MIT PN2K February 2017 GBM

Posted on February 9, 2017April 23, 2018 by PN2K Team

MIT PN2K (formally called Phyo Nyi Nyi Kyaw, MIT) is the MIT chapter of the Massachusetts incorporated 501(c)(3) PN2K Memorial Foundation. You don't need to own a bike to be a member, but it certainly does help as the MIT PN2K club holds activities that are centered around biking throughout the year (e.g., bike fests/repair events, bike rides)*.We are the first, and only club, at MIT that has ever attempted, and successfully, held student-led campus-wide bike safety rides during MIT orientation (2014, 2015). So, if you do own a bicycle (or unicycle -- we aren't picky), and/or want to get into casual/social biking as a way to explore and commute around the city, join us at our Spring General Body Meeting on Monday, February 27 at 5:30 PM. The meeting will be an general information session held at MIT, Building 1-135. Learn how you can become a MIT PN2K member, how a membership will allow you to enjoy more benefits of biking around the city (well-maintained bikes for low-costs!), and how to join organized group rides. Note: we are not a racing club! We cycle casually, fix bikes, and enjoy post-rides over lunch at Bertucci's sometimes. Speaking of which, we'll have free pizza at our meeting. Come for the pizza and bring your friends!

You should also join our mailing list if you would like to learn of opportunities to purchase bike gear or ride bikes. Are you the leader type? See all positions that you can apply for for the coming semesters.

Safe biking, and we hope to see you there!

*Other options, if you don't have a bike: You can borrow a bike from a friend, buy a used bike from fellow cyclists, purchase a bike at a local shop or with our partners for a discount, or purchase a Hubway annual membership.

Scapegoat Cyclists

Posted on January 15, 2017November 13, 2017 by PN2K Team

There are some things you don't expect. We definitely didn't expect a car collision to happen a few meters away from us on our first bike ride around Harvard Square. We (cyclists) were all obeying the rules, but an unfortunate couple's new car was smashed by a guy running a red light. Thank goodness Peter Cheung was with us -- Before we could process everything happening around us, Peter was already stating the facts of the case, saying, "He ran a red light! That guy in the red ran a red light!" We were also fortunate that right across from us was a pedestrian who so happened to be an officer. The young man who ran the red light seemed dumbstruck. Our cycling crew was slightly in shock also -- two of our cyclists were just on the other side of the hit car; without that car... well, it's hard to speculate and not too pleasant to think what might have happened. Sadly, we learned later that the parents in the car were heading to a birthday party (they had balloons in the backseat) and it was the first new car they'd had in 20-odd years.

Our team shook off the post-accident shivers and decompressed by going to Bertucci's. We had a pretty diverse and solid conversation, ranging from cycling to random movies/shows. One thing we learned from one of our cyclists was that a nearby "witness" during the accident had said, "It was those cyclists!" in response to seeing the accident. Wait, what? How did us cyclists cause the collision in any way? It was strange, and this kicked off a conversation on stories of personal experiences where cyclists have been scapegoated or somehow marginalized/ignored (particularly in accident scenarios). There's a lot of interesting debate and discussion that evolve from the intersection of law and biking (like why the law does not necessarily protect cyclists). This will be an ever-evolving field, and we encourage more discussion and engagement in your own biking communities and events. If you don't know where to begin, start with jumping on a bike or joining one of our future (virtual) meetings. Email us if you have stories/experiences you want to share.

Winter Bike Ride with MIT PN2K

Posted on January 1, 2017November 12, 2017 by PN2K Team

MIT PN2K presents WINTER BIKE RIDE

Saturday, Jan 14 @ 84 Mass Ave.

Meet at 12:45 PM, depart at 1 PM.

Meet at the MIT Student Center on 84 Mass Ave and join our MIT bike safety community!
Learn about rules of the road and put them in practice on Saturday, Jan 14 (RSVP your interest below)

RSVP

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Join PN2K for a guided, 4-mile bike ride around Cambridge! We will take you along common biking routes between MIT, Harvard Square, and Kendall Square. Preview the bike route here: https://goo.gl/maps/RXmxP713TCn

Meet at MIT Student Center (84 Massachusetts Avenue) steps by 12:45 pm on Saturday, January 14th, 2017. We will go over safe biking rules, the bike route, and address any questions or concerns. Remember to wear your helmets and dress warmly.

Please RSVP to help with our planning efforts! RSVP’s are not binding, nor necessary–so feel free to show up day-of with friends. If your plans change last-minute, we’ll catch you on the next ride.

“What Does the Tanuki Say?”

Posted on April 14, 2016April 17, 2018 by PN2K Team

Today was our second event of MIT CPW (Campus Preview Weekend for prefrosh). We had two back-to-back activities lined up this afternoon. From 12-2 PM, MIT PN2K was out on the Student Center Front Steps, giving passing pre-frosh info about MIT PN2K and campus bike maps, as well as some little kids who passed by with their parents some tanuki stickers.

Pre-event planning consisted of moving boxes of items from our "office base" in Central Square to the Student Center Front Steps, with a detour to pick up John Reyes at Simmons who had begun to receive Amazon boxes filled with fun stuff over the past 1-2 days -- items ordered for our "Tykes for Bikes" kids' bike program (with thanks from the MIT Community Service Fund). There, we greeted Will, Dingfang, and Yaoming. Will did most of the talking with the prefrosh, and Tian joined us a bit later. Dingfang and Yaoming went around campus to take some shots of bike cages and useful scenes for our music video. I made Tian and John work with me to start brainstorming ideas for our "Get out of the bike lane!" sticker that we hope to plaster on vehicles illegally double-parked in bike lanes. We came up with some pretty fun ideas, that we shall hold in secret until final production! Let's just say, we came up with many versions, with the styles evolving from "adamant" to "crude"; we scratched those for "passive-aggressive" versions (think adamant message, tempered with smiley faces), but then John came up with some very simplistic, clever versions that we just might go with and iterate a bit more upon at our next meeting.

One of the most exciting things we ordered was a box of vehicles (including a boat, helicopter, huge truck, cars, traffic cones, and more!) for our "Tanuki" song video, which constituted the second part of our day (2-4:00 PM, filming for "What does the Tanuki Say?") The filming was at Northeastern University's Recording Studio in the Snell Library, which Yaoming helpfully reserved for us weeks in advance. I was on the first floor getting the Wifi password (note: MIT affiliates have free access to the Snell Library, just bring your MIT ID!), when I saw Yaoming and Dingfang coming down to fetch me. So I went up with them to the second floor; they said John Innes had already arrived ("He's very excited," Yaoming said with a smile, and Dingfang laughed, too). I finally reached the recording studio, and all I can say is that the place was impressive -- I'd never seen so much legit recording and audio equipment (I definitely saw a Mac Pro), and standing behind the microphones practicing with John Innes the most bizarre lyrics I've ever co-created with Carmel, I began to forget about being fearful or music-shy and began to focus on how the lyrics sounded and trying to produce quality work that Dingfang, Yaoming, and Rebecca could use for the video. Garrett, a guy/student who was working the studio at the time, thought we sounded great, as did Tian who joined us a bit later. I must say, singing was not something I thought I would do, but the entire experience was definitely a worthwhile one to have and to remember!

We will be holding future video sessions, and the final music video will be uploaded sometime in May, we predict. In the meantime, Dingfang created a snazzy little video that, for now, you can find on our facebook page here, titled "Tanuki Music Video Recording Session One" -- gives you an idea of the ambiance! Keep Calm & Pedal On, folks.

Popo meets TIM + tanuki stickers!

Posted on April 7, 2016January 19, 2017 by PN2K Team

MIT PN2K was invited out to CPW 2016 Public Service Expo held at the MIT Z-Center Johnson Lobby. The Public Service Center works with hundreds of student organizations focused in the area of service for the community. This Thursday, Apr 7 from 6:30-8:30 PM, our team tabled and spoke with a flood of MIT prefrosh (term used for potential incoming freshman) to demonstrate what we do for the community. We told them how Popo, our tanuki (to the left), was our mascot and represented our club, founded as the chapter of the PN2K Memorial Foundation, in order to work on making cycling safer for the MIT community. We told them how we held monthly bike events, with free minor repairs, pressure-washing, food, bike registrations, music, and cool people. In this image, you can see Popo meeting TIM, the MIT beaver. It was friendship at first sight.

On another happy note, we also finally began to put in orders for our Tykes for Bikes kids' bike program (with funding from the MIT Community Service Fund), which included our tanuki stickers. Given that we had so many, we started to test them out as laptop stickers and helmets stickers -- tests passed! And they do look snazzy too. We hope these stickers will serve to make more kids and their families aware of bicycle safety!

Thanks to everyone who dropped by and picked up a campus bike map! We hope you prefrosh make solid decisions on which colleges you'll accept, and if you happen to find yourselves at MIT, then say HI to us at MIT PN2K! We love new members getting involved. Keep Calm & Pedal On

Spring Bike Fever (& Easter Sunday)

Posted on March 27, 2016April 23, 2018 by PN2K Team

"Will did a great job managing the event and seemed like everyone knew exactly what they were doing. We cut off the line at around 4 and everybody was happy. I managed to fix some bikes and sifted through the line between repairs so nobody was waiting too long. We managed to start packing at 5 and by 6 were out. We kept the repairs at no more than 10 mins, customers with complicated repairs were advised that we are limited with what we can do for them and even took 3 bikes to the shop for more complicated repairs that needed specific parts or a full tune up. You guys/gals are great!" - Roy, Bike Boom

For those of you who come regularly to our events, you know how long are lines for bike repairs are (people start coming in and standing in line 45 minutes before the show starts!) And thus it is a BIG deal that MIT PN2K managed to finish on time -- it marks the first time ever we did not run over by half an hour (or 60-90 minutes, as has happened in some 2015 bike events when we wanted to be ambitious and help everyone with everything!)

We still love our cyclists, and we want to make sure everyone leaves with safe bikes, but MIT PN2K is now working with Bike Boom to consider ways that will decrease wait times and improve the experience of everyone there, so you're not standing in line for a few hours when all you need is something simple done!

For instance, our air/oil station is separate from the main line (where you actually need to have your bikes looked at by professionals). The main line is also separate from flat-tire repairs (which take a minimum of 15 minutes). As Will mentioned, he basically focused on flats the entire duration of the event (because many of you had flats!)

We also had cake and Easter candy eggs to celebrate MIT PN2K and the greater cycling community! This was supplemented by other helpful stations (bike registrations, managed by Nick) and bike trivia (by Jay). The friendly smile who greeted you upon registration is Dingfang, and your smiles were captured by Yaoming. Now that you know most of the MIT PN2K team, say hi next time!

Due to a technical error out of our hands, we weren't able to set up our pressure-washer station, so please keep an eye out for our April event where we make this up. We know you guys want to clean your bikes, so we look forward to making that happen next month. In the meantime, look towards our PN2K calendar here where you'll see our upcoming meeting dates.

Tanuki, Banding Together, Velo-Loving

Posted on March 1, 2016April 23, 2018 by PN2K Team

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“The Japanese raccoon dog, also known as tanuki (狸 or たぬき^?) in Japanese, is a subspecies of the Asian raccoon dog. As the tanuki, the animal has been significant in Japanese folklore since ancient times. The legendary tanuki is reputed to be mischievous and jolly, a master of disguise and shapeshifting, but somewhat gullible and absentminded. It is also a common theme in Japanese art, especially statuary.”

The Tanuki is PN2K’s mascot, and also Phyo’s spirit animal. This Sunday, our tanuki joined us for a guest appearance at MIT PN2K’s Love to Velo bike event, where we welcomed back Bike Boom, our partners in Davis Square, to help us with our free bike safety checks! From Bike Boom, we learn that some of the bikes brought into the event are in critical condition (e.g., upside down forks), and we thank Roy and Ari this month for making these bikes ride-able again. You might have met Dingfang (who registered you when you came in via the iPad) and Will (bike safety officer, helping to fix many flats this weekend). Yaoming was snapping shots left and right (and might have even taken your photo with our PN2K wristband for our Banding Together gallery, in solidarity/support of bicycle safety); Jay was at the bike trivia station testing out your bike knowledge and handing out raffle tickets; and Nick was helping to register bikes with MIT Parking & Transportation (useful when reclaiming abandoned bikes or gaining access to campus bike cages). See the gang below.

lovetovelo-25

Once next month comes up and the weather is warmer, we’ll have our pressure washer again. In the meantime, we kept our cyclists preoccupied in the long line with our “clean your U-lock” station, free food & music, bike registration, campus maps and info booklets, bike trivia, and opportunity to buy helmet gear ($20 helmets and $15 bike lights) and MIT PN2K membership. We hope you learned about our upcoming Saturday bike ride organized by MIT PN2K (open to members only) as well as our next meeting this coming Friday, 3/4 @ 5-7 PM in 1-132.

With the long lines, we had to close early at 4:15 PM (even then, we still finished probably about 40 minutes past the time of close). Lesson to learn: line closes early, arrive early. But we had a great time. A shout out to our volunteers, Bike Boom, sponsors, and the Boston cycling community (Peter Cheung, John Adams, John Carlo, Felix Arroyo) for stopping by, and Rebecca Albrecht for your donations of cycling advocacy and booklets for our future PN2K “biking library”. Thank you to our team and volunteers – we are having a blast!

Upcoming dates:

Friday 3/4 @ 5-7 PM, 1-132: MIT PN2K General Meeting & Event Planning/Training
Saturday 3/5 @ 6 PM: MIT PN2K organized 1 mile social bike ride for dinner in Boston (sign up here)
Friday 3/11 @ 7 PM: Meet at Copley Square, Boston for Boston Bike Party

Congrats to MIT PN2K’s Bike Trivia Raffle Prize winners – We thank all those who participated in our bike trivia. We hope you learned more about biking in Boston and staying safe on the roads:

Landry’s Bicycle $25 gift card: Cole Perkinson
Star Market $25 Gift card: Iris Fung
Starbucks Gift Basket: Jun Yong Khoo
Ferris Wheels Bike Shop gift card: Fernando M.

Love to Velo? We do.

Posted on February 28, 2016January 19, 2017 by PN2K Team

Learn how to join MIT PN2K and sign up for our bike rides, or even lead your own!

MIT Love to Velo - PN2K

Pizza! In the name of Bicycle Safety

Posted on December 16, 2015January 19, 2017 by PN2K Team

Have you ordered your pizza today?

TODAY, we're having our Bertucci's Dining for Dollars event. Anytime from 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM, order from Bertucci's at Kendall (take-out, delivery, dine-in), and mention you would like to help out the PN2K fundraiser with your order. 15% of your bill will go to our 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation PN2K as part of our community fundraiser with Bertucci's, Dining for Dollars! For every $10 you spend, receive a raffle ticket and be entered into a prize drawing at the end. A simple and effective way to help the community while treating yourself, co-workers, or family members and friends to delicious food. Visit our Bertucci's Kendall page to learn more. Thank you Bertucci's @ Kendall and Manager Cheryl Collins and staff for supporting us!

Print out and present the coupon/flyer above with your order, or simply mention "PN2K" when placing your order, so they don't forget to bring you the raffle tickets for every $10 you spend!

MIT convoy to Boston Bike Party “PRESENTS”

Posted on December 11, 2015January 19, 2017 by PN2K Team

Photo above: Snapped this shot while passing through the entrance of China Town. Thought the stunned reaction of the crowds around us was amusing.

From Boston Bike Party's event: PRESENTS! (bike ride Friday, Dec 11, meeting at Copley 7 PM)
Our MIT convoy met at the MIT Student Center (84 Mass Ave) at around 6:45 PM to head over as a group together.

Don the ribbons! Tie the bows!
Where we're going, no one knows
Haul the trailer, prepare caboose!
We'll be biking, bells and toots

Second Friday, every month
With some exceptions, almost bar none
Two hundred, three hundred cyclists galore
When you see us, you'll be floored!

We take over the lanes, we take over the place
We take over that aisle you don't admit is a bike space
We reclaim the land, we reclaim our honour
We reclaim on wheels, with masses as armor

We don't shout, we don't fight
We don't use guns, violence, or start plights
We simply hoot, we simply holler
We simply shout "Boston Bike Party is baller!!"

~ PN2K fans of BBP

Wild Winter Bike Fest ’15

Posted on December 6, 2015January 19, 2017 by PN2K Team

[All photo credits: Yaoming Duan, Dingfang Zhou]

Once a month, MIT PN2K hosts a bike repair event/social. Numbers range from 40-150 attendees (annual launch events). Wild Winter Bike Fest happened this past Sunday, with free minor bike repairs & bike safety checks (thanks Cambridge Bicycles), power-washing bike self-service, clean your U-lock station, bicycle trivia, bicycle registration forms, helmets for $20, bike lights for $15, batteries both CR2032 and 2 x AA for $2, high-neon visibility shirts, PN2K memberships, free food, music, and this time, even a bike wheel with snowflakes! (goal: write down something you would like to see to improve bike safety) Among the responses were:

Make sure cars can see you!
Safer intersections
Left & Right indicators
More street lights along bike lanes on campus
Encourage cyclists to ride in main lanes (editor's note: one of my favorites)
Everyone should have lights & helmets

We had Cambridge Bicycles come in to conduct free minor bike repairs for the community (thanks to UA funding from Finboard) and welcomed back Rudy, bike-savvy cyclist, who helped some of you with bike issues. It was also his first time witnessing his own brainchild idea of the pressure-washer unit at work, which we had set up outside the MIT Z-Center. I had to make a few runs to the Student Center and noticed the whirring/humming noise of the spray nozzle running in the background, so take note, fellow cyclists! On days/times of our bike events, follow the sound of the drill and you shall find our pressure-washer! Here's the step-by-step:

Stop by the pressure-washer station first; rid your bike of salt, grime, and other residue that shortens the lifespan of bike parts
Come register with us at our event (most usually Dingfang) and speak with our bike safety officer (Will), while having your photo taken (Yaoming)
Leave your bike in line and stop by the bike trivia table (led by Jay); answer five questions correctly and receive a free wristband reminding you to purchase Bertucci's at Kendall on Wednesday, Dec 16* plus a raffle ticket for our donations.
Grab some food and drinks & mingle with the community
Get your bikes registered (fill out the registration form) Ask one of the officers/organizers/volunteers wearing a PN2K shirt if you have questions. Please note, the serial number of your bicycles can be found underneath the area where the pedal connects to the main frame.
Accessorize! Find a helmet that fits and purchase for $20 (or order online at PN2K.org/helmet to pick up at the MIT COOP in the Student Center during regular business hours); grab Planet Bike bike lights for $15; get some batteries; buy PN2K membership to connect with the cycling community and get discounts; get a high visibility shirt (half off with PN2K membership).
Leave us feedback! We value everyone's opinion to (1) ensure future events run successfully (2) focus on important areas of bike safety that are not being addressed by others

*Don't forget to mention PN2K! 15% of what you already will be spending will go towards PN2K (you spend nothing more!). For every $10 you spend, Bertucci's will give you a raffle ticket where you will be entered into a drawing for PN2K membership & goodies.

Anyway, we hope you had a blast, as we certainly did. Please join us this coming Friday, Dec 11 at the MIT Student Center Steps (84 Massachusetts Avenue), convoy leaving at 6:45 PM to Copley Square, Boston for the next Boston Bike Party (MIT convoy fb page here and BBP event page here), and keep your eyes peeled for the date of our next bike event. Keep Calm & Pedal On ~ PN2K crew

Full photo album for Wild Winter Bike Fest - Photo credits: Yaoming Duan, Dingfang Zhou

THANK YOU to all our partners, volunteers, and community sponsors for all your support and work. A special shout-out to the amazing folks in the community who supported the bike trivia & bike safety education station during the overall Winter Bike Fest event with the following raffle/door prizes:

Landry's
Starbucks @ Kendall
Broadway Bicycle School
Working Green, MIT Office of Sustainability

** CONGRATS to the following Raffle Prize Winners **

Landry's $25 gift certificate: Cathy Zhou
Starbucks $60 value gift basket: Brenda Zanze
Thermos from Working Green, MIT Office of Sustainability: Anna Kazlavskas
Broadway Bicycle School $25 gift certificate #1: Ari Goldberger
Broadway Bicycle School $25 gift certificate #2: Milena Sisoviks
Broadway Bicycle School $25 gift certificate #3: Tina Wang
Broadway Bicycle School $25 gift certificate #4: Iris Fung

Please pick up your raffle prizes from Building 5-119 from Mr. Alpha Sanneh during regular business hours, M-F, 9 AM-5 PM. You must bring a valid photo ID.

Polar Bears, Huskies, Wild Moose

Posted on December 2, 2015January 19, 2017 by PN2K Team

MIT PN2K - Wild Winter Bike Fest 12:6

We haven’t gone crazy. Our next event will be on Sunday, Dec 6, 2015 at the MIT Johnson Lobby in the Z-Center (building W35) from 2-5 PM. The event has a wild animal wintry theme. What you can expect with us:

Free minor bike repairs and safety checks (courtesy of Cambridge Bicycle)
Pressure-washing
Bike registration assistance (we will have forms from MIT Parking Office)
Free food
Music
Community!
Clean your U-lock station
Bike safety trivia (and door prizes)
Bike safety snowflakes (where you give input on what you think could be done to improve bike safety)

Free admission. More information to follow – keep a look out and join us on our social media pages: Facebook.com/PN2KMemorialFoundation and be sure to join our “PN2K – Community” page.

*Dec 1st update: Our event flyer has now been art-ified! (see above) Here are links to follow to make sure you stay in the loop:

Wild Winter Bike Fest on Facebook event page RSVP
MIT Events Calendar Wild Winter Bike Fest

You can also subscribe to our PN2K Bike Safety mailing list.

* Dec 6th update:

TODAY’S THE DAY! We have donations coming in from local bike stores, including:

$25 gift certificate to Landry’s Bicycles
$45 Starbucks gift basket
$100 total worth of gift certificates to Broadway Bicycle School

(and other raffle prizes from PN2K)

Hope to see you there!

Keep Calm & Pedal On

A bike ride down Memory Lane

Posted on December 1, 2015January 19, 2017 by PN2K Team

One of the most touching stories is the one shared by Dingfang and Yaoming during our last MIT PN2K meeting. I think what's so attractive about it is that it's one that tells of passing time, and how serendipity can bring about chance encounters, intertwining fates, and lives that inextricably grow together. Yaoming, Dingfang, Will, Carmel, Tian, and Alpha have been some of our organization's most involved members, and I know few people who have more open hearts, open minds, and share their time as freely as they do. Dingfang and Yaoming are our foundation's historians - you might have seen their photos posted everywhere, from our website to our social media. First friendly acquaintances, Dingfang and Yaoming then became team members, friends, and now, they are part of our New England family. So when they shared this story from way back when, it was like a skip down memory lane to a time when I would've never been able to even imagine how big of a role they would play in my life (and in PN2K) now.

Anyway, I'm delaying the fun - here's Dingfang and Yaoming's story.

The weather didn’t seem too bad for some cyclists. We saw an MIT student who cycled to the student center and we talked to him when he was locking his bike. We were curious how people were managing to cycle on the roads full of snow. He told us that for him biking was the best way of commuting between MIT and his apartment. He rode his bike every day (the surface of the road was very slippery, so he had to be very careful). Then he told us there was a group of people who were fixing bikes indoors and sharing tips about riding bikes in the winter. ("Why not take a look?")

And that was how we met PN2K for the first time: at PN2K’s January bike event.

It was a party of cyclists. People had their bikes tuned up and also enjoyed music and free food. From Will Reyes, the bike safety officer, we learned more about PN2K.

Then we talked to Ye, exchanged contact information, took some photos, and left. A week later, we came back to PN2K’s general body meeting and have became part of the organization since."

From our PN2K Co-Directors to our team, partners, and all our amazingly generous volunteers, we are all very glad you are on this journey with us! And we hope that you will continue to stay actively involved.

Cranksgiving’s Crankin’ Cranberries

Posted on November 21, 2015January 19, 2017 by PN2K Team

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Photo credit: Lucy Fan

We present to you, Team Crankin’ Cranberries! In the photo above, from left to right, we are Lucy, John, Faith, Jane, and Ye. (Actually I mistakenly thought the team had named itself “Cranky Cranberries” so officially, we are the Crankin’ Cranky Cranberries, but.. what’s in a name.)

The ride, organized on the Saturday before Thanksgiving (Sat, Nov 21) was a free ride that is “part scavenger hunt, part food drive, and part bike ride.” A grassroots event, one of the main organizers is a cyclist by the name of Dave Boudreau. Cranksgiving was in its second year, and the goal was to pull in more than 10,000 lbs of food so that families in need in the Greater Boston area could enjoy a nice meal during Thanksgiving. The goal was achieved! (you can read more updates on the fb event page here)

Our team came together through a series of chain messages in which we realized that we all had more mutual friends in common than we thought! Then Faith joined us in Copley Square and helped us navigate the JP/South Boston area later (thank goodness also for GPS).

Our route ran from Trader Joe’s in Boston to Harvest in Central, Star Market, the Red Cross, some expensive whole foods store in JP (where I bought the most ridiculously priced can of organic cat food, but hey! somewhere there is a happy feline), a cat food shelter, another store, and finally Coppersmith in South Boston. Total cost was no more than $15 per person.

All food was donated to the Greater Boston Food Bank, Red Cross, and the Somerville Homeless Coalition. Organizing team of Cranksgiving – way to go! That was eventful, and I’m glad to have taken part in something so meaningful.

Nov 2015 Planning Shenanigans

Posted on November 20, 2015January 19, 2017 by PN2K Team

November General Body Meeting (open to the public)
Fri, 09/20 @6-7 PM

planning2

Discussion highlights:

Yaoming/Ye: shared how the interview went with Peter Furth. (video to be edited and shared under our Cyclists’ Corner page)
Yaoming/Dingfang: shared the photos they took of when they first met PN2K during our Revolutions Resolutions Jan 2015 bike event! (full story in an upcoming blog)
Next bike event will be held Sunday, Dec 6, 2:00-5:00 PM in the MIT Johnson Z Center Lobby
Jay led team-brainstorming session for event theme: Penguins, moose, polar bears, elf, huskies, snowflakes
Idea from Will: next event – will feature snowflakes where attendees can write down what they want to improve about bike safety
From feedback: cut line earlier to finish on time (we almost did it last time!)
Jay: Bike Trivia was very successful, so people weren’t waiting in line with nothing to do. Had lots of questions & answers

Bike Safety Chat:

Making right turns (18 wheeler)
- Yaoming demonstrates on blackboard the blindspot of an 18-wheeler truck (recreates Peter’s original drawing during video filming)
- Ye demonstrates right turning, front/back wheels, how right-hook happens (from Peter F.)
James: suggests filming blindspot of truck vs. cyclists on the road
- Jay: maybe there is a video on YouTube; Dingfang: filming things at an intersection is hard because always moving; Yaoming: can put two cameras on either side, another on a cyclist
Jay: drivers need to be educated – what to do to make driving test harder; incorporate cycling
Nick: how we can make the roads safer for not only cyclists but also pedestrians and road users (additional things beyond Bike Trivia)
- Jay: can modify some of the answers currently in the Q&A sheet to be clearer; we have a lot of good questions (which is partly why trivia was so successful)
Sensor that detects car and bike motion (like when a car is backing up) – would be good for PN2K externship to design something (would be very technical!) other idea is to design gloves (waterproof, weatherproof, etc)

Log of Bike Accidents:

James brought in some logs of reported bike accidents over the past few years
PN2K cyclists’ corner section is now live – been advertised to our mailing list in today’s newsletter sent out (11/20)
Jay Morgan — looks up biking lawyer booklets from Josh Zisson (bike lawyer); can email for cards

Finboard

Overview: Team brainstormed ideas for what we need to add in our next UA Finboard budget (besides the usual three events per cycle)
Idea that stood out: bike safety stickers for motorists disobeying the law (e.g., illegally parked in bike lanes) “How am I doing on bike safety? Call xxx-xxx-xxxx)
Other ideas: Yaoming – Bike Safety cones to place on intersections to prevent cars from turning into the lanes; Nick – bright green safety jackets; cooler for drinks; portable speaker for bike ride

Bike Safety Kids Youth Program

Received funding from Community Service Fund to run our youth education kids project.
We received funding for approximately three events (snacks, water, transportation), as well as publicity, bright colored vests, polaroid camera & film for our “Bike Safety & Me” kids books, bike safety props for the bike video, money for bike safety learning materials and decal high visibility bike safety stickers
Ideas: Jay – create a mat where kids can simulate biking, turns, etc.
Bike Safety Video – Raul, an attendee from our last event, sung to “What Does the Tanuki Say” — need ~3 more people to complete song-editing; need to add the photos and footage from when Carmel visited for bike safety gestures

Future & Upcoming Dates

Invite Peter Furth to MIT to speak and educate/engage the community on urban planning for cyclists
Saturday, 11/21: Cranksgiving bike ride
Sunday, 12/06: (tentative) MIT PN2K December bike event
Wednesday, 12/16: Bertucci’s fundraising date

Externship with PN2K (details below)

Title: Product Design Intern

Description: We are looking for charismatic, cheerful, creative, and high energy individuals who care about making a difference in their community. If you are passionate about improving bike safety (and in general pedestrian and road safety) on campus and within the Cambridge/ Boston communities, if you have an eye for designing sports and bicycle accessories, if you are interested in learning about how to go from market surveillance and talking to manufacturers to final product design and distribution, apply for our externship! You will have the opportunity to work one-on-one with a PN2K mentor throughout this externship. You will learn how to survey the bike safety needs in the MIT community, design a bike product to meet this need, learn how to find and negotiate with different manufacturers to create this product and then create a marketing and distribution plan for your product. You will be doing this under the support and guidance of PN2K, a non-profit organization created by MIT alums that is dedicated to improving bike safety in our local communities.

Please visit www.pn2k.org to learn more about what we do and what our organization is about. Please feel free to email us at pnnk-director@mit.edu for further questions/comments/concerns. Note, we can tailor this externship to your interests and skill level – just let us know in your cover letter! There will also be opportunities to expand this externship to a full longer term internship.

Dates: Monday, January 4, 2016 – Friday, January 29, 2016

Winter Tips & Rock-Climbing

Posted on November 18, 2015November 22, 2015 by PN2K Team

Somerville Bicycle Committee hosted an event this past Wednesday (11/18) from 6:00-7:00 PM called Bike Talk Social Hour, featuring Emily Thibadeau, owner of Hub Bicycles, who gave us tips on winter cycling. All the advice was from her own experience, and the talk was nicely relaxed, conversational, and interactive. Here are some tips:

Two enemies of the bike during winter: water moisture, salt (editor's note: this is why PN2K has bike events featuring our bike pressure washer)
Preparing the bike for the winter: check your fasteners, seat post, bottom bracket -- put a layer of grease in there, the one with thicker consistency (there are two types of grease: 1. grease for threads, seat post that are thicker in consistency; 2. grease lubricant that does not have a thick consistency.)
Check your brake pads (make sure they have grooves from top to bottom; if you don't see them, it means you need a new set)
Cables: Shift levers to dérailleur or brakes; they are covered by housing. Moisture will build up inside the housing and cause corrosion; use a dab of grease over cable opening (stops some water)
Fenders: "I have a love-hate relationship with them" - People request fenders so you don't have the skunk stripe; during winter, fenders also stops salt spray for getting into places you don't want corroding your bike (front dérailleur; off of you, so your winter gear lasts longer)
Clipless pedals. Clipping in and out action should go a long way to get the salt off the pedals.
Tires. Studded winter tires: they're really good for ice; they're very heavy, tends to lose lots of studs if you get the inexpensive ones.
Tires (in general): if they change your behavior in riding, it could be dangerous. Emily uses regular tires. In the winter, just ride slowly, and "know you're already doing better than the people on the bus or in the car."
Mountain tire vs. street tire -- deep lug tire to float above snow and get better traction. Street tire: think of it as cutting close to the street. Fat tires- ridiculously fun. (But takes up space and expensive) Four inches of rubber contacting snow.
Handlebars. Lighter gear allows you to recover quickly if you lose traction.
U-lock always freezes. Preventative measures: use a dry lubricant, like graphite powder instead of liquid lubricant so it doesn't freeze. Also make sure lock faces down. Also flap over lock/key mechanism. How to get lubricant into u lock: (hardware store) light powder, just place into lock, give puffs, and work key in that way.
Check pressure tire once a week. Keep as much pressure in tire as before for road bike so you get as much tire on asphalts as you can for better traction. For mountain bikes, can let pressure out a bit so more tire touches asphalt.
Spokes. If stainless steel+brass combo, you don't have to worry so much. If you have aluminum alloy with it (racing bike), tends to crack--add lube
Fixed gear recommended for the winter? Emily: They have fewest moving parts so maintenance-wise, they do have advantage (fewer parts to be ruined); causes less skidding than using brakes-- use leg muscles to control. If you have the space and budget, do it (get fixed gear), but you don't need it.
Type of chain: Chain lube- really important part of maintaining bike during winter
- Lightweight lube- parrafin
- Wet/heavy lube- cling to chain more tightly but dirtier; will attract road grime
- If fixie bike, go with heaviest lube
Biking routes: Find a good route for you. Sometimes it may be longer distance-wise.
Summary:
- Check your air pressure*
- Wiping down all sand, salt, slush
- Making sure chain is lubricated*

*These are things you should be doing for year-round maintenance also, not just winter.

Shortly thereafter, Jane and I went rock-climbing at BKB (since the venue, Aeronaut Brewing Company, was literally a stone's throw away from Brooklyn Boulders). So many people there on a weekday evening!

We hope all these tips will help your winter-cycling adventures. And special thanks to Ken Carlson from Somerville Bicycle Committee for inviting us, as well as Emily for such helpful tips. Here a toast to all of us who are attempting to cycle this winter for the first time!

Keep Calm & Pedal On

Interviewing Peter Furth, NortheasternU

Posted on November 17, 2015November 22, 2015 by PN2K Team

Today, we interviewed Peter Furth, a professor in engineering at Northeastern University and a skilled speaker of creating safe transportation infrastructure in Boston. I saw this video, contacted him, and lucky for us he accepted our invitation for an interview as we drilled him on some major questions surrounding bike infrastructure, bike safety, and all the other questions that some leaders often dance around but never fully address head on. We took 15 minutes for set up and intro, then interviewed Peter in 45 minutes (did not really have moment where we stopped). The knowledge he offered was immense.

After the interview I asked Peter how he felt, as we did some intense questioning (“Sorry Peter for drilling you, but you offer a unique insight and knowledge that other do not have, and we wanted to be sure to capture that on video to share with those who need to see it the most.”) Keep an eye out for our video soon after Yaoming and Dingfang finish the edits. I, for one, am excited to see how we can use this video to move those in leadership positions into action.

This is Peter’s talk at Northeastern on creating successful bicycle transportation networks in Boston, if you haven’t seen it:

A Ride to Remember 2015

Posted on November 15, 2015November 22, 2015 by PN2K Team

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[Above, photo credit: Kyle Ramey] Did you know that the third Sunday of every November is World Remembrance Day? This Sunday, we followed Peter Cheung on a remembrance bike ride around Boston in honor and in memory of those who lost their lives in traffic fatalities. The ride ended near Boston Commons and was followed by a vigil, led by Laura Everett, where stories were shared by family members of loved ones and friends who became victims of road tragedies. We had 150 yellow roses that were laid on the steps and then later taken to the ghost bikes around town, along with “Crash Not Accident” signs. I am still learning about the origins of some of these movements – another important one being #VisionZero (a study showing that once a European city adopted Vision Zero, the rate of fatalities went down significantly). But in the meantime, it’s good to know that at least there are people who are doing something and care, including the Massachusetts VisionZero Coalition and the Boston Vision Zero Task Force. So thank you to all the organizers, including Boston Cyclists Union, Walk Boston, Mass Bike, and LivableStreets Alliance!

Phyo’s ghost bike on Mass Ave & Vassar St with yellow roses from the World Remembrance Day bike ride organized by BCU (the Crash Not Accident sign is placed on the side of the pole, visible to motorists and vehicles making right turns from Mass Ave onto Vassar St)

Boston Globe Article on event

Full album photos by Kyle Ramey

Balloon-Style Dreams

Posted on November 13, 2015November 22, 2015 by PN2K Team

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This was about half the group tha attended the BBP this past Friday: Dreams vs. Nightmares! PN2K led a convoy from MIT that left the MIT Student Center Steps (84 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139) this Friday at 6:45 PM. Why a convoy? This allows for students who are local and do not feel comfortable biking down Mass Ave by themselves to ride in a group. We were lucky this time to have had several Boston Bike Party volunteer marshals to light the way for us and keep us safe: a shout out to Anne Marie Biernacki, Ken Smith, and Chris Allison. You guys were just being social, but thanks for keeping us safe!

So what is all this? Every 2nd Friday of the month, Boston Bike Party organizes this huge ride (for 300+ cyclists – sometimes even 700) where everyone dresses up to the theme of the event and goes on an organized ride around Cambridge/Boston. Not only is this a great way to meet other members of the greater biking community, but it’s a way to build solidarity and experience how it feels to be one with other cyclists, taking over the (right) lane, ringing your bells, shouting “Bike Par-ty!” and seeing others enjoy life in a recreational way while enjoying the eclectically compiled and booming music from the bike trailers. Basically, everyone who has experienced this with us has said it’s pretty awesome. In fact, Facebook even thought it was cool and made a Commercial Video for BBP.

12244842_521975264627436_1097811006921667132_o Just because I will probably never be able to top this costume ever again, here is evidence of where my imagination and creativity peaked — I can’t even claim full credit for this as I managed to secure balloons from a previous event that was being taken down, but I did make that house (in 10 minutes) and managed to keep things tied together (30 minutes) and not actually float Up* and away while cycling through the Mass Ave/Harvard Bridge* – that’s something, right? (*note: not recommended unless you have a death wish)

After we reached our destination at Kenmore Square, our group (Dingfang, Yaoming, Jay Morgan, and a newly met member whom we named Puggles) gathered and feasted at Amsterdam Falafel.

Feel like you’ve missed out? Come to our GBM to learn more this upcoming Friday, 11/20 @ 6 PM in 1-132 (MIT), get your bike maintained/fixed (if it needs minor repairs) the first week of December, and then try out the December BBP!

Keep Calm & Pedal On

Official Dreams vs. Nightmares Boston Bike Party fb event page
MIT Convoy fb event page

Photo Credits to Amy L.

Biking = Being Healthy & Fit

Posted on November 13, 2015November 22, 2015 by PN2K Team

To combat the pressure-cooker/’drinking from a firehose‘ academic environment that is MIT, the Division of Student Life organized an event at the Zesiger Athletics Center for organizations and student groups dedicated to improving the quality of life at MIT. Groups that you could find included DAPER, MIT Medlinks, Student Activities Office, and more. There were tables that had free alcohol screening, 30-min massages, and therapy dogs. Everyone had free things to give away, and if you collected x number of signatures from every table, you earned a free “I love MIT” t-shirt. Of course, your very own PN2K bike safety officers were there as well, as part of what we do is help spread the message that biking makes you happy and brings you into a wonderful, supportive, and positive community!

Here is our bike safety officer, Will, present at the table for our event from 2-5 PM and sharing information about our events, upcoming meeting, and facts to keep you safe on your bike. He’s on campus, and he regularly helps out people with random bike issues. Got a question? Will’s your guy!

Thank you students for dropping by and signing up with us. We had lots of interest from you guys about our next bike safety event and November General Body Meeting – remember:

Friday, 11/20 at 6-7 PM in 1-132, come and meet members of the PN2K community! Learn more about hanging out with us, cycling, and doing something fun for your community.