I know no one reads this but I'll continue posting for propriety's sake. I won't be able to be in the shop tomorrow due to school and finals, so unless anyone else volunteers to run shop tomorrow, the Bike Cave will be CLOSED.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances though, we will be open the 26th, so come spend some Christmas money on a new bike, or get that crappy wal-mart bike your grandma gave you tuned up, or just drink beers and talk about how 'zen' your new tarck bike is.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
slow week
It was just me last Saturday, out in the cold garage, all alone... I'll probably fire up the propane heater this week and try to get some more lighting installed so we can keep the garage door closed comfortably.
Starting to put together some more concrete operating procedures, i.e. money handling, a general pricing guide, membership, etc. All things that should help the shop running smoother and more "professionally" (as professional as a non-profit diy bike shop run from a garage/basement can be!)
We've also been brainstorming some fundraiser events. Got any ideas? Let us know! I want to do a Winter Bicycle Olympics at the ice rink- racing and polo? Charli doesn't think they'll let us do it... We'll see about that.
Start studding those tires and layering up, winter is officially here.
Starting to put together some more concrete operating procedures, i.e. money handling, a general pricing guide, membership, etc. All things that should help the shop running smoother and more "professionally" (as professional as a non-profit diy bike shop run from a garage/basement can be!)
We've also been brainstorming some fundraiser events. Got any ideas? Let us know! I want to do a Winter Bicycle Olympics at the ice rink- racing and polo? Charli doesn't think they'll let us do it... We'll see about that.
Start studding those tires and layering up, winter is officially here.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
progress continues...
The last few Saturdays have been pretty exciting. The shop is looking great, we did some cleanup last week and it made things considerably easier.
We've started putting some of our donated bikes together, and finished some pretty cool ones.
Our "foreign exchange students" Brandon and Mai put together a Fuji Berkely (not pictured) and an old Peugot for themselves, both single speed of course.
Brandon started working on a 70's Browning (yes, the gun company). Not a lightweight racer but still a cool old lugged road bike. It would make a great commuter bike for someone. Just needs a decent set of wheels and little stuff.
Grady got an old Jamis Explorer up and running that I used for delivering on Monday in the rain and it was a champ. A little upright for my taste but it rides smooth. And its got a gold stem!
Just finished this Huffy cruiser, rescued from a barn. Cleaned up pretty nice I think. Super smooth ride with a freshly rebuilt coaster hub (my first successful attempt!) Sorry, already sold :)
Brian's been working on these two mountain bikes, this aluminum Schwinn just needs the chainring bolted up and the brakes tweaked. Neon green bar tape.
This is an 80's I think Shogun Prairie Breaker I with some enormous 2.125" knobbies. Sounds like it might need a little work on the hubs or the headset but overall a pretty cool bike.
And here's a Centurion Le Mans 12 Brian picked up. I lost my metric tape measure but it's a pretty large frame. Paint's in great shape, Suntour ARX derailleurs, Dia-compe 500 brakes, Tange 900 double butted chromoly.
And another Le Mans 12 donated last week, single butted Tange #5 tubing, not as shiny as the big Le Mans but still a nice frame. This one might end up as Charli's bad weather beater.
And that's just the tip of the iceberg, tons more frames just begging to be adopted. Come by Saturday and check them out, 553 N Fountain from noon to 6pm.
We've started putting some of our donated bikes together, and finished some pretty cool ones.
And that's just the tip of the iceberg, tons more frames just begging to be adopted. Come by Saturday and check them out, 553 N Fountain from noon to 6pm.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Halloween!
Critical Massquerade tonight, meet @ Donut Whole at 5:30, ride at 6! Costumes highly encouraged. After party at the Bike Cave.
Open Shop tomorrow from 12-4 (closing early for the holiday) come by and help out, we've gotten a lot of donations that need to be sorted and cleaned up, wheel shelves are half finished, several bikes that just need a little work to be ready to sell. 553 N Fountain.
Open Shop tomorrow from 12-4 (closing early for the holiday) come by and help out, we've gotten a lot of donations that need to be sorted and cleaned up, wheel shelves are half finished, several bikes that just need a little work to be ready to sell. 553 N Fountain.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Come down to the shop tomorrow
We'll be back open tomorrow 12-6 for open shop, come by and help us finish getting the shop set up. The address is 553 N Fountain. We made a lot of progress last week but there's plenty left to do. We'll be installing lighting and power, building wheel shelves, making signs and posters. if you've got bikes, parts, or tools to donate, it'll be the best time to bring them by.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
The first Open Shop Day
After over a year of planning and wheel-spinning, the Wichita Bicycle Collective's bike shop is finally getting off the ground. Our first open-shop day on Saturday was a huge success. A few generous donors (sorry I've forgotten your names, guys) brought us some veritable treasure troves from lumber to workbenches, even a trailer-load of awesome bikes!
We spent most of the day sorting parts and organizing the shop. It's beyond exciting to see shelves full of neat parts bins, wheels in orderly rows and tubes sorted by size after months of frustrated digging through hopelessly jumbled piles looking for that one bolt you just saw last week... And we couldn't have done it without our able volunteers that came and helped. Brandon and Luke, you guys are great! We're especially glad to have Tom on board; knowledgeable and friendly, he's just the kind of person the shop needs more of.
Want to help out too? Fear not, the work is far from done. Upcoming projects include organizing tools, setting up work benches, stripping parts from bikes and getting complete bikes tuned up and ready to sell. Open Shop is every Saturday from 12-6 (we'll be closed Oct. 17 though), stop by 553 N Fountain to lend a hand.
We spent most of the day sorting parts and organizing the shop. It's beyond exciting to see shelves full of neat parts bins, wheels in orderly rows and tubes sorted by size after months of frustrated digging through hopelessly jumbled piles looking for that one bolt you just saw last week... And we couldn't have done it without our able volunteers that came and helped. Brandon and Luke, you guys are great! We're especially glad to have Tom on board; knowledgeable and friendly, he's just the kind of person the shop needs more of.
Want to help out too? Fear not, the work is far from done. Upcoming projects include organizing tools, setting up work benches, stripping parts from bikes and getting complete bikes tuned up and ready to sell. Open Shop is every Saturday from 12-6 (we'll be closed Oct. 17 though), stop by 553 N Fountain to lend a hand.
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