Tomorrow: Bike Tune-Up Day!

Tomorrow, Thursday April 28th, come to Joe's Bike Shop in Fells Point (723-B South Broadway) at 7:30PM and get a full tuneup for only $50 - a $75 value! (Joe's Bike Shop is also a Ride for the Feast bike sponsor this year.)
A tune-up is not all you'll get - you'll also enjoy music, food, drinks, and fun with the rest of the Ride for the Feast gang.

Not sure if your bike REALLY needs a tune-up? Check out these bike readiness tips from Rider Jim Ventosa. We suggest that if you're not sure, get it tuned-up - better safe than sorry on the roads from  Ocean City during the weekend of the Ride.

All of tomorrow's tune-up proceeds will be donated to Ride for the Feast.

Add this event to your Google calendar:  

"Training Rides & Bike How-To's"

Hey Riders!

You should have received the latest News Bites, Ride Edition yesterday, Wednesday March 23rd.

Topics included:

1. Outdoor Training Rides
2. Bike Readiness
3. Bike Safety on Wet Roads
4. Travel Arrangements 
5. T-Shirt Design Contest (note: deadline extended until Monday, March 28th at 5:00PM!)
6. Ride Stats  
7. Coming Up This Week
8. Save the Date 
9. Event Photos 

The newsletter contained some more detailed information about this Saturday's outdoor training ride with Development director Ted Blankenship, along the BWI and B&A trails to Annapolis. It also went over some weekday outdoor training rides that will be scheduled!

Even better, the newsletter contained important information about doing a thorough bike check and getting your bike ready for 140 miles.

Click here to visit the eNewsletters section of our website to view the March 23rd News Bites, Ride Edition and previous ones in the archive.

You're going to be ready for the Ride in May, but is your bike?

Jim Ventosa is a three time participant in RFTF (this year being his fourth) and current employee of Proteus Bicycles. Jim knows first-hand how important it is for your bike to be in tip-top shape to ride 140 miles, as well as how to get it there. Jim has kindly shared his expertise below.

The weather is getting warmer so a lot of bike tires are hitting the pavement for the first time this year.  Spinning classes are fantastic, but it's definitely worth it to get your bike out sooner rather than later.  After you pull your bike down from that hook in the garage, give it a once-over to make sure it's ready to roll. 

1. Air up your tires. The PSI (pounds per square inch) is printed on the side of your tire.  Have a look at your tires - how badly are they worn?
    
2. Pick the front of the bike up, spin the front wheel. Look at the space between your brakes and your rim. Is the wheel spinning relatively straight? Repeat with the back wheel.
    
3. Grab the tire and try to wobble the wheel from side to side. It shouldn't wobble at all.  The axle should feel secure. Repeat with the rear wheel.
    
4. Turn your handlebars 90 degrees. Put on the front brake. Push the bike forward and backwards.  It shouldn't feel wobbly.
    
5. Both of your brakes should work without having to apply too much pressure to the levers.  Look at the brake pads - are they very worn? Is the side of the rim particularly dirty? Are your brake cables frayed?
    
6. Using a metric allen wrench (most bolts will be 4, 5, or 6mm), check to make sure that all the visible bolts are tight. No need to overdo it. You don't want to apply too much force and strip the bolts, but things should be tight.
    
7. Grab your crankarms (the things connected to the pedals) and try to wobble them side to side. They shouldn't. By this time it should be painfully apparent that wobbling is bad.
    
8. Hop on your bike and ride around. Shift through all of your gears with your right hand, then shift one gear with the left, then shift through all the gears with your right hand again.  Repeat until you have done all the different gear combinations. Don't be surprised if your bike doesn't like the extremes (big chainring in the front and big gear in the back or small chainring in the front and little gear in the back).  This is normal. The chain should roll smoothly, it shouldn't jump off the gears, it shouldn't skip (or wobble for that matter).
    
9. Look at your chain. Is it dirty? If you're feeling ambitious, hold a ruler up to it.  12 links should be 12 inches (from the center of pin to the center of pin).  If it's not, you may be due for a new chain.
    
10. Look at your cassette (gears in the back) and your chainrings (gears in the front).  They should not look like shark fins.  If they do, your drivetrain is probably worn.

If you're having problems with these things now, stop by one of the awesome Ride for the Feast sponsor bike shops and get your bike checked out...or check out a couple of the specials listed below:

• Joe’s Bike Shop will be hosting their annual bike tune-up event on April 28. Tune-ups will be offered for a discounted rate of $50 (normally $75) and all proceeds will benefit Moveable Feast.
• Baltimore Bicycle Works is also offering a $20 discount on tune-ups for Ride participants.  Stop in their Falls Road Shop (1813 Falls Road) and mention RFTF.

PLEASE NOTE:  We have been lucky enough to have fantastic bike techs with us each year. BUT, that's no excuse to show up to the ride without making sure your bike is in good working order. Bike techs are there to deal with quick and easy fixes to keep you rolling. "Keep you rolling" implies that your bike is already rolling quite well but may have had a minor problem. In previous years, a lot of what they have been asked to do the night before or during the Ride falls well outside of that realm. Moving forward, we're going to encourage our bike techs to give priority to quick easy fixes and adjustments, in order to make the best use of their time and not take advantage of them. If your bike needs fall outside that realm, you will be directed to the nearest bike shop.

International Corporate Philanthropy Day

What do Coldwell Banker, Friedman & Associates, Johns Hopkins Health Systems and GEICO have in common? They are all long time sponsors of Ride for the Feast and valuable corporate partners that help to further the vital work we do at Moveable Feast.

Today, on International Corporate Philanthropy Day, we want to take a moment to recognize, thank and raise awareness about these and other corporate partners and the positive impact their philanthropy makes on our mission and services. 



Ride For The Feast 2010

During our 21 years in the community, corporate philanthropy has come to mean so much more than writing a check and getting ad space in return. Our partners have shown genuine interest in our events and services and have challenged us to get creative with building meaningful relationships. Many partners go beyond  traditional Ride for the Feast sponsorships to support Moveable Feast: corporate employees come out throughout the year to volunteer in our kitchen and grocery room; year after year Johns Hopkins Health Systems employees actually ride the 140 miles to support our cause; T. Rowe Price sponsors their employee riders, helping them meet their goal of $1300 per person; and corporations like Utz and Berger Cookie offer in-kind donations of food to keep Ride for the Feast running smoothly.

When it comes to Ride for the Feast, our corporate partners enable us to make good on our promise to riders that 100% of the money they raise will go directly to help our clients.  And ultimately that’s what everything- the two days of riding, the corporate partnerships, the goal of raising $290,000- is all about: our clients and helping to put one more nutritious meal on the table so that they too can lead healthy, productive lives.

Thanks to the following corporate partners for helping Moveable Feast continue this important work:

• Bill Magruder of Coldwell Banker
• Friedman & Associates
• HMS Insurance
• Johns Hopkins Health System
• Ober | Kaler Law Associates
• Tibotec
• Utz Snacks
• Whole Foods Market - Harbor East

Gearing up for RFTF 2010!

Well, the holidays are behind us, a new year is upon us, and the temperature has finally climbed up out of the 30s. There's no denying it:  the off-season is officially over and it's time to gear up (pun totally intended) for Ride for the Feast 2010!  Actually, there's been so much good ride-related activity already this year that it's more like catching up than gearing up. Here's what's on the up and up:

Indoor Training Rides
What I said above about temperatures in the 40s? Forget it. Just since I started writing this entry, freezing rain started beating against my skylight. Don't let unpredictable weather hold back your training--take a spin class! Two local health clubs are offering special discounted spin classes for Ride for the Feast riders. Get the details.

Jersey Raffle
For just 3 bucks you can have a chance to win a sweet wool jersey from Dirt Rag Magazine. The jersey is made by Woolistic out of 100% Merino wool. (Yummy!) Soft but durable, this jersey doesn't itch, it wicks moisture, and it stays warm even when wet for riding in damp chilly weather like we're having right now. The jersey is black with a grey Dirt Rag logo and valued at $125. Not bad for a $3 raffle ticket!

Especially when each ticket you buy loads a client meal onto our new Ute, a cargo bike donated to Moveable Feast by Proteus Bikes. We'll be showcasing the Ute at various events and fundraisers, starting with the CX My Heart and Superbowl of Single Speed Cyclocross Race on February 7th. Thanks to Proteus for donating the bike, Dirt Rag for donating the jersey, and Kona Bikes, makers of the Ute, for giving us a shout-out on their website.

Old friends are back, new friends have found us...I'd say 2010 is off to a pretty good start! Want to keep that momentum going? Sign up to ride, register as a crew member, or make a donation. 

That's it for now, friends. But there's so much more to come in the next few months, so check in often. 

XO,
Becky

 

We have achieved cookie!

Today started out better than I could have imagined--with an email about cookies! For the second year in a row, Otterbein's Bakery will be donating cookies for us to distribute to our riders at pit stops. Yay! Thanks, Otterbein's! Your chocolate chips make a long ride feel just a little bit shorter.

What's your favorite Otterbein cookie?

--Becky
Chair, Ride for the Feast 2009