Month: December 2005

Huge crowds at BikeCraft and Social

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BikeCraft!

(photos by Dave Sharp)” />

Wow. What a night. A great turnout from bike lovers of all stripes! Thanks so much to everyone who braved the wintry chill to join us at the BikeCraft Faire and Shift Social last night. It felt amazing to have so many different parts of the cycling community come under one roof. Here is the photo gallery…and below is a rapid-fire list of thoughts and thanks.

  • I talked for about 3 hours straight with nothing to drink when all of the sudden my throat broke and I was reduced to a whisper for about 10 minutes.
  • The Sprockette calendars sold briskly and they raised $400 bucks!
  • Amy and James DeRosso’s bike-inspired stoneware sold out and was one of the hottest items of the night.
  • Due to profuse talking and hand-shaking in front of my little welcome table, I didn’t really get a chance to browse all the great stuff.

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Rear view mirrors for bikes are not cool…

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glasses_mirror_salzberg

…unless they’re made by local biker and musician, Ben Salzberg. He makes these ingenious rear-view mirrors from spokes and beer bottle caps. Usually he just makes them for friends, but because he’s such a nice guy he’s agreed to make a bunch and bring them to tomorrow’s BikeCraft Faire. They’re the perfect gift for the stylish yet safe biker on your list.

New bike shop in North Portland!

new bike shop in North Portland

What do you do when it’s 10:30PM and you get word that a cool new bike shop has opened up just 3 blocks from your house? You grab your camera, get on your bike and check it out! So here they are, first photos of Revolver Bicycle Living, a new bike shop on N. Interstate and N. Portland Blvds…just 3 friggin’ blocks from the BikePortland.org undergound lair.

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Cycle Truck makes hauling easier

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fall colors

Noticed this flyer the other day at Citybikes. It’s a cool little invention called the Cycle Truck. Some local guy (I’ve emailed and haven’t heard back) is taking old cruisers and mountain bikes and outfitting them with a custom front rack set-up.

Basically, he mounts the basket to the downtube – not your handlebars – thus allowing your bars (and wheel) to move independently of the rack. He also swaps the front wheel for a smaller one. Both of these things allow you to more easily carry heavier loads. It’s really a cool idea.

Check out how Tom (Shift webmaster) used his at the recent bike move.

Just another bit of local cycling ingenuity!

Late, great additions to BikeCraft

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cartwright_stools

Just when you thought the list of bike crafters could not get any better…

After some recent publicity a few more artists have emerged and have now been added to the roster. I know, I know, you must be thinking, “can there really be more artists making bike-themed stuff!?” and the answer is…yes!

First, I’m very excited to announce that Matt Cartwright of Cartwright Design will bring his amazing bike sculpture and furniture (see photo). You might not have heard about Matt (unless you’re a loyal reader), but he’s responsible for many well-known bike sculpture installations around Portland including the “bike people” on the roof of River City Bicycles. One of my favorites is this beautiful end table made from an old Schwinn Varsity frame.

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Anti-bike sentiment is not allowed in this cab

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Make sure you check out the Willamette Week’s “Night Cabbie” column this week.

Apparently the author is a former bike messenger and this week’s column tells of how she deals with an anti-bike passenger. As the cab slows down to give a downtown cyclist some room, the passenger squawks, “Goddamn bicyclists shouldn’t be on the road,” probably expecting to find support from the cabbie. However, what he gets is the exact opposite.

Check out the rest of the article on WWeek.com.

New outdoor magazine to cover Portland

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wend_magazine

Wend Magazine is set to launch in Spring 2006. It’ll cover outdoor adventures all over the Western U.S., including the Portland area. Here’s marketing copy from their media kit:

“Wend is an amalgamation of visual, mental and physical inspiration, built to emanate the style and identity of the ever-growing population of the urban-minded adventurer. Wend’s content is informative, thought provoking, and above all, inspiring. We provide bold tales to fuel the passion of adventure, born from the love of climbing, cycling, surfing, and kayaking.”

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Crossers ready to party

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Hood River Cyclocross Race

Saturday night is the Cross Crusade party and awards ceremony. It’s happening at Mountain Cycle/Kinesis (3808 N. Williams). I heard last year there were 400 people in attendance and given the burst in popularity of ‘cross in Portland one can only expect it to be bigger and crazier this year.

The Cross Crusade folks have a lot to celebrate. They’ve established themselves as the premier cross series in the country. According to numbers given to me by OBRA’s Candi Murray, they had 3390 racers in just 6 races this year. They also had over 300 new members sign up just for ‘cross. Those are big numbers folks.

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Oregonian article on Netherlands trip

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Don’t miss this article by Jeff Mapes in today’s “inPortland” section of the Oregonian. Jeff (who is working on a book about how bikes are transforming cities around the world) accompanied the delegation of local bike advocates that went to Netherlands last month.

This discussion comparing Portland and Amsterdam is very intriguing to me. The article also gives insight into the thinking of the people that shape policies that affect our experience as cyclists in this city. Here are some of the quotes that stood out for me:

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CBS Sunday Morning recap

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For all of you that weren’t up at 6:00AM for Sunday morning’s national TV coverage, here’s a quick recap (I had my neighbor tape it for me):

  • They incorrectly mentioned that cyclists get $94 tickets (see this post for more on the confusion).
  • They interviewed traffic division commander Bill Sinnott and said the program was his “bright idea”.
  • They rode around with Officer Hoesly (a really nice guy) and installed 6 sets of lights.

    • Read more

Latest Headlines

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From the Archives

Escape from Portland with this easy loop on quiet forest roads above Trout Lake