Campus Bike Project Update - June 7

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. Hopefullly, that'll be easier to get to for some of you. Anyhow, I'll be chiming in each Monday on this here blog to let you know what's new at the CBP. Today was a big day, so I'd better get started:

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

I see that Kelly already mentioned it, but the fine folks at WCIA Channel 3's The Morning Show (Nichole and her cameraman Scott) interviewed Emma and I this 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 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@gmail.com.