20th Anual Bikes Not Bombs Bike-A-Thon (Boston, MA)

[Brian O.]

For anyone who can't make it to the Unithon in NJ on June 2nd (or for those really hardcore) there is another great ride the following day for an excellent cause in Boston, MA. Bikes Not Bombs is having their 20th annual bike-a-thon. They do great things localy for the community of Boston and around the country as well as around the world.

And around the world...

* Bikes Not Bombs has shipped 28,096 bikes to Central America, the Caribbean, Africa, and New Orleans in the last 23 years! Some of our latest projects:
* Nevis, St. Kitts: Parts, stands, tools, about 500 donated bikes, and BNB's youth program trainer Matt Soycher, were sent to this Caribbean island in January. An Earn-A-Bike program has been set up. This has also been a great opportunity for young BNBers in Boston to connect with the cultural and personal situations of their peers far away via mail, blogs, & internet videoconference.
* Ghana, West Africa: Working with The Village Bicycle Project: donated bikes supplying thirty small businesses while workshops bring training and subsidized bikes to new cyclists in the capital and many small towns, focusing on women cyclists.
* Diepsloot, South Africa: BNB provided two experienced trainers, tools, and bikes to start a bike shop and Earn-A-Bike program from 2005-present.
* El Salvadoran Center for Appropriate Technology (CESTA): BNB ships donated bikes used in youth programs and to train mechanics who set up their own bicycle businesses. CESTA also runs environmental campaigns and education.
* New Orleans, LA: BNB shipped 616 donated bikes to the Plan-B community bike shop, and sent 6 volunteer mechanics to help rebuild the bikes for distribution post-Katrina.
* Guatemala: BNB has donated bicycles and worked with MIT engineers to provide technical assistance to Maya Pedal for pedal-powered machines used in farming communities: grain grinders, water pumps, fruit blenders and more.

At BNB you can help make a better world both locally and globally, and have fun while you do it !

There are three rides, 65, 25 and 15 miles. To enter you have to have collected at least $80 in donations. I haven't confirmed that they don't mind unicyclists but I have no reason to believe that we wouldn't be allowed. I'm really torn between attending this or the Unithon, however the Unithon is almost 8 hours away from me and early in the morning making it rather difficult. I'd really love to be able to find at least one other rider to coker it up with me on either the 65 or 25 mile ride. I think it would be pretty hardcore to be able to pull off both this and the Unithon if possible. More info here: http://www.bikesnotbombs.org/bat-2007.htm

[Brian O.]

I can't make it to the LBI Unithon so I'll be riding the 25 mile route on this Bike-A-Thon as a single unicyclist. I've been training like crazy because I've only had my coker for a few weeks and for me this ride is really intimidating, I've never done something of this length. If you want to help out and make an online donation that would be amazing (I need to reach at least the minimum of $80) but please don't feel obligated to... I don't want to sound as if I'm scrounging for your money.

Donations: http://www.active.com/donate/bat07/oleyunicycle

Have fun at the Unithon guys!

[One on one]

Brian has 1 week to get enough donations together. Can anyone else help out?

[Brian O.]

Originally Posted by One on one

Brian has 1 week to get enough donations together. Can anyone else help out?

Thanks! I just went for my first 25 mile ride yesterday to train. I was able to go the distance but it seems like for me the limiting factor is saddle soreness. Every few miles I'd have to get off for 30 seconds to so. I think I'm going to be putting 125mm cranks on today so hopefully that should help with stability and speed assuming I can adjust to them before the ride this coming weekend. I just have to hope that its not too incredibly hilly.

[Brian O.]

I've continued my training each night and now following the advice of Nathan Hoover in a different thread rather than going really far distance to train I've just been doing a lot of climbing. I've switched to 125mm cranks from 150s and it has improved all aspects of my riding. At first it was harder to climb hills but now I've gained strength and the shorter cranks allow for a better pedaling rhythm letting me zoom up hills I once struggled with on 150s.

Advice for those of you with T7 handles and rail adapter when adjusting the angle of the adapter on the post make sure you loosen and tighten both bolts evenly, if you change the angle and tighten one bolt more than the other you can bend the rails... like me and I'm sure you don't want that. Luckily it doesn't affect my riding and isn't that bad at all I just hope it stays strong enough.

I'd like to personally thank One on one for so far being the only one to make an online donation, it was greatly appreciated!

Heres a shot of the bent rails, wish me luck on my ride, I've only been cokering for three weeks or so.

[Brian O.]

Wish me luck

I'm heading down to my grandparent's house in MA today so that I'll be able to be there nice and early tomorrow morning for registrations.

[One on one]

Good luck Brian!