Three new bike-related businesses demonstrate that the economic side of Portland’s bike scene is alive and well.
Here’s a brief intro to a few pedal-powered entrepreneurs whose businesses are just getting off the ground:
The Cycling Salon

Carol Farr (L) and Audrey Block(Photo: CyclingSalon.com)

Carol Farr and Audrey Block see cycling as a key ingredient to improving […]

BicyclingHub.com is an online bike apparel retailer based in Portland. Back in November, the company opened a retail store at the corner of Taylor and Water Avenues in Southeast Portland.
Now, in addition to selling all sorts of jerseys, shorts and other cycling apparel, they’ve added a service and repair area to the shop. […]

When regular unleaded hits $4.00 at this Shell station, someone will win a new bike.(Photo © J. Maus)

As gas stations continue to raise their prices, River City Bicycles is asking Portlanders, “When are they going to hit $4.00 a gallon?”.
If you think you can guess the exact date, the shop will hand over a brand […]

The claim that Portland is the epicenter of handmade bicycles just got a bit easier to make. Two new builders — Belladonna Cycles and Sprout Cycles — have joined Portland’s already healthy list of custom bike makers.
Belladonna Cycles is run by Mark Simmons. Simmons has lived in Portland for ten years and says […]

Cyclepath Bike Shop co-owner Bill Larson pointing out a detail in one of Tiago DeJerk’s paintings.(Photos © J. Maus)

Cyclepath Bike Shop in Northeast Portland is known for stocking custom, high-end bikes that could easily pass for rolling works of art. Now, sharing space in the showroom among $6,000 bicycles, are four large-scale stencil paintings […]

Joseph Ahearne — seen here at work in his shop in North Portland — is one of three framebuilders featured in a new PDC video.(Photo © J. Maus)

The Portland Development Commission (PDC) has just released a short video (below) highlighting three Portland framebuilders.
The piece was created by the PDC’s in-house audio-video guru John Cardenas as […]

A passenger strolls by the new Handmade exhibit at the Portland Airport. (Slideshow below)(Photos © J. Maus)

An exhibition of bicycles handmade in Oregon debuted at the Portland Airport today.
The exhibit — which I brought you the details of back in February — is slated to run for six months and airport officials say an […]

At yesterday’s press event to “celebrate” Portland’s new bike boxes, Jeff Castro gave his new BikeRacker product its first real test.

The BikeRacker in action.(Photos © J. Maus)

Castro is looking to tap into Portland’s fertile market for bike parking. It’s a well-known fact that even though PDOT is trying hard to keep up, there is […]

This article is by contributor Carl Larson. Carl previously wrote about the Zoobomb art rack project.

One of the many clever, poignant, and timely ads that River City Bicycles has run in local weekly newspapers.

They are everything from powerful public service announcements, good-humored guilt trips, outraged cries, and cutting commentaries on our nation’s commuting culture. […]

Former PDOT bicycle coordinator and now head of a local bike planning firm, Mia Birk, wants to study the economic impact of bicycles in Oregon.(Photo © J. Maus)

In the past two years, Portland’s bicycle industry and the economic impact of our bike culture has gotten plenty of attention — from the New York Times to […]

It was almost two years ago when I first shared the news about a new brewpub in Southeast Portland that was taking bike-friendly to a new level. Now, thanks to the Oregonian’s bike-and-beer loving reporter John Foyston, I learned this morning that Hopworks Urban Brewery (HUB) is all set to open next Tuesday.

The Hopworks […]

A local bag maker has created a custom set of panniers that are just as gorgeous as the bike they were made for.

Bike by Ira Ryan/Ira Ryan Cycles, bags by Rebecca Pearcy/Queen Bee Creations.(Photo: Queen Bee Creations)

The bike is a custom commuter built by local builder Ira Ryan and the bags are the creation of […]

Local pedicab operator, Rose Pedals Pedicabs, adds to its fleet with new partnership.

Casey Martell in action.(Photo © J. Maus)

A recent pedicab partnership will result in many more of the three-wheeled vehicles on Portland’s downtown streets.
Local pedicab operator Rose Pedals Pedicabs has joined forces with Bellingham, Washington-based Cascadia Cabs. Rose Pedals owner Casey Martell says […]

Start-up company BikeRacker will look to supply its temporary bike racks to local events and businesses.

BikeRacker founder Jeff Castro.(Photo: Jeff Castro)

Nearly every Portlander who goes by bike has experienced it: You get to an event (sometimes even a bike-related event) and there are not enough places to park. Or, the spaces that […]

Kona Bicycles’ latest model is named after local off-road racing hero and co-owner of Sellwood Cycle Repair Erik Tonkin.

Kona’s new “Honky Tonk”.

Calling it “a model made specifically for the Portland community,” Erik Tonkin says the new “Honky Tonk” frameset offered by Kona Bicycles is the result of his request for an inexpensive, around-town commuter frame […]

The new Hyland from Civia.(Photos © J. Maus)

The latest addition to my test-bike stable is the new Hyland from Civia Cycles.

Civia is the just-launched, high-end commuter bike brand created by Quality Bicycle Products. “QBP”, as they’re known in the industry, is a Minneapolis-based bike parts and accessories distributor/juggernaut that serves over 5,000 bike shops […]

(Photos © J. Maus)

This April, the work of Oregon’s burgeoning crop of bicycle builders will be on display at the Portland International Airport.
The exhibit will be managed by the Regional Arts and Culture Council (RACC) and will run for six months (from April through September) and will feature a range of bikes in a […]