E-Bike Policy

Greetings, friends.

One of the agenda items on last night’s Freewheeler Board meeting was review of the club’s e-bike policy.  The discussion involved consideration of changing the e-bike policy to include class 2 and class 3 e-bikes.  Class 2 e-bikes are e-bikes that have a throttle mechanism which allows the option of not needing to pedal for the bike to move.  In other words, they are not completely pedal-assist.  Class 3 bikes, like class 1 bikes, are completely pedal-assist but can reach a top speed of 28 mph.  The Board overwhelmingly approved class 3 e-bikes for club rides and rejected class 2 e-bikes for club rides.  If a rider comes to a club ride with a class 2 e-bike, please politely inform them that the club does not allow class 2 e-bikes on club rides.

Thank you for your attention.

Respectfully,

Michael

Final Reminder

Greetings, Friends.

If you haven’t signed up for the Kickoff Meeting this Sunday, please do so ASAP so we can make sure we have enough refreshments for all.  It promises to be a great meeting with friends, a great presentation by Steve Vacarro, a 50/50, and exciting club updates.

Have fun; be safe.

Best regards,

Michael

Spring Kickoff Meeting

Hi, friends.

Reasons to attend the Kickoff Meeting on 4/6 at Brookside Community Center even if you don’t plan to ride:

Bagels, goodies, coffee, juice

50/50.  You could leave with lots of paper in your pocket!

Socialize with friends, both new and old

Hear exciting club updates

Presentation by special guest, Steve Vacarro , New York and New Jersey attorney, cyclist, cycling advocate, Revolutionary Ramble sponsor.   Featured by the New York Law Journal as “New York’s best-known lawyer advocate for bicyclist and pedestrian rights.” (https://vaccaro-law.com/).  I heard him present at the NJ Bike and Walk Coalition on March 29,, 2025 and he’s excellent!

Parking onsite or at the Firehouse/Town Hall complex across the street.

Register on the club website by clicking on “Calendar” at the bottom of the home screen by Wednesday 4/3 so we can make sure we have enough refreshments for all of you.

See you there!!

Best regards,

Michael

 

 

HELL OF HUNTERDON

I was just informed that this Saturday Apr 5 is the Hell of Hunterdon.   This is not a MAFW ride so you need to register via the link below.

The Hell of Hunterdon is the Mid-Atlantic’s Premier Spring Classic & Mixed Surface Ride; it is the ideal way to open your cycling season.  The courses wind their way through scenic farmland and country towns in New Jersey’s Sourland Region.

  • We are offering 3 Official Course Lengths- the courses have been modified due to the affects of Hurricane Ida (2 bridges on our former route are still out)

    • The Long Course is 81 miles with 13 dirt, gravel, and hardscrabble sectors (16% of the course).   Total elevation gain is 5800 feet (according to RideWithGPS).   This Course has 2 Aid Stations.
    • The Medium Course is 55 Miles long with 8 unpaved sectors (13% of the course).  Total elevation gain is ca 4000 feet (according to RideWithGPS).  This course has 1 Aid Station
    • The Short Course is 31 miles with 4 unpaved sections (10%) of the course).  Total elevation gain is 2000 feet (according to RideWithGPS).  This course does not have any Aid Stations
    • All Courses can be shortened by 5 miles, which also removes ca 500′ of elevation gain, by taking the posted short cut.

The ride is followed by a Post Ride Celebration that includes hot food, cold drinks, and door prizes in a festive indoor/outdoor environment.

Hell of Hunterdon

MAFW April 2025 Newsletter Available

Hi Freewheelers,

Watch the website to see information on upcoming events, communication from our club president and ride coordinator, and ride guidelines.

Our Social Coordinator, John Storey, is always in need of your help for a number of our activities. Please email if you are interested: social@mafw.org

MAFW has 2 main guidelines or mottos that riders and ride leaders should follow:

  1. Nobody rides alone including the ride leader
  2. Ride leader sweeps for all rides except B and faster

Just a reminder that the April 2025 edition of our NL is online. To read: click https://mafw.org/newsletter/

What’s in this issue:

  1. Revolutionary Ramble Update June 7, 2025
  2. In Memory of Bernice J. Connolly (February 13, 1937 – February 8, 2025) “Thank you for your expression of sympathy on the passing of my wife” sent to me on behalf of All MAF from George Connolly
  3. Morris Area Freewheelers Foundation’s CPR & First Aid Course Update – Rob Greenberg
  4. Connect with the MAF Bike Club on Social Media! – Tracy Brown
  5. Message from the President
  6. Message from the Ride Coordinator
  7. 2025 Calendar
  8. How To Spot and Avoid the Latest Facebook Scams – Tony Marchand
  9. The MAF Winter Party -Jay Marowitz
  10. Inspiration
  11. Poet’s Corner – John J. Burns
  12. Photo Gallery
  13. Bicycle Adventures 2025
  14. Cycling Guides – Mark Jay
  15. People Cycling
  16. Safety – Paul Malinowski
  17. Club Sponsors
  18. Club Officers

Enjoying your E-bike, trike, gravel bike? Let’s hear about your experience.

Folks, many of you have taken some interesting trips this year or in the past. So why not share your stories & photos with fellow club members?

We welcome any articles that you feel would be of interest. WHEN YOU HAVE A SPARE MOMENT, PLEASE SEND ME A STORY AND PICTURES OF YOUR BICYCLING ADVENTURES. Submit any information by the 24th of the preceding month at the following email address: newsletter@mafw.org

If you have any issues with your login credentials, please contact Membership Coordinator Lisa Gentile at the following email address: membership@mafw.org

Periodically Rob Greenberg will be instructing a no-cost CPR course sponsored by the Morris Area Freewheelers Foundation. For those interested, you can contact Rob by phone at 973-334-0125 or by email at robdg01@aol.com for the next available session and more information.

Good Reading. Thanks,

Patricia Kipp Editor

RIDE COORDINATOR UPDATE

APRIL 6 KICKOFF MEETING-We have a good list of rides for our Kickoff Meeting but still need a ride leader for our B ride.  Even if you are not leading a ride you should sign up for the event.  It will be a good meeting to kick off the cycling season and to socialize with your fellow riders. One important topic we will be covering is “proposed rides”.

APRIL 12 TREK INSPECTION RIDES-We have all rides covered except we still need a C+ ride leader. This is a good opportunity to get your bike checked for the new season.

PROMOTION-During your safety talks don’t forget to promote the Kickoff Meeting and Trek Inspection Rides.

BACKUP RIDES-One thing I believe in, promote and follow is if I see a C ride that interests me I back it up with a D+ ride.  Any C rider that can’t keep up can fall back to my D+ ride. This gives the C ride leader more freedom knowing that there is a sweep.  Also a rider that signs up for the D+ ride may feel like experimenting with a C pace.  For example, I put in a D+ ride this Sat to back up Pete’s C ride from Denville.  I believe that putting in these rides with multiple paces will increase participation and socialization.

Trek Insptection Rides, April 12, 2025

Greetings, friends!

One of the benefits of getting older is you get to see your physician for an annual physical. Your bike is no different. It has been at least 17 months since we hosted a Trek Inspection Ride, so we are long overdue to ensure that our bikes are in tip top shape for prime riding in the spring, summer and fall. We have scheduled the Trek Inspection Rides to take place on Saturday, April 12, 2025 at Trek Stirling.  We are adding the first of our monthly party rides to this event so that our members can enjoy food and refreshments pre and post ride. Plus, Trek has put together some special MAFW exclusive savings and opportunities for supplies, bikes, and service as part of our offering to our members.  Here are some bullet points to refresh your memory of this highly successful event:

1. The Inspection

Trek will inspect each member’s bike at no cost or obligation. You will receive a written evaluation detailing their analysis of your bike’s condition. In previous years, Trek discovered cracked wheels, broken derailleurs, and other issues unbeknownst to MAFW members. In some instances, Trek loaned members bikes so they could ride that day. For any bike inspected on April 12th, Trek has generously knocked $100 off their Level 2 tune ups, exclusive for MAFW.

2. The Rides

We have posted 4 rides for our members, C+, C, D+ and D. Those rides are posted on the website and begin at Trek Stirling. Since this is a club sponsored event, these will be the only rides officially scheduled on that day. Please arrive 30-45 minutes before your ride start so that Trek will have adequate time to complete your inspection. Please sign up as soon as you can so we get an adequate count for food purchases.

3. The Food and the Party Ride

Trek will have coffee, juices, bagels, cream cheese and energy bars pre ride. Post ride, we will be serving Jersey Mike’s Sub sandwiches, chips, Fritos, soft drinks and water for our members.  Please bring folding chairs for your comfort post ride in the Trek parking lot. This will be our first party ride for 2025.

4. Trek Fest for MAFW members, $100 off all bikes $500-$1000 MSRP

  • New lower pricing on a range of models (2022-2024 closeouts). 
  • New lower pricing on select Trek/Bontrager aftermarket products
  • Free shipping on TrekBikes.com
  • All Trek and Rapha apparel in-store on special MAFW pricing

$ 5, $10 and $20 bin parts sale with deep discounts.

5. Parking

Trek parking lot, nursery school next door, Main Street

6. Party Ride Future Events

We promised you more social events. Our Party Rides will be scheduled once a month from April to October, on alternate Saturdays or Sundays during prime riding weather, at different starting points in our club. We look forward to seeing you on these special food provided events. Come out and join us on April 12th for our first party ride of the year.

Have fun; stay safe!

MAFW Board

TB TRAINING RIDES

Starting tomorrow Seth Cohen will start Tuesday night training rides. Seth is hoping to run five Tuesdays in a row to cover group riding, paceline basics, climbing, etc. 

The first ride is just to learn group ride basics and get the rust off from the winter. Over the next few rides, we’ll work on riding in a paceline, climbing, and maybe even a little sprinting.

For the first ride, he will ride at “TB-” pace. This is a no-drop ride, and we’ll work to keep everyone together.  

RIDE COORDINATOR UPDATE

APR 6 SPRING KICKOFF – Spring Kickoff will be held at Brookside and you can sign up at the main page for the meeting and at the ride schedule for the ride.  Rides will take place after the meeting, and we still need a ride leader for the B ride.  To sign up as a ride leader for a proposed ride go to the Ride Schedule, select the ride and under Tour/Signup select Become a Ride Leader.  The proposed ride will then become a scheduled ride so all members can see the ride.  Right now, only ride leaders can see proposed rides.  Note that only kickoff rides will be allowed on Apr 6.

APR 12 TREK INSPECTION RIDES – Trek Inspection Rides will take Apr 12 and you can sign up at the main page for the event and at the ride schedule for the ride. Note that only Trek inspection rides will be allowed on Apr 12.  Right now, we need ride leaders for the rides.  Food will be supplied, and you don’t have to have your bike inspected.

HOWE ATHLETIC FIELD VS LOT C – Right now for all Colonial Park rides we are allowed to use Lot C where there are bathrooms.  As soon as porta johns are placed at Howe Athletic Field we will switch to Howe.  My guess is porta johns will be placed soon.  If you see them there, please contact me.  Park Rangers requested that we not take up parking spaces at any of the Colonial Park parking lots during their active season.  

OTHER BATHROOMS – Please let me know when bathrooms at Summer Rd, Pluckemin and Pickell Park are reopened.

E-BIKES – There has been some recent discussions on which E-Bikes are allowed on MAFW rides.  MAFW policy is “Class 1, no throttle”.  I checked with BTCNJ and PFW and they also do not allow E-bikes with throttles.  Since the introduction of E-bikes to our rides no one has reported any negative issues.  Some riders have reported to me that switching to an E-bike has allowed them to continue riding.  That is a good thing!!!

PACES – With a new cycling season upon us, you may encounter riders that can’t keep up at your stated pace.  Please be patient with them, stay with them and give them advice on trying a slower pace.  Thanks for your help.

THANKS!!!! – Thanks for being ride leaders and continuing to make MAFW an active and successful club.

Manny

APRIL 6 KICKOFF

On April 6 MAFW will have its Spring Kickoff at Brookside in Mendham.  For more info and to signup go to the main page of the website.  In case you don’t know how to get to the main page of the website, just select the wheel at top left of the page.

After the meeting we will have rides for all paces.   For new members who are unsure what pace they should select, the C, D+ and D rides all are doing the same tour.  If you select the D+ ride and feel you can’t keep up, you can fall back to the D ride.  In addition, I will be leading the D ride and will classify it as a “New Member Ride” and will be giving additional instruction.   On March 29 weather permitting I will post a D+ ride with emphasis on new members.

Manny

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