Bike Mechanics Wanted

HANDY WITH A BIKE?

Original image: http://sicycle.wordpress.com

We need some mechanical help with our fleet! Since our bikes are seeing active use, some pretty typical repairs are regularly needed. Think you can help? SHOUT OUT! Your usual (and potentially sometimes UNUSUAL) bike repairs are called for: making sure brakes are in order, tightening bolts, fixing tires, keeping the chain in good repair—anything and everything that can happen to a bike can just as well happen to one of ours. Think you can contribute to this effort? We can use any and all repair people: from the relatively familiar to the wizardly talented. Let us know by e-mailing bikesurfberlin@gmail.com!

You’ll not only be a ROCK STAR for doing so, you’ll also be doing all of the BikeSurf Berlin community a ton of good. After all we’re nothing if we don’t have the bikes which drive our org. Ride on!

Downsizing the BSB bike fleet

Guess the BSB team member competition

We have decided to significantly reduce the bike fleet at BikeSurfBerlin from the end of August.   With more bikes, come more repair and logistical problems, along with more costs.  Because we still are not reaching our fundraising and sustainable participation goals for the current number of bikes, in order to reduce our headaches and improve standards we will now provide approximately 10 bikes for short term BikeSurfing.  BSB's wheels turn only because of  volunteer pedaling and donations, and unfortunately right now maintaining sustainability for the project means fewer wheels.  

Some of the other bikes will still be available from Leila (exchange store in Mitte) and from BSB on longer term loan (>1month) only. 

We also have some bikes to sell, to reduce the need to store the extra bikes and to generate funds. All the money we raise from any source goes into making this project better (there's no profit, just "the project"), so we will be transforming a few bikes into much needed capital in order to improve the quality of the remaining bikes.  

We would dearly love to provide all of the current 24 BSB bikes for surfing, as there is clearly a demand, but we need to be realistic about the path to providing a sustainable service with our current resources.  Right now this means shifting to an emphasis on quality over quantity.

As BSB is a community project, your thoughts on this decision are most welcome.

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!