Get dolled up for the pretty dress ride on Sunday!
(Photo © J. Maus)

We're putting up the weekend guide up a little early this week to help you all make your plans.

Get the weekend started tonight with Clever Cycles' Heels on Wheels party. Dress up as fancy as you like and come check out their new lines of stylish women's clothing, with discounts.

The famous Human Powered Vehicle Challenge comes to Portland all weekend! Check out these specially engineered, pedal-powered contraptions on display and in speed and endurance challenges. (more...)

Riding under the cherry
blossoms in Salem.
(Photo © J. Maus)

Hi everyone,

There wasn't time to do a Weekend Ride Guide today. There's a lot going on this weekend, though:

Check out the Shift calendar for bike fun events, classes, and even a camping trip.

Also take a look at the OBRA calendar for racing and mountain biking events, clinics, and training rides.

Me, I'm going to check out the SE Peep's Ride in a couple hours (it's billed as a "safe, mellow, family-friendly" alternative to another ride that historically happens on the last Friday of the month).
(more...)

Join the crowds at
Filmed by Bike
(Photo © J. Maus)

It's going to be sunny and in the 70s, folks. Here's a sampling of what you can do about it:

- Tonight is Filmed by Bike's opening night! Party in the street, drink beer, win prizes, and watch bike movies with a raucous, costumed crowd. The party goes from 6pm to 1am, the show times are 7, 9, and 11. SE 26th and Clinton.

- For a mellower but no less fun evening out riding with the kids, tonight is also the monthly Kidical Mass. Join a friendly group of preschoolers as they take to the streets at a mellow pace. They aren't blocking traffic, they ARE traffic. (more...)

Bunnies on bikes
(Photo © J. Maus)

Thanks to BikePortland intern J.R., we have a bunch of new events posted.

And just in time, as the seasonal event explosion is beginning.

Here are some of the weekend's highlights. Grease up your chain and get out there!

- There used to be a pub crawl every year or so that stopped at many of the non-smoking bars in town. Now that every bar is smoke-free, organizers are planning a "SMUG Crawl" on Friday the tenth (tonight!) -- which, in an attempt to cover the entire town, has eight distinct starting points all over town. See the Shift calendar for meetup locations and the acronym spelled out.

- After hours on Friday is the monthly Midnight Mystery Ride. Meet at 11, ride at midnight. This one meets way out at SE 81st and Stark at a place called The Observatory (or you can drink at Roscoe's next door). Rumor has it that many of the SMUG rides will converge on this point.

(more...)

Joe Kurmaskie will rally the crowds
on Sunday in support of alternatives
to the 12-lane CRC.
(Photo © J. Maus)

It's shaping up to be a beautiful weekend. Which is a good thing, because there are some compelling reasons to get out there and ride.

The big event of the weekend is the Build Less Bridge CRC Opposition and Alternatives Rally this Sunday at noon in Waterfront Park near the Morrison Bridge. A lineup of speakers including City Commissioner Amanda Fritz will inspire the crowd to work for alternatives to the proposed new 12-lane highway bridge in Portland.

If you are planning to bike to the rally, you can find out where meet up with other folks riding from your part of the area (or start your own ride) on this map (more...)

It's the weekend!

I've been largely without a working computer this week -- my laptop will be out of the shop on Monday afternoon -- and I'm looking forward to having a couple of days off from shuffling between borrowed computers, re-learning old operating systems, getting used to unfamiliar keyboards, and trying to remember passwords.

So let's keep this short. There are a couple of interesting rides this weekend, including:

- A five mile, decorated ride on Saturday morning to celebrate International SWAN Day (SWAN stands for Support Women Artists Now). (more...)

[Publisher's note: We are trying to do a better job about sharing ride info. In the future, we'll try and publish "This Weekend", with a list of rides we've heard about, on Thursdays.]

Cliff and Dutch of North Freak.
(Photo © J. Maus)

It might be the dead of winter and chilly as heck outside, but that hasn't stopped Portlanders from planning fun bike rides and events. And, given the heaviness of this week, having fun on a bike sounds like just what the doctor ordered.

Here are a few rides coming up (starting tonight) that have caught my eye.

Tonight (Friday, 1/23)
Freaky Friday
This is a monthly night ride hosted by the fine folks of North Freak Bike Club. The ride meets at 10:30 pm at Irving Park (NE 7th Ave and Fargo St) and then everyone will ride to a mystery location for freak bike jousting and assorted antics. In case you're wondering, North Freak is "a collective for people who love freak bicycles, such as tall bikes, choppers, swing bikes, minibikes and anything else fun and creative you can think of."
-- MORE INFO HERE --
(more...)