🚨 Please note that BikePortland slows down during this time of year as I have family in town and just need a break! Please don't expect typical volume of news stories and content. I'll be back in regular form after the new year. Thanks. - Jonathan 🙏
Mountain biking on Mt. Hood isn’t exactly the first thing that comes to mind when you think of a family-friendly summer bike adventure; but that might change thanks to Cascade Huts.
Since their launch five years ago, the founders of Cascade Huts — James Koski (yes that James Koski) and Don Bain — have attracted quite a bit of media attention. Earlier this month, Outside Magazine named Cascade Huts the 2nd best hut-to-hut mountain biking system in America.
And now, in partnership with the US Forest Service, the company has announced the addition of two new huts that are set to open for riders this summer. The new huts are in the Surveyor’s Ridge area to the east of Mt. Hood.
A book by the man who coined the termed “vehicular cycling” is set to be re-published by MIT Press on May 18th (which is Bike to Work Day). In 1993, John Forester’s Effective Cycling aimed to explain his perspective on how people should operate bicycles. That book, and Forester himself, had a profound impact on cycling in the 1990s and the new edition of the book will hit shelves as cities across America clamor to install the type of separated, protected bike infrastructure Forester abhors.
On his personal website, Forester urges visitors to, “Fight for Your Right to Cycle Properly!” telling them, “The right of cyclists to cycle properly and safely is disappearing. If you don’t fight to preserve it, it will disappear.”
It’s been about six weeks since cracks started forming and chunks started falling off the busy Springwater path south of OMSI. Since then, the damage has worsened and as rain continues to fall, the Portland Parks & Recreation bureau is still a bit nervous about what might happen next.
After constant monitoring of the riverbank beneath the path by geotech engineers, Parks announced this morning that path users should expect delays on Tuesday, May 1st, as engineers take a closer look. Here’s more from the official statement:
“… from the SE Ivon entrance to about mile 2. Workers, equipment and vehicles will be on site as engineers address recent riverbank erosion, caused by heavy rains and high water. Bikers and joggers please take note…”
I rolled by the damage 10 days ago and here’s how it looked…
Just got a wonderful email from Kiel “Bike Train” Johnson with a photo essay from Sabin K-8 School parent Bill Griesar. Bill was named Bike Train Conductor of the Year last year and the bike train he led this morning (in the rain no less) swelled to 102 people by the time it reached the northeast Portland school.
Bill emailed Kiel a photo essay to share this morning’s bike train and I thought you’d like to see it too (text and photos below are by Bill Griesar)…
There’s still work to be done and money to be raised. (Photo: Brian List/OBRA)
Since a project to renovate the aging surface at Alpenrose Velodrome was announced last month, the Oregon Bicycle Racing Association (OBRA) has seen an outpour of support. Although much of the work to smooth the straightaways is complete, there’s still a big funding gap to pay for that first phase as well as more work that is slated to be done. In hopes of closing that gap, Portland’s Sizzle Pie cycling team, lead by Zak Kovalcik, has paired up with Upper Echelon Fitness to hold a fundraising party this Friday to drum up more support.
Detail of new mural. See it below. (Photo: Cyclone Bicycle Supply)
One measure of a great bike city that you won’t find in academic research papers or on various “Best Of” lists is the extent to which bicycles are represented in public art. Here in Portland, bikes are everywhere. Not just in racks and on the streets; but in murals, paintings, and sculptures throughout the city.
The newest, large-scale bike mural in town is in northwest Portland, on the west side of the Cyclone Bicycle Supply headquarters at 2050 NW Vaughn. Cyclone’s Director of Sales John Byfield got in touch with us recently with a photo of it and a bit more…
Year: 2010 Brand: Specialized Model: Specialized Allez Steel Double 2011 Color:red Size:56cm Photo: http://www.bikedetails.com/img_data_nb/Specialized_Allez_Steel_Double_2011_1026.jpg Stolen in Portland, OR 97217 Stolen:2012-04-23 Stolen From: on the green line max at Gateway/99th right by the Oregon Clinic. I saw the guy take off with it… on North East Pacific Street. Neighborhood: Gateway Owner: Joshua Rossman OwnerEmail: peaceattack@gmail.com Reward: 200 Description: red specialized road bike, no stickers but U lock attached underneath seat. the pedals had toe clips attached to them when I originally bought it and I sawed them off, so they will look kind of sharp and pointed. also the handle bars had white taping just like in the photo. it could be 54cm, I can’t seem to remember. I bought it brand new in 2010, however… the photo, which looks identical to it, is of the 2011 model. Police record with: Portland PD This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike
I took a ride in the Aerial Tram yesterday and snapped a few photos of the new bridge (scroll down). I didn’t realize this project was so close to completion.
Once open, the bridge will connect the Lair Hill neighborhood to the South Waterfront District. The west end of the bridge is at the intersection of SW Gibbs St. and Kelly Ave. From there, the bridge winds over I-5 to an elevator and staircase that stand at the southern end of the new cycle track on SW Moody. The stairs are expected to be bicycle-friendly but I have seen them up close yet. I imagine most folks would just take their bikes on the elevator.
“Typically project scopes of work are influenced by the funding stream. This does not always lead to the best solution to the problem.” — ODOT
We’ve been reporting on an evolution away from a freeway-first mentality and toward a mode-neutral approach that’s been taking place at the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) over the past year or so. Today, the agency announced a big step in that evolution.
For the first time ever, ODOT has combined the application process for two of their largest pots of non-motorized funds: the federal Transportation Enhancements program and the state-funded Bicycle & Pedestrian grant program (which is awarded by the Oregon Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (OBPAC)). The combined amount available through this process is $20 million ($15 million from TE and $5 million from the bike/ped program).
Both of these programs are now housed in ODOT’s recently formed Active Transportation Section and combining the application process is a clear sign that tangible changes are happening.
KATU-TV (Portland’s ABC affiliate) and Willamette Week hosted a televised mayoral debate on Sunday night. It was a very good debate with questions taken from live audience members, online fans, and seasoned political reporters from both outlets. Then this happened…
Year: 2000 Brand: TREK Model: 4300 Color:Yellow Size:mountain Stolen in Portland, OR 97202 Stolen:2012-04-23 Stolen From: Outside post office at SE 14th/Powell Neighborhood: Brooklyn Owner: Christy Hegstrom OwnerEmail: trekker430@gmail.com Description: Mountain bike, 21 speed, road tires, fenders, orange spd clips, bell on right handlebar Police record with: Portland This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike
Charlie Wicker and his Trailhead Coffee Roasters bike. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
In the past I’ve documented Portland’s strong and rich connection between coffee and bikes. I’ve also shared how this city is absolutely bonkers for cargo bikes in all of their many manifestations. Well, it turns out that those two trends are continuing to push local coffee and bike lovers to new heights.
Here are a few dispatches from the front lines of Portland’s coffee bike arms race (followed by several, non-coffee cargo bike news updates):
PourPour Coffee
Aspiring entrepreneur and Portland resident Jake Rueda just completed a successful Kickstarter campaign for PourPour Coffee. Now he’ll take the money he raised ($5,000) and put it toward, “a modern brew-to-order coffee cart on a tricycle.” I have a feeling we’ll be seeing and hearing a lot more from Jake this coming summer. He hopes to open in mid-May. Watch for updates on his website.
Icicle Tricycle’s new Espresso Coffee Bike
Portland businessman Ryan Hashagen has done it again. After establishing his Portland Pedicabs business and a fleet of ice-cream-selling tricycles, he is now offering a cargo trike built specifically to serve high quality espresso. Behold…
(Photo: Icicle Tricycle)
Ryan says the new rig debuted at the recent Specialty Coffee Association of America Convention held here in Portland last weekend. Ryan built up the bike in his shop in Old Town with a lot of help from another local coffee bike guru, Charlie Wicker of Trailhead Coffee Roasters (more on him below). Ryan said the bike wouldn’t have been possible without Charlie’s knowledge and inspiration.
At SCAA convention.
Ryan also said it was hard to find a quality espresso maker that could run off of basic 110 volt power (which can use any standard household outlet). After a search he found a machine from Italian company Astoria and collaborated with them on the project. His Espresso Coffee Bike comes with an Astoria AL1 espresso maker that can run off either propane or 110V power. “The beauty of that is we can either plug it into a hotel lobby or take it to the beach or a park where you might not have electricity,” he says.
Ryan’s Espresso Coffee Bike retails for $9,999 for a complete package that includes water tanks (one for fresh water, one for waste water), a refrigeration unit for milk and cream, a propane tank, and a professional-grade bean grinder (that can run up to 8 hours per charge). He’s already sold one to a customer in Bogota, Colombia and more orders are piling up.
Trailhead Coffee Roasters debuts latest coffee bike
Charlie has really outdone himself this time. The new box is beautiful, with a design inspired by 1950s art deco trains. The box also has inlaid lighting (like a big rig) and sides tall enough so that Charlie’s kids have windows when the ride inside it (the bike doubles as his family car). It’s not light, but Charlie is not weak — he pedaled his previous coffee bike on Cycle Oregon (which is either extreme dedication or insanity, or both)!
—
These coffee bikes (I like to call them “coffiets”) stand on the shoulders of early innovators like Courier Coffee (2007) and Cafe Velo (2008). Where will this coffee and bike connection take us next? Stay tuned…
In other local cargo bike news…
— TRANSPORTland, a fledgling cargo bike advocacy and enthusiasts group, has earned a spot in the Rose Festival Starlight Parade (June 2nd). They’re currently working on a routine and their entry will include many local bike-based businesses.
— Local cargo bike maker Metrofiets is well known for their custom projects (the Hopworks beer bike might ring a bell); but they’ve also been busy refining production processes in order to bring prices down and improve turnaround times. Evidence of this is the announcement yesterday by Clever Cycles that they will receive a shipment of Metrofiets cargo bikes in the next couple of weeks. The bikes will be a production version of Metrofiets’ proven design.
— Spendid Cycles, a cargo bike specialty shop on SE Belmont is nearing their third anniversary. The shop is about to launch a new online store and they report a healthy business in adding e-assist to the bikes they sell.
— Go By Bike, the small shop based under the Aerial Tram in the South Waterfront district is booming. One of the new services they’ve debuted this season is free rental (for OHSU staff and students) of a CETMA cargo bike. (Stay tuned for more on Go By Bike.)
— Portland-based bag maker Blaq Design is finding a healthy market for their cargo bike rain covers. Blaq is making them for Southeast Portland shop Joe Bike and for CETMA, a cargo bike maker based in Eugene.
— BLine PDX, a local freight delivery company that uses pedal-powered trikes (with e-assist) plays a starring role in an excellent feature that ran on PBS on Earth Day. The show, Earth, the Operator’s Manual focused on Portland’s planning leadership that has allowed us to take far fewer motor vehicle trips than other growing cities. Watch the clip below:
As this post makes clear, Portland’s cargo bike ecosystem is thriving! The level of collaboration between enthusiasts and business owners is creating something very special that is having an impact on our city both in terms of healthy lives and healthy bottom lines.
