All, Big but also kind of micro news is that there’s been a noticeable uptick in donations here at the Bike Center. While I’d love to attribute that to our awesome Bike Abandonment Prevention program, it’s really just been local community members who’re cleaning out their garages--most prominently two white bearded men, not the graduating seniors that we’re hoping to attract.

But that’s a good segue into what our Bike Abandonment Prevention is trying to do: reduce and abate the number of abandoned bikes left by students leaving campus around this time of year. In turn we hope Parking will have to collect fewer bikes that’ll end up in our hands in the end anyway. We’ve got signage and a bike rack set up outside the Bike Center to allow students to donate their bikes and, to incentivize the donation,  in return they can get a water bottle (but the water bottles are only available during open hours). We’ll track how many students are donating and obviously won’t be turning away community donations. There’s already been a social media push and advertising done by Campus Rec to help promote and get the word out!
We’ve got our Fix-a-Flat class this Friday and of course Bike To Work Day on Wednesday. The weather isn’t looking great but we’ll get the dedicated folks come through, I’m sure. Jeff Yockey dropped off the BTWD shirt last week and we’ve been hanging it by the register to showcase the event. Over the upcoming weekend we’ve got our Bike Rodeo event which will also double as a drop-off spot for the Bike Abandonment Prevention program. May is looking busy but it is Bike Month!

Numbers:

Visitors: 73
Sales: $812.50
Memberships: 6 for $180
Bikes (refurb): 3 for $500

Thanks!

• Jake Benjamin
  Campus Bike Center Manager

All, Apologies for the delay. I was out of town Monday and Tuesday.

Last week was busy. Hovered around 20 people in per day. Warm weather always helps. We had our third Fix-a-Flat class and again no attendees, unfortunately. The students hosted their Friday Ride and one person showed up (former employee). I tabled at the Health Fair last Tuesday and got to chat with the UIPD officer stationed next to me. He referred me to the METCAD phone # in the event of cyclists witnessing or experiencing unsafe car/truck drivers on campus.

This week was obviously truncated with me being out of town. The student staff operated the shop in my absence. I’ll check in with them this week and see how that went. Tomorrow evening is the Bike Maintenance info session/class in the winter garden from 7 – 8pm. Friday is the first Full Moon Ride, a community bicycling event here in town, so I’ll talk that up. It is easily our most popular cycling-related event in the warmer months here in town.
Numbers:

Visitors: 96
Sales: $717.50
Memberships: 4 for $120
Bike (refurb): 2 for $350
Tire/tube: 11 for $55

Thanks!

• Jake Benjamin
  Campus Bike Center Manager

Please see attached the VeoRide ridership data for March 2019.

Please see attached the meeting notes from the first ever Bike at Illinois group meeting that was held on April 1, 2019 from 1-2 pm at F&S.

All, Last week we were closed for Spring Break. I worked Monday and Tuesday and made some good solitary progress on shop builds. All of the Reid MTN Sport bikes that Corey finagled for us are in saleable condition and all of the For Sale bikes are nicely displayed, ready to be purchased.

Todd picked up scrap over the break, which is appreciated as always.

This week we have two new offerings starting on Friday: Fix-a-Flat class and our bi-monthly Friday Rides. I’ll meet with the students running each event to make sure everything is in place for their respective endeavors.

The prospect for trained student staffers around for the summer to help out isn’t looking great. I’ll get a final count on availability this week and proceed accordingly.

No numbers since we were closed all week.

Thanks!

• Jake Benjamin
  Campus Bike Center Manager

All, Tail end of last week really picked up, coinciding with the weather, I guess. The first couple weeks of helping people with their bikes is always a welcome change from just wrenching on bikes for sale. Feels more on mission or something.  

I reorganized to display the For Sale bikes better, which will make test rides and purchasing of the bikes easier for patrons—at least that’s the hope.

This week we are closed and I am working today and tomorrow then taking Wed – Fri off. I hope to make some headway in safety checking and finalizing another 10 bikes while we are closed. That should put the number of For Sale bikes in the 40+ range.

Numbers:

Visitors: 57

Sales: $164.80

Memberships: 5 for $150
Tire/tubes: 4 for $35

Thanks!

• Jake Benjamin
  Campus Bike Center Manager

All, As the numbers will show: we had a very slow week. Not a lot of visitors in but the weather was pretty gnarly, too. Snow never helps.

All told, we have 40 bikes as in-progress shop builds or for sale, organized about as well as they can be in the back of the shop. Had my staff work on that last week.

This week I’ll get a handle on summer availability for my staff and make a dent in the bike pile. I was contacted last week by an F&S intern about reviewing the Campus Bike Plan, so I’ll dig into that a bit this week, too.

Numbers:

Visitors: 29
Sales: $20

Thanks!

Jake Benjamin
Campus Bike Center Manager

All, Last week I counted 20 bikes for sale and 19 only in need of safety checks. That should put our number in the 40+ range by the time it gets warm. Maybe higher if the weather stays in the single digits like this.

Friday was completely dead. Not a single person in to work on their bike. I trained up staff on headset installation and test rode some bikes. We also reorganized in the back of the shop, designating areas into “For Sale” bikes and in-progress shop builds. It looks a lot cleaner and will make it easier to point people in the right direction for bikes, which will be crucial when the warm weather comes.

This week I will be organizing a staff meeting for my team as we approach Spring Break and, after that, the potential for the first big rush of people into the shop.

Huge thanks to the guys in the shop next door as I think they’re the ones who plowed right in front of the door to the Bike Center this morning. Usually the plows just push snow into the door but this morning when I got to work, it was cleared with a little path from the sidewalk to the door.

Numbers:

Visitors: 49
Sales:  $151.20
Memberships: 2 for $60

Rubber/consumables: 9 for $27.70

Thanks!

• Jake Benjamin
  Campus Bike Center Manager