These can be found on the movement’s skill sharing and networking hub, www.bikecollectives.org

Each city’s coop has their own flair.  Los Angeles has three shops, the Bike Kitchen, Bike Oven, and Bikerowave.

Check out this short film about LA’s Bike collective scene made by the good people over at Streetfilms.

At the beginning of the Bike Bike Conference '07 in Pittsburgh

Bike Bike Conference ’08 in San Francisco! We’re reliving some memories.

In less than a week, from September 25-28, bicycling activists and organizers from across North America will be converging in San Francisco for the 5th annual Bike Bike Conference of Community and Recycled bike projects, and Free Ride will be there. Plan B of New Orleans organized the original conference in 2004, then afterwards, projects in Tucson, Milwaukee, and last year, we hosted it here in Pittsburgh.

Many cities across North America have some sort of DIY community bike project or collective. No two are the same, as most focus their work toward local needs, and tend to have their own local flair, although there is the common goal of getting more people on bikes, quickly, while attempting to build community and getting to know your neighbors. Most projects also have a strong environmental and re-use agenda that eschews consumerism, even within the bike world. The website, www.bikecollectives.org, has been acting as the umbrella site for projects to share information and documents, and provide a general resource for shops that want to start or expand their programming

One of the more exciting and frustrating parts of running these crazy projects, while maintaining a Do-it-yourself ethic, is that we are all “inventing the wheel” so to speak. Shops are continually trying to figure out how to best balance their work, while not consuming volunteer’s lives more than they want. Bike Bike is a chance where we all get together to trade ideas, to learn from one another, and to generally geek out about our projects. We also leave plenty of room to have fun and party, so the conference also acts as a huge morale booster for often times tired, burnt, and for the most part, unpaid community organizers and activists. This year, the plan is to ride bikes to Santa Cruz for a multi-day after-party of bike events and chilling on the beach.

If your town happens to have a bike project, consider lending them a hand this week. No doubt they’re short on volunteers, and will be even shorter this week with some of their core people in San Francisco. This is definitely true for us at Free Ride.

Stay tuned for a report back from the Bike Bike Conference next week.

Attractive Athletic Strangers partying at Free Ride during the Bike Bike Conference 2007 in Pittsburgh