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EVENT TONIGHT! The New Amsterdam Project: Human powered cargo trikes

STREET TALK! (Tonight)

The New Amsterdam Project: Human powered cargo trikes; paving the way for sustainable delivery services
Tue. Apr. 29, 7 – 8:30 pm
by Andrew Brown, founder and CEO of the New Amsterdam Project

@ LivableStreets office space, 100 Sidney Street, Central Square, Cambridge

free and open to the public, donation suggested, beer/sodas provided compliments of Harpoon Brewery!

We invite you to attend, learn & be inspired by the recently launched, Cambridge-based bicycle delivery service, the New Amsterdam Project (NAP). NAP provides human-powered pick-up and delivery services for local businesses, organizations and universities. Founder and CEO, Andrew Brown will be discussing the inspiration behind the cargo-trike fleet and how the company will transform the Boston metro area.

When it comes to urban delivery services, the New Amsterdam Project’s fleet of human-powered trikes is quickly becoming a strong competitor to conventional vans and trucks. Thanks to their compact design, these cargo vehicles –which accommodate up to 600 lbs.– can easily navigate urban congestion and require a fraction of the space otherwise needed for parking/ delivery by a car, van or truck. And, as a zero-emissions transportation service; the NAP is able to offer clients and their communities an environmentally sound alternative for their transportation needs. Their clients include: Boston Organics, Taza Chocolate, Petsi Pies, and many others.

The New Amsterdam project was recently featured in a Christian Science monitor article: “Cargo trikes nudge delivery trucks in Cambridge, Mass.; A Cambridge, Mass., delivery company is using industrial tricycles to deliver goods in efforts to curb global emissions.”

This event is sponsored by LivableStreets Alliance

Click here for more information
http://www.livablestreets.info/node/1388

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sick wheel covers…and how to make them


quiet thunder, boston

First rule of polo: don’t talk about polo. Second rule: don’t play with your nice wheel set! Everyone knows that your wheelset will be the first thing you have to replace on your polo bike…especially after a few rounds with Sassy. Check back later for a tutorial on redneck truing from Sassy himself!

In the meantime, build yourself a sick wheel cover. Helps keep everyone’s mallet from going through your spokes, including your own.

Build a sick wheel cover!


“bad attitude”, boston

Materials:
How much time and money are you going to invest in this project? Cardboard is quick, easy, and free, but corrugated plastic is going to hold up much better and is rain-proof. Either way, you’ll need:

Two pieces of material about 2′ x 2′ for each wheel you want to cover. Really, only the front is necessary.

Zip ties – I used about 8-12 per wheel, others use more. Don’t skimp.

Materials to decorate your wheel cover and make it sick. Spray paint, stickers, markers, whatever. Don’t skip this part or you are lame.

Tools:

Box cutter

Marker

Drill – only if you are using corrugated plastic

24″ or so of string

Tape measure (or just use your string to measure, whatever.)

Push pin

Make those covers:

Start with your 2×2 square, and mark the center.

Measure your wheel radius – rim to rim. Keep in mind that the wheel cover should not cover the braking surface if you are running a brake! Bad news!

Tie a loop in each end of the string, making sure that the total length is equal to the radius of your rim. Pin one end loop of your string to the center point you just made, and put your marker in the other end, and draw yourself a circle exactly the size of your wheel. Now cut it out.

Cut a 2″ circle out of the center for the axle. Also make a cut along the radius of your wheel cover if using corrugated plastic – this will allow your cover to match the dish of your wheel. This cut isn’t really necessary for cardboard covers.

Repeat above – you’ll need two covers for each wheel.

Decorate those covers to make them sick! Be creative! I’ve included a gallery below to get you thinking.

Mark holes for the zip ties by laying your wheel over the cut out cover and marking every few spokes. A small hole on either side of the spoke will allow the zip tie to loop around the spoke and hold the cover on. Don’t go too close to the edge of your cover, especially with cardboard.

Cut the zip tie holes by stacking your wheel covers on top of each other and cutting through both pieces. For this step you can use an exacto on cardboard, or a drill for the corrugated plastic. What the heck, use a drill for either material, it will turn out better.

Throw those covers on your wheel by running that zip tie through one sheet, through the wheel, then the other sheet, and then back again, making a wheel cover-wheel-wheel cover sandwich. Don’t tighten too much until you have all the zip ties in loosely – then go back around and snug everything up. Trim of dangly zip tie ends.

Play polo! Your wheel cover is awesome and now everyone thinks you are cool! Make them for others that are too lazy and charge in beer!

I’ll keep a running gallery of awesome wheel covers. Email me at editor at boston bike polo dot com if you want your cover pic added. Here’s a start…


gus legit, boston


tink, dc

mystery wheel cover, who claims it? I like.

ken, NYC


veronique in the background and “bad attitude”, boston

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Redbones 12th Annual Bike Party and Benefit

Monday May 12, 5-9 PM.

Be sure to check out this great bike event coming up in a few weeks. The Redbones Bike Party

is a good place to feel like you are part of the cycling community in Boston/Cambridge/Sommerville. Did I mention there is going to be an awesome raffle and as always great food and drink from Redbones? Party proceeds go to NEMBA and MassBike , our off-road and on-road cycling advocacy organizations here in Massachusetts.

Hopefully we’ll see you there!

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Walk/Ride day

Join architects and thousands of others in the Boston area on April 25 for the monthly Walk/Ride Day sponsored by the Green Streets Initiative. Held the last Friday of every month, participants wear green and use green transportation. Raffle prizes and retail discounts are available; visit www.GoGreenStreets.org for details.

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Photo shoot today!

from Mary, photographer for Boston Bike Reflector…

hey all!

bring a friend, bring a bike! today (last minute, i know…) i’m doing a photo shoot for the third issue of ‘boston bicycle reflector’.

if you haven’t seen it, check out our blog here: http://reflector.bostonbiker.org/

the plan is:
1. meet at harrison ave. and traveler street in the south end around 6:30. MAP

2. ride over the 4th street bridge as a group into southie while i photograph it.

3. go grab a drink or food at foley’s (optional, but recommended)

messenger types, spandexos, high heels riders, and a healthy variety of race, gender, ages are wanted! all types, all kind of bikes.

hope to see you there!

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more injuries…

another injury to add to the mix…this one apparently from Melbourne? Injury sustained in East Van.
nice. keep em comin. for more, click here


Titanium screws in 5th Metacarpal, Left Hand

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the WORLD POLO championships

Borrowed from hardcourtbikepolo, I think we need to be having this discussion here too. Read on, and please comment.

“Official” Question?” Does it need to be “Official”?

With so many tournaments going on this year, and I’m guessing next year will be even more crowded with events, one begins to think which is the BIG, big one. You have need for an international tournament, and a national tournament. Right now CMWC and NACCC are basically messenger race events with polo tournaments included. The West side, East side, North side, and Mid-West all have regional tournaments. Most of the time it’s a polo event that sometimes includes a race. As the community of devoted polo players gets more and more in touch with other regions, and reputations are developed around the best players in each region, one begins to think which is the BEST, best team. I am guessing more than a few teams want the title, but beyond the regionals there is no “Official” title. Should there be one and what should it be?

I’ll repost some comments on the subject, see more:

Continue reading “the WORLD POLO championships”

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Event: Bikeways in the Emerald Necklace?

Boston’s Greenways: Eight Missing Links
Tuesday April 22
6:30 p.m.
Northeastern University

The April 22 event will serve as Northeastern Professor Peter Furth’s civil and environmental engineering students’ official final presentation for their senior design class with five teams presenting. The students have created group projects to design bikeways/walking paths for challenging sections of the Emerald Necklace. The presentations will be in room 108 Snell Engineering Center at Northeastern University. The Emerald Necklace Conservancy is co-hosting this event with Fenway Alliance, Mass Bike, Walk Boston and the Solomon Fund.

They got some press here, and bostonbiker dug up some more info here

David L. Ryan/Globe Staff