But HOW?

I am still a little overwhelmed in trying to figure out where to even start with being self-sufficient in bicycle maintenance, so I am always looking for good references. I just discovered that if you go to http://www.parktool.com/products/bikemap.asp you can click on any area of the bike and get an idea of what tools might be needed and what it looks like when one is using them. Check it out!

Bike Cinema: 2 Seconds

Just a reminder...the LGBT Community Center of the Chippewa Valley will be hosting a showing of the movie 2 Seconds on Saturday March 21 at 7:45 PM. The Center is located at 510 S. Farwell [Look for the red door].

2 Seconds:

Laurie, a professional downhill racer gets fired because of her slight overindulgence in irresponsibility. She returns from Canada to Paris where she is welcomed by her geeky but cute brother. She meets Lorenzo, a cranky, ex-racer who owns a bike shop. The two become friends. Laurie gets a job with a local bicycle courier company, but a member of the group is intent on shutting her out of their circles, making her life difficult and sad. After a bonding truth-revealing discussion between Laurie and Lorenzo, Laurie begins to see what she has to do to make things better for herself.

The Latest and Greatest

For those of you who missed the Banbury Community Bike Fix, that is very sad because it was pretty frackin' awesome. You should come next time. Bring food to share and tools if you have 'em. To find out what you missed, check out the Leader Telegram from the Sunday paper: http://www.leadertelegram.com/story-news_local.asp?id=BJF5DE10IU9 or the TV-18 snippet here: http://www.wqow.com/global/story.asp?s=10010511 and if you missed it the first time around or haven't checked out the EC Bikes blog yet, here's more local coverage: http://www.weau.com/news/headlines/41125927.html

Bike! Bike! at the Grease Pit!

Hey, I was just surfing around and I stumbled onto some wicked news. The International Bike! Bike! Conference is going to be hosted by the Grease Pit in Minneapolis. Sounds like it will be in September, so you have plenty of time to block out your calendar. Check out the URL at the end of this entry. It also looks like they are seeking people to help with some of the workshops, so consider contacting them if you have some experience to share.

This is a list of workshops which they are looking for people to host or are in discussion with people about, but that have not been solidly confirmed yet:

Bike Shops 101- Starting Up
Staying Sane with Kids
Anti-Oppression... Race
Bike Projects and Community Development
Collectives and Organizational Development & Stability
Consensus Decision Making
Anti-Oppression... GLBTQ
Conflict Resolution
Welding
Gender Forum... GLBTQ/Women/Men
DIY Tool Making
How To Teach
Bike! Bike! Organizational Structure Discussion
Anti-Oppression... Class
Anti-Oppression... Mental Health
Anti-Oppression... Language
Anti-Gentrification
501C3 Book Keeping
Shop Layout/Efficiency
Tap and Die Workshop
Oppression 101
Grant Writing
Screen Printing
Cargo/Working Bikes
Smashing Bikes Back To Life
501C3 Organizational Development and Sustainability
Underground Book Keeping
Mission Statements
Working With At-Risk Youth
Wheel Building... Beginners
Wheel Building... Advanced
International Bike Projects
Freak Bikes
3-Speed Hubs

http://www.bikebike.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=40&Itemid=103

More bike fun than you can shake a rusty chain at.

There was a really cool turnout for the Bike Forum the other night at the LGBT Community Center of the Chippewa Valley. Our local Bike Guru, Ali "gwow-gwow" Gillberg dropped some well-earned knowledge on the cyclists who swung by. The people who attended ranged from right green newbies to bike junkies who build bikes in their sleep. And so went the discussion. It was laid back and conversational and allowed for a lot of great question and answer. Ali has years of on-the-job experience and a little piece of paper from the United Bicycle Institute in Ashland, Oregon. Plus she was raised in the wild by Bike Hippies, so it's in her blood.

While at the meeting, David Shmul and Zac Barnes announced a cool event going on this Saturday. There will be a Community Bike Fix event at Banbury Place, Bldg. 17 from noon-5:00. Consider stopping by. Bring tools if you have them and consider bringing a food item for the potluck. It will be a big warm fuzzy ball of bike grease and smiles. For more info, check out http://ecbikes.blogspot.com/

Happy Spring! OK...jumping the gun by a couple of weeks, but things are melting and layers are being shed. More bikes are starting to awaken from hibernation and the bike shops are starting to stock up for the seasonal upswing in bidness.

Props go out to all the hardcore EC bike lifers who cut through the ice and snow this winter. They are proof that riding bikes is not just a seasonal endeavor. It is a way of life. Some others [I am still in this category] wimp out around October or November and start thinking about maybe bringing the bike out in March. But, it's all good. Everyone starts somewhere.

For those of you who have not yet begun to drink bike lube for breakfast and dream in gear ratios, I just want to let you know about a little thing that is going on this Tuesday, March 10 from 7:00-9:00 PM. There will be a Bike 101 forum at the LGBT Community Center of the Chippewa Valley [510 S. Farwell - look for the red door.] Ali Gillberg who is a bike mechanic at Scheels will be on site to discuss bike maintenance and answer questions. There will also be discussion about Wisconsin bike laws, bike safety and bike culture. Check it out!