Babes Bike Boston 2!

Its happening AGAIN. The Babes Bike Boston race is back!

From Femmechanics:

Femmechanics (https://femmechanics.wordpress.com/) is hosting our 2nd annual alleycat next Saturday July 16th! BBB is an alleycat for FTW (femme and/or trans* and/or women) riders of all biking abilities, so if this is you please join us! Registration opens at 2pm at Copley square and the race/ride starts at 4. There will be two route options: a shorter more casual ride and a longer traditional alleycat. If you’re new to alleycats don’t worry! Ask questions before or we can talk you through it at registration. There’s a $5 suggested donation as a fundraiser for Femmechanics — which is entirely volunteer powered! More information can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/events/919684441493584/

Not a FTW rider but know someone who is? Tell them about the ride and then come join us at the after-party which will be held at POP Allston and is sponsored by El Pelon Taqueria and Pabst Blue Ribbon x Boston. Or help us out! We need volunteers to run the checkpoints, take photos throughout the day, and assist at the after-party. If interested you can either email [email protected] or fill out this quick survey: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/16vYVN7Le5WJ4hpl8gveTanQKxADqAVhR1kQYmZlFU5Q

Prizes! Bikes! Fun! Beer! Come join us!

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Noah Hicks, Bicycle Mayor Of Dorchester!

This guy is making things happen in Dorchester, seems like an awesome guy!  I used to live in the very very (very) southern point of Dorchester, and while its gotten better for cycling down there, its not nearly as good as it needs to be.

More great info on Noah and his message here.  He is really talking about the real issues behind cycling, as a transit option, and as a life changing technology for low income folks. I hope the city will pivot to focusing on the neighborhoods that most need these kinds of infrastructure improvements and where they will do the most good economically.

Bravo sir!

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Bike Activist To Launch Repair Shop And Cafe In Historic Boston Building

Noah Hicks, a 28-year old self-styled bicycle mechanic, activist, and entrepreneur, is launching The Sip & Spoke Bike Kitchen: a minority-owned, full-service bicycle shop and cafe, in his native Dorchester. The Bike Kitchen will be housed in a historic, long-abandoned building with an important transportation-related history: a rest stop along a formerly busy streetcar line, today still an important transportation corridor that is increasingly used by local and regional cyclists.

Hicks, who grew up in Boston’s Bowdoin-Geneva neighborhood, is the founder of the Bowdoin Bike School, a nonprofit bicycle repair and teaching center that engages local youth in mastering bicycle mechanics. The school, presently housed in a former automotive repair garage, is already an important community hub for youth development, economic self-sufficiency, transit justice, and health equity. By providing low-cost repair services and free instruction to over 1,200 youth and adults annually, Bowdoin Bike School has made cycling accessible to many who were underserved by traditional bike shops.

The Sip & Spoke Bike Kitchen and Bowdoin Bike School will bring new life to a historic, city-owned structure in an area of the city with limited amenities and where residents’ average income is significantly lower than the City of Boston as a whole. The project is made possible through a unique, early partnership with Historic Boston Incorporated, a nonprofit developer focused on historic preservation, and The American City Coalition, a nonprofit neighborhood revitalization group. Utile, Inc. Architecture + Planning, one of Boston’s leading architectural firms, is project architect. The partnership’s proposal was selected by the city, allowing for purchase of the property for $100.

“I will be very happy to see this unused public asset brought into productive use,” said Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh. “This project will help activate the street and continue the positive momentum of this historic Boston neighborhood.”

From an early age, Hicks used biking for exercise and exposure to green spaces, and as a means to access social activities outside of his neighborhood. Hicks outgrew bicycling as he got older, and embarked on a career teaching Latin at an urban charter school. When the school closed, he returned to bicycles as an affordable alternative to public transportation or cars, and to earn money refurbishing old bicycles—many of them abandoned on city streets.

“I ended up just experimenting on a bike I bought that was in bad shape. By doing that, I was able to save myself a few dollars,” said Hicks. Hicks then started flipping bikes, buying used bikes and throwing his own personal touch to his creations, realizing that he could make 3 or 4 more times what he had spent. “I started selling bikes for income and that was huge for me,” said Hicks.

Hicks seeks to respond to the needs of low-income riders and working-class immigrants, who use the bike as a means of transportation that is both cheaper than a car and faster than walking. These “subsistence cyclists” comprise a large portion of the local and national cycling community.

“The absence of bike shops in many of Boston’s neighborhoods is very much akin to the absence of access to supermarkets,” said Richard Fries, Executive Director of MassBike. “We, as a culture, are not providing very good access to bicycles for the people who could benefit most. Noah recognizes and is responding to that need.”

“I have lived in this community for my entire life and there is a dearth of places for us to meet, to collaborate, to celebrate our neighborhood’s rich culture and unique character,” says Hicks. “Bikes and coffee are both tremendously unifying, and I see this project as an opportunity to bring people together and raise awareness about the needs of low-income riders.”

With construction financing in place for the structure, Hicks now must now raise the money for build-out costs for the historic structure—adding the amenities needed to create an inviting community hub in his Dorchester neighborhood. Hicks has launched an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign with the hope that other individuals committed to socially conscious cycling and building community capital will contribute.

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Detroit Bike City!

Could the bicycle help rebuild Detroit, you bet your ass it can!

Cars are a poison on the local economy, especially in Detroit, the bicycle however builds and supports a strong local economy.  This is awesome.

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Bikes Not Bombs Announces Adult Earn A Bike

This is great news for adults looking to get into cycling but having a hard time affording a bicycle.

From the email:
——-
Dear Friends,

Not a day goes by without a customer walking into our Bike Shop who depends on their bike but does not have the resources for repairs or a new bike.

It’s not just lack of financial resources that prevent folks from using bicycles for everyday transportation, it’s much more than that. We live in a society where systematic injustices create unequal access to opportunities.

That is why we are excited to announce the launch of Adult Earn-A-Bike.

Run by the Bike Shop, our newest program is for anyone who identifies as low income, formerly incarcerated, a recent immigrant, and/or living in an area underserved by public transportation.

We’ve already had 6 students graduate from the program with bikes, helmets, locks, lights and basic maintenance skills but there is so much to be done to make sure Adult Earn-A-Bike continues to be successful.

We’ve proven we can build effective programs that make biking more accessible for those who depend on bikes for transportation. Now we ask for your help in building Adult Earn-A-Bike to transform the lives of lower-income adults in Boston.

For Bikes Not Bombs,
Jodi

P.S. Want to expand the impact of your donation this year? Consider giving monthly – you’ll provide Bikes Not Bombs with the stable and dependable funding needed to support all of our programs.

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