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BiciCentro Article

Second BiciCentro Bike Repair event cements success!



Sunday the 15th at La Casa De La Raza a second bike repair/ work party helped thirty people fix ailing bicycles and get a taste of bicycle culture. This community service of La Casa and the BiciCentro group helped connect donated bikes to those in need, used parts to otherwise broken bikes, and repair/maintenance skills to the people who rely on bicycling for transportation. After two events, word is starting to spread, and old bicycles long left in garages and backyards are getting dusted off for a second life of use. More than ten mechanically-skilled volunteers, or 'wrenches' are now regularly donating their time to help others fix their means of mobility, while numerous groups, such as Café De Velo, Echelon Cycling club, Hazards Bicycle Shop, and Open Air have all contributed necessary resources to stock the events with replacement parts.

La Casa De La Raza, the primary sponsor of these events, deserves tremendous thanks for their work in helping add this service to the extensive list of resources it offers its primarily Latino constituency. Eddie Gonzalez, Facility Manager of La Casa, immediately took action when first presented with the concept of community free bicycle repair events. "Let's set a date, put together the resources, and make this happen" was his directive and the commitment of La Casa put this idea into motion. By using this superb facility and using the extensive La Casa network in outreach, the collaboration of BiciCentro has been able to effectively put together cyclists who rely on bikes for work commutes and volunteer bicycle enthusiasts/mechanics to create a special opportunity for the community.

Our next event is Mother's Day Sunday, May 13th from noon to 4pm, but there is much more in store than just another repair/work party. Our wrenches and enthusiasts are putting together plans for a permanent space for 'biciCentro,' a bicycle kitchen of sorts, where students and community members can come and fix donated bicycles, take mechanical skill lessons, repair their own bikes, and increasingly foster bicycle culture here in Santa Barbara. We hope to continue to build on our successes and ramp up the services our group can offer. We meet every Wednesday at 7pm at La Casa De La Raza. Contributions of any nature; event volunteers, organizers, networking, and financial sponsorship are all needed as we build a space for the self-determination of the bicycle to flourish.

Building to a Third Community Event: May 13th

The Collaboration between La Casa De La Raza and the BiciCentro Collective is proud to offer a third Community Bike Repair and Skill Share event, tentatively planned for May 13th at noon to 5pm at the lovely Casa De La Raza facility on 601 E. Montecito. Our Wednesday meeting will see us confirm this date and prepare to improve this free service we offer to the community at large.

Come join us to fix an old bike, maintain your bike, build up a used bike of old parts. Bring a friend and share the joy and skill of bike repair. Or simply come to connect with some of the key players in the youth bicycle community here in Santa Barbara. Food, spare parts, and comradarie is provided. Donations are never solicited but always accepted.

If you would like to volunteer to help us strengthen and expand the bicicentro effort, please join us on one of our wednesday meetings or contact us at bicicentro@googlegroups.com

Next Bike Event: April 15th!

Announcing our Next Free Bike Repair event: April 15th from 10:30am to 6pm at La Casa De La Raza ( Montecito & Calle Cesar Chavez in Santa Barbara ). Our last free bike work day was amazingly successful with over fifty bike repairs, and not to mention, one hell of a good time. The core crew just met up to set the date: check us out.

Photos Photos!

Do check out the photos that Dave's Wife, Christine, took of our event on Saturday:
http://cbarreb.smugmug.com/gallery/2622043#138370319

Also we had a great celebration Bike BBQ on Sunday- rock it out wrenches!!!

Bike-alicious Free Bike Repair Event a Huge Success!

The spare tubes, chains, patch kits, and spare parts were all laid out. Three full bike stands and workstations we're set up. Coffee, breakfast food, all set out on the table. Seven of us mechanics were there, set, ready, wondering if anyone would come...
A half hour passed. We had decided to start at 8:30 in the morning in order to catch the bike commuters who work labor jobs during the day on Saturday. But, so far no one had come. There were some donated bike frames and parts, which some of us had started to build up. As soon as we all looked down on the work we had picked up for ourselves, somewhere, far off in the distance, the floodgates opened. Just those simple flats and adjusting derailers? No way Somehow, by divine intervention we, the rag tag team of 'wrenches,' were being tested to our limit. Headset repair, freewheel complications, front and rear shifter cable replacement on old bikes that used a cable so antiquated that we had to file down the bead at the end of the cable to make a square peg fit in a round hole. We restored a 1940's cruiser- with an antique hub otherwise siezed that had to be open up-ed and reassembled. Did I mention any and every kind of bottom bracket issues addressed? We did it. Our humble assortment of tools was stretched to its limit, but we somehow managed to have everyone who came leave happily, with bikes healthy and ready to transport them as they wished.
This was really the event that many of us were waiting to happen- to prove that there was the will and the commitment to make a free community bike effort happen. La Casa De La Raza provided an exceptional space and event volunteers. Team Echelon and Hazards provided a large grouping of needed chains, tubes and patch kits. Baron @ Cafe De Velo outdid himself by providing bike locks, tires, chainrings, forks, frames, and numerous last minute 'needs.' Fairview Gardens and DP Café donated food. Most inspiring however, Our 'wrenches' all of us, aside from volunteering numerous hours, - without any promise of compensation or any push to do so- paid out of pocket for carafes of coffee, juice, danishes, enough burritos for everyone, tubes, cabling, even wheels and other parts that would be needed. Many of our tools were bought specifically for this event- not to own but to share. The display of community goodwill was there in force. Bici Centro is here, taken root here in downtown Santa Barbara. Free bike repair, bike recycling, and youth/community bike skill share is happening.
Chatting as we cleaned up after the event, we couldn't be happier. A Saturday spent working with new friends, doing good, making daily transportation a more pleasant experience. For How Many? Well, today, around 50 people came in to get help in repairing their bikes. And Today was just the first of what's to come. In our view, There is nothing that this community needs more right now. So we're doing something about it. Join Us: www.bicicentro.blogspot.com

Big Event Today- Saturday!

Free Bike repair: 8:30am to 3:00pm @ La Casa De La Raza. Salsipuedes & Montecito streets. Pictures and story to follow shortly.

Our second meeting: success so far!

Bike Project Meeting 2 notes
Attendees:
Will Black
Josh
Rafael 'Chato'
Eddie Gonzalez
Ed France
Erika lindemann
Joanna Kauffmann
Mares-

Okay we agendaed only issues of the March 24th event

What the event offers to the community

Bike stations for the event

Food For the event

Publicity

-of course we discussed more, as we always do, but i'll keep the notes concise and on topic.

What the event offers:
teaching opportunity
free stuff (like spare parts)
displayed bikes (bring in don's ridazz)
food

Bike stations for the event:
bike washing station
greeter/ doctor of diagnosis for bike ills
checker to go over bike repairs and help other mechanics as needed
helmet fitting station (with donations only helmets)
flat station
gear ajust station
brakes station
bmx/cruser/fixed gear station
full blown mechanic station (for the tough jobs)
booster stations (for folks working solo on bikes)
wheel truing stations
*each station should be aided by a volunteer

Food for the event:
Burritos, we will try to get donations of plates to then mix together in La Casa kitchen, Chato's is in charge (hey wasn't that a tv show?)
back up is to ask for donated burritos from our hook up
back up X2 is to call the taco truck out to sit by la casa and sell during the event

Publicity:
Joanna (the rock star) made flyers that rock (en ingles y espanol) and Will is going to make the first round of copies. More flyers are asked for our next meeting and the la Casa volunteers will help distribute. other ideas:
PSA's in radio - Vibe, Radio Bronco, La Preciosa
Community listings in Indy, Daily Sound, Goleta Valley Voice, carp costal.
press release and community calendars
myspace
school bulletins - mellisa from CADA

Task list (our favorite part)
Supplies checklist/wishlist - josh
flyer copies- will
go between and communications guy- Ed
talk to pd re bikes -Erika
oversee publicity- Erika
Sign up list for volunteers- Ed will start
Being a rad dude and representing La Casa- Eddie
organizing any other side ventures (movie?) - ?????
fundraising- ?????

other ideas
CRAPPY BIKE CONTEST
we get a few nice bikes from police impound and the worst (or worst few) bikes will get those bikes as prizes. Josh sayz we should then pimp out their old crappy bikes, Ed says we should throw them into the metal scrap heap.

check it yo's : www.bicicentro.blogspot.org bicicentro@googlegroups.com

Meeting Wed. Night @ 7pm

Our next meeting is this wednesday, February 28th, at 7pm at La Casa De La Raza. Come and help us hash out the details of our first event, coming Saturday, March 24th. Details of the next meeting include: Task List:

• compare and approve flyer(s) design
• make list of 'stations' desired for bike repair/workshoping
• discuss distribution of 'freebees'
• Make Mission Statement
• Discuss longer term planning of this ad hoc group
• use last five minutes of meeting to set agenda for the next

Oh, and make sure to join our listserve group bicicentro@googlegroups.com See you all on Wednesday evening, and don't hestiate to call or ask me with any questions, and send out your ideas to the list!

Best,

Ed France

The date is set for our first Bike Repair Event!

Friends,
Our meeting last night was tremendous! With eleven attendees it was clear that we all aim to make the Free Bike Repair/Workshop event a success! Most importantly we have our first real bike event coming up Saturday March 24th from 8:30 to 3:00 @ La Casa de La Raza. Spread the word!
Our next meeting to help plan this event is scheduled for next wednesday @7pm (to let some people with scheduling conflicts attend) at La Casa again. We had maybe more enthusiasm and ideas then I could contain in meeting notes, but here is my best shot:
Bike Repair Event Planning Meeting -Feb 21,07

Attendees: Santos Albarran, Rafael (Chato) Orozco, Nicole Ely, Darsen J Cornett, David Salmon, Eddie Gonzalez, Joanna Kaufman, Josh Hayes, Len Ramirez, Erika Lindemann, Wil Black, Ed France

Proposed Agenda:
• Set date and time for event: Saturday, March 24th, 8:30 to 3:00
• Set Scope of event and identify resources
• Plan for publicity of event


Resources:
• Casa de La Raza- offering venue: space, electricity, water/restrooms, numerous volunteers, outreach abilities.
• Volunteers (ourselves and contacts)
• Some toolsets we possess
• bikelocks, other parts donated by cafe de Velo
• Helmets from county program


Wish List:
• Tubes, patch kits, chains, tires, cables, grease, spokes, brake pads, zip ties, duct tape, safety lights, grips
• printing donation
• Flyer for event designed
• PSA- produced for radio

Task List:
Solicit Cash sponsor for event
Solicit/organize food resources for event
design/ build bike anatomy demonstration
Record Radio PSA Ingles/Espanol
plan potential evening bike film to complement event
plan potential bike ride at completion of event

Proposed ideas for next or future agenda:
• compare and approve flyer(s) design
• make list of 'stations' desired for bike repair/workshoping
• discuss distribution of 'freebees'
• Make Mission Statement
• Discuss longer term planning of this ad hoc group
• use last five minutes of meeting to set agenda for the next

Bike Bonanza coming in Ojai

Check Check Check it out....
let's carpool out eh, or bike it out if we're not buying too many bike parts! Saturday march 3rd. 12-5.

March Bike Event Planning @ La Casa De la Raza

Hey All, Do show up if you can to the Bici Centro/Bike Kitchen/Bici Cocina/ Bike Repair/Recycle Project (who knows what our name will be) planning meeting this wednesday Feb 21st at 6pm at La Casa. We will be hosting a bike clinic/workshop there on either March 17th or 24th. Eddie @ La Casa is charged up and many other dedicated folks like Rex@ the shop on Haley are getting on board. Please feel free to contact me at the email on the top of this page if you want more information on this project.