The weekend is upon us. Pull up our excellent and jam-packed Weekend Event Guide and plan out your bike fun.
I’ve been in Lake Tahoe, California for the past few days (last-minute family thing, I’ve been writing stories late at night and early morning!), so I won’t be participating in all the great events going on… So, as per usual, share your plans and adventures in the comments below.
U.S. Congressman Earl Blumenauer will kick off Interbike in Las Vegas next month. His presence will put advocacy front and center at North America’s largest bike trade show. Blumenauer will be joined by Interbike Show Director Andy Tompkins and Bikes Belong Coalition President Tim Blumenthal at a press conference to open the show on September 22nd.
Here’s an excerpt from a statement by Interbike:
“The purpose of the press conference is to welcome the industry to Interbike 2010, share information about the industry’s show and its future direction, and hear from Blumenauer and Blumenthal on the state of cycling legislation and future government activity on behalf of bicycling.
Year: 1980s
Brand: Schwinn
Model: Traveler
Color:Red
Size:tallish
Photo: http://img825.imageshack.us/img82
Stolen in Portland, OR
Stolen:2010-08-25
Stolen From: SE 79th & Woodward
Neighborhood: South Tabor
Owner: Gretchen Harris
OwnerEmail: wemetontrimet@yahoo.com
Reward: Sure
Description: I built this bike, but can’t remember all the components. It has integrated shifters and nice shimano rims, a WTB sadddle and road tires with a reflective side wall. The bike is red with yellow and white stripes and a yellow bottle holder. The handlebars are not taped.
This registrant does not have proof of ownership of this bike
This week’s featured job opening could have you walking the talk (or biking or carpooling the talk) as the Westside Transportation Alliance’s Programs representative to Tigard and Tualatin in Washington County. If you want to spread the good word and help create healthier cities and lifestyles through transportation planning, follow the link to learn more and apply.
This is a paid listing, so when you apply, please remember to tell them you saw the ad on BikePortland… and good luck to all applicants!
Kirk Hanna, owner of Mt. Hood Ski Bowl, real estate developer, and son of carwash magnate Daniel Hanna, and plead guilty to Hit and Run, DUII, and 4th degree Assault in a Multnomah County courtroom on Thursday.
According to Portland Police, Hanna, 49, was driving his Porsche SUV at speeds estimated to be 80 mph when he swerved and struck Robert Skof, ridig a bicycle on SW Macadam Ave, just north of the Sellwood Bridge on May 23rd. Hanna did not stop and witnesses say he sped up when they tried to follow him to get his license plate. The incident occurred at 2:43 am. The victim was transported to a hospital with bleeding and facial lacerations that were not life-threatening.
Year: 2010
Brand: Scott
Model: CNTSSA Speedster 2
Color:Gray
Size:47cm
Serial: A1042820
Stolen in Portland, OR 97220
Stolen:2010-08-25
Stolen From: Touché restaurant 1425 NW Glisan.
Owner: Amber Baker
OwnerEmail: sunkist2@mac.com
Description: Gray/Silver frame white seat white handle bars, road bike, only a back wheel, a black rack.
Police record with: Portland PD
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike
Year: 2004
Brand: Specialized
Model: S Works CX
Color:Red and Black
Photo: http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/1857/specializedallezelitefrnn1.jpg
Stolen in Portland, OR 97204
Stolen:2010-08-26
Stolen From: 421 sw sixth ave. Commonwealth Building
Neighborhood: downtown
Owner: Steven Ewoldt
OwnerEmail: sewoldt@spytype.com
Reward: yes
Description: Red and Black Specialized CX had the lock cut off while parked on the street. Has a black rack on the rear, a tag-a-long attachment on the seatpost, and a sticker for “Trail Head Cyclery” on the bottom of the seat-tube (near the crank) that is yellow and green (roughly 1″ x 1″). Also the brake / gear handle on the right has the tip of the plastic chipped off.
Police record with: Portland
Police reference#: T10005573
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike
In an effort to improve the safety of people walking and bicycling around their buses, TriMet is considering the use of a new product that would emit LED lights and short bursts of sound when a bus makes a turn.
Josh Blanchard, president of Safety Concepts (the company making the device), tells me that the “state of the art device” will prove capable of “drastically reducing accidents between buses, pedestrians and cyclists.”
“He [Christensen] is inciting violence, death threats, essentially begging someone to act violently against another person… Any harm to my son as a result of that language could be construed as a liability on the part of TriMet and on Dan personally.”
— Tom Bennett
The parents of a Paul Higgins, the man who was the subject of the controversial, “Portland! Kill this bicyclist!” blog post written by TriMet bus operator Dan Christensen, feel the situation should have been taken much more seriously.
Higgins’ mom, Judy Bennett, wrote about the situation on her blog last Sunday. After reposting the blog post where Christensen detailed his intentions to “exercise the death option” on her son for his erratic riding behavior, Bennett wrote,
“Freaky, right? Makes you question what sort of person is allowed to drive people around our city in a large vehicle. I’m quite a bit more upset than you might be right now, because the bicyclist he is talking about is my son.”
Whether you like them or not, electric bikes have arrived and it looks like they’re here to stay. E-bikes can now be found in almost every local bike shop, major manufacturers are adding e-assist to a growing number of urban and cargo bikes, and e-bikes can be spotted among bike traffic more and more. But what about the laws governing their specifications and usage?
This isn’t intended to be legal advice, as I’m not a lawyer, but a brief summary of e-bike related law at the federal, state, and local levels.
Federal Law
At the Federal level, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) relegated defining what an e-bike is to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The CPSC defines a low-speed electric bicycle as:
“… a two- or three-wheeled vehicle with fully operable pedals and an electric motor of less than 750 watts (1 h.p.), whose maximum speed on a paved level surface, when powered solely by such a motor while ridden by an operator who weighs 170 pounds, is less than 20 mph. (Public Law No. 107-319, section 1, 116 Stat. 2776 (2002))”
Cycle Oregon, the marquee bike ride that attacts over 2,000 participants every year, has been named the 2010 Honored Citizen by the Architecture Foundation of Oregon, (AFO) a non-profit organization that “advocates for the enhancement of our built environment, the livability of our communities, and preservation of our rich architectural heritage.”
Why is the AFO bestowing its highest honor — which in the past has gone to the likes of Congressman Earl Blumnenaur and former Oregon Governor and U.S. Senator Mark O. Hatfield — to a bike ride? Because Cycle Oregon is much more than just a bike ride.
Brand: ALAN
Stolen in , OR
Stolen:2010-08-25
Owner: Bo Gayheart
OwnerEmail: edgar.gayheartiii@pcc.edu
Description: I bought it from some guy for 20.00 If your missing one call me with description. 971-207-7060
Comment of the Week: Real talk about building bikeways in east Portland