Feb 6
Urban Riding 101

Have you ever heard of the “right hook” or the “door zone”? Do you know how to correctly lock up your bike? Urban Riding 101 is a great workshop for those who are new to riding on city streets! This informal group discussion will cover: how to dress for the cold (so you stay warm, but not sweaty!); basic street safety (right hooks, the door zone, metal plates, making turns, lights, bells); gear for commuting/running errands (weight distribution and securing of cargo for racks, panniers, baskets and messenger bags); recommended routes/roads; and how to correctly lock up your bike so it doesn’t get stolen!
https://www.facebook.com/events/209807015777596/
Feb 13
Roadside Repair 101

Learn about mini air pumps, how to patch or change tubes, how to make tire boots, and what to do when your chain falls off! https://www.facebook.com/events/281840588541299/

Feb 20
Maintenance 101

Learn basic maintenance skills, such as: how/when to lube the chain, change or adjust brake pads, air up tires, and check the trueness of your wheels. https://www.facebook.com/events/275617605836059/

Feb 27

Brakes

March 5

Shifters & Derailleuers

March 12

Wheel Basics

March 19

Hubs & Bottom Brackets

March 26

Headsets

So many people have given so much. Time, energy, materials, advice, love, support, understanding, critiques, friendship, inspiration… the list goes on. All gifts. All blessings. All of it channels back out of MoBo. Its a smile, a helping hand, a presence, a reassurance, a support network that ripples out the doors of the shop to flow around our neighborhood and even the whole of Cincinnati itself. Amazing the things that have been accomplished through the existence of a tiny little community bicycle workshop. What will happen next? Will we we continue to as a tiny little workshop? Will we inspire a child? Bring understanding & peace to tensions and discomfort? Share jokes? See more and more people riding bicycles down the street? Will we continue to build a place that that vibrates with life and friendship each time we sign in?

There have been as many ideas shared within those walls, as seeds have been planted in the surrounding gardens, as the turns of the wrenches each week, as rotation of the wheels of your bike when its all said and done. Endless possibilities. Potential roadblocks. Only way to see what happens is to keep taking part part, isn’t it? It won’t be easy sometimes. Sometimes it will be epic. Other times humbling. And, hopefully, we all come out for the better.

How will we come to MoBo in the new year? What can we give to it? How can we help? And when its figured out, it feels good.

Happy New Year and Love

The Sale happened at the Village Green, and while bikes were sold volunteers, members and new bike owners (!!) enjoyed a cookout in the Open House environment.  After a super-build day attended by shop volunteers, and many hours put in by core volunteers, there were about 25 bikes ready to be adopted and taken home!  If you’re interested in helping out in future events of this kind, please send an email to shopformobo@gmail.com or sign up for shop activities on the volunteer form.  This was a great way for volunteers to get more practice working on bikes and getting to know different kinds of parts.  It was such a success, volunteers are thinking of making the bike build a tradition.

The Fundraiser on May 15th was our 4th annual party.  It was held at Mayday bar on Spring Grove, right near the Mill Creek.  A higher turn-out with a lower admission price and a boat load of help from volunteers made this fundraiser the most successful yet.  We made as much money as last year, but more people came and more people made the event happen.   A handful of great local bands kept people itching to dance all night.  Elizabeth Motter started off the party with her harp, and was followed by the Tillers, Chocolate Horse, Fishfischer and Northside Nick.  Silent auctions and raffles sent people home with great deals on bike gear and local wares, and many people joined as new members!   People had a great time, and MoBo is off to a great start on its fourth year.  Thanks to everyone who made the fundraiser such a great success!

As we head into June, don’t forget about your bike!  May is bike month, but you can ride all year long!  Keep visiting the co-op, and keep pedaling!

DESIGN CONTEST for MOBO’S

2010 T-Shirts and Posters

GUIDELINES FOR SUBMISSION:

Poster:
3 colors maximum
11″ x 14″
300 dpi (minimum) resolution if digital file

Poster must clearly and prominantly contain the text:

“Mobo Fourth Annual Fundraiser”

March 10th, 11 pm.

Submissions and questions may be referred to

PRforMobo[at]gmail.com

Contribute to the heat fund with your 98.6 degrees!  We also have a trainer, so if you want to keep some poor mechanics warm or want some company for your winter training, roll down to Knowlton and set up during open shop.  You’ll get your work-out, and the members will keep their fingers!

Come to open shop:
Sundays 2pm-5pm
Tuesdays 6pm-9pm
Wednesdays 6pm-9pm

MoBo has a lot of small friends who like to hang around the shop.  They come by to ask us for new inner tubes, new chains, and occasionally a muffin when we get gifts from the Hostess outlet.  We let them come in, we have to yell at them some times for riding their bikes in the yard, but it’s obvious that we have a soft spot for them.

So we better be out with our porch light ON for Halloween.  Members, come on down!   Be at MoBo to help hand out treats to the next generation of Northside!  Bring a bag of candy if you can to help give out, or bring your kids by to trick-or-treat with us 6-8pm, Saturday October 31st. Wear your costumes!

We will be taking candy  donations in the next two weeks during open shop!

If you know the parts room, maybe you know that it sometimes looks like the day after a party, or the kitchen after Thanksgiving, or maybe the inside of a whale.  Well, this month, the guts of the coop are growing up.  No more chaos.

The plan: reorganize and clean up;  rethink and rebuild.

Here’s where we are in that process:  Sunday morning hit the coop hard with a group of volunteers who came with a mission.  They descended on the back room and wiped it clean, leaving not a dust bunny in their wake.  They threw out the bad parts, and split the good ones into their respective genera.  They drank all the coffee, and played on the scooch.  It was great.  Much progress was made.

This was the first of three Parts Room Rehab days this October.  Plans are made for deconstruction and building next Sunday, October 11th from 10am to 2pm… and a work overflow day on October 24th from 12pm to 3pm.

Make sure to be in on the action!  Come to the coop 10am – 2pm next Sunday for a good time and the chance to own your handprint on the coop.  We need help thinking of ways to organize better!  We also need materials!

Please send an email to PRforMoBo[at]gmail[dot]com if you think you can help in strategizing this week.  Thanks, volunteers!

Mobo’s trip to Bike!Bike! (the annual international conference of Not-for-profit Bicycle Projects) at the end of August spurred a flurry of activity about the coop!  Members who went learned about how other coops are doing what they do, and three of us even gave workshops!  Katie talked about managing conflict, Gabe spread the word on how to stay sane with kids, and Lucia enlightened both Americans and Canadians who attended the conference about how to work best with at-risk youth.

And most importantly the crew came back with great ideas about how to move forward with Mobo.  They will be discussing some of the good ideas that were shared at the next board meeting (Sept. 27th for those of you who would like to hear more).  They saw some excitingly organized shops up in Minnesota and have planned how we can calm the chaos in Mobo’s parts room.  Keep an eye on the calendar for the volunteer days in October when you can come to partake in completely revamping the back room.

PARTS ROOM REHAB:

Sunday October 4th 10:00am-2:00pm

Sunday Oct. 11th 10:00am-2:00pm

(Overflow) Saturday Oct. 24th 12:00pm-3:00pm

We will be needing volunteers who want to help make the back room a better place for digging out the perfect derailleur and set of handlebars.  We have big ideas!  And will have coffee for those early Sundays.  If you would like to be involved in the planning or execution, please send Jess an email at PRforMobo@gmail.com or just show up on the days mentioned.

…We will be accepting cookie donations for the hardworking volunteers.  Thank you!!!

Thanks to all of the volunteers who gave their time, energy and talents to unload and reload the supply trucks, supported the riders, and made sure our rest stop had the most tawdry bathroom graffiti, most tacky decor, sweatiest dancers, and best/worst music.  Well done!