[Bikecoop-announce] Campus Bike Project Update - June 2010

[Campus Bike Project]

*The Bike Project has a blog now <http://thebikeproject.blogspot.com/>, 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. *

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.

*THANKS *

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.

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.

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!

*ON THE TEE-VEE *

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:

Part 1 (3 minutes): http://illinoishomepage.net/fulltext/?nxd_id=153265

Part 2 (4 minutes): http://illinoishomepage.net/fulltext/?nxd_id=153275

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 wrote this nice article about recycling bikes in
Smile Politely<http://www.smilepolitely.com/culture/trying_to_bring_order_from_chaos/>last
week.
*
*
*BIKES FOR SALE*

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.

   - Trek 820 Single Track Men's Mountain Bike, dark green, probably would
   fit someone in the 5'8" to 6'0" range -- $140
   - Randor Women's Mountain Bike from the '80s, white and blue, for someone
   5'4" to 5'8", $80
   - Schwinn "Women Inspired" Mountain Bike, nearly new, pink and black, for
   someone 5'4" to 5'8", $120
   - Schwinn Frontier Women's Mountain Bike, burgundy and white, for someone
   4'10" to 5'2", $100
   - Huffy Women's Cruiser Bike, nearly new, neon green and black, for
   someone 5'2" to 5'6", $60

*BUILD-A-BIKES*

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.

*VOLUNTEER *

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:

   - *Assisting members and walk-ins with repairs during open hours.* 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.
   - *Greeting visitors during open hours.* 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.
   - *Scrap old bikes for parts.* 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.
   - *Publicity.* 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.
   - *Art projects.* 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.

If you're interested in any of these volunteer opportunities (or just want
to help in general), email Joel at campusbikeproject at gmail.com.

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