The Community Spoke

2012-03-30T23:22:13Z

Pehrlich:

The Community Spoke! is a Boston, MA based bike co-op. We run a free, fully equipped community bike shop and hold periodic outdoor bike repair clinics. We've got plenty of free bikes and spare parts at our shop and would love to show you how to work on your bike!

Located at the end of Boylston Place (Off of Boyston Steet in Jamaica Plains) on the left.

{{
shop-info
| name = The Community Spoke!
| logo =
| year_founded = 2009

| year_dissolved =

| website = http://www.thecommunityspoke.org
http://www.facebook.com/thecommunityspoke
| town = Jamaica Plain
| state = MA
| province =
| country = USA


| campus =


| language1 = English
| language2 =
| language3 =


| has-diy-shop = yes
| has-pay-shop = no
| has-mobile-repair = yes
| has-bike-sharing = yes
| has-earn-a-bike = yes
| has-bike-valet = no
| has-workshops = yes
| has-courses = yes
| has-group-rides = no
| has-bicycle-advocacy = no
| has-pedicab = no
| has-in-school-programs = no
| has-youth-summercamp = no
| has-youth-racing = no
| has-women-trans-hours = yes


| mission-statement = A free and community run bike empowerment group
}}

==Our Mission==

The Community Spoke! Is a collectively run organization that encourages empowerment and personal freedom through cycling. TCS! is a non-hierarchical, consensus based and independent group without corporate or political sponsorship. We provide bicycle repair services, instruction, bike parts, and reconditioned bikes for free to the Greater Boston area. In addition to providing mechanic services at mobile, bicycle-powered repair clinics, we offer technical know-how, tools, workshop space, and a creative and supportive environment for everyone. Our community workshop and mobile repair stations are safe spaces free from oppression, violence and weapons and are open to all, with a focus on being most accessible to those who are underserviced and underrepresented by bike shops. We encourage anyone who loves bikes to join us.

-We love bicycles. They are revolutionary. We want more people riding.

-We are a collectively-run organization. This means we organize without hierarchy and make our decisions through consensus.

-We seek to challenge the root causes of social and environmental injustice by creating community-based alternatives and fostering a spirit of mutual aid.

-We are a group that draws from many walks of life and we are open to anyone who would like to participate.

-Our community workshop and mobile repair stations are safe spaces free from oppression, violence and weapons. Any behavior that threatens to undermine the safe spaces we create will not be tolerated

-We are an independent group and we will not allow any group or individual who has made a monetary donation to dictate how we spend our funds or make our decisions.

-We provide materials and services free of charge. However, we appreciate donations of volunteer work, supplies, goodwill or money.

-We will only use funds provided by donations. All donations we receive will go only to purchasing materials and tools, never for our own personal gain.

-We will not accept political or corporate sponsorship.

-We will attempt to reuse materials wherever possible and will always recycle our waste.

-Our free mobile clinics are intended to provide roadside repair and adjustments to those who need it. Since all of our equipment is transported by bicycle, we generally don't carry specialty tools required for high end fine tuning. The main focus of our clinics is to make bikes safe and rideable, although we may not always have the resources available for complex or time consuming repairs.

-We are part of an ongoing effort to create a community that promotes cycling. We want to foster solidarity between cyclists and their communities.

== Contact Info ==
Our shop is located at 10 Boylston Place in Jamaica Plain. You can stop by our shop any time during open hours. Open hours vary and are posted on our [http://www.facebook.com/thecommunityspoke facebook page], but during the spring and summer we will be open at the very least every tuesday evening from 7-9PM. You can also contact us at [mailto:thecommunityspoke@gmail.com thecommunityspoke@gmail.com] to find out our extended hours or to make an appointment.

== Services Offered ==
We offer free use of our extensive selection of tools, repair instruction, earn-a-bike, mobile repair clinics, and advanced classes. If you need other bike services, please contact us and we will either be able to help or direct you to the right people.

Bikes not Bombs

2012-03-30T23:20:34Z

Pehrlich: /* Services Offered */

{{
shop-info
| name = Bikes Not Bombs
| logo =
| year_founded = 1984

| year_dissolved =

| website = http://www.bikesnotbombs.org/
| town = Boston
| state = Massachusetts
| province =
| country = USA


| campus =


| language1 = English
| language2 =
| language3 =


| has-diy-shop = yes
| has-pay-shop = yes
| has-mobile-repair = no
| has-bike-sharing = no
| has-earn-a-bike = yes
| has-bike-valet = no
| has-workshops = yes
| has-courses = no
| has-group-rides = no
| has-bicycle-advocacy = yes
| has-pedicab = no
| has-in-school-programs = no
| has-youth-summercamp = no
| has-youth-racing = no
| has-women-trans-hours = no


| mission-statement = Bikes Not Bombs uses the bicycle as a vehicle for social change.
}}

'''{{PAGENAME}}''' is based in Boston, MA


== Contact Info ==


=== Hub ===

284 Amory St.
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130

* Phone: 617-522-0222

=== Bike Shop ===

18 Bartlett Square
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130

* Phone: 617-522-0226

== History ==


== Services Offered ==


Bikes not bombs offers very limited DIY bicycle repair, and its services should not be compared with the Bike Kitchen brand. Every other thursday, people may use the shop to work on their bikes IF they have put in volunteer hours or paid a minimum $35 yearly membership fee.

We currently receive approximately 6,000 used bicycles and tons of used parts each year. We ship about 4,800 of these bikes to economic development projects (micro-enterprise bike businesses, sustainable technology projects, and youth training programs) in Ghana, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nevis Island, and Uganda every year. BNB also sends technicians and tools for start-up projects to these same countries. (In the past we have worked in Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, South Africa, and Tanzania, and we continue to accept new requests for assistance from projects in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Africa. Read more about our international efforts.) We use the remainder of our collected bikes at our Jamaica Plain Center; some are used in our co-ed youth Earn-A-Bike programs, and others are repaired by teenage mechanics as part of our Vocational Training programs and are for sale in our bike shop. BNB also offers girls-only programs all year round.

We operate a full-service Bike Shop, staffed by local teen graduates of BNB training programs and supervised by professional adult bike mechanics. The shop repairs customer bikes, offers hard-to-find used parts and sells new parts, locks, accessories and refurbished bikes with a warranty. Shop specialties include renovated upright-bar road bikes, single-speed coasting and fixed-gear bikes, and higher-end touring and road bikes. We sell frames alone, and some new bikes. Map and Directions

In addition to training young people to become bicycle mechanics and community leaders, we have many ways in which adults can get involved. Adult volunteers help teach youth in the Earn-A-Bike program, after taking our training course. We also teach adult mechanics classes, organize seasonal rides, and are always in need of volunteer help on Wednesday nights and at other times.

=== [[Earn-A-Bike Instructor Training Manual]] ===
* http://www.cyclesofchange.org/file_download/18 - Active link to the Instructor Manual PDF as of 12/20/07

=== International Bicycle Aid ===
Bikes Not Bombs has sent bikes, technicians, and tools to South Africa, Ghana, and Guatemala, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and El Salvador.

Bike Collectives Wiki - User contributions [en]

The Community Spoke

Bikes not Bombs