Bike!Bike! 2017
Bike!Bike! is an international, annual gathering organized by and for community bicycle projects. The conference is a space for participants from Community Bike shops and related advocacy groups to converge in a different city each year over a 4 day period to have workshops and strengthen our social network.
Main Venues
- University of Winnipeg (Bulman Center)
- The WRENCH
- The Bike Dump
- The UWSA Bike Lab
- Co-op Vélo-Cité (Université St. Boniface)
- Orioles Bike Cage
- Hugh John MacDonald School
- Goodwill Social Club
Registration
The cost is pay what you can with suggested amount between $50-$100 per person. This includes 2 meals per day, housing and a loaner bike. No one will be denied for lack of funds. Payment can be made with paypal during online registration. We do lose 5% to Paypal and also welcome cash, cheque (to "The Wrench") and credit card during in-person conference check-in.
Contact
Housing Accommodations
Housing billets will be available with a local host for everyone who registers in advance. Accommodations may be a spare bedroom, futon, floor space (most common), or camping in someone's yard. To guarantee housing, register before August 14th. Remember that hosts are volunteers. Be a good house guest!
If you live in Winnipeg and would like to offer housing during Aug 24-28 (or longer), please help out by registering for the conference and indicating that you are able to offer housing.
For questions or concerns about housing, please email bikebikewpg2017@gmail.com
Workshops and Discussions
Workshop sessions at Bike!Bike! are attendee organized and led.
A new B!B! guide to organizing workshops can be found here.
Workshop time-slots for 2017 will be 50 minutes, 80- minutes, and 110 minutes in length.
A list of past workshop topics: 2015 2013 2012 2011
Some workshops we would like to see are:
- Creating safer spaces - beyond policy
- Enacting Solidarity not Charity
- Hands-off teaching methods
- Mental health awareness
- Anti-gentrification
- Self-care & avoiding burnout
- Youth bike programs - retention rates & keeping it fun
- Indigenizing bike education programs
- Working with the school system
- Intersectional politics and power awareness in the bike shop
- Non-hierarchical organizing structures
- Against the non-profit industrial complex
- Privilege and volunteerism
- Looking back at Bike!Bike!: Are we just spinning our wheels?
Please have your workshop proposals along with a short description (20-100 words) submitted by Aug 14th.
Languages
Most workshops will be in English with whisper translation to Spanish or French on request and pending availability of translators. Some workshops may be conducted primarily in Spanish, French, or be fully multi-lingual with sequential translation.
Schedule
June 15 Registration Opens
Aug 14 Registration deadline for housing, Deadline for workshop proposals and descriptions
Wed Aug 23 Check in and bike pickup begins (@ WRENCH)
Thurs Aug 24th Check in and opening event (@ U of W)
Fri Aug 25th Workshops (U of W & Mobile), Breakfast and lunch provided, Evening social
Sat Aug 26th Workshops (U of W), Breakfast and lunch provided, Evening group ride & party, contra- dancing
Sun Aug 27 Overflow workshops, B!B!2018 decision, bike return
Sun, Aug 27 - Wed, Aug 30 - Post B!B! Bicycle summer camp @ Falcon Trails (see below for details)
We recommend participants arrive between Wednesday and Friday morning.
A preliminary schedule of workshops and evening events will be posted one week before the conference.
Group Ride
What: Normally post B!B! some attendees do a short tour to a nearby destination and make the magic last for a few more days. But everything on the prairies is far apart and most folks probably don't wanna ride 130 km on busy highways to get to the beach. Instead this year we're gonna carpool an hour east to Falcon lake and have a quintessential Canadian wilderness getaway with mountain biking, trail riding, hiking, canoeing, fishing, swimming (clothing optional) saunas and campfires in the boreal forest. We'll bring the bikes, you just show up and plan your own food.
Dates: Aug 27(optional), Aug 28-30
Location: Falcon Trails resort
Cost: $40 plus accommodations & food
Accommodation: 2 options
- $10/night to crash some floor space in the ski chalet. Lots of space, a few couches, bathrooms, commercial kitchen. In exchange for a deep discount on the chalet rental we're gonna have a tuesday afternoon work party helping out doing some building/maintenance on the mtn bike trails. Contact Camille to reserve space in the Chalet; (pegcityjam@gmail.com)
- $60/per person per night for a cabin rental. Swanky. Hot tubs, fireplaces, BBQs, etc. Families encouraged to choose this option. Space is very limited, contact Geoff (mech@thewrench.ca) to arrange booking and deposit.
Food: BYO food. Grocery & liquor store 20 min drive away in Falcon townsite. Shared communal kitchen in chalet. The hope to have loosely organised communal meals. Water is potable, filtered water available.
A little about Winnipeg
Winnipeg weather in August is usually warm or hot with temperatures between 10°C at night and up to 35°C during the day. (50-95°F)
The core areas of Winnipeg where the conference venues are located have higher than average rates of crime, like many neighbourhoods where systemic poverty, colonialism, and racism are factors. Reasonable steps to protect yourself from crime might include being aware of your surroundings and traveling in a group if walking or biking after dark. Protecting yourself from being victimized by poverty, colonialism and racism can be much more difficult.
Bike theft is common in Winnipeg. Lock your bike with a good U-lock, ALWAYS! Bikes left locked outside near the conference venues overnight are often stripped of parts or stolen.
Getting To Winnipeg
Air: Winnipeg is can be costly to fly to. Flights from Toronto, many cities in Western Canada, Chicago, Minneapolis, and a handful of major US destinations are cheap & direct, so try searching fares from those airports. You can also fly to Fargo, ND or Minneapolis and bike/bus/carpool from there.
Bus: Sadly, there is no longer a regular bus which crosses the border into Manitoba from North Dakota. Buses run East and West several times daily from Canadian cities but it's a long way between major cities (32 hour bus ride to Toronto- $200).
Carpooling: Some discussion on facebook. Casey in Minneapolis and Sara in Fargo have agreed to be points of contact for folks carpooling through their cities. Sara can be reached at sarawatsoncurry@gmail.com & Casey can be reached at casey@thehubbikecoop.biz
Train: Amtrak runs up to Grand forks which is a 2.5 hour drive from Winnipeg. Fargo is the nearest amtrak station which allows checked baggage like a bike. See Sara's contact above for Fargo info.
Via Rail trains run across Canada East and West and have sale prices on tickets every Tuesday. It's slow and often runs behind schedule but is a lovely way to travel.
Biking from the South: It's possible to bike to Winnipeg by highways 59 or 75. The ride up through northern Minnesota is highly recommended. Lots of route options along paved rail trails through cabin country. (less than 500 miles, flat). Here's a Fargo to Winnipeg backroads route map from the local randonneuring group; https://ridewithgps.com/routes/23386962
Biking from the West: Major highways 1 and 16 have a large shoulder but are very busy. Smaller highways 2 & 3 are low traffic but have small or unpaved shoulders.
Biking from the East: It's a damn long ride through NW Ontario with only 2 options for route and they both suck. Try a route through the US instead.
Hitchhiking/Trainhopping - Can't do so across the border, don't try.
Visas
Citizens of the USA and Mexico do not require a Visa.
Citizens of Mexico do require a $7CAD Electronic Travel Authorization if flying. Citizens of Mexico may require a $160USD transit visa for the USA if making a flight connection there.
Documents for crossing the border into Canada
http://www.cbsa.gc.ca/travel-voyage/td-dv-eng.html
Summary: A non-expired passport is recommended.
Arrival in town & transit from airport/bus station
Our airport/bus depot is on the NW edge of town but is only a 15 min drive to downtown. Taking the number 15 Winnipeg Transit bus to Balmoral St will take you within 1 block of the University of Winnipeg. If you're going to The WRENCH (1057 Logan Ave.) you can get off at Arlington and it's a 20 minute walk NW or a transfer to the #71 bus.
You can look up your route and city bus options online here.
We don't have Uber or Lyft, just plain ol taxicabs.
There is very little parking around the University of Winnipeg.
What to Bring
- Bike lock, lights
- Some Canadian cash
- Travel mug / cup / plate / utensils
- Sleeping mat, bag or quilt, depending on accommodations
- Bike helmets are NOT legally required in Manitoba
Volunteering
All conference attendees are encouraged to contribute to the conference by volunteering. Volunteer roles will include pre-conference bike prep, bike checkout, translation, registration, food prep, cleanup after meals and events, room coordinators, post conference bike return and repair.
Safer Space Policy
If you have a concern related to safety during the conference or the safe space policy in general, please email, call, or text (information available in printed program) (24 hours for urgent situations)
Transgressions of the intent of the safer space policy could result in call-outs(public naming of problematic behaviour), call-ins (private discussion), group discussion, warnings, or expulsion from the conference.
Accessibility
Childcare will be available during the conference
Most venues are accessible to those with mobility impairment
If you have other accessibility needs, please contact us.