The Tampa Bay Bike Co-op will be closed Monday, September 14 as the head volunteers will be visiting a sister co-op, the Sopo Co-op in Atlanta (oh, and participating dominating a 24-hour race on 3 separate teams!) Hope to see everyone on September 21st.

Thanks everyone who stopped in for another great Monday. We saw a couple new faces, fixed a some bikes and had a few new ideas.

This week we had a young kid stop in to get air in his tires and hang out for a while. He was a welcome addition and it is a good sign that more kids from the neighborhood will see us as a valuable resource. Our biggest goal is to create a welcoming environment where anybody can come in and learn about bicycles.

With the addition of this new demographic, It’s time to take a more responsible approach to the image we present to the community. And so, we’ve decided to ask that you no longer bring alcohol to the Co-Op. This change should only have the effect of bolstering our stance as a legitimate and positive resource for the community.

We hope you understand and that we continue to see you all each Monday night!

Summer has been setting in and a lot of positive, productive changes have been happening here at the Tampa Bay Bike Co-Op as well as within the city.

If you missed the Criterium that was in downtown Tampa, it was a great event that we can’t wait to be apart of it again next year. There is a great short video review of the event put together by Tristan and Denver. You can view it here. Thanks again to the Tampa Bay Cycle Campaign and the Tampa Downtown Partnership for hosting such a great event. They are working really hard on making downtown a more welcoming place for everyone to be. Expect more great events this year.

The next co-op meeting will be on Monday May 4th at our new location which is 2512 Silver Lake Ave, Tampa, FL. 33614.

We also have exciting news. Starting in May we will be open EVERY MONDAY from 6-9pm. This will allow people to have more access at more times during the month.

This is a start for our ultimate plans to be open three nights a week later this year. The format of the co-op is really taking shape and we would love to have more people involved, especially volunteers. We cannot be open without you…even if you have little to no mechanical knowledge, being a leader figure or directing someone in the right direction is a really important part of our organization.

Friday, April 24th is Critical Mass – Leaving from Lowrey Park promptly at 7pm.

Sunday, April 26th is the first ever Tampa Queer Mass!! It is leaving from the co-op space at 6:30pm. This ride is dedicated to strengthening the queer community through positive biking demonstrations. All bykes and types welcome!

Please, please spread the word about the bike co-op to friends and other organizations in need of inexpensive bicycles, parts, with on hand tools/mechanics at your disposal. The Bay Area cycling community has been an amazing support system so far, and we want to continue to give back!

We will be open EVERY MONDAY for the month of May from 7-10pm at our new location.

The first Monday of the month is May 4th. We hope everyone can make it…spread the word!

Our new space is finally functional for use! We will be having our next bike night there. It is off Waters and Armenia. The official address is 2512 Silver Lake Ave, Tampa, FL. 33614.

The place is a little tricky to find. It is a stand alone storage space behind the Tan Phat grocery store off of Silver Lake Avenue.

We will be there April 6th from 7-10pm. Please bring donations of all kinds and come check out the new space! It looks great!

A quick reminder that critical mass is this Friday at 7pm! We roll out of Lowrey Park Zoo!

Many people have been asking us, “So when are things really going to get off the ground?!” and others seem frustrated with how static the co-op has become. We ask you not to look at what is almost accomplished, but what we have done so far.  Dozens of people show up every month simply seeking mechanical advice and leave having found a community that they can’t resist coming back to. Though small right now, we will become a bigger more permanent part of the Tampa Bay Area. Thanks to all those so far who have helped along the way, who try to keep things moving, and to those who continue to not give up on us.

February 21^st (this Saturday) we will be hosting a work day at the new space. This will be one of the final pushes to get the space done. We need volunteers to help build out shelving/storage for the space and others to simply strip bikes, clean, and sort parts.  The address is 8202 N. Armenia Ave. Unit E Tampa, FL 33604. We will be getting started around 11am and end till we feel satisfied.  Call Lily (813)928-9575 for directions or to see if we are still there.

February 27^th is the next Critical Mass that leaves from Lowery Park promptly at 7pm. People have been showing up late and missing the Mass! Please try and be there on time! The more people at this even the more fun it is.

March 2^nd is the next co-op meeting. This is still at Transitions Art Gallery until further notice. Please try and make it if you have free hands to help those in need or if you know someone who needs help with a bike. We will be accepting donations (as we do at every meeting) including parts. We will also be selling T-Shirts for $10. 7-10pm.

After many setbacks (life gets in the way sometimes) the space has plans to be done by late next month. We plan on having a big opening and will start using the space immediately so stay posted for further dates.  March will be a very busy month for us and the co-op could use volunteers!

March 14^th we will be tabling at the Grassroots Festival/Really Really Free Market. There will be many vendors there with items to give away or trade with others in the community. We need a few people to let people know we are present in the community., sell shirts, and give a workshop.  Hours are from 1-5pm.tampabaybikecoop@gmail.com if you can fill any of these hours or if you have any questions!www.tampabaybikecoop.com

March 21^st there is a bike race in our very own Down Town Tampa! Some of our members will actually be participating in this and we have been asked to table and give tune-up advice to those that need a little grease. Karen Kress at The Tampa Bay Cycle campaign has been a huge supporter of us lately and really wants our presence to be known in the community. Hours needed to fill are from 12-5pm.  

Please email us at tampabaybikecoop@gmail.com if you can fill any of these hours or if you have any questions!

We have pictures from the new space up along with a flyer for the Really Really Free Market.  

Thanks again to all those who have been present and who continue to help us grow. We cherish every donation from bike parts to any amount of time spent sorting parts and educating others.  

In cycling Solidarity,
The Tampa Bay Bike Coop
www.tampabaybikecoop.com

The last meeting was a great success again! Thanks to everyone who came out and we hope those who needed help with repairs got it. Jeremy Quijano was there with his camera equipment and took pictures of almost everyone at the co-op with their bicycles. You can see the rest of the photos here.

The next co-op meeting will still be at Transitions Art Gallery on January 5th. We will be making an announcement for when the space is ready and will keep everyone posted on when the meetings will be held there.

The next critical mass is December 26th. Close to the holidays, but try and make it out. It’ll be a beautiful ride.

There is also a ride this Friday the 5th for Frankie who was struck and killed by a car a few weeks ago.

Ride for Awareness!!

• Friday, December 5 at 3:30pm (leave around 4)
• Meet at the Marshall Center Loop at USF Tampa
• Group ride surrounding campus for bike awareness.

It’s early in the day, but it’s best held under daylight, for obvious reasons. Hope you can make it.

We’ll keep everyone updated on when the next work days are to get the space ready!

Thanks for all the support

-TBBC

Thanks to everyone who helped volunteer at Bike Bash and to those that stopped by the table to learn what we are all about. Special thanks to those that taught workshops so last minute and as always to our volunteer mechanics.

We have T-shirts! We should have these available at all our meetings and events. They are $10 which directly benefits the Co-Op.

Our good friend Adam Newman who writes for the St. Pete Times and for the blog Spoke N’ Word did a great article on purchasing a bicycle and gives us a few honorable mentions. Check it out here!

Don’t forget the next Critical Mass is Friday September 26th.

The next Co-Op meeting is October 6th.

Hope to see everyone out!

-The TBBC

The Critical Mass went great this past August. It was an awesome way to wrap up the month. There were people with really cool anti-car/pro-bicycle signs and a few costumes as well. The more festive the better! We had over 50 people again, but could use more! Keep promoting critical mass.

At the Co-Op on September 1^st Landon gave a great workshop on how to make some of your own tools and Sam gave a really thorough workshop on how you can overhaul your hubs to help them run smoothly. Our volunteer mechanics did a great job as always. We couldn’t do any of the work that has been made possible without them. 

At the end of the workshops while people were getting the repairs they needed, we also had an open discussion on the future of the co-op. The discussion was really productive and our vision looks great.

Some general ideas were that once we secure a centrally located permanent space that we keep a shop open at least a few times a week. We will have a place for donations and will probably be selling used parts at set prices to benefit the co-op. Other people want to start rides start showing films related to cycling. There was also talk of doing out reach bicycle workshops/repair sessions to organizations in need around the bay area.

We also have two events coming up that we will need volunteers for.

On October 19^th from 11am to 4pm at Vinoy Park in St. Petersburg, we will be hosting two workshops and tabling at the Bicycle Bash by the Bay. This is a great opportunity for outreach. We will need people at the table taking shifts and two people to run the workshops.

In Mid-December, Transitions Art Gallery will be host to an “Art by Cyclists” show that will be a benefit for the Tampa Bay Bicycle Co-Op. We are looking for a few more artists. We will have more information on this event shortly.

 If you are interested in either of these events please contact:  tampabaybikecoop@gmail.com

We are working on a message board so everyone can start communicating with each other a little better. If you want to help start any other kind of networking for the co-op or critical mass (myspace, facebook, etc.) please feel free, just email us first.

Thanks for all the support and input.