<i>The Bike Project <a href="http://thebikeproject.blogspot.com/">has a blog now</a>, and I'll be making weekly updates on there and sending out monthly summary emails to the Announce email list, so you don't get too sick of me. </i><br>
<br>Some of you reading this may not realize that The Bike Project recently
opened a second location, known as the Campus Bike Project. It's located
at 608 E. Pennsylvania in Champaign, which is bordered by the Law
Building to the west, the Natural Resources Building to the north, the
Stock Pavilion to the east, and that huge cemetery to the south.
Hopefully, that'll be easier to get to for some of you.<br><br>
<font style="color: rgb(51, 204, 0);" size="4"><b>THANKS </b></font><br>
<br>
I'll try to start each week with a big thank-you to someone who's helped
the Campus Bike Project. This week I'd like to thank Don Rudder and
Tina Demoss and the rest of the employees of the U of I's Parking
department. Don and Tina have the thankless task of cutting off the
locks and collecting all the abandoned bikes after classes end in the
summer (as well as impounding illegally-parked bikes throughout the
year). Don and Tina get a lot of grief from people just in the course of
doing their job, and that would make a lot of people grouchy, but
they're always very friendly and helpful. In fact, last week they
noticed that their pile of cut locks was getting pretty tall, and they
contacted me to pick the locks up and take them to the scrap yard before
someone else grabbed them. <br>
<br>
As you may or may not know, in 2008 the U of I decided to discontinue
their bike auction and donate all the impounded/abandoned bikes to The
Bike Project after students and staff have a chance to claim them.
That's been a huge benefit to our organization, and we greatly
appreciate the help. The legwork to make that happen on the University's
side falls on Parking, and they have been great to work with. Don and
Tina are who we deal with face-to-face, but working behind the scenes
are: Michelle Winters, Tom Skaggs, Stacey Rudolph, Mike Fitzgerald, Gary
Williamson, Anita Gardner, and several others. <br>
<br>
So, the next time you get a parking ticket or hear about someone getting
towed, remember that they're just doing their job. Thanks guys, for all
your help!<br>
<font style="color: rgb(51, 255, 51);" size="4"><br><b>ON THE TEE-VEE </b></font>
<br>
<br>
The fine folks at WCIA
Channel 3's The Morning Show (Nichole and her cameraman Scott)
interviewed Emma and I yesterday morning about all things Bike Project, at
the Campus Bike Project:<br>
<br>
Part 1 (3 minutes): <a href="http://illinoishomepage.net/fulltext/?nxd_id=153265">http://illinoishomepage.net/fulltext/?nxd_id=153265</a><br>
<br>
Part 2 (4 minutes): <a href="http://illinoishomepage.net/fulltext/?nxd_id=153275">http://illinoishomepage.net/fulltext/?nxd_id=153275</a><br>
<br>
Hey, it could have gone more smoothly, but at least no one got hurt.
We've been getting some great media coverage lately, as a News-Gazette
photog showed up later in the morning (I'll post a link when and if
anything comes of that), and Tom Cyrs <a href="http://www.smilepolitely.com/culture/trying_to_bring_order_from_chaos/">wrote
this nice article about recycling bikes in Smile Politely</a> last
week.<b><br>
</b><br>
<font size="4"><b style="color: rgb(51, 255, 51);">BIKES FOR SALE</b></font><br>
<br>
I intended to take some pictures, but descriptions will have to suffice
for this week. We have several ready-to-ride used bicycles for sale, all
of which come with a one-year membership to TBP and CBP (and if you're
already a member, then it'll be extended for a year). Sizing is
approximate, and stock changes on a daily basis.<br>
<ul><li>Trek 820 Single Track Men's Mountain Bike, dark green, probably
would fit someone in the 5'8" to 6'0" range -- $140</li><li>Randor Women's Mountain Bike from the '80s, white and blue, for
someone 5'4" to 5'8", $80</li><li>Schwinn "Women Inspired" Mountain Bike, nearly new, pink and black,
for someone 5'4" to 5'8", $120</li><li>Schwinn Frontier Women's Mountain Bike, burgundy and white, for
someone 4'10" to 5'2", $100</li><li>Huffy Women's Cruiser Bike, nearly new, neon green and black, for
someone 5'2" to 5'6", $60</li></ul><font style="color: rgb(51, 255, 51);" size="4"><b>BUILD-A-BIKES</b></font><br>
<br>
Summer's a great time to work on a build-a-bike project. Come in and
check out what we have in the back and get started on an inexpensive
bike that you can call your own. You can repair a bike yourself and
purchase it for just half the price of what it would be for an
already-repaired bike. Including a student membership, that's usually
around $50. <br>
<br>
<font size="4"><b style="color: rgb(51, 255, 51);">VOLUNTEER </b></font><br>
<br>
People are starting to find out about CBP, and we are getting busier all
the time. We have several fantastic volunteers that have helped to get
the Campus shop off the ground (thanks a bunch Carl, Gillian, Hasib,
Jen, and Kelly! As well as the core volunteers at the Urbana location),
but we could always use more help. Here are some areas where volunteers
could provide assistance:<br>
<ul><li><b>Assisting members and walk-ins with repairs during open
hours.</b> This is our biggest area of need, especially heading into
fall. Your mechanical skills don't need to be that advanced - the main
thing is that you want to help people learn how to fix their own bikes. </li><li><b>Greeting visitors during open hours.</b> Don't feel comfortable
working with bikes but want to help out when the shop is open? This is
super-valuable, and something that anyone can do with a friendly
attitude and a little training. Especially when the shop's busy, having a
greeter (or even two) is invaluable. You'll help visitors and members
sign in, give a little spiel to first-time visitors about what we do,
and sell used bikes and new parts.</li><li><b>Scrap old bikes for parts.</b> Some bikes are too far gone to be
repaired, or they have frame damage that makes them unsafe. So, we strip
off what's usable and take the rest to the scrap yard. Need a break
from intense mental work? Patching tubes, scavenging spokes and nipples
off old wheels, or just tearing down crummy bikes can be a great way to
relax and blow off some steam.</li><li><b>Publicity.</b> Want to visit residence halls and hand out fliers
about CBP or give a presentation to campus groups? We get a lot of
requests for this kind of thing, and it's a great way to share your
enthusiasm for The Bike Project. </li><li><b>Art projects.</b> One of the coolest things about bike
collectives (and one of the great things about the IMC location) is that
they often are able to combine the practical with the beautiful, with a
bike-centric theme. Gillian is off to a great start with our
sandwich-board sign and some other signage for around the shop, but
there's room for others to help, too. What about a coat tree welded out
of old scrap frames, or a table made from old chainrings? Let your
imagination run wild, and let us know what you have in mind.</li></ul>If you're interested in any of these volunteer opportunities (or
just want to help in general), email Joel at <a href="mailto:campusbikeproject@gmail.com">campusbikeproject@gmail.com</a>.
<br />--
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