A Bike Black Friday shopping guide

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward
The Outer Rim Bike Shop-1

Your local bike shop will be very
happy to see you on Black Friday.
(Photo by J. Maus/BikePortland)

Portland’s local bike businesses aren’t immune to the Black Friday phenomenon.

If you plan to start your holiday shopping early, or if you simply want to score some good deals for yourself, we’ve put together a Bike Black Friday shopping guide to point you in the direction of the best deals and discounts.

Scroll down for all the details on sales that start tomorrow (11/28) at River City Bicycles, Blaq Paks, Showers Pass, Clever Cycles, Joe Bike, and North St Bags…

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TriMet bus kills man who had been walking bike in bike lane (UPDATED)

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bus stop

The bus stop on 82nd Avenue near Clackamas Town Center where the incident reportedly took place.
(Image from 2011: Google Street View)

A man who had been walking his bike in the bike lane down 82nd Avenue at SE Causey Wednesday night was killed beneath the back wheel of a TriMet bus, Oregon State Police said.

The man, a 60-year-old whose name has not yet been released, had apparently been passed by the bus while walking in the lane, caught up with it, and was beating on the back of the bus before his death.

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Light and warmth: New Portland Design Works Lars Rover and Showers Pass baselayer

Two new products from Portland-based bike companies deserve your attention — especially as evening commutes get darker and rides get colder.

Body-Mapped Baselayer from Showers Pass

baselayer

Male version shown. It also comes in a female version.

Showers Pass rain jackets are sort of an unofficial uniform for Portland bike riders. Given how many of them dot the streetscape when weather turns wet and cold, you’d think they were handed out at the border.

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In letter to PBOT, BTA says Williams Ave work zone has led to injuries

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zones-BTA-lead

Current conditions on Williams Ave.
(Photo by Carl Larson/BTA)

The Bicycle Transportation Alliance is fed up with the dangerous work zone conditions on Williams Avenue. Claiming that bicycle riders have been injured and put in danger due to misplaced construction materials and a poorly implemented traffic control plan, the Portland-based non-profit group penned a letter today to the Bureau of Transportation with a laundry list of demands to improve the situation.

While the BTA supports the city’s North Williams Avenue Safety Project and says they are excited to see the finished product, the letter (written by BTA Engagement Manager Carl Larson) points out several specific and ongoing safety concerns — some of which have led directly to injuries.

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Ferguson, equity, and active transportation

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A slide from Seeing & Believing in Bike Equity

Like many of you, I’ve been following the events in Ferguson and around the country very closely these past two days. Flipping from headlines to my social media feed, my head has been spinning with thoughts on issues ranging from racism and white privilege to our justice system and media culture. As last night’s protests spilled into the streets and freeways across America last night, this story came even closer to my own sphere of activism.

The shooting of Michael Brown and the decision by a Grand Jury to not indict Officer Darren Wilson isn’t a BikePortland story. We cover bike news and culture. But we also cover social issues — like sexism, racism, gentrification, and so on — that often intersect with bicycling.

So this morning, when I followed a link (shared by Elly Blue on Twitter) that led to a publication of the League of American Bicyclist’s Equity Initiative, I knew it was something I wanted to share here on the Front Page.

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Does your airport have a 50-page bike plan?

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wide map of plans

A map of existing (solid lines) and planned (dotted lines) bike access to Portland’s airport. Green lines are multi-use paths; blue are on-street lanes.
(Click to enlarge)

Portland International Airport’s new bike-pedestrian plan is probably thicker than the average city’s.

Fifteen years after a rising bike-commute rate among airport workers led PDX to begin a strategic focus on its biking and walking connections, links to the airport keep getting better. Now, the airport is preparing to double outdoor bike parking, and, in the longer term, help the City of Portland pay for a multi-use path looping the entire airport plus three bike lanes that’ll greatly improve airport access from the city.

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Thieves break into Gladys Bikes on Alberta, steal two bikes

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Damage to Gladys Bikes’ front door.
(Photo: Leah Benson)

Bike shop owner Leah Benson is Portland’s latest bike theft victim.

Benson owns Gladys Bikes at 2905 NE Alberta Street. She shared the bad news earlier this evening: “I received a call in the wee hours of the morning telling me that someone had shattered our front door and broken into the shop.”

The thieves made off with two bikes and Benson is urging everyone to keep an eye out for a Giant Liv Alight city bike and a Bianchi Lupo drop bar road bike. We know how stolen bikes tend to turn up shortly after being stolen, so time is of the essence! (Scroll down for photos of the bikes.)

Shop break-ins are all too common in Portland. We’ve reported on several in the past few years. Between November 2011 and February 2012, a thief known as the “window pane bandit” hit four separate shops.

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Portlanders pedal to help others at annual ‘Cranksgiving’ ride

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cranks-lead

Team Muscles with Brussels won Best Costume.
L to R: Ben Salzberg, Erinne Goodell, Kirk Paulsen, Josh Guttmacher.
(All photos by Mick Orlosky/Redfishingboat Photography)

Think of it as doubling down on doing good.

We all know that just by cycling we are doing a good thing for our community; but what happens when you actually do good while cycling? We found out during last Saturday’s annual ‘Cranksgiving’ food drive.

Started in New York City in 1996, Cranksgiving rides have spread to over 60 cities across the United States. Described as a “food drive on two wheels,” the event is part scavenger hunt, part food drive, and part alley cat. Participants show up in teams and they’re given a list of stores and food items to buy. At the end, all the food and other items from the manifest lists are collected back at the starting point and given to charity.

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Save the Date: The Portland Bike Theft Summit is on December 10th

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sad sight

As many of you have noticed, after nearly a decade of reporting on and working on bike theft here in Portland, we’ve recently been trying to raise the profile of the issue.

On that note, I’m excited to announce the first Portland Bike Theft Summit. It will be held at Velo Cult Bike Shop and Tavern (1969 NE 42nd) on Wednesday, December 10th at 6:00 pm.

We are still working on a proper flyer and detailed agenda; but wanted to get word out as soon as possible in hopes that everyone who wants to come can get the date on their calendar.

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As Nike expands, so too could nearby biking options

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A curb-protected bike lane proposed for Walker
Road
would serve Nike’s campus, but has
been delayed until 2019.
(Image: Washington County, modified by BikePortland)

Nike is planning to spend millions of dollars to build parking garages for 2,500 cars on its growing Washington County campus, but it’s not yet clear whether the sportswear giant will also be backing investments that would help its employees bike to work.

Today, 3 percent of Nike’s more than 8,000 payroll and contract workers typically walk or bike for their commute, according to a transportation plan covered last week by The Oregonian. Another 6 percent ride the bus or MAX, 1 percent telecommute, 12 percent carpool and 78 percent drive alone.

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Oregon Walks celebrates Vision Zero plan and honors livable-streets visionaries

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Metro active transportation planner Lake McTighe, center, at Oregon Walks’ annual fundraising dinner and awards.
(Photos: Nina Johnson for Oregon Walks)

After a significant grant victory that’ll see the group partnering with biking advocates to advance street safety plans across the state, Oregon’s largest walking advocacy group had plenty to celebrate Saturday.

As it heads into the first year with a new executive director, Oregon Walks toasted its supporters, members and other advocates for ambling at the group’s annual Weston Awards.

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