Yellow Bike News for November 2011
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Nov 6, 2011, 5:13:28 AM11/6/11
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November 2011 Yellow Bike Newsletter
Let’s kick this one off with an enormous thank-you to the many volunteers who helped make our impromptu October 22nd holiday such a big success. Without you, another fabulous Tour de Fat and bicicletas amarilla de los muertos marching in the Viva la Vida Fest parade would have remained figments of our imagination. Thanks for making this the kind of cycling community that makes these things happen!
That said, don’t forget that simply getting out and riding is the single best way you can improve cycling in Austin. The city has been busy putting down an awful lot of new paint, some friendlier weather is blowing in for a limited time, and that means being out there spinning your pedals is just about the best thing you could be doing with your time. Like we say, it’s the best form of activism there is - the only thing we love more than fixing up bikes is riding them around when they’re done.
EVENTS
Social Cycling Austin - Lend Your Legs - Social Cycling Austin is best known for their hugely popular Thursday night ride, but that's not the only opportunity they organize for friendly packs of pedal pushers. Their Lend Your Legs rides give cyclists a great opportunity to give back to the community, while having plenty of two-wheeled fun, to boot. SCA's last Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired ride for the semester is Monday, Novemeber 7. Volunteers can pilot tandems so student stokers can enjoy the simple pleasure of cruising around town that most of us take for granted. Check out SCA's Facebook page for more info on this and other Lend Your Legs rides as they're scheduled.
The Lotus Pedals Book Party/Bike Party - Celebrate the release of the new picture book The Lotus Pedals by Caitlin S. Macklin, an ode to a stolen bike in mixte-media, on Sunday, November 13 from 3-5pm at MonkeyWrench Books (110 E. North Loop). Love your bike? Ever had your heart broken by a bike thief? The Lotus Pedals is the tale of a special bike - a bike that was gifted to Macklin by her mom – the very bike that carried her kid's seat as a child, and pedaled her everywhere as an adult. Anyone who's flown down hills, arrived sweaty to the Springs, or seen a crowd of red blinky-lights in the dark knows that each bike becomes special in its own way to the one who rides it every day. And if that bike gets stolen, your heart aches. In the pages of The Lotus Pedals, you will roll through the street textures of Austin in the fall, and find the redemptive power of forgotten bike parts.
Featuring a reading by the author, bike tune-ups from handy YBP coordinators, recycled bike tube crafts, and free Fat Tire beer. Bring your bikes! Bring your kids! Book sale proceeds from the event will benefit YBP.
Ride for Refuge - This one’s a few months down the road, but that hasn’t stopped us from beginning to assemble our team. Austin’s Ride for Refuge takes place Saturday, February 11. Featuring both 38- and 10-mile routes, cyclists of all skill levels can register, ride, and raise funds for Refugee Services of Texas - Austin. Get some friends or co-workers together, form a team, and spin those pedals for a great cause!
COMMUNITY
Austin Mural Project - Last month, we mentioned the fledgling Austin Mural Project, and their first undertaking - a trio of mobile murals to be created by different communities around town, displayed, and then rotated from place to place as a means of sharing our cultures. Part of the goal is to make the creative process as open and all-inclusive as possible, and towards that end, keep your eyes peeled for an Idea Box at YBP to drop bits of bike-art imagination into. The Mural Project continues to seek material support, as well as talented artists interested in trying to translate a box full of ideas to canvas- contact them at AustinMur...@gmail.com if you'd like to help.
Travis County Bond Election - Off-year elections tend to slip under a lot of voters' radars, so we wanted to remind you that Tuesday, November 8 is the day to get out to your local polling place and let your voice be heard. Along with Texas state constitutional amendments, two Travis County bonds are on the ballot. Proposition 1 would provide funding for road renovations including cycling and pedestrian facilities, and Proposition 2 seeks to improve and expand our public park system. Visit Travis County's website for all the details to make your vote an informed one.
Southern Walnut Creek Trail - Our policy-minded pals at the League of Bicycling Voters gave us the heads-up on some City of Austin zoning hearings that are critical to the construction of the Southern Walnut Creek Trail. Clicking on that link to check out the map and see the great new route the trail will provide for cyclists traveling east of 183, as well as scheduled dates for the various chunks of the trail's zoning to come before the Planning Commission and City Council. Click here to contact the Planning Commission directly and ensure that this facility comes to fruition.
SHOP NEWS
Shop Closed for Thanksgiving - YBP will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 24. Not to worry though - all of the rest of our shops during the holiday week will be ready and waiting for you
Volunteer-Only Shops - Thursday night keeps holdin' it down as our extra-awesome Volunteer-Only Shop month after month. Whether you're coming in to get closer to earning that bike, complete your community service hours, or simply learn more about bikes while help making some work again, Thursday nights are the special spot just for you.
Apprentice Workbook - One of the things that make being a coordinator so rewarding is seeing folks get excited about greasy fingernails and become familiar faces, volunteering at the shop regularly. That's why we can't wait to show you our new Apprentice Workbook, a handy guide to becoming a coordinator, too! Whether it's your first time in or you know everyone by name, talk to one of the folks running the shop to check it out.
Easy Ways to Help Improve the Shop - Want to help make YBP the best community bike shop it can be? Take a few minutes at each shop to help us keep it in ship-shape. Wiping down workstands and sweeping floors is quick and easy if everyone pitches in, and makes for a much better place to fix stuff up in. Sorting small parts and components not only makes them easier for everybody to find, but will introduce you to lots of little bits and pieces you may have never noticed your ride needs to stay in one piece. Just think, if everybody leaves the shop better than they find it, we'll always have the best shop we've ever had!
Public Input at Collective Meetings - Collective meetings are held the first Tuesday of every month at our Webberville headquarters from 7-9pm. Open to the public, they're a great place to learn how YBP and collective decision making work. For members of the general populous coming to make a request of or an offer to the collective, please be aware that the Public Input portion of our meeting is at 8pm. You may stay for as much or as little of the meeting as you like. Our agendas tend to be pretty jam-packed, so please be prepared with a well-defined proposal - public input is limited to five minutes per item.
Shop Schedule – (Updated for November)
YBP's shop schedule is set the first Tuesday of every month at our Collective meeting. Schedule below continues through Monday, December 5th.
*Legend: Open Shops | Volunteer Shops | Kids Shops | All-ages Shops | Bilingual | 1st Tuesday Collective Meetings | Lady Bike | Volunteers Needed
Austin's Yellow Bike Project | www.austinyellowbike.org
"Be the change you would like to see in the world." - Gandhi
"Keep Cycling: it is Undoubtedly the Best form of Activism there is."
Let’s kick this one off with an enormous thank-you to the many volunteers who helped make our impromptu October 22nd holiday such a big success. Without you, another fabulous Tour de Fat and bicicletas amarilla de los muertos marching in the Viva la Vida Fest parade would have remained figments of our imagination. Thanks for making this the kind of cycling community that makes these things happen!
That said, don’t forget that simply getting out and riding is the single best way you can improve cycling in Austin. The city has been busy putting down an awful lot of new paint, some friendlier weather is blowing in for a limited time, and that means being out there spinning your pedals is just about the best thing you could be doing with your time. Like we say, it’s the best form of activism there is - the only thing we love more than fixing up bikes is riding them around when they’re done.
EVENTS
Social Cycling Austin - Lend Your Legs - Social Cycling Austin is best known for their hugely popular Thursday night ride, but that's not the only opportunity they organize for friendly packs of pedal pushers. Their Lend Your Legs rides give cyclists a great opportunity to give back to the community, while having plenty of two-wheeled fun, to boot. SCA's last Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired ride for the semester is Monday, Novemeber 7. Volunteers can pilot tandems so student stokers can enjoy the simple pleasure of cruising around town that most of us take for granted. Check out SCA's Facebook page for more info on this and other Lend Your Legs rides as they're scheduled.
The Lotus Pedals Book Party/Bike Party - Celebrate the release of the new picture book The Lotus Pedals by Caitlin S. Macklin, an ode to a stolen bike in mixte-media, on Sunday, November 13 from 3-5pm at MonkeyWrench Books (110 E. North Loop). Love your bike? Ever had your heart broken by a bike thief? The Lotus Pedals is the tale of a special bike - a bike that was gifted to Macklin by her mom – the very bike that carried her kid's seat as a child, and pedaled her everywhere as an adult. Anyone who's flown down hills, arrived sweaty to the Springs, or seen a crowd of red blinky-lights in the dark knows that each bike becomes special in its own way to the one who rides it every day. And if that bike gets stolen, your heart aches. In the pages of The Lotus Pedals, you will roll through the street textures of Austin in the fall, and find the redemptive power of forgotten bike parts.
Featuring a reading by the author, bike tune-ups from handy YBP coordinators, recycled bike tube crafts, and free Fat Tire beer. Bring your bikes! Bring your kids! Book sale proceeds from the event will benefit YBP.
Ride for Refuge - This one’s a few months down the road, but that hasn’t stopped us from beginning to assemble our team. Austin’s Ride for Refuge takes place Saturday, February 11. Featuring both 38- and 10-mile routes, cyclists of all skill levels can register, ride, and raise funds for Refugee Services of Texas - Austin. Get some friends or co-workers together, form a team, and spin those pedals for a great cause!
COMMUNITY
Austin Mural Project - Last month, we mentioned the fledgling Austin Mural Project, and their first undertaking - a trio of mobile murals to be created by different communities around town, displayed, and then rotated from place to place as a means of sharing our cultures. Part of the goal is to make the creative process as open and all-inclusive as possible, and towards that end, keep your eyes peeled for an Idea Box at YBP to drop bits of bike-art imagination into. The Mural Project continues to seek material support, as well as talented artists interested in trying to translate a box full of ideas to canvas- contact them at AustinMur...@gmail.com if you'd like to help.
Travis County Bond Election - Off-year elections tend to slip under a lot of voters' radars, so we wanted to remind you that Tuesday, November 8 is the day to get out to your local polling place and let your voice be heard. Along with Texas state constitutional amendments, two Travis County bonds are on the ballot. Proposition 1 would provide funding for road renovations including cycling and pedestrian facilities, and Proposition 2 seeks to improve and expand our public park system. Visit Travis County's website for all the details to make your vote an informed one.
Southern Walnut Creek Trail - Our policy-minded pals at the League of Bicycling Voters gave us the heads-up on some City of Austin zoning hearings that are critical to the construction of the Southern Walnut Creek Trail. Clicking on that link to check out the map and see the great new route the trail will provide for cyclists traveling east of 183, as well as scheduled dates for the various chunks of the trail's zoning to come before the Planning Commission and City Council. Click here to contact the Planning Commission directly and ensure that this facility comes to fruition.
SHOP NEWS
Shop Closed for Thanksgiving - YBP will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 24. Not to worry though - all of the rest of our shops during the holiday week will be ready and waiting for you
Volunteer-Only Shops - Thursday night keeps holdin' it down as our extra-awesome Volunteer-Only Shop month after month. Whether you're coming in to get closer to earning that bike, complete your community service hours, or simply learn more about bikes while help making some work again, Thursday nights are the special spot just for you.
Apprentice Workbook - One of the things that make being a coordinator so rewarding is seeing folks get excited about greasy fingernails and become familiar faces, volunteering at the shop regularly. That's why we can't wait to show you our new Apprentice Workbook, a handy guide to becoming a coordinator, too! Whether it's your first time in or you know everyone by name, talk to one of the folks running the shop to check it out.
Easy Ways to Help Improve the Shop - Want to help make YBP the best community bike shop it can be? Take a few minutes at each shop to help us keep it in ship-shape. Wiping down workstands and sweeping floors is quick and easy if everyone pitches in, and makes for a much better place to fix stuff up in. Sorting small parts and components not only makes them easier for everybody to find, but will introduce you to lots of little bits and pieces you may have never noticed your ride needs to stay in one piece. Just think, if everybody leaves the shop better than they find it, we'll always have the best shop we've ever had!
Public Input at Collective Meetings - Collective meetings are held the first Tuesday of every month at our Webberville headquarters from 7-9pm. Open to the public, they're a great place to learn how YBP and collective decision making work. For members of the general populous coming to make a request of or an offer to the collective, please be aware that the Public Input portion of our meeting is at 8pm. You may stay for as much or as little of the meeting as you like. Our agendas tend to be pretty jam-packed, so please be prepared with a well-defined proposal - public input is limited to five minutes per item.
Shop Schedule – (Updated for November)
YBP's shop schedule is set the first Tuesday of every month at our Collective meeting. Schedule below continues through Monday, December 5th.
| Yellow Bike Shop | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thurs | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| Webberville Shop 1216 Webberville Rd. |
9am-12pm *Open Shop 3pm-10pm *Open Shop |
6pm-9pm *Open Shop Bilingual |
Closed | 6pm-10pm *Volunteer Only Shop Closed for Thanksgiving Nov. 24 |
6pm-10pm *Open Shop |
Closed | Closed |
| Yellow Bike Monthly Collective Meeting at the Webberville Shop 1216 Webberville Rd. |
*Collective Meetings 7pm 1st Tuesday | ||||||
| Other area Community Bike Shops These are NOT Yellow Bike shops, but are separate entities with a similar mission. |
|||||||
| Orange Bike Project 16th and San Antonio |
4-7pm | 3-6pm | 10am-1pm | ||||
| Clearview Sudbury School 1507 Wilshire |
6-7pm |
*Legend: Open Shops | Volunteer Shops | Kids Shops | All-ages Shops | Bilingual | 1st Tuesday Collective Meetings | Lady Bike | Volunteers Needed
Austin's Yellow Bike Project | www.austinyellowbike.org
"Be the change you would like to see in the world." - Gandhi
"Keep Cycling: it is Undoubtedly the Best form of Activism there is."
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