ATLANTAAAA part one

This past weekend SoPo of Atlanta hosted the very first southeast Bike!Bike! SoPo estimates about 65 people came this past weekend, representing 22 community bike repair shops and projects. And of course, yours truely made sure the 904 got repped.

Bike!Bike! is about workshops, it's about meeting people and networking, it's about sharing and disseminating different methods of doing things and the thoughts behind them. Perhaps the most beautiful thing was seeing how each of us are interacting within our own community, how we grasp the idea that different cities have different local needs, and how we all act to connect, understand and meet those needs. I realized just how much Zombie Bikes is very different than other bicycle co-ops, and yet still slightly the same. There are things we are doing well, and things we need to work on.

A big flaw at Zombie is the way we take in bikes. Often bikes taken in for repair aren't adequetly marked as to what needs to be fixed. There are some reasons for this, sometimes its not a specific Zombie volunteer who takes in the bike, sometimes we think we might get to it the day it comes in, sometimes we're just lazy, etc. There was some awesome paperwork available at the conference we hope might guide us in this organizational arena. Other times, when a person brings in a bike for repair we are sometimes too quick to just fix it, instead of aiding the person to pick up a wrench and fix it themselves. Perhaps we need to re-look at the way we present Zombie.

Another shortcoming we have compared to a number of co-ops is our focus on youth inclusion, particularily the neighborhood youth. New Orleans' RUBARB co-op is doing amazing things with the children in their area, and were able to give us a great youth packet. While our shop might never be young kid-friendly, there's no reason we can't push for high school youth days one or two afternoons a week. Joe's excited about this and has already organized our group for a library trip this weekend. But maybe we should also start talking about ways to talk with Springfield-centric public schools about promoting bikes, and talking to more neighborhood kids.

There's more to comment on, but this is going to be a two-parter.

until then, we hope to see you tonight at our workshop/movie extravaganza

hugs and kisses
ZBBC

Wednesday Workshop and Movie Greatness

ahhhhh so don't forget, tomorrow will be the second January bicycle workshop. It will be an open workshop and there should be at least three Zombie volunteers, we're hoping for five, facilitating your every bike questions. We want these workshops to help you to become more familiar with bicycle mechanics and to give a tangible pathway for wannabe volunteers to become actual volunteers.

the workshop will last from 5:30-7:30, come early or come late, just come.

The movie will begin at 8:30, and because it's so nice out we will be showing this one on the Zombie's outside wall. This week's pick is Bomb It!, a global graffiti documentary showcasing not only different artists but the evolution of different styles.



Lastly, I will be posting a recap on Atlanta's Bike! Bike! weekend, as soon as I have some semblance of coherent thought.

xoxo
ZBBC

happy post-mlk day!

Sorry about the procrastination, but I finally have some Women's Ride II pictures up here. Again, huge thanks to everyone who supported and/or came out! The next ride will most likely be Feb. 15th, but may change depending on a certain out of town trip.

I'm afraid this weekend might be kind of dead at Zombie Bikes. Joe and Cherri will be heading out to Bike! Bike! in Atlanta (this event brings together bike co-op members around the southeast and provides think-tanks and workshops galore). Brandon's going to Gainesville to interview with a certain bike builder, so wish him the best of luck!
However, Bert ought to be at the shop Sunday afternoon, so if you do find yourself in the need of a little Zombie affection stop by then! Also, we have a new regular volunteer, Mark, who'll be doing Wednesdays and some Saturday afternoons, and a somewhat-new, semi-regular volunteer, Davey.



PS An early reminder, but next Wednesday, JAN 28th will be the next workshop/movie date!
workshop will be 5:30-7:30
and movie begins at 8:30, this scheduled one being Bomb It!, a film about graffiti and the history of street art.

Week Recap and Midnight Mass Anniversary

We've had a great turnout this past week at our various events, and we owe some thanks. A huge thank-you to everyone who came out to Sunday afternoon's Women's Ride, including those who came just to see us off in support. We had a group of 28/30 women, sporting everything from tricked out cruisers to road bikes. At first I thought the rain might affect our turnout, but after drinks at Starlight, the clouds cleared for a great day. We did a quick stop at La Nop, followed by rides through downtown and back to riverside. As soon as someone posts up their pics, I'll repost here! Thanks again everyone!

Wednesday's workshop and movie night was also a great success. It was refreshing to see a lot of new faces, coming out despite the cold, proving there is a want for such options. For those who missed out, no worries we think this will become a staple Zombie event. A huge thanks to everyone who has mentioned our happenings in their blogs, including Jack, BikeJax, Tom P., Biggie Tea and Urban Jacksonville.


Tonight celebrates Midnight Mass' four year anniversary. For of those of you who aren't in the know, midnight mass is an urban bike ride that was started on a whim and has grown to become a weekly hang out bike ride. The meet up is Thursday nights at midnight at the Cummer Museum and involves stops at various local bars. In celebration of the rides' fourth year, we're going to have a shindig at Springfield's Shantytown Pub. Local psychobilly band (that never plays enough), Devil Runs the Truckstop, will be performing at 8pm along with elevated hip hop experience. Afterwards there'll be a ride out to the Cummer for the midnight ride. If you think you're not quite ready to brave a bike ride in tonight's freeze, come out to the earlier party at Shantytown and share drinks and music.


xoxo
ZBBC

Workshops! Movies! Bike RIdes!

First off, I hope everyone who reads this had a chance to go to January's art walk. The skate demo and skateboard art was absolutely amazing, and it was inspiring to see so much potential in this city. And for those of you who would like to see a more permanent urban skate arena check out the Skateplaza of Springfield. This is something I think really needs to happen, last night proved there are people interested and that we just need to see some better outlets.

But back to bikes,
and.. WORKSHOPS!

there will be two open workshops this month,
Wednesday, January 14th 5:30- 7:30
and again
Wednesday, January 28th 5:30- 7:30

this will become a regular thing, and topics to cover will be a whole mess of bike maintenance necessities; from the intro of replacing a tube to that messy business of derailers and truing wheels.

now, this isn't too say that individuals aren't more than welcome to come in for one-on-one guided repairs. Joe in particular is a fan of these, and his personal schedule is looking like tuesday and thursdays 1-6, but call/email to confirm. and remember, we are a co-op meaning donations or the willingness to swap volunteer time or wanted materials is a crux to how we work.

On both Jan. 14th and Jan. 28th, after the workshops will be movie nights!! I hope you haven't forgotten! These are free all the time for the awesomness of sharing good fun and meeting new people. Movies begin at 8:30, and for the 14th we've got BMX Bandits.. for the 28th we've got Bomb It!

annnnnnnndddddd
more stuff:

WOMEN'S RIDE IS THIS SUNDAY, JANUARY 11TH! COME OUT AND SUPPORT!
a lazy, winding ride full of awesome people, some sweet music, drinks and debauchery

new zines have come in, and the library will be officially opened tomorrow late afternoon (like 5). I'm working on getting a myspace up for it, but in the mean time give Cherri a call at 904.307.2451 if you have any questions or are interested in selling/promoting/buying a zine (also often I tend to screen calls from unknown numbers, please please leave a message so I know you're a really important person to call back).

and finally, the ZBBC gang has had its first official meeting for the second Bury Your Bike weekend extravaganza. Things to look forward to will be zombie chases and scavenger hunts, sunday sixers and pbr, polo and pool hopping, bands and dj's, plenty of free food and just plain fun. Tentative dates are either April 24-26 or May 1-3. Plan accordingly.

hugs and kisses,
the ZBBC