First Thursday event will feature up-and-coming bike builders

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Bikes at City Club-20

See bikes from Sprout Cycles and
six other local builders during First
Thursday in the Pearl next week.
(Photo © J. Maus)

A small social media application development company in the Pearl District will host a First Thursday event next week featuring five local, up-and-coming bike builders.

The show, hosted by the StepChange Group (500 NW 9th Ave.), is the brainchild of StepChange director of technology Michael Jones. Jones is a web developer who you might remember as the guy who created the (now defunct) stolen bike listing tool, Finetoothcog. He’s also co-founder of the Unicycle Bastards and helped get Portland’s Ghost Bike movement off the ground.

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Blue Specialized Allez 2003

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Year: 2003
Brand: Specialized
Model: Allez
Color:Blue
Size:54cm
Stolen in Eugene, OR 97405
Stolen:2009-07-29
Stolen From: Near the Autzen Footbridge in Eugene.
Neighborhood: University
Owner: Lydia Chambers
OwnerEmail: lydiajchambers@gmail.com
Description: Has Orange grip tape and blue tires, also has a holder for a hand pump and 2 water bottle holders.
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

black/gray Montague MX 2008

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Year: 2008
Brand: Montague
Model: MX
Color:black/gray
Size:18
Serial: AJ047-MX-85
Stolen in Portland, OR 97015
Stolen:2009-07-29
Stolen From: Bike rack in front of Comfort Suites motel, 15929 SE McKinley Ave.
Neighborhood: Clackamas
Owner: Marc Leonard
OwnerEmail: marc@cncsnw.com
Reward: 250
Description: Nearly new, no personalized features. Minor nick on left side of seat post below Montague name. Prowheel crankset, where most MX’s should have Suntour.
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

Join us for an evening with bike tourer, photographer, blogger, and advocate Russ Roca

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Russ Roca and his custom Bilenky.
An Evening with Russ Roca
Monday, 8/3 at 6:00pm
Roots Brewing (1520 SE 7th Ave)

Eight years ago, budding photographer Russ Roca’s pickup truck died. A curious and eco-conscious guy, he wondered if he could get by living in Los Angeles without a car. Turns out he could. It changed his life, and it also saved him enough money to buy more camera equipment. His career — and a new perspective on life — began.

Roca, a bicycle-based professional photographer, part-time bike advocate, epicurean cyclist, and talented multimedia journalist is coming to Portland. Roca and his partner, jeweler and metalwork artist Laura Crawford, will begin a global bike tour after a train ride up to the Rose City. The pair have sold most of their possessions, moved out of their apartment in Long Beach, California and have started The Path Less Pedaled project, which they say has, “the goal of connecting with and collecting the stories of people who followed a calling to live their lives in unique ways.”

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‘Street of Dreams’ in the Pearl will be lined with bicycles

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Hoyt Street Properties bike promotion

Hoyt Street Properties in the Pearl
has long been a fan of bikes.
(Photo © J. Maus)

At the 34th annual Street of Dreams event, Portlanders will get a healthy dose of our local bike culture in addition to the usual tour of luxury homes.

This year’s event, which focuses on the Pearl District, will feature a special “Cycle the Dream” component. Organizer Mark McGregor has put together a roster of bike-related businesses that will be on display as event-goers tour eight penthouse condominiums inside the four buildings on the Street of Dreams tour route.

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Portland bike-sharing update: Vendors confirmed for demonstration event

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A bike from Montreal’s “Bixi” system.

Five companies interested in partnering with the City of Portland to implement a bike-sharing system have responded to a call for proposals to take part in a demonstration event in mid-August. Meanwhile, the Boston Globe is reporting that the City of Boston will implement, “the nation’s first citywide bike-sharing system” with hundreds of bicycles at dozens of stations.

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Oregonian guest opinion piece: Bikes are the newest “must-have fashion accessory”

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An “ultra-hip bike culture effete”
and her fashion accessory.
(Photo © J. Maus)

I noticed an interesting opinion piece in The Oregonian this morning that claims that the “newest local outdoor must-have fashion accessory” is the “walked bicycle.”

In the article, author/journalist/bike commuter Lawrence J. Maushard of Southeast Portland, seems almost perturbed by the number of people who walk with their bikes on our city’s sidewalks. I’m not sure why good looking people walking bikes causes so much consternation with Mr. Maushard (does he dislike eco-conscious people? is he just a hipster hater?), but it makes for an interesting read:

Here’s an excerpt:

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Blue 2 tone Trek 730 men’s 1994

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Year: 1994
Brand: Trek
Model: 730 men’s
Color:Blue 2 tone
Size:?
Serial:?
Stolen in Portland, OR 97213
Stolen:2009-01-26
Stolen From: Front of house
Neighborhood: Cully
Owner: Heather Buss
OwnerEmail: firewaterfairy@yahoo.com
Description: Has mountain bike handle bars, headlight & tail lights (one is magnetically pedal powered), blue bottle holder. Bike is dinged up and has original factory parts (no upgrades). Is blue on front and fades to a lighter blue. Also has shoe holders on peddles which have rusty latch straps. Fits a 5’5" rider with seat fully raised.
Police record with: Portland PD
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

BTA asks: What advocacy topics do you want to talk about?

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The Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) is planning several “Advocacy Forums” later this summer. The forums are being held so the BTA can garner feedback and input on a variety of issues. In advance of the first event in mid-August, the BTA just released a survey asking the community what topics they’d like to discuss.

When asked for more information about the forums, BTA Advocacy Manager Michelle Poyourow wrote via email that,

“These forums are a chance for BTA staff to discuss some perennial bike advocacy issues with our members. We can bring our informed perspective – what we know from the latest research and data, national and international best practices, political realities – and we want to hear from our members what their concerns and priorities are and what they’d like to see the BTA champion.”

Poyourow added that the forums are only meant for BTA members, “since, after all, that is who is funding this advocacy work.” She notes that if someone’s membership has expired, they’ll be able to renew it at the event.

In the survey, there are two questions. Here is the first:

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