Deutsche Bahn bicycle auction 24.04 and BVG bicycle auction 25.04.13

Grab yourself a bargain bike for the incoming Springtime.

Some of you may not have been in Berlin long enough to hear about the bicycle auctions that happen on behalf of Deutsche Bahn, BVG and Polizei every one to two months. Those bikes that are not claimed by their owners after an allotted time are sold off to the highest bidder at these auctions.

The benefits of buying a bike in this manner are:

1. cheap bikes - cheaper than flohmarkts
2. proof of receipt - means you can sell off bike later more easily
3. not supporting bicycle theft
4. it's an exciting atmosphere and gives you a buzz when you're the highest bidder 

It is best if you go there with someone who knows what to look out for in buying a second hand bike, as they are varying quality and a little bit about how numbers sound in German is a plus.

If you contact us at BSB, we may be attending and be able to help you out.

The next Deutsche Bahn auction  --> 24/04/13 at 15:00

Bike auction held every month in the train station in Berlin Zoologischer Garten at the Fundburo (Lost and Found office)

• approximately 30 bikes on offer
• no chance to examine or touch bike before bidding
• no bidding slip required
• much more expensive than other auctions
• must pay in cash only
• weird, grumpy crowd - not the nicest atmosphere

http://www.bahn.de/p/view/service/bahnhof/fundservice.shtml

The next BVG auction  --> 25/04/13 (viewing starts at 8am, auction from 10am)

• ~ 40 bikes on offer usually (also other items, sporting equipment, cameras, laptops, phones, etc.)
• requires you to pay a deposit of 5€  for the bidding slip in order to place a bid (bring your Anmeldung or other proof of your address, passport)
• a bit chaotic/ unorganised at times
• pay with EC card or cash only (no credit cards)
• from 8am (viewing of bikes) and then auction starts at 10am.
• recommend you bring a picnic with you - eg snacks and tea

Saalburgstr 3/3a, 12099
 BVG auction 24/01/13 website - click here

The details of all future BVG, Deutsche Bahn and Polizei auctions will be on the calendar in "Things to do" at the top of this page.

Happy bidding!

Infographic on how to BikeSurf

http://judithcarnaby.com

Judith Carnaby has lent her considerable artistic hand to designing this infographic on the process of how people can borrow a bike from BikeSurf.

Sing it Michael:
A B C
It's easy as, 1 2 3
As simple as, do re mi
A B C, 1 2 3
Baby, you and me girl
A B C
It's easy as, 1 2 3
As simple as, do re mi
A B C, 1 2 3
Baby, you and me girl

Bicis Solidarias, from Córdoba (Spain)

I was travelling around the south of Spain and randomly landed in Córdoba. Córdoba has great bike community potential due to its size, shape and climate (not in summer). A Seville CouchSurfer suggested that Córdoba would be a great location for the next BikeSurf city. Now I think Seville is actually the better choice, because it turns out Córdoba already has Bicis Solidarias.

After visiting the unique Mezquita, walking around the shady Jewish quarter and eating some snails, I had the chance to meet Andrés, a man who has created something similar to our BikeSurf project. He is probably the only vegan in Córdoba as well ;)

I tracked down his contact information and it was so easy to arrange a meeting with him, even without saying what it was concerning. What a great first impression; he is really an accessible guy.  During our meeting he told me everything I needed to know about the Bicis Solidarias’ project:

Everything started when Andrés, together with some partners, decided to provide bicycles to people who need them and who can’t afford to buy a new or used bike.  Unfortunately we all know about the current economical situation in Spain.  Perhaps this is why bikes in this area are regularly in such high demand. This is what lead to the creation of his not for profit project, which just like BSB is not an NGO or a company.

Since creating the project, Bicis Solidarias has expanded to include new and diverse activities. Nowadays, you can enjoy a variety of events organised by Andrés and his team such as:

- Bike Lending: Primary service.

- Free Language lessons: They have native teachers for Arabic, Hebrew, English, Spanish, French and German.

- Urban Farming: They are currently squatting on an empty public space and transformed it into a social urban garden.

- Workshops: Bike repair, internet for inexperienced people or any new idea they might come up with.

- Vegan picnics: These are planned for every Sunday.

- Micro Credits: If you have a vegan business idea, you can contact them and get a microcredit to support your project. They would also consider being partners in any vegan project.

- Sharing ideas: Anybody with a good idea connected to bikes, veganism or related topics is welcome in Bicis Solidarias.

- And many more things!

For more information about this wonderful project, you can check out the Bicis Solidarias blog here.  Thanks for encouraging a green planet, we at BikeSurfBerlin salute you and your team for your wonderful efforts.

Ask not what BikeSurfBerlin can do for you, but what you can do for BikeSurfBerlin (it'll only take a few clicks)

VeloCity Visionaries Awards 2013

We would dearly love to have a stall at a huge bicycle conference called VeloCity 2013, where we could gain the support of similar grassroots projects, spread our idea internationally and be inspired to make our BikeSurf project even better.

However, there is a sad lack of funds here at BSB HQ and we are looking to get a stall there for free.

To do this, we have entered our project in the VeloCity Visionaries Awards 2013, where the top 20 projects will get a free stall at this bike conference.

Only those projects which have enough votes will get a free stall at the conference. Please vote for our project at the following link before 15th April (after clicking on VOTE NOW, you will immediately receive an email with a link to confirm your vote - if you do not receive this email, check your SPAM folder).

http://velo-city2013.com/?page_id=2337&project_id=218

Please share and tweet about our submission to these awards to others you know. There are Twitter and Facebook share links on the page above.

We deeply appreciate your support of our project and want the chance to showcase it on an international stage so that other BikeSurf branches will pop up in other cities.