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BnB Bike-A-Thon Update

Written by Boston Biker on Mar 07

32nd ANNUAL BIKE-A-THON registration begins today March 1st through March 31st: 1/2 price for only $15!

Join the Bikes Not Bombs Community on its 32nd Annual Bike Ride for Social Change!

Our annual Bike-A-Thon is our largest community gathering and fundraiser of the year, with over 700 riders and volunteers! Bike-A-Thon participants like you are ambassadors of BNB’s mission to promote environmental sustainability and social justice. Whether you’re an experienced cyclist or a new rider, no matter what your age, everyone can ride and raise funds to help empower underserved communities locally and internationally. All fundraising goes directly to making Bikes Not Bombs’ local youth and international partnership programs possible!

Let’s get more people than ever before to ride together with us for social change on June 9th!

 

Share the Facebook Event

 

Share the Event Site

 

REGISTER NOW!

Become an Event Sponsor!

Contact Jennifer Licht, Director of Marketing and Communications, for sponsorship opportunities at [email protected]

Check out our Bike-A-Thon FAQ or [email protected] if you have more questions!

Highlights from last year’s 31st Annual Bike-A-Thon

 Photo by Donrick Pond

 

 Photo by William Daniels

 Photo by Donrick Pond Photo by Donrick Pond

Photos clockwise from top left taken by Donrick Pond, Diane Simpson, Donrick Pond, Donrick Pond, William Daniels


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Bikes Not Bombs Bike-A-Thon Moved To June 19th

Written by Boston Biker on Jun 09

from BnB.


The Bike-A-Thon is now June 19th!
Bike-A-Thon, now on June 19th!

With the rainy weather on June 5th, our 29th Annual Bike-A-Thon is now on Sunday June 19th! We’re planning on making the best of the next week and a half so please join us!

If you are now able to make the ride, you’re in luck!We’re offering half-priced registration untilmidnight tonight!

Already registered? Take these extra days to raise your fundraising goal, recruit a few more people to join your team or go out on a practice ride.

Thank you to all of our riders, sponsors, volunteers and donors who have stood behind us as we hold out for a sunnier day, we will see you on June 19th!

Welcome Manizha Baraki!
Welcome Manizha Baraki!

Please help us extend a warm welcome to Manizha Baraki who joins us as our new International Programs Coordinator! Manizha recently received her Masters in Sustainable International Development from Brandeis University and previously has worked with UN Women in Afghanistan and New York.

At BNB, she will be communicating with international partners on a regular basis, traveling to provide technical assistance to partner organizations, monitoring progress and evaluating impact. Manizha brings a wealth of experience to BNB and is passionate about empowerment of women and youth in underserved communities.

Say hi to Manizha at our next container loading, or email her at [email protected]! .

Check out our new sticker!
New Sticker!

Remember back in February when we hosted a contest to redesign our sticker? The new stickers have arrived! We had a fierce competition between a number of skilled designers, but at the end chose a design that both recollects previous stickers and brings in a fresh twist. Huge thank you to everyone who submitted art, and especially to the winning designer, David Alderman.

You can purchase one of our new, reflective stickers at the Bike Shop, Hub, or at the many events we attend.

An Earn-A-Bike Graduate
Summer Earn-A-Bike

Know a 12-18 year old who has an interest in learning bike mechanics and safe urban riding skills? Encourage them to apply for Earn-A-Bike! We’ve got two sessions this summer, from July 5th – July 22ndand from July 25th to August 12th. Both sessions will meet MondayFriday 2-6pm.

More information and applications on our website, or available at our Hub and Shop.

Come visit our Shop!
Happenings at the Bike Shop

Upcoming Clinics:
Mon 6/6 7-9pm Adult Earn-A-Bike Alumni Night
Mon 6/13 7-9pm Femmechanics
Thurs 6/16 8-9pm Basic Repair & Maintenance
Mon 6/20 7-9pm Adult Earn-A-Bike Alumni Night
Tues 6/21 8-9pm Flat Fixing

Please be on time for the clinics. RSVP by 5pm theSunday ahead of time for Adult Earn-A-Bike Alumni Night.

Thank you David Read!
Volunteer of the Month – David Read

This month we want to extend our thanks to David Read. We first met David at a Lunch Brake last May and knew right away he was going to be a super volunteer. He organized a table for our 2015 Building Momentum Breakfast even though he could not attend and has been a regular at Container Loadings ever since. Last month he organized a Bike Drive that brought in over a hundred bikes! When he’s not volunteering at BNB, he is helping to organize the Longwood Medical Area Bike Network, an effort to improve cycling experiences and keep cyclists safe in that area. David’s commitment and enthusiasm for our work, and for cyclists in Boston generally, makes him our volunteer of the month!

News Outside of BNB

Femmechanics The femme/trans*/women (FTW) group Femmechanics, who we partner with monthly, has a number of upcoming events this summer from camping to alley cats to social events! Learn more at their website.

Lives at Stake Join the Jamaica Plain Progressives for A Community Conversation On Mass Incarceration. National leaders acknowledge the mistake of “tough on crime” legislation, why is Massachusetts slow to respond? At the First Baptist Church in JP on Thursday June 16th at 7pm.

Inter-Neighborhood Ride Series: DorchesterJoin DotBike to explore Dorchester! Meet at Ashmont Cycles at 11am on Saturday July 9th. More details on Facebook!


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Bikes Not Bombs’ 27th Annual Bike-A-Thon

Written by Boston Biker on Apr 16

It’s that time of year again!

Event Name:
Bike-A-Thon (https://bikesnotbombs.org/bike-a-thon)

Time/Date/Location:
Sunday June 8th (June 22nd Raindate)
Rides leave in AM; Festival goes 12 – 5:30

@ Park across from Stony Brook MBTA Station
100 Boylston Street
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130

Event Details:
On June 8th, hundreds of cyclists will join together on a bike ride for
social justice. We have four BRAND NEW scenic routes through greater Boston
(10, 30, 50, or 80 miles). We make it easy to raise $150 with our online
fundraising system! Celebrate your success with free food and music after
the ride! Fun prizes will be awarded for riders and teams that go above and
beyond! Hang out with your friends and meet other riders! The rider
after-party will be at the Stony Brook Park from noon – 5:30pm.

The event is June 8th (rain date is June 22nd)!  After registering, riders
fundraise at least $150 (less for youth) to support Bikes Not Bombs’
(https://bikesnotbombs.org/about) Youth and International Programs.

Contact:
Erica Rotman ([email protected]), Director of Fundraising and Events,
Bikes Not Bombs


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Bikes Not Bombs Mega Update

Written by Boston Biker on May 28

Bike-A-Thon 2013 is only 5 days away! Register, Donate, Volunteer!

The Bike-A-Thon is the only ride in town where you might see a shark riding a tandem bike. Join us! Photo by Sean English

Register to ride!!

Sunday, June 2nd is just around the corner and Bikes Not Bombs needs YOU to join hundreds of riders for our biggest event and most important fundraiser of the year! Enjoy an amazing day of cycling while raising critical funds to support Bikes Not Bombs’ unique bicycle-based empowerment work in Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean and right here in Boston!

Choose from four scenic routes: a 15-mile ride that’s great for cyclists of all abilities, including families with children, a 25-mile ride that climbs into the Blue Hills, a 40-mile ride that’s filled with sweeping fields, babbling creeks, and shady groves, and a 65-mile ride that’s perfect for avid cyclists who want a challenge. Choose the ride that’s right for you, ride at your own pace, and have fun! Detailed route maps are available online.

All four Bike-A-Thon rides start and end at the park in front of the Stony Brook T Station on the Orange Line, at Lamartine and Boylston Streets in Jamaica Plain. Rides are fully supported with food, mechanics, cue sheets, rest stops, and following vehicles. You’ll be greeted at the finish line with gourmet lunch, live bands, face painting, and time to hang out with other cyclists. Riders also receive a limited edition 2013 Bikes Not Bombs t-shirt! Top individual fundraisers, teams, and youth are eligible for great prizes, like these awesome Aftershockz headphones, gift certificates to all sorts of cool places, and more!

There is a registration fee of $20 for folks 18 and older, and $10 for riders under 18. We try to make our ride as accessible as possible and keep a low fundraising requirement: $150 for riders 18 and older, $100 for riders 11-17, and $50 for riders ages 3-10. Once you register, you’ll receive an email packet with a pledge sheet and more info and you’ll also be able to make a personal fundraising webpage, which makes it easy for people to sponsor you online.

Find out more and register to ride today! And help spread the word on Facebook!

Help BNB Load Bikes to Nevis Earn-A-Bike on Sunday, June 16th!

Photo by Joss Chadwick

Nevis Earn-A-Bike is a grassroots youth bicycle program, modeled after BNB’s own Earn-A-Bike, that provides bicycle mechanics training, leadership development and bicycles to young people throughout the island of Nevis in the Eastern Caribbean. Nevis Earn-A-Bike provides opportunities for young people to learn more about bikes, develop tangible and useful skills in bicycle repair and leadership, and build cross-community friendships. This program is in partnership with the Department of Social Services of Nevis, and has plans to expand to the neighboring island of St. Kitts.

This shipment of about 500 bicycles and parts will supply the Nevis Earn-A-Bike, and potentially the St. Kitts Earn-A-Bike, for at least the next two years. We’ll be loading lots of 24″ bikes, BMX bikes and 26″ mountain bikes. Come and join us!

TIME: Sunday June 16th from 10am to 5pm. Drop in for an hour or stay all day!

LOCATION: The BNB warehouse at 10 Harvard Street in Dorchester

DETAILS: Breakfast and lunch will be provided. Equal Exchange coffee is generously donated by City Feed & Supply!

Click here for more information and to RSVP!

Super Soaker Scooper ‘Stravaganza Friday May 24th

Photo by Jasmine Laietmark

The Bikes Not Bombs Youth Bike-A-Thon team, “Team Swerve,” is putting the FUN in FUNdraising with an awesome and delicious event!

On Friday, May 24th, Team Swerve will be hosting the 2nd annual Super Soaker Scooper ‘Stravaganza from4-7 pm outside the Stony Brook T Station. Come on by and support our youth team by purchasing some delicious ice cream sundaes. Team Swerve is aiming to raise $4,000 and every dollar from this event will go directly to helping them reach their goal. Plus, who can say no to ice cream?? Read more, RSVP, and help spread the word on Facebook!

Feel free to contact Alumni Services Coordinator, Kenny at 617-522-0222 x102 or[email protected] for more information.

If you can’t make it, but still want to support the BNB Youth Team, you can donate online.

Upcoming Bike Drives in Carlisle, Sharon, South Dartmouth, Sherborn, Northampton, and Beverly

A bike drive is an event, often organized by a volunteer, to collect bicycles for Bikes Not Bombs. Large drives will sometimes bring in over 200 bikes! These drives help us extend our network of bike collection beyond our two locations in Jamaica Plain. If you have a bike to donate, you can always bring it to Jamaica Plain, but if you live further away, then hopefully you’ll be able to find a bike drive that is closer.

Upcoming Bike Drives:

Want to help bring Bikes Not Bombs’ bike collection to your town? We’d love to have your helporganizing a bike drive

Village Bicycle Project in Ghana is Hiring!

Village Bicycle Project is hiring a Cadbury Bicycle Factory Maintenance Training Coordinator – a 9-month position in Ghana, from September 2013 – June 2014. The Coordinator is needed to initiate, coordinate, implement and report on bicycle repair and maintenance training programs in remote villages where The Bicycle Factory has donated over 17,000 bicycles since 2009. The position is for 30 hours / week on average, and will require extensive traveling to as many as 150 villages.

Visit the Village Bicycle Project’s website for more information on this exciting position!

Farewell to Kwame Bidi, International Programs Associate

Bikes Not Bombs extends Kwame Bidi a warm farewell and heartfelt thank you. Kwame has worked with BNB for the past 9 months on a temporary contract as International Programs Associate. During his time, he has helped BNB develop extensive systems of monitoring and evaluation for our International Programs, and he has provided increased support to our international partners. Kwame just completed his graduate studies in Sustainable International Development at the Heller School of Brandeis University, and is moving on to the next step in his career. Kwame, we will miss you, and we wish you all the best!!!

Enrolling for Summer Earn-A-Bike

Photo by Stacy Rupolo

Bikes Not Bombs is currently accepting applications for Summer Earn-A-Bike and Fall Girls In Action.

  • Summer Earn-A-Bike Session I – July 10 – July 26 (M-F, 2-6pm)
  • Summer Earn-A-Bike Session II – July 31 – August 16 (M-F, 2-6pm)
  • Fall Girls In Action September 9th – October 10th (M-Th, 3:30-6:30pm)

In these programs, participants aged 12 -18 choose a bike from those donated to Bikes Not Bombs, and not only learn the skills to build it up, but to maintain it as well. At the end of the program, once the bike is built, it is theirs to take home! Additionally, we go on bike adventures to explore some of the fascinating places Boston has to offer, and explore various environmental and social justice issues.

There are a limited number of spots available. Applicants are chosen based on application date, the applicant’s availability, and willingness to commit (Note: Girls In Action is only open to girls). To qualify for enrollment, BOTH the completed application and payment (cash, check or money order) must be submitted. Applicants who are not accepted will be notified and the program fee will be returned. Fee waivers are available.

If you have any questions please contact Ashley Leary at 617-522-0222 x101 or email[email protected].

Applications are available online. Mail or deliver the application & fee to: Bikes Not Bombs, 284 Amory Street Jamaica Plain, MA 02130

Free During the Week? Volunteer in the Office!

This summer, especially after the Bike-A-Thon, we’ll need extra volunteers to help around the office with easy tasks, such as data entry and envelope stuffing. If you or someone you know is available during weekday business hours, then this office volunteering role would be a great way to plug in and help out BNB! Scheduling is flexible. Please contact Sean Madsen at [email protected].

June Free Clinics, Bye to Miguel, Hello to Derek, New Panniers

New Bike Shop Mechanic, Derek McIntire

The April and May Free Clinics at the BNB Shop have been a big success so far! For June, we have Practical Bike Fit on Thursday June 6th from 8-9pm, Basic Maintenance Wednesday June 12th from 8-9pm, and Flat Fixing Wednesday June 19th from 8-9pm. Check our website for more details. No need to sign up – just show up at 8pm! And don’t forget Tool Time, which is Monday June 3rd from 7-9pm and does require both a BNB Membership and advanced sign up.

Longtime BNB Shop employee Miguel will be leaving us to apprentice at the Center for Appropriate Transport in Eugene OR. He’ll be teaching bike mechanics as well as learning about and fabricating Cargo Bikes, one of which he hopes to raise money for and send back to BNB. Derek McIntire (also a former BNB employee) has returned to BNB as a shop mechanic. Derek just got back from working in Kenya with a community bike shop helping to train the staff in more advanced mechanics and shop operations.

We are now stocking two new panniers from Racktime. The Single-it ($60) is an individual pannier with organizing pockets, outer reflectors, and a waterproof rain cover. We are also stocking the Travel-it in two sizes (front-$100 and rear-$120). These are more traditional touring panniers with multiple pockets and an integrated rain cover. Both of these use Ortlieb’s proven QL1 mounting system (which means they attach similarly to the more expensive Ortlieb panniers) but are priced more competitively than the Ortlieb’s.

We’re looking forward to seeing everyone at the Bike-A-Thon! We’ll be giving free bicycle safety checks to registered Bike-A-Thon riders in the morning and tabling in the afternoon.


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Bikes Not Bombs Update

Written by Boston Biker on May 14

Register for the 2013 Bike-A-Thon and set-up your fundraising page

Photo By: Wayne Chinnock

There is still plenty of time to register for the Bike-A-Thonon June 2nd! With about three weeks to go, the individual fundraising goal of $150 is easily attainable, especially with our online fundraising system.

All riders who reach the $150 minimum will receive a free BNB t-shirt. And, if you raise $500, $1,000 or $2,000, you’ll get a gift certificate to the Bikes Not Bombs Bike Shop. We also have a special prize for the top individual fundraiser!

Tips for a successful fundraising page:

  • Write some text on your page that is about you personally so that people will feel connected to your ride.
  • Enable the thermometer and honor roll.
  • Add a picture of yourself.

The Bike-A-Thon is our largest event of the year and it’s tons of fun! We will have free breakfast in the morning, snacks at the rest stops, and free lunch at the finish line from Amir’s Natural Foods, Vanguarden Farm and Boloco. Plus, the After Party will be hopping with music, yoga, and face painting for the kids! Don’t hesitate – register now!

If you have more questions, please contact our Information Technology Manager, Sean Madsen, at617-522-0222 x111 or [email protected].

Volunteer for the Bike-A-Thon

Photo By: Wayne Chinnock

Like all BNB programs, the Bike-A-Thon wouldn’t be possible without our amazing volunteers.

We need volunteers on June 2nd to help with rider check-in, to assist with rider communication, and to help staff the BNB info table.

If you’re interested and available, you can sign up online. A BNB staff member will be in touch with you soon after about specifics.

Can we borrow your water dispensers, coolers, folding tables, or pop-up tents?

Have a tent like this? Consider loaning it to BNB for the Bike-A-Thon! Photo by: Gloria Carrigg

Can we borrow your water dispensers, coolers, folding tables, or pop-up tents?

For our Bike-A-Thon on June 2nd, we will need more folding tables, pop-up tents, water dispensers, and coolers! Do you have access to these? Would you be willing lend them to us, or donate them?

Folding Tables: ideally, 6 or 8 feet long thick plastic tables with fold-out legs. Other varieties/sizes may be useful too.

Pop-Up Tents: must be free-standing, should be at least 10 feet square, heavy-duty preferred.

Water dispensers and coolers: let us know what you have.

It would be super helpful if you are able to lend or donate supplies to us! Contact Arik Grier at[email protected] or 617-522-0222 x100.

Second Annual Super Soaker Scooper ‘Stravaganza

Come eat ice cream in support of the BNB Youth BAT Team!

For the second year in a row, the BNB Youth Bike-A-Thon team will be holding a water-gun squirting, ice cream scooping fundraiser! On Friday May 24th, starting at 4PM, swing by the Stony Brook T stop, for a scoop of JP Licks, and a chance to soak some folks with water guns! Every dollar collected will go towards Team Swerve’s goal of $4,000!

If you can’t make it, but still want to support the BNB Youth Team, you can sponsor them online.


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The Word On The Street

  • RSS Here is what people are saying

    • Where bicycles are prohibited in Massachusetts August 16, 2023
      TweetThe main issue you will confront if you get into a dispute with police over bicycle prohibitions is whether the prohibition is supported by law. Often it is not. Example: the ramp from Commonwealth Avenue to Route 128 northbound and … Continue reading →
      jsallen
    • Where bicycles are prohibited in Massachusetts August 16, 2023
      TweetThe main issue you will confront if you get into a dispute with police over bicycle prohibitions is whether the prohibition is supported by law. Often it is not. Example: the ramp from Commonwealth Avenue to Route 128 northbound and … Continue reading →
      jsallen
    • It’s Finally Happening! 5th Annual Hot Cocoa Ride Feb 12! February 8, 2022
      ... Continue reading →
      commonwheels
    • It’s Finally Happening! 5th Annual Hot Cocoa Ride Feb 12! February 8, 2022
      ... Continue reading →
      commonwheels
    • Hello world! June 9, 2021
      Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start writing! Continue reading →
      thecommunityspoke
    • Run The Jewels Lead Free Pewter Hand Carved And Cast Pin Set January 3, 2021
      Made these lovely RTJ fist and gun pin set. Hand carved in wax, and then cast in lead free pewter.  Because these are made by hand you can do fun things like add an extra small pin so that they sit just so (also means they have “customized” brass back plates to accommodate the extra […]
      Boston Biker
    • My Work In The Wild: Feather Head Badge With Chris King Headset January 3, 2021
      One of my customers sent me this amazing picture of my feather badge installed on their (awesome!) bike.   Check out Manofmultnomah (here and here), apparently Chris King took some interest in it as well.  Want one of your own?  Buy it here, or here... Continue reading →
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    • Boston’s Invitation to Improve Biking in Boston: Draw on Some Maps! December 14, 2020
      TweetSometimes, the best way to gather ideas and feedback is to let people draw on some maps. Last night, at the Bike Network Open House, pedallovers unveiled a draft for their upcoming plans for a more connected biking network infrastructure … Continue reading →
      greg
    • Boston’s Invitation to Improve Biking in Boston: Draw on Some Maps! December 14, 2020
      TweetSometimes, the best way to gather ideas and feedback is to let people draw on some maps. Last night, at the Bike Network Open House, pedallovers unveiled a draft for their upcoming plans for a more connected biking network infrastructure … Continue reading →
      greg
    • Boston’s Invitation to Improve Biking in Boston: Draw on Some Maps! December 14, 2020
      TweetSometimes, the best way to gather ideas and feedback is to let people draw on some maps. Last night, at the Bike Network Open House, pedallovers unveiled a draft for their upcoming plans for a more connected biking network infrastructure … Continue reading →
      greg