Feel the blend: nutritious snack-makers run on pedal power

It will be like having spin class at the smoothiebar for some students in the Moncton area this fall.

The local cycling co-operative, La Bikery, has donated five stationary bikes to area schools.

Each bike has been souped up in a way that makes it equipment for both fitness and nutrition.

On top of the rear tire, where you might expect to find a cargo rack or a baby seat, it has a blender of the kitchen appliance variety.

"People love sitting on the bike and blending up their food," said La Bikery executive director Jennifer Kay.

"They can use them both to combine some physical activity and some healthy eating practices," said Kay.

There were already bikes in several classes in both area school districts as self-calming devices for students who have difficulty sitting all day in a classroom, said Kay.

The blender is just an added feature, she said.

The students may also learn some science while they're pedalling.

"It's about energy consumption and to actually feel the energy it takes to generate an appliance," said Kay.

The blender runs on a friction drive, Kay said. The chuck that keeps the blender in place rubs against the wheel, which turns the gears of the blender. It's less efficient than a belt drive, said Kay, but it was simpler to put together.

"When we had the blender bike out last time at Parks Day it took about 10 minutes to get everything really fully blended," said Morgan Milner, La Bikery education co-ordinator. "But people mostly just enjoyed blending and taking turns and were blending well after it was done."

La Bikery collaborated with the food security group Our Food Southeast New Brunswick on the project.

The blender bikes were delivered at the tail end of the last school year and La Bikery workers are planning to follow up in schools this fall to see how students like them.

They'll also offer some safe riding tips, show students how to make sure their bike and helmet fitproperly, and teach some basic bike maintenance skills.