August 2012 Archives

Bike stolen in San Franciso 6 years ago appears in Portland, then vanishes again

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

A beloved De Rosa was almost reunited with its owner.
(Photo: Plattyjo.com)

A man from San Francisco is hoping Portlanders can help him find a bike he had stolen in 2006.

It’s a crazy story; but behind it is a guy who loves his bike and just wants to get it back.

Justin LaBo had his beloved De Rosa track bike stolen from a storage unit in San Francisco back in August of 2006. Fast forward to a few days ago and, miraculously, the bike turned up in northeast Portland. Here’s what happened according to Justin:

Year: 09/10?
Brand: Trek
Model: Allant
Color:Olive Green
Size:?
Serial: WTU310C036ZE
Photo: http://revolutioncycles.com/merchant/471/images/site/allant-ladies.jpg
Stolen in Portland, OR 97201
Stolen:2012-07-31
Stolen From: Basement of SW 12th and Columbia, 97201. Downtown by PSU
Neighborhood: SW
Owner: xxxxx
OwnerEmail: xxxxx
Reward: $100
Description: Bike Gallery sticker on it
Police record with: PDX PD
Police reference#: 12-154758
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

silver S.E. o.m. flyer 2007

Year: 2007
Brand: S.E.
Model: o.m. flyer
Color:silver
Size:blue
Serial:100_1470
Stolen in Portland, OR 97215
Stolen:2012-07-28
Stolen From: my house. 4912 se mill st.
Neighborhood: mt tabor/hawthorne
Owner: jason storie
OwnerEmail: storiejason@yahoo.com
Reward: 200
Description: 2007 SILVER/BLUE S.E. OM FLYER 26in BMX CRUISER. 3 SPEED STURMY ARCHER REAR HUB. BLUE SLICK TIRES. BLUE BEAR TRAP PEDALS. POWERLIGHT POWERBEND BMX CRUISER BARS. BLUE AME GRIPS. BLACK FSA WILD CHILD 180MM CRANKS. RL SEAT. AVID BRAKES. BLACK THOMSON SEATPOST. BLUE PROFILE SPROCKET. BLACK S.E. LANDING GEAR FORKS. VERY ONE OF A KIND CUSTOM BMX CRUISER!!
Police record with: Portland pd
Police reference#: T12006566
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

teal/light blue TREK 1500 WSD 2008

Year: 2008
Brand: TREK
Model: 1500 WSD
Color:teal/light blue
Size:53cm?
Photo: http://geezerwheels.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/trek1500wsd350px1.jpg
Stolen in Portland, OR 97212
Stolen:2012-08-6
Stolen From: 19th and Killingsworth/Alberta
across from the fire station, in house
Neighborhood: Killingsworth/Alberta
Owner: Alex Criss
OwnerEmail: alexc@rivercitybicycles.com
Reward: yes…
Description: All stock except the stem…(shorter higher rise)
black bar tape and saddle.
all bontrager components
shimano 105 components
Police record with: is being done now
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

Women who conquered Tour de France route now set to tell the tale

They made it!
(Photo © Michael Robertson/Velodramatic)

They did it! It wasn’t easy, but the six woman Reve Tour team that set out to tackle the entire Tour de France route accomplished their goal. Two of them — Jennifer Cree and Heidi Swift — are from Portland and they’re back in town, ready to share the experience with the many people who supported them along the way.

Two events this month will give those of us inspired by the Reve Tour a chance to hear from Heidi and Jennifer and ask them those burning questions.

The first event is being hosted by The Portland Society, a non-profit business alliance of “professional women who are passionate about bicycling.” Here’s more from Portland Society co-founder Elly Blue:

Screen grab from ‘Community Works’.
– Watch it below –

It’s rare that I’ll give Front Page space to a company’s in-house promo video; but I love the latest one from Portland Design Works.

The new video by talented filmmaker James Wilson (who has done loads of great work for local bike causes and companies), documents a few of PDW’s recent forays into community service. As you might recall from coverage here on BikePortland, PDW gave the new Ventura Pump Track a big financial boost and they also funded and hosted the very fun Rider Appreciation Day (RAD) on North Williams Avenue. The video also features company co-owner Dan Powell making PB&Js for participants in the weekly MTB Short Track races out at Portland International Raceway.

“I have lived in Portland a long time, been down plenty of pretty sketchy roads and this was the first time I was concerned about getting mugged.”
— Duncan Newberry

What can we do to improve safety and security for people who ride on the eastern reaches of the Springwater Corridor?

Back in October I shared the experiences of several people who said riding on the Springwater in the area around (and east of) SE 82nd Ave at night makes them feel unsafe. “I never take it when it’s dark… It’s really dicey back there and I definitely don’t feel safe,” said one person. “This is unacceptable!” and “This has to stop!” said others.

It’s a question I ask again today because of two more incidents that have come across my desk this week.

Last night, Portland Bike Forums user randy5235 posted that his wife had been pushed off her bike while riding on the Springwater:

Year: 2011
Brand: Trek
Model: 7.2FX
Color:Champagne
Size:17.5
Serial:SWTU191C0747F
Stolen in Portland, OR 97232
Stolen:2012-08-05
Stolen From: about a 5 block radius from morrison and grand intersection
Owner: Krist Horvath
OwnerEmail: krista@africamail.com
Reward: $50
Description: Champagne color trek bike, chipped pedal, bike light holster on front without light
Police reference#: 12-154789
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

TriMet’s multimodal trip planning tool now out of testing mode

Screen grab of the
trip planner in action.

After 10 months of testing, TriMet has officially moved their multimodal trip planner out of beta mode. Here’s more from their announcement:

Now riders can combine transit with biking and walking using the newest version of the online trip planner. This open source trip planning tool is the first produced by a transit agency in the U.S. that allows users to combine multiple modes of transportation.

TriMet has spent over three years building this tool (which has even been noticed by the White House). Since they launched it to public use back in October, they’ve received help from hundreds of users, says the agency’s IT Manager of GIS and Location-Based Service Bibiana McHugh. I spoke with McHugh on the phone this morning to learn more about what has changed since then.

“It’s a much better tool that it was back in October,” she said.

Year: 2010
Brand: Schwinn
Model: Solitaire
Color:green
Size:700c
Photo: http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/542/bike2z.jpg/
Stolen in Portland, OR 97212
Stolen:2012-08-06
Stolen From: NE 12th and Hawthorne
Neighborhood: laurelhurst
Owner: jessica hazard
OwnerEmail: jhazard7@yahoo.com
Reward: $100…and a hug
Description: The bike is a lime green schwin solitaire with a currie electro drive mounted on the rear tire. I didn’t have the battery on the bike so if someone is selling it quickly on craigslist they might make note of that. It’s a standard cheap cruiser I got from Walmart, but it was mine and I want it back.
Police record with: Portland pd
Police reference#: 12-154811
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

Ethics, exhaust, and other reasons to break traffic laws while bicycling

The bike world is buzzing today after a Sunday New York Times opinion piece by Randy Cohen laid out his personal, ethical case for riding illegally. In, If Kant Were a New York Cyclist, Cohen, formerly “The Ethicist” columnist at the paper, wrote:

“I treat red lights and stop signs as if they were yield signs. A fundamental concern of ethics is the effect of our actions on others. My actions harm no one. This moral reasoning may not sway the police officer writing me a ticket, but it would pass the test of Kant’s categorical imperative: I think all cyclists could — and should — ride like me.”

Not surprisingly, Cohen’s piece has spurred lots of reaction from both sides of the debate. Reuters’ Felix Salmon offered a thoughtful rebuttal to Cohen, writing that, “If Cohen wants to agitate for a change in the rules, I’ll join him and support him. But I’m not going to pretend that it’s OK to break the rules just because you think the rules should be changed.”

This just in from PBOT (read background on this story here):

NEWS ADVISORY
First-in-U.S. bike counter to be unveiled on Wed.

WHAT:
A bicycle counter donated by Cycle Oregon will be turned on at a public event on Wednesday at the Hawthorne Bridge. The counter will visibly show the number of people on bikes who ride past it and gather data for the City of Portland’s bicycling efforts. This is a first-of-its-kind installation in the United States. Representatives from the City of Portland and Multnomah County will thank Cycle Oregon and then turn on the counter as a group of cyclists rides by.

WHEN:
The event begins at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, August 8, with speeches and is expected to last approximately 30 minutes. Members of the media are advised to arrive at 9:45 a.m. for set up.

WHERE:
The event is located at the west end of the Hawthorne Bridge on the northern side. The counter is installed on the northern path where it splits on the west end of the bridge, with one half of the path going to Waterfront Park and the other half continuing toward downtown.

WHO:
Cycle Oregon Co-founder Jonathan Nicholas, Multnomah County Commissioner Deborah Kafoury and Portland Bureau of Transportation Director Tom Miller will speak.

Bike stolen in San Franciso 6 years ago appears in Portland, then vanishes again

Olive Green Trek Allant 09/10?

silver S.E. o.m. flyer 2007

teal/light blue TREK 1500 WSD 2008

Women who conquered Tour de France route now set to tell the tale

In new video, Portland Design Works shows ‘Community Works’

Woman assaulted, man spooked: More security concerns on Springwater Corridor

Champagne Trek 7.2FX 2011

TriMet’s multimodal trip planning tool now out of testing mode

green Schwinn Solitaire 2010

Ethics, exhaust, and other reasons to break traffic laws while bicycling

Details on Wednesday’s news conference for new bicycle counter

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