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