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Project Updates for collection: Bicycle Related Projects

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  1. Weekly Update

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, this past week we did not see a lot of visitors. We totaled 50 visitors for the entire week. We grossed 311.70; we sold one bike; we sold 2 memberships for $60; we sold 6 tubes; and we had one nice volunteer, Jeremy, just stop by to say hello and hang out for a minute.

    Looking at the numbers, we had only a single sale all week at non-member prices. It would appear that those that are still coming to the CBC are familiar and invested in the space. I take that as a good thing.

    This past week I have also cut back on hours for student workers. This happened organically, as a lot of staffers were sick or busy with school, but I plan to retain one staffer per day for the winter and then ramp back up to 2-3 for the warmer months. Winter is a good time for one-on-one training for those staffers who will be returning for the spring.

    Last week I attended the Campus Master Plan public forum on Wednesday.

    This week I plan to build more bikes, organize the shop, attend the Monthly Members’ Meeting for The Bike Project and start the initial work on a Winter Maintenance class, now that it has snowed.

    Sincerely,

    • Jake Benjamin
      Campus Bike Center Manager

  2. December 2nd, 2016 Meeting

    Associated Project(s): 
    Transportation iCAP Team
    Indoor Bike Parking

    Meeting Minutes 12-02-16

    -          Lily Wilcox proposes new recommendation to build bike parking cages in new parking decks. Proposal was submitted to iCap Working Group

    -          Concerns:

    o   Will faculty really use this? Most faculty drive to campus; will they use bikes to get from building to building?

    o   Price is $100 per semester per bike. Price seems too high, and we’re not sure it is worth it for a cheap bike. Also, we are not sure if students would be willing to pay that much. We must look at what pricing options we can come up with.

    -          Benefits:

    o   Overall, proposal was very well received by team.

    o   Other universities, such as the University of Wisconsin, have similar bike parking and Lily says they are happy with it.

    o   A survey showed that there is some student interest in $25 permit student pricing.

    o   This would help the problem of abandoned bikes on campus.

    -          Other Comments:

    o   This proposal would focus on new parking decks being built, but it would also be possible to retrofit old ones.

    o   Having shower rooms in the new parking decks would help so people do not have to be sweaty after riding their bike.

     

    Spring meetings: Fridays at 1pm, about once every two weeks.

    Attached Files: 

  3. Weekly Update

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, we were closed this past week for the Thanksgiving break. The week prior to that was slow; we only had 46 visitors. Gross sales were $403.50. We sold three memberships for a total of $90. We didn’t sell any build-a-bikes nor any shop builds.

    On Friday (18th) Working Bikes came down and took all of the scrap bikes that they did not want for their earlier shipment. The warehouse is now completely empty and ready for next year’s crop of abandoned bikes.

    This week I plan to continue shop builds and move some bikes to the Urbana shop as this space is beyond its bike-capacity. I will work on bettering the staff manual/list of guidelines in advance of next semester’s student workers. I will be attending the public forum for the Campus Master Plan on Wednesday evening.

    Sincerely,

    • Jake Benjamin
      Campus Bike Center Manager

  4. Update as of 11/16/16

    Associated Project(s): 
    Provide Working Bikes for University Employees

    The past couple weeks have been productive and busy. Follow up emails were sent to those people who filled out our enrollment form but did not reply back after the initial email and already some good responses have come of that. A couple people said they misunderstood and didn't realize that their department would have to purchase the bicycles so they said they weren't interested. A couple said they received the info and were talking to the appropriate people within their departments. A couple others had meetings setup with myself due to the follow up emails. 

     

    This week I met with Illini Emergency Medical Services who have a bicycle fleet that they use during University events to ensure rapid medical response times. We discussed what was going well for them and what could be improved. They said they would like more publicity so I said that they should absolutely try and get the word out more about their efforts. 

    This week I also met with the Student Planning Organization, the RSO that manages Urban Planning department bicycle fleet. They have 3 bikes that I got to see. We discussed the potential of encouraging more faculty and visiting people's use of the bikes as well as branding for their bikes in an attempt to differentiate them from private bikes. 

    I have also been working on an infographic on "Why Bikes" that details the benefits of cycling on campus. I am hoping this can be passed around with other bicycle fleet documentation we send out. There are a couple drafts still and they are attached to this update as a private file. 

     

     

  5. Weekly Update

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, this past week was comfortably  slow. We totaled 49 visitors and were closed on Tuesday due to staff illness. We grossed $319; sold one membership for $30; sold zero build-a-bikes and zero for-sale bikes. Of note is the sale of winter biking gloves: I sold 3 pairs already and it hasn’t even gotten that  cold.

    With the shop closed on Tuesday I made about six trips back and forth to the warehouse on the trailer bike, filling up the shop with as many bikes as I can comfortably stuff in here. On Friday afternoon I noticed a slow leak in a water pipe and alerted the service office. They assessed it before I arrived this morning and will return later, according to an employee in the adjacent garage.

    This week I will be coordinating with Working Bikes to deal with the scrap bikes from the warehouse that were deemed untenable for that specific shipment. I will continue to build bikes and strategize for streamlining some more of the organization and layout of the space, specifically the accessibility of the tool wall. As is, it is very difficult to find things if you are unfamiliar with what the tools look like or what they are used for.

    Regards,

    • Jake Benjamin
      Campus Bike Center Manager

  6. Connecting F&S, TDM, and Wellness through student engagement

    Associated Project(s): 
    Encourage Active Transportation

    The UIUC Wellness Director Michelle Guerra, the Active Transportation Coordinator Lily Wilcock, and the F&S Director of Sustainability Morgan Johnston, are planning to identify a student to engage in the cross-section of the sustainability, wellness, and transportation efforts for this campus.  There are several aspects of these efforts that overlap, yet it is difficult to find time to keep each other informed.  The student could provide an important connection between these areas, while also learning of the inherently interdisciplinary aspects of sustainability, wellness, and transportation.

  7. Weekly Update

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center
    Mechanics Classes at the Campus Bike Center

    All, last week was a big one! We had the shipping event on Friday wherein we loaded 363 bikes and a whole bunch of spare parts, wheels, cables, etc. into a giant steel box to be shipping off to  Tanzania to help doctors get to remote villages and students get to class. Very good stuff, indeed!

    Due to the event on Friday the shop was closed, limiting our visitors to 68 for the week. We grossed a mere $362.50. We sold 5 memberships for $150; not a single bike nor any build-a-bikes. We did sell $62 in tubes, so we’re helping keep people on the road, even as visits dwindle.

    This week I will finish clearing out the bike warehouse of the remaining bikes. Working Bikes is coming down to take 40 or so of the bikes we have no need for as well as to help move the bikes we do want back to the CBC, which will be tremendously helpful. I will also coordinate with a new TBP member who has interest in leading a basic maintenance class. And of course building bikes and the Sisyphean task of organizing inventory and parts.

     

    • Jake Benjamin
      Campus Bike Center Manager

  8. Analysis of Existing Bicycle Fleet Survey Responses

    Associated Project(s): 
    Provide Working Bikes for University Employees

    After receiving responses from four different active bicycle fleets on campus after about 3 weeks of having our survey active, we wrote up an analysis of the responses. This analysis is attached to this post as a .pdf file. 

     

    This past week we continued reaching out to people that we have either met in person about potentially starting bicycle fleets on campus. Doug Wolters, Director of Operations for ACES, was able to reach out to the business managers of ACES to share information that we sent him. I also sent emails to a couple people that took our survey requesting a short meeting so we can further discuss their program's success as well as any ways we can improve their bicycle fleets. 

    Attached Files: 

  9. Weekly Update

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, last week we had 76 visitors, maybe one of the lowest totals for a full week this semester. It did coincide with cooler weather, so that helps to explain it. As far as the numbers go, we grossed 824.03; we sold 4 memberships for $120; one refurbished bike for $190; and one Build-a-Bike for $145.

    Last week I prepped for the bike shipment that will happen this Friday at 10am. Jim Sims dropped by, which was cool. The new outdoor fix-it station pumps arrived, another very cool thing. We got a great deal on some winter riding gear from our supplier, which should help get more people riding once it gets really chilly. I spoke with Simon Pokorny who is still interested in teaching a basic maintenance class, so when his schedule opens up a little, we will coordinate on that.

    This coming week I plan on prepping more for the bike shipment as well as ramping up publicity for it. The APO volunteer core is having trouble generating more interest due to transportation constraints so I will discuss options with them in advance of the event.

    Sincerely,

     

    • Jake Benjamin
      Campus Bike Center Manager

     

  11. Weekly Update

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, last week was a good one and ended on a high note—Friday was beginning-of-the-semester level busy. We had 95 visitors. Our gross sales were $1,268.60; we sold 10 memberships for $300, one bike for $150, and one build-a-bike for $140.

    The major goings-on last week was the bike census on Wednesday. It went well! We collected a lot of useful and important data. I was interviewed about the event by the Daily Illini. Lily did a tremendous job organizing and executing the event. The service manager at Champaign Cycle stopped by and introduced himself; it’s always nice to have a face-to-face with other bike shops in town.

    This week I will be prepping bikes and pulling the good ones at the warehouse, scrapping the pile of junker bikes that Neutral kindly donated, building more for-sale bikes as well as some new storage shelves for the shop.

     

    • Jake Benjamin
      Campus Bike Center Manager

  12. Update on Bicycle Fleet Progress from August to October 2016

    Associated Project(s): 
    Provide Working Bikes for University Employees

    Here is an update of what Lily Wilcock and myself (Logan Ebeling) have accomplished concerning departmental bicycle fleets on campus from late August to late October.

     

    We began with a goal of assessing the health and status of current departmental bicycle fleets on campus. Offhand, Lily knew of the following programs:

    • Kinesiology department
    • Living Learning Community in LAR
    • Urban Planning department
    • Building Operations and Maintenance
    • Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning

    In an attempt to reach out to those programs and other ones that we potentially did not know about, we developed a survey for people involved with those programs to take. A link to that survey was sent out in an E-Week advertisement on October 2nd. A screenshot of that blurb in the E-Week is attached to this post. We are still waiting on responses from that survey (so far we have about 3 responses). 

    Another goal was to advertise to departments that starting a bicycle fleet was even a possibility. Anecdotally, it seems that many people are unaware that the University is encouraging bicycle use for employees. To address this, we developed a short enrollment form that people could fill out if they wanted more information on starting a departmental bicycle fleet. A link to this enrollment form was also sent out in the October 2nd E-Week advertisement. We had around 10 replies to this enrollment form and sent out an email to the respondents with more information and an offer to meet and discuss possibilities for a bicycle fleet for their department. 

     

    One goal of mine was to develop two checklists to have available to people to aid in sending out information to people. These two checklists are completed and we have been sending them out to people where appropriate. The two checklists are attached to this post and they are:

    1. A checklist for maintaining existing bicycle fleets
    2. A checklist for starting a bicycle fleet

    These checklists drew heavily off of information in the Departmental Bike Sharing Manual from 2014 (attached to this project's main page). 

     

    Attached Files: 

  15. Weekly Update

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, this past week was a short one; I was out of town Thursday and Friday. We had 45 visitors. Our gross sales were $625; we sold one bike for $103; and 10 memberships for $300.

    This past week the date for moving bikes out of the warehouse was finalized for Friday, November 4th. A very nice volunteer-oriented fraternity has pledged help with the event, which is awesome and will really make a one-day event like this possible. Lily also contacted me about F&S potentially purchasing some bike-share bikes—great news!

    With the weather cooling down, the staff and I have the time now to dedicate ourselves to walking people through—and teaching the skill and reasons for-- repairs and fixes.

    This coming week I plan to coordinate with the parking department on a few days each week between now and the 4th of November when I can prep and organize the bikes in the warehouse as well as having their assistance on the 4th. I will be helping count bikes on Wednesday for the bike census. And, of course the day-to-day bike building and organizing will happen.
     

    • Jake Benjamin
      Campus Bike Center Manager

  16. Several LCIs in town

    Associated Project(s): 
    League of American Bicyclists Courses

    Currently, there are several League Cycling Instructors in Champaign County.  Notable contacts include: Lily Wilcock, Cynthia Hoyle, and Jeff Yockey.  This training is provided through the League of American Bicyclists, and it supports bike education classes from certified instructors.

  18. Weekly Update

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center
    Departmental Bike Sharing

    All, this past week we had 107 visitors. We grossed $1,185.60. We sold 11 memberships; 1 bike for $120; 1 build-a-bike for $75.

    This past week I also reinstated the First Visit Free policy that The Bike Project had kindly let me suspend for the new school year rush. Traffic to CBC has slowed enough that I can accommodate small and easy repairs. I don’t have numbers on that but it was only a few people that had minor enough problems to warrant a free visit; most who think they have a small repair in truth have many, many small repairs equaling large amounts of time/resources and we have them become members.

    On Monday of last week our cargo bike Bluebird was loaned to the Psychology Department for a day.  Lily delivered and retrieved it from them and I believe it was a successful endeavor.

    This coming week will be a short one. I will be out of town Thursday and Friday. During this abbreviated week I plan to work on storage ideas for the surplus of wheels we have in the shop, strip the half a dozen or so bikes that are taking up dead space, as well as the standard operations of building bikes and managing new-parts inventory.

    Jake Benjamin
    Campus Bike Center Manager

  19. Weekly Update

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, for the week of 9/26/16 – 9/30/16 we had 101 visitors into the shop. We had $998.50 in gross sales; 14 memberships for $420; sold one build-a-bike for $40; and one refurbished bike for $100. Things are definitely slowing with the weather cooling down.

    This past week I spoke to a University of Illinois police officer--Aaaron, I believe—who is interested in getting one of his officers in here to work on bikes. Apparently the U of I police force has about six bikes that they routinely maintain at Durst cycle and they’d like to know how to do those repairs themselves and save time and money.

    I also continued to coordinate with the parking department and working bikes to send approximately 400 bikes to Tanzania. Apparently, as the working bikes representative put it, we are “too good at collecting bicycles” and we have to reschedule for a larger shipment.

    One of my student workers, Jose, had to resign. I will begin the hunt for his replacement.

    This coming week I will continue to coordinate the bike shipment. I will build bikes, price our nicer inventory of used parts, and look for a new employee.

    Have a pleasant week!

    - Jake Benjamin
    Campus Bike Center Manager

  20. e-Week survey message

    Associated Project(s): 
    Departmental Bike Sharing

    Facilities and Services is collecting information on departmental bicycle fleets as part of the Campus Bicycle Plan. If you are interested in options for how to better sustain, grow or optimize your existing fleet, fill out the important survey by Oct. 14. Those interested in receiving information on starting a departmental bike fleet can fill out the form: http://go.fs.illinois.edu/bikefleet.

    Logan Ebeling . Facilities and Services

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