🎄🚨: BikeCraft is back! Our holiday gift bazaar happens Wednesday, 12/17 at Migration Brewing on N Williams Ave.
See full vendor list here.

Year: 2012

Reader Story: What the Ride of Silence means to this mom

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

[This story was submitted by Kristi Finney, who became a traffic safety activist after her son Dustin was killed by a hit-and-run driver while bicycling in Portland last August.]

Less than a year ago I’d never heard of the Ride of Silence. I don’t remember how I found out about the website but I came across it one day and it claimed that the organization was created for this purpose:

    To HONOR those who have been injured or killed
    To RAISE AWARENESS that we are here
    To ask that we all SHARE THE ROAD

To be frank, I still wish I didn’t know what the Ride of Silence is. But now I do know, and I can’t ignore it. I can’t pretend it doesn’t exist. I can’t pretend that it’s not happening. Most of all, I can’t pretend there isn’t a reason for it… and that is what my biggest wish in all the world would be, if I could have any wish.

Read more

ODOT makes St. Johns Bridge sharrow plans official

family riding on St Johns bridge

Sharrows, signage on the way.
(Photo © J. Maus)

Back in February, we reported that the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) was considering a slate of changes to the St. Johns Bridge with an eye toward making bicycle travel safer and more pleasant. Now those plans have been confirmed.

In what they’re calling their “St. Johns Bridge Safety Awareness Project,” ODOT will lay down 16 sharrows (8 in each direction) along the two outer lanes of the bridge and they will “improve signage on the bridge span indicating to all users that the bridge span is a shared road facility.”

Residents around the bridge were sent a postcard earlier this month that described the reasons for the project and some specifics. The mailer explained the new pavement markings:

Read more

Reader Story: Portland Bike Polo, ten years in the making

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Oregon Bike Polo Championships-69

Bike polo players in Alberta Park.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)

[This story was submitted by northeast Portland resident and president of Portland Bike Polo, Sasha Friedman.]

Portland Bike Polo has progressed over the past ten years from an offshoot of an indie messenger sport to a large group of athletes practicing year-round for national and international tournaments and putting on community outreach programs. Every week in Portland, rain or shine, twenty to fifty people come out to play a fun and challenging team sport on the pavement that combines individual bike riding ability with the ability to work and compete as a team.

Read more

Job: Bicycle Mechanic – Abraham Fixes Bikes

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Job Title
Bicycle Mechanic

Company/Organization
Abraham Fixes Bikes

Job Description
Abraham Fixes Bikes is a small repair only bicycle shop. We are hiring an experienced bicycle mechanic for a seasonal to year-round position. Please take some time to read through the website, discover our philosophy and see if you would compliment our business.

The position will begin June 1st and be for 32-40 hrs per week. This position is for someone who is seeking advancement in the bike mechanic world.

Compensation is $11 to $14 per hour depending on experience.

Mechanical necessities:
• UBI or other professional training AND 2 year of professional service shop experience.
• Or 3 years professional service shop experience.
• Knowledge of current and older bicycles and the replacement of their parts
• Ability to perform service in a timely fashion
• Ability to diagnose and estimate cost of repairs
• Familiarity with wholesalers and ordering parts
• Strong organizational skills (esp. with tools) will be preferred.
• Ability to accept feedback and criticism in a professional manner

Customer service needs:
• Ability to help a wide variety of customers in a friendly and accessible manner
• Ability to explain difficult issues in an easy to understand way, never leaving the customer feeling unequal because they don’t understand “bike terminology”
• Treat every customer with the same amount of respect.
• Ability to assess customer’s knowledge and meet them where they are with their cycling needs.

How to Apply
To apply send an email to abraham@abrahamfixesbikes.com which includes:
– Two to three paragraphs telling us why you’re interested in working for Abraham Fixes Bikes, your cycling background and all relevant skills.
– Strong applicants will be invited to a working interview, once all resumes are in, to see if our shop is a good fit for all.
– Please include strong references.

Reader Story: Shared space as a bridge to cycling utopia

(Photos © J. Maus)

[This story was submitted by Portland resident and active transportation activist Alexis Grant.]

With Jonathan’s recent mention that Effective Cycling (the vehicular cycling bible) will be republished, it seems like a good time to share some thoughts on cycling facilities that I developed after attending Towards Carfree Cities IX in York, UK.

At the conference, I noticed a theme emerging in discussing street configuration: mode separation vs. shared space. Separating modes (like walking, cycling, and driving) means putting them in different places on a street, or allowing them to proceed at different times through an intersection. In the US, we think of separation as normal for people walking. They go more slowly than vehicles, so we give them their own place on the street: the sidewalk. But it wasn’t always so.

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Portland Pedal Power launches cargo bike enclosure sales

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Portland Pedal Power’s cargo enclosure.

Portland Pedal Power is a local bike business that delivers food, beer and wine, groceries and other products throughout the city. Their fleet consists of Yuba Mundo longtail cargo bikes with custom made enclosures that attach to the rear racks.

The enclosures are a nifty way to hold cargo and they have a highly visible presence on the road.

In the nearly five years they’ve been in business the enclosures have gone through many iterations and design refinements. Now, after receiving many inquiries about them from other local businesses, Portland Pedal Power is selling them as a stand-alone product.

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The Monday Roundup

Traffic fatalities are the leading cause of death
for people 10 to 24 years old, worldwide.
(Photo: OSP captures the aftermath of a
car-bike collision in Oregon City on May 5th.)

Here’s the news and other stuff that caught our eyes this past week…

– A new report found the leading cause of death in 10 to 24-year-olds is “road traffic”.

– Thousands of protesters gathered in London, Edinburgh, and Rome last weekend to bring attention to the lack of protections for people on bicycles in many large European cities in what was the largest protest for road safety in London’s history.

– Meanwhile, Toronto’s mayor Rob Ford is continuing to push the idea that roads should be the domain of motor vehicles and although his “heart bleeds” for people who are killed while riding their bike he believes “it’s their own fault at the end of the day.”

Read more

white with black design Cannondale Hooligan 8 2011

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Year: 2011
Brand: Cannondale
Model: Hooligan 8
Color:white with black design
Size:20
Serial:VM04277
Photo: http://www.bikepedia.com/quickbike/BikeSpecs.aspx?Year=2011&Brand=Cannondale&Model=Hooligan+8&Type=bike
Stolen in Portland, OR 97214
Stolen:2012-05-04
Stolen From: Ladds Addition
Neighborhood: Ladds Addition
Owner: Amy Yukas
OwnerEmail: amy.yukas@gmail.com
Reward: Yes
Description: It is brand new – white with a black design
Police record with: City of Portland
Police reference#: 12-38467
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

black w/ red panels Sekai 1970s

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Year: 1970s
Brand: Sekai
Color:black w/ red panels
Size:30″
Stolen in Portland, OR 97227
Stolen:2012-05-4
Stolen From: Gotham Building
2256 N Albina Ave
(on the corner of N Interstate and N Albina)
Neighborhood: NE Portland
Owner: Kristine Kingstadt
OwnerEmail: kristine.kingstadt@gmail.com
Reward: yes
Description: Description:
*navy blue/black (w/red panels)
*1970s Sekai (steel, made in Japan)
*Nitto Promenade handlebars
*Brooks saddle (honey) and grips (The saddle is locked to the frame.)
*original gold fenders
*platform pedals
*Wald front basket
*silver rear pannier rack
Police record with: Portland PD
Police reference#: pending

white/black Fuji Cross Comp 2010

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Year: 2010
Brand: Fuji
Model: Cross Comp
Color:white/black
Size:54cm
Serial: IF01205939
Photo: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v631/jonej_77/bike.jpg
Stolen in 97267, OR
Stolen:2012-05-5
Stolen From: Stolen from Inside apartment while I slept.
Neighborhood: Milwaukie, Lake Rd area
Owner: Jeff Jones
OwnerEmail: jonej77@gmail.com
Reward: yes
Description: fenders, Catseye double strata computer, Contential gatorskins, Avid Ultimate shorty brakes.
Police record with: Clackamas Co.
Police reference#: 12-13550
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

Latest Headlines

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Guest article: ‘High crash’ intersections and what Portland is doing about them

Councilor Olivia Clark, sick of potholes, launches road funding effort

From the Archives

Portland’s invisible machine: Behind the scenes at the World Naked Bike Ride