Wed Apr 16 20:35:31 UTC 2008
Operation Build-a-BIke Set
All,
This post has all of the details related to this year's (next week's!)
bike build ... read on if you're interested in helping out with this
worthwhile effort ...
When: Wednesday evening, April 23rd, 2008, 5pm 'til ... (maybe April
24th if we don't get done)
Where: Space Center warehouse, 38th & Memorial, 7057 E 38th St. ( see
map at bottom of email )
What: 300 new Trek bikes, 3 different styles (20", 24" and 26" inch
wheel sizes), hand brakes on all, multiple gears on bikes with 24" and
26" wheels.
What you can bring: A good attitude, a helping attitude, a flexible
attitude, enthusiasm, patience, and a few tools ... more about this
below.
Why?: To provide an opportunity for 300 4th, 5th and 6th graders to be
exposed to cycling, get some cycling education, and earn a new bike!
What We'll Provide:
* Space to work
* Food and liquid refreshment
* Shop towels and hand cleaner
* Light grease for seat tube, pedal threads, handlebar stem
* Chain lube
We have 100,000 square feet of working room, complete with lights (last
year's bike builders can tell you about working in low light conditions
provided by generator in a damp old warehouse). We'll also provide
pizza and drinks to fuel your efforts.
How: We'll work in small teams again this year as we did last. Groups
of three to four seemed to work well. With a single work stand, three
folks can work without getting in one another's way and keep a good
workflow going.
Basic Assembly Steps - following are the basic steps that will be
required for each bike, to give you an idea of how much mechanical skill
may be required (not a great deal!) ... and we may elect to have the
cable adjustments done by a separate group with most folks doing just
the main assembly steps ...
* Unbox bike & verify all parts are present (we only "misplaced"
one set of pedals last year!)
* Attach seat and insert seat post (seat may already be
attached)
* Mount front wheel; bolt on, not quick release (rear wheel will
already be in place with chain on; wheels will already have tubes and
tires on)
* Attach handlebar and stem
* Attach pedals
* Attach reflectors
* Air tires
* Lube chain
* Run brake and derailleur cables
We may elect to reserve the following steps for a group of folks with a
bit more assembly experience than most of us ...
* Tension and adjust brake and derailleur cables
* Center brake pads
* Adjust derailleur limit screws
... none of this is rocket science, so you don't need to be a "pro" to
help us out.
Note, however, that the "final" step in the assembly process will be for
a bonafide bicycle mechanic to give each bike a once-over. So there
will be someone to catch any major mistakes we may have made.
What to bring: Yourself, your buddy/partner/spouse, a chair to relax in
when time permits ...
Tools: Here's the list of tools Adam Vanderburg suggested for each
assembly team (so not everyone has to have tools) ...
Note that you should label your tools so that they can find their way
back to you if any become misplaced!
* work stand
* 10 & 15mm open-end wrenches
* 4, 5 , 6 mm allen wrenches
* 15 mm pedal wrench
* small to medium size cross-point (Phillips) screwdriver
* tire pump
Optional tools, if you've gott'em - this list is also from Adam, but I'm
thinkin' these may be needed only in small numbers for "special" cases
where a bike is in poorer condition than most or needs special
attention. But it won't hurt to see if you have these and bring them in
case we have a need for them:
* cable cutters
* tire levers
* box knife
* large standard screwdriver
* 32mm bottom bracket wrench
* multi-size spoke wrench
* rubber mallet
* chain tool
* medium & large crescent wrench
* cone wrenches
What to wear?: Dress casually, the warehouse we'll be working in is not
likely to be air conditioned. I'd recommend shorts and a cool shirt and
shoes that cover your toes (in case you drop something ... ouch!).
So, whaddaya think? Sound like something you'd be interested in? We
hope so ... many hands make light work!
Thanks so much if you elect to assist with this effort. It will be a
lot of fun and will definitely be a rewarding experience ... that's my
story and I'm stickin' with it! Last year's effort was amazing and
there's no reason to expect this year to be any different ... maybe it
will be even better!
Please, if you haven't already, shoot me an email if you're interested
in receiving further communications about this effort. I don't want to
send too many broadcast messages and may limit future messages to the
folks I have on my email distribution list.
I will post a reminder message early next week. Mark your calendar and
get your gear together ... this is going to be fun! Questions,
comments, suggestions? Email me at Mike.Schooling@Williams.com .
On your left!
... Mike Schooling
This post has all of the details related to this year's (next week's!)
bike build ... read on if you're interested in helping out with this
worthwhile effort ...
When: Wednesday evening, April 23rd, 2008, 5pm 'til ... (maybe April
24th if we don't get done)
Where: Space Center warehouse, 38th & Memorial, 7057 E 38th St. ( see
map at bottom of email )
What: 300 new Trek bikes, 3 different styles (20", 24" and 26" inch
wheel sizes), hand brakes on all, multiple gears on bikes with 24" and
26" wheels.
What you can bring: A good attitude, a helping attitude, a flexible
attitude, enthusiasm, patience, and a few tools ... more about this
below.
Why?: To provide an opportunity for 300 4th, 5th and 6th graders to be
exposed to cycling, get some cycling education, and earn a new bike!
What We'll Provide:
* Space to work
* Food and liquid refreshment
* Shop towels and hand cleaner
* Light grease for seat tube, pedal threads, handlebar stem
* Chain lube
We have 100,000 square feet of working room, complete with lights (last
year's bike builders can tell you about working in low light conditions
provided by generator in a damp old warehouse). We'll also provide
pizza and drinks to fuel your efforts.
How: We'll work in small teams again this year as we did last. Groups
of three to four seemed to work well. With a single work stand, three
folks can work without getting in one another's way and keep a good
workflow going.
Basic Assembly Steps - following are the basic steps that will be
required for each bike, to give you an idea of how much mechanical skill
may be required (not a great deal!) ... and we may elect to have the
cable adjustments done by a separate group with most folks doing just
the main assembly steps ...
* Unbox bike & verify all parts are present (we only "misplaced"
one set of pedals last year!)
* Attach seat and insert seat post (seat may already be
attached)
* Mount front wheel; bolt on, not quick release (rear wheel will
already be in place with chain on; wheels will already have tubes and
tires on)
* Attach handlebar and stem
* Attach pedals
* Attach reflectors
* Air tires
* Lube chain
* Run brake and derailleur cables
We may elect to reserve the following steps for a group of folks with a
bit more assembly experience than most of us ...
* Tension and adjust brake and derailleur cables
* Center brake pads
* Adjust derailleur limit screws
... none of this is rocket science, so you don't need to be a "pro" to
help us out.
Note, however, that the "final" step in the assembly process will be for
a bonafide bicycle mechanic to give each bike a once-over. So there
will be someone to catch any major mistakes we may have made.
What to bring: Yourself, your buddy/partner/spouse, a chair to relax in
when time permits ...
Tools: Here's the list of tools Adam Vanderburg suggested for each
assembly team (so not everyone has to have tools) ...
Note that you should label your tools so that they can find their way
back to you if any become misplaced!
* work stand
* 10 & 15mm open-end wrenches
* 4, 5 , 6 mm allen wrenches
* 15 mm pedal wrench
* small to medium size cross-point (Phillips) screwdriver
* tire pump
Optional tools, if you've gott'em - this list is also from Adam, but I'm
thinkin' these may be needed only in small numbers for "special" cases
where a bike is in poorer condition than most or needs special
attention. But it won't hurt to see if you have these and bring them in
case we have a need for them:
* cable cutters
* tire levers
* box knife
* large standard screwdriver
* 32mm bottom bracket wrench
* multi-size spoke wrench
* rubber mallet
* chain tool
* medium & large crescent wrench
* cone wrenches
What to wear?: Dress casually, the warehouse we'll be working in is not
likely to be air conditioned. I'd recommend shorts and a cool shirt and
shoes that cover your toes (in case you drop something ... ouch!).
So, whaddaya think? Sound like something you'd be interested in? We
hope so ... many hands make light work!
Thanks so much if you elect to assist with this effort. It will be a
lot of fun and will definitely be a rewarding experience ... that's my
story and I'm stickin' with it! Last year's effort was amazing and
there's no reason to expect this year to be any different ... maybe it
will be even better!
Please, if you haven't already, shoot me an email if you're interested
in receiving further communications about this effort. I don't want to
send too many broadcast messages and may limit future messages to the
folks I have on my email distribution list.
I will post a reminder message early next week. Mark your calendar and
get your gear together ... this is going to be fun! Questions,
comments, suggestions? Email me at Mike.Schooling@Williams.com .
On your left!
... Mike Schooling
