DBC Featured in Durham Magazine

Durham Magazine features an article on the Durham Bicycle Co-operative. See more here:

http://tinyurl.com/DBCinDurhamMagazine

Remember to check out the Battle of the Bands.

What do you think about the media attention the DBC is getting this year?

Tour de Fat and Related Included in DBC Upcoming Events

The Durham Bicycle Co-operative invites members and supporters to participate in these upcoming events:

April 30, Thursday

Tour de Fat Battle of the Bands - New Belgium Brewing is working with ReverbNation and Motorco to put on a Battle of the Bands. On April 30th, 6-8 Local Bands will hit the stage at Motorco and attendees will vote for 2 of those bands to play at the Tour de Fat pre-party on June 18th. The winner of that second round gets 50 minutes on the Main Stage at Tour de Fat June 20th at Diamondview Park in Durham in front of an estimated crowd of 6000. 

Details: 

The first round of the battle begins April 30 with six to eight Artists. 

Two of those Artists will move on to the second round on June 18. 

One of those Artists will perform at the Tour de Fat on June 20. 

The event headliners of past years have included Reggie Watts, Devotchka, Beats Antique, Futurebirds, Blind Pilot, and Mucca Pazza. 

Compensation negotiable upon acceptance. 

About The Event

Tour de Fat is New Belgium Brewing Co’s traveling celebration of all things bicycle, honoring mankind’s greatest invention. Born in Fort Collins, Colorado, to increase awareness and participation in cycling as a sustainable form of transportation, Tour de Fat has grown into a national rite of passage for cycling advocates and bon vivants alike.

Opening each show with a costumed bike parade through the host city, Tour de Fat celebrates the power of the bike by encouraging everyone to embrace their inner-cyclist and ride the streets as a rolling carnival of creativity like a 1000 person dance contest to win a bikes and a car-for-bike trade. Tour de Fat has been putting the Hilarity in Charity for 15 years: together with it’s local cycling organization partners we have raised over $4 million dollars to advance bicycle causes locally and nationally.

The event starts at 7, bands start at 8 PM - you can read more at their facebook page: 

https://www.facebook.com/events/715897855197608/

 May 2, Saturday

Bull City Bike Fest at Solite Park - The event runs from 9 am until 12 noon at Solite Park, 4704 Fayetteville Road in Durham, NC. Scheduled activities include music, pump track stunt riders, pump track challenges, organized rides along the American Tobacco Trail, Gateway mountain bike trail rides, bicycle safety checks, face painting and a bicycle decoration station for the kids, and a kid’s bike parade. UNC and Duke cycling teams will be present.

This event is sponsored by Performance Bicycle in partnership with Durham Parks and Recreation. 

For more information visit www.performancebike.com/bullcitybikefest.

The Durham Bike Co-op will be tabling at this event. Helmets will be provided: $10 for adults, free for children and youth under 18.

For more information or to volunteer, contact Greg Garneau at greg.garneau@gmail.com 

June 20, Saturday

New Belgium Tour de Fat - The annual event begins with a costumed bicycle parade, ending at Diamond View Park.Entertainment includes musical performances, yo-yo entertainers, vaudeville acts, and a 1000 person Dance Contest to win a New Belgium Cruiser Bike. New features this year include a new Le Tigre Grande variety tent and Sputnik mobile stage. The day concludes with car-for-bike swappers who agree to give up driving for one year;

 For more information or to volunteer, contact Rob Walpole at robwalpole@nc.rr.com and Debbie West at durhambikecoop.treasurer@gmail.com

What memories do you have of past DBC events?

Op-Ed: Growing Up Can Be Hard

This will be our first op-ed piece for the blog, so I'll try to keep it in low gear ;)

I remember when I outgrew my Huffy Stingray-copy. My best friend had recently gotten a Mongoose BMX. I felt a lot of pressure to get a BMX, even though I didn't think it was really the kind of bike I wanted.

There was a girl a few grades ahead of me who would come over to watch my younger sister when my parents were out. She had a "10 speed," as we used to call them.

It was clear to me that there was some sort of "pecking order" at work here. My parents got to drive their car places and do things. The sitter got to be in charge while they were gone, and paid for it. I got to leave the house and ride my bike with my friends. My sister had to stay home.

I decided that a 10 speed seemed like the kind of bike that would say to the world, "I'm no 20in wheel kid anymore; I'm ready for the rights and privileges due those of us who bear the awesome responsibility of selecting our own gear ratios as we pedal!"

So despite the peer pressure, I decided I was going for gears. I remember it took a good bit of patience to get a bike that would work for me, but I got my bike, and my gears (three of them, as I recall).

This weekend, we'll be having our anniversary ride that starts at our current location and open house at the new space. The ride will include a "history of the co-op" tour.

Thinking about the history of the co-op gets me thinking about growing up. Growing up means getting new stuff. It also means giving up some of the old stuff. All of this can mean improvements. That doesn't mean that growing up doesn't also mean some hard times.

Here's a video of someone a lot of us may recognize reminding us of some of these very same things:

What is a bike you remember outgrowing?

A Glimpse of the Future

... the future workshop space in Duke Park, that is.

Image courtesy of Debbie West

Remember, to help us turn this image into our co-op space of the future, be sure to check out Alison's article 10 Things You Can Do to Help the Durham Bike Co-op Reach our $50,000 Fundraising Goal by December 2015

What do you think of the new space?

Durham Bike Co-op Anniversary Bike Ride and New Space Open House, Saturday, April 25th

Please join the Durham Bike Co-op on Saturday, April 25, as we celebrate our 8th anniversary and our upcoming new workshop space in Duke Park! 

Bike Ride: Join us for a "History of the Co-op" Bike Ride starting at 1 PM from our current location at 715 Washington St. This will be a slow-paced ride with a brief stop in downtown Durham, ending at our future space. Helmets are required and children must be accompanied by an adult. (We will be riding on city streets and in hilly areas, so this ride is not suitable for very small children unless in a trailer or bike seat.)

Open House: Everyone is invited to drop in between 3 and 5 PM for a tour of our future workshop space - see it now before construction starts! We'll have a tour of the site, a prize drawing, snacks, and free helmets for kids and youth, courtesy of our partners at Safe Kids Durham and NCDOT. 

We are thrilled about a unique partnership with the City of Durham Parks and Recreation Department to utilize a former maintenance facility for our new workshop space. The support of the Duke Park Neighborhood Association has been instrumental in making this opportunity possible. We hope to move to our new location this summer.  In order to relocate, we must up-fit the new facility with a wheelchair-accessible restroom and a retrofitted workshop. Our goal is to raise $50,000 to help fund the renovations. To read more or donate, visit http://www.razoo.com/story/Durham-Bicycle-Cooperative.

We hope you can join us April 25th as we celebrate our past and look forward to our future!

Volunteers Make the Difference

On this rainy Wednesday, we remember our volunteers and the important work they do to keep our inventory and tools safe, dry, and organized. Thank you so much, volunteers!

Photo courtesy of Ned Kennington

What are your favorite volunteer tasks?

DBC Hosts Anniversary Ride, Participates in Local Events

The Durham Bicycle Co-operative invites members and supporters to participate in these upcoming events:

April 17, Friday

Duke University Earth Day Celebration - Over 700 attendees are expected at Duke's family friendly event to take place at the University's campus from noon to 5 PM.

For more information or to volunteer, Contact Greg Heaton at outreach@durhambikecoop.org 

April 19, Sunday

Durham Parks and Recreation Earth Day Festival - Activities and vendors are from 11 AM to 5 PM at Rock Quarry Park, 701 Stadium Drive, Durham. DBC will be present, providing free helmets to children and youth under 18 and $10 helmets for adults.

For more information or to volunteer, contact Greg Garneau at greg.garneau@gmail.com 

April 25, Saturday

Durham Bike Co-op Anniversary Bike Ride and New Space Open House - "History of the Co-op" Bike Ride starts at 1 PM, 715 Washington Street (current shop location). Pace will be slow and ride to include a brief stop in downtown Durham, ending at the DBC's future space in Duke Park. Helmets are required and children must be accompanied by an adult. The ride is not considered suitable for very small children unless in a trailer or bike seat.

Following the ride will be a tour of our future workshop space from 3 to 5 PM. Participants are invited to view the site before construction starts. In addition to a tour of the site, there will be a prize drawing, snacks, and free helmets for kids and youth, courtesy of DBC partners Safe Kids Durham and NCDOT. 

For more information or to volunteer, contact Debbie West at durhambikecoop.treasurer@gmail.com 

 May 2, Saturday

Bull City Bike Fest at Solite Park - The event runs from 9 am until 12 noon at Solite Park, 4704 Fayetteville Road in Durham, NC. Scheduled activities include music, pump track stunt riders, pump track challenges, organized rides along the American Tobacco Trail, Gateway mountain bike trail rides, bicycle safety checks, face painting and a bicycle decoration station for the kids, and a kid’s bike parade.

The Durham Bike Co-op will be tabling at this event. Helmets will be provided: $10 for adults, free for children and youth under 18.

For more information or to volunteer, contact Greg Garneau at greg.garneau@gmail.com 

June 20, Saturday

New Belgium Tour de Fat - The annual event begins with a costumed bicycle parade, ending at Diamond View Park.Entertainment includes musical performances, yo-yo entertainers, vaudeville acts, and a 1000 person Dance Contest to win a New Belgium Cruiser Bike. New features this year include a new Le Tigre Grande variety tent and Sputnik mobile stage. The day concludes with car-for-bike swappers who agree to give up driving for one year;

 For more information or to volunteer, contact Rob Walpole at robwalpole@nc.rr.com and Debbie West at durhambikecoop.treasurer@gmail.com

What memories do you have of past DBC events?

Tonight: Tour of New Site Precedes Membership Meeting

All members of the Durham Bicycle Co-operative are invited to tonight's regular monthly meeting. The meeting, usually held at the current shop location, will take place at the new site location and begin with a tour of the pre-construction site at 6:30 PM.

"There has been a lot of buzz building about the move to the new location, and this will be the first time the general membership will have the chance to see where our new home will be," said Durham Bike Co-op Communications Coordinator Marcilla Smith.

The Durham Bike Co-op holds regular monthly meetings open to the full membership throughout the year. These meetings are used to discuss policies and procedures and take place on the second Monday of the month at 7 PM.

Tonight's meeting will be held at the former maintenance facility at the northwest corner of Duke Park, 1612 Acadia Street. Last month, the Durham City Council approved the Durham Bike Co-op to take over the property and transform it into the new home for their workshop and related programming.

For more information about tonight's meeting, contact Durham Bike Co-op Meeting Secretary David Zielinski at djzielin@gmail.com. For more information about the Durham Bike Co-op, visit www.durhambikecoop.org.

What amenities are you hoping to see at the new space?

10 Things You Can Do to Help the Durham Bike Co-op Reach our $50,000 Fundraising Goal by December 2015

The Durham Bike Co-op has exciting news to share.  We just signed a lease to move our community bike workshop to Duke Park, a near downtown public space with great facilities.  Duke Park also offers a 10-year low cost lease, room to grow, and long-term stability as downtown rents are on the rise.  

As we prepare for the big move, the Co-op has launched a major fundraising effort to raise $50,000 to fund renovations to the space.  We believe this is an incredible opportunity for the organization and would like to invite all of our members and supporters to help with this initiative.  Here are some things that you can do:

1. Donate to the Co-op today!  Any and all amounts are helpful -- it all adds up!

2. Plan and/or volunteer for an outreach event. Upcoming events include:
• April 11 Durham Food Co-op opening (contact Greg G)
• April 17 Duke Earth Day event (contact Greg H)
• April 18 Durham Earth Day event (contact Greg H)
• April 25 Co-op Anniversary Ride and New Space Open House (contact Rob W and Debbie W)
• May 2 Solite Park helmet fitting (contact Greg G)
• May 15 Art event at the Scrap Exchange (contact Rob W)

3. Designate the Durham Bicycle Cooperative as your charity of choice on Amazon, so all your online purchases also benefit the Co-op!

4. Share the DBC fundraising campaign info on your Facebook page from the Razoo homepage.

5. Start or join a Razoo fundraising team for the Durham Bicycle Cooperative.

6. Write a neighborhood newsletter article to submit to your neighborhood association board (use text from the Razoo page and include the Razoo link!)

7. Speak to your friends and family about the Co-op’s fundraising efforts -- you may know someone who is willing to donate personally!

8. Make “thank you” gifts for major donors.  The Co-op FUNdraising Committee would like to offer a piece of bike art, a la Picasso, for donors who have gifted more than $500 to the capital campaign.  Help Rob Walpole assemble these in the shop.

9. Join the DBC FUNdraising Committee!!  Interested?  Email Alison Carpenter at alisoncarpenter@nc.rr.com to get involved in regular committee meetings. 
   
   
10. Tell the world why you love the Co-op.  Drop a comment on the Durham Bike Co-op’s Facebook page, on Yelp, and/or in the shop’s comment box to describe your experience with the Co-op and why you volunteer or what originally drew you to visit or join.