Originally Posted by
prairiepedaler
I'm a member of a bike coop and have experienced interactions with almost every bike coop in town. The coop I'm a part of charges a fee for memberships in order to keep the doors open. I've helped others fix their bikes and made suggestions to streamline the operation. I have also donated bikes and parts. I have received very little out of being a member, let's say a 25:1 value ratio in their favour by my involvement. Bike coops, and volunteer coops in general, suffer from the tragedy of the commons phenomenon.
If you are upset by such a lopsided “value ratio”, what are you looking to gain from your involvement? Maybe you should go work at a retail shop where your value ratio would be more equitable.
As for myself, I get far more out of the co-op than I put into it. Not monetarily since I, too, have donated bicycles, parts, money (quite a lot), and thousands of hours of time (10 years of 5 hour shifts plus hundreds more teaching classes). The co-op has made me a better mechanic. It has made me a better teacher of how to work on a bike. It’s made me feel better about myself by giving something back to the community. I won’t put a monetary value on that but it is of value
to me.
I do get a monetary value out of the place as well. I have access to lots and lots and lots of parts. Since I work there so much, I get the cream of the crop. But that is only secondary to the real value of the co-op.