Bike Shop Procedures

Shop greetings

The Barn Facility is open to students and community members throughout business hours. The job of everyone at the facility is to make sure the students and community members feel welcome and know where to go to find what they may need.

All guests, if they have not been to the Barn Facility, are generally intrigued to see the entire building. Any of the employees may give a tour of the shop, making sure to include the Bike Shop, the Rental Shop, the special projects area, the annex, the upstairs meeting space, and anything else that may spark their interest.

To welcome guests who are interested in rentals, first ask what trip they plan to do and what they may need. Lead them through to the rentals and allow them to chose what they may need. Be aware of their adventure, and guide them to what would be best to rent for a particular occasion.

To welcome those interested in the Bike Shop, first ask if they have been to the facility before. If not, take special care to introduce them to the other areas if wanted. In regards to the Bike Shop, make sure to preface that it is a Do-It-Yourself space aimed at empowering students to continue learning through hands-on experience. It is not a traditional repair shop. It is often assumed, wrongly, that the shop sells items such as tubes, tires, and parts. This is also a fallacy that can be avoided through introductions. The shop has minor spare parts that can be given to students, such as cable ends, patches, etc.

Having mentioned these particulars, allow the student or member to sign in and help them place their bike in a stand, if needed. Show them the tools areas, the resources (books and computer) that will aid in teaching them bike repair, and notify them that the mechanic will be available if there are additional questions.

The job of all of the Barn staff is to create an atmosphere that excites students and members about the outdoors and activities therein. The shop greetings are an ideal way to do so. Notify guests of upcoming trips and events, share stories of past adventures, ask of their experiences, encourage them to volunteer with the Bike Program, and encourage them to become or act upon being a Trip Initiator with the Outdoor Program. The Bike Program thrives off of returning individuals who have a passion for bicycles and are comfortable with the Bike Program atmosphere.

Working with shop patrons

Shop patrons are part of the heart of the Bike Shop. After having been to the Bike Shop a number of times, individuals are comfortable enough to utilize shop hours without the need for traditional shop greeting.

While this is encouraging and helpful to sometimes busy mechanics, there are still boundaries within the shop. The red tool bin is to be used only by shop mechanics, or at the supervision of a mechanic. The specialty tools are not to be mishandled by anyone in the shop. The employee orders (with J&B Importers and Cyclone) are not to be passed to shop patrons. It is a special staff privilege.

However, there are many positive aspects of having shop patrons. Patrons generally are knowledgeable with bike mechanics and can serve as student resources for those new to bike mechanics or the shop. While this is invaluable, we want to recognize these efforts, and encourage shop patrons to become volunteers with the Bike Program. This will benefit them as well as provide the Bike Program with dependable contacts for events or needed shop hours.

Cleaning the shop

The tidiness of the Shop is of importance. The appearance of the Barn Facility reflects upon the entire Outdoor Program and must be maintained for aesthetics as well as functionality.

Within the Bike Shop, continual tidiness means gathering unused tools and placing them back in their proper location. Encourage those using the tools to do so as well. There are a limited number of tools, some used more often than others. It is important to have them available to everyone.

When rentals return, be sure to place helmets and locks in their proper locations, after checking that they are functioning properly. Regarding the return rentals, place it in a stand and make note of any repairs that are needed. This is an immediate necessity to know how much deposit to give back to the rentee. If there is no time to make the necessary repairs, place a white dry-erase tag on the bike noting the repairs needed and place in a location that best suits.

Bike clutter tends to creep up on the Shop. If this becomes an issue, take time to formulate a better system for the bikes at hand. This can include the Barn facility, the annex, and the containers located near DPS headquarters.

Because the Bike Program is dynamic, there are different phases of bikes, parts, event equipment, etc. This may mean reorganizing current systems to make room for new systems. They may be temporary or long-term, a distinction that will be made at the discretion of both the Bike Coordinator, Bike Manager and Mechanics. Making room for these changes in the Barn facility is of importance to keep a tidy atmosphere.

At the end of the day, leave time to put away tools, spray and wipe the counters, tidy any clutter areas, and sweep the floors if necessary.

Rags and recycling

Rags are provided by a Aramark. They are scheduled to pick up used rags and drop off a fresh set of clean bags every 2 weeks. If the Mechanics notice an increase/decrease in rag usage, it can be specified how many bags to drop off on their route. The Mechanic on duty can sign the receipt and give to the Office Coordinator.

Metal recycling can be taken to Campus Recycling whenever necessary. It is located next to Facilities in the Millrace.

Tube and tire are generally kept for student projects. Recycling of excess is still to be determined.

Tool inventory

The tools in the Bike Shop allow the DIY space to operate. It is important to make sure students and members have access to those necessary to make repairs. It is also important to have tools necessary for shop mechanics to repair and revitalize Bike Loan bikes and any special projects that may be bestowed upon them, such as the Oregon Daily Emerald cargo bikes, the Bike Program Tri-Hauler, etc.

To ensure that there are resources and tools available, it is the job of the Coordinator and Mechanic to inventory and order any tools needed, within budget.

Some commonly used parts (subject to replacement) include:

• 8, 10, 15 mm box end wrenches
• Freewheel cassette remover tools
• Crank bolt remover tools
• Allen “Y” wrenches
• Tire levers

It is the job of the mechanic to take inventory of the tools and return items to their location both at the beginning of hours and at the end of the day.

Parts Inventory

Similar to the tools inventory, parts are a huge part of keeping the Shop operating, mainly for mechanics and the special projects but also for minor repairs for the DIY space.

Mechanics are responsible for daily taking assessment of the parts inventory, noting what is low, placing items on the order form if needed.

The parts that regularly need to be restocked are as follows:

• Patch Kits
• Brake pads
• Tubes/tires
• Triflow Degreaser
• Cables/housing/cable ends

Special parts for long-term loan bikes also need to be readily available. In addition to common parts, the extra parts for these bikes include:

• Magnetic lights
• Front Wald Basket
• “I Love My Bike” bell
• Fenders (usually painted yellow)
• Combination U-locks
• Single speed coaster wheel

Apart from new parts, there is an unlimited supply of used parts available at the shop. The used parts come from donations of shop users, DPS bikes that have been stripped, community members, etc. To maintain order with the vast amount of used parts, there are labeled bins. Some include: brakes & levers, derailleurs, fenders, kickstands, handlebars. If another stock of used parts becomes apparent, it is the job of the mechanic to organize it properly into a bin or convenient spot. These parts, although priority for the long-term loan bikes and special projects, are often given to shop users if they have a necessity for an item and it is not a priority for the shop to have. It is at the discretion of the Bike Program staff to give spare parts away to students and members.

Meetings

Staff meetings are scheduled with all the Barn staff members. They meet generally every other week, but can meet once a week if there are pressing agenda items. Every term, the first meeting is set to determine Barn hours for staff and decide a general meeting time. It is the job of the Coordinator to ensure that the shop is staffed properly; this means working with student staff schedules to come up with the best possible utilization of available hours. It is the job of the Mechanics to be available, schedules permitting, for any lapses in shop hours.

Special meetings arise as well for events. These should be communicated by the Bike Coordinator, making sure that all parties are available for the meeting(s).