Please Don't Cut the Reusable Zipties! Plastic: Not Fantastic.
Please oh please stop cutting the reusable zipties! They're the beaded black ones, and we bought them because you can undo them and use them again. Surely you've heard about the trash stew island floating around in the Pacific Ocean. It's entirely made of zipties (well, tiny bits of plastics)! Also, it makes Rachael really sad when she finds severed zipties on the ground.Read full story>>
Writen by: rachael | 2008-04-15
The Bicycle Frame Show is Up
Writen by: rachael | 2008-03-29
Offie built an entire bike at Sopo, and you can, too!
The subject says it all. We're very impressed. It took him all of three Sopo shop sessions, and Offie turned parts scavenged from buckets into an entire working bike. And, making our day even brighter, Offie came back with his friend Jessica because she wants a bike now, too. The joy of bike building is contagious!
Read full story>>Writen by: rachael | 2008-03-03
Many Hearts Broken, All Bikes Intact
We're still recovering and tying up loose ends, but I think we agree that Broken Hearts and Bicycle Parts 4 was a raging success. Highlights include: flaming burlesque in Lenny's parking lot, Atlanta Sedition Orchestra backing up Judi Chicago for a big electro marching band community jam, the SUV piñata treat shower, 150 people riding in the scavenger hunt, jazzercizing on Carroll Street, giving the stink eye at Grant Central, chowing down at Sopo, getting your various glamor shots taken, chowing some more at brunch, and otherwise falling in love with your favorite community bicycle repair shop in Atlanta (that's us!). Stay tuned for stats and pictures. And, of course, none of this would have been possible without the love and support of everyone who shared with us their time, goods, resources, services, energy, creativity, well wishes, and high fives.
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Writen by: rachael | 2008-02-18
First Volunteer Orientation
Last night (1/28) we had our fist Sopo volunteer orientation. At least Writen by: jay | 2008-01-29
Meet Our Future Chief Hex-wrench-utive
(Chief Executive...Hex-wrench-utive...Get it?) Longtime Sopo participant, ZaChristian (11 years old), announced that one day he'll be our shop manager AND the first black president of the USA. He can have keys to the shop when he graduates from college. We're already proud of him, and we're looking forward to his future leadership (community, executive, or otherwise). Read more to see Zay helping some folks out with bike repair.
Read full story>>Writen by: rachael | 2007-12-27
Advocacy, Community Building, and Coffee Collide at Sopo
Crammed into what I like to call our "foyer" (that's foy-YAY) this afternoon were Rebecca Serna, Anna Cherry, a crate full of busted bicycle tubes, and myself. Who ARE these people, you ask? Rebecca is the new Executive Director of the Atlanta Bicycle Campaign, an organization for which I serve as a board member. Anna works for Congressperson John Lewis (sorry, Anna, I can't remember your very long job title.. something about Fabulous Alternative Transportation Project Organizer Superstar). On a related note, if anyone's looking for a thesis topic: 95% of Atlanta's alternative transit organizational leadership is female.
Read full story>>Writen by: rachael | 2007-12-22
Bicycles Delivered to Somali-Bantu Family in Clarkston
On Saturday, December 15, 2007, our friends at Just Cause and World Relief delivered bicycles to a Somali-Bantu family living in Clarkston, GA. Click "read full story" because you've got to see the pictures! And because you should read about the history of this project and get a lesson on Somali-Bantu folks.
Read full story>>Writen by: rachael | 2007-12-17
Heckle Me on Sunday at Pecha Kucha
Join us at Octane Coffee on Sunday, December 9, at 6:40 pm to heckle me while I give a 6 minute and 40 second 20 slide presentation about Sopo. The event is called Pecha Kucha. It's like a highly controlled open mic for creative types.
Read full story>>Writen by: rachael | 2007-12-07
Volunteers Fix and Donate 21 Bicycles to Just Cause
On Saturday, December 1, 2007, Sopo volunteers big and small fixed and donated 21 bicycles to Just Cause, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to addressing disparities within the realms of HIV/AIDS, Refugee Health, Genocide Survivorship, and Human Rights. Operating down the street in Clarkston, GA, Just Cause provides services to families who have asked for bicycles for their many children.
Read full story>>Writen by: rachael | 2007-12-03
Sopo Volunteers Deliver Joy, Pride, Wrenches
Here is a letter of thanks from my friend Amanda. She brought her friend Joe* to the shop last night so he could earn a bike and get to know the Sopo community. Amanda and Joe had a stupendous time thanks to the kindness of all y'all. Read full story>>Writen by: rachael | 2007-10-26
A Spectacular Night in the Shop
Wow. Last night was really something. More than thirty people came through the shop, including a handful of teens, and several people went home with new bicycles. We even had an improptu BMX stunt show in the parking lot. We celebrated Maurice's 17th birthday (y'all better watch out for that sharp dressed kid on a Mongoose Racer-X.. he might help you fix your bike).
The night was not without it's usual share of challenges like broken cotter pins, wheels that won't true, and wall-to-wall activity in a 600 square foot space.
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Writen by: rachael | 2007-10-26
Best Paint Job EVER
Yonatan finally finished his fixie conversion. I now bestow unto him: the Award for High Achievement in the Field Of Excellent Paint Jobs. Of course, this is a completely objective judgment.
Ripley's completed bike is pretty dang awesome, too.
Thanks to everyone who came out on a rainy Tuesday night. We put up the tent and wrenched just the same. And thanks to Outback Bikes for the massive donation!! Most of the bikes that came in went right back out. Our stock of 26 inch knobby tires, however, continues to muliply like gremlins. Or tribbles.
We're coming up on the end of the East Atlanta Village Farmer's Market, so come and get some of the last bike blender smoothies of the season!
Read full story>>Writen by: rachael | 2007-10-10
"This is the coolest thing I've done all week."
So says Sopo first timer Romero. Rafael, a recent addition to the volunteer family, helped Romero assemble most of his bike on Tuesday night. A bit presumptuous, eh? Being so resolute about the best thing one did all week when it's only Tuesday. We're so much fun.
Meanwhile, we had a merch making party on Wednesday night. We narrowly avoided silk screen disintegration disaster by finding another Sopo screen that someone else (Sandra? Todd?) made and donated to Ladyshop in a pile of art supplies. It was a fortuitous event. Making merch requires a lot of beverages and a squash casserole, in case you're wondering.
Read full story>>Writen by: rachael | 2007-10-05
Welcome to Cog Talk with us..
..Flip and Flop, the Lock Nut Brothers.
Read full story>>Writen by: rachael | 2007-10-02
