POWERBOTTOM has arrived

POWERBOTTOM

Say hello to our newest member "POWERBOTTOM"!

Anonymous donor, P. to his friends, has been most generous in donating POWERBOTTOM to the BSB fleet. Sir, we, at BSB, salute you. We choose not to ask, why he christened this bike so.

This means that there are now 23 bikes in the service, mobilising travellers and residents through the sun-drenched streets of Berlin.

Hope that the success of BikeSurf in Berlin will spread to other cities in the coming months. If you have an interest in starting your own independent BikeSurf branch in Berlin or further afield, get in contact.

BikeSurfBerlin Bicycle Repair/ Maintenance Workshop # 2 ---> ie BSBBRMW # 2

Vince serenades his captive audience at "Punctures 101"

Back by popular demand, we have deemed sunny Sunday 7th July at 13:00 to be the date for the next BikeSurfBerlin Bicycle Repair/ Maintenance workshop.

This time, it will be held outdoors (23C this Sunday... yay!): Volkspark Friedrichshain, right by the Bouldering Climbing rocks, next to volleyball court.

Bring beers, bike, friends, bike tools, spare parts - it will be quite a relaxed social affair, and no previous bike repairing skills are necessary.

Our resident BSB bike mechanic (Vincent) will be your guide through such wonderful repairs/maintenance/topics as truing your wheels, patching inner tubes, adjusting brakes and gears and cables, oiling and greasing, removing and repairing a chain, replacing pedals and cranks, best Berlin places to buy new parts and used bikes, what tools to get, whatever else!

Donations would be rad! These will be used to help fund the cash strapped BSB project.  If you have something that needs replacing (tires/tubes, inner & outer cables, chains, brake blocks etc) it would be very good idea to buy it beforehand. Cheapest parts shop by far: http://berlin.kauperts.de/eintrag/Lampke-Graefestrasse-1-10967-Berlin

After workshop options: Vince's WG in Friedrichshain or a local VoKu for something nutritious to eat.

See you in the Park! :)
Vincent  & Graham.

bikesurfberlin@gmail.com   --> if ay questions

Thoughts on the year gone by....

Graphs showing the progress of BikeSurfBerlin during year one.

It's been an eventful and prosperous year for BikeSurfBerlin, so please allow us to reminisce on the year gone by, by means of some graphs, facts and figures.

We have had 331 BikeSurfers use our bikes since June 2012 and saved them approximately 18,000€ for the year, based on a conservative 7€/day/bike.

We have grown the fleet to 22 bikes and the BSB team has allowed us to expand the services we offer to include bike repair lessons, weekend bike rides outside Berlin limits and city bike tours.

This would not have been possible without the support, dedication and enthusiasm of new members to the BSB team. A special thanks to our BikeSurfers.and those inspired enough to donate their bikes, parts and money to the cause, without which, this project would not have been sustainable.

We have also achieved mainstream media attention, including notable international and local publications such as The New York Times, The Irish Times and ExBerliner magazine - see "PRESS" button above for a full listing of the media attention we have received to date.

Here is hoping that 2013/4 will prove as successful and the BikeSurf network will spread to other cities worldwide.

Tram Berta does Sternfahrt on Sunday 2nd June.

When is a tram not a tram? Tram Berta brakes all the rules.

Now is your chance to see Tram Berta on the streets and meet some of the BSB crew (we will be the ones powering this creation)

http://www.tram-berta.de/

It's a tram that is made up of two bikes and is probably the coolest thing at the Sternfahrt- the biggest annual Critical Mass in Berlin (up to 250,000 bikes), which culminates at the Environmental Festival in Mitte, near Tiergarten.

http://www.adfc-berlin.de/aktionenprojekte/sternfahrt.html

We will be leaving S-Bahnhof Prenzlauer Allee at 11:40 on Sunday 2nd June.

Arrive at Alexanderplatz about 11:55, Moritzplatz at 12:05, and UBahn-Kottbusser Tor at 12:10.

Find the whole route here.
http://www.adfc-berlin.de/images/stories/Sternfahrt/2013/Sternfahrt-2013.pdf

Hope to meet you all en route. Come show your support for BikeSurfBerlin and have a go on Tram Berta with us.

Polizei Versteigerung/ Police Auction for bikes on Tuesday 28/5/13

Some of you may not have been in Berlin long enough to hear about the bicycle auctions that happen on behalf of Polizei every 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 Polizei auction --> 28/05/13

• ~ 200 bikes on offer usually (also other items, sporting equipment, cameras, laptops, phones, etc.)
• no bidding slip required - bid using your upraised hand, pay for each item immediately after you have won it
• well organised
• cash only - no cards
• will be taking place on 29th January from 8am (viewing of bikes) and then auction starts at 10am upstairs
• recommend you bring a picnic with you - eg snacks and tea
  

GoIndustry Deutschland GmbH, Zweigstelle Berlin
 Werdauer Weg 23 (Nähe S-Bahnhof Schöneberg)
10829 Berlin
 Polizei auction 29/01/13 website - click here

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

Happy bidding!

BikeSurfBerlin Bicycle Maintenance/ Repair 101 (WOMEN only!)

Starting 13:00 sharp on Sunday 26th May- please be on time.

Why women only? Based on a survey of BSB female members, this will provide a more comfortable learning environment. The instructors will be female.  

Will take place in the hinterhof (backyard) of this location: Alte Jakobstrasse 121 - Kreuzberg (you can ring on buzzer marked "POPE" if you need directions on how to access hintehof.

Things to bring (if possible):

• Your own bike, so that you can learn about your specific bike
• Any bike tools that you have, so that you can learn more about how to use them
• Pen and paper to take notes
• Snacks

Need no prior experience of bike maintenance/ repair (this workshop presumes you have little/ no experience with bike maintenance/ repair)

Topics to be covered:

• Puncture repair
• Brake adjustment
• Saddle adjustment
• Gear adjustment
• Locking your bike
• Berlin rules of the road
• Protecting your bike from thieves

We can help you fix your own bike too (so bring it along). We have tools and spare parts.

We do appreciate any donation you can afford, for use in our BikeSurfBerlin project.

bikesurfberlin@gmail.com

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!