It’s March!
We are making great progress, on our new Shop. But we can still use your help. We have all kinds of jobs including workbench building, painting and moving stuff from one room to another. We’d love to have you join us!
Work nights are open to all because we can use all the help we can get!! You can drop in for a little while or stay the whole time. And as long as there’s not too much ice outside, we’ll be working away in our nice warm basement. Join us!
Sundays 2:00 to 6:00 p.m.
Mondays 6:30 to 9:00 p.m.
Thursdays 6:30 to 9:00 p.m.
We are going to have beautiful workbench tops! Photo by Steve Moser
And the Plans for Spring continue…
Is your bike gathering dust in the garage or shed? Could it use some love before riding season gets underway? We just set the dates for our Spring Overhaul Class. More details to come, soon. But mark your calendars for Thursdays from April 9th through May 14. I think this class is going to be really fun in our new digs!!!
Women’s Bike Chat to Read Bikenomics
In April, the Women’s Bike Chat will read Elly Blue’s Bikenomics. It’s not too early to pick up your copy! You can buy it online (and we’ll send it to you!) or you can grab a copy the next time you’re at Revolutions. 
From the Publisher:
Bikenomics provides a surprising and compelling new perspective on the way we get around and on how we spend our money, as families and as a society. The book starts with a look at Americans’ real transportation costs, and moves on to examine the current civic costs of our transportation system. Blue tells the stories of people, businesses, organizations, and cities who are investing in two-wheeled transportation. The multifaceted North American bicycle movement is revealed, with its contradictions, challenges, successes, and visions.
Don’t Get Fatigued!
If you haven’t been in to Revolutions for a Shop Work night, you might not be too tired. But if you have been in, you may be sick of our Big Move down the hall. But don’t get discouraged. The new work benches are going in and we are going to be back to wrenching on bicycles, soon!!
These handmade benches are going to be awesome!
We are also working hard on planning our Spring classes, and we’ll have details for you soon. Need to overhaul your bike? You’ll be able to this Spring. Want to go on some group rides? You can do that with us, too!
Hold on for just a little longer, while we build the workbenches, get better lighting (no more squinting to see parts of the bicycle!) and paint a little more!!
Work nights are open to all because we can use all the help we can get!! You can drop in or stay the whole time. And as long as there’s not too much ice, we’ll be working away in our nice warm basement. Join us!
Sundays 2:00 to 6:00 p.m.
Mondays 6:30 to 9:00 p.m.
Thursdays 6:30 to 9:00 p.m.
Thanks to the Midtown Bike Girls!!!
The Midtown Bike Girls didn’t let snow and ice keep them down. Instead of their usual Wednesday ride in the Park, they took a field trip over to Revolutions! We had a tour and talked about what a community bike shop does. I am so proud of them for getting together several girls to ride bicycles. When more of us ride, more folks around town will consider riding, too. Way to go, girls!!!
Revolutions CLOSED, tonight, due to Ice!
Don’t get out in the ice, tonite! There will be plenty more painting and workbench building, on Thursday (6:30 to 9:00). Instead, stay in tonight and dream of warm springtime rides to the park, with a picnic, and cake!
Workbench building and a Congratulations!!
Congratulations to our friend, Kyle!
We want to send out a big congratulations, to Kyle Wagenschutz and family, on the birth of their baby girl. Kyle is the former director of Revolutions and current Bicycle/Pedestrian Program Manager for the City of Memphis. Here’s hoping you don’t have too many sleepless nights. And we look forward to Baby Wagenschutz and her big brother joining us for some bike rides, soon!!!
Women’s Bike Chat, TODAY!
Sunday, Feb 15 from 2 to 5-ish, including a ride to follow (if the weather is nice!)
It’s the 3rd Sunday of the month, so Women’s Bike Chat will meet from 2 to 5-ish. And if the weather is nice, let’s take a short ride, afterwards!
For February, we’re doing a Work Project Day. You’ve probably heard that Revolutions is moving down the hall. We’ve painted our new Workshop. And now we need to paint our new Rental Fleet and Overhauled Bikes room. Ladies, wear your paint clothes and join us for the fun.
We’ll gather at 2:00 p.m. in the Bike Shop. Enter through the Bike Gate and the Meditation Garden. And bring you bike, because if the weather is fine, we’ll take a short ride, afterwards.
Workbench Building!
Now that are new Workshop is painted, we need to build our new workbenches. Join us this week on Monday and Thursday, 6:30 to 9:00. And even if you don’t like to wield a hammer, we can put you to work. We have heat, now, you know. So even if the week gets as cold as they say it might, we’ll be nice and toasty, at Revolutions!!
Revolutions is Moving…Down the Hall!
Hopefully you have heard by now that we are painting, cleaning, building work-benches and a whole lot more. The work is a lot more fun with friends! And to make our move as quickly as possible, all Shop hours are now dedicated to this Big Move, until we get it done. My goal is that the work is completed and we’re back to regular Shop hours by March 15. I’m told that this is a bit crazy. But we’ve got big things planned for Spring, and we want to get on with it. So please, won’t you help us in our Big Move? You can join in on the fun during any Shop hours:
Monday and Thursday evenings, 6:30 – 9:00 p.m.
Sundays from 2:00-6:00 p.m.
(except the 3rd Sunday of the month. That’s when Women’s Bike Chat is meeting, to work on the Big Move, too!!!).
A big, big THANK YOU goes out to our First Congo Youth Group. They got our Painting Party, last Sunday, started off right. Thanks, you all, for spending your February meeting time with us!
Some of the Youth
Jay Fite, Bobbie Jo Kulwicki, and Mark Allen painting as carefully as the Youth.
First Congo as a Bicycle Friendly Business!
In January, First Congregational Church (of which Revolutions is a part) applied to get rated, by the League of American Bicyclists, as a Bicycle Friendly Business. We would join City Hall and Shelby Farms Park as the only Bicycle Friendly Businesses, in Memphis. And we would be the only church with that rating, in the whole state!
Now that we applied, you are asked to fill out a short survey about your experience of First Congo as truly friendly to bicycling. When I filled it out, I thought about all of our great offerings through Revolutions Bicycle CoOp (including parking my bike inside, during Shop hours), the rental fleet at Pilgrim House Hostel, First Congo’s new bike rack that serves the Cooper-Young Farmers’ Market, a great turn out for last Fall’s Blessing of the Bikes, and more.
Won’t you help us try for a Gold-rated Bicycle Friendly Business, by filling out this short survey? Be sure to list the “business” name as “First Congregational Church of Memphis, UCC.” Please take a moment to get your answers in, now, because it’s due by February 18th!
Find the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BFB_Spring2015_243
Painting Party and Bicycle Friendly Businesses!
Are you planning to sit around, tonight, and watch the Super Bowl? Before you do, come out and get some exercise with Revolutions! We’re painting our new Workshop. It’s over 1200 square feet and we need your help! We start at 2:00 and paint until 6:00. Come anytime; we’ll take you for one hour or four!
Over 4600 nails, all gone!
Dr. Kendra Hotz removing 70 years of ceiling dust!
In preparing the room, we pulled out 4,608 nails from the ceiling!! We kicked up lots of dust, and vacuumed a little!
And now the room is all ready to paint.We’re painting, now, so that we can start building our new workbenches. Won’t you help us?!?!
First Congo as a Bicycle Friendly Business
In January, First Congregational Church (of which Revolutions is a part) applied to get rated, by the League of American Bicyclists, as a Bicycle Friendly Business. We would join City Hall and Shelby Farms Park as the only Bicycle Friendly Businesses, in Memphis. And we would be the only church with that rating, in the whole state!
Now that we applied, we need you to fill out a short survey about your experience of First Congo as truly friendly to bicycling. When I filled it out, I thought about all of our great offerings through Revolutions Bicycle CoOp (including parking my bike inside, during Shop hours), the rental fleet at Pilgrim House Hostel, First Congo’s new bike rack that serves the Cooper-Young Farmers’ Market, a great turn out for last Fall’s Blessing of the Bikes, and more.
Won’t you help us try for a Gold-rated, or maybe even Platinum!, Bicycle Friendly Business, by filling out this short survey? Be sure to list the “business” name as “First Congregational Church of Memphis, UCC.” Please take a moment to get your answers in, now, because it’s due by February 18th!
Find the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BFB_Spring2015_243
Nice to Bicyclists…
In preparing First Congo’s application to be listed as a Bicycle Friendly Business, I got inspired to have a less official way to encourage businesses, in Memphis. When I went to Sherwin Williams, on Madison, to get some paint samples for our new Workshop, I had trouble locking up my bike. When I mentioned to an employee that I had to lock up on a street sign, he said I should have just brought the bike inside.
It seemed crazy to transport paint for a new bicycle workshop, by car. So, for some of the paint, my kids helped me get it to Revolutions, by bike. When I went back to Sherwin Williams with the bike, I tried parking inside. Even though that same employee wasn’t there, the ones who were didn’t give me a hard time. And, they even carried the three gallons of paint over to my cargo bike, for me to load it up.
So in thanks to Sherwin Williams, I would like to bestow on them our very first Nice To Bicycles Business: 4 Star Rating. They were very friendly to me and the kids while we were on our bike. They let me park inside. They’re on the Madison Ave. bike lane. And, they could step up to 5 stars if they were to get a proper bike rack.
Do you have other businesses that you would like rated as a Revoluions’ Nice to Bicycles Business? If so, write up a paragraph about what they’re doing right and what they could improve. Give me their name and address. And I will then list them on Revolutions’ Nice to Bicycles Business page. I will also send them a thank you letter and T-shirt!
We’re Moving Down the Hall!!!
Our big move has started! We have our new space down the hall cleared out. Next, we’re cleaning the room. And then we’re going to have a Painting Party!!! Won’t you join us on Sunday, February 1 from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. to help us paint? The more the merrier, right?!
Last Open Shop, TODAY from 2 to 6
Today, is our last Open Shop before our Big Move. If you have some repairs you want to get in, today is the day to do it. After this week, and one more Demolition Night on Thursday (Jan. 29), all of our Shop hours will turn into Big Move hours. We hope to complete all of this work by March 15, so we can get back to classes and regular Shop hours.
We have a lot of work to do to make this move happen. After next week’s Painting Party, we’ll be building benches, then moving tools and used parts and many, many other tasks. Any time you can help, we’d love to have you. Watch the newsletter and calendar for what tasks are up next. And please, join us!!
Big Move Shop Work Nights will be:
Sundays from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m
Mondays from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m.
Thursdays from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m.
Wee Ride Memphis
Latest Posts
-
It’s March!
We are making great progress, on our new Shop. But we can still use your help. We have all kinds of jobs including workbench building,…
-
Don’t Get Fatigued!
If you haven’t been in to Revolutions for a Shop Work night, you might not be too tired. But if you have been in, you…
-
Revolutions CLOSED, tonight, due to Ice!
Don’t get out in the ice, tonite! There will be plenty more painting and workbench building, on Thursday (6:30 to 9:00). Instead, stay in tonight…
-
Workbench building and a Congratulations!!
Congratulations to our friend, Kyle! We want to send out a big congratulations, to Kyle Wagenschutz and family, on the birth of their baby girl.…
