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Brookings Community Bicycle Collective
The mission of the Brookings Community Bicycle Collective is to promote the use of bicycles as a sensible and sustainable mode of transportation and recreation within the Brookings area. With bicycle recycling as its primary function, the collective will pursue its mission through collaborative education, as a multi-faceted community service, and by providing affordable and personable means by which to render bicycling a more accessible activity.
Where to Find Us
Entrance located in the alley directly in back of Cottonwood Coffee, downtown. Tues,Th: 6:00-8:00pm Saturday 12:00-4:00pm Also available by appointment.
Contact
Group on Facebook Phone: 605-690-5362 or 719-432-9067
Related Organizations
Business Plan
The Brookings Community Bicycle Collective will intend to promote the use and appeal of bicycles within the Brookings area. The collective will establish a network to acquire discarded, unwanted, or otherwise donated bicycles through contact with local businesses, property owners, the campus and city police departments, and the community at large. These bicycles will be recycled into use or salvaged for parts or processed to local recycling facilities as a two-fold service to the community--providing cheaply available bicycles and parts as well as reducing waste and clutter. The donations accrued by the shop will either be utilized by it's volunteers to produce salable bicycles to fund the collective or made available for community members to repair for personal use or to use toward the repair of bicycles already in their possession, under instruction from volunteers and with the use of the shop's tools and space.
The collective will initially operate on a volunteer-basis until it is deemed feasible to pay some of its more active volunteers. The collective will establish itself as a non-profit business, which will require attaining a business license, establishing its articles of incorporation and bylaws, and filing with the IRS for tax exemption. Some of these filings will carry fees totaling up to several hundred dollars but will better enable the collective to attain grants and other donations. Raising the funds for these filings will be among the top priorities for the collective.
While the collective will have tools on loan in the initial stages of operation, donations of more permanent tools and various shop supplies and equipment will be necessary before the shop becomes fully operational. Bike stands are highly desirable items for such an operation, but may be too expensive in the early stages. Reliable improvised methods of propping bikes for repair will have to suffice until adequate funding is available.
While the shop may develop a steady supply of used parts, many repairs will require that new parts be kept on hand. These parts can be priced according to the manufacturer's suggested retail value, so as not to compete with the local commercial bike shop. However, used parts can be priced at a flat suggested donation rate. Shop hours utilized for repair may also be chargeable in a similar manner, but the expected total of these rates must be reasonably determined according to the outcome. The pricing of showroom bikes must include the work put in by the volunteer and potentially include a commission.
With the establishment of consistent shop usage and intake of donations, the collective may expand the scope of its contributions to the community by initiating or contributing to extraneous community or campus bicycle programs, to include donations to the needy outside of the Brookings area. The collective may also host youth-based bicycle programs, such as the various "Earn-a-Bike" models in which a child may earn a bike through education or service within or potentially outside of the shop. The collective may also host bike-related events for the promotion of its efforts in service to the community or host events within its shop-space to raise funds.
The shop's staff organization will consist of a director, a head mechanic, a bookkeeper, and general staff. The director's job will be to organize volunteers, establish and maintain vital contacts for donations and support, ensure the ongoing maintenance of the shop, and initiate direct organizational improvements and expansion. The head mechanic will be in charge of instruction regarding the repair of bicycles, approving bicycles to be released from shop for use, and offering advice regarding parts and methods used in repair and fitting. The bookkeeper would ensure that an efficient means of keeping track of donations, funds, and taxes is maintained. The general staff, as well as other staff (to include the director and the bookkeeper), would be expected to actively study all aspects of bicycle repair and help to keep the shop in good order. A manual for volunteers would be helpful for informing them of what will be expected of them, as well as providing key points regarding bicycle repair.
Potential Sources for Bicycles Donations:
- Bargains on Main
- Brookings PD
- Campus PD
- Goodwill
- Rental Properties
- Discards and Donations
Local Resources:
- Robb Rasmussen - Sioux River Bicycles and Fitness
- Bob Semrad - Peddlars3
Informational Resources in Use:
- Bike Collective Starter Kit
- Starting a Non-Profit Organization[1]
- Bikes Not Bombs Earn-a-Bike Instructor's Manual
- Tools for Life Recycle-a-Bike Manual
- Sheldon Brown
- Bicycle Repair Manual by Chris Sidwells
- The Barnett's Manual of Bicycle Repair