MRBC will be hosting a free Bike Valet at the 8th annual Gateway Artists Studio's Tour for those interested in getting around without polluting, at the 39th St Gallery from 12-4/5pm. Drop on by if you are free to help or just have a chat.

Wednesday 5.2.12

Woah. I used to do Monday nights, Saturday mornings for a bit, and it would get busy sometimes. Really busy.. but for some reason, I felt like it was manageable. Now that I'm getting help on Wednesday nights, it seems I need that help on busy nights. The community needs it. The difference between recent Wednesdays and distant Mondays is that visitors wait less. Seems we could use 8 staffers on busy nights like this. Not joking. Some people waited tonight, and were cut off by 8:30. It was a great night with all the help.

I'm so thankful to all the hands tonight. Thank you so much, Dave, Carl for joining me tonight. As well as our staffer helpers Job, Laura, Corey, and big time, Rosy, for helping me with my neighbor, Jonathan's, bike. So good to see Jonathan and Les make it in.

Oh, and XingXing! Xingxing came through again with big cheer and a plate of homemade dumplings -vegan so Josh R could eat them! YYUMM!! Yall, she hooked it up tonight! She is excited to ride the fullmoon gathering this Friday (7pm), and she is excited that participants can share their food...so...get ready for XingXing, yall! She's coming to the FullMoon!PicnicCruise! and she likes to cook, evidently good food!

While squirting mushroom-tofu dumpling juice out of my mouth, I was turning a bolt on a recent donation that Trinity chose to be her bike. Trinity and her mom, Wakili, chose a couple bikes to cruise their hills of Mt Rainier. Wakili, Trinity and Jua had made it to the coop several times through the last year to try to complete the 10 tasks needed to "earn-a-bike". Word got around and a generous neighbor informed the coop that the time-strapped family could choose their bikes and it would be payed for by said donor. What mayberry generosity thrives in villages the world over, shines in Mt Rainier, MD.

Wakili is fun to talk to about colors and stones. I've been feeling a surprise favoring of browns, reds, beige, and orange -overall with gaudy blue to teal, since February.

-MikeTurner

FUULL MOON RIDE this Fri @ 7pm

Spring is here, or is it summer already ?  so don't forget to come over to the Co-Op and get your bike tuned-up in our Open Shops so you can ride our monthly FUULL MOON Ride this Fri @ 7pm.

Bring lights if you have them and helmets if you prefer. The weather should be balmy so pack a snack & drink preferably to share and we'll head on out to the trails !

Hope to see you there.

wednesday april 18

A wet Wednesday night meant a small turn out.

Hyattsville Harold did come in to work on his wheel. He had a lot of help from Rosey -a newer volunteer who has been nothing but extremely helpful to the operation on Wednesday nights.

Xingxing dropped in to cheerfully announce she is riding her bike and is new to town, then ask if any of us don't eat eggs because she'd like to make some banana pancakes and share them with us. She did reappear with them 30 minutes later! So kind!

Dave came in and helped Josh R with a derailleur problem.

Job also was in place, attending to his wheel.

Elizabeth dropped off some volunteer hour log sheets, where we can write down who was in on what day and how many hrs they've put in. It helps us see who is helping out a lot. It takes three months of one helping in the operation of the space -not on their own bikes/projects- to be able to be considered as a volunteer -at least 2hrs/month.

Good night of kicking it. While not running back and forth this night, I actually got to write up a tag and tinker with a donated cannondale. It's good to have a nice bike to offer to the peops.
-Mike

New Open Shops

As spring is here and people are getting their bikes out to ride, please note we are hosting more Open Shops now.

As of this SUN 15th and for the first 4 Sunday of every month Will McK will be hosting.
Also, we will be restoring Wimmen's Night on the 3rd THUR of the month, for the spring and summer months, starting on the 19th April.
Don't forget we also do another monthly shop on the last SAT from 10:30am-1pm

As ever, please check the calendar as being 100% volunteers, we sometimes can't always make it.

April Full Moon Ride

The mild weather encouraged a good turnout of around 20+ riders from H St to Annapolis, some new & some familiar, as we headed out onto the Anacostia River trails.

Stopping first at Bladensburg waterfront, where we had to fix a loose chain that kept popping off a child's bike, we then headed out to Lake Artemesia, near College Park passing the Aviation Museum & landing strip on the way. A night of lots of punctures for a few riders but all made it back safely and a couple were directed to the Metro to get back home.

See you next Full Moon!

Open Shop Mon 2nd April

Another busy night but with the help of Rosy & our new volunteer Laura, we got everyone taken care of, well, almost ...

One recalcitrant seat post defeated the combined effort of Brian, & pals Mitch & Jonathon, who were visiting the co-op for the first time and enjoyed their night volunteering. Brian (et al) may look to help out once a month or so... welcome guys.

Laura spend time getting to know the joys or adjusting old-style brakes, cutting cable housing and replacing cables and did an outstanding job. Hopefully her first volunteering night will not scare her off ;-)

16 unanswered phone messages were also responded to, but need to follow up on some of them.
Don't forget Fri's FULL MOON RIDE - meet at 7pm and leave by 7:30pm - weather is looking good.
-Dave

Chosen routes through D/M/V

View Mount Rainier Bike Coop, volunteer routes in a larger map

Wednesday 3.28.12

Busy night. Josh R helped open and get a tube patched on a neighbors bike, her Dad offering donation for/and walking out with a Murray mountain bike.

John Periwinkel stepped in and helped out through the night. Bill Root too. Scot Wilson tended to his ride. We had other folks patching, overhauling all over the place.

Another donation was made to the city. Gearing up for a Spring order from J&B.

A nice new sign on the door states our hours incorrectly, nothing a pencil can't solve.

Many many many bikes are cluttered through the stock room. Bikes stored behind the coop are taken, so it's understandable that bikes with potential would be stuffed in the stock room.

What if we created an incentive for volunteers to upgrade our immense stock of bikes w potential?
-Mike Turner
 

Wednesday 3.21.12

Easy night. 

Carl stepped in nicely to help out.

Job and John Periwinkel came in and worked on back bikes.

Roopa and Kwesh came in for a tube. Kwesh for a tire, as well.

Alia, Soloman, Jennifer, Trinity and Jua stopped in on their way down old Bunkerhill Road.

One Brookland neighbor, hearing about the coop by word of mouth, stopped in for the first time to strip a beat-up mountain bike..intending to scrap the aluminum frame, and made pretty quick work.

Mt. Rainier Bike Coop seeks new volunteers!

The Mount Rainier Bike Coop will host two events on March 29 and April 1 for the purposes of new volunteer recruitment. Enthusiastic people of all ages (under-18s: please bring your adult!) and skill levels are welcome - anyone interested in using bicycles for community enrichment and fun.

Here's what we offer:

-The joy of volunteerism in an endearingly strange, purposeful environment

-A fully operational bicycle station: tools, stands, grease, bikes, and used parts galore

-A community of novice and veteran volunteers willing to teach, support, and have a good time

-Eventually, opportunities to open your own shop and work at the Coop on your own time

Here's what we ask of you:

-Some base level of appreciation for bikes and the diverse group of people who use them.

-At least one hour a month dedicated to volunteerism at the Coop.

Where:

3601 Bunker Hill Road

Mount Rainier, MD 20712

When:

March 29^th from 6:30pm to 8:30pm

April 1^st from 2:00pm to 4:00pm

Wear clothes you can get dirty! Snacks and beverages will be provided.

Best,

Mount Rainier Bike Coop

Wednesday 3.14.12

Mike Turner opened up a little early for a change, showing the place to his visiting cousin, Paul, who helped turn a few wrenches himself.

Three operations quickly commenced outside. John Stith was figuring his rear derailleur. Ebrehem, and Josh were cranking out there, too.

Roopa came in to eliminate a squeak in her pedal cranking. We removed the cranks and the bottom bracket seemed smooth enough, so we put it back together and the squeaking was still there! The petals seem fine. Looking forward to figuring it out.

Grady came in to true his wheel.

Argentina George came in to replace brake cable, replace housing, and we trued his rear wheel a little bit which produced that jolt of liberation that happens when someone learns the incredibly accessible physics of wheel truing!

Job's coworker from the pet store came through to see what beach cruisers are available.

John Periwinkel came in with two German friends and was incredibly helpful to the shop for the 2 hours.

Dave Cahill dropped in and was incredibly helpful as Union Station Jenn came in to try out and offer a nice-sized donation for the sweet relaxed old orange road bike with cruiser bars.

FullMoon!PicnicCruise! March2012

Thursday, March 8th, was a beautifully warm evening after a very warm day. There were many clouds, high on the horizon, so the full moon gathering didn't see our glowing subject at our 7:30 departure for our nighttime picnic destination of Lake Artemesia, College Park.

Just before we departed, 2 riders left, for they had waited long enough -since 7. Later, it was learned that another rider missed the ride because they expected it to leave at 8. A lesson is being presented, perhaps to be more explicit about departure time and the ever-necessarily long gathering time.

Among us were new riders Heidi, Caitlin, Emmanuel, Olga and Zoe. Josh brought Zoe, his daughter, and Heidi, a neighbor he met at the grocery store. Job brought Emmanuel and Olga, but Job couldn't make it out. There were about 10 in all.

We swept over Rhode Island at 37th, left on Perry, right on 38th, that very charged left onto Cottage Terrace and we ran into another rider setting out for us who busted a U-ey and jumped right in!

We connected to our wonderful asset, the Anacostia trail -which Maryland has announced funding for connecting with DC's River Trail. Finally! Greenbelt to Navy Yard will soon be very well connected!

We headed towards Greenbelt, making that sharp left at the steep, gravely hill. Cruising through that first spot of woods, then that roller coaster drop of a swift decline, the chirps of the frog chorus beckon from the wooded pond on the left -just after the Mulberry tree Phil Koopman likes to favor. Those frogs are starting early!

We just sweep up through Riverdale comfortably, with the wind pushing from behind on that straight and high stretch of the levee.

We made it to the unlit park of Artemesia and commenced to snack. Zoe crashed in her Dad's lap as we talked so much about food, while sharing candy, grog, hard-boiled eggs, sesame snack. This area is good for others to break away and soak in the moon away from the horde, and the moon was shining it's yellow onto the rims of our earthly clouds.

We rode back, against some wind, after hanging and eating for an hour, and made it back around 9:30. Good fun! Plenty of cruising on this one, and neighbors encountering eachother, while making space on our streets for bikes and enjoying darkened trail space together. Not bad!

Looks like the next full moon will be Friday, April 6th...

Web Site

Our Website http://www.mrbikecoop.com is currently down temporarily.

Please check out our Blog page here for current hours, posted on the right hand side.

Thxs

MRBC

Wed 7th March

Yikes ! What a busy night - around 16 people in for help, must be the weather ;)

A lot of new faces (to me) on Mike night plus some familiar ones also. Michael came in and with some help bought a hybrid bike, helmet, lights and a lock - fully equipped for riding!

Ginny also came in looking for a commuter bike for her small frame and may have picked one but will be back next week to decide for sure.

Got a great load of help from Jessie, Rosie, Job, Eliz,  Josh, Bill & Scott and they were needed, thx guys.

-Dave

Mon 5th March

A chilly night outside but warm and bustling inside. Emmanual came in to get his brakes fixed and ended up learning how to true a wheel as well, courtesy of our potential new volunteer Rosie, who's also looking to move to our awesome town soon, so if you know any group housing situations get in touch.

Job fixed up donation after working on his bike and took it for a spin in the parking lot as a test ride, found that the left pedal needed changing so diid that & added a kickstand - so ready to go.

Will and myself helped out on some other bikes and helped a new visitor change a tube on her wheel and says she'll join us Thurs for our Full Moon Ride, which looks to be a warmer night!

that's all folks
-Dave

Wednesday 2.29.12

Tonight Carl joined us again, helping out on a Wednesday. He brought in a co-worker who bought 2 bikes!

Job came in and helped out through the night. Josh R., too.

The two of them hit the road earlier in the week, going to Largo and back for fun.

Job: "it all started when Job was coming home from Home Depot after busting his butt. I ran into you guys. First I ran into Adam at Home Depot -just leaving. "

Then he ran into Josh. After talking about wild pigs in Watkins Park, Josh convinced him to go on that "heck" of a ride.

Job said yes! So the journey began!

What did the ride to Largo bring to you?
Job: I learned that 202 was the road that the British took to burn the white house 200 years ago, and all kinds of other enlightenment's.

Did you know we rode to Mitchelville?! Everything is so close! It was...crazy dude! Just talking about it makes me want to go riding!

What did you say about the metro?
Job: Did you know it takes longer to get to Mitchelville on the metro than riding?

and this ends this leap year interview..

Roll-on Wednesdays

Another busy Wednesday. Elbow room was tight with the 3 co-workers Job brought in. Their fresh looking bikes were colored in tones of Spring. We worked on assembling their rides. The Spring flowers are emerging!

Grady worked on the Nishiki, getting teh front wheel more in true. He's been coming in putting in hours for the coop -up to 8 hrs now. Job, too. He's at 10, from wednesdays at least.

Grady brought a cousin. Josh rolled in, Bill Root worked on a project, and Scot W made his appearance....we were hoppin!

Wednesday 2/1/12

Last night saw two Ledroit Park incomers with a sleek folding bmx. They wanted the wobbles/play eliminated from the headtube and air in the tires. Success!

Travis and his likewise tool-smart friend came in with their rigged fixed. They wanted to activate the gears on it. They got it from a neighbor/friend who was clearing up space in the garage -type of thing. It has an old school bubble-gum pink tire on the back wheel. They're feeling it too....summer fun bike!

Jennifer came in with her daughters bike. Sound and strong it is, but clothing was trapped in the whirl and gears of the rear wheel. Ledroit Park BMXer freed it up with her.

We talked about Jennifer's artisan soaps (respond to learn more), and the concept of "fairtrade" -of ingredients which she utilizes. People learned about "fair-trade", about the processes of being certified keeping low-income earners from being able to participate, and largely about labor-bondage/slavery, racism and empire. Hey! We're all getting freer on Wednesday nights! We'll straighten the wobbles in our roll and we'll go there!! Together!

Job showed up with a pile of jerk chicken wrapped in foil, relieving this volunteer who'd only had pecans and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich earlier in their day of spackling and painting. Job grabbed a project bike from the back and got to assembling it. Job is interested in volunteering/supporting the coop. I hope he serves well at the coop because he'd be great for the operation. He is a local Mountie, eager, working really hard, getting really into his bike, and fluent, he is -Spanish to Americans, as he says, and Salvadorian to other Spanish speakers. Job is our future.

I mentioned the fence and police keeping skaters out of the new Rhode Island Ave skatepark, which elicited a call from the other side of the coop that they rode it and it is poorly designed, saying that it's size doesn't allow the more gregarious riding that other parks allow. One person has to ride at a slow pace with others not near -a more isolating skate park. That's two remarks from skaters (who fix their own bikes at the coop that maybe should look into stocking trucks/boards/grip tape) who are basically saying parks&planning/mncppc should allow participator intelligence in the design of an operation/space/park. Not a big problem that seems to have at least this one solution: user-participation-development.

wednesday open shop

Very good night tonight as we were visited at long last by Bill Root. Hello,  and welcome back Bill!

Scott Wilson checked in again and helped the projects progress.

Two fixie riding teenagers were adjusting, slimming, tightening their rides. One, a skater sometimes, commented before how the new skate park in Hyattsville is obviously not planned and built by skaters. I wonder what other skaters think. His friend, Job, grew up in the immediate neighborhoods, works two jobs to help pay the bills and still wants very much to hang out at the coop. Hello, future volunteering Mt Rainier youth. Welcome!

OPEN SHOP - MLK Day

Sorry for short notice - but tonight's Open shop is cancelled due to unexpected circumstances. 

We will be open next Mon 23rd for sure.

-Dave

FuulMoon!PicnicCruise! 1/8/10

Don't you know, the night of the full moon, hungry riders gather at the bike coop at 7pm. We roll out by 8, venturing not too far to a place to admire the moon and meet each other, dining on our selections and usually sharing with ease....turning it into a picnic potluck. It's a wonderful way to eat dinner once a month. Tonight, we found ourselves well accommodated inside of the old caboose in Bladensburg Park. Then we rode with the running deer on the new River Trail, again. Wonderful!

Bunker Hill Road, how old our road

Elizabeth Beesley on riding in DC

Beltsville. U.S. Rte1, built not for people. There are many people in Beltsville, though.

Ode To Aaron Benko

What wisp, thine blonde stache graces the grit of wit hardened rocky top mountain oak
of such able root.

Swelling hearts who impress before the capacity of such a southern chestnut.

Lofted high up, so high one laughs to look! Too, Benko does a Benko laugh then with you!

The Benko jolly, gut quaking chuggle, alerts nervous game what's becoming
of the shaking mountain chestnut oak -their rich and rare fruit, now enchantingly littered about..

Eating of Benko chuggles, birds think less of winter's bite, and squirrels think as the deer are thinking, that they might too be birds!

When you find a queer huddle in the wilderness, of birds moving together with the deer and the squirrel, all of them forgetting their roles and all of them flying like slow birds, as fat happy chicks with a vulture gait, moving west through cold mountains but spellcast in amusement, they may have been eating of Benko chuggles.

Thank you, Aaron, for your giving presence!
Thank you for nourishing Mt Rainier Bike CoOp for 4 years!
Enjoy that air of the Rockies!

Third Thursday Volunteer Night last night was another blasting success! We cleaned the spaces, refitted the sign, organized the parts, ate the pizza. It's looking good! Thank you Scott, Joseph, Dave, Josh, Elizabeth and Mike!

Third Thursday Volunteer nights are the time for getting together and doing whatever has to be done inside the space. It's a good time to show interested volunteers who we are and how to volunteer here. Volunteer here!

State Highway Administration, Laurel Maintenance Facility Program Manager, Charlie Griffin at 301-513-7304. He's the one to call about potholes, shoulder painting, shrub and tree trimming along Rte1 or any other numbered road in our SHA district 3.

There's some work to do on U.S. Route 1.

Open shop Wednesdays from 6:30 to 8:30 last night. We met hard working new dad, Edwin. We got pretty far on his Bmx, getting him rolling and able to brake. He left happy. We also met proficient tooler, Colin, from Takoma Park. His rear dérailleur is a tad out of line, and we couldn't move it much. It left him telling us about a hanger adjusting tool that he'd been acquainted with in New Orleans. We're very happy to see Edwin and Colin again, and any of you readers who are interested in volunteering, Thursday October 20th at 7pm. Every third Thursday, we gather any interested to volunteer at the coop and acquaint them with the operation, then we work on cleaning the space and fixing donated bikes.

We didn't see a moon, but it didn't rain on us as we rode to the river and ran with the deer before sitting down to our nighttime picnic. FullMoon!PicnicCruise! without the moon.

Theresa, Sophie, Elizabeth, with (Eye)ST and 5th NW's bike shop & social space BicycleSPACE headpedaler and route leader, Phil Koopman. 

Here, we are outside MD Parks new MD Park Bicycles, Crown/MD Park St at Central Ave..near Capitol Hieghts. A space having long-stayed in the operations of the family of local owner, John Epps. Epps is an influential cycling advocate for the immediate area. 

Natasha Pettigrew Memorial 2011 -Largo, MD
We are somebody, and this is the place to be.
 
Or spaces are going to be sane, if we stick to it. A way to get the sane place: We'll use our strengths to help the more vulnerable get to where they want to be. Build space for the presence of vulnerability. Solidarity. Bikes are vulnerable ones in the space of mobility. Peds are more vulnerable. Imagine traveling to your grocery store in a wheelchair. 

Look after your neighbors. See where they want to go.

Natasha Pettigrew Memorial 2011
Largo, MD.

America's oldest interstate, U.S. Route One. We can do better than this! State Highway Administration, this road is highly populated with people and their destinations. It needs to accommodate all travelers, not just motorists! Build space for children to walk to school, people in wheelchairs to get to the bus, neighbors to walk to their 7-11, and commuters to ride bikes on our practical choice road. Our avenues need to lend priority to the most vulnerable, not the other way around. Then maybe there will be less than 35,000 motor-vehicle-related deaths per year in this country.

We're all pedestrians. Many of us are motorists as well as cyclists. A reminder arrived today from the discussion between two cycling, motoring pedestrians and another motoring pedestrian: It works best when, at every stage of mobility or status, we all keep our eyes out for the most vulnerable. Vulnerability is appreciated, in this intimate/engaged and lively world we're working to create. We can just continue to pass each other, and race to the next red light..or we can ask the next one if we can help them get to their point B. They might say, "Build me a bike lane on Re1!"

Apex (apexbus.com) will charge you just five extra dollars to stow your bike on an inexpensive bus ride to NY, Philly, even ATL. They need to put that info on their website, though.

FullMoonBikeyPicnic

Hey, Riders! Let's do it again. 

Meet at the M.R. Bike Coop at 7pm on the next full moon. Bring some dinner with the bikes. We'll ride somewhere into the dark and hopefully catch a glimpse of the moon! We'll depart by 8pm, and we'll be back by 11pm.

Tuesday September 13
7pm
3601 Bunkerhill Road

Brian Willson writes and rides for metamorphis

Video of soldier turned anti-empire activist, Brian Willson, telling his story and riding to do it.

The mount rainier bike coop will be the cooling station tonight. Wear swimming gear, stand in our sprinkler while listening to the records play, eat the grilled goods, listen to the band strike the notes, you can dance if you want to, in the sprinkler, fall in love, we'll chill to a movie screening of Triplets of Bellville by like 10, then the person you've kept an eye on is going to want to make out with you.
Tonight starting at 6. 3601 Bunkerhill RD, Mt Rainier MD.

Wimmin and girls night!

Ladies, wimmin, girls -come out, fix up your bike and help others and have fun! This Thursday, July 14th from 7-9.

Great article in the Washington post today. Black Women Bike DC, we're going to be friends!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/black-women-take-their-place-in-dcs-bike-lanes/2011/07/08/gIQA9cPm7H_story.html

"It's good for the laws to change according to the movements of people" -a thought inspired by the bike exceptions to one-ways popping up throughout dc.

New coop member, Baton Rouge Brian of DC's Urban Forestry Administration. Welcome!! It was good adjusting brakes with you today. I hope you find some fun on your route through the city. See you again, soon!

Summer Party

We Coop volunteers generally have three things on our collective mind: bikes, community, and fun. Help us cash in big on all three July 22nd!


Rustle up your favorite barbecue/potluck comestibles and pedal down for an all-ages evening of grilling and chilling at 3601 Bunker Hill. Throw some brats on the carnivore barby or a couple portabello caps at the veggie station (or a few beanbags in the games area out front). Enjoy the eclectic spinnery of DJ Mike Turner, and live music from local accordion/brass ensemble milkmachine. Oh, you want to hear a little about our work at the Coop? We'll have an information table set up and staffed.


Come one, come all! Bring your family, your mechanic, your pet ferret, your local representative!


Find us here:
http://maps.google.com/map​s?q=Mount+Rainier+Bike+Co-​op%2C+3601+Bunker+Hill+Roa​d%2C+Mount+Rainier%2C+MD+2​0712&hl=en&ll=38.939434%2C​-76.957705&spn=0.010081%2C​0.016544&sll=38.941119%2C-​76.957684&sspn=0.080644%2C​0.132351&z=16

We hang this red "open", when we're open. Like now!

Digging the pavement improvement behind the bike coop. Now, riders, you can roll from the St James parking lot, to the rear of the space without having to hop a curb!

Young rider, father and coop volunteer Gregoire, and rider friend 6/18