makes the front page of NYTimes.com.
The Monday (11/5) edition of the New York Times features a story on Portland’s bike culture.
The article, In Portland, Cultivating a Culture of Two Wheels, is currently (as of Sunday night) featured on the home page of NYTimes.com and is also accompanied by a video titled, The Business of Biking.
Along with a nod to Portland as “Bike City USA”, the article and video focus primarily on Portland’s custom framebuilders and the City’s effort to promote and encourage bike-related businesses.
Featured in the article are builders Tony Pereira, Andy Newlands, and Sacha White. Also quoted are Commissioner Sam Adams and former PDOT bike coordinator Mia Birk, who, as a principal with Alta Planning completed an analysis of Portland’s bike economy in June of 2006.
Currently there are 12 framebuilders plying their trade in Portland (see a list of them on my links page) and several of them have gained national and international acclaim for their work. Portland builders took home four awards at the 2007 North American Handmade Bicycle Show held in San Jose, CA back in March.
(Photo © Jonathan Maus)
My favorite quote comes at the end of the video. It’s from framebuilder Natalie Ramsland. She says, “Here, it’s like, if you’re riding a bike, you’re really traveling in the vernacular…it’s what people do here.”
Oh, and the article also mentions a little web site. Guess which one ;-).
Check out the article and the video.
- Meet Portland’s framebuilders and see their work up-close at the Oregon Handmade Bicycle Show happening this
SaturdaySunday (11/11). - Visit Tony Pereira’s shop and learn more about him in my article from last November, In the shop with…Tony Pereira.
- Read more about local builders in my Framebuilders Section.