Donate/Help

Do you love our project and would like to help?

We at BikeSurfBerlin are always in search of ways to improve and expand the project. We need both enthusiastic volunteers and especially donations to help the project flourish. 
Some of the feedback from people who have used the service (BikeSurfers) can be read below.


Donations
Here you can donate any amount you wish via Paypal or Credit card using the secure form below. 

Alternatively, you can internationally transfer any donation to the following account:.
Graham Pope
Allied Irish banks ltd.
69/71 Morehampton road
Dublin 4
IBAN : IE50AIBK93103908562044
Swift code: AIBKIE2D

We are currently running our Lights & Locks Campaign Fundraiser (bike lights - 10€ a set; bicycle locks - 23€) to help raise enough funds for proper lights and locks for all our bikes.  For more information check out our page:
http://bikesurfberlin.blogspot.de/p/locks-lights-campaign.html

http://www.betterplace.org/en/projects/10457-bikesurfberlin

Donate now for “"Lights & Locks" Borrow a bike free in Berlin!”. The donation is processed by our partner betterplace.org

Volunteering Great! We always need support with bike mechanics, logistics, articles for the blog, and many other things that are going on. So, e-mail us at bikesurfberlin@gmail.com and tell us what are you good at. Of course is better if you are in Berlin, but online support is also welcome! 

How to set up your own BikeSurf project presentation:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/19EfK_IlyNWy7BkbA5ryt_MtbMFFP2SUzM1LqnpFEzLs/edit

Training presentation for new BikeSurfBerlin members
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1KPBttGciAe84wqGbXnFHe7gfdpAhklhuuigs4yGFufk/edit

References from BikeSurfers
Some of our CS references to date:
References (57)
57 Positive
0 Neutral
0 Negative

 From Kate Sugden Newcastle upon Tyne, England 20. Nov Positive I surfed a bike for a few days, it was a very positive experience in terms of practicality, inspiration and my general opinion of humanity. As a constant traveller I don't get to ride a bike often, so I especially appreciated it for that. 

From Tessie Humble Berlin, Germany 16. Nov Positive Graham is great, and the project is well, incredible. Met graham in person, he was lovely, friendly, and gave me lots of advise on my own bike which had problems- very eager to help out, but asks for nothing really back. Fixed us a second bike last minute even though they were all officially in use. It and he is simply spot on.

 From Clemens and Elisabeth Berlin, Germany 16. Nov Positive This is such an amazing, inspirational project! They allowed us to take two bikes for all the Couchsurers we host. Thank you so much for your generous support!

 From ciaoquentin Duesseldorf, Germany 12. Nov Positive I rode The Sea for 4 days through Berlin, meet a bunch of committed cyclists in the critical mass, repaired a couple of inner tube and made my supporting T-shirt to SPREAD THE WORLD with this beautiful idea!

 From Boris Dudi Berlin, Germany 11. Nov Positive Wonderful project, it was really clear, well explicated, and I was total amazed when I find the bike which was really there for my girlfriend, and really easy to have this experiment, I recommend +++ :)

 From JULIALU Stockholm, Sweden 8. Nov Positive The bikesurf project is super rad and one of my absolutely coolest experiences of CS! I wish there was a possibility to bike surf in every city! These guys are doing an awesome work!

 From Vidya Kaipa Campbell, United States 30. Oct Positive BikeSurf Berlin should be a model for every big city (hell, any city!). It's such an awesome, trusting system that builds on the CS experience and gives visitors a chance to explore the vastness that is Berlin by the best way possible: on bike! I criss-crossed the city multiple times (sometimes on accident) and saw so many things I wouldn't have on foot. Plus, you might get to meet Pau, the adorable Spanish guy who lent me my bike - a very pleasant perk. :)

 From Mattia Saita Berlin, Germany 18. Oct Positive WOOWW this project is great!! Berlin by bike is something special and you really have to meet Graham!! He is a super-entusiast person with a lot of nice stories about bike travelling. I realy enjoyed talking with him!

 From Velhomia Berlin, Germany 17. Oct Positive We need a bike and I found his profil on CS Paul was very friendly and open minding let us a bike for few days .He told us from his projekt bike surving,way he does this and how and I think this is a very nice idea and wish you lots of good help and support for the futcher !!

From Marco Silvestro Buenos Aires, Argentina 15. Oct Positive Great guys! I was traveling with a friend, they lent us the bikes which made the Berlin experience totally different. Thanks a lot guys!!!

 From Véronique Fernet Grenoble, France 13. Oct Positive Great idea ! Bike is the best way for me to discover a city... and in Berlin it was just perfect. Thanks a lot !

 From BStrac709 Berlin, Germany 4. Oct Positive It is impossible to find a better person than John. He has changed my life in the most important ways and taught me the meaning of selflessness, giving back to your community, and bringing people together. Be sure to support BikeSurfBerlin and start a project of your own!

From Gosia Pękala Skawina, Poland 27. Sep Positive It's a great project! Possibility to use the bike when you want to explore a city is very helpful. Thanks a lot for lending me your bike! I wish you good luck in the development of your project! :)

 From Chris Glenn Glasgow, Scotland 4. Sep Positive I donated my bike to the project..its a great cause and i wish you all the best! I hope some people can use my bike and have a good time in berlin

 From Anna Karpińska Warsaw, Poland 2. Sep Positive BikeSurfBerlin is an awesome project! John, thanks for letting me cycle throug Berlin, it was amazing and unique experience. I wish I had more time to meet you in person. Who knows maybe I'll be back in Berlin and then we will have a chance to meet up somewhere. Ragazzi is the best ;)

 From Eletta Padova, Italy 2. Sep Positive Thanks to John and his project, I could find again some positive feelings after my bike got stolen in Berlin. Considering how much my bike was worth for me (in terms of utility, saving and also affection), these "positive feelings" were totally needed! Thank you very much John and thanks to the sweet DDR Style for this week together.

 From ELISCHEN Berlin, Germany 31. Aug Positive What a great project! Thanks a lot for offering bikes to fellow couchsurfers in Berlin! I borrowed a bike for my sister who came to visit me in Berlin! She was so happy to discover Berlin by bike this time! Many special thanks to John for locking a new bike for us as soon as we found out the bike which was meant for us hadn't been returned! Would be lovely to meet you once!

 From Stephen Burton Melbourne, Australia 27. Aug Positive This is a inititive to help out people. When i travel to a city transport is a magor issue, with much debating about what to do. for my first time to berlin i had not sorted out a thing for it, then i noticed this and everything fell into place. John was also very helpful when contacted over me being lost trying to look for the bike :) great times all thanks to you guys!! thanks again!! and i hope to be able to set this up in my city!

 From VAGABUND1978 Dresden, Germany 20. Aug Positive Unfortunately I didnt get to meet John while i was in berlin but i was happy it worked out to lend one of his cycles. i had the "california" cycle. it was great being able to cycle berlin during those lovely summer days. booking, pick up and drop off for the cycle was well organized and i simply think its a brilliant project. hope to get another cycle when back in berlin again. keep up the good work ;-)

 From Ivana Kollarova Bratislava, Slovakia 20. Aug Positive Thanks to this great project I had the chance to see my beloved Berlin from a different point-by bike! Everything went smoothly-from the pre-Berlin arrangement, pick up to drop off. I met 2 of the 3 guys behind this project and must say they were both nice and helpful! Bike Annie is a great partner in crime ;-) I felt so free, careless and even more at home crusing the streets of Berlin :-) Thank you guys!

 From Michal Budnik Ra'anana, Israel 18. Aug Positive I had the best experience lending a pair of bikes (the lovely Annie Bannanie & the gorgeous Bavaria) . The google schedule system is great and the directions for getting the bike were clear and easy to follow. Also, I had the pleasure to meet this great person for a short time when I picked up the bike, so to you - keep up the good work with this amazing idea! you bring us all hours of joy :)

 From Zrinka Sertic Zagreb, Croatia 16. Aug Positive John is kind of person that you meet once in lifetime!He is doing extra positive thing and really meaningful!His bikesurf project is one new perspective that show us that we can do so much for each other without our own benefit and just to show to this cruel money making world that people can do a lot in some kind of non profit, trusting concept!John in person is really kind, smart young man with lot of entusiasm for people!You can learn a lot from him about Berlin and today society because he love culture,sport,fun and has one alternative, interesting and most of all inspirative way of living.I hope he ll come in Croatia so that we can just try to do something for him!John,thanks a lot for beeing so generous and positive as you are!;))

 From Fabian Eggers Berlin, Germany 14. Aug Positive The Bikesurfing project is a great way to share indepedent mobility! As a biker myself, I highly appreciate this project and am happy to support it from September until Spring 2013, as I am away for a while and would not like to let my beautiful and reiable bike unused! Keep up the good work!

 From Vytaute Murinaite Vordingborg, Denmark 14. Aug Positive One of the best projects i have ever seen ! gave me inspiration !

 From Hannah Bouloudis Berlin, Germany 14. Aug Positive Its an amazing project, every little helps so come on people and get involved!

 From Michela Serato Udine, Italy 13. Aug Positive The last days in Berlin: saying goodbye to friends and my bike ... :-( For lucky, my dear bike (das Klein DDR) has found John. In his face you can read at once the sincerity of a person who with all his positive energy work in an exchange project in total style CouchSurfing.

From Roy.Marvelous Vancouver, Canada 13. Aug Positive Awesome initiative! I borrowed a bike for 4 days and it made my stay in Berlin extra AWESOME. Thanks guys for doing this :D 

From Emilie Hsu Taipei, Taiwan 10. Aug Positive Awesome idea with powerful starter! When people come up with great ideas, usually they tells more than act, but john just did the opposite way, that's why I think this program is a real treasure- great thing that could benefit the whole community! Appreciate the founder and hope it will become more and more stronger, let the spirit spread to everywhere in the world!

 From Kyla Linnenkohl Berlin, Germany 9. Aug Positive great idea, great project, great execution! loving it. my sister and her friend were able to enjoy discovering Berlin without having to give any money to the BVG. and the bikes were beautiful and ran like a dream! thanks for doing this. I will tell my friends.

 From Melissa Tofton London, England 8. Aug Positive bike surfing is the most awesome idea in the world ever!!

 From Yelyam Brussels, Belgium 7. Aug Positive "Surfing" with John, means here that I had the chance to use a bike for several days which allows me to experiment the city to the fullest! I really love the idea that he had to give the opportunity to couchsurfers to have a bike for several days for free. The organisation is good, all instructions on how and where to get the bike were very clear and the bike itself is a good one! I had the chance to spend some time with Miss California and she was a good traveling companion! Thanks a lot, John, for the time and energy you put in this project! It's amazing!!

 From Jacqui Conibeer Berlin, Germany 5. Aug Positive Bike surfing is an ingenious project, I ended up having the bike for 4 days instead of 2, I had a great time in Berlin with Anni Banani, she's unlike any other bike i've ever ridden before and she certainly taught me some stuff about the city. Would definitely recommend this to friends if they come and stay. John is all about the true spirit of CS'ing, thank you so much for the bike and being so easy going and flexible. Hopefully i'll actually get to meet you sometime!

 From Sara Ledin Berlin, Germany 29. Jul Positive Got a bicycle for my brother the few days he stayed here in Berlin. We also got to meet up to eat lunch together and later on do acrobatics and also dance some swing. What more can you ask for?! Fantastic concept, fantastic people!

 From Rosanna HP Sevilla, Spain 28. Jul Positive Great guy and awesome project! He saved me for being bikeless for a few days in Berlin (and God knows how much I hate that)...so thumbs up for that!!! He also seems to be very sport active in Berlin and hope to meet him more during my stay Berlin.

 From Nils_Conrad Hannover, Germany 28. Jul Positive These colourful Johns... they are awesome. For two days CLAUDIA and BAVARIA have been a great company during our bike-trips through Berlin. Thanks a lot to these guys behind the project for that great idea.

 From REECON Berlin, Germany 27. Jul Positive BikeSurfing project is great and I am very happy I had an opportunity to bikesurf! I borrowed the bike for my mom who was visiting me here in Berlin. We biked Berlin in every direction and she really enjoyed it. I was very happy when she told me it was the best holidays she has ever had. Thank you John!!!!!

 From Martin Chorzempa Berlin, Germany 27. Jul Positive I met John during an epic bike ride (160k for me, even more for him) set up by some CS friends. He was a great person to talk to and was clearly passionate about CS, biking, and life. I would highly recommend him as a friend and travel companion!

 From Nicole Mostofa Saint John, Canada 24. Jul Positive Scott was great company on my trip to Berlin. How grateful I am to have come across this project! A giving, selfless program that deserves to be endlessly praised. :) I was also very pleased to meet John Silver. Meeting him confirmed my assumption that Bikesurfing - an awesome project - is indeed run by awesome people. PS - your hair looked great, Sam. :) Best wishes!

 From James Hudson Helsinki, Finland 23. Jul Positive What a great idea - like a public bike library.

 From Inesa Adamonyte Aarhus, Denmark 23. Jul Positive I am extremely happy I got a chance to surf bike and meet those lovely guys. We had great tea time which hopefully wasn´t the last time ! it was nice experience to cycle around with Claudia and hope there will be lot´s of happy surfers! take care and see ya!

From Sunna Kaisa Berlin, Germany 22. Jul Positive This idea is awesome and answers to a real need. And the attitude of the organizers is impressive. They see a big trouble all voluntary in keeping the bikers happy on the road. The bikes are in good condition and I got all the advice I needed. Just keep on riding!

 From Kasia Kasperska Warsaw, Poland 18. Jul Positive Thank You! Berlin in summertime best to explore biking!!

 From Vincent Heirman Berlin, Germany 17. Jul Positive Awesome! John lend us two bikes for 2 days, they helped us out so much!. Super friendly and accommodating, despite my many messages! Being a former bike mechanic Bike Mechanic just makes me appreciate more how much time and work he must put in, in his bike exchange. Support this guy and project, they are golden. :)

 From Samuel Bryson Berlin, Germany 15. Jul Positive John, du bist so wunderbar.

 From Harley + Jes Aussoleil New York, United States 12. Jul Positive theheee

 From Jeroen van Marle Berlin, Germany 10. Jul Positive Very cool initiative, I hope it's successful in the long run.

 From Can Elvan Özkan Istanbul, Turkey 8. Jul Positive "John the Bike" is such a warm and nice person, that you will probably even can not leave the garage but enjoy his talk and smiling face a whole day. With this lovely idea of bike-surfing, being a traveller is easier and more fun. With a big effort, he has been trying to arrange everything.So by always being polite to our bicycles and punctual, we can all enjoy this privilege. Love bicycle, appreciate colours of life and have a good time in Berlin!

 From Ana Stanciulescu Bucharest, Romania 6. Jul Positive John Black is a man with a mission! He wants every couchsurfer in Berlin to have acces to a bike and he has a mini fleet of them in his garage which he'll kindly lend to you,according to his busy calendar. Please be on time when collecting and returning your bike to make this project a joy not a hassle for him. I was very inspired by his generosity and his altruism and the fact that he's not doing it for money , just to promote cycling and to give tourists a different approach to visiting Berlin. He is so laid back, smiling all the time and just oozes positive energy. I really hope he will continue his nice bikesurfing project here in berlin and we'll meet him again in Romania.

 From Harald Schmitz Amel, Belgium 2. Jul Positive CS-Rent a bike is such a great thing! Imagine you visit a town and you are able to get bikes for free. Exclusive for Couchsurfers. Well, John Black makes it possible in Berlin!!! A city to explore by bike is soooo wonderful! Absolutly fabulous, thank you John Black. And if you have a old bike or know someone leaving town and not taking his bike, give the bike to John, so his service can grow!

 From Andrew March Berlin, Germany 2. Jul Positive Great idea, and essential tool for getting around Berlin. The manager of this project is of the highest caliber and the bikes will whisk you around on the Berlin bike paths. Not only do you not have to spend your day getting to your locations by sitting underground in the subway, you will get everywhere in about 3/4 of the time and you will see wonderful things from start to finish.

 From SOYUNSOL09 Berlin, Germany 2. Jul Positive great idea by a great person!

 From Sofie Søndervik Sæther Oslo, Norway 29. Jun Positive I borrowed a bike for five days in Berlin, and what wonderful days they were! By bike is the only way to see Berlin, rolling along the gigantic streets. Its a really great project that I wish all the best of lusk, and hope it will expand and start in other cities. Thank you!

 From Nicolas Caramella Berlin, Germany 27. Jun Positive Awesome bikes project!! I'll spread the voice! 

From zeemzee Berlin, Germany 24. Jun Positive Bikesurfing sounds like an amazing idea! The city needs more people like you. I do hope that non-Germans have a look at the rules of the street - insecure, non-aware cyclists on the pavement on the wrong side almost ran over my niece last summer in the Lustgarten... 

From Judit Csobod Copenhagen, Denmark 18. Jun Positive I got his best bike and it was enough that I looked trustworthy. Extraordinary!

 From graham Pope Berlin, Germany 17. Jun Positive Great idea; planning to tell everyone of it.

 From Pau Simo Es Castell, Spain 16. Jun Positive I hope this wunderbar idea works! Trustable people behind!