The 2009 Oregon Manifest (10/2 - 11/8) can hardly be called a bike show. After the success of their first show last year, organizers have signed a presenting sponsorship deal with Chris King Precision Components and transformed the event into five "concentrated weeks" of art, workshops, and unique events designed to showcase the nation's best handmade bicycles.

The highlight of this year's Manifest is the Constructor's Design Challenge and the Constructor's Race. Builders from around the country will design and build a transportation-oriented bicycle that will then be raced on a 77-mile epic ride and judged by a panel of experts.
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Check out this video (below) put together for Rapha by filmmaker Brian Vernor (of Pure Sweet Hell fame). It's a mix of great music, a documentary-style look at some of the faces of Portland's bike culture, and the craziness that was the Rapha Roller Race event held during the recent Oregon Manifest show. (more...)

These cards were available at a party hosted by Wieden+Kennedy as part of the Oregon Manifest Bike Show.

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With 24 builders (at last count) currently plying their trade in Portland, this city is the epicenter for America's bike-making renaissance.

What do builders from other places think about that? Ask 15-year framebuilding legend Curtis Inglis of Napa, California-based Inglis/Retrotec Cycles. Or better yet, check out the T-shirt he was wearing at the Oregon Manifest show... (more...)

Bright lights set the stage for cycling showmanship
at the Rapha Roller Race event Saturday night.
Slideshow below
Photo Gallery

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[Note: I've updated the slideshow with captions.]

Freak bikes were part of the show
at the Oregon Manifest.
- Slideshow below -

The first annual Oregon Manifest Bike Show is now in the history books. I've got more coverage to come -- including a full report on last night's Roller Races, updates on several local builders, and of course some general thoughts on the show as well.

For now, check out the slideshow below for a few more selections from my Oregon Manifest photo gallery. (more...)

Here are selected images (full gallery here) from my first day at the Oregon Manifest Handmade Bike Show:

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The new Metrofiets cargo bike.
(Photos � J. Maus)

I first shared news that a pair of Portlanders were working on a locally made version of the legendary Dutch "bakfiets" cargo bike back in February. Since then, I haven't heard much from Metrofiets, so I was excited to see their progress at the Oregon Manifest show on Friday. (more...)

A display at the Oregon Manifest
show brings Oregon's framebuilding
history to life.
- Audio slideshow below -

I intended to have reports and photos from the Oregon Manifest show up starting on Friday afternoon, however, due to some serious issues with my server (the site was down for over two days!), I haven't been able to share...until now.

I'll have more reports to come, but for now, watch audio slideshow below. The person speaking is Austin Ramsland, co-owner of Sweetpea Bicycles (his wife Natalie does the framebuilding). Austin is one of the people who's vision for a Portland-style bike show is what lead to the Manifest.

In the slideshow below he describes a very cool exhibit at the show. (more...)

Tomorrow night's "Opening Night Blowout Party" for the Oregon Manifest Handmade Bike Show (which opens tomorrow morning) will feature a special, six-year retrospective compilation of films from Portland's very own Filmed by Bike film festival.

Filmed by Bike founder Ayleen Crotty put together the screening with sponsorship from River City Bicycles. Crotty says they've put together a free, 45 minute show of all the favorites from Filmed by Bike over the years. (more...)

The other night I ran into Joe Staples and got another glimpse of the upcoming Oregon Manifest Handmade Bike Show.

Joe works for Wieden + Kennedy (the global ad firm with a headquarters in downtown Portland whose clients include Starbucks and Nike just to name a few) and he is one of the creative minds behind the Oregon Manifest Handmade Bike Show which opens this Friday and runs through Sunday.

With folks like Joe behind an event (he also dreamed up the Teams of Portland project), you can rest assured it will be special. When I saw him the other night, he was delivering some gorgeous posters to promote the show. He just sent me the PDF files...check them out: (more...)

Here's the info from organizers of the Oregon Manifest Handmade Bike Show (which starts Friday and goes through Sunday 10/12).

PORTLAND'S OWN BIKE SHOW NEEDS YOUR HELP!

On October 10th and 11th bike geeks, master craftsmen, and obsessed enthusiasts converge for Portland�s handmade bike extravaganza, Oregon Manifest.

We�re still looking for a few more volunteers to work the show. If you love bikes and appreciate the finer qualities of beer tokens, please contact Diane at Chris King: PEOPLE@chrisking.com

Full details and schedule live here: www.oregonmanifest.com

The Oregon Manifest Handmade Bike Show (October 10-12 in Portland) is shaping up to be an event you won't want to miss. I'll be writing much more about the show in the days to come (not to mention complete daily coverage once it's here).

Event flyer. More info here.

Local bike apparel company, Rapha, has announced they'll bring back their Roller Races event that was a smash hit when it was held during the North American Handmade Bicycle Show back in February.

This time around, in honor of the Oregon Manifest show and Portland's cyclocross season, Rapha will host the "Cross Roller Race" event. Here's how they describe it:

"...Cross Roller Racing is a highly competitive and thoroughly costumed night of 500 meter on-stage roller sprints combined with running, dashing and jumping through a 250 yard indoor cross course, complete with barriers, run-ups and Zoo-Bomb bikes."

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