A group of Portland transportation activists are putting together a bid to try and persuade the World Carfree Network — the “hub of the global carfree movement” — that Portland would be an ideal place for their yearly conference, Towards Carfree Cities.
Day: November 28, 2006
UK site interviews Ira Ryan
[Ira Ryan at the 2006
Made in Portland Bike Show]
Made in Portland Bike Show]
A UK-based website called thewashingmachinepost has published a nice interview with Ira Ryan.
Ira is an up-and-coming local bike builder and former messenger who recently launched Ira Ryan Cycles, located in the basement of Weir’s Cyclery in North Portland.
Check out the interview.
If you can’t get enough of Ira, check out his blog or peruse my Ira Ryan photo archives (don’t miss this one of him feeling the love from fellow builder and friend Sacha White.
Updated: Motorhome bike guy needs our help
Who will ever forget this guy? Not me. After my post a few weeks ago, I was amazed at how many people remembered seeing him. Readers chimed in from all over the country to say how impressed they were with the moxie and ingenuity behind this man and machine.
Would you sign up for a Flexbike?
[The Aerorider]
Photo: Ready to Ride
Photo: Ready to Ride
Flexcars are everywhere in Portland. So are bikes. So why not have Flexbikes?
I’m not talking about a snazzy, European style bike-rental program (like the one being discussed by Commissioner Sam’s office), I’m talking about pedal-powered vehicles that you’d rent when your regular, everyday bike just won’t cut it.
Portland cyclist and journalist David Rowe — the man behind the Ready to Ride website — might have found the perfect “bike” for this application.
Castelli hits their stride in Portland
[Greg Cowan, president of
Castelli USA in their
warehouse in downtown
Portland.]
Castelli USA in their
warehouse in downtown
Portland.]
The Castelli name may not be as well-known as legendary bike racing heroes like Fausto Coppi or Gino Bartali, but their histories are forever intertwined. Back in the 1940s, Armando Castelli stitched clothing for both men.
When Coppi demanded something different — something that would give him the edge over Bartali in the Alps — Castelli suggested a change in jersey fabric from traditional heavy wool to lightweight silk.
With the new creation on his back, Coppi rode to victory in the 1949 Tour de France.
Castelli would go on to many other innovations (including the first lycra shorts) and be the clothier of choice for a who’s-who of bike racing legends that included Jaques Anquetil, Bernard Hinault, and Eddy Merckx.