BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

Thanks for your vote! Remember, you can vote once a day through March 28! One vote per email PER DAY.

hmmmm I wonder if I can remember the extra ten email addresses I have laying around... oh, and hey... looks like some love from Chicago on this as well! http://www.thechainlink.org/forum/topics/another-bike-site-needs-your-vote

Nice office stuff for an organization I care about is nice, but honestly not a big motivator. But if an 8500$ IKEA haul could be accomplished by a caravan of cargo bikes and trailers, THAT is the sort of awesomeness I can get excited about. Would be delighted to ride with a pull a kids double-trailor's worth as long as it's not a Friday evening or Saturday during the day. So, if we win, will it come back under human power?

Now theres a proposition! Just to speculate...How many people do you think it would take to move $8,500 of IKEA stuff by bike?

byogman wrote:Nice office stuff for an organization I care about is nice, but honestly not a big motivator... So, if we win, will it come back under human power?

I have been voting because improving office space is likely to improve the quality/quantity of work BikePGH can do. Even when voting, the BikePGH funds allocation description states the money will be used to enhance office space "to accommodate more full-time and part-time employees. This will help them to increase the productivity of the staff and board, increase the size of their volunteer force, and expand their programming." More efficient space = more employees = increased work capacity; plus, improved space can create a more comfortable and inviting environment for volunteers and encourage participation.

byogman wrote:Nice office stuff for an organization I care about is nice, but honestly not a big motivator.

Careful, you are starting to sound like Pierce. :p

LizziMac wrote:More efficient space = more employees = increased work capacity;

Or More efficient space=same employees working more efficiently=increased work capacity. Just imagine BikePGH gets a machine to fold letters and put them in envelopes -- how many man-hours it would free?

danny.yabs wrote:Now theres a proposition! Just to speculate…How many people do you think it would take to move $8,500 of IKEA stuff by bike?

Depends what you're getting! Tally it up by weight, divide by something reasonable per rider (though are there any meaningful uphill segments on the route? Might not have to be all that reasonable per rider). Figure a waste factor and SOME way to handle the few biggest items and slap that on top. And bring bungee cords. Lots and lots of bungee cords. At the end of the day? A lot. But not so many I don't think we could get it done. I think it's the sort of ride that would be easy to get people pumped for and get a great turnout. Drewbacca, after a 20 mile (or whatever) ride towing stuff, I'd be really hungry and would want meat... obnoxious quantities of grilled red meat. Does that fix it for you?

byogman wrote:Drewbacca, after a 20 mile (or whatever) ride towing stuff, I’d be really hungry and would want meat… obnoxious quantities of grilled red meat. Does that fix it for you?

I love you man! (Pierce too, he's a good guy).

OK, some practicalities: is the stuff coming from the Robinson store? That's the nearest one. There are some real hills between there and BikePgh. Also, the Ikea stuff comes in packages of various sizes. I don't see how some of them are going to fit on a bike trailer. All that said, I'm up for this absurd, quixotic, self-punishing trek. I have a bike trailer ready to go. And I have a bunch of bungee cords I've picked up from the roads over the years.

You have to have a real good breaks on a steep hill if you are howling 100 pounds or more connected to your bike throw axles or sit stays. And there is a pretty good chance you can go down. Gotta be very careful.

Well, I voted today, thrice. Brakes and extra care, natch (have carried cargo more precious than Ikea stuff in the double trailer). Am hopeful we'll try the haul if we win.

byogman wrote:have carried cargo more precious than Ikea stuff in the double trailer

It's not about price, :) it's about mass-weight-physics. :)

Granted, I've also loaded the max 100 pounds of groceries in there. Still not the same as the Ikea load, shape could be interesting, but that's what the bungees are for. Probably won't be able to load the weight as low, or evenly... that's yet another problem. Anyways, mentioned the kids first thinking of braking specifically because that, not the more sizeable grocery load, was what led me to actually pay attention to my brakes.

byogman wrote:Granted, I’ve also loaded the max 100 pounds of groceries in there. Still not the same as the Ikea load, shape could be interesting, but that’s what the bungees are for. Probably won’t be able to load the weight as low, or evenly… that’s yet another problem.

Where? On a trailer or on a rack? Those two loads would behave in two completely ways. Load on the rack is much better. The load on a trailer without breaks -- well, imagine 18 wheeler and no brakes on a trailer...

"Careful, you are starting to sound like Pierce. :p" I was going to make some quip about BikePGH just having to replace everything in a few months if they won, but then I was getting some capcha token error at work and didn't feel like fixing it

ok, I voted. For BikePGH. But these were the choices: -o- Bike Pittsburgh is making the streets safe and accessible for everyone to bike and walk. They would like new office furniture to accommodate more full-time and part-time employees. This will help them to increase the productivity of the staff and board, increase the size of their volunteer force, and expand their programming. -o- Try-Again Homes is committed to providing safe, nurturing places fo rchildren in need and is dedicated to the growth, development, and empowerment of individuals and families for healthier communities. They would like a new kitchen. An organized and updated kitchen will contribute to the educational environment and help to promote better learning. -o- Western Area Career & Technology Center provides a safe environment for developing academic or technical skills that lead to post-secondary education and/or sustainable employment. They want to furnish a cafe/store space to provide their students with an opportunity to manage a store, and provide the community with a space where they can study and hold meetings.

Pierce wrote:but then I was getting some capcha token error at work and didn’t feel like fixing it

Sounds like a conspiracy! :)

bump for week 2! Voting ends on March 28th, and we'll know the winner by April 1st. Start getting the trailers ready. http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/1555473/Vote-for-Your-Favorite-Life-Improvement-Project

Hump Day Bump...

It appears the survey website is having a major outage, as a result of a DDOS attack they say. (Was one of those other charities a sore loser?)