We propose an open community for bicyclists and bicycle culture in Durham. To this end, we further propose a bicycle co-operative that can function as a nexus of this community. This co-operative shall be member-driven, member-funded, and most importantly, fun. The consensus-building board of directors shall be open to all members, and membership dues shall be set on a sliding scale available to participants of all income levels.
Aside from the pleasure of riding bicycles, we believe that bikes are a vital vehicle for sociality and movement and that they offer a real alternative to the (economically, socially, ecologically) disastrous hegemony of the automobile. We further believe that—in connection with other practices and knowledge—there is in bicycling a vision of autonomy that has much to contribute to the creation of new forms of social life. Our own practice as a collective will therefore be threefold:
1) Skill-share. In order to encourage self-empowerment through the exchange of practical knowledge, we will regularly facilitate and host clinics in which skills related to bicycle maintenance, repair, and riding will be communicated in an open, free, and inviting setting.
2) Bicycle recovery and redistribution. We will solicit donations of unused and unwanted bicycles, tools, and parts. We will fix these bikes, and distribute them to the Durham community on a first-come, first-served basis. Ideally and budget permitting, these bicycles will be free—although in some cases a donation will be asked for the cost of any parts needed to refurbish the bike. All labor done within the cooperative will be voluntary and unpaid.
3) A nexus of the Durham bicycle community. In addition to the skill-share clinics noted above, the co-operative’s physical location will also serve as a social space in which individuals may work on one’s own bike, work on bikes for others, and share bike building and repair knowledge and skills*. Ideally, this non-commercial location will feature a collective set of tools, a stock of oil and grease lube, several work stands, frame welding tools, and a collection of parts, frames, wheels, etc. Finally, the space will also serve as a repository for information on bicycling in Durham, including topics such as commuting, social rides, races, films, and rider safety.
*Until the co-operative’s physical location is secured, the organization shall build momentum through a series of roving workshops, where members go into neighborhoods with a portable set of tools to offer simple bike repairs.
