Weekend Event Guilde: Wrenching, grinding, eating cake, and more

Does your bike need some love? Roll over to Citybikes Sunday night for a free “Open Shop” event.
(Photo by J. Maus/BikePortland)

Welcome to the Weekend Event Guide. As per usual, we’ve combed our inbox and the Internet to find the best bike rides and events coming your way this weekend.

As you can see by the big rides happening, spring is just around the corner and it’s time to get out there and dust off the winter cobwebs. Speaking of which, if your bike isn’t quite ready for prime-time, Citybike’s free Open Shop night is this Sunday.

Whatever you end up doing, we hope bikes are a part of your weekend. We’ve been in Washington D.C. all week but we hear it’s been pretty wet around these parts. Unfortunately the forecast calls for more rain, so hopefully some windows of dryness open up.

Friday, March 7th

Block Bikes First Anniversary Sale and Birthday Celebration – 10:00 am at Block Bikes (7238 N Burlington Ave in St. Johns)
Head up to St. Johns to help Block Bikes co-owner Ben Helgren celebrate his birthday and the 1st anniversary of his shop. Along with special deals on products and bikes, there will also be cake. The sale (and hopefully the cake) last all weekend. More info here (FB).

Saturday, March 8th

Reach the Beach Training Ride – 8:30 am at Sellwood Riverfront Park (SE Oaks Parks Way)
Join ride leaders from the Portland Wheelmen Touring Club for this beautiful loop ride from Sellwood down to Oregon City and back. There are 35 and 50-mile options. If you’re riding Reach the Beach in mid-May, you’ll meet other folks working toward the same goal. More info here.

Three Speed Ride – 11:00 am at Woodlawn Park (6854 NE Claremont Ave – meet under the bridge)

Bring it.
(Photo: Society of Three Speeds)

The Society of Three Speeds is leading their first ride of 2014. While vintage 3-speeds are encourages — and all existing members of the Society will have one — you’re welcome to show up on any type of bike. If you’re not a member yet, you can sign up at the ride. The route is a relatively flat 12 miles and will be led by an expert guide. For clothing tips (vintage attire and nice clothes are the order of the day) and more information, check out the Society’s website.

Dalles Mountain 60 – 10:00 am at Holstein’s Coffee Co. in The Dalles (811 E 3rd St)

If you missed the Salem Gravel Grinder last month, you don’t want to miss The Dalles Mtn 60. Organized by VeloDirt, this informal, unsanctioned ride is a local classic that will likely see a few hundred participants. This is billed as a “Friendly introduction to gravel riding.” Check out the route, cue sheet, and get your questions answered in the comments on the VeloDirt blog.

Sunday, March 9th

Dirty Circles Road Race – All day in Woodland, WA
This is the second of a three race series intended, in the words of its organizers, “as a relaxed early season race designed to give everyone a way to spark the fires for a successful road season.” More info here (PDF).

Monogamous Sects Ride – 5:00 pm at Laurelhurst Park (3701 SE Oak St.)
The nice volunteers from Bike Temple will lead another one of their super-interesting explorations of local churches and religions. This month’s ride will stop into a service at the Portland Atheist Church to answer the question, “What is a church service like without a God-theme?” This ride welcomes everyone. More info here.

Open Shop Night at Citybikes – 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm at Citybikes Annex (SE 8th and Ankeny)
The free Open Shop event at Citybikes is a great place to learn how to work on your own bike. The shop has taught Portlanders how to be self-reliant for decades and trained mechanics will be on hand to answer questions and assist you (but they won’t pick up the tools, that’s how you learn!). If you’re not a newbie, you can also show up just to use their work bench. More info here.

Did we miss anything? Please drop us a line and let us know. Or feel free to promote your event in the comments below. And as always, thanks for reading and riding.