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Projects Updates for Campus Bike Center

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  1. Weekly Update: Updated work hour M-F from next week; Extra-Curricular events; National Bike Summit

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, We were closed last week for Spring Break. This week will be our last M/W/F of the semester as we’re reopening to 5 days a week. Today will be busy if the weather is any indication. Extra-curricular events for the week are our Gender Aware Shop Hours and our Urbana Parks District event on Saturday. Next week I’ll be virtually attending the National Bike Summit.

    The numbers:
    Visitors: 24

    Sales: $358.55
    Bikes (refurb): 3 for $530
    Tire/tubes: 6 for $36

    Thanks!

    Jacob Benjamin
    Campus Bike Center Coordinator

  2. Weekly Update: Spring Break; M-F from 3/28

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, Visitor numbers ticking upward in line with the thermometer—Friday’s snowfall notwithstanding.  

    We’re closed this week for Spring Break and hitting the ground running when we return. We’ve got Gender Aware Shop Hours on Thursday and our Urbana Parks District event on Saturday. From there it’s back open M-F. 

    I’ll only be working today and tomorrow before taking a few days for myself. I’ll finish up a few more shop builds during my abbreviated week in advance of warmer weather post-spring break.

    The numbers:

    Visitors: 23
    Sales: $358.55

    Bike (refurb): 2 for $280
    Tire/tubes: 5 for $16

    Thanks!

    Jacob Benjamin
    Campus Bike Center Coordinator

  3. Weekly Update: Retraining Staff; Spring is coming!

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, Warm weather last week brought in a good number of folks. On Friday we even had a wait for repair stands.

    Of the seven shop build bikes I safety checked last week zero passed inspection. This’ll be a good opportunity to retrain staff up on what constitutes a safely functional bike.

    Elsewhere, it was our first week being mask-optional but elective compliance was near 100% and we had zero conflicts with folks about the change in policy.

    This week I’ll finish up the aforementioned seven bikes, interview some prospective employees, and game plan for post-spring break when things are really picking up. Spring is coming!

    The numbers:

    Visitors: 24
    Sales: $567.50
    Bikes (refurb): 1 for $170
    Memberships: 7 for $210

    Tire/tubes: 7 for $26

    Jacob Benjamin
    Campus Bike Center Coordinator

  4. Weekly Update: New hires

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, We’ve got a backlog of bikes in need of test rides/final tune-ups that I’ll happily attend to with the warmer weather this week. We’ve got a new batch of hires starting as well.

    This week I’ve got trainings with staff and I’ll start game-planning with my team for our ramped-up programming for March/April. Warm weather = more bikes.

    The numbers:

    Visitors: 17
    Sales: $356.50

    Bike (refurb): 1 for $160
    Build-a-Bike: 1 for $30
    Memberships:  2 for $60

    Thanks!

    Jacob Benjamin
    Campus Bike Center Coordinator

  5. Weekly Update: Uni High Agora Days classes; Maintenance Class

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

    All, Last week we held our Uni High Agora Days classes from Tues – Fri. It went very well with all the students engaged in learning and tinkering on the bikes. One student even said they’d return to volunteer, which was great. All 3 of the bikes were mostly done by week’s end. We also received some quality donations from a local bike shop and started overhauling those bikes for sale. I’ve also hired a new Program Assistant to help me out off-hours.

    This week I’ll be meeting with the Urbana Parks District to discuss our Maintenance class we’re collaborating on next month and getting more bikes ready for the sales floor. We’ll see how busy we are today with the very warm weather.

    The numbers:

    Visitors: 11
    Sales: $91
    Memberships: 2 for $60

    Thanks!

    Jacob Benjamin
    Campus Bike Center Coordinator

  6. Weekly Update: Build-a-bike, Uni High Agora Days class

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center
    Support Youth Sustainability

    All, Picked up 4 – 5 bikes from Urbana last week which were promptly claimed as B-a-Bs or tagged for shop builds. This week we have our Uni High Agora Days class coming in Tues – Fri. This will reduce our open hours on Wed/Fri to 4 – 6p.

    I’ll be picking up 5 bikes from Champaign Cycle on Tuesday afternoon, too. That should get us towards a good number of bikes on hand.

    The numbers:

    visitors: 10
    Sales: $324
    Bike (refurb): 1 for $180
    Memberships: 3 for $90

    Thanks!

    Jacob Benjamin
    Campus Bike Center Coordinator

  7. Weekly Update: Restocking bikes and parts for sale

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, With the snowstorm last week, we were closed on Wednesday but were able to reopen on Friday. Visitor numbers took a hit with a foot of snow and whiteout conditions (no surprise there). This week I’ll get some bikes from Urbana (snow derailed that plan last week). We’re down to the dregs of steel-rimmed 3 speed schwinns—bikes I’m not exactly comfortable selling in the dead of winter considering their compromised braking/stopping. Our donations of late have all been Walmart-level, unfortunately. We’ve got about 8 bikes on the sales floor as of now.

     

    The numbers:

    Visitors: 16
    Sales: $180
    Memberships: 3 for $90
    Tire/tubes: 4 for $30

    Thanks!

    Jacob Benjamin
    Campus Bike Center Coordinator

  8. Weekly Update: more Build-a-Bike available, Uni High Class

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, Surprisingly busy here last week! Sold a bike and if we had more Build-a-Bike frames available, we’d have a quarter dozen or so in-progress. Towards that end I’ll be grabbing some bikes from Urbana this week.

    Our Uni High class is in a couple weeks so we’ll do some internal planning for that event.

    The numbers:

    Visitors: 27
    Sales: $357.50
    Bikes (refurb): 1 for $80
    Memberships: 5 for $150
    Tires/tubes: 3 for $22

    Thanks!

    Jacob Benjamin
    Campus Bike Center Coordinator

  10. Weekly Update: Shop reopening this week

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, Last week we were open by appointment only. We logged 6 appointments and sold 1 bike.

    This week we will reopen to our usual M/W/F hours. Staff are eager to get back to work. We’ll have to run some refreshers for folks as I’m sure they’ve forgotten some stuff. We’ll do some inventory and build some bikes while we’re at it. We’ve got a couple other events coming up that we’ll have to prep for this week as well.

    The numbers:

    • Visitors: 6
    • Sale: $231.50
    • Bike: 1 for $200
    • Misc: $31.50

    Thanks!

    Jacob Benjamin
    Campus Bike Center Coordinator

  11. Weekly Update: Kids' Bike Giveaway event; Outdoor bike pump; CBC closing for winter break

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, The Kid’s Bike Giveaway event was held on Saturday afternoon. We gave away 60 bikes and still have 20 left. Ideally, we would’ve given them all away, but no one left disappointed, which is very much worth the extra time and effort of moving 20 bikes back into the shop. We had 7 people volunteering, so it was quick work. We’ll put the word out this week that anyone who didn’t get a bike is welcome to stop by the Urbana Bike Project during open hours (Wed/Thurs 6:30 – 9; Sat/Sun by appointment) to pick out a bike from our leftovers. Depending on volunteer availability off-hours pick-ups might be doable, too.

    Thanks to everyone who helped with the event and helped spread the word! We were able to give away 15 more bikes than we did last year.

    Last week I was finally able to fully rebuild the outdoor bike pump with new and heavier duty parts that should last the winter. So far no one’s tried to drive their car up to the pump and air their car tires like they did when the station was by the curb on Pennsylvania. 

    This week I’ll turn our attentions to refurbishing. We should have a half dozen bikes on the sales floor by Friday. We’ve worked through the easy fixes and are left with the fun stuff: dusty, old 3 speeds, 10 speed Schwinns and the like. Now we can start in earnest building up our stock for the spring rush—although, with the unseasonably warm temps this week, we may be too busy to make much headway. A good problem to have.

    We’re closing for Winter Break after Friday. Reopening date is TBD.

    The numbers:

    Visitors:
    Sales: $71*
    Memberships: 1 for $30
    Tires/tubes: 3 for $13

    *We’ve reinstated the First Visit Free policy which deflates our sales numbers compared to our mandated memberships for the summer/fall.

    Thanks!

    Jacob Benjamin
    Campus Bike Center Coordinator

  12. Weekly Update: Kids' Bike Giveaway update

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, Finished last week strong as the relative warmth of Friday resulted in a busy afternoon for early December.

    We’re in the home stretch for the KBG. That’ll be this upcoming Saturday. At last count we’ve got ~60 bikes between both CBC and Urbana TBP so we’re on pace to do better than last year, assuming we get as many folks showing up.

    We’re also in the home stretch of the semester with only two weeks to go.

    The numbers:

    Visitors: 26
    Sales: $285.80
    Bikes (refurb): 1 for $180
    Memberships: 2 for $60

    Thanks!

    Jacob Benjamin
    Campus Bike Center Coordinator

  13. 2021 Annual Kids' and Teen Bike Giveaway

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    The Campus Bike Center, in collaboration with the Urbana Bike Project, is hosting a free Kids’ and Teen Bike Giveaway this holiday season. Bikes are first come, first served; one bike per kid, and they must be present to pick out their bike. Be sure to get to the event early, as bikes will go quickly! Email contact@thebikeproject.org or call (217) 469-5126 to arrange a donation for the event.

    The event will be held on December 11th, 2021 from 1:00-3:00 PM. In addition, the event will take place at Urbana Bike Project (202 S. Broadway Ave., Urbana.)

  14. Weekly Update: Kids' Bike Giveaway event; Happy Thanksgiving!

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, Things are definitely slowing down and our visitor numbers/sales reflect that. We’re closed this week for Thanksgiving Break but I’ll be working a couple days to catch up on the Kids Bike donations. Over the weekend, we got mention in one of the campus email newsletters, so that’s good. I’ve also arranged for the event to be mentioned in some other newsletters/email blasts going out in the interim between now and the day of the event. I’ll also be getting in touch with some local news stations, since I think that boosted last year’s donation/turn out.

    The official details for the Kids Bike event are:

    The Bike Project of Urbana-Champaign, in partnership with the U of I Campus Bike Center, is hosting a Kids’ Bike Giveaway this holiday season.

    We are currently accepting donations of all kids’ and teen bikes, regardless of condition, and then refurbishing them to give back to young folks in the community!

    Donations can be made at the Urbana Bike Project (202 S. Broadway Ave., Urbana) or at the Campus Bike Center (51 E. Gregory Dr., Champaign). Please call (217) 469-5126 or email contact@thebikeproject.org to arrange a donation.

    *Giveaway Event*

    Date: Saturday, December 11th, 2021
    Time: 1 pm – 3pm or until we run out of bikes
    Location: Urbana Bike Project (202 S. Broadway Ave., Urbana)
    Details: first come, first served; one bike per kid, and they must be present to pick out their bike.

    This week I’m only here Mon/Tues but will wrench on the kids bikes we have—we got three more donated on Friday—then it’s off for the holiday.

    Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

    The numbers:

    Visitors: 20
    Sales: $179.50
    Memberships: 4 for $120

    Thanks!

    Jacob Benjamin
    Campus Bike Center Coordinator

  15. Weekly Update: Winter is coming; Kids' bikes donations

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, Slowing down a little now that it’s getting legit colder. Visitor numbers held a little longer than expected—maybe hinting at a tectonic shift in our community’s biking habits? I hope so!

    Last week I got a count on all the Kids’ Bikes we have at both spaces and started my staff (and volunteers) in on rehabbing the ones we have here at CBC. Once we’re done with those, I’ll move what’s at Urbana over here. We already have around 40 bikes and we haven’t done an honest push for donations yet. I’ll meet with Campus Rec marketing this week to work up a plan for how best to publicize the event.

    We’ve got a couple staffers moving on at the end of this week but have 3 new staffers in the hiring process. Coupled with less demand, we’ll be able to train up and onboard our new hires nicely. Winter is always my preferred season for onboarding.

    The numbers:

    Visitors: 31
    Sales: $845.50
    Bikes (refurb): 2 for $600
    Memberships: 3 for $90
    Tires/tubes: 4 for $22


    Thanks!

    Jacob Benjamin
    Campus Bike Center Coordinator

  17. Weekly Update: Uncommonly busy; Visit from Ride Illinois; Kids Bike Giveaway

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, We were, again, uncommonly busy for this time of year. Beginning of this week looks bike-friendly, too (as in: warm). A couple people finished up their B-a-Bs last week. I picked up parts from Urbana so we’re well-stocked on 26” wheels, which we’d run out of, mostly—surprisingly.

    We’re still ironing out dates for our Kids Bike Giveaway event and the specifics therein. Will work more on this in the coming week.

    Last week I was visited by the Executive Director of Ride Illinois, the statewide bike advocacy group. It was a brief chat but a good one and nice to have our operation on their radar. Relatedly, our new space continues to impress.

    The numbers:

    Visitors: 39
    Sales: $967
    Memberships: 9 for $270
    Bikes (refurb): 2 for $380
    Bikes (B-a-B): 2 for $90

    Tires/tubes: 10 for $56

    Thanks!

    Jacob Benjamin
    Campus Bike Center Coordinator

  18. Weekly Update: Busier than expected; Kids' Bikes Giveaway

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, I jinxed it. I said we’d be slower last week sine it rained a lot but then people kept showing up. Finished up a bike for Wednesday or Friday and it didn’t sell immediately, so looks like demand is waning a little.

    This week I’ll work on doing preliminary checks/sorting of Kids’ Bikes for our giveaway. I also ordered a rebuild kit for each of our truing stands, which’ll help get those back in good working order. I’ll get those installed this week as well.

    I’ll also poke around on the LGL database as to why it is not registering new membership forms.

    The numbers:

    Visitors: 31
    Sales: $281
    Tires/tubes: 6 for $35

    Thanks!

    Jacob Benjamin
    Campus Bike Center Coordinator

  19. Weekly Update: Slow week; Outside event with Urbana Parks District; Kid's Bike Giveaway

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, Slower week as per usual with the coming of fall. We’re still mostly sold out of bikes as the ones we have been getting in are finicky and in need of uncommon parts.

    Last week, I tentatively set up an outside event for the spring with the Urbana Parks District. More details as that event develops.

    This week we’ll also get to planning for our participation/role in this winter’s Kid’s Bike Giveaway. We’ve certainly got the bikes for it!

    The numbers:

    Visitors: 32
    Sales: $366
    Memberships: 6 for $180
    Tires/tubes: 8 for $35

    Thanks!

    Jacob Benjamin
    Campus Bike Center Coordinator

  20. Weekly Update: Fixing bike pump; fixing bicycles; student employment

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, Last Tuesday we had our Green Quad Day event. We had a few people stop by later in the week after talking with them and one potential student application for employment. We were also generously resupplied with clothes for making into rags. (Thanks, Morgan!) The beautiful weather was certainly an added perk.

    On Thursday I picked up the remaining bikes from the warehouse that are worth our time. We’ll get to rehabbing those bikes this week. There are a good 20 – 30 bikes left there that are destined for the scrap heap. Unfortunately, 3 of the 10 bikes didn’t pass even a basic inspection so they’ll be fodder for parts.

    We’re currently very low on used 26” tires. There’s a sentence I never thought I’d write.

    This week I’ll also get the ball moving on fixing the outdoor pump, which is broken again.

    The numbers:

    Visitors: 40
    Sales: $586.50
    Bike (refurb): 1 for $190
    Memberships: 7 for $210
    Tires/tubes: 8 for $32

    Thanks!

    Jacob Benjamin
    Campus Bike Center Coordinator

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