🚨 Please note: BikePortland is currently on hiatus and only publishing guest articles. Learn more here. Thank you. - Jonathan 🙏

Day: May 1, 2008

New mountain bike group steps up to fill off-road advocacy void

“We call for better access to city parks and recreation areas for off-road riding.”
–From a statement issued today by a new coalition of mountain bike advocates

Hoping to join the Platinum party and no longer wanting to play second fiddle to its on-street cousin, mountain biking in Portland is poised for progress.

Today, a coalition of mountain bike advocates who want to bring more off-road riding opportunities to Portland, issued a statement congratulating the city on its Platinum award while sounding an alarm that Portland lacks a “comprehensive strategy to provide opportunities for off-road cyclists” and that “the mountain bicycling community believes there is still work to be done.”

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Press Release: Mountain Bicyclists Seek Better Trails in Portland

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This just in…

Mountain Bicyclists Congratulate Portland on Platinum Award, Seek Better Trails

IMBA and Portland United Mountain Pedalers wish to congratulate the city of Portland on achieving the League of American Bicyclists’ Platinum Bicycle Friendly Community award, the first large city in the country to be awarded this status. Portland is a community that values bicycles for transportation and recreation. From innovative bicycle facility designs to PedalPalooza, the city effervesces with a vibrant, two-wheeled, human-powered culture that is second to none.

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Updated: What to do (on a bike) this weekend

PUMP volunteers show that you’ve
got to work before you can ride — so
why not make it a party!
(Photo: PUMP)

Here’s a list of bike-related events and rides happening around Portland this weekend (May 3-4). I hope to make this a regular feature and publish it every Thursday morning so you can help plan your bikey weekend.

I know there are more events that I don’t list here, so feel free to add them to the comments (I’ll add them to the main list if I can).

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Bicycle Built for Two Ride

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Bicycle Built for Two Ride

Meet at: Laurelhurst Park, 3700 SE Ankeny St (West end of Duck Pond, on the lawn (near the restrooms on Ankeny)

Any bike built to carry two (or three, or four) people is welcome on this ride. Tandems of course, but also pegs on your BMX, your new mini-longtail, a rented bakfeits, or any other brilliant creation for passengers you have made.

We’ll parade around on some “social” streets, then go have a pot-luck picnic and we’ll eat, drink, and be merry. Bring food or drink to share.

This ride will be a loop that starts and ends at Laurelhurst Park
Jacque And Ted, jacqueauthier at gmail daht comm

http://shifttobikes.org/cal/#02-115

Bike Lunch – Debate Edition

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BIKE LUNCH – Special City council Debate Seat #1 Chris Smith, and Jeff Bissonnette

Backspace, 115 NW 5th Ave, Portland (I usually bring a bike helmet with a 3 leafed clover on it to help newcomers find the right table)

12:15pm – 1:15pm, Every Friday

Make friends with bikey people on your lunch break. 12:15PM Friday’s

If it’s cold, or raining at Backspace coffee shop (they sell a mostly vegan menu, and Stumptown coffee). If it’s warm, and dry at the battleship Oregon on the waterfront (between pine, and oak).

Daniel Patrick Johnson (teknotus), teknotus at gmail daht comm, 503-409-1735

Tonight: Brett Jarolimek Memorial Fund Benefit

A staggeringly awesome raffle and silent auction. Free beer. Free food. Lots of great people. Support of a fund to improve bike safety in Portland.

Do you have any reason not to go to the Brett Jarolimek Memorial Fund Benefit?

Tonight, Bike Gallery (where Brett used to work) will host the event at their downtown store (1001 SW 10th Ave.) to help kick-start a new program that will help fund worthy bike safety projects in our communities.

I just glanced at the event website and the list of raffle prizes and items up for silent auction is quite impressive:

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Brett Jarolimek Memorial Fund Benefit

BENEFIT FOR THE BRETT JAROLIMEK MEMORIAL FUND

Event website

Downtown Bike Gallery, SW 10th Ave and Salmon St

The Portland State University Cycling team, in conjunction with the Bike Gallery, is hosting an event the evening of May 1st, 2008, to raise money and raise awareness for the Brett Jarolimek Memorial Fund, created in the honor of a dear friend, Portland resident, cyclist, and artist, Brett Jarolimek.

The free event will host a raffle with contributions from Signal Cycles and Veloforma. A silent auction will also feature local art and donations from local businesses.

Friends Of Brett, BrettJarolimekMemorialFund at gmail daht comm, BJMF Fundraiser announcement

Plastics ReCYCLE Ride

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Spring Plastics ReCYCLE Ride: Saturday, May 3rd

Meet at noon at the Mt. Tabor Sun Community School rain garden

5800 SE Ash Street

Our destination: Floyd Light Middle School, 10800 SE Washington (just east
of HWY 205) It’s not that far away!

This is a simple ride keeping to easy-rider bike routes. Bring your
clean plastic pre-sorted by numbers 1-7. Note, there is one minor hill
climb. Please come with your plastic pre-sorted. At the recycle site
(a converted parking lot) there will be drop-off areas for each
numbered plastic. Having our plastic pre-sorted equates to less time
recycling and more time enjoying our group cycle ride. Thanks!

Check out the map and ride route at:

http://www.shift2bikes.org/wiki/bikefun:plastics_recycle_ride

Portland State University gets into the Bike Month mood

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Portland State University-1.jpg

Bikes parked in front of the
Smith Memorial Student Union
on the campus of PSU.
(Photo © J. Maus)

May is shaping up to be quite a month for bike events in Portland.

The City of Portland has already begun their festivities, the Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) will kick off their first-ever Walk and Bike Challenge this weekend, and now Portland State University has unveiled their slate of events for May.

PSU has teamed up with the BTA for the Bike to PSU Challenge. The friendly competition to see who can take the most bike trips pits PSU students against the elementary school students in the BTA’s Safe Routes to Schools program (that should be a fun after-party!).

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Clinton Street road-rager now faces attempted murder charge

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visit to SE Clinton -3

The stretch of SE Clinton where
the collision occurred.
(Photos © J. Maus)

Back in August, I reported on a disturbing road-rage case where Johnny Eschweiler intentionally ran down Ben Ramsdell while he rode his bike on Clinton Street in Southeast Portland (Eschweiler also ended up colliding with a second person on a bike, Timothy Mastne).

The collision caused very serious injuries and the Multnomah County DA’s office initially charged Eschweiler with second-degree assault and first-degree attempted assault.

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On a mission to build more trails, Metro assembles Blue Ribbon Committee

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Metro Council President David Bragdon — seen
here at the Platinum press conference on Tuesday —
has big plans for trails in our region.
(Photos © J. Maus)

Metro — an elected regional government that manages everything from parks and trails to solid waste and the Oregon Zoo — has launched a new effort to improve our regional trails network.

Last week, members of the Metro Council confirmed the selection of a Blue Ribbon Committee for Trails.

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