Halloween Hangover Salem bike ride

Posted on November 1, 2015November 22, 2015 by PN2K Team

This is the "before" of our bike ride to Salem, MA - officially called "Halloween Hangover Ride" organized by MassBike. How did we get here? Felix saw me post something on our PN2K - Community fb page about going to Salem and next thing I know, it's October 31st and I'm being coaxed into a 30-40 mile bike ride even by Jane despite cycling injury woes and an ensuing cold. The cycling trip was beautiful, with the change in season apparent in the falling autumn leaves.

Finally we arrive in Salem, MA -- It was a really great group. While most of the cyclists went to the local pizza shop, I wandered around to grab my most current addition (swami bowl from Life Alive) and went inside some stores to look at the witchcraft and wizardry. Then we all gathered for the obligatory photo with the Bewitched Samantha statue.

Thanks MassBike for the organization - thankful for good company, my wonderful bike, music, and the everlasting fall foliage.

Halloween Bike Ride 2015

Posted on October 31, 2015January 19, 2017 by PN2K Team

Once at Copley Square, we were blown away by the array of costumes and the creative genius that sparked some insane ideas. (I wonder how much wind resistance they put up with?)

Those who came last year might recall the 700+ cyclists that rode out in the streets and the wild battles between a few motorists and cyclists that followed (traffic was not obeyed as streets were inundated with bikes). This year, Boston Bike Party organized the masses, and they followed a strict code. Click here to read about how we rode (also a great resource for people organizing random, large groups of bikers in suburban areas).

Thanks BBP for a wonderful time! Join our upcoming events:

PN2K presents "Bike Trivia" on Sunday, Nov 8 @ 2-5 PM: For those needing free minor bike repairs, pressure-washing, bike safety tips, or some free food, music, and good company, come have fun and test your bike trivia knowledge at the MIT Johnson Z-Center (front lobby) in Building W35. Free admission. We have helmets for $20 donations, bike lights for $15, memberships for $25, and sign-ups for shirts for $40.

Boston Bike Party presents "Sleep Tight" on Friday, Nov 13 @ 6:45 PM: Don't ride alone! Roll out with us in your costume from MIT to Copley Square for a ride around town.

Keep Calm & Pedal On!

Fall Foliage + Bikes

Posted on October 25, 2015January 19, 2017 by PN2K Team

Sunday bike adventures, continued! Jane and I went on the Fall Foliage Musical Mystery Ride (organized by Commonwheels Bicycle Coop and led by Peter Cheung and other volunteers from the biking community). Some of the colors were bright and bold enough to make your heart sing.

The ride went out to Waltham, MA. We visited the Charles Museum of Industry & Innovation where I saw some sleek tandem bikes. There were three musical stops, an eclectic sort of bands, and musical revelries. The third stop was on top of an abandoned bridge that we didn’t know we weren’t allowed on (until the cops came at the end and threatened arresting anyone who went on again). Jane and I had growling stomachs by the end, and decided to finish off the evening with a stop at Harvard Clover Food Labs – We can’t wait until the Halloween Bike Ride this coming Saturday!

Chief Jedi

Got helmets (year 2)

Posted on October 24, 2015November 22, 2015 by PN2K Team

In celebration of Family Day weekend, we were invited out to table at the MIT family activities fair this Saturday morning/afternoon from 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM. MIT really knows how to put on a show - I was expecting a simple line of tables - I went in and saw decorations, a popcorn machine, and a balloon man. While discussing PN2K semantics with a parent who was attracted by the helmets set up at our table, Mr. Balloon Man came over with this elaborately architectured balloon structure of an alien riding a bike. I was impressed.

The event proceeded to go by very smoothly (compared to our bike events) though there were times when a queue began to form and people started vying for attention. In general, parents loved the concept of donating to a nonprofit organization for a $20 helmet. One of the most exciting moments (besides the surprise gift from Mr. Balloon-Man) was seeing a mother who had dropped by our event LAST year. I had remembered her holding two helmets in her hand, but she was concerned about packing her luggage. The meeting went like this:

Me: I remember you!
Her: I remember you! I remember I had trouble last year because I could not pack the helmets, but then I realized that this is for a good cause and I should do whatever it takes. So I am going to buy today.

I remembered last year she had the red and blue one in her hand -- she was surprised I remembered. Anyway, she ended up getting them both. Thank you for your support and keeping safe!

Simultaneously, behind her was another important person who, as he says "on this fateful day, one year ago" was pulled into the scene that was PN2K when we met -- Will! Excitedly, I got to meet his parents again - and such a warm hello his father and mother both gave. Absolutely lovely folks, I think, and what a great son.

The person beside me was doing honey-research, so in between the mini-dance performances on the side, watching families take photos with TIM the Beaver (I missed it, sadly), and the chaos of families interested in learning more about PN2K, I tried some honey samples from the actual honey-combs.

Inventory was horrendous, I won't lie. As a starting non-profit, you have to figure out ways to make sure the quantity of helmets you order match up with the money you bring back. This seems straight-forward, but then you take into consideration the following:

people don't always have cash, so you need credit/debit options and multiple ways of accepting payment (e.g., online via PN2K.org);
helmet quantities are kept in my current office (room) and in the MIT COOP storage
when people are purchasing helmets, you have to make sure we have adequate quantities beforehand
you realize that after the event, you need to recount and make sure you know (1) the # of helmets sold (2) the amount of cash you have in your hand + the money paid online + the money paid through other means (e.g., card-swiper) matches the # of helmets sold (3) whether everything is documented correctly
helmets ordered via PN2K.org instantly deducts inventory count of helmets in the backend, but you need to manually deduct inventory in the backend for helmets paid by cash
people don't just want to buy helmets -- they are also interested in buying bike lights. (And thus, you fulfill their wishes and tell them you will get them lights because, hey, bike safety)

It was a solid 2-3 hours re-modifying the google excel spreadsheet and writing out steps for the next time we have to do this (Nov 8, bike event!) There are still a few things to do, like write up Thank You Donor Receipts and deliver those bike lights that were paid for today.

I then visited Anthony - the MIT COOP was definitely busier than usual with all the parents. I think he has a great mind for logistics (his response: "well I have to be good at logistics" while looking around crazily and slashing through numbers and notes on his pen-pad). I gave him the balloon. He needed it more than me.

Anthony, our star MIT COOP-er, with the loving alien-on-a-bike balloon in one hand, an MIT sweatshirt for an awaiting customer in the other, and a cell phone smashed between his ear and shoulder (customer 2, presumably). Thank you, Anthony for the work you do 🙂

Result -- Total: 10 helmets sold, 2 bike lights set, 2 x $20 donations (from dads who were empathetic) and more people who said they would follow up online/by email.

Thank you to Elena Byrne, Asst. Director of Student/Alumni Relations, and their organizing committee for inviting us to this fabulous event! Thank you MIT COOP and especially Anthony for partnering with us to make all these families happy. And importantly, thank you all the people of the tech world who create such fascinating technology that we can use to facilitate multi-tiered transactions. I have happy news: the inventory count was solid.

Keep Calm & Pedal On,

Chief Jedi

Costumes + Pad Thai

Posted on October 23, 2015January 19, 2017 by PN2K Team

In preparation for the Boston Halloween Bike Ride next Saturday, our crew thought we'd hit up some shops around town for costumes. An unsuspecting cyclist, Xin, joined us. He's a new-comer to this area and had some interesting comments while cycling. For instance:

While riding up the BU bridge on the bike lane: "Oh, this is the bike lane. It's very small." (I didn't get the feeling he believed it was safe. But we survived.)

While riding along Commonwealth Ave's bike lane along the parked cars and teaching him to bike nearer to the traffic (a bit away from the deathly door zone): "Yes, I was wondering how to avoid the cars opening their doors"

We also went over a few basic things, like crossing subway tracks at a perpendicular fashion and slowing down as a means to increase safety.

Our group ended up all around town, from charity shops to REI and larger department stores. We tried on some wacky costumes, and in the end, decided that we could probably be more creative making some of our own. The best part of the thing might have been the Pad Thai at the end (Rod Dee) and curry. Never miss a chance at team-building!

(Pre-event) Bike like a Pirate!

Posted on October 11, 2015November 22, 2015 by PN2K Team

Are you biking like a Pirate? If not, perhaps you should be!

We hope to see everyone again at our event, Pirates on Wheels, this afternoon at the MIT Student Center Steps.

A few things to keep in mind:

The bike repair line might close up to an hour early to make sure we wrap up on time.
The bike pressure-washer area will NOT be between the MIT Z Center and Student Center, as before. Due to construction, the area is temporarily moved to the area just outside the entrance to the MIT Z Center building (W35) on the side where the bike rack stands. It's a 30 second walk away from where we normally are. You should see orange cones and a rope lining off that area -- You can take your bike directly there first and then join us in line.
It seems chilly out there - bundle up!

Please see our event page for more info: https://www.facebook.com/events/197562660575721/
MIT event calendar: http://events.mit.edu/event.html?id=16473207

Keep Calm & Pedal On,

PN2K organizing committee

Directing Samurai visits Boston

Posted on September 28, 2015January 19, 2017 by Ye

Meet Directing Samurai. She is one of the spunkiest people I know, and I'm very fortunate to call her co-director at the PN2K foundation. She brings the enthusiasm and creativity to so many of our ideas, as well as the impetus to take chances and move our foundation forward. This weekend, she visited Boston/Cambridge and met our entire MIT PN2K team in person. I was so excited to finally present Directing Samurai's PN2K shirt to her (you can see that the photos radiate the same excitement). She also geared up with the elbow, knee, wrist guards that we will be selling for $20 on our website and at our events, and after she realized she was overdosed on hype and no longer jet-lagged, we decided to go shopping for some surprise appreciation gifts for the team. How did we get to our destination point? We biked.

So here you see Carmel on a Hubway bike, sporting our black PN2K multisport helmet, looking super chill. (Like this helmet? We're selling a limited number here)

After meeting with everyone, we did some video shooting for our kids bike safety event - Before Carmel arrived, we were online and video chatting about ideas for a kids bike safety video. What we came up with is a hoot... Neither of us are cut out to "sing" the lyrics to our song on camera, so if you or someone you know wants to be a PN2K video star, shoot us an email. However, we did get some nice footage to show basic safety instructions for kids, like looking both ways before crossing the street, how to lock up a bike (safely! and with a U-lock), signaling, wearing your helmet, bike lights, safety gear, etc.

Finally we went out for food with the team. What you see above is a little something we encountered after crossing the Harvard Bridge along Mass Ave (which, by the way, was ridden with congested traffic and vehicles in bike lanes by motorists who were clearly not following the letter or spirit of the law). While locking up our bikes, I noticed two things: (1) cars were cutting across the bike lane in the intersection, even as greenly painted as it was (2) there was a huge cone lying unused, neglected, and clearly abandoned beside me. I took up the cone, placed it at the intersection (the cyclist there at the time looked really confused; I guess cyclists aren't used to being cared or looked out for!), and stood back and admired the spectacle. It was amazing. Dingfang noticed first the immediate effect that one single cone placed at the intersection created - all of a sudden, cars and buses steered clear of that bike lane (or rather, that cone!) It makes sense right? During driving tests and all during practice, you're trained to not knock over a cone -- but never to avoid driving in a bike lane. Well, no one ever said the DMV was perfect and fair to all road users.

All in all, a grand time was had by all. We did a mini-photo shoot before Carmel left, and Dingfang and Yaoming even took time off Sunday afternoon to interview Carmel before she left. That will go down in my books as one of the most fun, effective, and productive weekends to date.

Keep Calm & Pedal On!

A tribute to our STEAM education programs

Posted on September 22, 2015January 19, 2017 by PN2K Team

Tribute

As PN2K moves towards bike safety educational initiatives and programs, we find ourselves moving away from some programs that have been instrumental in our foundational development and will move towards impact in the broader bicycle safety field to align with our greater mission of ensuring that all cyclists, including kids and their families, stay safe on the roads. We have exciting plans underway and have secured funding from the MIT Office of Government and Community Relations for 300 kids' bike safety books and will be starting work with MIT's Daycare Facilities to develop our kids bike safety educational sessions.

Once upon a time...

...in 2014, we kicked off our collaboration with MIT Amphibious Achievement to inspire high school students to pursue their dreams through STEAM-education, hands-on workshops (STEAM represents "science, technology, education, arts, math"). The structure of these exciting on-site visits to local companies and start-ups for Achievers was created by PN2K as a means to inspire students to pursue higher education and introduce them to potential career paths.

Guest speakers inspire students with personal stories of how college shaped their career paths and life journeys. A large chunk of time is dedicated to experiential learning (hands-on building and “learning by doing” activities), followed by a quick debrief.

The four workshops PN2K hosted:

MIT PN2K goes to BOSTON with BBP (it’s a social science)

Posted on September 12, 2015April 23, 2018 by PN2K Team

Have you ever met someone new and thereafter began to see his/her face everywhere all of a sudden? It's like working on bike safety - the more you dabble in this field, the more bikes you begin to see everywhere: on advertisements, commercials about relaxing, vacations, childhood memories, etc. Bikes somehow become omnipresent.

And you wonder how did you miss all this before?

When you see brain and cognitive science studies on attention, you begin to realize our limitations on perception. I've sat through classes (taught by Professor Aude Olivia - brilliant lecturer, highly recommended) where we watched an image for 30 seconds. At the end, we're asked to note the things that had changed. (What? Things changed? WHEN?) You then learn that the image had transposed into another: a person disappeared in photo 2, a banner gained stripes, colors changed, a lamp post moved, a building morphed! And you didn't notice a thing. It's humbling - And it's fascinating. As it turns out, we're all slaves to our brains and "nothing gets past you" isn't true.

Selective attention tests demonstrate that at any point, your perception of the world is based upon what your brain selectively decides to process; the perception is an amalgamation of still, selectively-processed snap-shots in time. How does the brain decide what to process? Various factors, one of which is familiarity. The more familiar a face is to you, the more it will stand out against others.

Now let's think about this in the context of bike safety: drivers will stop at red signs, obey standard red-yellow-green traffic lights, and look for green directional signs with arrows on highways. What cue triggers them to recognize a cyclist? To be honest, cyclists don't have much going on for them that would make them stand out; and that's why many of them wear bright green safety vests (scientifically the color that is most noticeable). That is why PN2K sells bright safety green t-shirts and bike lights for cyclists. You want to stay safe on the roads that lack proper bike infrastructure? STAND OUT. Have bike lights. Make motorists see you - if their minds cannot process your presence, they cannot react in time to dodge you or give you enough space.

The point of the above is not meant to persuade you to further investigate into the nuances of our brains (as interesting of a field as it is); it's so you can begin to relate, scientifically, to the fact that people's attentions are divided up, simply because there is an overwhelming amount of information to process in the world -- and this is a reason why accidents happen. The accident is never intended! (thus the term "accident") and not everyone is a demonic driver out to get you. In fact, some cyclists are also drivers! Keep that in mind when they honk in support of bike parties.

When cyclists are few, drivers might not be trained to notice cyclists; but when you put together 2 or 3 cyclists, their presence becomes more pronounced, as does their safety. As more and more cyclists become regular road users to the point where the numbers cannot be ignored, cycling will become safer as drivers become more aware of their presence.

But what can you do now? Well, you can participate in advocacy groups, you can give cyclists loud horns and bells, make them do unusual tricks that capture attention (wheelies; unusually tall bikes; naked cyclists), raise hell, threaten to TP parliament -- or you can throw 500+ cyclists together in one large massive un-ignorable group and shout "BOSTON BIKE PARRRR-TY!"

I learned last autumn that some things can increase your safety more than helmets: (1) bike lights (2) more cyclists out on the road. The latter is pretty important, and BBP does an awesome job organizing and leading 500+ people from point A to point B. And that's why PN2K wants to help. We want YOU getting out there as well, no matter if you're a freshman, international student, temp transfer, a grad student who just learned how to ride a bike -- come out and join our bike convoy! Our convoys (bike groups) will leave from the MIT Student Center to and head to Copley Square at 6:45 PM* every second Friday of the month (*7:20 PM during the summer; please refer to our Events page calendar to be sure). Besides the fact that it's incredibly fun and empowering to bike alongside 500 other friendly cyclists in solidarity, learning a lesson about 'strength in numbers' is something you can acknowledge but not truly understand until you ride in a crowd where to your left and to your right, all you see are cyclists and more cyclists. Beyond that, it's also worthwhile to know the 3-4 people biking with you from PN2K who will welcome you happily and become your cycling family.

We need office space.

Posted on September 5, 2015January 19, 2017 by PN2K Team

Prepping for the big Sunday

Posted on September 4, 2015January 19, 2017 by PN2K Team

Preparation for MIT Bike Fest 2015 has been insane. For the first time ever, it's been forcing me to learn how to delegate tasks to the team, and it's wonderful - because the core team is very committed and I feel like we are all working diligently together to make sure this big event coming up is a success. Thanks to Tian for helping to schedule my day for me (this morning: Tian - "Did you just wake up?" Me - "No, I've been awake" Tian - "You're supposed to be printing now!"). Yaoming and I went around picking up all the goods ordered for Bike Fest: T-shirts, food donation from Star Market, raffle basket from Starbucks (to throw in with donations from MIT Facilities and gift certificates from local bike shops). We headed to MIT Activities Midway to check in (huuuuuge line) where we eventually met with Dingfang and Will.

MIT Activities Midway consists of the entire population of students coming to one area where all the student organizations congregate and entertain (with info and food). We did our bit, Yaoming helped package all the bike helmets that Will wheeled all the way over from Next House, and our historians then went to drop off these helmets at the MIT COOP for our big day Sunday. [left: photo of very useful MIT bike maps that show the cycling cages - both indoor and outdoor - at MIT, as well as fix-it stations, and cycle routes.]

Digital Production & Ghost Bike Dedication to Anita Kurmann

Posted on August 20, 2015January 19, 2017 by Ye

All the magic happens behind the scenes sometimes. Dingfang and Yaoming have been editing the video from SidPac's coffee hour with PN2K, and they said our three characters had such diverse personalities that the process of editing was "very funny and so entertaining." I was curious so they invited me along to Northeastern's Snell library where I saw the first version of the finished video. All I can say is that we need more cyclists and folks who are willing to impart their knowledge to the world. (It's more fun watching a video of cool cyclists and learning from your cycling friends than reading a bike safety book, though we definitely do not condemn the latter).

We then grabbed some food at a restaurant nearby and left to the first dock near Harvard Bridge on the esplanade to dine. On the way, we could already see a small crowd gathering for Anita Kurmann's memorial at Mass Ave & Beacon, the intersection where her fatality happened. Shortly thereafter, we joined them.

Phyo's death occurred nearly four years ago. I can remember how painful the experience was but recalling the death of a friend or loved one is not something you can simply relive or re-feel. Either way, I do distinctly know the anxiety and stress of hearing news about a cycling fatality and not knowing who that cyclist is. With every news report, I can only pray and wish really hard that the cyclist is not someone close to me -- that life would not be so cruel as to take away another friend or someone I know and care about in such an unjust way. The way to make cycling safer is to get out there, educate cyclists, and ride more - but I also pray that the current imperfections in the transportation system will make no more martyrs of our cycling community.

Gone Wild with BBP

Posted on August 15, 2015September 9, 2015 by PN2K Team

What is BBP, one might ask. BBP stands for the best group of bicyclists in town- Boston Bike Party, and this Friday, MIT PN2K organized a convoy to cycle out from MIT and meet up with BBP. We were greeted by unfamiliar-familiar faces; seriously, you try recognizing your friends when they're decked out in wild animal costumes and face paint. You see, Peter Cheung, who organizes these proceedings each month with a host of friendly volunteers, for about, oh, nothing more than 300-800 cyclists (it was about 600 this time)-- they come up with a theme each month and BBP meets each theme with great fanfare. "Gone Wild" (animal-jungle style) was the victor this month. I saw a red flying squirrel (or maybe it was a raccoon), tails on the rear ends of cyclists, a hunter in camouflage riddled in darts, Safari explorers, and so much leopard print; it made me question the spontaneity of my own wardrobe. What did I wear? Because the destination point was the beach, I donned on a rainbow colored leopard print bathing suit, then threw on my November Project neon green shorts and my PN2K jersey on top of that. Perfect. I would have passed for normal if I hadn't found balloons in a drawer and decided I could also be Mickey Mouse if I attached two spheres to the top of my helmet. Then I threw on some shades, just for anonymity purposes. The hour or so riding around Boston before BBP in this get-up was definitely an experience. I was visible, that's for sure.

Shortly thereafter I met with Yaoming, Dingfang, Becky, Oscar, and Will. Safety in numbers! We decided to take up one full lane as we biked down Mass Ave to Copley Square.

The rest of the night was pretty awesome. I'm purposefully not describing it all in detail here because it's something you don't read about- it's something you experience. There's something rewarding, fulfilling, empowering, and a whole new level of safe when you cycle as a community.

Between the bear cages, chasing two feet diameter bubbles, green power spray, freezing-cold beach water, spontaneous singing, shadow bike dances, and quality time spent with cool people, it was a pretty grand way to spend a Friday evening.

Till meet time! Thank you BBP for organizing!!

Photo credits to Yaoming Duan. You can find the rest of his album here: https://goo.gl/j5APkF

(pre-event post) MIT PN2K presents: Island in the Sun!

Posted on July 19, 2015August 28, 2015 by PN2K Team

Get ready for our next July bike event!

Here’s what you can expect to find with us:

free minor bike repairs, courtesy of Bike Boom
a couple of new faces who will be volunteering with our crew and making the background magic happen
bike repair clinics and bike-mechanic-savvy individuals with the know-how to teach you some bike safety basics
bike registration with MIT Parking & Transportation Office (from 3-5 PM)
bike pressure washer (we know you guys love this – Newbies, read any of our blogs from the past few months to learn more)
bike lock (U-lock) cleaning & maintenance station (we know the locking mechanism can be annoying when it’s stuck!)
free food & music

We’re working on getting in bike helmets, bike lights, and high visibility PN2K bike t-shirts. Our helmets are $20, bike lights are $15, and T-shirts will be $20. All the money goes towards PN2K and helping to continue supporting the foundation’s activities so we can continue to run these bike repair events and expand!

ON THE DAY, when you come in…

Please check in with us (find the person holding the green iPad) Complete and submit the registration form.
Take your bicycle to the pressure washer (focus on the drive chain). Don’t know how to use the bike pressure washer? If another cyclist is around, ask him/her to show you!
Come back and place your bike in line (where the cones are) Make sure we know whether you are here for a quick-fix (pumping tires, lubing chains, buying something and leaving) or something more extensive (adjusting brake pads, wires, “don’t know what’s wrong…”)
Head towards the stations we have set up for ice-breakers and bike safety games (leave your bike — it won’t go anywhere!)
If you have your U-lock (also called “D-lock”), please bring that to the cleaning station as we’ll have equipment that you can use to help maintain its non-rusty condition!
Get your bike fixed!

The team will be wearing high-viz green neon shirts. If in doubt, find one of us as we are here to help you.

Please be aware that the number of cyclists in our line usually exceeds capacity before 7:00 PM. The number of repairs we can take depends upon how many volunteers we have available that day as well as the number of cyclists in line. Please note that we may have to close only the bike repair line early (other services/stations will remain open until 7 PM).

And lastly, enjoy, have fun, and pedal safely!

—

Yes! I am free to volunteer for July 31 (we need your help starting from 2pm-8pm)
Yes! I want to donate to PN2K to help support your efforts!

Meet Popo the Tanuki!

Posted on March 10, 2015March 16, 2018 by PN2K Team

So you might be wondering, “What IS that squirrely looking creature on the PN2K logo?” If you were wondering that, you would not be alone. We’ve had a couple people ask us in passing about the mysterious creature on our logo. Meet Popo and he is a tanuki (Japanese name for “raccoon dog”). In folklore, tanukis are considered jolly and mischievous creatures. Some would describe them as friendly and playful social animals. Others consider tanuki as mysterious animals with shape-shifting abilities. Who knows? Our Popo the Tanuki was designed to be an animal caricature of Phyo, after whom our foundation was named. During Phyo’s freshman year at MIT, he and a couple friends decided to draw themselves as their brethren animal spirits for fun. Phyo ended up with the raccoon dog because of his outer appearance and his habits. When Phyo first arrived at MIT, many of his close friends considered him like a big teddy bear. He also seemed to never sleep, and so it was fitting that a cute bear-like creature with dark rings around the eyes be his brethren animal. Finally, Phyo was mysterious in how he managed to appear everywhere (at social events, parties, TA office hours) then suddenly disappear when he did not want to be found. Thus, the tanuki became Phyo’s choice brethren spirit and the original Popo the Tanuki was born. Popo is not the first famous tanuki out there. You may have seen Nintendo’s Mario sporting a raccoon-looking suit (that was actually a tanuki suit) or Studio Ghibli’s animated film “Pom Poko”, a film all about tanuki using their magical powers to fight urbanization!

MIT PN2K presents: Love to Velo

Posted on February 27, 2015August 28, 2015 by Ye

Do you LOVE to VELO?

After postponing our February 13 bike event due to the huge pile of snow stashed on the MIT Student Center Steps, we decided to move our event indoors and push back the date to Feb 27.

If you've been to any of our previous events, you'll know that we don't just talk about bike safety or awareness - we want every person leaving our event to be tangibly safer than when they arrived. So what does this mean? This past Friday, it meant ~60 cyclists receiving free bicycle repairs and tune-ups from Bike Boom and free bike valve lights (for added side visibility) from our MIT PN2K chapter.

This was the first time we took our event to the MIT Z-Center (Johnson) Lobby -- A shout-out of appreciation to Amy Heinl for supporting us in reserving this space! At first, we weren't sure if you guys would be able to find us, but after the first hour or so, while we had 27 cyclists in line, it became apparent that no matter where we take our event, there will be followers.

We take your feedback seriously, and we're always looking for ways to improve our events. We've noticed a jumble of cyclists waiting in line most of the time, so on Friday, we handed out "tickets" to free up attendees, so you guys could co-mingle, play cards, converse, sit on the benches, grab food, and simply relax. We hope you enjoyed the free food and hot chocolate!

Of course, what's a bike event without the proper gear? We had helmets and bike lights available for $20 and $15 donations. Keep an eye out as we explore a bike-safety collaboration with the MIT COOP in W20; pretty soon, you might be picking up helmets from the same place you pick up your E/C2 Sqrt(-1) PV/NR shirts!*

For those who came by to register their bikes with MIT Parking & Transportation - we apologize! Last minute changes out of our control and they were unable to make it. In the future, we can direct you to the MIT PTO office in the basement of W20, or go to this PTO bike registration website and fill out the form -- we can help you do this at our future bike events.

Many cyclists came by and asked if we had the pressure-washer (we didn’t due to the freezing temperatures) but lots of bikes were covered in salt and snow residue and needed serious cleaning, so we will be busting out the pressure-washer in our March/April events.

2015! Revolutions Resolutions

Posted on January 30, 2015August 28, 2015 by Ye

"We were walking around Mass Ave, looking for a story, when we saw a bunch of cyclists going in one direction. We thought, 'Huh, that's strange - it's snowing; why are there so many cyclists?' So we followed them here"

- Yaoming, Northeastern University

What's so cool is that the more we run our bike safety events, the bigger our PN2K community becomes -- even when it's snowing outside. On Friday, January 30, our organizers walked into the Student Center to set up the tables. We were expecting maybe 2-3 cyclists (perhaps 5 at best) given the cold, wintry state of affairs and the fact that most bikes abandoned outside are now doused in snow. Well, around 1:50 pm, there were already 3-4 cyclists in line, awaiting the start. Hm... I thought. Perhaps this event will be more successful than I thought.*

Indeed.

Cyclists showed up, they waited, they got free bike valve lights, they made new friends and greeted old, and they ate Bertucci's while jamming to music and chowing down snacks. Even the little ones.

Susan, our product designer volunteer, put together two pages of random accessories (anything from water bottles, scarves, gloves, etc. - even umbrellas!), and we asked cyclists to vote for which ones they'd purchase.

We also had David from MIT Parking & Transportation Office Commuter Connections for free bicycle registrations. The benefit to this? Track your bike if it's lost, stolen, or abandoned -- and you get your registration ticket immediately! You can also register your bike online (the ticket to be placed on your bike will be mailed to you after completing the online form).

Bike Boom did a fantastic job whizzing through the line. For those just learning about us, Bike Boom is PN2K's main bike pro partners - they come out to each of our events, completely dedicated to the cause of bike safety and getting cyclists in and out with working brakes, non-flat tires, and oiled chains. Cyclists come in with a whoooooole range of problems and a whooooole range of bikes! Road bikes, mountain bikes, broken bikes, non-oiled bikes, squeaky bikes, neglected bikes, abandoned bikes, put-it-together-myself bikes, fat-tire bikes, definitely-not-new bikes! And our volunteers do an awesome job speeding up the process (shout outs to Izzy and John this time for helping out!)

If we've learned anything, it's that even during the winter, while the snowflakes pour down, the cyclists will still come pouring in! We won't go into our tangent about how the prominence in the numbers of winter cyclists is a high indicator of cyclists' reliance on biking as their main mode of transportation (Biking is not an "alternative," it is a necessary mode of transport for some! Biking can be the most sensible, reliable, efficient, and cost-effective form of transport from getting to point A to point B for many), and therefore why cyclists deserve improved cycling infrastructure just as much as the next pedestrian or motorist. They have their sidewalks and car lanes - cyclists want their bike lanes! Nope we'll save that tangent for another time.

We ride, organize, and have fun.

(above) Julie and Alpha from PN2K

Till next time, cyclists! And Happy Riding in 2015!

- PN2K

Full album can be found here.

*We thank Mike F. from MIT CAC for letting us hold this event indoors and giving us the space needed on short notice!

Winter Bike Fest (12/05)

Posted on December 5, 2014August 28, 2015 by Ye

If there's one thing we learned this time, it's that cyclists persist year-round, in all sorts of temperatures. The thing about cycling is that for some, it's not just a choice, hobby, or form of exercise; it's a lifestyle -- it's a method of reliable transportation from home to work, school, the store, gym, parks, movies, bus station -- anywhere.

So, what is all this, and who are we? Welcome to our monthly bike fests, where we have free minor tune-ups and repairs from Bike Boom, awesome volunteers who help us keep the line moving, helmets for $20, bike lights for $15, and lots of food, fun, and music (free). Our events are free and always open to the public.

One of the cooler things we did this time around was introduce our bike power washer to the MIT community -- This is possibly the first time that anyone has ever done this in MIT history, perhaps even in Cambridge & Boston. And we recognize that not all great ideas come from just the internal team, but from bike safety and cycling enthusiasts like yourselves! This particular idea came from one of our volunteers, Rudy, who suggested a power washer to help clean the dirt, residue, salt, etc. off bikes. It made sense, so we tried it out - turns out, you guys loved this idea, too! Thanks Rudy for your contribution to the cycling community!

Fava beans + photo + candy = bike safety?

Posted on November 7, 2014August 28, 2015 by PN2K Team

MIT PN2K presents: Spooks & Spokes!

Posted on October 31, 2014April 26, 2018 by PN2K Team

The most awesome aspect of our bike events? The people. PN2K strives to work with partners that truly care about bike safety and getting you in and out without spending more than needed. As a result, our events are free (admission ticket: $0 for you and your friends), including the food, music, education, and entertainment. Instead of helmets for $40-60 bucks, we have "Kyaw helmets" that go for $20.

This October 30, MIT PN2K hosted Spooks & Spokes in which Armando and Rob from Bike Boom came out to help with free minor bike tune-ups and repairs again. If you don't know of this bike shop in Davis Square (off the Red Line), you should definitely check them out.

Furthermore, we had Robynn and David from the MIT Parking & Transportation Office helping students to register their bikes with MIT (free -- just in case their bikes are stolen or random bike racks are removed, these owners can be contacted). Surprise volunteers popped up and helped with overall event execution plus fixing of bikes and making the flat tire repair stations possible! WMBR kept the energy high with the eclectic range of music and high energy in their participants. And Star Market, we thank you guys for making so many Halloween sweet treats available.

The next day, Oct 31, a smaller group of MIT PN2K cyclists gathered to join 700+ other cyclists in the 2014 Boston Halloween Bike Ride, as part of a monthly bike ride organized by Boston Bike Party. Immense crowds, cycling in solidarity, wearing eclectic costumes, blasting loud music. What could be better? It was amazing to see the ginormous numbers of cyclists (they definitely surprised critical mass) who all banned together to ring their bells, shout out in support of cyclists' rights, and defend each other in the face of motorists who honk in annoyance rather than the friendly ones encountered along the way who honk repeatedly in support! Here, here! These Friday evening bike rides might just become a thing. Let us know if you want to help lead one!

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