Had a great ride out to St. Johns with the illustrious Carye Bye. She led us out to the peninsula via a circuitous route that included Willamette Blvd. and the neighborhood streets of University Park. Once we pedaled through Main Street parade-style, we stopped to check out the beautiful (yet not bike-friendly) St. [...]

In case you missed Critical Mass on Friday, there are some great photos and comments posted at BikeForums. If you like the photos, you should check the Bicycle-Eye blog by the same guy…and don’t forget to read his great collection of bicycle haikus.

There has been a lot of talk this summer about the amount of cyclists killed on Portland’s roadways. In my opinion no amount of infrastructure, bike lanes, signs, or clever engineering can truly make cyclists safe on the streets. Let’s be honest, we’re 100% vulnerable to cars whenever we’re out there.
That being said, [...]

[I received this information from an inside source in the Oregon bike advocacy scene, I will post a link to the full press release when it is available online.]
This just in from the office of Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore):
‘Conserve By Bike’ Provision Included in Energy Bill
[...]

My ladies and I cruised over to NE Alberta Street last night to check out the monthy “Last Thursday” street fair and art walk. First, let me just say how proud I am of Juli (my lady). She could give birth any day now and she was still pedaling around the ‘hood (see [...]

You might have noticed the mention of Bike Town coming to Portland in Jonathan Nicholas’s column today.
Bicycling Magazine is giving away 50 commuter/city bikes to “the most compelling entries” about why you should receive the free bike and/or what you’d do with it. If you’re interested in playing along, just go to [...]

If you’re just clicking over from the Bike Fun blog on Oregonlive.com…welcome! I hope you like the new look (and name) of my blog. I’ve still got a lot of work to do to make this a valuable resource for the Portland bike community, so I hope you’ll be patient while I tweak [...]

The Willamette Week’s first ever magazine hit the streets yesterday. It’s called the Finder. I did a short little piece on the cycling scene on page 131 called, “Bikeopolis USA.” The photo is of River City Bikes owner Dave Guettler holding a Sycip Java Boy with a custom front rack made by [...]

Download PDF (420kb)

After my previous post about my ride up to Timothy Lake (SE of Estacada) I’ve had several emails from readers wanting more specific route details.
Well, it just so happens that one of the guys on the ride is a real map lover and owner of some topo mapping software. He [...]

Came across this in my inbox:
The Bicycle Maid
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People/Pet/Earth friendly cleaning products

Experienced, reliable, immaculate service

Weekly and bi-monthly service in NE Portland

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Please call Petra at 503-287-3922

REI is looking for “real people” to be in their catalog. They’re holding a casting call on July 31st from 11AM to 5PM. If you’re a cyclist and you think you’ve got what it takes to grace the covers of the REI catalog head down to their downtown location at 1405 NW Johnson [...]

Saturday:
Women on Bikes Ride
If you’re a lady and you like to bike, grab your girlfriends and head to Laurelhurst Park (SE 33rd and Oak) for a 10-12 mile ride on the Springwater Corridor along the Willamette River. This ride is part of the “Women on Bikes” series put on by the City of Portland [...]

Last night a fun-loving group of Portland cyclists rode across the St. Johns Bridge sans clothing to make a statement about how vulnerable cyclists will be if ODOT (Oreg. Dept. of Transp.) goes throught with their non-bike-friendly bridge remodel plans.
Here’s a report of the ride:
The ride went off to rousing success. 14 free-spirited ciclonudistas took [...]

I had a great time on Sunday at the Alpenrose Challenge. I was really impressed with the national and international caliber of riders that showed up. The racing was hotter than the sun, and that’s saying something! It was great to immerse myself in the scene and learn more about track racing.
Check [...]

A while back I posted something about how ODOT (Ore. Dept. of Transportation) had decided not to make cycling safe on the St. Johns Bridge. ODOT has caved into special interest groups and ignored the research on traffic congestion on the bridge. The result is a remodel plan that makes crossing the bridge [...]

One of the biggest and baddest track races of the year will go down this weekend (July 15-17) at our very own Alpenrose Velodrome. It’s called the Alpenrose Challenge and there will be top-notch talent and tons of action.
Here’s what race organizer Candi Murray says:
The velodrome is a stadium type venue that allows [...]

Back on 4th of July weekend I asked everyone to declare independence from the automobile. I also said if anyone wanted to sign a declaration I’d put something together.
I got a few responses so here’s what I came up with.
It is not intended to be an anti-car manifesto. I believe cars have [...]

A friend of mine passed this along. He saw a brochure for it while eating lunch at the Ecotrust Building. It’s sort of like having AAA coverage for your car…but for your bike. The company, Better World Club, says:
The nation’s first and only bicycle roadside assistance service is now available…
Bicycle Membership [...]

This just in:
CitySports NW and Rogue Brewing have put together a special Tour de France viewing party, scheduled for Saturday, July 16th.
Pedal over to the Rogue Ales Public House at 1339 NW Flanders in Portland (ph. 503-222-5910) for Stage #14, a 220k stage that features some epic climbs in the Pyrenees.
The first two-hour [...]

Just came across this nifty new mapping tool. It’s an extension of Google Maps and I think it’s a great way to share bike routes.
You can “record” your custom route and it will tell you the mileage. The best part is that you can have it generate a permalink so [...]

Last week, a fun-loving group of about 50 Zoobombers decided to take the ultimate bomb and ride down Hwy 26 from the Zoo exit to the Canyon Rd. exit. Sounds like fun. I can only imagine the reactions of some of the drivers!
For a full report, check out Shawn Granton’s Urban Adventure League [...]

You ever do a ride that is so perfect it reaffirms your love for riding? On Saturday I did my first big ride of the “summer” and it was one I won’t soon forget.
Me and 7 other lucky folks rode from Ripplebrook Ranger Station (about 25 miles SE of Estacada on Hwy. 224) up [...]

A local contingent of our beloved Chunk posse was mentioned in a recent NPR story on the Bicycle Brawl in NYC.
(photo courtesy of chunk666pdx)

JetBlue is showing the tour on their in-flight TVs! They’re also waiving all fees for flying with your bike during the month of July.

A few weeks ago I overheard some people talking about a local guy who makes really cool cycling caps out of classy, recycled, thrift store fabrics. Then, at the recent Multnomah County Bike Fair I ran into him. His name is Shaun Deller. He calls his caps, “Recyclist Apparel.”
According to [...]

The August issue of Bicycling Magazine features two great articles on Portland’s bike community.
On page 37 they cover a local program called b.i.k.e. that helps inner city kids get into cycling. The program was started by John Benenate. You’ve got to love this quote:

“We try to respond to each of the kids’ needs, [...]

We’re very lucky to have a guy like Clarence from BikeTV taking videos of bike fun around Portland.
Here’s the link to his movie of Shawn Granton’s Eastside Theater History Ride that took place on June 22nd.

Reported by Brian Scrivner:
At least 120 people enjoyed food, music, a short BikeTV show, and animated feature movie at the Hawthorne Hostel on Friday, after the Critical Mass “Memorial” ride.
The Bike-In Movie was again hugely popular, thanks in part to the Critical Mass (special Memorial edition) ride, which was in a [...]

On Saturday I helped the BTA park bikes at the Blues Festival. It felt great to help fellow bikers with such a cool service. Everyone was really thankful for the BTA’s work in setting it up and over the course of the fest. I bet they parked at least 1000 bikes (if not [...]

I’ve been loving the Oregonian’s bike coverage lately.
Bonnie DiSimone has been filing daily coverage from the Tour de France.
Abby Haight wrote a great article on the Monday Night Racing series at Portland International Raceway.
Then, there was this story by Miriam Gottfried in the Business section about Chris King Components, a local company that [...]