As 2010 comes to a close and everyone starts mentally preparing for their New Year’s resolutions, we’d like to take a look back at a year that was quite momentous for the greater cycling community. Cities found a renewed focus on alternative transportation, inventors unveiled new bicycle innovations, and people, companies and organizations across the country displayed unparalleled philanthropy. Let’s take a look back at some of the best stories, covered on this blog and elsewhere, that shaped our tight-knit community (and the World!) over the last year.

• A good place to start is with Bicycles for Humanity (B4H), the grassroots organization that empowers people to improve their quality of life through donated bicycles, who recently announced they shipped a total of 5,215 bikes (along with spare parts and tools) to impoverished African communities in 2010. Check out some of the other accomplishments B4H reported this year at PR.com.
• Along those same lines, an 8-year-old girl in Washington recently made a generous donation. Tori Wollard was one of two winners of the Washington Daily News’ Christmas coloring contest. Her prize: a brand new bike from Wal-Mart. The first thing Tori did when she got the bike: donated it to The Salvation Army so it could be given to a needy girl! When asked what motivated her to donate her prize, Tori said, “I thought maybe a little girl who’s probably the same age as me probably couldn’t afford one.” Now that’s the true Christmas spirit. Read the entire article Washington winner shares the spirit of Christmas (Mike Voss, Washington Daily News)
• There were  four particular bike and helmet related inventions that piqued our interest this year: the Bamboo bike, the Bendy Bike, the TuneBug Shake, and the innagural Bicycle City.
  • Bamboo bikes are manufactured by several companies across the county, but the folks at Bamboo Bike Studio offer something completely different. With firms in San Francisco and Brooklyn, they host weekend classes where people can build a bike made from bamboo themselves! Some say bamboo bikes actually have an advantage over metal-framed ones – they give a smoother ride, thanks to bamboo’s natural ability to absorb vibration (plus you’ll get points for going green). For more information read Bamboo Bicycles Grow in Popularity at Brooklyn Studio (Bradley Blackburn, ABC News)
  • Back in July a designer in Britain invented a revolutionary folding bicycle: The Bendy Bike. Using a ratchet system built into the frame of the bike to allow it to wrap around a pole, the lock can be wrapped through both wheels and the frame. Check out the pictures at DailyMail.co.uk
  • The TuneBug Shake is a portable speaker, with “SurfaceSound” technology. What is that, you ask? It uses a specially designed speaker that turns anything it lays on into a louder, larger-sounding speaker. Tunebug’s Shake is specifically designed to attach to a bike helmet, turning it into a booming speaker! Plus, this will save your ears later pains from those ear buds and relieve you for the dangers of listening to headphones while riding. Read Five fresh gadgets for the tech-minded for more info on the TuneBug Shake (Quibian Salazar-Moreno, Boulder Weekly.com)
  • Bicycle City, South Carolina: We covered this back in November, but wanted to provide an update: According to a report in Columbia’s weekly newspaper freetimes, on Dec. 11, 2010 Bicycle City (located in Lexington, SC) showcased its plans to the public with an all day event including biking, hiking, kayaking, live music, tree planting and organic gardening and much more. We’re happy to see that this is taking off, and we’re looking forward to watching this community develop in 2011.
• In St. Louis, MO the Federal Transit Administration recently said it would award $1 million to the Metro transit agency for bicycle pathway connections along the Mississippi River and the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, or Gateway Arch. FTA awards $1M for Arch bike pathway (St. Louis Business Journal)
• The above example is just one of many, many similar stories from across the country where cities and municipalities made moves to expand the use of bicycles in their communities. Read our June 2010 blog post Bikes & Goverment for a look at some of the things that governments are doing to promote cycling.
• If your New Year’s resolution is to get in shape, consider starting 2011 with a bike ride. Spoke-N-Sport Bikes in Sioux Falls, SD is set to host their 24th New Year’s Day Bike Ride. New this year is an added indoor competition that is separate from the regular ride. Competitors will race each other on stationary trainers, and the winner goes home with one of the single speed bikes used for the race. Visit http://spoke-n-sport.com/ for more information.
• There are events like this taking place across the country, but if you can’t find something in your town, don’t let that discourage you. Go out and forge a new path for yourself! Take a new route that you haven’t gone on before. Or maybe add a few miles onto your traditional ride. Whatever you decide to do, be safe and don’t forget to wear your Bell helmet! Enjoy!
• For a look at some of the top cycling-related news out of Britain,  be sure to read the Environmental Transport Association’s Most popular cycling stories in 2010. The Guiness World Record-shattering eight-mile bicycle wheelie is pretty astounding, as is the idea of using the TamTam Flash GPS … expect to see that in 2011.

We hope you all had a great 2010 and have an even better 2011. Happy New Year!

(Photo Courtesy of Columbia Missouri Cycling Cooperative)

Like just about every other holiday, Thanksgiving makes for a great excuse to go for a bike ride. While many people see Thanksgiving as a time to relax, eat turkey, and watch football, we in the cycling community see it as an opportunity to go out and spin!

If the weather in your area is cooperative this Thanksgiving, consider taking a pre or post-meal ride to get your juices flowing. The fall weather might make for a brisk ride, but it’s important to get at least 20 minutes of exercise every day! 

Not only does a Thanksgiving bike ride help you work off some of those calories from all that food, but it is also a great opportunity to really see some of the autumnal changes in the landscape.

Besides just rolling through the neighborhood or taking a ride to the local park, there are a number of fun and charitable cycling events on (and around) Thanksgiving across the country every year. Here are a few of the most interesting rides we’ve found for Thanksgiving 2010:

• Since 1999, New York City cyclists and bike messengers have raised food for the city’s homeless the week before Thanksgiving. Cranksgiving rides are designed to test your skills and speed navigating city traffic. They also test the sharpness of your wits as you navigate the aisles of grocery stores searching for specific food items. Once you’ve found them and made your way through the checkout lines and finished the ride, all of your food will be donated to a local homeless shelter. Cranksgiving is a charity ride, and anyone can participate. It’s been happening for over 10 years in New York City, and has spread to cities across the country. Visit Cranksgiving.org for a list of dates, locations and more information.
• The folks over at Trails.com came up with The 5 Best Thanksgiving Bike Rides including bike trails in New York, Texas and California. Palisades State Park offers great views of NYC, Bray’s Bayou takes riders through downtown Houston and into the countryside (plus, it’s usually warm!), and Big Sur (California) offers picturesque views of the ocean from the Pacific Coast Highway running from Carmel to Santa Barbara. Click the link to find out the other top rides.
• Cape May, New Jersey offers a number of dazzling sights and sounds. Jane Kelly of the Cape May Times lays out ten things she is thankful for on a Cape May Thanksgiving Bike Tour. Included in this list are breathtaking views of the Atlantic Ocean, appreciation of open space, sunsets, and the harbor. Find out what else along Cape May makes this writer particularly thankful at A Cape May Thanksgiving Bike Tour (CapeMayTimes.com)
• On the 19^th, San Jose Bike Party is holding their November Ride, dubbed Hot August Lights from 8pm to 1am on the 20^th. They are encouraging participants to deck out their bikes with lights, and are holding a contest for the most “Lighted Up” bikes. Prizes include spoke lights from Monkey Electric, safety lights from Bike Glow, and much more. Visit SJBikeParty.org for more information.

Is there a particular Thanksgiving bike event in your city? Do you have a favorite autumn bike ride? Let us know in the comment section below!

Free helmets, bicycle tours, bikes taking over the streets of Los Angeles, President Obama and The Bike Helmet Wars, and much more in this week’s installment of Week In Review: Bike News & Reviews from Around the World.

•  October 9: Critics of President Obama said he looked like a “dork” and an “unmanly wimp” after he was photographed wearing a helmet while cycling in Chicago in 2008 (pictured above) and Martha’s Vineyard just last month.  Well we say, “right on” Mr. President. By wearing a helmet, not only are you setting a great example for children and adults throughout the world, but you are also showing great judgment by protecting your head. Plus, we’re glad to see that you choose to wear a Bell Helmet! Read the full story at The Bike Helmet Wars (Virginia Postrel, The Wall Street Journal)
• October 10: The 2011 Amgen Tour of California is officially coming to Lake Tahoe. With ski resorts Northstar-at-Tahoe and Squaw Valley USA involved, riders will now take a ride around Lake Tahoe during the first stage, and will have to climb and descent Donner Pass, which reaches an elevation of 7,085 feet! Get the whole story at Major bicycle tour coming to Tahoe (Adam Jensen, The Record-Courier)
• October 11: Over the past eight years, Amscot Financial Partners has given away more than 30,000 free bike helmets to families living in Central Florida. The company is partnering with law enforcement agencies from 13 Florida counties to make sure that children get this vital protection. They will donate and distribute 7,200 free bike helmets on Oct. 23 in counties where Amscot does business. For more information on how to obtain helmets, contact Montrae Waiters, governmental affairs specialist for Amscot at (813) 637-6277. Check out the full announcement with events details and a list of locations at Amscot Financial Partners with Law Enforcement to Distribute 7,200 Bike Helmets in 13 Central Florida Counties. (PRNewswire.com)
• October 11: A 7 1/2 -mile stretch of road from East Hollywood through downtown Los Angeles and into Boyle Heights was over-run with an estimated 100,000 bicyclists, runners, walkers, skateboarders and roller-bladers for L.A.’s first CicLAvia.  This “open-street” day prohibited automobiles, and was intended to promote cycling and other forms of transportation. The concept of the ciclovia, which is Spanish for bicycle path is how organizers came up with the name CicLAvia. Organizers are in the early stages of planning four or five open-street days next year and one every month in 2012, with the ultimate goal to make CicLAvia a weekly event. For additional details visit An estimated 100,000 turn out for L.A.’s inaugural CicLAvia event (Joel Rubin, Los Angeles Times)
• In case you missed it: Tony Hawk’s Stand Up For Skateparks event in Beverly Hills takes place on October 17 … this Sunday! The Tony Hawk Foundation’s mission is to bring free, quality public skateparks to youth in low-income areas across the United States. This year as a co-sponsor of the event, Bell Sports is sending along trucker hats, stickers, helmets and pads to be given away to attendees. For more info on the event check out our last post Tony Hawk’s Stand Up For Skateparks Hits LA., Las Vegas

The bicycle festivities are definitely in effect on Saturday in Arkansas with the Bentonville Annual Bike Rodeo.

Promoting cycling safety for all ages, B2 Bicycle Blast on the Bentonville Square kicks off with a bike rodeo from 9am-Noon. Then the bicycle parade begins.

Never heard of a bike rodeo before? Well we’ve discussed them many times on the Bell True Fit blog including a Fast Fact’s Friday feature back in June, Did you know? The Rodeo Isn’t Just for Cowboys … but if you’re still unsure, a bike rodeo is basically a clinic that helps teach children the importance of riding a bicycle safely and what skills and precautions they need to develop to have a safe time on their bicycles.

And what better way to learn than in the midst of the world’s top BMX professionals?

During the rodeo Team Self Destruct will be putting on bike stunt shows at 10am, 10:45am, and 11:30am.

If you or your kid is interested in meeting a few of the biggest names in BMX and motorsports, there’s an all-star lineup attending and signing autographs including:

• Extreme sports legend Travis Pastrana
• Nike BMX Team rider Mike Spinner
• Professional BMX Racer Danny Robinson
• Professional downhill mountain bike racer and freestyle rider Jim DeChamp

Bell is taking part in the event as well: We’re donating 300 water bottles for giveaways to the registered Bike Rodeo participants, and we’ve donated some of the lender helmets for participants as well.

If you see a Bell Sports logo at one of the booths come stop by and say hello!

For more information on the event visit Bentonville Annual Bike Rodeo on facebook and follow @BVILLEBIKERODEO on twitter for real-time updates.

We hope to see you there!

We’ve reached more than 800 followers on twitter, and as promised the time has come to select a follower (at random) to receive a free Bell True Fit helmet!

With this milestone, we’re also donating five brand new True Fit helmets to Bike Cops for Kids in Minneapolis to help them in their effort to connect cops and kids using bike safety, helmets, and bikes.

City Hall, Down Town San Jose

Big thanks to everyone who re-tweeted and encouraged friends to follow. You all really are the engine that keeps us moving forward in making new connections.

OK, so the winner of Round 2 is … drum roll please … Toni Patton (@Totally_Toni). Congratulations!

Thanks for participating! Please pick a Bell True Fit size, and whether you’d like a boy’s/men’s or girl’s/women’s helmet (visit our Products page for helmet options), and then DM us your email on twitter so we can get your address to mail your free new helmet!

We still have two more rounds of free-helmet giveaways to complete, and we hope that everyone will continue to re-tweet for the chance to win.

For Round 3, when we reach 900 followers, we’ll donate five helmets to San Jose Bike Party – the organization dedicated to building community through bicycling.

Let there be bikes! SJ Bike Party

If you missed our posts on the first and second rounds, here’s how it works: Follow @BellTrueFit on twitter and be automatically entered to win a new Bell True Fit bike helmet!

Each time we reach another 100 followers, we’ll randomly select one of our followers to send a new Bell True Fit helmet to! Plus, each time we reach another 100 followers we’ll donate five helmets to an organization that is dedicated to helmet advocacy and bike safety. We’ll be giving helmets away when we reach 900 followers.

So keep on tweeting, and please encourage your followers to follow @BellTrueFit so we can reach our goals that much sooner!

Here’s what you can tweet: Follow @BellTrueFit – we’re giving away True Fit bike helmets as we reach 900 followers! Please RT http://bit.ly/amXY8A

And be sure to check out the San Jose Bike Party on facebook and twitter @SJBikeParty as well.

What better time of year than summer to get out on two wheels and get some exercise?

Summer brings out the outdoor adventurer in all of us, especially bicycle riders. There are a host of camps taking place all summer long across the country. While most of them are  dedicated to mountain biking there are some other interesting camps to consider.

The Carpenter/Phinney Bike Camp is the ultimate cycling vacation. Teen Treks is an adventure travel camp for people age 12-18. They offer 1 – 8 week trips in Europe, Canada, and the U.S., where they ride all day and stay at hostels, hotels, and campgrounds overnight. Of course the well known Camp Woodward has been offering extreme sports camps for skiers, snowboarders, skateboarders, BMXers and more for 15+ years.

Participating in a bike camp can be a fun, invigorating, and educational experience for adults, and especially for kids. And to those that like to be outdoors and adventurous, bike camp sure sounds like a lot more fun than a traditional arts and crafts type summer camp. The simple act of enjoying a bicycle cruise on a clear day is a wonderful experience. Sadly, many children never learn to ride a bike and miss out on one of the basic activities that children enjoy.

For children with cerebral palsy, riding a bike can especially be a daunting challenge. Fortunately groups like the United Cerebral Palsy of Orange County are helping more and more children and youth learn how to ride bikes. The Orange County Bike Camp, a joint effort of UCP of Orange County and the Down Syndrome Association of Orange County, is a week-long activity where children and young adults with disabilities can learn to ride a bike independently. With the help of a dedicated team of volunteers, the “campers” start with specialized training bikes that are adjusted as they progress in their balance and control. Eventually, some move on to solo riding on two free wheels!

Bell is a proud supporter of the camp and participated in the event as well, donating 22 Blade helmets, 14 Adrenaline helmets, and 7 Universal XL helmets for the bike campers to use while they learned to ride, and of course the riders got to keep their helmets!

Here’s a testimonial from one mother about the event:

“Bike camp was fabulous.  My daughter Delaney did learn to ride a two wheel bike without training wheels.  She is really proud of herself.  She has challenged family members to ‘a race’ and is saying ‘follow me’ as she leads our bike ride.”

Some children dread it, some children love it, some children just like getting a new backpack, clothes, and shoes! For many of our readers, back to school is synonymous with bike to school! For today’s Fast Fact’s Friday we’re going to take a look at some stats around going back to school and biking your way there!

• The first thing that many parents think of as their little learner gets ready to ride off to school for the day is safety. And good for them. We could go into a list of the basic safety and helmet tips to keep your child safest, but we did that last year in a Fast Facts Friday post around the same time. For some updated and current information on safety tips for biking to school check out the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s America Goes Back to School Program. Or check out the Family Corner’s Back to School Bicycle Safety Tips. The Creston News Advertiser (Iowa) is offering up some useful back-to-school road safety tips for children and parents. Similarly, WAHM.com has 6 Back to School Bicycle Safety Tips … #2 on their list: Insist on a Helmet!
• Over at the Coloradoan.com, Rick Price, Ph.D., League of American Bicyclist cycling instructor and safe cycling coordinator for the Fort Collins Bike Co-op, offers some insight on the Safe Routes to School program. The bike-friendly city of Fort Collins, CO has received a Safe Routes to School grant for 2010- 11 to teach kindergartners through eighth-graders how to walk and bike to school safely. The grant will pay the Bike Co-op to teach every P.E. teacher in those grades the basics of bicycle and pedestrian safety.



• Over at the Huffington Post, they’re offering the Best Bike-to-School Tips To Teach Your Kids. In a nutshell, they say: 1) Stock up on bike-safety essentials, 2) Arrange a Ride-Pool, 3) Practice traffic skills, 4) Let your kids goof off … safely, 5) Make a route map, and 6) Ride with your kids. (Bike To School: Best Tips To Teach Your Kids, HuffingtonPost.com)
• Looking for some fun bike-related, back to school events? Start with a bike giveaway! Little Caesars, in cooperation with Pepsi, is giving away a new bicycle and helmet to one lucky person on September 8, 2010. Each time you purchase a Hot-N-Ready or other specialty pizza in our Castle Hayne (Wilmington, NC) store you will be eligible to register and win a bicycle and helmet. (StarNewsOnline.com)
• Alex’s Pro Bicycle Shop, in partnership with a host of other groups, his hosting a Back to School Charity Ride where they will be collecting school supplies to benefit the children of the Children’s Diagnostic and Treatment Center. The center provides healthcare to thousands of needy children in the Davie, FL community, and are also one of the sole providers of specialized care for many illnesses, (i.e. hearing loss, autism, asthma, HIV, etc…) The ride will be split into two: one fast group and one moderate group, each with its own SAG support. There will be one stop where riders will receive refreshments and school supplies will be presented to the Children’s Diagnostic and Treatment Center representatives. (MiamiBikeScene.Blogspot.com)

Do you have any bike-related, back to school tips that we might have left off this list? If so let us know by leaving a comment, or tweet us @BellTrueFit.

Some friends of the Bell True Fit blog recently told us of how much fun they had on a Friday night bike party. Yes, a bike party. Now, are you wondering “what is a bike party, exactly”? So were some of us when we first heard of it. Basically, it’s a group of bicycle riding enthusiasts who get together once a month for a themed bicycle ride. Simple as that. What makes a “bike party” different from a bike ride? For starters, anyone and everyone is welcome. There are no age limits, no timed qualifications, and no expectations. Well, the only expectations are that all participants obey traffic laws and look out for one another. Interestingly enough, based on some quick and dirty research, it seems that these “bike parties” mostly take place in the San Francisco Bay Area. While there are some smaller, more intimate events in cities and towns across the U.S., based on our research it’s San Jose, CA, that takes the cake.

• One-half political party, one-half street party, San Jose Bike Party is all about building community through bicycling. Made up of all types of bicyclists and human-powered transportation advocates, San Jose Bike Party rides include 2,000 – 4,000 riders on a given night! They ride anywhere from 15-30 miles throughout the South Bay from 8pm – midnight on the third Friday of every month. Follow them on twitter @SJBikeParty and find out how to get involved at SJBikeParty.org.
• Just a few miles north-east of San Jose, the East Bay Bike Party is a mobile party for riders of all ages, experience levels, and bike types, to meet, ride, and play together in the streets on the second Friday of the month. “Inspired by the massive number of people who go to the San Jose Bike Party every month, we decided that it was high time the East Bay (the best part of the San Francisco Bay, in our humble opinion) had its own bike part,” their website says.  In July the theme was Space Party, where they encouraged people to come dressed as an alien or an astronaut, sci fi character or planetary body, constellation or Tribble infestation…”  For August the theme is Superhero Ride, and they are expecting to see, “a lot of capes, masks and tights.” We, of course, like their enthusiasm for helmets: “And don’t forget, a truly super hero always wears a helmet and rides with bike lights.” Follow them on twitter @ebbikeparty and stay in the loop at EastBayBikeParty.wordpress.com

• The Midnight Ridazz is a group of bicycle enthusiasts who have been riding together on the second Friday of every month since February of 2004. The rides quickly grew from 8 people to current ride counts of 1300+ “Ridazz,” and they’ve gone nationwide! Their website, MidnightRidazz.com was created to help empower YOU to create your own rides, routes and “good timezz.” Start yourself on a recurring ride or throw a one timer in the daylight … it’s your ride. They offer a five step outline of how to create a ride, as well as some basic “rulezz” that will help anyone organize their own bike party. To find out more about routes, rules, and already scheduled upcoming rides, check out MidnightRidazz.com.
• Want to spice up your kid’s upcoming birthday party? Consider throwing your own bike party! Over at Disney’s Family Fun website, they offer some great suggestions for throwing a fun birthday bike party. “Invite a bunch of pals to bring their cycles, then turn your driveway (or perhaps a nearby school blacktop) into party central. Set up a station where kids can soup up their rides with homemade number plates, noisemakers, and handle-bar decorations. Next, turn them loose on an obstacle course that tests their skills — and lets them be silly too. Add a spoke-tacular cake, prize ribbons, and take-home goody bags that make everyone feel like a champ, and you’ve got the coolest party on two wheels.” (FamilyFun.Go.com)
• The Bicycle Music Festival is an all day, mobile, community music festival – completely bike-powered! A 501(c)3 project of the San Francisco Parks Trust www.sfpt.org, part of the mission of the Bicycle Music Festival is to, “promote sustainable culture in general by physically engaging and immersing our community in the magic of bike culture, and cultivating and nurturing a network of local sustainable musicians, through our free, community participatory, bicycle-based music events.” The Bicycle Music Festival features a 2000 watt pedal-powered PA system, as many as 15 bands, multiple festival stops, outrageous Critical Mass-style bicycle party caravans between festival stops, and zero use of cars or trucks. This year’s event takes place from Noon – 10pm PT on July 31 in San Francisco.  Follow them on twitter @bikemusicfest and visit BicycleMusicFestival.com for more information or to get involved.

As far as we could tell, there aren’t any “bike party” events outside of California … but we could be totally wrong! Do you know of a bike party that we left off today’s Fast Facts Friday list? Are you planning a bike party in your community? If so, leave a comment below or let us know on twitter @BellTrueFit.

From Europe to California this week’s Fast Facts Friday takes a look at some of the most compelling bicycle stories and developments from around the world.

• Bike cafés have become that latest hip hang out in London. Whether you’re looking for morning coffee, scrumptious lunch or tall pint  – there are some intriguing bike-friendly locales in London. Check out the Container Café, Lock 7, and Rapha Cycle Club. Look Mum No Hands is a bar, café, and workshop – all bundled together in a lofty garage space. They offer free Wi-Fi and have weekly cycling events. (NYTimes.com)


Bell rider Fabian Cancellara is currently leading the pack at the 2010 Tour de France.

• We’ve covered bicycle laws and programs from time to time here, and we were enthused on Thursday to see that the federal government awarded $3 million to Boston’s planned bike sharing program. The injection of federal funds allows the city to purchase roughly 500 bicycles for use at about 50 rental stations. The bike share program is scheduled to launch next spring. (Boston.com)
• A young designer from Britain has invented a revolutionary folding bicycle: 21-year old Kevin Scott’s “Bendy Bike” uses a ratchet system built into the frame of the bike to allow it to wrap around a pole, enabling the lock to be wrapped through both wheels and the frame. You have to see the pictures to believe it. (DailyMail.co.uk)
• In Woodland, CA bicycle enthusiasts and community leaders are preparing for “The World’s Greatest Bicycle Parade. “On Sunday, October 3, we hope more than 4,000 bike riders from Davis and the surrounding communities will help break the Guinness world’s record for largest parade of bicycles,” Bicycle Parade Committee Chairman Frank Giustino said. So if you live in Northern California, or are planning a trip that way this fall, be a part of history and help them go into the record books! (DailyDemocrat.com)
• Of course, we can’t forget about Le Tour de France which kicked off this week. World time trial champion and Bell rider Fabian Cancellara won the prologue to the 2010 Tour on July 3, and he has been able to keep hold of the race-leading (first place) yellow jersey through today! Keep it up Fabian! For full coverage check out Versus.com. (Bloomberg.com)

The bicycle community really is a giving place. As you might have seen on this blog from time to time, we’re pretty fond of giving back to the people who support Bell Sports. And we’re not alone. The fact of the matter is: there are a ton of bike-related online contests and giveaways taking place today and every day. At any given time businesses, media, and bloggers are posting ripe bike and bike helmet giveaways for the picking. So on this Fast Fact’s Friday we’d like to highlight some cool opportunities currently taking place and help you find free stuff:

1) At Frugal Family Fun, mother of three and college student Lisa Moore Gee is reviewing and giving away a Bell True Fit helmet! To enter the contest, simply leave a comment on her blog here. But don’t stop there, Lisa offers multiple ways to enter: a) Follow @FrugalFamilyFun  or @BellTrueFit on Twitter and then leave a comment on the blog with your twitter name, b) Tweet about this giveaway including the link to it (http://ow.ly/1W0gM) and  also be sure to include @BellTrueFit or @FrugalFamilyFun.
Lisa offered this tweet for you to use: “Win a @BellTrueFit Helmet from @frugalfamilyfun http://ow.ly/1W0gM”

Not on Twitter? Well, there are a few more ways to enter also. Visit the blog to find out how.

2) The DC Bike Giveaway taking place over at Sneaker Freaker Magazine is pretty hilarious. A tangy orange DC Fixie bike is up for grabs, and to enter the contest all you have to do is send a picture with your favorite orange thing in the world to info@sneakerfreaker.com. You must be a member of Sneaker Freaker to enter. If you aren’t yet, no worries – GO HERE and register (for FREE of course). Entries close July 1, 2010. Need some inspiration on what sorts of orange things you should take a photo with?  Check out the current entries here. Keep up with this contest and look for future giveaways by following on @snkrfrkrmag on Twitter. 

3) From 11am – 3pm ET on Saturday, June 12 the NYC Department of Transportation is hosting a Bicycle Safety and Helmet Program where they’ll be giving away free bicycle helmets to visitors of all ages (while supplies last). You’ll learn how to properly fit and wear your helmet before receiving one. While the NYC DOT is offering helmet education, there will simultaneously be a kids’ bicycle swap taking place. Presented by Recycle-A-Bicycle, children who have outgrown their bicycles (or have extra gently-used bikes to donate) are invited to bring their bike to Socrates Sculpture Park and swap it in exchange for another gently-used bike. All children’s bikes in working order and without gears are welcome at the event. At approximately 2:45pm, any unclaimed bicycles will be donated on a first-come first serve basis. Check out the event on Facebook. (QueensMamas.com)

4) Over at RaisingMy4Sons, they’re reviewing and giving away a Strider Balance bike. Designed for children, ages 1 – 5, the Strider™ PREbike is lightweight, easy to control and features an adjustable seat and handlebars to accommodate a growing child. Most importantly, the Strider teaches your child balance, coordination and develops confidence … all without pedals! According to Raising My 4 Sons’ Mandee, the Strider Sports PREbike is more than a bike – “it’s an on and off-road child mobility product”.

Entering the contest to win this bike is easy, simply visit the Strider Website and then leave a comment on Mandee’s  review telling her something you learned about the Strider PREbike. (It’s that simple!) After you’ve done that, there are a few more ways submit multiple entries. One way is to simply tweet “WIN a FREE Balance Bike from Strider $110 Value! @RaisingMy4Sons http://bit.ly/a6Keen”.

 Be sure to follow @RaisingMy4Sons for future giveaways.

Are you conducting some sort of bicycle or helmet-related contest? Is there a helmet fitting/giveaway in your area? We’d love to hear about them and feature your contests/events in a future blog post, so follow us @BellTrueFit on twitter, or leave a message below!