14 December 2009 Archives

Kalkhoff opens e-bike retail store in the Pearl District

A customer on a test ride in
front of Kalkhoff retail
store in the Pearl.
(Photos by Adams Carroll)

Back in August we reported that a new e-bike store was prepping to open its doors in the Pearl District. Now, although the dust has not yet settled in their combined corporate office and retail space, Kalkhoff Bikes Portland is open for business. Kalkhoff Bikes Portland is a retail venture of Greenlight Bikes, LLC., the Portland-based importer of German manufacturer Kalkhoff’s line of traditional and e-assist bicycles. The company’s Pearl District storefront is the only one of its kind in the United States and joins The eBike Store in North Portland as the second retail outlet for e-bikes in Portland.

In an interview on Monday, Greenlight Bikes’ Managing Director Eric von der Heyden said that Kalkhoff Bikes Portland will celebrate its official grand opening “sometime in mid to late January” once all renovations to their building have been completed. In the meantime, the Kalkhoff Bikes Portland showroom is open Monday through Friday and is stocked with a shiny new line of e-bikes and commuters ready for a test ride.

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Joe Hagedorn, with sons Cole
and Carter.
(Photos © J. Maus)

[Publisher’s note: This family biking profile comes to you from our newest writer, Alaya Wyndham-Price. Stay tuned for a bike-friendly business profile and other stories from Ms. Wyndham-Price.]

“We bike whenever we can,” Hau Hagedorn said. I sat with her and her husband Joe discussing their family’s commitment to bike commuting over tea this week. Hau and Joe are both professionals with jobs in downtown Portland, and are also parents of three young boys; Carter, age six, Cole, age four, and Hendrik, just 9 months.

This is the story of how they became a biking family.

The couple began easing into bike commuting about two and a half years ago, after Hau decided to participate in the Low-Car Diet by giving up the keys to the family car for two weeks while Joe was on a business trip. At the time, it meant balancing the schedule of her two older sons, her job, and doing regular errands by bike.

It’s already there, so
why can’t bikes use it?
(Photo © J. Maus)

As Portland and many other cities ponder big plans for bikeways in the coming years, one question that comes up a lot is how to pay for new infrastructure. When I’m asked that question, I say we don’t need to spend all our money on new bikeways because we’ve got all the infrastructure we need. What we need is the political will to re-allocate our existing road and highway network to accomodate bicycle traffic.

As we’ve experienced with the North Portland Greenway and the Sullivan’s Gulch trail projects, the development of off-street bikeways takes many years and millions of dollars to complete (one piece of the Sullivan’s Gulch from the Esplanade to NE 21st is estimated to cost $7.7 million).

Here’s the news that caught our eye this week:

– The EPA has ruled that “greenhouse gases threaten the health and welfare of the American people.” Electricity generation and vehicle emissions are listed as the two leading causes.

– Cities for Cycling, an initiative that will change the way road design regulations work, celebrated its official launch in Washington, DC last week.

– After a bike lane was removed by the city from a Brooklyn neighborhood after residents made a stink, unknown parties went in at night and repainted the lane. A protest ride along the corridor last weekend was attended by 15 “mourners” on bikes and a huge line of police vehicles.

A reader passed along a press release from Rivermark Credit Union. They’ve just renovated their location at SE 25th and Hawthorne in Portland with lots of eco-conscious amentities. Among them was a nod to “members on foot or bike”. Here’s a snip from the press release (emphasis mine):

The new building will incorporate green building practices, such as a partial green roof that will save energy and reduce storm water runoff. The branch will also have an exterior living wall that in time will be covered with vegetation. Members on foot or bike will enjoy a walk-up teller station and covered bike parking.

Great to see another local company that respects and encourages a bicycling clientele.

Kalkhoff opens e-bike retail store in the Pearl District

Juggling work, life, and three kids — by bike

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