Monthly Archives: December 2011

Last week, in an effort to get some young new riders out in the world, Commonwheels teamed up with the City of Boston’s Roll it Forward program and Joseph M Smith Community Health Clinic to help find homes for 15 bikes. Check out the photos of the happy recipients!

bikes and helmets from the City of Boston

bike ladies in matching coats and helmets!

he picked out his bike to match his helmet

bikes for the family

Boston Bikes and Commonwheels received the used  bikes through donations, and even got some new bikes from International Bicycle Center , which is how we were able to give them away for free to the families.  Working through local networks, Commonwheels, the health center, and the Jackson Mann Community Center, we organized with the parents to gather all the kids together, give them (and their parents) a thorough “helmet review” and “here’s how your brakes work” talk, and send them home with newly tuned up used bikes.  We didn’t have time to wrap the bikes in gift wrap or dress up like Santa, but the spirit was the same none the less.

all the happy young bikers! not all the eyes open though...

If you’d like to help facilitate this kind of bikes donation in the future, we encourage you to check out the Roll it Forward Program (http://rollitforward.blogspot.com/) where you can find out how to donate bikes.  And if you know of any kids who may need a bike, Commonwheels is looking to do another round of bike drop in the Spring.  Please email galen@commonwheels.org for more info.

-CW

Commonwheelers,

Sorry to say we won’t be holding our Open Shop tonight — we have put ’em on hold while the shop restructures its space and while the cold weather really bears down on our frigid little fingertips.  As the building we’re in is slated for demolition come March, we are looking for new and improved digs for 2012, so keep up on this website for future postings (and let us know if you find any open space out there we could move into!).

That said, there’s still PLENTY of activity out there in Boston’s cycling world.  Instead of Open Shop tonight, why not go to the friendly and heated space of LivableStreets Alliance in Cambridgeport to see the 10-in-1 StreetTalk: 70 minutes of presentations with a “social break” in the middle to chat, ask questions, network and discuss presentations.  Check out their description — “Do you want to learn about transit equity and the Silver Line, youth empowerment through cycling, and a Broadway Bikeway and Urban Renewal proposal all in the same night? Come hear innovative transportation research and advocacy stories given by students, advocates, consultants, planners and engineers from around the Boston area. Come enjoy 10, seven minute presentations from case studies as far as Glasgow, Scotland to projects as close to home as Massachusetts Avenue.”  That’s Tuesday, tonight, 6-9pm.

And Wednesday is another great gem of a time, at Giant Cycling World by Fenway Park.  “Mount up on an [awesome Giant racing bike] to race head to head in a stationary sprint! Bikes are wired to Open Sprints racing software so you can see real time data as you power against friend (or foe) next to you. This is the ultimate in stationary bike racing!”  And they’re showing PEE WEES BIG ADVENTURE!!!  Reels: 7:15pm – 9:30pm.  Catch your breath, sit back with a brew and some popcorn, and enjoy a movie with friends.  Register to show up here

Keep an eye to Commonwheels for more updates as events pop up.  If you have any specific issues/needs/tools to use, of course, always email us admin@commonwheels.org and we can find a time during the week to open our doors just for you.

Ride Easy Out There, Commonwheelers.

-CW