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The Tampa Bay Bike Co-Op needs YOU!

Tampa Bay Bike Co-Op — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:47:06 +0000

Hi everyone,

With the weather finally cooling off a bit, conditions in Tampa Bay couldn’t be better for enjoying life on two wheels. But lots of riding means lots of wrenching, and that’s where the Co-Op comes in.

If you haven’t been in to visit in a while, we’ve been making some great improvements. We now have all the professional-level tools you could possibly need. We have four work stands to accommodate more visitors and we’ve been getting a lot of wonderful, generous donations. So stop on in, even if it’s just to say hello, and we’ll be happy to see you.

But as great as things have been going, we want more, and that’s where you come in. With our current staffing, we are not able to be open more than once a week. We would love to expand our hours to better serve the community, but we can’t do it without more volunteers. For those of you who consider yourself friends or fans of the Co-Op, now is the time to step up and help us out. Everyone from career bike mechanics to newbies who have never turned a wrench are encouraged to help. Your contributions will be VERY appreciated. And if you’d like to make an even larger commitment to the Co-Op, please speak with one of us about working towards joining the senior staff.

So that’s it. The space is looking great and is much more comfortable this time of year, so we can’t wait to see your smiling faces on Mondays from 6-9 p.m.

Thanks!

The Tampa Bay Bike Co-Op

Bike repair station

Tampa Bay Bike Co-Op — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 02:59:37 +0000

I’ve seen a few of these around the Web lately and wanted to share it with you all. What a cool idea for anyone to stop by and fix their bike any time they’d like. I’m not sure how long all the tools would last before vandals got to them, but if it’s in a safe spot it would be perfect for the community.

Think we could build something like this at our Co-Op?

- Adam

via Bike Jerks

Monday night recap and a favor to ask

Tampa Bay Bike Co-Op — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 22:02:26 +0000

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!

News!

Tampa Bay Bike Co-Op — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 17:18:19 +0000

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!

Next Bike Night @ New Space!!

Tampa Bay Bike Co-Op — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 14:26:16 +0000

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!

Work Day!

Tampa Bay Bike Co-Op — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 16:29:04 +0000

March 1st (this Sunday) The Tampa Bay Bike Co-Op 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 the space is DONE.

Next Co-Op September 1st!

Tampa Bay Bike Co-Op — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 16:34:31 +0000

Hello cyclists and lovers of bicycles!

This summer seemed to have flown by didn’t it? I hope everyone enjoyed time off if they had it and is ready for at least 3 more months of the heat.

Friday, August 29^th is the next Critical Mass! Bring out your festive self around 6:30pm to Lowry Park Zoo and get ready for a fun ride. There is no decided route, so if there is anything you might want to try out don’t hesitate to speak up Friday. Let’s hope for no rain.

The next Co-Op meeting is Monday, August 1^st. Sam is brewing up a workshop right now and we have room for more if anyone wants to share some knowledge. This meeting will also focus on bringing new ideas to the table. If you have a vision for the co-op share your ideas!

We have had a lot of donations this summer and our mechanics have been a HUGE help. The mechanics at the workshops are there to help you, but the co-op would really like to focus on YOU taking the tools in your own hands and doing it yourself.

Right now we have a lot of goals in mind for the co-op. We are looking for a permanent space in the South Tampa area. A permanent space means that we would have a drop off location for donations (which means more bikes for everyone), a shop open more hours than just once a month, and a safe public place for people in the community. Think of all the ways we could utilize a space! The possibilities are endless. If anyone has connections with the city or otherwise that you think would be of use, please get us in touch.

We need as much help as possible right now be it from bike mechanics willing to lend a little time or a lawyer willing to give us an earful of advice. Keep spreading the word about the co-op and it will keep evolving into something bigger and better.

We have a lot of cool events coming up this year so keep your ears to the ground and your feet in the pedals for us. As always, we appreciate all the support we receive from the community.

Also check out more pictures from Geek Fest! The event seems to have gone really well and we’re so glad The TBC could help out. Thanks to Mike Weimar for the great opportunity, all the amazing help and time repairing bikes, and for the photos.

First Critical Mass!

Tampa Bay Bike Co-Op — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 21:16:51 +0000

Tampa’s first critical mass went awesome. We had over 50 people there and were incident free. We hope everyone had a great time.

Don’t forget that Critical Mass is the last Friday of every month. We encourage people to be more festive next time too. Noise makers? Costumes? Be creative. The more people at the mass, the more fun, so tell all your friends!

Also, check out this awesome review of the ride that was written by Ghost Rider -

http://www.bikecommuters.com/2008/07/28/tampas-first-critical-mass-ride/

The next bicycle co-op is August 4th. Hope to see everyone there

Pics from The Mass:

Critical Mass

Tampa Bay Bike Co-Op — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 16:24:50 +0000

Last Friday of the month. Be there or be square.

Wheelbuilding Guide by Sam

Tampa Bay Bike Co-Op — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 16:21:41 +0000

pt 1

pt 2

Just click for the full size