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6/20: Hello readers and friends. I am having my second (of two) total knee replacement surgeries today so I'll be out of commission for a bit while I recover. Please be patient while I get back to full health. I hope to be back to posting as soon as I can. I look forward to getting back out there. 🙏. - Jonathan Maus, BikePortland Publisher and Editor

Year: 2012

yellow/blue/black Burley Encore 2010

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Year: 2010
Brand: Burley
Model: Encore
Color:yellow/blue/black
Size:double
Serial: K942 1004 1001563
Photo: http://www.burley.com/home/bur/page_773_18/2_wheel_stroller_kit.html
Stolen in Portland, OR 97214
Stolen:2012-01-31
Stolen From: Stolen from our front porch. It was locked to my front porch. Near SE 35th Ave and Hawthorne.
Neighborhood: Richmond/inner Southeast
Owner: Natalie Bennon
OwnerEmail: nataliepdx@gmail.com
Reward: $50
Description: A 2010 Burley Encore double stroller. The rear, rear, vertical bar is bent about 15 degrees back (toward person pushing stroller), and fabric over bend is ripped where I tried to hammer the bar straight. The rip is about a quarter in size, and I had covered it with white duct tape. The trailer has the double front stroller wheels, but is missing the bike trailer bar and the flag, which are in my shed still.
Police record with: Portland PD
Police reference#: T12001058

Advisory: Minor detour near I-5 bridge due to CRC pre-construction

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The Columbia River Crossing project has announced a minor detour for bicycle traffic near the project area during a “pre-construction test project.” The detours will begin “mid-March” and last about 3 1/2 months. See the detour maps and the full advisory from CRC below:

Temporary routes for pedestrian and bicycle traffic to begin mid-March

Cyclists and pedestrians traveling through the CRC project area will experience minor construction detours as the CRC conducts construction techniques testing starting in mid-March. A pre-construction test project will occur at two locations just west of the I-5 Bridge near the I-5/State Route 14 interchange in Washington and near the Hayden Island interchange in Oregon. Construction chain-link fencing will be placed around the work zones and large cranes will be visible.

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Bike industry icon Gary Fisher will lead ride to Filmed by Bike

A day in San Francisco-10.jpg

Gary Fisher in 2008.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)

Gary Fisher, a member of the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame who helped usher in the off-road era, is coming to Portland next month to help kick off the 10th anniversary edition of the Filmed by Bike festival.

Here’s the verbage from “Go With Gary” event organizers:

“How are you getting to the 10th Anniversary Filmed by Bike? Don’t go alone, Go With Gary, mt. bike legend Gary Fisher! Portland Bicycle Tours will lead to ride that valiantly winds through Downtown Portland and across the river on the way to the New Belgium Street Party at the Clinton Street Theater.”

Despite his off-road roots, these days Fisher is just as likely to be associated with urban bikes (his Gary Fisher Collection is made by Trek) and fashion. Fisher travels a lot and has become familiar with the great cycling cities of Europe. That experience has given him the confidence to raise his voice for bike advocacy in and around his San Francisco stomping grounds (where I met up with him back in 2008).

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Collaboration helps framebuilders flourish in Portland and beyond

Rick Hunter at NAHBS-9 Team Ned Ludd Market Bike

From Santa Cruz and Rick Hunter to the trio behind the Ned Ludd Market Bike in Portland (Ben Leonard, Ira Ryan, Jason French), teaming up is paying off for framebuilders.
(Photos © J. Maus/BikePortland)

As you pedal north from the Rose Quarter into Portland’s “fifth quadrant,” it would be easy to not even notice what has become the densest area of small framebuilding shops anywhere in America. Ahearne Cycles, Ira Ryan Cycles, MAP Cycles, Periera Cycles and Signal Cycles all call North Portland home and operate their shops within four miles of one another. Despite the fact that all of the aforementioned builders are relatively young and have been building bikes professionally for less than ten years, they have made a big impact on the worldwide framebuilding scene with their award-winning bikes and unique approaches to the craft. 

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Could Dwolla help bike shops and create a new revenue stream for bike advocacy?

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“If a thousand-dollar bike purchase takes $30 off the retailer’s bottom line, the same purchase made via Dwolla only costs him 25¢.”
— Rick Vosper, bike industry marketing consultant

Rick Vosper is a veteran of the bike industry who has worked for major brands and now — as founder of Rick Vosper Marketing Services — makes his living by being smart and thinking outside box. I’ve followed Rick for years and one of the things I appreciate most about him is that he is not afraid to challenge the conventional wisdom and status quo that often rules the bike industry.

Rick’s latest idea is to help bike shops make more money while also funding U.S. bike advocacy efforts by adoption of Dwolla, a relatively new service that offers a lower cost way to process credit card transactions. The title of his blog post about it is what first caught my attention: “Let’s Put $15 Million Per Year Back into Retailer’s Pockets…And 7.5 Million Into Advocacy’s.”

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OBRA looks to replace aging concrete at Alpenrose Velodrome

After years of patching and repainting, the time has
come to lay new concrete at Alpenrose.
(Photos © J. Maus/BikePortland)

The Oregon Bicycle Racing Association (OBRA) has launched a fund-raising effort to rebuild a major portion of Alpenrose Velodrome. The 1/6 mile track located on land owned by Alpenrose Dairy in Portland’s southwest hills has become a crucial part of the regional racing scene and has served as a beloved venue since 1962.

However, despite years of patchwork and paint, the track’s concrete surface has reached an advanced state of disrepair that can no longer be fixed with band-aids.

“Along the straightaways is just terrible,” OBRA’s Mike Murray shared with me today. “Riding around that thing is bumpier than riding on a regular road… If you put a speedometer on your track bike you can’t even read the thing.”

Murray, who has managed OBRA’s track program for as long as anyone can remember, has led teams of volunteers twice a year to repair, repaint, and patch the track surface. After an off-season power-washing job, it became clear that another round of band-aid wouldn’t be enough. After the power-wash blasted away years of paint and concrete patch material, “It was obvious that substantial work needed to be done to keep the velodrome running,” wrote Murray in a recent email to OBRA members.

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ODOT/Wash. Co. aggressive driving sting nets 163 citations

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Screen grab from KGW segment.

Amid a pervasive cultural narrative that bicycle operators behave badly in traffic; KGW news has a report about a recent sting targeted toward aggressive driving on Interstate 5 that netted 216 traffic stops and 163 citations in just two days.

The sting was carried out by the Oregon Department of Transportation and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and it was especially interesting for people who ride bicycles, because it targeted not just random aggressive driving, but how people drove around a semi-truck.

Here’s more from KGW:

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Red Gary Fisher Hoo-Koo-E-Choo 1990ish

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Year: 1990ish
Brand: Gary Fisher
Model: Hoo-Koo-E-Choo
Color:Red
Size:20
Stolen in Portland, OR 97217
Stolen:2012-03-11
Stolen From: 1017 N. Mason St.
Neighborhood: Mississippi
Owner: Ryan Good
OwnerEmail: goodsterman@yahoo.com
Description: Red Gary Fisher mountain bike. Slick tires. Front suspension. Pink tape for chain guard.
Police record with: yes
This registrant does not have proof of ownership of this bike

Blue Trek 6000 1990ish

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Year: 1990ish
Brand: Trek
Model: 6000
Color:Blue
Size:18
Stolen in Portland, OR 97217
Stolen:2012-03-11
Stolen From: 1017 N. Mason St. Apt. B
Neighborhood: Mississippi
Owner: Ryan Good
OwnerEmail: goodsterman@yahoo.com
Description: Blue Trek mountain bike with white and red details. Bontrager stickers, VW-Trek Racing Team stickers, Tiki God decal on head tube.
Police record with: yes
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

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