City / Plaza Park with music by Mariachi Nueva Generacion<br />
|-<br />
|9:30pm||A screening of "Dudey Free Zone: Women's and Transgender Bike Spaces" plus other short bike-related films. At The Bike Project<br />
|}<br />
<br />
== Friday June 24 ==<br />
{|border="1" align="center" style="text-align:center;"<br />
|8:00am - 1:00pm||Check-In continued for those who get here late at The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|1:00 - 2:30pm||Lunch<br />
|-<br />
|2:30 - 4:00pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|8:00pm - 9:00pm||The future of Bike! Bike! - a discussion to figure out where we're heading, and how we're getting there. A preview of which project(s) are interested in hosting in 2012.<br />
|-<br />
|7:00pm - 10:30pm||Bike polo on top of Speck Street Parking Garage (there will be a group ride leaving from Rio Vista at 6:00pm)<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 -11:00pm||Concert at The Bike Project<br />
|}<br />
<br />
== Saturday June 25 ==<br />
{|border="1" align="center" style="text-align:center;"<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|1:00 - 2:30pm||Lunch<br />
|-<br />
|2:30 - 4:00pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|9:00pm - 12:00am||BIKE! RIDE! BIKE! RIDE!<br />
|-<br />
|12:00am - ???||Dance party<br />
|}<br />
<br />
== Sunday June 26 ==<br />
{|border="1" align="center" style="text-align:center;"<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30 - 11:00am||Workshops / final brainstorm<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 1:00pm||Closing meeting, Bike! Bike! 2012 discussion<br />
|}<br />
<br />
= Workshops =<br />
== A bike tour of San Marcos green spaces ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Acquiring a permanent space (instead of renting, working with the city for land or a building, fund-raising and micro-loans. ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Acro yoga: skillshare ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Analyzing work flows within a bike project: setting up committees and more effective follow-up. How to reduce "ball droppage" ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Bike touring! What to take, how to pack, where to sleep and eat, and of course, where to go. ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Classes, Workshops, Space: Doing Meaningful Outreach with Communities in Your Neighborhood ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Confronting "car culture"; dealing with dominant culture on a personal level and effecting cultural shift. ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Decision making - the good, the bad, and the ugly. A reprise of 2010's Battlefield: Consensus. ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== How the City of San Marcos, Texas bicycle map was created ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== How to manage expectations and orient new people quickly to the cooperative shop environment ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Integrating bikes into the university fabric via student and staff collaboration ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Managing social rides to promote bicycling ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
From fringe to mainstream: how social cycling can ... and make our cities better<br />
<br />
=== Details ===<br />
Held at 11:15 AM on Friday, June 24 at the Bike Cave.<br />
<br />
Elliott McFadden of [http://austinontwowheels.org/ Austin on Two Wheels] and Violet Crown Cycles started by describing his views of cycling promotion and two methods seen in Austin of directly working to get people riding bikes. After this, he answered questions in a general discussion format.<br />
<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
==== Failures in bicycle promotion ====<br />
Elliot identified two somewhat conflicting methods of increasing cycling from the cycling industry and from political advocacy.<br />
<br />
* Industry: Bicycle sales in the U.S. have remained stagnant over since the 1970s, despite significant growth in population. To increase sales, the bicycle industry has focused on making bikes more niche -- selling new bikes to their existing market.<br />
* Advocacy: Advocates lobby decision makers for better infrastructure, but do so without growing a grassroots bicycle population or establishing cycling within the community.<br />
<br />
Until bicycling is seen as a normal community behavior, bicyclists will continue to be classified by convenient stereotypes, like the spandex/carbon weekend warrior, the hipster scofflaw, and the sanctimonious environmentalist.<br />
<br />
==== Strategy ====<br />
Defining "regime" as an interconnected group of businesses and leaders with a common world view, Elliott noted that the current regime is in favor of growing consumption and fossil fuel use. At the national level, this means the oil and auto industries. At the local level, it includes developers, auto dealers, and news entities, whose future profits depend on growth. Tellingly, 30% of all ad revenue for media entities comes from car companies.<br />
<br />
Regime change must then be the goal of a bicycle promoter. Find negative ways to describe the current regime (dirty, expensive, destructive, long travel times in cars) and positive ways to describe the desired regime (healthy, thrifty, sustainable, quality family time). Form partnerships with businesses and organizations that can benefit from a new regime.<br />
<br />
==== Social cycling ====<br />
To replace the negative stereotypes of bicyclists, it is important to develop an atmosphere that encourages riding by more members of the community. Bicycling should be made to be more comfortable -- no races, no work-outs, regular clothes, open to everyone. The joys of being out, riding with regular people, should be paramount. <br />
<br />
Commuting is often a big sell by industry and advocates; it allows shops to sell specialized "commuter" bicycles and advocates to focus on connecting routes, but as a sales point, it has two crippling problems: nobody likes to go to work, and most people go to work alone. Instead, social cycling should be a focus: just get many people together to ride bikes. Austin has two models that work in tandem: Social Cycling Austin and Austin on Two Wheels, an "affiliated business concept".<br />
<br />
===== Social Cycling Austin =====<br />
Social Cycling Austin is a volunteer production started two years ago as a free ride -- participants just show up for a weekly social ride, drawing 200-300 riders on average and as many as 500. It partners with local businesses, usually a bar or restaurant, and rides with traffic, not against it.<br />
<br />
This model is easy to start (it just requires two people) and its open structure makes it accessible to all. It doesn't have to be affiliated with any business, so it can work with and for everyone. Because of its loose nature, it's easy to change what doesn't work or even dismantle the ride. It doesn't need any investment to start up, as most organizing can be done through social networks and guerrilla marketing.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, it also has no control over who shows up, making it difficult to deal with troublemakers and easy for the ride to grow beyond the capacity of the leaders or prevent the ride from being co-opted by other organizations. A focus on bars as a final destination also makes it easy for this sort of ride to turn into a "booze cruise", adding additional challenges to the organization and often depressing its ability to draw women riders. Additionally, it is easy for organizing volunteers to burn out and the undefined liability might cause problems in case of injury.<br />
<br />
===== Affiliated Business Concept =====<br />
In an affiliated business concept, the rides are run as a business, usually as smaller fee-based rides than as large-scale free-for-alls.<br />
<br />
Because a business controls the ride, it's possible to tailor rides for specific demographics; women, families, suburbanites, etc. It's also easier to get different business partners and variety in the ride -- restaurants may provide food and drink samples, galleries may partner for art rides, or retail establishments for shopping rides. A business is also better able to provide a clear line of liability in case of accident and maintain a paid staff of ride leaders and organizers to provide a higher level of service. Austin on Two Wheels, for example, capped rides at 50 participants and provided one ride leader for every ten people to watch over unlocked bikes and help keep rides safe.<br />
<br />
This concept also carries some challenges. Partners must be committed to growth; it can take 18-24 months for the concept to turn a sustainable profit and its longer-term viability has not been tested, though it may be a reasonable loss leader for a bike shop. It also limits partnerships to a single member of each sector; one bike shop, one newspaper, or one boutique. The clear line of liability also means that the operating business has insurance requirements to carry and will likely have to enforce helmet use.<br />
<br />
==== Discussion ====<br />
Both rides appeal to different people, but the demographics of the riders were mostly white, though unintentionally so. For the open social rides, this was because the ride started from one social circle and its business preferences. For the paid rides, this was because they were seeking sustainable income. Since bicycles seen as a lesser mode of transportation in impoverished communities and represent gentrification, it can be difficult to promote them, though groups like the Major Taylor Group are trying to increase African American ridership. Either way, more racially diverse ride leadership should help diversify rider participation.<br />
<br />
Other problems with social cycling rides were identified. It's easy for the ride's somewhat high turnover to give it over to more aggressive cycling, and efforts to rein it in can be paternalistic.<br />
<br />
Responses to paid rides were overwhelmingly positive. Of 300 participants, 60% were women, and every ride had a bicyclist that had not ridden at all in the past year. Of survey respondents, 85% loved the ride, 97% would do it again, and 84% were more likely to revisit the participating businesses. No complaints were received of the ride being too fast, and the complaints of 1/3 of the respondents that the ride was too slow were dismissed. As for distance, the longest single ride was 10 miles and the longest single stretch was five miles, but most rides were just a few miles in stretches of two miles or less at a 10-12 mph pace. <br />
<br />
The high ratio of leaders to participants of the paid rides helped keep them very well organized. Walkie-talkies were given to the front and back leaders and other riders would circulate through the ride, keeping riders lined up, directing traffic at intersections, and encouraging the ride to behave well in regards to other users. It helped that the Austin Police Department was non-reactionary, so there was no backlash from law enforcement.<br />
<br />
Paid rides started with an intro of the leaders and the participants signing of a waiver stating they knew the rules of the road and agreed to follow ride leader instructions.<br />
<br />
Marketing was done through their own website, and partnering businesses were encouraged to do their own promotion as well. It was emphasized that time, rather than distance, was mentioned in all promotions. Though a six mile ride would take about 30 minutes, 30 minutes seemed like an easier ride than six miles. Ride classifications were right out; letter-assignments mean nothing to the new riders being targeted.<br />
<br />
Hurting businesses were suggested as rich prospects, as a few dozen potential customers can be enticing. Visits to any business should be during slow hours, though, to minimize disruption to regular services and provide customers when the business would be otherwise idle -- restaurants on Saturday afternoons are a good example. <br />
<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Operating a mobile on-the-go repair clinic through the city and community organizations ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
Held at 9:30 AM on Friday, June 24, at Sodatooth art gallery.<br />
<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
The original facilitator did not show up for this workshop but the intent was fairly self evident by the name of the workshop. It was begun with a go-around and then by asking the question 'who currently operates a mobile repair unit?'<br />
<br />
The [[Bike Cage]] from Winnipeg told us that they began as a purely mobile shop until they had enough resources and a space to operate from a permanent location. The [[Bike Root]] from Calgary told us that the opposite was true for them, they began with a full shop but after losing their space, kept operations going by setting up in various locations on their campus and around town.<br />
<br />
==== To fix or not? Where do you draw the line? ====<br />
There were various answers to this question, some shops will only fix flats and minor brake and gear issues. Others were willing to fix anything as long as the tools were available. Arguments for the former included<br />
* lack of proper tools<br />
* lack of more advanced tools or replacement parts in case anything went wrong<br />
* lack of knowledge / trust in the knowledge of some casual volunteers that might attend a mobile repair clinic<br />
* some provide more hand on repair for mobile units to decrease liability in case a bike owner injures themselves but providing more complicated repairs ourselves increases liability in case the owner injures themselves on their bike afterwards.<br />
<br />
and for the latter:<br />
* We should do our best to get more bikes fixed and on the road<br />
* We're confident in our skills<br />
* The worst thing that might happen is that a bike that wasn't on the road is now still not on the road<br />
* We make bike owners fix their bikes themselves so we are not liable<br />
<br />
==== Other services ====<br />
In addition to offering minor repairs, the Bike Cage's mobile unit doubles as a bike valet service. There was no elaboration on how the system works.<br />
<br />
==== Getting the message across that a mobile tune tent is not a fully functioning tent ====<br />
It seemed to be a common problem that when individuals in the community would hear about a free tune-up possibility, they would often bring in bikes that need repairs far beyond what could be done at a tune tent. It was suggested to avoid this, advertise as "light bike repair".<br />
<br />
==== Who holds the tools? ====<br />
We had a discussion about if the volunteer should fix the bike for the owner or provide the owner with the tools and teach how to fix the bike hands-off. Whether or not tools were handed to the bike owner, teaching at least by the volunteer explaining what he or she was doing seemed to be the norm. The issues behind whether or not to let the owner fix the bike seemed to be liability dependent on both sides. If the volunteer fixes the bike, the shop becomes liable if the bike causes injury down the road while normally the bike owner has not signed a liability waiver to use the tools, so the shop could be liable if they hurt themselves while repairing their bike.<br />
<br />
==== Ride or drive? ====<br />
We had a discussion on whether or not to drive the equipment to the location or use a trailer. No one seemed to be passionate for either but there are a lot of options out there for trailers big and small. [[Fargo Moorhead Community Bicycle Workshop|Fargo]] rides with a huge 4x6 trailer.<br />
<br />
==== Off topic discussion ====<br />
The conversation went off topic many times but did produce a few interesting ideas:<br />
* [[The Orioles Bike Cage|Winnipeg]] uses a punch card, much like one you would find a a coffee shop or fast food location, to punch out skills that a volunteer has learned. Once the card is completely punched the volunteer can start fixing bikes for others.<br />
* While discussing how to get enough replacement parts, another bike shop told us they provide local bike shops with barrels which the shops can use to put parts that are still usable but would otherwise throw away. The barrels would be picked up and emptied at regular intervals. This shop did not have a problem finding parts when needed as a result.<br />
<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Recycled bike art - Turning garbage into gold ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Software developers exchange: projects being worked on, have worked on, or areas they (you) are interested / skilled in ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Teaching & learning styles in community bike shops; a discussion about different approaches, what works and what doesn't work as well ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== The future of Bike! Bike!. Where are we going and how are we going to get there? Also, a quick (but no-decisions-made) discussion about where Bike! Bike! will be held in 2012 (that will be decided during the final meeting on Sunday, June 26). ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Utilizing free open-source software (operating systems and work documents) to benefit your project. ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Volunteer orientation: Addressing safe space concerns, and a conversation about empowering and maintaining a committed volunteer base ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Weather? What weather? How you and your bike can survive the heat and the cold (two workshops). ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Women and Transgender shop hours: Policies, Politics, Allies ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working in under-privileged communities: challenges and opportunities ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working Together: Increasing Inter-Organization Collaboration ==<br />
The intention of this workshop was to talk about all of the ways in which we as bicycle collectives of different sorts who run our services in many different ways, can share our experiences, successes, failures, and tangible output in order to help other collectives both start and continue to thrive.<br />
<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
[[User:Godwin|Godwin]] directed this workshop while [[Bob Wolfe]] facilitated in providing a speakers list. A large sheet of paper was used to help keep visible notes, at the end of the discussion the notes were the following:<br />
* '''Current Tools'''<br />
** [[BOOP]]<br />
** [[Bike!Bike!]]<br />
** [[Think Tank]]<br />
** [[Bike Collectives Network]]<br />
** [[Bike Collectives Wiki]]<br />
** Various collaborative tools such as our Google Docs list of organizations and Google Maps visualization of orgs across North America<br />
<br />
* '''What we need these tools for'''<br />
** Learn how to start a collective<br />
** Learn how to continue running a collective<br />
** Find example documents<br />
*** Volunteer Privileges<br />
*** Todo for new volunteers<br />
*** Financials<br />
*** Fliers<br />
*** Curricula<br />
*** Manuals<br />
*** 501c and not-for-profit forms<br />
*** Tool lists<br />
*** Inventory<br />
*** Price guide<br />
*** Mission statement<br />
*** Bylaws<br />
*** Safe space<br />
*** Legal documents<br />
*** Letters for grant writing<br />
** Find out how other organizations run their various programmes<br />
** Partner with other organizations<br />
<br />
* '''Brainstorming Ideas which could help'''<br />
** A Bike!Bike! Wiki<br />
** Have more involved wiki moderators who will make suggestions for improvements<br />
** News feed on wiki<br />
** Email individuals to improve pages<br />
** New list-serve other than the [[Think Tank]] which can be used for these emails<br />
** More list-serves for different purposes<br />
** Online Forums<br />
** Request documents, pages, and improvements once a year or at other regular intervals<br />
** Rid the wiki of closed shops<br />
** RSS feeds on the wiki<br />
** Separate blog or paper news<br />
** Paypal donations on [[BCN]] or the wiki<br />
** An umbrella or 'helping hand' organization<br />
** A seed fund<br />
** Micro Loans for starting up shops<br />
** A no-reply list-serve<br />
<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
* An 'umbrella' organization goes against many principles that are held by most shops however a 'helping hand' organization that acts as a third party to facilitate to spread of knowledge and possibly funds would likely not.<br />
* To improve the wiki it will take some active moderating and contacting of individuals.<br />
* The wiki is difficult to navigate so it should be reorganized<br />
* Bikecollectives.org is not serving any other purpose other than providing the wiki.<br />
* The [[Think Tank]] is too much for many to handle, there are too many emails about things that many don't care about.<br />
<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
* Godwin promised to contact the current owners of bikevollectives.org to see if improvements could be made.<br />
* Adding increased moderation of the wiki will be looked into<br />
<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Contact ==<br />
* [[Bike!Bike!]] website: http://www.bikebike.org<br />
* [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|The Bike Cave]]'s website: http://thebikecave.org<br />
* Email: [mailto:bikebike2011@gmail.com bikebike2011@gmail.com]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Bike!Bike!]]</div>Sharperhttps://wiki2.bikelover.org/wiki/index.php?title=Bike!Bike!_2011&diff=11190Bike!Bike! 20112011-06-29T21:06:39Z<p>Sharper: /* Details */</p>
<hr />
<div>'''Bike!Bike! 2011''' was held in San Marcos, Texas; hosted by [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|The Bike Cave]] and [[The San Marcos Community Bike Project]]. It took place from June 23-26th, 2011.[[File:bikebikebike2a.jpg]]<br />
<br />
==Summary==<br />
<br />
= Schedule =<br />
== Wednesday June 22 ==<br />
{|border="1" align="center" style="text-align:center;"<br />
|1:00-6:00pm||Pick up a loaner bike (if you're staying the night in Austin) at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|2:00pm - 6:00pm||Open house at UT's Orange Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|6:00 -10:00pm||Open house at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|11:00pm||Open house at Movemint Bike Cab Co. Shop (1301 east 4th street) <br />
|}<br />
<br />
== Thursday June 23 ==<br />
{|border="1" align="center" style="text-align:center;"<br />
|11:00am - 1:00pm||Pick up your loaner bike (if you've just arrived in Austin) at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|1:00pm||Group ride from Austin's Yellow Bike Project to San Marcos (there will be a truck to take your things to San Marcos)<br />
|-<br />
|12:00 - 8:00pm||Check-In at San Marcos Public Library ($25 - $45, pay what you can, nobody will be turned away for lack of funds. Pick up your loaner bike and housing arraignments)<br />
|-<br />
|2:00 - 8:00pm||Fix up your bike at The Bike Cave<br />
|-<br />
|7:00 - 8:00pm||Welcome / Speak up & speak out!<br />
|-<br />
|8:00pm - 10:00pm||Casual welcome dinner at City / Plaza Park with music by Mariachi Nueva Generacion<br />
|-<br />
|9:30pm||A screening of "Dudey Free Zone: Women's and Transgender Bike Spaces" plus other short bike-related films. At The Bike Project<br />
|}<br />
<br />
== Friday June 24 ==<br />
{|border="1" align="center" style="text-align:center;"<br />
|8:00am - 1:00pm||Check-In continued for those who get here late at The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|1:00 - 2:30pm||Lunch<br />
|-<br />
|2:30 - 4:00pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|8:00pm - 9:00pm||The future of Bike! Bike! - a discussion to figure out where we're heading, and how we're getting there. A preview of which project(s) are interested in hosting in 2012.<br />
|-<br />
|7:00pm - 10:30pm||Bike polo on top of Speck Street Parking Garage (there will be a group ride leaving from Rio Vista at 6:00pm)<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 -11:00pm||Concert at The Bike Project<br />
|}<br />
<br />
== Saturday June 25 ==<br />
{|border="1" align="center" style="text-align:center;"<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|1:00 - 2:30pm||Lunch<br />
|-<br />
|2:30 - 4:00pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|9:00pm - 12:00am||BIKE! RIDE! BIKE! RIDE!<br />
|-<br />
|12:00am - ???||Dance party<br />
|}<br />
<br />
== Sunday June 26 ==<br />
{|border="1" align="center" style="text-align:center;"<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30 - 11:00am||Workshops / final brainstorm<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 1:00pm||Closing meeting, Bike! Bike! 2012 discussion<br />
|}<br />
<br />
= Workshops =<br />
== A bike tour of San Marcos green spaces ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Acquiring a permanent space (instead of renting, working with the city for land or a building, fund-raising and micro-loans. ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Acro yoga: skillshare ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Analyzing work flows within a bike project: setting up committees and more effective follow-up. How to reduce "ball droppage" ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Bike touring! What to take, how to pack, where to sleep and eat, and of course, where to go. ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Classes, Workshops, Space: Doing Meaningful Outreach with Communities in Your Neighborhood ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Confronting "car culture"; dealing with dominant culture on a personal level and effecting cultural shift. ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Decision making - the good, the bad, and the ugly. A reprise of 2010's Battlefield: Consensus. ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== How the City of San Marcos, Texas bicycle map was created ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== How to manage expectations and orient new people quickly to the cooperative shop environment ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Integrating bikes into the university fabric via student and staff collaboration ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Managing social rides to promote bicycling ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
From fringe to mainstream: how social cycling can ... and make our cities better<br />
<br />
=== Details ===<br />
Held at 11:15 AM on Friday, June 24 at the Bike Cave.<br />
<br />
Elliott McFadden of [http://austinontwowheels.org/ Austin on Two Wheels] and Violet Crown Cycles started by describing his views of cycling promotion and two methods seen in Austin of directly working to get people riding bikes. After this, he answered questions in a general discussion format.<br />
<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
==== Failures in bicycle promotion ====<br />
Elliot identified two somewhat conflicting methods of increasing cycling from the cycling industry and from political advocacy.<br />
<br />
* Industry: Bicycle sales in the U.S. have remained stagnant over since the 1970s, despite significant growth in population. To increase sales, the bicycle industry has focused on making bikes more niche -- selling new bikes to their existing market.<br />
* Advocacy: Advocates lobby decision makers for better infrastructure, but do so without growing a grassroots bicycle population or establishing cycling within the community.<br />
<br />
Until bicycling is seen as a normal community behavior, bicyclists will continue to be classified by convenient stereotypes, like the spandex/carbon weekend warrior, the hipster scofflaw, and the sanctimonious environmentalist.<br />
<br />
==== Strategy ====<br />
Defining "regime" as an interconnected group of businesses and leaders with a common world view, Elliott noted that the current regime is in favor of growing consumption and fossil fuel use. At the national level, this means the oil and auto industries. At the local level, it includes developers, auto dealers, and news entities, whose future profits depend on growth. Tellingly, 30% of all ad revenue for media entities comes from car companies.<br />
<br />
Regime change must then be the goal of a bicycle promoter. Find negative ways to describe the current regime (dirty, expensive, destructive, long travel times in cars) and positive ways to describe the desired regime (healthy, thrifty, sustainable, quality family time). Form partnerships with businesses and organizations that can benefit from a new regime.<br />
<br />
==== Social cycling ====<br />
To replace the negative stereotypes of bicyclists, it is important to develop an atmosphere that encourages riding by more members of the community. Bicycling should be made to be more comfortable -- no races, no work-outs, regular clothes, open to everyone. The joys of being out, riding with regular people, should be paramount. <br />
<br />
Commuting is often a big sell by industry and advocates; it allows shops to sell specialized "commuter" bicycles and advocates to focus on connecting routes, but as a sales point, it has two crippling problems: nobody likes to go to work, and most people go to work alone. Instead, social cycling should be a focus: just get many people together to ride bikes. Austin has two models that work in tandem: Social Cycling Austin and Austin on Two Wheels, an "affiliated business concept".<br />
<br />
===== Social Cycling Austin =====<br />
Social Cycling Austin is a volunteer production started two years ago as a free ride -- participants just show up for a weekly social ride, drawing 200-300 riders on average and as many as 500. It partners with local businesses, usually a bar or restaurant, and rides with traffic, not against it.<br />
<br />
This model is easy to start (it just requires two people) and its open structure makes it accessible to all. It doesn't have to be affiliated with any business, so it can work with and for everyone. Because of its loose nature, it's easy to change what doesn't work or even dismantle the ride. It doesn't need any investment to start up, as most organizing can be done through social networks and guerrilla marketing.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, it also has no control over who shows up, making it difficult to deal with troublemakers and easy for the ride to grow beyond the capacity of the leaders or prevent the ride from being co-opted by other organizations. A focus on bars as a final destination also makes it easy for this sort of ride to turn into a "booze cruise", adding additional challenges to the organization and often depressing its ability to draw women riders. Additionally, it is easy for organizing volunteers to burn out and the undefined liability might cause problems in case of injury.<br />
<br />
===== Affiliated Business Concept =====<br />
In an affiliated business concept, the rides are run as a business, usually as smaller fee-based rides than as large-scale free-for-alls.<br />
<br />
Because a business controls the ride, it's possible to tailor rides for specific demographics; women, families, suburbanites, etc. It's also easier to get different business partners and variety in the ride -- restaurants may provide food and drink samples, galleries may partner for art rides, or retail establishments for shopping rides. A business is also better able to provide a clear line of liability in case of accident and maintain a paid staff of ride leaders and organizers to provide a higher level of service. Austin on Two Wheels, for example, capped rides at 50 participants and provided one ride leader for every ten people to watch over unlocked bikes and help keep rides safe.<br />
<br />
This concept also carries some challenges. Partners must be committed to growth; it can take 18-24 months for the concept to turn a sustainable profit and its longer-term viability has not been tested, though it may be a reasonable loss leader for a bike shop. It also limits partnerships to a single member of each sector; one bike shop, one newspaper, or one boutique. The clear line of liability also means that the operating business has insurance requirements to carry and will likely have to enforce helmet use.<br />
<br />
==== Discussion ====<br />
Both rides appeal to different people, but the demographics of the riders were mostly white, though unintentionally so. For the open social rides, this was because the ride started from one social circle and its business preferences. For the paid rides, this was because they were seeking sustainable income. Since bicycles seen as a lesser mode of transportation in impoverished communities and represent gentrification, it can be difficult to promote them, though groups like the Major Taylor Group are trying to increase African American ridership. Either way, more racially diverse ride leadership should help diversify rider participation.<br />
<br />
Other problems with social cycling rides were identified. It's easy for the ride's somewhat high turnover to give it over to more aggressive cycling, and efforts to rein it in can be paternalistic.<br />
<br />
Responses to paid rides were overwhelmingly positive. Of 300 participants, 60% were women, and every ride had a bicyclist that had not ridden at all in the past year. Of survey respondents, 85% loved the ride, 97% would do it again, and 84% were more likely to revisit the participating businesses. No complaints were received of the ride being too fast, and the complaints of 1/3 of the respondents that the ride was too slow were dismissed. As for distance, the longest single ride was 10 miles and the longest single stretch was five miles, but most rides were just a few miles in stretches of two miles or less at a 10-12 mph pace. <br />
<br />
The high ratio of leaders to participants of the paid rides helped keep them very well organized. Walkie-talkies were given to the front and back leaders and other riders would circulate through the ride, keeping riders lined up, directing traffic at intersections, and encouraging the ride to behave well in regards to other users. It helped that the Austin Police Department was non-reactionary, so there was no backlash from law enforcement.<br />
<br />
Paid rides started with an intro of the leaders and the participants signing of a waiver stating they knew the rules of the road and agreed to follow ride leader instructions.<br />
<br />
Marketing was done through their own website, and partnering businesses were encouraged to do their own promotion as well. It was emphasized that time, rather than distance, was mentioned in all promotions. Though a six mile ride would take about 30 minutes, 30 minutes seemed like an easier ride than six miles. Ride classifications were right out; letter-assignments mean nothing to the new riders being targeted.<br />
<br />
Hurting businesses were suggested as rich prospects, as a few dozen potential customers can be enticing. Visits to any business should be during slow hours, though, to minimize disruption to regular services and provide customers when the business would be otherwise idle -- restaurants on Saturday afternoons are a good example. <br />
<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Operating a mobile on-the-go repair clinic through the city and community organizations ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
The original facilitator did not show up for this workshop but the intent was fairly self evident by the name of the workshop. It was begun with a go-around and then by asking the question 'who currently operates a mobile repair unit?'<br />
<br />
The [[Bike Cage]] from Winnipeg told us that they began as a purely mobile shop until they had enough resources and a space to operate from a permanent location. The [[Bike Root]] from Calgary told us that the opposite was true for them, they began with a full shop but after losing their space, kept operations going by setting up in various locations on their campus and around town.<br />
<br />
==== To fix or not? Where do you draw the line? ====<br />
There were various answers to this question, some shops will only fix flats and minor brake and gear issues. Others were willing to fix anything as long as the tools were available. Arguments for the former included<br />
* lack of proper tools<br />
* lack of more advanced tools or replacement parts in case anything went wrong<br />
* lack of knowledge / trust in the knowledge of some casual volunteers that might attend a mobile repair clinic<br />
* some provide more hand on repair for mobile units to decrease liability in case a bike owner injures themselves but providing more complicated repairs ourselves increases liability in case the owner injures themselves on their bike afterwards.<br />
<br />
and for the latter:<br />
* We should do our best to get more bikes fixed and on the road<br />
* We're confident in our skills<br />
* The worst thing that might happen is that a bike that wasn't on the road is now still not on the road<br />
* We make bike owners fix their bikes themselves so we are not liable<br />
<br />
==== Other services ====<br />
In addition to offering minor repairs, the Bike Cage's mobile unit doubles as a bike valet service. There was no elaboration on how the system works.<br />
<br />
==== Getting the message across that a mobile tune tent is not a fully functioning tent ====<br />
It seemed to be a common problem that when individuals in the community would hear about a free tune-up possibility, they would often bring in bikes that need repairs far beyond what could be done at a tune tent. It was suggested to avoid this, advertise as "light bike repair".<br />
<br />
==== Who holds the tools? ====<br />
We had a discussion about if the volunteer should fix the bike for the owner or provide the owner with the tools and teach how to fix the bike hands-off. Whether or not tools were handed to the bike owner, teaching at least by the volunteer explaining what he or she was doing seemed to be the norm. The issues behind whether or not to let the owner fix the bike seemed to be liability dependent on both sides. If the volunteer fixes the bike, the shop becomes liable if the bike causes injury down the road while normally the bike owner has not signed a liability waiver to use the tools, so the shop could be liable if they hurt themselves while repairing their bike.<br />
<br />
==== Ride or drive? ====<br />
We had a discussion on whether or not to drive the equipment to the location or use a trailer. No one seemed to be passionate for either but there are a lot of options out there for trailers big and small. [[Fargo Moorhead Community Bicycle Workshop|Fargo]] rides with a huge 4x6 trailer.<br />
<br />
==== Off topic discussion ====<br />
The conversation went off topic many times but did produce a few interesting ideas:<br />
* [[The Orioles Bike Cage|Winnipeg]] uses a punch card, much like one you would find a a coffee shop or fast food location, to punch out skills that a volunteer has learned. Once the card is completely punched the volunteer can start fixing bikes for others.<br />
* While discussing how to get enough replacement parts, another bike shop told us they provide local bike shops with barrels which the shops can use to put parts that are still usable but would otherwise throw away. The barrels would be picked up and emptied at regular intervals. This shop did not have a problem finding parts when needed as a result.<br />
<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Recycled bike art - Turning garbage into gold ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Software developers exchange: projects being worked on, have worked on, or areas they (you) are interested / skilled in ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Teaching & learning styles in community bike shops; a discussion about different approaches, what works and what doesn't work as well ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== The future of Bike! Bike!. Where are we going and how are we going to get there? Also, a quick (but no-decisions-made) discussion about where Bike! Bike! will be held in 2012 (that will be decided during the final meeting on Sunday, June 26). ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Utilizing free open-source software (operating systems and work documents) to benefit your project. ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Volunteer orientation: Addressing safe space concerns, and a conversation about empowering and maintaining a committed volunteer base ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Weather? What weather? How you and your bike can survive the heat and the cold (two workshops). ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Women and Transgender shop hours: Policies, Politics, Allies ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working in under-privileged communities: challenges and opportunities ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working Together: Increasing Inter-Organization Collaboration ==<br />
The intention of this workshop was to talk about all of the ways in which we as bicycle collectives of different sorts who run our services in many different ways, can share our experiences, successes, failures, and tangible output in order to help other collectives both start and continue to thrive.<br />
<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
[[User:Godwin|Godwin]] directed this workshop while [[Bob Wolfe]] facilitated in providing a speakers list. A large sheet of paper was used to help keep visible notes, at the end of the discussion the notes were the following:<br />
* '''Current Tools'''<br />
** [[BOOP]]<br />
** [[Bike!Bike!]]<br />
** [[Think Tank]]<br />
** [[Bike Collectives Network]]<br />
** [[Bike Collectives Wiki]]<br />
** Various collaborative tools such as our Google Docs list of organizations and Google Maps visualization of orgs across North America<br />
<br />
* '''What we need these tools for'''<br />
** Learn how to start a collective<br />
** Learn how to continue running a collective<br />
** Find example documents<br />
*** Volunteer Privileges<br />
*** Todo for new volunteers<br />
*** Financials<br />
*** Fliers<br />
*** Curricula<br />
*** Manuals<br />
*** 501c and not-for-profit forms<br />
*** Tool lists<br />
*** Inventory<br />
*** Price guide<br />
*** Mission statement<br />
*** Bylaws<br />
*** Safe space<br />
*** Legal documents<br />
*** Letters for grant writing<br />
** Find out how other organizations run their various programmes<br />
** Partner with other organizations<br />
<br />
* '''Brainstorming Ideas which could help'''<br />
** A Bike!Bike! Wiki<br />
** Have more involved wiki moderators who will make suggestions for improvements<br />
** News feed on wiki<br />
** Email individuals to improve pages<br />
** New list-serve other than the [[Think Tank]] which can be used for these emails<br />
** More list-serves for different purposes<br />
** Online Forums<br />
** Request documents, pages, and improvements once a year or at other regular intervals<br />
** Rid the wiki of closed shops<br />
** RSS feeds on the wiki<br />
** Separate blog or paper news<br />
** Paypal donations on [[BCN]] or the wiki<br />
** An umbrella or 'helping hand' organization<br />
** A seed fund<br />
** Micro Loans for starting up shops<br />
** A no-reply list-serve<br />
<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
* An 'umbrella' organization goes against many principles that are held by most shops however a 'helping hand' organization that acts as a third party to facilitate to spread of knowledge and possibly funds would likely not.<br />
* To improve the wiki it will take some active moderating and contacting of individuals.<br />
* The wiki is difficult to navigate so it should be reorganized<br />
* Bikecollectives.org is not serving any other purpose other than providing the wiki.<br />
* The [[Think Tank]] is too much for many to handle, there are too many emails about things that many don't care about.<br />
<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
* Godwin promised to contact the current owners of bikevollectives.org to see if improvements could be made.<br />
* Adding increased moderation of the wiki will be looked into<br />
<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Contact ==<br />
* [[Bike!Bike!]] website: http://www.bikebike.org<br />
* [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|The Bike Cave]]'s website: http://thebikecave.org<br />
* Email: [mailto:bikebike2011@gmail.com bikebike2011@gmail.com]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Bike!Bike!]]</div>Sharperhttps://wiki2.bikelover.org/wiki/index.php?title=Bike!Bike!_2011&diff=11189Bike!Bike! 20112011-06-29T21:04:23Z<p>Sharper: /* Managing social rides to promote bicycling */</p>
<hr />
<div>'''Bike!Bike! 2011''' was held in San Marcos, Texas; hosted by [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|The Bike Cave]] and [[The San Marcos Community Bike Project]]. It took place from June 23-26th, 2011.[[File:bikebikebike2a.jpg]]<br />
<br />
==Summary==<br />
<br />
= Schedule =<br />
== Wednesday June 22 ==<br />
{|border="1" align="center" style="text-align:center;"<br />
|1:00-6:00pm||Pick up a loaner bike (if you're staying the night in Austin) at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|2:00pm - 6:00pm||Open house at UT's Orange Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|6:00 -10:00pm||Open house at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|11:00pm||Open house at Movemint Bike Cab Co. Shop (1301 east 4th street) <br />
|}<br />
<br />
== Thursday June 23 ==<br />
{|border="1" align="center" style="text-align:center;"<br />
|11:00am - 1:00pm||Pick up your loaner bike (if you've just arrived in Austin) at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|1:00pm||Group ride from Austin's Yellow Bike Project to San Marcos (there will be a truck to take your things to San Marcos)<br />
|-<br />
|12:00 - 8:00pm||Check-In at San Marcos Public Library ($25 - $45, pay what you can, nobody will be turned away for lack of funds. Pick up your loaner bike and housing arraignments)<br />
|-<br />
|2:00 - 8:00pm||Fix up your bike at The Bike Cave<br />
|-<br />
|7:00 - 8:00pm||Welcome / Speak up & speak out!<br />
|-<br />
|8:00pm - 10:00pm||Casual welcome dinner at City / Plaza Park with music by Mariachi Nueva Generacion<br />
|-<br />
|9:30pm||A screening of "Dudey Free Zone: Women's and Transgender Bike Spaces" plus other short bike-related films. At The Bike Project<br />
|}<br />
<br />
== Friday June 24 ==<br />
{|border="1" align="center" style="text-align:center;"<br />
|8:00am - 1:00pm||Check-In continued for those who get here late at The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|1:00 - 2:30pm||Lunch<br />
|-<br />
|2:30 - 4:00pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|8:00pm - 9:00pm||The future of Bike! Bike! - a discussion to figure out where we're heading, and how we're getting there. A preview of which project(s) are interested in hosting in 2012.<br />
|-<br />
|7:00pm - 10:30pm||Bike polo on top of Speck Street Parking Garage (there will be a group ride leaving from Rio Vista at 6:00pm)<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 -11:00pm||Concert at The Bike Project<br />
|}<br />
<br />
== Saturday June 25 ==<br />
{|border="1" align="center" style="text-align:center;"<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|1:00 - 2:30pm||Lunch<br />
|-<br />
|2:30 - 4:00pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|9:00pm - 12:00am||BIKE! RIDE! BIKE! RIDE!<br />
|-<br />
|12:00am - ???||Dance party<br />
|}<br />
<br />
== Sunday June 26 ==<br />
{|border="1" align="center" style="text-align:center;"<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30 - 11:00am||Workshops / final brainstorm<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 1:00pm||Closing meeting, Bike! Bike! 2012 discussion<br />
|}<br />
<br />
= Workshops =<br />
== A bike tour of San Marcos green spaces ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Acquiring a permanent space (instead of renting, working with the city for land or a building, fund-raising and micro-loans. ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Acro yoga: skillshare ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Analyzing work flows within a bike project: setting up committees and more effective follow-up. How to reduce "ball droppage" ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Bike touring! What to take, how to pack, where to sleep and eat, and of course, where to go. ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Classes, Workshops, Space: Doing Meaningful Outreach with Communities in Your Neighborhood ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Confronting "car culture"; dealing with dominant culture on a personal level and effecting cultural shift. ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Decision making - the good, the bad, and the ugly. A reprise of 2010's Battlefield: Consensus. ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== How the City of San Marcos, Texas bicycle map was created ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== How to manage expectations and orient new people quickly to the cooperative shop environment ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Integrating bikes into the university fabric via student and staff collaboration ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Managing social rides to promote bicycling ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
From fringe to mainstream: how social cycling can ... and make our cities better<br />
<br />
=== Details ===<br />
Held at 11:15 AM on Friday, June 24<br />
<br />
Elliott McFadden of [http://austinontwowheels.org/ Austin on Two Wheels] and Violet Crown Cycles started by describing his views of cycling promotion and two methods seen in Austin of directly working to get people riding bikes. After this, he answered questions in a general discussion format.<br />
<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
==== Failures in bicycle promotion ====<br />
Elliot identified two somewhat conflicting methods of increasing cycling from the cycling industry and from political advocacy.<br />
<br />
* Industry: Bicycle sales in the U.S. have remained stagnant over since the 1970s, despite significant growth in population. To increase sales, the bicycle industry has focused on making bikes more niche -- selling new bikes to their existing market.<br />
* Advocacy: Advocates lobby decision makers for better infrastructure, but do so without growing a grassroots bicycle population or establishing cycling within the community.<br />
<br />
Until bicycling is seen as a normal community behavior, bicyclists will continue to be classified by convenient stereotypes, like the spandex/carbon weekend warrior, the hipster scofflaw, and the sanctimonious environmentalist.<br />
<br />
==== Strategy ====<br />
Defining "regime" as an interconnected group of businesses and leaders with a common world view, Elliott noted that the current regime is in favor of growing consumption and fossil fuel use. At the national level, this means the oil and auto industries. At the local level, it includes developers, auto dealers, and news entities, whose future profits depend on growth. Tellingly, 30% of all ad revenue for media entities comes from car companies.<br />
<br />
Regime change must then be the goal of a bicycle promoter. Find negative ways to describe the current regime (dirty, expensive, destructive, long travel times in cars) and positive ways to describe the desired regime (healthy, thrifty, sustainable, quality family time). Form partnerships with businesses and organizations that can benefit from a new regime.<br />
<br />
==== Social cycling ====<br />
To replace the negative stereotypes of bicyclists, it is important to develop an atmosphere that encourages riding by more members of the community. Bicycling should be made to be more comfortable -- no races, no work-outs, regular clothes, open to everyone. The joys of being out, riding with regular people, should be paramount. <br />
<br />
Commuting is often a big sell by industry and advocates; it allows shops to sell specialized "commuter" bicycles and advocates to focus on connecting routes, but as a sales point, it has two crippling problems: nobody likes to go to work, and most people go to work alone. Instead, social cycling should be a focus: just get many people together to ride bikes. Austin has two models that work in tandem: Social Cycling Austin and Austin on Two Wheels, an "affiliated business concept".<br />
<br />
===== Social Cycling Austin =====<br />
Social Cycling Austin is a volunteer production started two years ago as a free ride -- participants just show up for a weekly social ride, drawing 200-300 riders on average and as many as 500. It partners with local businesses, usually a bar or restaurant, and rides with traffic, not against it.<br />
<br />
This model is easy to start (it just requires two people) and its open structure makes it accessible to all. It doesn't have to be affiliated with any business, so it can work with and for everyone. Because of its loose nature, it's easy to change what doesn't work or even dismantle the ride. It doesn't need any investment to start up, as most organizing can be done through social networks and guerrilla marketing.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, it also has no control over who shows up, making it difficult to deal with troublemakers and easy for the ride to grow beyond the capacity of the leaders or prevent the ride from being co-opted by other organizations. A focus on bars as a final destination also makes it easy for this sort of ride to turn into a "booze cruise", adding additional challenges to the organization and often depressing its ability to draw women riders. Additionally, it is easy for organizing volunteers to burn out and the undefined liability might cause problems in case of injury.<br />
<br />
===== Affiliated Business Concept =====<br />
In an affiliated business concept, the rides are run as a business, usually as smaller fee-based rides than as large-scale free-for-alls.<br />
<br />
Because a business controls the ride, it's possible to tailor rides for specific demographics; women, families, suburbanites, etc. It's also easier to get different business partners and variety in the ride -- restaurants may provide food and drink samples, galleries may partner for art rides, or retail establishments for shopping rides. A business is also better able to provide a clear line of liability in case of accident and maintain a paid staff of ride leaders and organizers to provide a higher level of service. Austin on Two Wheels, for example, capped rides at 50 participants and provided one ride leader for every ten people to watch over unlocked bikes and help keep rides safe.<br />
<br />
This concept also carries some challenges. Partners must be committed to growth; it can take 18-24 months for the concept to turn a sustainable profit and its longer-term viability has not been tested, though it may be a reasonable loss leader for a bike shop. It also limits partnerships to a single member of each sector; one bike shop, one newspaper, or one boutique. The clear line of liability also means that the operating business has insurance requirements to carry and will likely have to enforce helmet use.<br />
<br />
==== Discussion ====<br />
Both rides appeal to different people, but the demographics of the riders were mostly white, though unintentionally so. For the open social rides, this was because the ride started from one social circle and its business preferences. For the paid rides, this was because they were seeking sustainable income. Since bicycles seen as a lesser mode of transportation in impoverished communities and represent gentrification, it can be difficult to promote them, though groups like the Major Taylor Group are trying to increase African American ridership. Either way, more racially diverse ride leadership should help diversify rider participation.<br />
<br />
Other problems with social cycling rides were identified. It's easy for the ride's somewhat high turnover to give it over to more aggressive cycling, and efforts to rein it in can be paternalistic.<br />
<br />
Responses to paid rides were overwhelmingly positive. Of 300 participants, 60% were women, and every ride had a bicyclist that had not ridden at all in the past year. Of survey respondents, 85% loved the ride, 97% would do it again, and 84% were more likely to revisit the participating businesses. No complaints were received of the ride being too fast, and the complaints of 1/3 of the respondents that the ride was too slow were dismissed. As for distance, the longest single ride was 10 miles and the longest single stretch was five miles, but most rides were just a few miles in stretches of two miles or less at a 10-12 mph pace. <br />
<br />
The high ratio of leaders to participants of the paid rides helped keep them very well organized. Walkie-talkies were given to the front and back leaders and other riders would circulate through the ride, keeping riders lined up, directing traffic at intersections, and encouraging the ride to behave well in regards to other users. It helped that the Austin Police Department was non-reactionary, so there was no backlash from law enforcement.<br />
<br />
Paid rides started with an intro of the leaders and the participants signing of a waiver stating they knew the rules of the road and agreed to follow ride leader instructions.<br />
<br />
Marketing was done through their own website, and partnering businesses were encouraged to do their own promotion as well. It was emphasized that time, rather than distance, was mentioned in all promotions. Though a six mile ride would take about 30 minutes, 30 minutes seemed like an easier ride than six miles. Ride classifications were right out; letter-assignments mean nothing to the new riders being targeted.<br />
<br />
Hurting businesses were suggested as rich prospects, as a few dozen potential customers can be enticing. Visits to any business should be during slow hours, though, to minimize disruption to regular services and provide customers when the business would be otherwise idle -- restaurants on Saturday afternoons are a good example. <br />
<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Operating a mobile on-the-go repair clinic through the city and community organizations ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
The original facilitator did not show up for this workshop but the intent was fairly self evident by the name of the workshop. It was begun with a go-around and then by asking the question 'who currently operates a mobile repair unit?'<br />
<br />
The [[Bike Cage]] from Winnipeg told us that they began as a purely mobile shop until they had enough resources and a space to operate from a permanent location. The [[Bike Root]] from Calgary told us that the opposite was true for them, they began with a full shop but after losing their space, kept operations going by setting up in various locations on their campus and around town.<br />
<br />
==== To fix or not? Where do you draw the line? ====<br />
There were various answers to this question, some shops will only fix flats and minor brake and gear issues. Others were willing to fix anything as long as the tools were available. Arguments for the former included<br />
* lack of proper tools<br />
* lack of more advanced tools or replacement parts in case anything went wrong<br />
* lack of knowledge / trust in the knowledge of some casual volunteers that might attend a mobile repair clinic<br />
* some provide more hand on repair for mobile units to decrease liability in case a bike owner injures themselves but providing more complicated repairs ourselves increases liability in case the owner injures themselves on their bike afterwards.<br />
<br />
and for the latter:<br />
* We should do our best to get more bikes fixed and on the road<br />
* We're confident in our skills<br />
* The worst thing that might happen is that a bike that wasn't on the road is now still not on the road<br />
* We make bike owners fix their bikes themselves so we are not liable<br />
<br />
==== Other services ====<br />
In addition to offering minor repairs, the Bike Cage's mobile unit doubles as a bike valet service. There was no elaboration on how the system works.<br />
<br />
==== Getting the message across that a mobile tune tent is not a fully functioning tent ====<br />
It seemed to be a common problem that when individuals in the community would hear about a free tune-up possibility, they would often bring in bikes that need repairs far beyond what could be done at a tune tent. It was suggested to avoid this, advertise as "light bike repair".<br />
<br />
==== Who holds the tools? ====<br />
We had a discussion about if the volunteer should fix the bike for the owner or provide the owner with the tools and teach how to fix the bike hands-off. Whether or not tools were handed to the bike owner, teaching at least by the volunteer explaining what he or she was doing seemed to be the norm. The issues behind whether or not to let the owner fix the bike seemed to be liability dependent on both sides. If the volunteer fixes the bike, the shop becomes liable if the bike causes injury down the road while normally the bike owner has not signed a liability waiver to use the tools, so the shop could be liable if they hurt themselves while repairing their bike.<br />
<br />
==== Ride or drive? ====<br />
We had a discussion on whether or not to drive the equipment to the location or use a trailer. No one seemed to be passionate for either but there are a lot of options out there for trailers big and small. [[Fargo Moorhead Community Bicycle Workshop|Fargo]] rides with a huge 4x6 trailer.<br />
<br />
==== Off topic discussion ====<br />
The conversation went off topic many times but did produce a few interesting ideas:<br />
* [[The Orioles Bike Cage|Winnipeg]] uses a punch card, much like one you would find a a coffee shop or fast food location, to punch out skills that a volunteer has learned. Once the card is completely punched the volunteer can start fixing bikes for others.<br />
* While discussing how to get enough replacement parts, another bike shop told us they provide local bike shops with barrels which the shops can use to put parts that are still usable but would otherwise throw away. The barrels would be picked up and emptied at regular intervals. This shop did not have a problem finding parts when needed as a result.<br />
<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Recycled bike art - Turning garbage into gold ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Software developers exchange: projects being worked on, have worked on, or areas they (you) are interested / skilled in ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Teaching & learning styles in community bike shops; a discussion about different approaches, what works and what doesn't work as well ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== The future of Bike! Bike!. Where are we going and how are we going to get there? Also, a quick (but no-decisions-made) discussion about where Bike! Bike! will be held in 2012 (that will be decided during the final meeting on Sunday, June 26). ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Utilizing free open-source software (operating systems and work documents) to benefit your project. ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Volunteer orientation: Addressing safe space concerns, and a conversation about empowering and maintaining a committed volunteer base ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Weather? What weather? How you and your bike can survive the heat and the cold (two workshops). ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Women and Transgender shop hours: Policies, Politics, Allies ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working in under-privileged communities: challenges and opportunities ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working Together: Increasing Inter-Organization Collaboration ==<br />
The intention of this workshop was to talk about all of the ways in which we as bicycle collectives of different sorts who run our services in many different ways, can share our experiences, successes, failures, and tangible output in order to help other collectives both start and continue to thrive.<br />
<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
[[User:Godwin|Godwin]] directed this workshop while [[Bob Wolfe]] facilitated in providing a speakers list. A large sheet of paper was used to help keep visible notes, at the end of the discussion the notes were the following:<br />
* '''Current Tools'''<br />
** [[BOOP]]<br />
** [[Bike!Bike!]]<br />
** [[Think Tank]]<br />
** [[Bike Collectives Network]]<br />
** [[Bike Collectives Wiki]]<br />
** Various collaborative tools such as our Google Docs list of organizations and Google Maps visualization of orgs across North America<br />
<br />
* '''What we need these tools for'''<br />
** Learn how to start a collective<br />
** Learn how to continue running a collective<br />
** Find example documents<br />
*** Volunteer Privileges<br />
*** Todo for new volunteers<br />
*** Financials<br />
*** Fliers<br />
*** Curricula<br />
*** Manuals<br />
*** 501c and not-for-profit forms<br />
*** Tool lists<br />
*** Inventory<br />
*** Price guide<br />
*** Mission statement<br />
*** Bylaws<br />
*** Safe space<br />
*** Legal documents<br />
*** Letters for grant writing<br />
** Find out how other organizations run their various programmes<br />
** Partner with other organizations<br />
<br />
* '''Brainstorming Ideas which could help'''<br />
** A Bike!Bike! Wiki<br />
** Have more involved wiki moderators who will make suggestions for improvements<br />
** News feed on wiki<br />
** Email individuals to improve pages<br />
** New list-serve other than the [[Think Tank]] which can be used for these emails<br />
** More list-serves for different purposes<br />
** Online Forums<br />
** Request documents, pages, and improvements once a year or at other regular intervals<br />
** Rid the wiki of closed shops<br />
** RSS feeds on the wiki<br />
** Separate blog or paper news<br />
** Paypal donations on [[BCN]] or the wiki<br />
** An umbrella or 'helping hand' organization<br />
** A seed fund<br />
** Micro Loans for starting up shops<br />
** A no-reply list-serve<br />
<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
* An 'umbrella' organization goes against many principles that are held by most shops however a 'helping hand' organization that acts as a third party to facilitate to spread of knowledge and possibly funds would likely not.<br />
* To improve the wiki it will take some active moderating and contacting of individuals.<br />
* The wiki is difficult to navigate so it should be reorganized<br />
* Bikecollectives.org is not serving any other purpose other than providing the wiki.<br />
* The [[Think Tank]] is too much for many to handle, there are too many emails about things that many don't care about.<br />
<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
* Godwin promised to contact the current owners of bikevollectives.org to see if improvements could be made.<br />
* Adding increased moderation of the wiki will be looked into<br />
<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Contact ==<br />
* [[Bike!Bike!]] website: http://www.bikebike.org<br />
* [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|The Bike Cave]]'s website: http://thebikecave.org<br />
* Email: [mailto:bikebike2011@gmail.com bikebike2011@gmail.com]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Bike!Bike!]]</div>Sharperhttps://wiki2.bikelover.org/wiki/index.php?title=Bike!Bike!_2011&diff=11188Bike!Bike! 20112011-06-29T20:26:39Z<p>Sharper: /* Managing social rides to promote bicycling */</p>
<hr />
<div>'''Bike!Bike! 2011''' was held in San Marcos, Texas; hosted by [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|The Bike Cave]] and [[The San Marcos Community Bike Project]]. It took place from June 23-26th, 2011.[[File:bikebikebike2a.jpg]]<br />
<br />
==Summary==<br />
<br />
= Schedule =<br />
== Wednesday June 22 ==<br />
{|border="1" align="center" style="text-align:center;"<br />
|1:00-6:00pm||Pick up a loaner bike (if you're staying the night in Austin) at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|2:00pm - 6:00pm||Open house at UT's Orange Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|6:00 -10:00pm||Open house at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|11:00pm||Open house at Movemint Bike Cab Co. Shop (1301 east 4th street) <br />
|}<br />
<br />
== Thursday June 23 ==<br />
{|border="1" align="center" style="text-align:center;"<br />
|11:00am - 1:00pm||Pick up your loaner bike (if you've just arrived in Austin) at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|1:00pm||Group ride from Austin's Yellow Bike Project to San Marcos (there will be a truck to take your things to San Marcos)<br />
|-<br />
|12:00 - 8:00pm||Check-In at San Marcos Public Library ($25 - $45, pay what you can, nobody will be turned away for lack of funds. Pick up your loaner bike and housing arraignments)<br />
|-<br />
|2:00 - 8:00pm||Fix up your bike at The Bike Cave<br />
|-<br />
|7:00 - 8:00pm||Welcome / Speak up & speak out!<br />
|-<br />
|8:00pm - 10:00pm||Casual welcome dinner at City / Plaza Park with music by Mariachi Nueva Generacion<br />
|-<br />
|9:30pm||A screening of "Dudey Free Zone: Women's and Transgender Bike Spaces" plus other short bike-related films. At The Bike Project<br />
|}<br />
<br />
== Friday June 24 ==<br />
{|border="1" align="center" style="text-align:center;"<br />
|8:00am - 1:00pm||Check-In continued for those who get here late at The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|1:00 - 2:30pm||Lunch<br />
|-<br />
|2:30 - 4:00pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|8:00pm - 9:00pm||The future of Bike! Bike! - a discussion to figure out where we're heading, and how we're getting there. A preview of which project(s) are interested in hosting in 2012.<br />
|-<br />
|7:00pm - 10:30pm||Bike polo on top of Speck Street Parking Garage (there will be a group ride leaving from Rio Vista at 6:00pm)<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 -11:00pm||Concert at The Bike Project<br />
|}<br />
<br />
== Saturday June 25 ==<br />
{|border="1" align="center" style="text-align:center;"<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|1:00 - 2:30pm||Lunch<br />
|-<br />
|2:30 - 4:00pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|9:00pm - 12:00am||BIKE! RIDE! BIKE! RIDE!<br />
|-<br />
|12:00am - ???||Dance party<br />
|}<br />
<br />
== Sunday June 26 ==<br />
{|border="1" align="center" style="text-align:center;"<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30 - 11:00am||Workshops / final brainstorm<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 1:00pm||Closing meeting, Bike! Bike! 2012 discussion<br />
|}<br />
<br />
= Workshops =<br />
== A bike tour of San Marcos green spaces ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Acquiring a permanent space (instead of renting, working with the city for land or a building, fund-raising and micro-loans. ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Acro yoga: skillshare ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Analyzing work flows within a bike project: setting up committees and more effective follow-up. How to reduce "ball droppage" ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Bike touring! What to take, how to pack, where to sleep and eat, and of course, where to go. ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Classes, Workshops, Space: Doing Meaningful Outreach with Communities in Your Neighborhood ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Confronting "car culture"; dealing with dominant culture on a personal level and effecting cultural shift. ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Decision making - the good, the bad, and the ugly. A reprise of 2010's Battlefield: Consensus. ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== How the City of San Marcos, Texas bicycle map was created ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== How to manage expectations and orient new people quickly to the cooperative shop environment ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Integrating bikes into the university fabric via student and staff collaboration ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Managing social rides to promote bicycling ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
From fringe to mainstream: how social cycling can ... and make our cities better<br />
<br />
=== Structure ===<br />
Elliott McFadden of [http://austinontwowheels.org/ Austin on Two Wheels] and Violet Crown Cycles started by describing his views of cycling promotion and two methods seen in Austin of directly working to get people riding bikes. After this, he answered questions in a general discussion format.<br />
<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
==== Failures in bicycle promotion ====<br />
Elliot identified two somewhat conflicting methods of increasing cycling from the cycling industry and from political advocacy.<br />
<br />
* Industry: Bicycle sales in the U.S. have remained stagnant over since the 1970s, despite significant growth in population. To increase sales, the bicycle industry has focused on making bikes more niche -- selling new bikes to their existing market.<br />
* Advocacy: Advocates lobby decision makers for better infrastructure, but do so without growing a grassroots bicycle population or establishing cycling within the community.<br />
<br />
Until bicycling is seen as a normal community behavior, bicyclists will continue to be classified by convenient stereotypes, like the spandex/carbon weekend warrior, the hipster scofflaw, and the sanctimonious environmentalist.<br />
<br />
==== Strategy ====<br />
Defining "regime" as an interconnected group of businesses and leaders with a common world view, Elliott noted that the current regime is in favor of growing consumption and fossil fuel use. At the national level, this means the oil and auto industries. At the local level, it includes developers, auto dealers, and news entities, whose future profits depend on growth. Tellingly, 30% of all ad revenue for media entities comes from car companies.<br />
<br />
Regime change must then be the goal of a bicycle promoter. Find negative ways to describe the current regime (dirty, expensive, destructive, long travel times in cars) and positive ways to describe the desired regime (healthy, thrifty, sustainable, quality family time). Form partnerships with businesses and organizations that can benefit from a new regime.<br />
<br />
==== Social cycling ====<br />
To replace the negative stereotypes of bicyclists, it is important to develop an atmosphere that encourages riding by more members of the community. Bicycling should be made to be more comfortable -- no races, no work-outs, regular clothes, open to everyone. The joys of being out, riding with regular people, should be paramount. <br />
<br />
Commuting is often a big sell by industry and advocates; it allows shops to sell specialized "commuter" bicycles and advocates to focus on connecting routes, but as a sales point, it has two crippling problems: nobody likes to go to work, and most people go to work alone. Instead, social cycling should be a focus: just get many people together to ride bikes. Austin has two models that work in tandem: Social Cycling Austin and Austin on Two Wheels, an "affiliated business concept".<br />
<br />
===== Social Cycling Austin =====<br />
Social Cycling Austin is a volunteer production started two years ago as a free ride -- participants just show up for a weekly social ride, drawing 200-300 riders on average and as many as 500. It partners with local businesses, usually a bar or restaurant, and rides with traffic, not against it.<br />
<br />
This model is easy to start (it just requires two people) and its open structure makes it accessible to all. It doesn't have to be affiliated with any business, so it can work with and for everyone. Because of its loose nature, it's easy to change what doesn't work or even dismantle the ride. It doesn't need any investment to start up, as most organizing can be done through social networks and guerrilla marketing.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, it also has no control over who shows up, making it difficult to deal with troublemakers and easy for the ride to grow beyond the capacity of the leaders or prevent the ride from being co-opted by other organizations. A focus on bars as a final destination also makes it easy for this sort of ride to turn into a "booze cruise", adding additional challenges to the organization and often depressing its ability to draw women riders. Additionally, it is easy for organizing volunteers to burn out and the undefined liability might cause problems in case of injury.<br />
<br />
===== Affiliated Business Concept =====<br />
In an affiliated business concept, the rides are run as a business, usually as smaller fee-based rides than as large-scale free-for-alls.<br />
<br />
Because a business controls the ride, it's possible to tailor rides for specific demographics; women, families, suburbanites, etc. It's also easier to get different business partners and variety in the ride -- restaurants may provide food and drink samples, galleries may partner for art rides, or retail establishments for shopping rides. A business is also better able to provide a clear line of liability in case of accident and maintain a paid staff of ride leaders and organizers to provide a higher level of service. Austin on Two Wheels, for example, capped rides at 50 participants and provided one ride leader for every ten people to watch over unlocked bikes and help keep rides safe.<br />
<br />
This concept also carries some challenges. Partners must be committed to growth; it can take 18-24 months for the concept to turn a sustainable profit and its longer-term viability has not been tested, though it may be a reasonable loss leader for a bike shop. It also limits partnerships to a single member of each sector; one bike shop, one newspaper, or one boutique. The clear line of liability also means that the operating business has insurance requirements to carry and will likely have to enforce helmet use.<br />
<br />
==== Discussion ====<br />
Both rides appeal to different people, but the demographics of the riders were mostly white, though unintentionally so. For the open social rides, this was because the ride started from one social circle and its business preferences. For the paid rides, this was because they were seeking sustainable income. Since bicycles seen as a lesser mode of transportation in impoverished communities and represent gentrification, it can be difficult to promote them, though groups like the Major Taylor Group are trying to increase African American ridership. Either way, more racially diverse ride leadership should help diversify rider participation.<br />
<br />
Other problems with social cycling rides were identified. It's easy for the ride's somewhat high turnover to give it over to more aggressive cycling, and efforts to rein it in can be paternalistic.<br />
<br />
Responses to paid rides were overwhelmingly positive. Of 300 participants, 60% were women, and every ride had a bicyclist that had not ridden at all in the past year. Of survey respondents, 85% loved the ride, 97% would do it again, and 84% were more likely to revisit the participating businesses. No complaints were received of the ride being too fast, and the complaints of 1/3 of the respondents that the ride was too slow were dismissed. As for distance, the longest single ride was 10 miles and the longest single stretch was five miles, but most rides were just a few miles in stretches of two miles or less at a 10-12 mph pace. <br />
<br />
The high ratio of leaders to participants of the paid rides helped keep them very well organized. Walkie-talkies were given to the front and back leaders and other riders would circulate through the ride, keeping riders lined up, directing traffic at intersections, and encouraging the ride to behave well in regards to other users. It helped that the Austin Police Department was non-reactionary, so there was no backlash from law enforcement.<br />
<br />
Paid rides started with an intro of the leaders and the participants signing of a waiver stating they knew the rules of the road and agreed to follow ride leader instructions.<br />
<br />
Marketing was done through their own website, and partnering businesses were encouraged to do their own promotion as well. It was emphasized that time, rather than distance, was mentioned in all promotions. Though a six mile ride would take about 30 minutes, 30 minutes seemed like an easier ride than six miles. Ride classifications were right out; letter-assignments mean nothing to the new riders being targeted.<br />
<br />
Hurting businesses were suggested as rich prospects, as a few dozen potential customers can be enticing. Visits to any business should be during slow hours, though, to minimize disruption to regular services and provide customers when the business would be otherwise idle -- restaurants on Saturday afternoons are a good example. <br />
<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Operating a mobile on-the-go repair clinic through the city and community organizations ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
The original facilitator did not show up for this workshop but the intent was fairly self evident by the name of the workshop. It was begun with a go-around and then by asking the question 'who currently operates a mobile repair unit?'<br />
<br />
The [[Bike Cage]] from Winnipeg told us that they began as a purely mobile shop until they had enough resources and a space to operate from a permanent location. The [[Bike Root]] from Calgary told us that the opposite was true for them, they began with a full shop but after losing their space, kept operations going by setting up in various locations on their campus and around town.<br />
<br />
==== To fix or not? Where do you draw the line? ====<br />
There were various answers to this question, some shops will only fix flats and minor brake and gear issues. Others were willing to fix anything as long as the tools were available. Arguments for the former included<br />
* lack of proper tools<br />
* lack of more advanced tools or replacement parts in case anything went wrong<br />
* lack of knowledge / trust in the knowledge of some casual volunteers that might attend a mobile repair clinic<br />
* some provide more hand on repair for mobile units to decrease liability in case a bike owner injures themselves but providing more complicated repairs ourselves increases liability in case the owner injures themselves on their bike afterwards.<br />
<br />
and for the latter:<br />
* We should do our best to get more bikes fixed and on the road<br />
* We're confident in our skills<br />
* The worst thing that might happen is that a bike that wasn't on the road is now still not on the road<br />
* We make bike owners fix their bikes themselves so we are not liable<br />
<br />
==== Other services ====<br />
In addition to offering minor repairs, the Bike Cage's mobile unit doubles as a bike valet service. There was no elaboration on how the system works.<br />
<br />
==== Getting the message across that a mobile tune tent is not a fully functioning tent ====<br />
It seemed to be a common problem that when individuals in the community would hear about a free tune-up possibility, they would often bring in bikes that need repairs far beyond what could be done at a tune tent. It was suggested to avoid this, advertise as "light bike repair".<br />
<br />
==== Who holds the tools? ====<br />
We had a discussion about if the volunteer should fix the bike for the owner or provide the owner with the tools and teach how to fix the bike hands-off. Whether or not tools were handed to the bike owner, teaching at least by the volunteer explaining what he or she was doing seemed to be the norm. The issues behind whether or not to let the owner fix the bike seemed to be liability dependent on both sides. If the volunteer fixes the bike, the shop becomes liable if the bike causes injury down the road while normally the bike owner has not signed a liability waiver to use the tools, so the shop could be liable if they hurt themselves while repairing their bike.<br />
<br />
==== Ride or drive? ====<br />
We had a discussion on whether or not to drive the equipment to the location or use a trailer. No one seemed to be passionate for either but there are a lot of options out there for trailers big and small. [[Fargo Moorhead Community Bicycle Workshop|Fargo]] rides with a huge 4x6 trailer.<br />
<br />
==== Off topic discussion ====<br />
The conversation went off topic many times but did produce a few interesting ideas:<br />
* [[The Orioles Bike Cage|Winnipeg]] uses a punch card, much like one you would find a a coffee shop or fast food location, to punch out skills that a volunteer has learned. Once the card is completely punched the volunteer can start fixing bikes for others.<br />
* While discussing how to get enough replacement parts, another bike shop told us they provide local bike shops with barrels which the shops can use to put parts that are still usable but would otherwise throw away. The barrels would be picked up and emptied at regular intervals. This shop did not have a problem finding parts when needed as a result.<br />
<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Recycled bike art - Turning garbage into gold ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Software developers exchange: projects being worked on, have worked on, or areas they (you) are interested / skilled in ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Teaching & learning styles in community bike shops; a discussion about different approaches, what works and what doesn't work as well ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== The future of Bike! Bike!. Where are we going and how are we going to get there? Also, a quick (but no-decisions-made) discussion about where Bike! Bike! will be held in 2012 (that will be decided during the final meeting on Sunday, June 26). ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Utilizing free open-source software (operating systems and work documents) to benefit your project. ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Volunteer orientation: Addressing safe space concerns, and a conversation about empowering and maintaining a committed volunteer base ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Weather? What weather? How you and your bike can survive the heat and the cold (two workshops). ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Women and Transgender shop hours: Policies, Politics, Allies ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working in under-privileged communities: challenges and opportunities ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working Together: Increasing Inter-Organization Collaboration ==<br />
The intention of this workshop was to talk about all of the ways in which we as bicycle collectives of different sorts who run our services in many different ways, can share our experiences, successes, failures, and tangible output in order to help other collectives both start and continue to thrive.<br />
<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
[[User:Godwin|Godwin]] directed this workshop while [[Bob Wolfe]] facilitated in providing a speakers list. A large sheet of paper was used to help keep visible notes, at the end of the discussion the notes were the following:<br />
* '''Current Tools'''<br />
** [[BOOP]]<br />
** [[Bike!Bike!]]<br />
** [[Think Tank]]<br />
** [[Bike Collectives Network]]<br />
** [[Bike Collectives Wiki]]<br />
** Various collaborative tools such as our Google Docs list of organizations and Google Maps visualization of orgs across North America<br />
<br />
* '''What we need these tools for'''<br />
** Learn how to start a collective<br />
** Learn how to continue running a collective<br />
** Find example documents<br />
*** Volunteer Privileges<br />
*** Todo for new volunteers<br />
*** Financials<br />
*** Fliers<br />
*** Curricula<br />
*** Manuals<br />
*** 501c and not-for-profit forms<br />
*** Tool lists<br />
*** Inventory<br />
*** Price guide<br />
*** Mission statement<br />
*** Bylaws<br />
*** Safe space<br />
*** Legal documents<br />
*** Letters for grant writing<br />
** Find out how other organizations run their various programmes<br />
** Partner with other organizations<br />
<br />
* '''Brainstorming Ideas which could help'''<br />
** A Bike!Bike! Wiki<br />
** Have more involved wiki moderators who will make suggestions for improvements<br />
** News feed on wiki<br />
** Email individuals to improve pages<br />
** New list-serve other than the [[Think Tank]] which can be used for these emails<br />
** More list-serves for different purposes<br />
** Online Forums<br />
** Request documents, pages, and improvements once a year or at other regular intervals<br />
** Rid the wiki of closed shops<br />
** RSS feeds on the wiki<br />
** Separate blog or paper news<br />
** Paypal donations on [[BCN]] or the wiki<br />
** An umbrella or 'helping hand' organization<br />
** A seed fund<br />
** Micro Loans for starting up shops<br />
** A no-reply list-serve<br />
<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
* An 'umbrella' organization goes against many principles that are held by most shops however a 'helping hand' organization that acts as a third party to facilitate to spread of knowledge and possibly funds would likely not.<br />
* To improve the wiki it will take some active moderating and contacting of individuals.<br />
* The wiki is difficult to navigate so it should be reorganized<br />
* Bikecollectives.org is not serving any other purpose other than providing the wiki.<br />
* The [[Think Tank]] is too much for many to handle, there are too many emails about things that many don't care about.<br />
<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
* Godwin promised to contact the current owners of bikevollectives.org to see if improvements could be made.<br />
* Adding increased moderation of the wiki will be looked into<br />
<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Contact ==<br />
* [[Bike!Bike!]] website: http://www.bikebike.org<br />
* [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|The Bike Cave]]'s website: http://thebikecave.org<br />
* Email: [mailto:bikebike2011@gmail.com bikebike2011@gmail.com]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Bike!Bike!]]</div>Sharperhttps://wiki2.bikelover.org/wiki/index.php?title=Bike!Bike!_2011&diff=11186Bike!Bike! 20112011-06-29T19:12:59Z<p>Sharper: /* Operating a mobile on-the-go repair clinic through the city and community organizations */</p>
<hr />
<div>'''Bike!Bike! 2011''' was held in San Marcos, Texas; hosted by [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|The Bike Cave]] and [[The San Marcos Community Bike Project]]. It took place from June 23-26th, 2011.[[File:bikebikebike2a.jpg]]<br />
<br />
==Summary==<br />
<br />
= Schedule =<br />
== Wednesday June 22 ==<br />
{|border="1" align="center" style="text-align:center;"<br />
|1:00-6:00pm||Pick up a loaner bike (if you're staying the night in Austin) at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|2:00pm - 6:00pm||Open house at UT's Orange Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|6:00 -10:00pm||Open house at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|11:00pm||Open house at Movemint Bike Cab Co. Shop (1301 east 4th street) <br />
|}<br />
<br />
== Thursday June 23 ==<br />
{|border="1" align="center" style="text-align:center;"<br />
|11:00am - 1:00pm||Pick up your loaner bike (if you've just arrived in Austin) at Austin's Yellow Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|1:00pm||Group ride from Austin's Yellow Bike Project to San Marcos (there will be a truck to take your things to San Marcos)<br />
|-<br />
|12:00 - 8:00pm||Check-In at San Marcos Public Library ($25 - $45, pay what you can, nobody will be turned away for lack of funds. Pick up your loaner bike and housing arraignments)<br />
|-<br />
|2:00 - 8:00pm||Fix up your bike at The Bike Cave<br />
|-<br />
|7:00 - 8:00pm||Welcome / Speak up & speak out!<br />
|-<br />
|8:00pm - 10:00pm||Casual welcome dinner at City / Plaza Park with music by Mariachi Nueva Generacion<br />
|-<br />
|9:30pm||A screening of "Dudey Free Zone: Women's and Transgender Bike Spaces" plus other short bike-related films. At The Bike Project<br />
|}<br />
<br />
== Friday June 24 ==<br />
{|border="1" align="center" style="text-align:center;"<br />
|8:00am - 1:00pm||Check-In continued for those who get here late at The Bike Project<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|1:00 - 2:30pm||Lunch<br />
|-<br />
|2:30 - 4:00pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|8:00pm - 9:00pm||The future of Bike! Bike! - a discussion to figure out where we're heading, and how we're getting there. A preview of which project(s) are interested in hosting in 2012.<br />
|-<br />
|7:00pm - 10:30pm||Bike polo on top of Speck Street Parking Garage (there will be a group ride leaving from Rio Vista at 6:00pm)<br />
|-<br />
|8:00 -11:00pm||Concert at The Bike Project<br />
|}<br />
<br />
== Saturday June 25 ==<br />
{|border="1" align="center" style="text-align:center;"<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30am - 11:00am||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 12:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|1:00 - 2:30pm||Lunch<br />
|-<br />
|2:30 - 4:00pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|4:15pm - 5:45pm||Workshops<br />
|-<br />
|9:00pm - 12:00am||BIKE! RIDE! BIKE! RIDE!<br />
|-<br />
|12:00am - ???||Dance party<br />
|}<br />
<br />
== Sunday June 26 ==<br />
{|border="1" align="center" style="text-align:center;"<br />
|8:00 - 9:00am||Yoga (including a light breakfast)<br />
|-<br />
|8:30 - 9:30am||Breakfast<br />
|-<br />
|9:30 - 11:00am||Workshops / final brainstorm<br />
|-<br />
|11:15am - 1:00pm||Closing meeting, Bike! Bike! 2012 discussion<br />
|}<br />
<br />
= Workshops =<br />
== A bike tour of San Marcos green spaces ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Acquiring a permanent space (instead of renting, working with the city for land or a building, fund-raising and micro-loans. ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Acro yoga: skillshare ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Analyzing work flows within a bike project: setting up committees and more effective follow-up. How to reduce "ball droppage" ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Bike touring! What to take, how to pack, where to sleep and eat, and of course, where to go. ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Classes, Workshops, Space: Doing Meaningful Outreach with Communities in Your Neighborhood ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Confronting "car culture"; dealing with dominant culture on a personal level and effecting cultural shift. ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Decision making - the good, the bad, and the ugly. A reprise of 2010's Battlefield: Consensus. ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== How the City of San Marcos, Texas bicycle map was created ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== How to manage expectations and orient new people quickly to the cooperative shop environment ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Integrating bikes into the university fabric via student and staff collaboration ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Managing social rides to promote bicycling ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Operating a mobile on-the-go repair clinic through the city and community organizations ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
The original facilitator did not show up for this workshop but the intent was fairly self evident by the name of the workshop. It was begun with a go-around and then by asking the question 'who currently operates a mobile repair unit?'<br />
<br />
The [[Bike Cage]] from Winnipeg told us that they began as a purely mobile shop until they had enough resources and a space to operate from a permanent location. The [[Bike Root]] from Calgary told us that the opposite was true for them, they began with a full shop but after losing their space, kept operations going by setting up in various locations on their campus and around town.<br />
<br />
==== To fix or not? Where do you draw the line? ====<br />
There were various answers to this question, some shops will only fix flats and minor brake and gear issues. Others were willing to fix anything as long as the tools were available. Arguments for the former included<br />
* lack of proper tools<br />
* lack of more advanced tools or replacement parts in case anything went wrong<br />
* lack of knowledge / trust in the knowledge of some casual volunteers that might attend a mobile repair clinic<br />
* some provide more hand on repair for mobile units to decrease liability in case a bike owner injures themselves but providing more complicated repairs ourselves increases liability in case the owner injures themselves on their bike afterwards.<br />
<br />
and for the latter:<br />
* We should do our best to get more bikes fixed and on the road<br />
* We're confident in our skills<br />
* The worst thing that might happen is that a bike that wasn't on the road is now still not on the road<br />
* We make bike owners fix their bikes themselves so we are not liable<br />
<br />
==== Other services ====<br />
In addition to offering minor repairs, the Bike Cage's mobile unit doubles as a bike valet service. There was no elaboration on how the system works.<br />
<br />
==== Getting the message across that a mobile tune tent is not a fully functioning tent ====<br />
It seemed to be a common problem that when individuals in the community would hear about a free tune-up possibility, they would often bring in bikes that need repairs far beyond what could be done at a tune tent. It was suggested to avoid this, advertise as "light bike repair".<br />
<br />
==== Who holds the tools? ====<br />
We had a discussion about if the volunteer should fix the bike for the owner or provide the owner with the tools and teach how to fix the bike hands-off. Whether or not tools were handed to the bike owner, teaching at least by the volunteer explaining what he or she was doing seemed to be the norm. The issues behind whether or not to let the owner fix the bike seemed to be liability dependent on both sides. If the volunteer fixes the bike, the shop becomes liable if the bike causes injury down the road while normally the bike owner has not signed a liability waiver to use the tools, so the shop could be liable if they hurt themselves while repairing their bike.<br />
<br />
==== Ride or drive? ====<br />
We had a discussion on whether or not to drive the equipment to the location or use a trailer. No one seemed to be passionate for either but there are a lot of options out there for trailers big and small. [[Fargo Moorhead Community Bicycle Workshop|Fargo]] rides with a huge 4x6 trailer.<br />
<br />
==== Off topic discussion ====<br />
The conversation went off topic many times but did produce a few interesting ideas:<br />
* [[The Orioles Bike Cage|Winnipeg]] uses a punch card, much like one you would find a a coffee shop or fast food location, to punch out skills that a volunteer has learned. Once the card is completely punched the volunteer can start fixing bikes for others.<br />
* While discussing how to get enough replacement parts, another bike shop told us they provide local bike shops with barrels which the shops can use to put parts that are still usable but would otherwise throw away. The barrels would be picked up and emptied at regular intervals. This shop did not have a problem finding parts when needed as a result.<br />
<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Recycled bike art - Turning garbage into gold ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Software developers exchange: projects being worked on, have worked on, or areas they (you) are interested / skilled in ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Teaching & learning styles in community bike shops; a discussion about different approaches, what works and what doesn't work as well ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== The future of Bike! Bike!. Where are we going and how are we going to get there? Also, a quick (but no-decisions-made) discussion about where Bike! Bike! will be held in 2012 (that will be decided during the final meeting on Sunday, June 26). ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Utilizing free open-source software (operating systems and work documents) to benefit your project. ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Volunteer orientation: Addressing safe space concerns, and a conversation about empowering and maintaining a committed volunteer base ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Weather? What weather? How you and your bike can survive the heat and the cold (two workshops). ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Women and Transgender shop hours: Policies, Politics, Allies ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working in under-privileged communities: challenges and opportunities ==<br />
=== Description ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Working Together: Increasing Inter-Organization Collaboration ==<br />
The intention of this workshop was to talk about all of the ways in which we as bicycle collectives of different sorts who run our services in many different ways, can share our experiences, successes, failures, and tangible output in order to help other collectives both start and continue to thrive.<br />
<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
[[User:Godwin|Godwin]] directed this workshop while [[Bob Wolfe]] facilitated in providing a speakers list. A large sheet of paper was used to help keep visible notes, at the end of the discussion the notes were the following:<br />
* '''Current Tools'''<br />
** [[BOOP]]<br />
** [[Bike!Bike!]]<br />
** [[Think Tank]]<br />
** [[Bike Collectives Network]]<br />
** [[Bike Collectives Wiki]]<br />
** Various collaborative tools such as our Google Docs list of organizations and Google Maps visualization of orgs across North America<br />
<br />
* '''What we need these tools for'''<br />
** Learn how to start a collective<br />
** Learn how to continue running a collective<br />
** Find example documents<br />
*** Volunteer Privileges<br />
*** Todo for new volunteers<br />
*** Financials<br />
*** Fliers<br />
*** Curricula<br />
*** Manuals<br />
*** 501c and not-for-profit forms<br />
*** Tool lists<br />
*** Inventory<br />
*** Price guide<br />
*** Mission statement<br />
*** Bylaws<br />
*** Safe space<br />
*** Legal documents<br />
*** Letters for grant writing<br />
** Find out how other organizations run their various programmes<br />
** Partner with other organizations<br />
<br />
* '''Brainstorming Ideas which could help'''<br />
** A Bike!Bike! Wiki<br />
** Have more involved wiki moderators who will make suggestions for improvements<br />
** News feed on wiki<br />
** Email individuals to improve pages<br />
** New list-serve other than the [[Think Tank]] which can be used for these emails<br />
** More list-serves for different purposes<br />
** Online Forums<br />
** Request documents, pages, and improvements once a year or at other regular intervals<br />
** Rid the wiki of closed shops<br />
** RSS feeds on the wiki<br />
** Separate blog or paper news<br />
** Paypal donations on [[BCN]] or the wiki<br />
** An umbrella or 'helping hand' organization<br />
** A seed fund<br />
** Micro Loans for starting up shops<br />
** A no-reply list-serve<br />
<br />
=== Key Points ===<br />
* An 'umbrella' organization goes against many principles that are held by most shops however a 'helping hand' organization that acts as a third party to facilitate to spread of knowledge and possibly funds would likely not.<br />
* To improve the wiki it will take some active moderating and contacting of individuals.<br />
* The wiki is difficult to navigate so it should be reorganized<br />
* Bikecollectives.org is not serving any other purpose other than providing the wiki.<br />
* The [[Think Tank]] is too much for many to handle, there are too many emails about things that many don't care about.<br />
<br />
=== Outcome ===<br />
* Godwin promised to contact the current owners of bikevollectives.org to see if improvements could be made.<br />
* Adding increased moderation of the wiki will be looked into<br />
<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Contact ==<br />
* [[Bike!Bike!]] website: http://www.bikebike.org<br />
* [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|The Bike Cave]]'s website: http://thebikecave.org<br />
* Email: [mailto:bikebike2011@gmail.com bikebike2011@gmail.com]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Bike!Bike!]]</div>Sharperhttps://wiki2.bikelover.org/wiki/index.php?title=Sacramento_Bicycle_Kitchen&diff=11175Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen2011-06-29T02:25:25Z<p>Sharper: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:SBK_-_Scrollwork_Logo.png|thumb|Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen]]<br />
<br />
The '''Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen''' is a non-profit, volunteer run organization dedicated to teaching people how to fix their own bikes. We offer a place to learn and teach all things bicycle to all members of the community.<br />
<br />
==Mission Statement==<br />
The Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen exists to promote cycling as a low-cost, alternative form of transportation; enable self-sufficiency through knowledge of bicycle maintenance; and promote bicycle safety through education and classes.<br />
<br />
==Shop structure==<br />
The Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen operates with a figurehead Board of Directors, composed of the legally required officers: President, Secretary, and Treasurer. This group has delegated all policy and management to a "Core" group of around a dozen volunteers holding special assignments (financial coordination, shift management, volunteer coordination, and so on). Consistent volunteers are invited to a "staff" group of anywhere from 20 to 50 volunteers.<br />
<br />
All other persons in the shop are "patrons." Patrons are expected to donate money or time in exchange for the Bike Kitchen's services; Earn-A-Bike program participants are considered patrons paying for their bike with time, rather than as volunteers in the shop.<br />
<br />
===Keys===<br />
In general, the Core list is congruent with the list of non-vendor keyholders.<br />
<br />
==Services Offered==<br />
===Earn-A-Bike===<br />
Participants must complete ten hours (usually three shifts) of in-shop volunteering at any tasks. Participants are not allowed to work on the bike they will be taking home, but may work on others. At the completion of the ten hours, they receive a bike of our choosing, up to one a year, with exceptions rarely made with the shop manager's approval.<br />
<br />
===DIY maintenance===<br />
Tools and a stand are provided (a $5 donation is recommended) to anyone looking to borrow tools to work on their bike. For most shifts, volunteers are available to answer any maintenance questions and help ensure patrons learn mechanical skills at no extra charge.<br />
<br />
===Sales===<br />
Donated used parts are available. Generic parts are each sold for $5 or less, with higher-end parts held in a display case and marked with a special price. Used tubes are given away, but are uninspected and any patches necessary to fix a tube are available if the tube will be patched in-shop.<br />
<br />
Donated used bikes are available, priced based on the bike's operating condition and level of quality.<br />
<br />
No tools are sold. No new parts are sold, other than cables and housing.<br />
<br />
===Mobile fixery===<br />
A small mobile unit is set up to provide basic maintenance at festivals and special events. Most mobile repairs are done by volunteers, rather than by patrons. Used parts are not available from the mobile fixery.<br />
<br />
==Hours==<br />
Tuesday, 6pm-9pm<br />
Wednesday, 6pm-9pm<br />
Thursday, 6pm-9pm<br />
Friday, 10am-2pm (everyone) and 6pm-8pm (for kids and families only)<br />
Saturday, 12pm-4pm<br />
<br />
==History==<br />
The Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen started in early 2006 with a post to the internet forum CraigsList. It quickly grew into an an actual shop working out of the BrickHouse's space on Broadway in Oak Park in June, 2006. After two years of solvency and serving an underprivileged community in Oak Park, the shop moved to a more centralized space in midtown, picking up a different underprivileged community (an unofficial slogan is "fleecing hipsters to help the homeless") and opening up the option of special events with midtown's signature "Second Saturday". Operations at the new shop began with a big Second Saturday party in January, 2009.<br />
<br />
==Contact Info==<br />
Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen<br />
1915 I Street<br />
Sacramento, California, USA<br />
<br />
http://sacbikekitchen.org/<br />
mailto:info@sacbikekitchen.org<br />
<br />
<br />
== See Also ==<br />
<br />
* [[Community Bicycle Organizations]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Community Bicycle Organizations]]</div>Sharperhttps://wiki2.bikelover.org/wiki/index.php?title=Sacramento_Bicycle_Kitchen&diff=11174Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen2011-06-29T02:24:46Z<p>Sharper: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:SBK - Scrollwork logo.jpg|thumb|Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen]]<br />
<br />
The '''Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen''' is a non-profit, volunteer run organization dedicated to teaching people how to fix their own bikes. We offer a place to learn and teach all things bicycle to all members of the community.<br />
<br />
==Mission Statement==<br />
The Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen exists to promote cycling as a low-cost, alternative form of transportation; enable self-sufficiency through knowledge of bicycle maintenance; and promote bicycle safety through education and classes.<br />
<br />
==Shop structure==<br />
The Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen operates with a figurehead Board of Directors, composed of the legally required officers: President, Secretary, and Treasurer. This group has delegated all policy and management to a "Core" group of around a dozen volunteers holding special assignments (financial coordination, shift management, volunteer coordination, and so on). Consistent volunteers are invited to a "staff" group of anywhere from 20 to 50 volunteers.<br />
<br />
All other persons in the shop are "patrons." Patrons are expected to donate money or time in exchange for the Bike Kitchen's services; Earn-A-Bike program participants are considered patrons paying for their bike with time, rather than as volunteers in the shop.<br />
<br />
===Keys===<br />
In general, the Core list is congruent with the list of non-vendor keyholders.<br />
<br />
==Services Offered==<br />
===Earn-A-Bike===<br />
Participants must complete ten hours (usually three shifts) of in-shop volunteering at any tasks. Participants are not allowed to work on the bike they will be taking home, but may work on others. At the completion of the ten hours, they receive a bike of our choosing, up to one a year, with exceptions rarely made with the shop manager's approval.<br />
<br />
===DIY maintenance===<br />
Tools and a stand are provided (a $5 donation is recommended) to anyone looking to borrow tools to work on their bike. For most shifts, volunteers are available to answer any maintenance questions and help ensure patrons learn mechanical skills at no extra charge.<br />
<br />
===Sales===<br />
Donated used parts are available. Generic parts are each sold for $5 or less, with higher-end parts held in a display case and marked with a special price. Used tubes are given away, but are uninspected and any patches necessary to fix a tube are available if the tube will be patched in-shop.<br />
<br />
Donated used bikes are available, priced based on the bike's operating condition and level of quality.<br />
<br />
No tools are sold. No new parts are sold, other than cables and housing.<br />
<br />
===Mobile fixery===<br />
A small mobile unit is set up to provide basic maintenance at festivals and special events. Most mobile repairs are done by volunteers, rather than by patrons. Used parts are not available from the mobile fixery.<br />
<br />
==Hours==<br />
Tuesday, 6pm-9pm<br />
Wednesday, 6pm-9pm<br />
Thursday, 6pm-9pm<br />
Friday, 10am-2pm (everyone) and 6pm-8pm (for kids and families only)<br />
Saturday, 12pm-4pm<br />
<br />
==History==<br />
The Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen started in early 2006 with a post to the internet forum CraigsList. It quickly grew into an an actual shop working out of the BrickHouse's space on Broadway in Oak Park in June, 2006. After two years of solvency and serving an underprivileged community in Oak Park, the shop moved to a more centralized space in midtown, picking up a different underprivileged community (an unofficial slogan is "fleecing hipsters to help the homeless") and opening up the option of special events with midtown's signature "Second Saturday". Operations at the new shop began with a big Second Saturday party in January, 2009.<br />
<br />
==Contact Info==<br />
Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen<br />
1915 I Street<br />
Sacramento, California, USA<br />
<br />
http://sacbikekitchen.org/<br />
mailto:info@sacbikekitchen.org<br />
<br />
<br />
== See Also ==<br />
<br />
* [[Community Bicycle Organizations]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Community Bicycle Organizations]]</div>Sharperhttps://wiki2.bikelover.org/wiki/index.php?title=User:Sharper&diff=11144User:Sharper2011-06-28T02:28:47Z<p>Sharper: </p>
<hr />
<div>I'm generally a more transportation- than recreational-minded rider, owning little spandex or tweed. I'm the corporate Secretary (for what ''that's'' worth) and a Core member of the [[Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen]] in Sacramento, California. At SBK, I provide general tech guruship, manage the Thursday night shift, and serve as a general sort of administrative whip in lieu of having an executive director. With my free time, I also serve as the vice-president of the Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates, Sacramento's bicycle advocacy org. The two have an improving relationship; SABA no longer thinks SBK is just for fixie-riding hipsters, and SBK has moved on from considering SABA the organization where recumbent-riders go to retire.<br />
<br />
My day job is as the tech-nerd-in-resident at a small retirement plan administration company. I'm also active in a Roman and Greek history reading group, graduated from California State University, Sacramento, with a degree in Government, practice yoga, try to play bass in a rock and roll band, and am living happily with my girlfriend Morgan and my great dane Townshend. Pictures (of him, not her) available on request.</div>Sharperhttps://wiki2.bikelover.org/wiki/index.php?title=File:SBK_-_Scrollwork_Logo.png&diff=11143File:SBK - Scrollwork Logo.png2011-06-28T02:16:22Z<p>Sharper: </p>
<hr />
<div>The more elaborate (read: T-shirtified) version of the Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen's hand-in-chainring logo.</div>Sharperhttps://wiki2.bikelover.org/wiki/index.php?title=File:SBK_-_Scrollwork_Logo.png&diff=11142File:SBK - Scrollwork Logo.png2011-06-28T02:15:01Z<p>Sharper: The more elaborate (read: T-shirtified) version of the Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen's hand-in-chaingring logo.</p>
<hr />
<div>The more elaborate (read: T-shirtified) version of the Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen's hand-in-chaingring logo.</div>Sharperhttps://wiki2.bikelover.org/wiki/index.php?title=Bike!Bike!&diff=11135Bike!Bike!2011-06-27T21:56:02Z<p>Sharper: </p>
<hr />
<div>'''Bike!Bike!''' is an annual international conference of nonprofit bike collectives and other bicycle projects. It began in 2004 in New Orleans and has been hosted by a different city each year since.<br />
<br />
== Location ==<br />
The location changes from year to year with a different shop or collective hosting. As of yet, only one has been held outside of the United States which was [[Bike!Bike! 2010]] in Toronto.<br />
<br />
In addition to New Orleans, Bike!Bike! has been held in San Francisco, Pittsburg, Minneapolis, Toronto, and<br />
[[Bike!Bike!_2011|San Marcos, TX, in 2011]].<br />
<br />
Vancouver will host the [[Bike!Bike!_2012|2012 Bike!Bike!]].<br />
<br />
== Date ==<br />
Generally Bike!Bike! is held at some point during the summer months, starting on a Thursday and ending the following Sunday.<br />
<br />
== Funding ==<br />
Most of the funding required to host Bike!Bike! comes directly from registration fees collected from participants from the previous year. The fee is a suggested donation, usually between $25 and $45.<br />
<br />
== Responsibilities of the Host Project ==<br />
A host can generally run Bike!Bike! in whatever way they may please but over the years some key features have become expected by many from the host project.<br />
<br />
=== Food ===<br />
=== Workshops ===<br />
=== Housing ===<br />
=== Bikes ===<br />
=== Directions ===<br />
=== Group Rides ===<br />
=== Dance Party ===<br />
=== bikebike.org ===<br />
<br />
<br />
== Photos ==<br />
* [http://www.flickr.com/search/?ss=2&w=all&q=bikebike&m=text Flickr Photos]<br />
<br />
== Links ==<br />
* [http://www.bikebike.org/ Bike!Bike! Homepage]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Bike!Bike!]]</div>Sharperhttps://wiki2.bikelover.org/wiki/index.php?title=Bike!Bike!_2010&diff=11134Bike!Bike! 20102011-06-27T21:52:32Z<p>Sharper: /* Summary */</p>
<hr />
<div>'''Bike!Bike! 2010''' was hosted in Toronto, Ontario by [[Bike Pirates]], from August 12-14, 2010.<br />
[[Image:Bikebike2010.jpg|thumb|300px|Bike!Bike! 2010 poster]]<br />
<br />
==Summary==<br />
A few workshops were cancelled and a few had no facilitation. Four workshops were held at a time, each with about fifty people attending. <br />
<br />
Bike Bike 2010 organizers would like to thank the pack of dedicated volunteers that operated the kitchen and supplied people with breakfast, lunch and dinner for four days. Organic, vegan and gluten-free food was provided to all. You helped make it possible.<br />
<br />
Some Bike Bike delegates from the states where surprised to see how many cyclists ride Toronto's narrow urban streets. <br />
<br />
The first night, there was a picnic-style dinner in the park. The next night, there was a scavenger hunt and an outdoor movie night in park followed by a midnight swim on the shores of Lake Ontario. After the workshops on Saturday, some delegates were taken on a tour of Toronto's five DIY bike spaces. Then after the tour, there was hot and steamy all-night dance party fun. <br />
<br />
On Sunday, there was a group discussion to plan for future BikeBikes. It was decided that the next [[Bike!Bike! 2011]] will be held in San Marcos, Texas. Fargo was asked to hold a winter bike bike. Forty people came in from Montreal, Canada. They will be committing a regional bike bike named velo velo in the end of September, 2010. There was some talk of New York hosting a regional bike bike. Delegates from Los Angeles showed interest in hosting bike bike in 2012 but that will be decided in San Marcos. New Orleans group Plan B wishes to host the tenth anniversary of bike bike 2013.<br />
<br />
= Workshops =<br />
In the overview, please make mention of the facilitators, format of the workshop, and whatever other information you might think helpful. The overview should contain a description of the topic but no record of what happened in the workshop. Feedback is meant to be a constructive aid for those who ran the workshop; keep in mind many of the facilitators had no prior experience with this type of workshop before this conference.<br />
<br />
Don't be afraid to make changes to someone else's work if you can make any improvements.<br />
<br />
== 3-Speed Hubs and the trouble with Sexism ==<br />
=== Overview ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Anti-Racism! ==<br />
=== Overview ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Battlefield: Consensus! ==<br />
=== Overview ===<br />
This workshop was run by one member of the [[Right To Move]] and some others probably too. The turnout was large, probably about 40 people. The workshop was run like a real workshop with the participants interacting with each other and then commenting on what was perceived.<br />
<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
The workshop started with each participant choosing another participant under the condition that the two had not yet met. Each person introduced themselves and described their shop. Afterwards each person was asked to introduce their partner and talk about their shop. What was observed was that each person had a pre-conceived notion of what queations were important to ask and on top of that, what answers were important to speak about or remember. This was to demonstrate that we all do not think in the same way, often this causes conflicts because two people can be focussed on different details of an argument. This can also be a benefit since sometimes we forget to ask questions that others may think of.<br />
<br />
In the next stage, a group of 7 or so participants were chosen at random and put in the center of the group. They were given a scenario which needed a decision in 20 minutes.<br />
<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
I found it great that an actual workshop was offered, many of us know how concensus works but often don't work at improving how we use it. Unfortunately there were too many people to effeciently achieve this as one group, perhaps seperating into more groups may have been more beneficial. The first stage was very enlightening but the second was less so since it did not involve everyone and also, those that were involved did not have experience working with one another (and sometimes with concensus at all). --[[User:Godwin|Godwin]] 20:07, 24 August 2010 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Bike Advocacy/Working with the City ==<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Overview ===<br />
Working with the following 5 distinct groups is a comprehensive approach to bicycle advocacy. During the workshop, the group discussed various ways they have engaged each group and either found challenges or success.<br />
<br />
1. Professional Organizations<br />
<br />
2. Local News<br />
<br />
3. Police/Fire Department<br />
<br />
4. City Council<br />
<br />
5. ????<br />
<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
IDEAS:<br />
- Bike sauce Toronto: they have a bike advocacy position on the board of directors.<br />
- Bike Sauce motto: Learn how to fix your bike and fix your city<br />
- go to all events<br />
- be members of other bike/ped/green organizations<br />
- look for examples and precendents from other cities for new programs<br />
- when doing advocacy work, individuals from EAB can speak for themselves. Also, EAB can do the research and educational materials, and we can promote events.<br />
- we should have a dedicated PR person<br />
- We can write letters to the editor<br />
- W/ PR, have some agreed upon talking points before going public<br />
- For events, paint a picture of what will be happening<br />
<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Bike Book Club! ==<br />
=== Overview ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Bike Polo! Mallet making and game ==<br />
=== Overview ===<br />
This workshop ended up having to be cancelled, and was replace by another workshop in the same time slot.<br />
<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Bike Sharing! ==<br />
=== Overview ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
<br />
<br />
* Have education as a component so people take better care of bikes<br />
* Check-in/Check-out done through rec-center, can use web-interface<br />
* Waiver & be sure bike is in reasonably good order<br />
* Need to be a member of the co-op in order to be eligible to borrow?<br />
** Can be a good incentive for people to become members at Free Ride<br />
* Can buy a bike and get 1/2 back for what they pay<br />
** Somebody can buy a fixed-up bike and then return the bike to get 1/2 of their money back when they are done with the bike if returned within three months. This would be like a library bike system except that it is OK if they end up keeping the bike permanently<br />
** Also makes the price of borrowing depend on the bike and can scale to let people borrow the nicer bikes so they are not limited to only the bad ones<br />
**Problem: The shop that does this has no effective way to keep track of "returned-donated" (money back) versus "donated" (tax-deductible receipt only) other than word of mouth and little scraps of paper.<br />
* Keep designation simple, one group make all the bikes the same color. The library became known as the "yellow bike program"<br />
* Some groups used an open-source software to keep track. I think it was called something like bike-a-ma-jiggy developed by Andrew Hall and Bernetts? (Not sure on spelling, etc.)<br />
* http://www.ibike.org/encouragement/freebike/details.htm<br />
<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
<br />
== Bike Touring: Skillshare ==<br />
=== Overview ===<br />
facilitators: Daniel and Courtney from SF, Ricky from Santa Barbara, Willie from New Orleans<br />
<br />
40 or 50 of us gathered in the shade outside diabolo's cafe on the U of T campus to talk about bike touring. workshop participants who had toured to toronto from montreal, kalamazoo, troy, and beyond shared their experiences. the major message was that bike touring is a fantastic, cheap, sustainable way of life that everyone should try at some point. lots of methods and strategies for making super-cheap diy equipment (stoves, panniers, bags, etc.) and super-cheap-and-delicious camping food were discussed. <br />
<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
here's what Courtney, one of the facilitators, emailed out to workshop participants:<br />
<br />
:This is Courtney of the Bike Touring Workshop. Thanks for being so patient with me and this email of links that I promised. Guess what! I'm on bike tour! So it took me a little while to get to a place where I could type in all your emails. Here's a few links to get you started. I know there are more out there but I wanted to get these out right away while you're all still interested. <br />
<br />
:Here's the site for making your own stoves. This is pretty extensive. All of them work. The best thing to remember is that anything will work. You can use a nothing more than pool of alcohol in a can and light it on fire. Set a pot hovering above it and your food will cook. Some are more efficient than others but the cat can idea is really useful when all else fails (due to weather or altitude restrictions). (it's also really helpful when you want to just finish a dish off, like cooking pasta, and your stove ran out of fuel and it won't light up again for a couple minutes because you're 4 km above sea level)<br />
:http://zenstoves.net/Stoves.htm<br />
<br />
:The penny stove is pretty amazing and my favorite. It's a little more complicated to make but not much more. You can find it here<br />
:http://www.jureystudio.com/pennystove/stoveinstruct.html<br />
<br />
:This is a collection of blogs. The best way to learn is from other people who have already done it. You can read all kinds of blogs from all over the world here.<br />
:http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/<br />
<br />
:Someone wanted bike touring in winter suggestions. This guy has done it. Touring in the winter can be fun but challenging. I wouldn't recommend running out to the middle of nowhere Alaska on your first bike tour (into the wild?) but the real challenge is staying warm and using all the usually winter bike techniques. <br />
:http://www.bicycletouring101.com/InterviewWinterTouringTony.htm<br />
<br />
:Tooting my own horn:<br />
:http://biketourperu.blogspot.com<br />
<br />
:Making Panniers is really very easy. You can do it out of anything. You just need hooks and some bungies to strap it down at the bottom to keep your bag from jumping off the rack. Here's a classic DIY pannier. It's great because it's waterproof and durable. A little on the heavy side but once you have all the weight on your bike you don't notice much difference.<br />
:http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=1gci&doc_id=1841&v=v<br />
<br />
:You can go to the hardware store and buy the hooks you saw on the last link or you can buy nice pannier hooks. Now that I've used the hardware store kind for so long, I kind of covet these. <br />
:http://www.google.com/products?q=pannier+hooks&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=yGd0TMjKN8GC8gbxrtj1CA&sa=X&oi=product_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CDUQrQQwAA<br />
<br />
:Ok! If you don't want me to keep sending you ideas about bike touring, just let me know and I'll stop. Otherwise I hope to have more ideas. If you have any you'd like to pass along, let me know as well! I love to learn. <br />
<br />
:Yay Bike Tour! Go Tyvek!<br />
:Courtney<br />
<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
i thought it was pretty rad. thanks, facilitators! for sharing your knowledge and enthusiasm<br />
''—chris from troy''<br />
<br />
== Bikes + Universities ==<br />
=== Overview ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
<br />
== BooP/Thinktank/bikewiki brainstorm ==<br />
=== Overview ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Cargo bikes! ==<br />
=== Overview ===<br />
The cargo bikes session was lead by members of the Troy Bike Rescue (www.troybikerescue.org), and in particular Dakota Callahan and Andrew Lynn. The presentation was a picture powerpoint accompanied by discussions and Q&A regarding DIY cargo bike creation and use. The aim of the discussion was to see what the role of the cargo bike will play in our pedal powered revolution, and how we can make them a integral part of our shops and our daily lives.<br />
<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
<br />
Many of the attendees were interested in building their own cargo bikes for their shops or personal use. Such things were discussed as how to build jigs, what type of steel is ideal, how to determine what kind of steel you are using, and what kind of wheel systems are most efficient. <br />
<br />
Jigs: @TBR we use an assortment of basic jigs to achieve our main goals with bicycles. These main goals are to either A) Extend bicycles or B) make them taller. We use a large PVC pole that is the same diameter as a standard head tube for the purpose of stacking head tubes and maintaining proper alignment, as well as using long sets of angle iron and clamps to align bottom brackets so that multiple frames extended remain straight. <br />
<br />
Type of steel: More info later when i am not at work<br />
<br />
Wheel systems: 2 wheel systems seem to be the best choice for most situations and light to medium cargo-ing-ness. 2 wheels are easier to pull along than the traditional 4 (2 on bike and 2 on trailer) as well as maintain stability at higher speeds. Anyone who has dragged a trailer before can attest to the sometimes awkwardness of high speed travel with a non leaning load on the back of the bike. <br />
<br />
that being said, heavy weight and low speed is easily dealt with on a 2 wheel trailer, as many of us have seen before with other peoples mobile clinics and general cargo usage.<br />
<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Co-Op Incubator Program ==<br />
=== Overview ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
<br />
<br />
===== Getting volunteers =====<br />
<br />
* Try a volunteer exchange<br />
** A fun idea brought up where different cities provide housing for visitors to work in a different shop for a period of time<br />
* Develop a mission statement and review regularly to keep the organization on track<br />
** One of the first things newcomers learn about is the mission statement<br />
* Wrench 10 shifts, 2 hour orientation, use a D-list specifically for shadows, quarterly "cooks" meeting (Bike kitchen)<br />
** Shadower workbook that is like an interactive quiz that can be signed off<br />
* Staff (council) must all wrench at some point, some minimum amount. <br />
** Everyone must be involved in the shop<br />
* Weekly potluck<br />
* Staff-only nights have been helpful<br />
** Sopo has tried a few things are really like the staff-only nights<br />
* Keep track of active/inactive "cooks" (Staff)<br />
** Have a way for people to keep track<br />
* Use shiftboard and an appointment book to schedule people<br />
* Pizza & Beer every Saturday after shop closes, makes an informal and fun environment<br />
<br />
<br />
===== Space =====<br />
<br />
* Find community leaders & politicians about finding space. <br />
** Must be persistent with asking<br />
** Highlight value to why this is a good use of the space<br />
** Establish a community interest<br />
*** Network and publish annual report to make success publicly known<br />
<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Cooperating with for-profit bike shops ==<br />
=== Overview ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Design and Organization of Teaching in Your Space ==<br />
=== Overview ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
<br />
== Facilitating a paid position in your shop ==<br />
=== Overview ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Grant writing and Government Contracts ==<br />
=== Overview ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
==== Earned Income ====<br />
* Inconsistent for some<br />
** (Vancouver says their shop has fairly consistent income flow)<br />
* Some question making profit from donations (bikes) but it can easily be worded to show its positive side<br />
* Adopt-a-bike idea is another way to earn money, bikes are paid by suggested donation<br />
* Money can be earned though bike sharing, if only though late fees<br />
* Repairs:<br />
** Some shops do them, some don't<br />
** Some shops that do, do not guarantee a return time, in fact warn customers that they may not get their bikes back for a long time but many customers support the idea enough to be okay with that<br />
<br />
==== Private Funding ====<br />
* Lots of potential sources<br />
* Create partnerships with similar organizations<br />
* Do some research and find out what an organization funds<br />
** Often listed on their website<br />
** Some organizations only put funding into very specific areas of interest but you can often find one part of your organization that fits into one of these areas<br />
** For example, Norco will put finding into parts but not into non-tangible items<br />
* Call an organizations personally and create a relationship with the person/people who actually have a say in who gets funding<br />
* Start by writing small proposals and work up to larger ones<br />
* Many organizations with not be the sole funders, they want to see that your organization is sustainable and seeing that you have multiple funding sources puts them at ease<br />
** Usually 50% or less<br />
* Full support from private funders should not be relied on for the long-haul as it cannot be counted on from year to year<br />
* Have a set of written rules or constitution to abide by as to what concessions your organization is willing to make for funding<br />
** Ex: We will not include an advertisement or logo on our shop front<br />
** These rules should be agreed on and followed by everyone but can be changed as needed<br />
* Having a volunteer or employee that is dedicated to writing grants can be key<br />
<br />
==== Government Grants and Contracts ====<br />
* Generally not lenient with deadlines and working outside of the agreement as private organizations<br />
* Often do not pay upfront but your organization must first have the money to fund itself for a few months until it applies to be refunded<br />
** Requires that you have some money in the first place or that you take out a loan<br />
<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Greening our Green Transportation ==<br />
=== Overview ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== How to teach “hands off” ==<br />
=== Overview ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Kids' Bike Programming ==<br />
=== Overview ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Reaching New Immigrants ==<br />
=== Overview ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Recycled Bike Art! ==<br />
=== Overview ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Regional Bike!Bike! Report back ==<br />
=== Overview ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
i wasn't at this workshop, but this seems like a prudent space to mention that Newark's Brick City Bike Collective wants to host BikeBike Northeast 2011! this year's hosts, Troy Bike Rescue, think that is a great idea. [http://troybikerescue.org/node/94 click here to read&view a small mediareportback on BBNE2010].<br />
<br />
== Repair Classes as an Outreach tool ==<br />
=== Overview ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
<br />
== Vanquishing the Storage Monster ==<br />
=== Overview ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Volunteer Orientation Part 1: telling folks how you work and plugging them in ==<br />
=== Overview ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
<br />
==== High Level ====<br />
<br />
<br />
* Boise: have definition for volunteer and communicate mission<br />
** Can make a distinction between volunteering and work-trade. Free Ride does not, but other shops do<br />
<br />
===== Designing an orientation =====<br />
<br />
* Highlight how every bit of work fits into helping out in the big picture<br />
* What '''goals''' do we have for what volunteers can be?<br />
* Build expectations and give them to members & volunteers<br />
* What do volunteers get out of helping out? (Try to come up with at least 3 things)<br />
<br />
==== Implementation Details ====<br />
<br />
* Brake into small groups; explain the shop & emphasize the *mission* <br />
* May want to vary the frequency and scheduling of the orientation (Other groups have 1/month with about 20 people at each orientation<br />
<br />
<br />
===== Separate into 2 sections =====<br />
<br />
<br />
** Introduction<br />
** First steps in being trained (scraping bikes or some other hands-on activity, like doing a safety check maybe)<br />
*** The hands-on activity becomes like and initiation process, allowing people to become part of the group<br />
<br />
===== Process for Orientation =====<br />
<br />
* Talk to Sopo (Atlanta I think) & Boise projects to learn more about the details of their process<br />
<br />
* Use a "workbook" with specific skills. Each skill can be signed-off and when completed a person has finished "training."<br />
<br />
==== Extra Discussion ====<br />
<br />
* (Association of management of volunteers) Volunteer intake should be made long and arduous with several steps<br />
** People who are a good fit will make it through the steps and others will get self-eliminate<br />
* Role playing is fun & brings active participation to orientation <br />
* Follow-up: personalized thank-you.<br />
** Be sure to follow-up quickly to have a good impact<br />
** One group mails out hand-made cards to everybody<br />
* Elevate the position of being ''Volunteer'' as something very important and something to have pride in<br />
<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Volunteer Orientation Part 2: Mechanical orientation, tips and tricks for new wrenchers ==<br />
=== Overview ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Volunteer Retention and Burnout ==<br />
=== Overview ===<br />
A discussion of common problems and possible solutions for lack of volunteer retention and volunteer burnout. This workshop was facilitated by Zoe of the [[Brick City Bike Collective]] and [[User:Godwin|Godwin]] of [[The Bike Root]]. It was divided in half by both topics and on each half, a go around was done to identify the most common problems then a brainstorming session was done to see if possible solutions could be found to many of the problems. Approximately 40 people turned out.<br />
<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
====Retention====<br />
Why do we lose volunteers?<br />
* Sometimes the work they do starts to feel meaningless<br />
* Volunteers may not get the help needed and may get frustrated<br />
* Organizing meetings can be very long<br />
* Don't feel qualified<br />
* Don't feel empowered or welcome to start organizing<br />
* May leave once the weather turns foul<br />
<br />
<br />
Solutions:<br />
* Volunteer nights<br />
** approximately 3 hours long<br />
** one every week or two weeks<br />
* Talk to volunteers, see what they want to do<br />
** Have one-on-one meetings to ensure that volunteers are interested in what they are doing<br />
** '''Keep occasional volunteers interested and you'll get more long-term volunteers and mechanics'''<br />
* Develop a volunteer structure<br />
** Create a tiered setup with specific volunteer levels and rewards<br />
** Have dedicated roles with written job descriptions<br />
* Identify what the boring tasks are<br />
* Make a task list or binder<br />
* '''Make it Social'''<br />
<br />
==== Burnout ====<br />
Causes:<br />
* Not resolving problems<br />
* Feeling like no one else will do it<br />
* Loss of interest<br />
<br />
Solutions:<br />
* Behind the scenes work<br />
** Burnout notice<br />
** Talk with the volunteers<br />
** Offer a sabbatical<br />
** Plan a group retreat to talk about issues<br />
* Have more honesty in meetings<br />
** Have meetings to only discuss and vent volunteer issues<br />
* Don't plan long-term putting out fires<br />
* Rotate tasks<br />
** Write out tasks in a book<br />
* Make a policy that when only one volunteer shows up, close the shop and walk away<br />
<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Winter Riding Skill-share ==<br />
=== Overview ===<br />
This workshop covered safety issues and how to deal with the winter fashion police (i.e. how to dress appropriately!). As a group we discussed different ideas to get more people to ride during the winter months.<br />
<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
*[http://theflat.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/theflatwinterridinghandout1.pdf Winter Riding workshop handout]: Gives a quick overview of safety issues, bike modifications and dress tips.<br />
<br />
*'''Ideas to get more people to ride in winter'''<br />
** Coldest day of the year ride & January 1st rides<br />
** A box with donated winter riding clothes (e.g. extra gloves, sweaters, waterproofs etc.)<br />
** Ice polo / Ice races<br />
** Taking kids/others to parking lots (or other secluded / car-free spaces) to show them how much fun winter riding is!<br />
** Pledge signing / peer pressure: "I swear to not use a car for the duration of the winter"<br />
<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Women and Trans Hours: Policies, Politics, Allies ==<br />
=== Overview ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
In Davis, Women/Trans/Femme Night allows men who are core volunteers to attend one meeting with permission in advance only, to give them a sense of what happens/how it works when they aren't around. We also found that putting out large, painted signs has helped significantly for passers-by to understand that this isn't open shop.<br />
<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
== Yoga for Cyclists ==<br />
=== Overview ===<br />
=== Notes ===<br />
=== Feedback ===<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category:Bike!Bike!]]</div>Sharperhttps://wiki2.bikelover.org/wiki/index.php?title=Sacramento_Bicycle_Kitchen&diff=11133Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen2011-06-27T21:45:19Z<p>Sharper: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:Your_Logo.jpg|thumb|Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen]]<br />
<br />
The '''Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen''' is a non-profit, volunteer run organization dedicated to teaching people how to fix their own bikes. We offer a place to learn and teach all things bicycle to all members of the community.<br />
<br />
==Mission Statement==<br />
The Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen exists to promote cycling as a low-cost, alternative form of transportation; enable self-sufficiency through knowledge of bicycle maintenance; and promote bicycle safety through education and classes.<br />
<br />
==Shop structure==<br />
The Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen operates with a figurehead Board of Directors, composed of the legally required officers: President, Secretary, and Treasurer. This group has delegated all policy and management to a "Core" group of around a dozen volunteers holding special assignments (financial coordination, shift management, volunteer coordination, and so on). Consistent volunteers are invited to a "staff" group of anywhere from 20 to 50 volunteers.<br />
<br />
All other persons in the shop are "patrons." Patrons are expected to donate money or time in exchange for the Bike Kitchen's services; Earn-A-Bike program participants are considered patrons paying for their bike with time, rather than as volunteers in the shop.<br />
<br />
===Keys===<br />
In general, the Core list is congruent with the list of non-vendor keyholders.<br />
<br />
==Services Offered==<br />
===Earn-A-Bike===<br />
Participants must complete ten hours (usually three shifts) of in-shop volunteering at any tasks. Participants are not allowed to work on the bike they will be taking home, but may work on others. At the completion of the ten hours, they receive a bike of our choosing, up to one a year, with exceptions rarely made with the shop manager's approval.<br />
<br />
===DIY maintenance===<br />
Tools and a stand are provided (a $5 donation is recommended) to anyone looking to borrow tools to work on their bike. For most shifts, volunteers are available to answer any maintenance questions and help ensure patrons learn mechanical skills at no extra charge.<br />
<br />
===Sales===<br />
Donated used parts are available. Generic parts are each sold for $5 or less, with higher-end parts held in a display case and marked with a special price. Used tubes are given away, but are uninspected and any patches necessary to fix a tube are available if the tube will be patched in-shop.<br />
<br />
Donated used bikes are available, priced based on the bike's operating condition and level of quality.<br />
<br />
No tools are sold. No new parts are sold, other than cables and housing.<br />
<br />
===Mobile fixery===<br />
A small mobile unit is set up to provide basic maintenance at festivals and special events. Most mobile repairs are done by volunteers, rather than by patrons. Used parts are not available from the mobile fixery.<br />
<br />
==Hours==<br />
Tuesday, 6pm-9pm<br />
Wednesday, 6pm-9pm<br />
Thursday, 6pm-9pm<br />
Friday, 10am-2pm (everyone) and 6pm-8pm (for kids and families only)<br />
Saturday, 12pm-4pm<br />
<br />
==History==<br />
The Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen started in early 2006 with a post to the internet forum CraigsList. It quickly grew into an an actual shop working out of the BrickHouse's space on Broadway in Oak Park in June, 2006. After two years of solvency and serving an underprivileged community in Oak Park, the shop moved to a more centralized space in midtown, picking up a different underprivileged community (an unofficial slogan is "fleecing hipsters to help the homeless") and opening up the option of special events with midtown's signature "Second Saturday". Operations at the new shop began with a big Second Saturday party in January, 2009.<br />
<br />
==Contact Info==<br />
Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen<br />
1915 I Street<br />
Sacramento, California, USA<br />
<br />
http://sacbikekitchen.org/<br />
mailto:info@sacbikekitchen.org<br />
<br />
<br />
== See Also ==<br />
<br />
* [[Community Bicycle Organizations]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Community Bicycle Organizations]]</div>Sharperhttps://wiki2.bikelover.org/wiki/index.php?title=Sacramento_Bicycle_Kitchen&diff=11132Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen2011-06-27T21:43:28Z<p>Sharper: /* Hours */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:Your_Logo.jpg|thumb|Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen]]<br />
<br />
The '''Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen''' is a non-profit, volunteer run organization dedicated to teaching people how to fix their own bikes. We offer a place to learn and teach all things bicycle to all members of the community.<br />
<br />
==Mission Statement==<br />
The Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen exists to promote cycling as a low-cost, alternative form of transportation; enable self-sufficiency through knowledge of bicycle maintenance; and promote bicycle safety through education and classes.<br />
<br />
==Shop structure==<br />
The Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen operates with a figurehead Board of Directors, composed of the legally required officers: President, Secretary, and Treasurer. This group has delegated all policy and management to a "Core" group of around a dozen volunteers holding special assignments (financial coordination, shift management, volunteer coordination, and so on). Consistent volunteers are invited to a "staff" group of anywhere from 20 to 50 volunteers.<br />
<br />
All other persons in the shop are "patrons." Patrons are expected to donate money or time in exchange for the Bike Kitchen's services; Earn-A-Bike program participants are considered patrons paying for their bike with time, rather than as volunteers in the shop.<br />
<br />
===Keys===<br />
In general, the Core list is congruent with the list of non-vendor keyholders.<br />
<br />
==Services Offered==<br />
===Earn-A-Bike===<br />
Participants must complete ten hours (usually three shifts) of in-shop volunteering at any tasks. Participants are not allowed to work on the bike they will be taking home, but may work on others. At the completion of the ten hours, they receive a bike of our choosing, up to one a year, with exceptions rarely made with the shop manager's approval.<br />
<br />
===DIY maintenance===<br />
Tools and a stand are provided (a $5 donation is recommended) to anyone looking to borrow tools to work on their bike. For most shifts, volunteers are available to answer any maintenance questions and help ensure patrons learn mechanical skills at no extra charge.<br />
<br />
===Sales===<br />
Donated used parts are available. Generic parts are each sold for $5 or less, with higher-end parts held in a display case and marked with a special price. Used tubes are given away, but are uninspected and any patches necessary to fix a tube are available if the tube will be patched in-shop.<br />
<br />
Donated used bikes are available, priced based on the bike's operating condition and level of quality.<br />
<br />
No tools are sold. No new parts are sold, other than cables and housing.<br />
<br />
===Mobile fixery===<br />
A small mobile unit is set up to provide basic maintenance at festivals and special events. Most mobile repairs are done by volunteers, rather than by patrons. Used parts are not available from the mobile fixery.<br />
<br />
==Hours==<br />
Tuesday, 6pm-9pm<br />
Wednesday, 6pm-9pm<br />
Thursday, 6pm-9pm<br />
Friday, 10am-2pm (everyone) and 6pm-8pm (for kids and families only)<br />
Saturday, 12pm-4pm<br />
<br />
==History==<br />
The Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen started in early 2006 with a post to the internet forum CraigsList. It quickly grew into an an actual shop working out of the BrickHouse's space on Broadway in Oak Park in June, 2006. After two years of solvency and serving an underprivileged community in Oak Park, the shop moved to a more centralized space in midtown, picking up a different underprivileged community and opening up the option of special events with midtown's signature "Second Saturday". Operations at the new shop began with a big Second Saturday party in January, 2009.<br />
<br />
==Contact Info==<br />
Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen<br />
1915 I Street<br />
Sacramento, California, USA<br />
<br />
http://sacbikekitchen.org/<br />
mailto:info@sacbikekitchen.org<br />
<br />
<br />
== See Also ==<br />
<br />
* [[Community Bicycle Organizations]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Community Bicycle Organizations]]</div>Sharperhttps://wiki2.bikelover.org/wiki/index.php?title=Sacramento_Bicycle_Kitchen&diff=11131Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen2011-06-27T21:42:46Z<p>Sharper: /* Shop structure */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:Your_Logo.jpg|thumb|Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen]]<br />
<br />
The '''Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen''' is a non-profit, volunteer run organization dedicated to teaching people how to fix their own bikes. We offer a place to learn and teach all things bicycle to all members of the community.<br />
<br />
==Mission Statement==<br />
The Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen exists to promote cycling as a low-cost, alternative form of transportation; enable self-sufficiency through knowledge of bicycle maintenance; and promote bicycle safety through education and classes.<br />
<br />
==Shop structure==<br />
The Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen operates with a figurehead Board of Directors, composed of the legally required officers: President, Secretary, and Treasurer. This group has delegated all policy and management to a "Core" group of around a dozen volunteers holding special assignments (financial coordination, shift management, volunteer coordination, and so on). Consistent volunteers are invited to a "staff" group of anywhere from 20 to 50 volunteers.<br />
<br />
All other persons in the shop are "patrons." Patrons are expected to donate money or time in exchange for the Bike Kitchen's services; Earn-A-Bike program participants are considered patrons paying for their bike with time, rather than as volunteers in the shop.<br />
<br />
===Keys===<br />
In general, the Core list is congruent with the list of non-vendor keyholders.<br />
<br />
==Services Offered==<br />
===Earn-A-Bike===<br />
Participants must complete ten hours (usually three shifts) of in-shop volunteering at any tasks. Participants are not allowed to work on the bike they will be taking home, but may work on others. At the completion of the ten hours, they receive a bike of our choosing, up to one a year, with exceptions rarely made with the shop manager's approval.<br />
<br />
===DIY maintenance===<br />
Tools and a stand are provided (a $5 donation is recommended) to anyone looking to borrow tools to work on their bike. For most shifts, volunteers are available to answer any maintenance questions and help ensure patrons learn mechanical skills at no extra charge.<br />
<br />
===Sales===<br />
Donated used parts are available. Generic parts are each sold for $5 or less, with higher-end parts held in a display case and marked with a special price. Used tubes are given away, but are uninspected and any patches necessary to fix a tube are available if the tube will be patched in-shop.<br />
<br />
Donated used bikes are available, priced based on the bike's operating condition and level of quality.<br />
<br />
No tools are sold. No new parts are sold, other than cables and housing.<br />
<br />
===Mobile fixery===<br />
A small mobile unit is set up to provide basic maintenance at festivals and special events. Most mobile repairs are done by volunteers, rather than by patrons. Used parts are not available from the mobile fixery.<br />
<br />
==Hours==<br />
Tuesday, 6pm-9pm<br />
Wednesday, 6pm-9pm<br />
Thursday, 6pm-9pm<br />
Friday, 10am-2pm<br />
Friday, 6pm-8pm (for kids and families only)<br />
Saturday, 12pm-4pm<br />
<br />
==History==<br />
The Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen started in early 2006 with a post to the internet forum CraigsList. It quickly grew into an an actual shop working out of the BrickHouse's space on Broadway in Oak Park in June, 2006. After two years of solvency and serving an underprivileged community in Oak Park, the shop moved to a more centralized space in midtown, picking up a different underprivileged community and opening up the option of special events with midtown's signature "Second Saturday". Operations at the new shop began with a big Second Saturday party in January, 2009.<br />
<br />
==Contact Info==<br />
Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen<br />
1915 I Street<br />
Sacramento, California, USA<br />
<br />
http://sacbikekitchen.org/<br />
mailto:info@sacbikekitchen.org<br />
<br />
<br />
== See Also ==<br />
<br />
* [[Community Bicycle Organizations]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Community Bicycle Organizations]]</div>Sharperhttps://wiki2.bikelover.org/wiki/index.php?title=Community_Bicycle_Organizations&diff=11130Community Bicycle Organizations2011-06-27T21:41:20Z<p>Sharper: /* California */</p>
<hr />
<div>The list below uses the criteria found in the old [[Bicycle Organization Organization Project]] for what constitutes a community bike shop, namely:<br />
<br />
* Non-profit bicycle organizations<br />
* Bike shops that are accessible to people without money<br />
* Shops that have an educational focus, teaching others how to fix bikes<br />
* Shops that are volunteer run<br />
* Organizations that ship bikes to communities in other countries.<br />
* Shops that provide free or low-cost services to the community.<br />
* Organizations that recycle bicycles and parts<br />
<br />
For a map that is less comprehensive as of April 2011 (but a map!), please [http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=215640192972316876618.0004a00c0210cf27fd36f&ll=36.173357,-105.644531&spn=43.727571,113.027344&z=3 click here]<br />
<br />
<br />
== Australia ==<br />
<br />
=== Queensland ===<br />
<br />
* [[The Bicycle Revolution]] (Brisbane)<br />
<br />
=== Tasmania ===<br />
* [[Hobart Bike Kitchen]] (Hobart)<br />
=== New South Wales ===<br />
* [[Cycle Re-Cycle]] aka [[Nunnery Bike Workshop]] (Sydney)<br />
* [[Cycle Rescue]] (Sydney)<br />
* [[Newcastle Bike Ecology Centre]] (Newcastle)<br />
* [[UNSW Bike Club]] (Sydney, Canberra)<br />
<br />
== Austria ==<br />
<br />
=== Graz ===<br />
* [[Fahrradküche Graz]] (Graz)<br />
=== Innsbruck ===<br />
* [http://bikerei.org/ Bikerei], Dreiheiligenstrasse 21a, Innsbruck. Every Tuesday from 5 to 9pm.<br />
=== Linz ===<br />
* [[ Bikekitchen Linz]] (Linz)<br />
=== Sankt Pölten ===<br />
* [http://blog.lames.at/goto/blog/on/radlselbsthilfewerkstatt/ LAMES Radl-Selbsthilfewerkstatt] <br />
=== Vienna ===<br />
* [[WUK Fahrrad Selbsthilfewerkstatt]] (Vienna/Wien)<br />
* [[Bikekitchen Vienna]] (Vienna/Wien)<br />
=== Wiener Neustadt ===<br />
not yet existing, but planned, see e.g. ''[http://www.radlobby.at/dinamo/news/20110415_DINAMo-News.html Gründung einer Selbsthilfe-Fahrradwerkstatt in Wiener Neustadt]'' (German only, sorry).<br />
<br />
== Brasil ==<br />
=== São Paulo ===<br />
* [[Mão na roda]] (São Paulo)<br />
<br />
== Canada ==<br />
=== Alberta ===<br />
* [[Edmonton Bicycle Commuters Society]] (Edmonton)<br />
* [[The Bike Root]] (Calgary)<br />
* [[The Good Life Community Bike Shop]] (Calgary)<br />
<br />
=== British Columbia ===<br />
<br />
* [[The Bike Kitchen (Vancouver)|The Bike Kitchen]] (Vancouver)<br />
* [[Our Community Bikes]] (Vancouver)<br />
* [[Recyclistas Community Bike Shop]] (Victoria)<br />
* [[FreeHub Co-operative]] (Victoria)<br />
<br />
=== Manitoba ===<br />
<br />
* [[The Bike Dump]] (Winnipeg)<br />
* [[The Bike Dungeon]] (Winnipeg)<br />
* [[The Orioles Bike Cage]] (Winnipeg)<br />
<br />
=== Newfoundland and Labrador ===<br />
<br />
* [[Ordinary Spokes]] (St. John's)<br />
<br />
=== Nova Scotia ===<br />
<br />
* [[Bike Again!]] (Halifax)<br />
<br />
=== Ontario ===<br />
<br />
* [[Yellow Bike Action]] (Kingston)<br />
* [[Re-Cycles Bicycle Coop]] (Ottawa)<br />
* [[Community Bicycle Network]] (Toronto)<br />
* [[Bike Pirates]] (Toronto)<br />
* [[Bikechain]] (University of Toronto, Toronto)<br />
* [[Bikesauce]] (Toronto)<br />
* [[Recycle Cycles (Hamilton)]]<br />
* [[The Bike Centre]] (University of Guelph, Guelph)<br />
* [[Recycle Cycles (Kitchener)]]<br />
* [[MACycle]] (McMaster University, Hamilton)<br />
* [[B!KE: The Peterborough Community Bike Shop]] (Peterborough)<br />
<br />
=== Quebec ===<br />
<br />
* [[Velogik]] (Montreal)<br />
* [[Right to Move/La voie Libre]] (Montreal)<br />
* [[SantroVelo]] (Montreal)<br />
* [[CRABE]] (Montréal)<br />
* [[The Flat: Bike Collective]] (Montréal)<br />
* [[Mile End Bike Garage]] (Montréal)<br />
* [[PX "The Space" Bikeworks]] (Montréal)<br />
* [[Biciklo]] (Montréal)<br />
* [[BQAM]] (Université du Quebec à Montréal (UQAM), Montréal)<br />
* [[Coop roue libre]] (Laval University, Quebec City]<br />
<br />
== Croatia ==<br />
=== Zagreb === <br />
* [[Biciklopopravljaona]] (Zagreb)<br />
<br />
== Finland ==<br />
<br />
=== Espoo ===<br />
* [http://www.bikepoli.fi/blog/ Bikepoli, Teekkari-paja]<br />
<br />
== France ==<br />
<br />
=== Federation of French speaking community bicycle organizations ===<br />
<br />
* [http://www.heureux-cyclage.org/ Heureux-cyclage]<br />
<br />
=== Dijon ===<br />
* [[La Bécane à Jules]] (Dijon)<br />
=== Grenoble ===<br />
* [[uN p'Tit véLo dAnS La Tête]] (Grenoble)<br />
<br />
=== Lyon ===<br />
* [[Le Recycleur]] (Lyon)<br />
=== Montpellier ===<br />
* [[Le Vieux Biclou]] (Montpellier)<br />
=== Nancy ===<br />
* [[Atelier Dynamo]] (Nancy) <br />
=== Nantes ===<br />
* [[Vélocampus]] (Nantes) <br />
=== Paris ===<br />
* [[Atelier vélorutionnaire]] <br />
=== Toulouse ===<br />
* [[Atelier de l’association Vélorution]] http://velorutiontoulouse.over-blog.com (Toulouse)<br />
* [[l'Atelier vélo du Zinc Paul]] en face du 143 avenue de Rangueil (Toulouse)<br />
* [[Atelier de l’association vélo Toulouse]] (Toulouse)<br />
* [[Vélo d'Occasion]] (Toulouse)<br />
<br />
=== Bordeaux ===<br />
* [[Recup'r]] (Bordeaux)<br />
<br />
== Germany ==<br />
<br />
* [[Bike-Kitchen Dortmund]]<br />
* [http://www.adfc-bw.de/adfc-vor-ort/stuttgart/vor-ort-in-stuttgart/werkstatt/ Selbsthilfewerkstatt des ADFC Stuttgart]<br />
<br />
== Ghana ==<br />
<br />
* [[Earn-a-Bike Ghana]]<br />
<br />
== Guatemala ==<br />
<br />
* [[Associatión Maya Pedal]]<br />
<br />
== Hungary ==<br />
<br />
* [[Bringakonyha Budapest]]<br />
<br />
== Iceland ==<br />
<br />
* [[Keðjuverkun]] (Reykjavík)<br />
<br />
== Italy ==<br />
<br />
=== Bologna ===<br />
<br />
* [[Ciclofficina Ampio Raggio]]<br />
<br />
=== Firenze ===<br />
<br />
* [[Ciclofficina Brugola Rossa]]<br />
<br />
=== Roma ===<br />
<br />
* [[Ciclofficina Centrale]]<br />
<br />
* [[Ciclofficina "Don Chisciotte" @ ex Snia]]<br />
<br />
* [[Ciclofficina Popolare "ex Lavanderia"]]<br />
<br />
* [[Ciclofficina "Macchia Rossa"]]<br />
<br />
* [[Ciclofficina "Luigi Masetti"]]<br />
<br />
* [[Ciclofficina "Fisica"]]<br />
<br />
=== Sicilia ===<br />
<br />
* [[Ciclofficina Etnea]] (Catania)<br />
<br />
=== Torino ===<br />
<br />
* [[Ciclofficina Casa delle Scimmie]]<br />
<br />
== Ireland ==<br />
<br />
* [[Rothar]]<br />
<br />
== Spain ==<br />
<br />
=== Galiza ===<br />
<br />
* [[ReCiclos Propolis]] (A Coruña)<br />
<br />
=== Madrid ===<br />
<br />
* [[BiciLab]]<br />
<br />
* [[Cicloficina Malaya]]<br />
<br />
* [[Ciclotaller Secano]]<br />
<br />
* [[Ciclotaller del Solar]]<br />
<br />
* [[Maravillosa Ciclococina]]<br />
<br />
* [[Taller de Autoreparación de Bicis del Dragón]]<br />
<br />
== United Kingdom ==<br />
<br />
=== Aberdeen ===<br />
<br />
* [[beCyCle]]<br />
<br />
=== Bristol ===<br />
<br />
* [[Bristol Bike Project]]<br />
<br />
=== Brighton ===<br />
<br />
* [[Cranks DIY Workshop]]<br />
<br />
=== Edinburgh ===<br />
<br />
* [[The Bike Station]]<br />
<br />
=== Glasgow ===<br />
<br />
* [[Common Wheel Project]]<br />
<br />
=== Leeds ===<br />
<br />
* [[Pedallers Arms]]<br />
<br />
=== Gloucester ===<br />
<br />
* [[The Re-Cycle Shed]]<br />
<br />
=== London ===<br />
<br />
* [[56a Bikespace]] (Walworth)<br />
<br />
* [[Brixton Bicycle Art]] (Brockwell Park)<br />
<br />
* [[Hackney Bike Workshop]] (Hackney)<br />
<br />
* [[Magnificent Revolution]] (Based in London But all over the country)<br />
<br />
* [[Tower Hamlets Wheelers]] (Tower Hamlets)<br />
<br />
* [[Walthamstow Bicycle Recycling]] (Walthamstow)<br />
<br />
=== Manchester ===<br />
<br />
* [[I Bike MCR]]<br />
<br />
=== Newcastle ===<br />
<br />
* [[Recyke-Y-Bike]]<br />
<br />
=== Oxford ===<br />
<br />
* [[Oxford Cycle Workshop]]<br />
<br />
=== Stirling ===<br />
<br />
* [[recyke-a-bike]] (Stirling)<br />
<br />
=== York ===<br />
<br />
* [[Bike Rescue]]<br />
<br />
=== Warrington ===<br />
<br />
* [[Cycling Projects]]<br />
<br />
== United States ==<br />
<br />
=== Alabama ===<br />
<br />
* [[Bici Coop]] (Birmingham)<br />
<br />
=== Alaska ===<br />
<br />
* [[University of Alaska at Anchorage Bike Club]] (Anchorage)<br />
* [[Off the Chain Bicycle Collective]] (Anchorage)<br />
<br />
=== Arkansas ===<br />
<br />
* [[Bike City Recyclery]] (Fayetteville)<br />
* [[Recycles Bike Co-op]] (Little Rock)<br />
<br />
=== Arizona ===<br />
<br />
* [[South Side Mutual Aid Toward Independent Youth Bicycle Education Project]] (Flagstaff)<br />
* [[BICAS]] (Tucson)<br />
* [[Handlebar Helpers]] (Scottsdale)<br />
* [[Helping Understand Bicycles]] (Prescott)<br />
* [[Bike Saviours Bicycle Collective]] (Tempe)<br />
<br />
=== California ===<br />
<br />
* [[Changing Gears Bike Shop]] (Alameda)<br />
* [[Arcata Library Bikes]] (Arcata)<br />
* [[BicyCAL]] (Berkeley)<br />
* [[The Green Bike Program]] (Pitzer College, Claremont)<br />
* [[The Davis Bike Collective]] (Davis)<br />
* [[Bicycle Kitchen (Los Angeles)]]<br />
* [[Bike Oven]] (Los Angeles)<br />
* [[Bikerowave]] (Los Angeles)<br />
* [[Valley Bikery]] (Los Angeles)<br />
* [[Community Cycles]] (Oakland)<br />
* [[Bikery]] (Oakland)<br />
* [[Ontario Wheel House]] (Ontario)<br />
* [[The Bicycle Lounge]] (Riverside)<br />
* [[Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen]] (Sacramento)<br />
* [[Bikes Del Pueblo]] (San Diego)<br />
* [[The Bike Hut Foundation]] (San Francisco)<br />
* [[The Bike Kitchen]] (San Francisco)<br />
* [[Local Bike Trader]] (San Luis Obispo)<br />
* [[SLO Bike Kitchen]] (San Luis Obispo)<br />
* [[Trips for Kids Marin]] aka [[Re-Cyclery (Marin, CA, USA)]] (San Rafael)<br />
* [[Bici Centro]] (Santa Barbara)<br />
* [[The Bike Church (Santa Cruz, CA, USA)|The Bike Church]] (Santa Cruz)<br />
* [[Santa Cruz Campus Bike Center]] (Santa Cruz)<br />
<br />
=== Colorado ===<br />
<br />
* [[Community Cycles]] (Boulder)<br />
* [[Derailer Bicycle Collective]] (Denver)<br />
* The [[Bike Depot]] (Denver)<br />
* [[Recycle Bicycles]] (Denver)<br />
* [[Fort Collins Bike Coop]] (Fort Collins)<br />
* [[Spokes Community Bicycle Project]] (Longmont)<br />
* [[The Good Wheel]] (Manitou Springs)<br />
<br />
=== Connecticut ===<br />
<br />
* [[New Haven Bike Collective]] (New Haven)<br />
<br />
=== Delaware ===<br />
<br />
* [[Urban Bike Project of Wilmington]] (Wilmington)<br />
<br />
=== Florida ===<br />
<br />
* [[Krank it Up]] (Tallahassee)<br />
* [[The Kickstand]] (Gainesville)<br />
* [[Lake Worth Bike Coop]] (West Palm Beach)<br />
* [[Tampa Bay Bicycle Co-op]] (Tampa)<br />
* [[Bike Broward]] (Fort Lauderdale)<br />
* [[Spokescouncil]] (Orlando)<br />
* [[OutSpokin]] (Lake Worth)<br />
<br />
=== Georgia ===<br />
<br />
* [[Sopo Bike Coop]] (Atlanta)<br />
* [[Communicycle]] (Atlanta - Chamblee)<br />
* [[Shift Community Bike Shop]] (Atlanta)<br />
* [[Starter Bikes]] (Atlanta)<br />
* [[Savannah Bike Coop]] (Savannah)<br />
* [[Bike Athens Bicycle Recycling Program]] (Athens)<br />
<br />
=== Idaho ===<br />
<br />
* [[Boise Bicycle Project]] (Boise)<br />
<br />
* [[Village Bicycle Project]] (Moscow)<br />
<br />
* The [[Powerhouse]] (Pocatello)<br />
<br />
=== Illinois ===<br />
<br />
* [[Blackstone Bicycle Works]] (Chicago)<br />
* [[Bikes for Chicago]] (Chicago)<br />
* The [[Chicago Community Bike Project]] (Chicago)<br />
* The [[Recyclery]] (Evanston/Chicago)<br />
* [[Working Bikes]] (Chicago)<br />
* [[West Town Bikes]] (Chicago)<br />
* The [[Bike Project of Urbana-Champaign]] (Urbana-Champaign)<br />
<br />
=== Indiana ===<br />
<br />
* [[Bloomington Community Bike Project]] (Bloomington)<br />
* [[West Lafayette Bike Cooporative]] (West Lafayette)<br />
* [[Freewheelin' Community Bikes]] (Indianapolis)<br />
* [[Pedal & Park]] (Indianapolis)<br />
* [[Shadeland Bicycle Collective]] (Anderson)<br />
<br />
=== Iowa ===<br />
<br />
* [[The Iowa City Bike Library]] (Iowa City)<br />
* [[Des Moines Bike Collective]] (Des Moines)<br />
<br />
===Kansas===<br />
<br />
* [[Topeka Community Cycle Project]] (Topeka)<br />
* [[Wichita Bicycle Collective]] (Wichita)<br />
<br />
=== Kentucky ===<br />
<br />
* [[Brycc Freewheel Bike Collective]] (Louisville)<br />
<br />
=== Louisiana ===<br />
<br />
* [[Plan B]] (New Orleans)<br />
* [[Rubarb]] (New Orleans)<br />
<br />
=== Maine ===<br />
<br />
* [[Community Bicycle Center]] (Biddeford)<br />
<br />
=== Maryland ===<br />
* [[Bikes for the World]] (Rockville)<br />
* [[Mount Rainier Bicycle Cooperative]] (Mount Rainier)<br />
* [[Renaissance Community Youth Bike Shop]] (Riverdale)<br />
* [[Velocipede Bike Project]] (Baltimore)<br />
<br />
=== Massachusetts ===<br />
* [[Smith College Bicycle Kitchen]] (Northampton)<br />
* [[Bikes not Bombs]] (Boston)<br />
* [[Broadway Bicycle School]] (Cambridge)<br />
* [[Quad Bikes]] (Cambridge)<br />
* [[Worcester Earn-A-Bike]] (Worcester)<br />
<br />
=== Michigan ===<br />
<br />
* [[Boston Square Community Bikes]] (Grand Rapids)<br />
<br />
* [[Back Alley Bikes]] (Detroit)<br />
<br />
* [[Broke Spoke Bike Coop]] (Traverse City)<br />
<br />
* [[Bike Riot Network]] (Traverse City)<br />
<br />
* [[Traverse Alive]] (Traverse City)<br />
<br />
* [[My Wheels Are Turning]] (Traverse City)<br />
<br />
* [[Common Cycle]] (Ann Arbor)<br />
<br />
* [[The Hub of Detroit]] (Detroit)<br />
<br />
* [[Share a Bike]] (E. Lansing)<br />
<br />
* [[Lansing Bike Coop]](Lansing)<br />
<br />
* [[Re-Bicycle Lenawee]] (Adrian)<br />
<br />
* [[East Quad Bike Co-op]] (Ann Arbor, U of M)<br />
<br />
* [[Mount Pleasant Bike Cooperative]] (Mount Pleasant)<br />
<br />
* [[Armory Bike Union]] (Jackson)<br />
<br />
* [[MSU Bikes]] (E. Lansing, MSU)<br />
<br />
=== Minnesota ===<br />
<br />
* [[The Grease Pit]] (Minneapolis)<br />
* [[The Sibley Bike Depot]] (St. Paul)<br />
* [[Mac Bike]] (St. Paul)<br />
* [[The Bike Cave Collective (Duluth, MN, USA)|The Bike Cave Collective]] (Duluth)<br />
* [[Re-Bike Project]] (Mankato)<br />
<br />
=== Missouri ===<br />
<br />
* [[Bicycle Works]] (St. louis)<br />
<br />
* [[816 Bicycle Collective]] (Kansas City)<br />
<br />
=== Montana ===<br />
<br />
<br />
* [[Free Cycles Missoula]] (Missoula)<br />
* [[Bozeman Bike Kitchen]] (Bozeman)<br />
<br />
=== Nebraska ===<br />
<br />
* [[Community Bike Project Omaha]] (Omaha)<br />
<br />
* [[Near South Bike Kitchen]] (Lincoln)<br />
<br />
=== Nevada ===<br />
<br />
* [[Reno Bike Project]] (Reno)<br />
<br />
=== New Hampshire ===<br />
<br />
* [[Cheshire County Bicycle Collective]] / [[Keene Bicycle Co-op]] (Keene)<br />
<br />
=== New Jersey ===<br />
<br />
* [[Pedals for Progress]] (High Bridge)<br />
* [[Hobiken]] (Hoboken)<br />
* [[New Brunswick Bike Library]] (New Brunswick)<br />
* [[The CycLAB]] (Princeton)<br />
* [[South Orange Maplewood Bicycle Coalition]] (South Orange/Maplewood)<br />
* [[Brick City Bike Collective]] (Newark)<br />
* [[Second Life Bikes]] (Asbury Park)<br />
<br />
=== New Mexico ===<br />
<br />
* [[Chainbreaker Collective]] (Santa Fe)<br />
<br />
* [[The Bike Works]] (Silver City)<nowiki>(575)388-1444</nowiki><br />
<br />
=== New York ===<br />
<br />
* [[R Community Bikes]] (Rochester)<br />
* [[Recycle Ithaca's Bicycles]] (Ithaca)<br />
* [[Recycle-A-Bicycle]] Youth Program (New York City)<br />
* [[Recycle-A-Bicycle]] DUMBO training center (Brooklyn)<br />
* [[Troy Bike Rescue]] (Troy and Albany)<br />
* [[Time's Up! Bike Co-op]] (New York City)<br />
* [[Buffalo Blue Bike]] (Buffalo)<br />
<br />
=== North Carolina ===<br />
<br />
* [[Asheville ReCyclery]] (Asheville)<br />
* [[Durham Bike Co-op]] (Durham)<br />
* [[The ReCYCLEry]] (Carrboro)<br />
* [[1304 Bikes]] (Raleigh)<br />
* [[Bike Me!]] (Greensboro)<br />
* [[ReCyclery]] (Charlotte)<br />
<br />
=== North Dakota ===<br />
* [[Fargo Moorhead Community Bicycle Workshop]] (Fargo)<br />
<br />
=== Oklahoma ===<br />
* [[OKC Infoshop]] (Oklahoma City)<br />
<br />
=== Ohio ===<br />
<br />
* [[Athens Bicycle Co-operative]] (Athens)<br />
* [[Ohio City Bicycle Co-op]] (Cleveland)<br />
* [[Oberlin Bike Co-op]] (Oberlin)<br />
* [[Mobo Bicycle Co-op]] (Cincinnati)<br />
* [[Third Hand Bicycle Cooperative]] (Columbus)<br />
* [[Toledo City Bicycle Co-op]] (Toledo)<br />
* [[Grindstone Bikes]](Berea)<br />
* [[Summit Cycling Center]] (Akron)<br />
* [http://www.franklintoncycleworks.com Franklinton Cycleworks] (Columbus)<br />
<br />
=== Oregon ===<br />
<br />
* [[Ashland Community Bike Program]] (Ashland)<br />
* [[Bike Farm]] (Portland)<br />
* [[Center For Appropriate Transport]] (Eugene)<br />
* [[Community Cycling Center]] (Portland)<br />
* [[City Bikes Repair Shop]] (Portland)<br />
* [[North Portland Bikeworks]] (Portland)<br />
* [[Corvallis Bicycle Co-op]] (Corvallis)<br />
* [[Frans Pauwels Memorial Community Bicycle Center]] (Aloha)<br />
<br />
=== Pennsylvania ===<br />
<br />
* [[Bethlehem Bicycle Cooperative]] (Bethlehem)<br />
* [[Car Free CAT-Coalition for Appropriate Transportation]] (Bethlehem)<br />
* [[Coatesville Community Bike Works]] (Coatesville)<br />
* [[Free Ride]] (Pittsburgh)<br />
* [[Neighborhood Bike Works]] (Philadelphia)<br />
** [[The Bike Church (Philadelphia, PA, USA)|The Bike Church]] (West Philadelphia)<br />
** [[The Bikery (Philadelphia, PA, USA)|The Bikery]] (South Philadelphia)<br />
** [[The Bike Salon (Philadelphia, PA, USA)|The Bike Salon]] (North Philadelphia)<br />
* [[N.W. Pa. Re-Cycle]] (Meadville)<br />
* [[Bike & Build]] (Manayunk)<br />
<br />
=== Rhode Island ===<br />
<br />
* [[Recycle-A-Bike]] (Providence)<br />
* Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council - Red Shed Bike Shop (Providence)<br />
[http://wrwc.org/gwyRedShed.php]<br />
<br />
=== South Carolina ===<br />
<br />
* [[Holy City Bike Co-op]] (Charleston)<br />
* [[Blackbird Bicycle Co-op]] (Columbia)<br />
* [[Hub Cycle]] (Spartanburg)<br />
<br />
=== South Dakota ===<br />
<br />
* [[Yellow Bike Program & Reconditioned Bikes for Kids]] (Rapid City)<br />
* [[Brookings Community Bicycle Collective]] (Brookings)<br />
* [[Sioux Falls Bike Collective]] (Sioux Falls)<br />
* [[Spearfish Bicycle Cooperative]] (Spearfish)<br />
<br />
=== Tennessee ===<br />
<br />
*[[Revolutions Community Bicycle Shop]] (Memphis)<br />
<br />
=== Texas ===<br />
<br />
* [[Austin Yellow Bike Project]] (Austin)<br />
* [[Workshop Houston]], the parent organization of the [[Third Ward Bike Shop]] (Houston)<br />
* [[Bikes Across Borders]] (Austin)<br />
* [[Waco Volunteer Bike Center]] (Waco) <br />
* [[Querencia Community Bicycle Shop]] (Denton)<br />
* [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|The Bike Cave]] (San Marcos)<br />
<br />
=== Utah ===<br />
<br />
* [[Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective]] (Salt Lake City)<br />
* [[UoU Bicycle Collective]] (Salt Lake City)<br />
* [[Aggie Blue Bikes]] (Logan)<br />
* [[Ogden Bicycle Collective]] (Ogden)<br />
<br />
=== Vermont ===<br />
<br />
* [[Freeride Montpelier]] (Montpelier)<br />
* [[Windham County Bike Project]] (Brattleboro)<br />
* [[Bike Recycle Vermont]] (Burlington)<br />
<br />
=== Virginia ===<br />
<br />
* [[Charlottesville Community Bikes]] (Charlottesville)<br />
* [[Blacksburg Bike Collective]] (Blacksburg)<br />
* [[Phoenix Bikes]] (Arlington)<br />
* [[The Bike Village at George Mason University]] (Fairfax)<br />
* [[Sharebike.org]] (Roanoke)<br />
* [[VéloCity Bicycle Cooperative]] (Alexandria)<br />
<br />
=== Washington ===<br />
<br />
* [[The Hub]] Community Bike Cooperative (Bellingham)<br />
* [[The Evergreen Bike Shop]] (Olympia)<br />
* [[Bike and Bike]] (Olympia)<br />
* The [[Community Build-a-Bike Project]] (Olympia)<br />
* [[Bike Works]] (Seattle)<br />
* [[The Bikery]] (Seattle)<br />
* [[The Bike Shack]] (Seattle)<br />
* [[Pedals2People]] (Spokane)<br />
* [[Cool Water Bikes]] (Spokane)<br />
* [[The Recyclery]] (Port Townsend)<br />
* [[2nd Cycle]] (Tacoma)<br />
<br />
=== West Virginia ===<br />
<br />
* [[Positive Spin]] (Morgantown)<br />
* [[Spokes4Folks]] (Charleston)<br />
<br />
=== Wisconsin ===<br />
* [[Sunshine Community Bikes]] (Ashland)<br />
* [[Wheels for Winners]] (Madison)<br />
* [[Milwaukee Bicycle Collective]] (Milwaukee)<br />
* [[The Freewheel Collective]] (Madison)<br />
<br />
=== Washington D.C. ===<br />
<br />
* [[The Bike House]]<br />
<br />
=== Statistics ===<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable sortable" border="1"<br />
|+ U.S. Bicycle Collective Statistics by State<br />
|-<br />
! scope="col" | Rank<br />
! scope="col" | State<br />
! scope="col" | # BCs<br />
! scope="col" | Population<br />
! scope="col" | BCs Per Capita<br />
|-<br />
| 1 || South Dakota || 4 || 819761 || 0.00000487947096775768<br />
|-<br />
| 2 || Vermont || 3 || 630337 || 0.00000475935888262945<br />
|-<br />
| 3 || Alaska || 2 || 721523 || 0.00000277191440882688<br />
|-<br />
| 4 || Oregon || 8 || 3848606 || 0.00000207867472014542<br />
|-<br />
| 5 || Montana || 2 || 994416 || 0.00000201123071229747<br />
|-<br />
| 6 || Idaho || 3 || 1573499 || 0.00000190657890472126<br />
|-<br />
| 7 || Washington D.C. || 1 || 601723 || 0.00000166189426031579<br />
|-<br />
| 8 || Washington || 11 || 6753369 || 0.00000162881666913210<br />
|-<br />
| 9 || Michigan || 15 || 9911626 || 0.00000151337429398567<br />
|-<br />
| 10 || North Dakota || 1 || 675905 || 0.00000147949785842685<br />
|-<br />
| 11 || Utah || 4 || 2770765 || 0.00000144364462522083<br />
|-<br />
| 12 || Colorado || 6 || 5044930 || 0.00000118931283486590<br />
|-<br />
| 13 || Delaware || 1 || 900877 || 0.00000111002944908128<br />
|-<br />
| 14 || Nebraska || 2 || 1831825 || 0.00000109180735059299<br />
|-<br />
| 15 || West Virginia || 2 || 1859815 || 0.00000107537577662294<br />
|-<br />
| 16 || Rhode Island || 1 || 1055247 || 0.00000094764543277545<br />
|-<br />
| 17 || Minnesota || 5 || 5314879 || 0.00000094075518934674<br />
|-<br />
| 18 || New Jersey || 7 || 8807501 || 0.00000079477708830235<br />
|-<br />
| 19 || Arizona || 5 || 6412700 || 0.00000077970277730129<br />
|-<br />
| 20 || Indiana || 5 || 6501582 || 0.00000076904359585098<br />
|-<br />
| 21 || New Hampshire || 1 || 1321445 || 0.00000075674734854648<br />
|-<br />
| 22 || Maine || 1 || 1333074 || 0.00000075014590337821<br />
|-<br />
| 23 || Virginia || 6 || 8037736 || 0.00000074647885922105<br />
|-<br />
| 24 || Wisconsin || 4 || 5698230 || 0.00000070197236685778<br />
|-<br />
| 25 || Kansas || 2 || 2863813 || 0.00000069836962120083<br />
|-<br />
| 26 || Ohio || 8 || 11568495 || 0.00000069153334119953<br />
|-<br />
| 27 || Arkansas || 2 || 2926229 || 0.00000068347350805422<br />
|-<br />
| 28 || Iowa || 2 || 3053787 || 0.00000065492452486044<br />
|-<br />
| 29 || South Carolina || 3 || 4645975 || 0.00000064572022019060<br />
|-<br />
| 30 || North Carolina || 6 || 9565781 || 0.00000062723576883059<br />
|-<br />
| 31 || Massachusetts || 4 || 6559644 || 0.00000060978918977920<br />
|-<br />
| 32 || California || 21 || 37341989 || 0.00000056236961560885<br />
|-<br />
| 33 || Pennsylvania || 7 || 12734905 || 0.00000054967037445509<br />
|-<br />
| 34 || Illinois || 7 || 12864380 || 0.00000054413815512291<br />
|-<br />
| 35 || Maryland || 3 || 5789929 || 0.00000051814106874195<br />
|-<br />
| 36 || Georgia || 5 || 9727566 || 0.00000051400319463266<br />
|-<br />
| 37 || New Mexico || 1 || 2067273 || 0.00000048372904788095<br />
|-<br />
| 38 || Louisiana || 2 || 4553962 || 0.00000043917801685653<br />
|-<br />
| 39 || Nevada || 1 || 2709432 || 0.00000036908104724533<br />
|-<br />
| 40 || Missouri || 2 || 6011478 || 0.00000033269688419387<br />
|-<br />
| 41 || New York || 6 || 19421055 || 0.00000030894305175491<br />
|-<br />
| 42 || Connecticut || 1 || 3581628 || 0.00000027920264192708<br />
|-<br />
| 43 || Oklahoma || 1 || 3764882 || 0.00000026561257431176<br />
|-<br />
| 44 || Florida || 5 || 18900773 || 0.00000026453944502693<br />
|-<br />
| 45 || Texas || 6 || 25268418 || 0.00000023745055982531<br />
|-<br />
| 46 || Kentucky || 1 || 4350606 || 0.00000022985303656548<br />
|-<br />
| 47 || Alabama || 1 || 4802982 || 0.00000020820398660665<br />
|-<br />
| 48 || Tennessee || 1 || 6375431 || 0.00000015685214066312<br />
|-<br />
| 49 || Hawaii || 0 || 1366862 || 0.00000000000000000000<br />
|-<br />
| 50 || Wyoming || 0 || 568300 || 0.00000000000000000000<br />
|-<br />
| 51 || Mississippi || 0 || 2978240 || 0.00000000000000000000<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
== See Also ==<br />
* [[Bicycle Organization Organization Project]]<br />
* [http://www.bikecollectives.org/component/option,com_sobi2/sobi2Task,search/Itemid,51/ Bike Collective Network Directory]<br />
* [http://www.ibike.org/encouragement/freebike/directory/index.htm Community Bike Programs: Directory]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Community Bicycle Organizations]]</div>Sharperhttps://wiki2.bikelover.org/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:Community_Bicycle_Organizations&diff=11129Talk:Community Bicycle Organizations2011-06-27T21:39:12Z<p>Sharper: </p>
<hr />
<div>Just how in-depth are the individual organizations welcomed to go with this wiki? For example, if I'd like to set up an article specifically to collaborate on the design and literature of a brochure, could I do that? Would I also be welcome to add categories by state and to categorize specific articles as being associated with specific shops? Are templates welcome, as well? I'm fairly savvy with wiki markup and content, so I shouldn't be a nuisance if these things are allowed. Also, as a suggestion, perhaps you should look into adding an internal wiki forum[http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:AWC%27s_Forum] for various means of support between collectives--regarding operation of the collectives as well as repair. Thanks for making this available!--[[User:Amor0fati|Amor0fati]] 18:44, 17 February 2010 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Don't mind me; I'm just alphabetizing the California co-ops by city. --[[User:Sharper|Ryan S., Sacramento, CA, US]] 14:39, 27 June 2011 (PDT)</div>Sharperhttps://wiki2.bikelover.org/wiki/index.php?title=Sacramento_Bicycle_Kitchen&diff=11128Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen2011-06-27T21:38:15Z<p>Sharper: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:Your_Logo.jpg|thumb|Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen]]<br />
<br />
The '''Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen''' is a non-profit, volunteer run organization dedicated to teaching people how to fix their own bikes. We offer a place to learn and teach all things bicycle to all members of the community.<br />
<br />
==Mission Statement==<br />
The Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen exists to promote cycling as a low-cost, alternative form of transportation; enable self-sufficiency through knowledge of bicycle maintenance; and promote bicycle safety through education and classes.<br />
<br />
==Shop structure==<br />
The Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen operates with a figurehead Board of Directors, composed of the legally required officers: President, Secretary, and Treasurer. This group has delegated all policy and management to a "Core" group of around a dozen volunteers holding special assignments (financial coordination, shift management, volunteer coordination, and so on). Consistent volunteers are invited to a "staff" group (around 20-50 volunteers, depending on season)<br />
<br />
All other persons in a shop are "patrons." Patrons are expected to donate money or time in exchange for the Bike Kitchen's services; Earn-A-Bike program participants are considered patrons paying for their bike with time, rather than as volunteers in the shop.<br />
<br />
===Keys===<br />
In general, the Core list is congruent with the list of keyholders.<br />
<br />
==Services Offered==<br />
===Earn-A-Bike===<br />
Participants must complete ten hours (usually three shifts) of in-shop volunteering at any tasks. Participants are not allowed to work on the bike they will be taking home, but may work on others. At the completion of the ten hours, they receive a bike of our choosing, up to one a year, with exceptions rarely made with the shop manager's approval.<br />
<br />
===DIY maintenance===<br />
Tools and a stand are provided (a $5 donation is recommended) to anyone looking to borrow tools to work on their bike. For most shifts, volunteers are available to answer any maintenance questions and help ensure patrons learn mechanical skills at no extra charge.<br />
<br />
===Sales===<br />
Donated used parts are available. Generic parts are each sold for $5 or less, with higher-end parts held in a display case and marked with a special price. Used tubes are given away, but are uninspected and any patches necessary to fix a tube are available if the tube will be patched in-shop.<br />
<br />
Donated used bikes are available, priced based on the bike's operating condition and level of quality.<br />
<br />
No tools are sold. No new parts are sold, other than cables and housing.<br />
<br />
===Mobile fixery===<br />
A small mobile unit is set up to provide basic maintenance at festivals and special events. Most mobile repairs are done by volunteers, rather than by patrons. Used parts are not available from the mobile fixery.<br />
<br />
==Hours==<br />
Tuesday, 6pm-9pm<br />
Wednesday, 6pm-9pm<br />
Thursday, 6pm-9pm<br />
Friday, 10am-2pm<br />
Friday, 6pm-8pm (for kids and families only)<br />
Saturday, 12pm-4pm<br />
<br />
==History==<br />
The Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen started in early 2006 with a post to the internet forum CraigsList. It quickly grew into an an actual shop working out of the BrickHouse's space on Broadway in Oak Park in June, 2006. After two years of solvency and serving an underprivileged community in Oak Park, the shop moved to a more centralized space in midtown, picking up a different underprivileged community and opening up the option of special events with midtown's signature "Second Saturday". Operations at the new shop began with a big Second Saturday party in January, 2009.<br />
<br />
==Contact Info==<br />
Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen<br />
1915 I Street<br />
Sacramento, California, USA<br />
<br />
http://sacbikekitchen.org/<br />
mailto:info@sacbikekitchen.org<br />
<br />
<br />
== See Also ==<br />
<br />
* [[Community Bicycle Organizations]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Community Bicycle Organizations]]</div>Sharperhttps://wiki2.bikelover.org/wiki/index.php?title=User:Sharper&diff=11127User:Sharper2011-06-27T21:34:58Z<p>Sharper: Created page with "Corporate Secretary (for what ''that's'' worth) and Core member of the Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen in Sacramento, CA. Also current vice-president of the Sacramento Area Bic..."</p>
<hr />
<div>Corporate Secretary (for what ''that's'' worth) and Core member of the [[Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen]] in Sacramento, CA. <br />
<br />
Also current vice-president of the Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates, Sacramento's bicycle advocacy arm.</div>Sharperhttps://wiki2.bikelover.org/wiki/index.php?title=Community_Bicycle_Organizations&diff=11126Community Bicycle Organizations2011-06-27T21:32:05Z<p>Sharper: /* California */</p>
<hr />
<div>The list below uses the criteria found in the old [[Bicycle Organization Organization Project]] for what constitutes a community bike shop, namely:<br />
<br />
* Non-profit bicycle organizations<br />
* Bike shops that are accessible to people without money<br />
* Shops that have an educational focus, teaching others how to fix bikes<br />
* Shops that are volunteer run<br />
* Organizations that ship bikes to communities in other countries.<br />
* Shops that provide free or low-cost services to the community.<br />
* Organizations that recycle bicycles and parts<br />
<br />
For a map that is less comprehensive as of April 2011 (but a map!), please [http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=215640192972316876618.0004a00c0210cf27fd36f&ll=36.173357,-105.644531&spn=43.727571,113.027344&z=3 click here]<br />
<br />
<br />
== Australia ==<br />
<br />
=== Queensland ===<br />
<br />
* [[The Bicycle Revolution]] (Brisbane)<br />
<br />
=== Tasmania ===<br />
* [[Hobart Bike Kitchen]] (Hobart)<br />
=== New South Wales ===<br />
* [[Cycle Re-Cycle]] aka [[Nunnery Bike Workshop]] (Sydney)<br />
* [[Cycle Rescue]] (Sydney)<br />
* [[Newcastle Bike Ecology Centre]] (Newcastle)<br />
* [[UNSW Bike Club]] (Sydney, Canberra)<br />
<br />
== Austria ==<br />
<br />
=== Graz ===<br />
* [[Fahrradküche Graz]] (Graz)<br />
=== Innsbruck ===<br />
* [http://bikerei.org/ Bikerei], Dreiheiligenstrasse 21a, Innsbruck. Every Tuesday from 5 to 9pm.<br />
=== Linz ===<br />
* [[ Bikekitchen Linz]] (Linz)<br />
=== Sankt Pölten ===<br />
* [http://blog.lames.at/goto/blog/on/radlselbsthilfewerkstatt/ LAMES Radl-Selbsthilfewerkstatt] <br />
=== Vienna ===<br />
* [[WUK Fahrrad Selbsthilfewerkstatt]] (Vienna/Wien)<br />
* [[Bikekitchen Vienna]] (Vienna/Wien)<br />
=== Wiener Neustadt ===<br />
not yet existing, but planned, see e.g. ''[http://www.radlobby.at/dinamo/news/20110415_DINAMo-News.html Gründung einer Selbsthilfe-Fahrradwerkstatt in Wiener Neustadt]'' (German only, sorry).<br />
<br />
== Brasil ==<br />
=== São Paulo ===<br />
* [[Mão na roda]] (São Paulo)<br />
<br />
== Canada ==<br />
=== Alberta ===<br />
* [[Edmonton Bicycle Commuters Society]] (Edmonton)<br />
* [[The Bike Root]] (Calgary)<br />
* [[The Good Life Community Bike Shop]] (Calgary)<br />
<br />
=== British Columbia ===<br />
<br />
* [[The Bike Kitchen (Vancouver)|The Bike Kitchen]] (Vancouver)<br />
* [[Our Community Bikes]] (Vancouver)<br />
* [[Recyclistas Community Bike Shop]] (Victoria)<br />
* [[FreeHub Co-operative]] (Victoria)<br />
<br />
=== Manitoba ===<br />
<br />
* [[The Bike Dump]] (Winnipeg)<br />
* [[The Bike Dungeon]] (Winnipeg)<br />
* [[The Orioles Bike Cage]] (Winnipeg)<br />
<br />
=== Newfoundland and Labrador ===<br />
<br />
* [[Ordinary Spokes]] (St. John's)<br />
<br />
=== Nova Scotia ===<br />
<br />
* [[Bike Again!]] (Halifax)<br />
<br />
=== Ontario ===<br />
<br />
* [[Yellow Bike Action]] (Kingston)<br />
* [[Re-Cycles Bicycle Coop]] (Ottawa)<br />
* [[Community Bicycle Network]] (Toronto)<br />
* [[Bike Pirates]] (Toronto)<br />
* [[Bikechain]] (University of Toronto, Toronto)<br />
* [[Bikesauce]] (Toronto)<br />
* [[Recycle Cycles (Hamilton)]]<br />
* [[The Bike Centre]] (University of Guelph, Guelph)<br />
* [[Recycle Cycles (Kitchener)]]<br />
* [[MACycle]] (McMaster University, Hamilton)<br />
* [[B!KE: The Peterborough Community Bike Shop]] (Peterborough)<br />
<br />
=== Quebec ===<br />
<br />
* [[Velogik]] (Montreal)<br />
* [[Right to Move/La voie Libre]] (Montreal)<br />
* [[SantroVelo]] (Montreal)<br />
* [[CRABE]] (Montréal)<br />
* [[The Flat: Bike Collective]] (Montréal)<br />
* [[Mile End Bike Garage]] (Montréal)<br />
* [[PX "The Space" Bikeworks]] (Montréal)<br />
* [[Biciklo]] (Montréal)<br />
* [[BQAM]] (Université du Quebec à Montréal (UQAM), Montréal)<br />
* [[Coop roue libre]] (Laval University, Quebec City]<br />
<br />
== Croatia ==<br />
=== Zagreb === <br />
* [[Biciklopopravljaona]] (Zagreb)<br />
<br />
== Finland ==<br />
<br />
=== Espoo ===<br />
* [http://www.bikepoli.fi/blog/ Bikepoli, Teekkari-paja]<br />
<br />
== France ==<br />
<br />
=== Federation of French speaking community bicycle organizations ===<br />
<br />
* [http://www.heureux-cyclage.org/ Heureux-cyclage]<br />
<br />
=== Dijon ===<br />
* [[La Bécane à Jules]] (Dijon)<br />
=== Grenoble ===<br />
* [[uN p'Tit véLo dAnS La Tête]] (Grenoble)<br />
<br />
=== Lyon ===<br />
* [[Le Recycleur]] (Lyon)<br />
=== Montpellier ===<br />
* [[Le Vieux Biclou]] (Montpellier)<br />
=== Nancy ===<br />
* [[Atelier Dynamo]] (Nancy) <br />
=== Nantes ===<br />
* [[Vélocampus]] (Nantes) <br />
=== Paris ===<br />
* [[Atelier vélorutionnaire]] <br />
=== Toulouse ===<br />
* [[Atelier de l’association Vélorution]] http://velorutiontoulouse.over-blog.com (Toulouse)<br />
* [[l'Atelier vélo du Zinc Paul]] en face du 143 avenue de Rangueil (Toulouse)<br />
* [[Atelier de l’association vélo Toulouse]] (Toulouse)<br />
* [[Vélo d'Occasion]] (Toulouse)<br />
<br />
=== Bordeaux ===<br />
* [[Recup'r]] (Bordeaux)<br />
<br />
== Germany ==<br />
<br />
* [[Bike-Kitchen Dortmund]]<br />
* [http://www.adfc-bw.de/adfc-vor-ort/stuttgart/vor-ort-in-stuttgart/werkstatt/ Selbsthilfewerkstatt des ADFC Stuttgart]<br />
<br />
== Ghana ==<br />
<br />
* [[Earn-a-Bike Ghana]]<br />
<br />
== Guatemala ==<br />
<br />
* [[Associatión Maya Pedal]]<br />
<br />
== Hungary ==<br />
<br />
* [[Bringakonyha Budapest]]<br />
<br />
== Iceland ==<br />
<br />
* [[Keðjuverkun]] (Reykjavík)<br />
<br />
== Italy ==<br />
<br />
=== Bologna ===<br />
<br />
* [[Ciclofficina Ampio Raggio]]<br />
<br />
=== Firenze ===<br />
<br />
* [[Ciclofficina Brugola Rossa]]<br />
<br />
=== Roma ===<br />
<br />
* [[Ciclofficina Centrale]]<br />
<br />
* [[Ciclofficina "Don Chisciotte" @ ex Snia]]<br />
<br />
* [[Ciclofficina Popolare "ex Lavanderia"]]<br />
<br />
* [[Ciclofficina "Macchia Rossa"]]<br />
<br />
* [[Ciclofficina "Luigi Masetti"]]<br />
<br />
* [[Ciclofficina "Fisica"]]<br />
<br />
=== Sicilia ===<br />
<br />
* [[Ciclofficina Etnea]] (Catania)<br />
<br />
=== Torino ===<br />
<br />
* [[Ciclofficina Casa delle Scimmie]]<br />
<br />
== Ireland ==<br />
<br />
* [[Rothar]]<br />
<br />
== Spain ==<br />
<br />
=== Galiza ===<br />
<br />
* [[ReCiclos Propolis]] (A Coruña)<br />
<br />
=== Madrid ===<br />
<br />
* [[BiciLab]]<br />
<br />
* [[Cicloficina Malaya]]<br />
<br />
* [[Ciclotaller Secano]]<br />
<br />
* [[Ciclotaller del Solar]]<br />
<br />
* [[Maravillosa Ciclococina]]<br />
<br />
* [[Taller de Autoreparación de Bicis del Dragón]]<br />
<br />
== United Kingdom ==<br />
<br />
=== Aberdeen ===<br />
<br />
* [[beCyCle]]<br />
<br />
=== Bristol ===<br />
<br />
* [[Bristol Bike Project]]<br />
<br />
=== Brighton ===<br />
<br />
* [[Cranks DIY Workshop]]<br />
<br />
=== Edinburgh ===<br />
<br />
* [[The Bike Station]]<br />
<br />
=== Glasgow ===<br />
<br />
* [[Common Wheel Project]]<br />
<br />
=== Leeds ===<br />
<br />
* [[Pedallers Arms]]<br />
<br />
=== Gloucester ===<br />
<br />
* [[The Re-Cycle Shed]]<br />
<br />
=== London ===<br />
<br />
* [[56a Bikespace]] (Walworth)<br />
<br />
* [[Brixton Bicycle Art]] (Brockwell Park)<br />
<br />
* [[Hackney Bike Workshop]] (Hackney)<br />
<br />
* [[Magnificent Revolution]] (Based in London But all over the country)<br />
<br />
* [[Tower Hamlets Wheelers]] (Tower Hamlets)<br />
<br />
* [[Walthamstow Bicycle Recycling]] (Walthamstow)<br />
<br />
=== Manchester ===<br />
<br />
* [[I Bike MCR]]<br />
<br />
=== Newcastle ===<br />
<br />
* [[Recyke-Y-Bike]]<br />
<br />
=== Oxford ===<br />
<br />
* [[Oxford Cycle Workshop]]<br />
<br />
=== Stirling ===<br />
<br />
* [[recyke-a-bike]] (Stirling)<br />
<br />
=== York ===<br />
<br />
* [[Bike Rescue]]<br />
<br />
=== Warrington ===<br />
<br />
* [[Cycling Projects]]<br />
<br />
== United States ==<br />
<br />
=== Alabama ===<br />
<br />
* [[Bici Coop]] (Birmingham)<br />
<br />
=== Alaska ===<br />
<br />
* [[University of Alaska at Anchorage Bike Club]] (Anchorage)<br />
* [[Off the Chain Bicycle Collective]] (Anchorage)<br />
<br />
=== Arkansas ===<br />
<br />
* [[Bike City Recyclery]] (Fayetteville)<br />
* [[Recycles Bike Co-op]] (Little Rock)<br />
<br />
=== Arizona ===<br />
<br />
* [[South Side Mutual Aid Toward Independent Youth Bicycle Education Project]] (Flagstaff)<br />
* [[BICAS]] (Tucson)<br />
* [[Handlebar Helpers]] (Scottsdale)<br />
* [[Helping Understand Bicycles]] (Prescott)<br />
* [[Bike Saviours Bicycle Collective]] (Tempe)<br />
<br />
=== California ===<br />
<br />
* [[Arcata Library Bikes]] (Arcata)<br />
* [[The Davis Bike Collective]] (Davis)<br />
* [[The Bike Kitchen]] (San Francisco)<br />
* [[The Bike Hut Foundation]] (San Francisco)<br />
* [[Bikes Del Pueblo]] (San Diego)<br />
* [[BicyCAL]] (Berkeley)<br />
* [[Bicycle Kitchen (Los Angeles)]]<br />
* [[Bike Oven]] (Los Angeles)<br />
* [[Bikerowave]] (Los Angeles)<br />
* [[Valley Bikery]] (Los Angeles)<br />
* [[The Bike Church (Santa Cruz, CA, USA)|The Bike Church]] (Santa Cruz)<br />
* [[Changing Gears Bike Shop]] (Alameda)<br />
* [[Community Cycles]] (Oakland)<br />
* [[Bikery]] (Oakland)<br />
* [[Ontario Wheel House]] (Ontario)<br />
* [[Santa Cruz Campus Bike Center]] (Santa Cruz)<br />
* [[Bici Centro]] (Santa Barbara)<br />
* [[Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen]] (Sacramento)<br />
* [[Local Bike Trader]] (San Luis Obispo)<br />
* [[SLO Bike Kitchen]] (San Luis Obispo)<br />
* [[The Bicycle Lounge]] (Riverside)<br />
* [[The Green Bike Program]] (Pitzer College, Claremont)<br />
* [[Trips for Kids Marin]] aka [[Re-Cyclery (Marin, CA, USA)]] (San Rafael)<br />
<br />
=== Colorado ===<br />
<br />
* [[Community Cycles]] (Boulder)<br />
* [[Derailer Bicycle Collective]] (Denver)<br />
* The [[Bike Depot]] (Denver)<br />
* [[Recycle Bicycles]] (Denver)<br />
* [[Fort Collins Bike Coop]] (Fort Collins)<br />
* [[Spokes Community Bicycle Project]] (Longmont)<br />
* [[The Good Wheel]] (Manitou Springs)<br />
<br />
=== Connecticut ===<br />
<br />
* [[New Haven Bike Collective]] (New Haven)<br />
<br />
=== Delaware ===<br />
<br />
* [[Urban Bike Project of Wilmington]] (Wilmington)<br />
<br />
=== Florida ===<br />
<br />
* [[Krank it Up]] (Tallahassee)<br />
* [[The Kickstand]] (Gainesville)<br />
* [[Lake Worth Bike Coop]] (West Palm Beach)<br />
* [[Tampa Bay Bicycle Co-op]] (Tampa)<br />
* [[Bike Broward]] (Fort Lauderdale)<br />
* [[Spokescouncil]] (Orlando)<br />
* [[OutSpokin]] (Lake Worth)<br />
<br />
=== Georgia ===<br />
<br />
* [[Sopo Bike Coop]] (Atlanta)<br />
* [[Communicycle]] (Atlanta - Chamblee)<br />
* [[Shift Community Bike Shop]] (Atlanta)<br />
* [[Starter Bikes]] (Atlanta)<br />
* [[Savannah Bike Coop]] (Savannah)<br />
* [[Bike Athens Bicycle Recycling Program]] (Athens)<br />
<br />
=== Idaho ===<br />
<br />
* [[Boise Bicycle Project]] (Boise)<br />
<br />
* [[Village Bicycle Project]] (Moscow)<br />
<br />
* The [[Powerhouse]] (Pocatello)<br />
<br />
=== Illinois ===<br />
<br />
* [[Blackstone Bicycle Works]] (Chicago)<br />
* [[Bikes for Chicago]] (Chicago)<br />
* The [[Chicago Community Bike Project]] (Chicago)<br />
* The [[Recyclery]] (Evanston/Chicago)<br />
* [[Working Bikes]] (Chicago)<br />
* [[West Town Bikes]] (Chicago)<br />
* The [[Bike Project of Urbana-Champaign]] (Urbana-Champaign)<br />
<br />
=== Indiana ===<br />
<br />
* [[Bloomington Community Bike Project]] (Bloomington)<br />
* [[West Lafayette Bike Cooporative]] (West Lafayette)<br />
* [[Freewheelin' Community Bikes]] (Indianapolis)<br />
* [[Pedal & Park]] (Indianapolis)<br />
* [[Shadeland Bicycle Collective]] (Anderson)<br />
<br />
=== Iowa ===<br />
<br />
* [[The Iowa City Bike Library]] (Iowa City)<br />
* [[Des Moines Bike Collective]] (Des Moines)<br />
<br />
===Kansas===<br />
<br />
* [[Topeka Community Cycle Project]] (Topeka)<br />
* [[Wichita Bicycle Collective]] (Wichita)<br />
<br />
=== Kentucky ===<br />
<br />
* [[Brycc Freewheel Bike Collective]] (Louisville)<br />
<br />
=== Louisiana ===<br />
<br />
* [[Plan B]] (New Orleans)<br />
* [[Rubarb]] (New Orleans)<br />
<br />
=== Maine ===<br />
<br />
* [[Community Bicycle Center]] (Biddeford)<br />
<br />
=== Maryland ===<br />
* [[Bikes for the World]] (Rockville)<br />
* [[Mount Rainier Bicycle Cooperative]] (Mount Rainier)<br />
* [[Renaissance Community Youth Bike Shop]] (Riverdale)<br />
* [[Velocipede Bike Project]] (Baltimore)<br />
<br />
=== Massachusetts ===<br />
* [[Smith College Bicycle Kitchen]] (Northampton)<br />
* [[Bikes not Bombs]] (Boston)<br />
* [[Broadway Bicycle School]] (Cambridge)<br />
* [[Quad Bikes]] (Cambridge)<br />
* [[Worcester Earn-A-Bike]] (Worcester)<br />
<br />
=== Michigan ===<br />
<br />
* [[Boston Square Community Bikes]] (Grand Rapids)<br />
<br />
* [[Back Alley Bikes]] (Detroit)<br />
<br />
* [[Broke Spoke Bike Coop]] (Traverse City)<br />
<br />
* [[Bike Riot Network]] (Traverse City)<br />
<br />
* [[Traverse Alive]] (Traverse City)<br />
<br />
* [[My Wheels Are Turning]] (Traverse City)<br />
<br />
* [[Common Cycle]] (Ann Arbor)<br />
<br />
* [[The Hub of Detroit]] (Detroit)<br />
<br />
* [[Share a Bike]] (E. Lansing)<br />
<br />
* [[Lansing Bike Coop]](Lansing)<br />
<br />
* [[Re-Bicycle Lenawee]] (Adrian)<br />
<br />
* [[East Quad Bike Co-op]] (Ann Arbor, U of M)<br />
<br />
* [[Mount Pleasant Bike Cooperative]] (Mount Pleasant)<br />
<br />
* [[Armory Bike Union]] (Jackson)<br />
<br />
* [[MSU Bikes]] (E. Lansing, MSU)<br />
<br />
=== Minnesota ===<br />
<br />
* [[The Grease Pit]] (Minneapolis)<br />
* [[The Sibley Bike Depot]] (St. Paul)<br />
* [[Mac Bike]] (St. Paul)<br />
* [[The Bike Cave Collective (Duluth, MN, USA)|The Bike Cave Collective]] (Duluth)<br />
* [[Re-Bike Project]] (Mankato)<br />
<br />
=== Missouri ===<br />
<br />
* [[Bicycle Works]] (St. louis)<br />
<br />
* [[816 Bicycle Collective]] (Kansas City)<br />
<br />
=== Montana ===<br />
<br />
<br />
* [[Free Cycles Missoula]] (Missoula)<br />
* [[Bozeman Bike Kitchen]] (Bozeman)<br />
<br />
=== Nebraska ===<br />
<br />
* [[Community Bike Project Omaha]] (Omaha)<br />
<br />
* [[Near South Bike Kitchen]] (Lincoln)<br />
<br />
=== Nevada ===<br />
<br />
* [[Reno Bike Project]] (Reno)<br />
<br />
=== New Hampshire ===<br />
<br />
* [[Cheshire County Bicycle Collective]] / [[Keene Bicycle Co-op]] (Keene)<br />
<br />
=== New Jersey ===<br />
<br />
* [[Pedals for Progress]] (High Bridge)<br />
* [[Hobiken]] (Hoboken)<br />
* [[New Brunswick Bike Library]] (New Brunswick)<br />
* [[The CycLAB]] (Princeton)<br />
* [[South Orange Maplewood Bicycle Coalition]] (South Orange/Maplewood)<br />
* [[Brick City Bike Collective]] (Newark)<br />
* [[Second Life Bikes]] (Asbury Park)<br />
<br />
=== New Mexico ===<br />
<br />
* [[Chainbreaker Collective]] (Santa Fe)<br />
<br />
* [[The Bike Works]] (Silver City)<nowiki>(575)388-1444</nowiki><br />
<br />
=== New York ===<br />
<br />
* [[R Community Bikes]] (Rochester)<br />
* [[Recycle Ithaca's Bicycles]] (Ithaca)<br />
* [[Recycle-A-Bicycle]] Youth Program (New York City)<br />
* [[Recycle-A-Bicycle]] DUMBO training center (Brooklyn)<br />
* [[Troy Bike Rescue]] (Troy and Albany)<br />
* [[Time's Up! Bike Co-op]] (New York City)<br />
* [[Buffalo Blue Bike]] (Buffalo)<br />
<br />
=== North Carolina ===<br />
<br />
* [[Asheville ReCyclery]] (Asheville)<br />
* [[Durham Bike Co-op]] (Durham)<br />
* [[The ReCYCLEry]] (Carrboro)<br />
* [[1304 Bikes]] (Raleigh)<br />
* [[Bike Me!]] (Greensboro)<br />
* [[ReCyclery]] (Charlotte)<br />
<br />
=== North Dakota ===<br />
* [[Fargo Moorhead Community Bicycle Workshop]] (Fargo)<br />
<br />
=== Oklahoma ===<br />
* [[OKC Infoshop]] (Oklahoma City)<br />
<br />
=== Ohio ===<br />
<br />
* [[Athens Bicycle Co-operative]] (Athens)<br />
* [[Ohio City Bicycle Co-op]] (Cleveland)<br />
* [[Oberlin Bike Co-op]] (Oberlin)<br />
* [[Mobo Bicycle Co-op]] (Cincinnati)<br />
* [[Third Hand Bicycle Cooperative]] (Columbus)<br />
* [[Toledo City Bicycle Co-op]] (Toledo)<br />
* [[Grindstone Bikes]](Berea)<br />
* [[Summit Cycling Center]] (Akron)<br />
* [http://www.franklintoncycleworks.com Franklinton Cycleworks] (Columbus)<br />
<br />
=== Oregon ===<br />
<br />
* [[Ashland Community Bike Program]] (Ashland)<br />
* [[Bike Farm]] (Portland)<br />
* [[Center For Appropriate Transport]] (Eugene)<br />
* [[Community Cycling Center]] (Portland)<br />
* [[City Bikes Repair Shop]] (Portland)<br />
* [[North Portland Bikeworks]] (Portland)<br />
* [[Corvallis Bicycle Co-op]] (Corvallis)<br />
* [[Frans Pauwels Memorial Community Bicycle Center]] (Aloha)<br />
<br />
=== Pennsylvania ===<br />
<br />
* [[Bethlehem Bicycle Cooperative]] (Bethlehem)<br />
* [[Car Free CAT-Coalition for Appropriate Transportation]] (Bethlehem)<br />
* [[Coatesville Community Bike Works]] (Coatesville)<br />
* [[Free Ride]] (Pittsburgh)<br />
* [[Neighborhood Bike Works]] (Philadelphia)<br />
** [[The Bike Church (Philadelphia, PA, USA)|The Bike Church]] (West Philadelphia)<br />
** [[The Bikery (Philadelphia, PA, USA)|The Bikery]] (South Philadelphia)<br />
** [[The Bike Salon (Philadelphia, PA, USA)|The Bike Salon]] (North Philadelphia)<br />
* [[N.W. Pa. Re-Cycle]] (Meadville)<br />
* [[Bike & Build]] (Manayunk)<br />
<br />
=== Rhode Island ===<br />
<br />
* [[Recycle-A-Bike]] (Providence)<br />
* Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council - Red Shed Bike Shop (Providence)<br />
[http://wrwc.org/gwyRedShed.php]<br />
<br />
=== South Carolina ===<br />
<br />
* [[Holy City Bike Co-op]] (Charleston)<br />
* [[Blackbird Bicycle Co-op]] (Columbia)<br />
* [[Hub Cycle]] (Spartanburg)<br />
<br />
=== South Dakota ===<br />
<br />
* [[Yellow Bike Program & Reconditioned Bikes for Kids]] (Rapid City)<br />
* [[Brookings Community Bicycle Collective]] (Brookings)<br />
* [[Sioux Falls Bike Collective]] (Sioux Falls)<br />
* [[Spearfish Bicycle Cooperative]] (Spearfish)<br />
<br />
=== Tennessee ===<br />
<br />
*[[Revolutions Community Bicycle Shop]] (Memphis)<br />
<br />
=== Texas ===<br />
<br />
* [[Austin Yellow Bike Project]] (Austin)<br />
* [[Workshop Houston]], the parent organization of the [[Third Ward Bike Shop]] (Houston)<br />
* [[Bikes Across Borders]] (Austin)<br />
* [[Waco Volunteer Bike Center]] (Waco) <br />
* [[Querencia Community Bicycle Shop]] (Denton)<br />
* [[The Bike Cave (San Marcos, TX, USA)|The Bike Cave]] (San Marcos)<br />
<br />
=== Utah ===<br />
<br />
* [[Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective]] (Salt Lake City)<br />
* [[UoU Bicycle Collective]] (Salt Lake City)<br />
* [[Aggie Blue Bikes]] (Logan)<br />
* [[Ogden Bicycle Collective]] (Ogden)<br />
<br />
=== Vermont ===<br />
<br />
* [[Freeride Montpelier]] (Montpelier)<br />
* [[Windham County Bike Project]] (Brattleboro)<br />
* [[Bike Recycle Vermont]] (Burlington)<br />
<br />
=== Virginia ===<br />
<br />
* [[Charlottesville Community Bikes]] (Charlottesville)<br />
* [[Blacksburg Bike Collective]] (Blacksburg)<br />
* [[Phoenix Bikes]] (Arlington)<br />
* [[The Bike Village at George Mason University]] (Fairfax)<br />
* [[Sharebike.org]] (Roanoke)<br />
* [[VéloCity Bicycle Cooperative]] (Alexandria)<br />
<br />
=== Washington ===<br />
<br />
* [[The Hub]] Community Bike Cooperative (Bellingham)<br />
* [[The Evergreen Bike Shop]] (Olympia)<br />
* [[Bike and Bike]] (Olympia)<br />
* The [[Community Build-a-Bike Project]] (Olympia)<br />
* [[Bike Works]] (Seattle)<br />
* [[The Bikery]] (Seattle)<br />
* [[The Bike Shack]] (Seattle)<br />
* [[Pedals2People]] (Spokane)<br />
* [[Cool Water Bikes]] (Spokane)<br />
* [[The Recyclery]] (Port Townsend)<br />
* [[2nd Cycle]] (Tacoma)<br />
<br />
=== West Virginia ===<br />
<br />
* [[Positive Spin]] (Morgantown)<br />
* [[Spokes4Folks]] (Charleston)<br />
<br />
=== Wisconsin ===<br />
* [[Sunshine Community Bikes]] (Ashland)<br />
* [[Wheels for Winners]] (Madison)<br />
* [[Milwaukee Bicycle Collective]] (Milwaukee)<br />
* [[The Freewheel Collective]] (Madison)<br />
<br />
=== Washington D.C. ===<br />
<br />
* [[The Bike House]]<br />
<br />
=== Statistics ===<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable sortable" border="1"<br />
|+ U.S. Bicycle Collective Statistics by State<br />
|-<br />
! scope="col" | Rank<br />
! scope="col" | State<br />
! scope="col" | # BCs<br />
! scope="col" | Population<br />
! scope="col" | BCs Per Capita<br />
|-<br />
| 1 || South Dakota || 4 || 819761 || 0.00000487947096775768<br />
|-<br />
| 2 || Vermont || 3 || 630337 || 0.00000475935888262945<br />
|-<br />
| 3 || Alaska || 2 || 721523 || 0.00000277191440882688<br />
|-<br />
| 4 || Oregon || 8 || 3848606 || 0.00000207867472014542<br />
|-<br />
| 5 || Montana || 2 || 994416 || 0.00000201123071229747<br />
|-<br />
| 6 || Idaho || 3 || 1573499 || 0.00000190657890472126<br />
|-<br />
| 7 || Washington D.C. || 1 || 601723 || 0.00000166189426031579<br />
|-<br />
| 8 || Washington || 11 || 6753369 || 0.00000162881666913210<br />
|-<br />
| 9 || Michigan || 15 || 9911626 || 0.00000151337429398567<br />
|-<br />
| 10 || North Dakota || 1 || 675905 || 0.00000147949785842685<br />
|-<br />
| 11 || Utah || 4 || 2770765 || 0.00000144364462522083<br />
|-<br />
| 12 || Colorado || 6 || 5044930 || 0.00000118931283486590<br />
|-<br />
| 13 || Delaware || 1 || 900877 || 0.00000111002944908128<br />
|-<br />
| 14 || Nebraska || 2 || 1831825 || 0.00000109180735059299<br />
|-<br />
| 15 || West Virginia || 2 || 1859815 || 0.00000107537577662294<br />
|-<br />
| 16 || Rhode Island || 1 || 1055247 || 0.00000094764543277545<br />
|-<br />
| 17 || Minnesota || 5 || 5314879 || 0.00000094075518934674<br />
|-<br />
| 18 || New Jersey || 7 || 8807501 || 0.00000079477708830235<br />
|-<br />
| 19 || Arizona || 5 || 6412700 || 0.00000077970277730129<br />
|-<br />
| 20 || Indiana || 5 || 6501582 || 0.00000076904359585098<br />
|-<br />
| 21 || New Hampshire || 1 || 1321445 || 0.00000075674734854648<br />
|-<br />
| 22 || Maine || 1 || 1333074 || 0.00000075014590337821<br />
|-<br />
| 23 || Virginia || 6 || 8037736 || 0.00000074647885922105<br />
|-<br />
| 24 || Wisconsin || 4 || 5698230 || 0.00000070197236685778<br />
|-<br />
| 25 || Kansas || 2 || 2863813 || 0.00000069836962120083<br />
|-<br />
| 26 || Ohio || 8 || 11568495 || 0.00000069153334119953<br />
|-<br />
| 27 || Arkansas || 2 || 2926229 || 0.00000068347350805422<br />
|-<br />
| 28 || Iowa || 2 || 3053787 || 0.00000065492452486044<br />
|-<br />
| 29 || South Carolina || 3 || 4645975 || 0.00000064572022019060<br />
|-<br />
| 30 || North Carolina || 6 || 9565781 || 0.00000062723576883059<br />
|-<br />
| 31 || Massachusetts || 4 || 6559644 || 0.00000060978918977920<br />
|-<br />
| 32 || California || 21 || 37341989 || 0.00000056236961560885<br />
|-<br />
| 33 || Pennsylvania || 7 || 12734905 || 0.00000054967037445509<br />
|-<br />
| 34 || Illinois || 7 || 12864380 || 0.00000054413815512291<br />
|-<br />
| 35 || Maryland || 3 || 5789929 || 0.00000051814106874195<br />
|-<br />
| 36 || Georgia || 5 || 9727566 || 0.00000051400319463266<br />
|-<br />
| 37 || New Mexico || 1 || 2067273 || 0.00000048372904788095<br />
|-<br />
| 38 || Louisiana || 2 || 4553962 || 0.00000043917801685653<br />
|-<br />
| 39 || Nevada || 1 || 2709432 || 0.00000036908104724533<br />
|-<br />
| 40 || Missouri || 2 || 6011478 || 0.00000033269688419387<br />
|-<br />
| 41 || New York || 6 || 19421055 || 0.00000030894305175491<br />
|-<br />
| 42 || Connecticut || 1 || 3581628 || 0.00000027920264192708<br />
|-<br />
| 43 || Oklahoma || 1 || 3764882 || 0.00000026561257431176<br />
|-<br />
| 44 || Florida || 5 || 18900773 || 0.00000026453944502693<br />
|-<br />
| 45 || Texas || 6 || 25268418 || 0.00000023745055982531<br />
|-<br />
| 46 || Kentucky || 1 || 4350606 || 0.00000022985303656548<br />
|-<br />
| 47 || Alabama || 1 || 4802982 || 0.00000020820398660665<br />
|-<br />
| 48 || Tennessee || 1 || 6375431 || 0.00000015685214066312<br />
|-<br />
| 49 || Hawaii || 0 || 1366862 || 0.00000000000000000000<br />
|-<br />
| 50 || Wyoming || 0 || 568300 || 0.00000000000000000000<br />
|-<br />
| 51 || Mississippi || 0 || 2978240 || 0.00000000000000000000<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
== See Also ==<br />
* [[Bicycle Organization Organization Project]]<br />
* [http://www.bikecollectives.org/component/option,com_sobi2/sobi2Task,search/Itemid,51/ Bike Collective Network Directory]<br />
* [http://www.ibike.org/encouragement/freebike/directory/index.htm Community Bike Programs: Directory]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Community Bicycle Organizations]]</div>Sharperhttps://wiki2.bikelover.org/wiki/index.php?title=Sacramento_Bicycle_Kitchen&diff=11125Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen2011-06-27T21:30:26Z<p>Sharper: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:Your_Logo.jpg|thumb|Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen]]<br />
<br />
The '''Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen''' is a non-profit, volunteer run organization dedicated to teaching people how to fix their own bikes. We offer a place to learn and teach all things bicycle to all members of the community.<br />
<br />
==Mission Statement==<br />
The Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen exists to promote cycling as a low-cost, alternative form of transportation; enable self-sufficiency through knowledge of bicycle maintenance; and promote bicycle safety through education and classes.<br />
<br />
==Shop structure==<br />
The Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen operates with a figurehead Board of Directors, composed of the legally required officers: President, Secretary, and Treasurer. This group has delegated all policy and management to a "Core" group of around a dozen volunteers holding special assignments (financial coordination, shift management, volunteer coordination, and so on). Consistent volunteers are invited to a "staff" group (around 20-50 volunteers, depending on season)<br />
<br />
All other persons in a shop are "patrons." Patrons are expected to donate money or time in exchange for the Bike Kitchen's services; Earn-A-Bike program participants are considered patrons paying for their bike with time, rather than as volunteers in the shop.<br />
<br />
===Keys===<br />
In general, the Core list is congruent with the list of keyholders.<br />
<br />
==Services Offered==<br />
===Earn-A-Bike===<br />
Participants must complete ten hours (usually three shifts) of in-shop volunteering at any tasks. Participants are not allowed to work on the bike they will be taking home, but may work on others. At the completion of the ten hours, they receive a bike of our choosing, up to one a year, with exceptions rarely made with the shop manager's approval.<br />
<br />
===DIY maintenance===<br />
Tools and a stand are provided (a $5 donation is recommended) to anyone looking to borrow tools to work on their bike. For most shifts, volunteers are available to answer any maintenance questions and help ensure patrons learn mechanical skills at no extra charge.<br />
<br />
===Sales===<br />
Donated used parts are available. Generic parts are each sold for $5 or less, with higher-end parts held in a display case and marked with a special price. Used tubes are given away, but are uninspected and any patches necessary to fix a tube are available if the tube will be patched in-shop.<br />
<br />
Donated used bikes are available, priced based on the bike's operating condition and level of quality.<br />
<br />
No tools are sold. No new parts are sold, other than cables and housing.<br />
<br />
===Mobile fixery===<br />
A small mobile unit is set up to provide basic maintenance at festivals and special events. Most mobile repairs are done by volunteers, rather than by patrons. Used parts are not available from the mobile fixery.<br />
<br />
==History==<br />
The Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen started in early 2006 with a post to the internet forum CraigsList. It quickly grew into an an actual shop working out of the BrickHouse's space on Broadway in Oak Park in June, 2006. After two years of solvency and serving an underprivileged community in Oak Park, the shop moved to a more centralized space in midtown, picking up a different underprivileged community and opening up the option of special events with midtown's signature "Second Saturday". Operations at the new shop began with a big Second Saturday party in January, 2009.<br />
<br />
==Contact Info==<br />
Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen<br />
1915 I Street<br />
Sacramento, California, USA<br />
<br />
http://sacbikekitchen.org/<br />
mailto:info@sacbikekitchen.org<br />
<br />
<br />
== See Also ==<br />
<br />
* [[Community Bicycle Organizations]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Community Bicycle Organizations]]</div>Sharperhttps://wiki2.bikelover.org/wiki/index.php?title=Sacramento_Bicycle_Kitchen&diff=11124Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen2011-06-27T21:29:51Z<p>Sharper: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:Your_Logo.jpg|thumb|Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen]]<br />
<br />
The '''Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen''' is a non-profit, volunteer run organization dedicated to teaching people how to fix their own bikes. We offer a place to learn and teach all things bicycle to all members of the community.<br />
<br />
==Mission Statement==<br />
The Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen exists to promote cycling as a low-cost, alternative form of transportation; enable self-sufficiency through knowledge of bicycle maintenance; and promote bicycle safety through education and classes.<br />
<br />
==Shop structure==<br />
The Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen operates with a figurehead Board of Directors, composed of the legally required officers: President, Secretary, and Treasurer. This group has delegated all policy and management to a "Core" group of around a dozen volunteers holding special assignments (financial coordination, shift management, volunteer coordination, and so on). Consistent volunteers are invited to a "staff" group (around 20-50 volunteers, depending on season)<br />
<br />
All other persons in a shop are "patrons." Patrons are expected to donate money or time in exchange for the Bike Kitchen's services; Earn-A-Bike program participants are considered patrons paying for their bike with time, rather than as volunteers in the shop.<br />
<br />
===Keys===<br />
In general, the Core list is congruent with the list of keyholders.<br />
<br />
==Services Offered==<br />
===Earn-A-Bike===<br />
Participants must complete ten hours (usually three shifts) of in-shop volunteering at any tasks. Participants are not allowed to work on the bike they will be taking home, but may work on others. At the completion of the ten hours, they receive a bike of our choosing, up to one a year, with exceptions rarely made with the shop manager's approval.<br />
<br />
===DIY maintenance===<br />
Tools and a stand are provided (a $5 donation is recommended) to anyone looking to borrow tools to work on their bike. For most shifts, volunteers are available to answer any maintenance questions and help ensure patrons learn mechanical skills at no extra charge.<br />
<br />
===Sales===<br />
Donated used parts are available. Generic parts are each sold for $5 or less, with higher-end parts held in a display case and marked with a special price. Used tubes are given away, but are uninspected and any patches necessary to fix a tube are available if the tube will be patched in-shop.<br />
<br />
Donated used bikes are available, priced based on the bike's operating condition and level of quality.<br />
<br />
No tools are sold. No new parts are sold, other than cables and housing.<br />
<br />
===Mobile fixery===<br />
A small mobile unit is set up to provide basic maintenance at festivals and special events. Most mobile repairs are done by volunteers, rather than by patrons. Used parts are not available from the mobile fixery.<br />
<br />
==History==<br />
The Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen started in early 2006 with a post to the internet forum CraigsList. It quickly grew into an an actual shop working out of the BrickHouse's space on Broadway in Oak Park in June, 2006. After two years of solvency and serving an underprivileged community in Oak Park, the shop moved to a more centralized space in midtown, picking up a different underprivileged community and opening up the option of special events with midtown's signature "Second Saturday". Operations at the new shop began with a big Second Saturday party in January, 2009.<br />
<br />
==Contact Info==<br />
Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen<br />
1915 I Street<br />
Sacramento, California, USA<br />
<br />
http://sacbikekitchen.org/<br />
E-mail: info@sacbikekitchen.org<br />
<br />
<br />
== See Also ==<br />
<br />
* [[Community Bicycle Organizations]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Community Bicycle Organizations]]</div>Sharperhttps://wiki2.bikelover.org/wiki/index.php?title=Sacramento_Bicycle_Kitchen&diff=11123Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen2011-06-27T21:29:31Z<p>Sharper: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:Your_Logo.jpg|thumb|Your Bicycle Organization]]<br />
<br />
The '''Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen''' is a non-profit, volunteer run organization dedicated to teaching people how to fix their own bikes. We offer a place to learn and teach all things bicycle to all members of the community.<br />
<br />
==Mission Statement==<br />
The Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen exists to promote cycling as a low-cost, alternative form of transportation; enable self-sufficiency through knowledge of bicycle maintenance; and promote bicycle safety through education and classes.<br />
<br />
==Shop structure==<br />
The Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen operates with a figurehead Board of Directors, composed of the legally required officers: President, Secretary, and Treasurer. This group has delegated all policy and management to a "Core" group of around a dozen volunteers holding special assignments (financial coordination, shift management, volunteer coordination, and so on). Consistent volunteers are invited to a "staff" group (around 20-50 volunteers, depending on season)<br />
<br />
All other persons in a shop are "patrons." Patrons are expected to donate money or time in exchange for the Bike Kitchen's services; Earn-A-Bike program participants are considered patrons paying for their bike with time, rather than as volunteers in the shop.<br />
<br />
===Keys===<br />
In general, the Core list is congruent with the list of keyholders.<br />
<br />
==Services Offered==<br />
===Earn-A-Bike===<br />
Participants must complete ten hours (usually three shifts) of in-shop volunteering at any tasks. Participants are not allowed to work on the bike they will be taking home, but may work on others. At the completion of the ten hours, they receive a bike of our choosing, up to one a year, with exceptions rarely made with the shop manager's approval.<br />
<br />
===DIY maintenance===<br />
Tools and a stand are provided (a $5 donation is recommended) to anyone looking to borrow tools to work on their bike. For most shifts, volunteers are available to answer any maintenance questions and help ensure patrons learn mechanical skills at no extra charge.<br />
<br />
===Sales===<br />
Donated used parts are available. Generic parts are each sold for $5 or less, with higher-end parts held in a display case and marked with a special price. Used tubes are given away, but are uninspected and any patches necessary to fix a tube are available if the tube will be patched in-shop.<br />
<br />
Donated used bikes are available, priced based on the bike's operating condition and level of quality.<br />
<br />
No tools are sold. No new parts are sold, other than cables and housing.<br />
<br />
===Mobile fixery===<br />
A small mobile unit is set up to provide basic maintenance at festivals and special events. Most mobile repairs are done by volunteers, rather than by patrons. Used parts are not available from the mobile fixery.<br />
<br />
==History==<br />
The Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen started in early 2006 with a post to the internet forum CraigsList. It quickly grew into an an actual shop working out of the BrickHouse's space on Broadway in Oak Park in June, 2006. After two years of solvency and serving an underprivileged community in Oak Park, the shop moved to a more centralized space in midtown, picking up a different underprivileged community and opening up the option of special events with midtown's signature "Second Saturday". Operations at the new shop began with a big Second Saturday party in January, 2009.<br />
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==Contact Info==<br />
Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen<br />
1915 I Street<br />
Sacramento, California, USA<br />
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http://sacbikekitchen.org/<br />
E-mail: info@sacbikekitchen.org<br />
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== See Also ==<br />
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* [[Community Bicycle Organizations]]<br />
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[[Category:Community Bicycle Organizations]]</div>Sharper