Allston-Brighton bikes

A-B bikes is assisting with soliciting donations of bikes and helmets for some youth programming planned for the fall at Edison Middle School in Brighton Center. If you are interested in donating or helping to solicit donations, please post a comment here or contact Chris R. directly at the email provided below. Thanks!

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The program is a 10 week “apprenticeship” which will meet once a week for an hour and a half in the afternoon. Over the course of the 10 weeks the students will learn bike repair, bike safety, explore safe bike routes around Brighton, find bike racks and finish off by creating a book for other students in and around Brighton that will showcase the skills they have learned. The program runs from late September through Early December so right now there is still a lot of time before too many wheels need to be turning, but I am working on soliciting some bikes (in any condition) and helmets.

Chris R.

rupprecht.c@gmail.com

Hey Folks,

Just an update from the last meeting. Before and after the last
meeting I spoke with John and Bob about creating some youth
programming around Bikes at the Edison Middle School in Brighton
Center. The program is a 10 week “apprenticeship” which will meet
once a week for an hour and a half in the afternoon. Over the course
of the 10 weeks the students will learn bike repair, bike safety,
explore safe bike routes around Brighton, find bike racks and finish
off by creating a book for other students in and around Brighton that
will showcase the skills they have learned. The program runs from
late September through Early December so right now there is still a
lot of time before too many wheels need to be turning, but I am
working on soliciting some bikes (in any condition) and helmets. In
mid-August anyone who is interested in working with this group (for
all 10 weeks or even just once or twice) should fill out a CORI form
that I can get for anyone interested. Also around then we can start
working on finalizing some lessons. If anyone has any questions or
comments feel free to email me.

Chris R.

rupprecht.c@gmail.com

Misc. bike accessories offered for barter/sale:

Rack – used blackburn Mtn Rack, with reflector, hardware.

Saddle – planet bike anatomic relief saddle, very light use – maybe 10 times tops – over a year.

SKS Shock Blade 26″ MTB (front dirtboard)- new, with original packaging… missing 1 of the 3 sizes of expanders in the package so if 1 of the other 2 fits your bike, will work for you! Priced $28 at local retailer, will accept any reasonable offer.

Please contact shredbette@gmail.com with offers.

Boston bike thieves in high gear

By Jessica Van Sack / The Beat | Monday, June 23, 2008

Photo by Mark Garfinkel

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/general/view.bg?articleid=1102538

Our next meeting is Tuesday 6/24/08 at 7pm

at the Jackson Mann Community Center Auditorium

All interested in working toward a more bike friendly and safe Allston-Brighton community are invited to join us!

Agenda…
- welcome/overview of A-Bbikes
- update on what we’ve been doing/other possible items of interest
- break into smaller groups to work on specific issues… City planning, racks, rides, safety, youth
- after our formal meeting… a Smoken Hot Eat & Meet at Smoke’ Joe’s

Our Partner Smoken’ Joe’s will offer A-Bbikers a 10% discount on items on their appetizer menu during the “eat and meet” session after our meeting. Be sure to proceed with caution… Joe’s hot paste has already made one A-Bbiker cry! For more info, see: http://smokenjoesbbq.com

(Jackson Mann Community Center is located at 500 Cambridge Street, Allston, MA 02134 (617) 635-5153)

Excerpts from string on our Google Group:

I’ve been trying to get Bikes Not Bombs out here for years to work with local youth. Ringer Park is large, we’ve got the kids from the West End House, Fanueil Gardens, Fidelis Way, Brighton Y,College Students. BNB teaches bike maintenance and repair and often sponsors bike trips This is a Program that would benefit A/B Youth, and give them something to do that they would enjoy, and by adding A/B to their Programs it would beef up their Grant Funding.
Joan

I had this idea a couple years back, I talked with someone at the YMCA about it, but wasn’t personally in the position to do it then, not sure I am now either (knowing that speaking of an idea often means volunteering for it-but I still don’t think I’m the ideal person) But anyway…
The idea is to have a summer thing for kids to ride down the bikeways on the Charles to a MCD pool to swim and back, the thought was like a weekly bike club starting out from the “Y”. Safetly would have to be incorporated and you’d need a first aid kit and stuff to fix bikes…which makes me think that basic bike repair should be taught as part of this as well. Anyone out there interested in? I’ll bet the “Y” still is. Again, I don’t have all the skills I think are neccesary, but I’d go along and help. (I am a nurse!)
Tamara

re: A-Bbikes YOUTH
there were a couple (who know me from chatting with them at Three Scoops) who considered attending our last meeting but ended up not… does anyone have any contacts who might be helpful in recruiting A-B youth to participate in A-Bbikes? Thanks! CrsDit

Hey all,
Sorry to flood your inboxes but I just had an idea (well, no, I’m
actually just going to steal an idea from the Dot Bike group).
So Dot Bike does a “Ride Home” thing on the second Wednesday of every
month where members will meet in the Common and ride down Dot Ave
(they have another meeting point by a church on Dot Ave too, where
they scoop up more members to go down to Dorchester with). And
apparently they’re going to try and start a “Ride to Work” soon too.
Anyway, I figured maybe we can arrange something like that as well?
If enough pple work downtown and are interested, we can meet in the
Common, take Comm Ave down, then get onto Brighton Ave, go through
Allston, then ride down Cambridge Ave to Brighton Center (picking up
other pple at certain points on the way)? With all the renovations
they’re doing on Comm Ave I know riding down it feels like you’re
straddling a galloping stegasaurus but hey, at least you’ll be in good
company, right?
It’s just an idea, but let me/us know if anyone’s interested!
-Kaiko

If you’re interested in learning more about this program, please post and/or contact Chris directly…

Hey guys,
I found this group looking for Brighton biking groups and am excited
to see how vibrant this group is. My name is Chris Rupprecht and I
work at the Edison Middle School in Brighton Center. We run an after
school program called Citizen Schools where a major part of the
program is volunteers coming in and sharing their passion with a group
of 10-12 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students for a 10 week course. We
have been looking for volunteers to work with our students on a bike
‘apprenticeship’ since the dawn of time, and its great to find so many
community members who might be interested in doing this. Our past
brain storms have left us with the idea of teaching the students basic
bike repairs and riding safety and then having them create a book for
kids about bicycle riding in Brighton that would include riding tips,
a map of bike friendly streets, basic riding techniques, and anything
else that they would have learned over the 10 weeks. We are obviously
more then willing to change or adjust this idea with any volunteers
who would be willing to work with our students. If you or your group
would be willing to participate in something like this feel free to
email me directly [christopherruppre...@citizenschools.org] or respond
to this post.
Thanks,
Chris

an A-Bbiker contacted me asking…

“any chance you have a basket or panniers? my 70-year-old mom has decided to shop by bike (yay mom), but doesn’t have the proper attachments on her 3-speed”

if anyone has a basket/panniers they’re looking to recycle, please post a reply!

someone steals the water bottle off your parked bike… who would want a used plastic water bottle anyway?