A rainy race in Italy leads to major exposure for Showers Pass

Showers Pass jacket on Alexander Kristoff,
the eventual winner of Milan Sanremo.
(Photo by TDWSport.com)

Showers Pass rain jackets are so commonly seen in Portland’s bikeways, they’re the closest thing you can get to an official uniform. But seeing them used in the elite professional ranks isn’t common at all. Or at least it wasn’t until yesterday.

The Portland-based company that specializes in wet-weather bicycling apparel, scored a PR coup when jackets emblazoned with their logo and their trademark goldenrod color appeared on the winning team at Sunday’s Milan-Sanremo race.

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Olive green Diamondback Response sport

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Brand: Diamondback
Model: Response sport
Color:Olive green
Photo: http://imgur.com/QjU5P26
Stolen in Portland, OR
Stolen:2014-03-23
Stolen From: Claudia’s bar on the corner of 30th and Hawthorne.
Owner: Adam Bach
OwnerEmail: Adambach(replace with at sign)comcast.net
Description: Olive green mountain bike with aftermarket handle bars, neck, stem, 3 piece crank, pedals, black tape around back right frame to protect from chain. (Image is of similar bike in stock form)
Police record with: Portland police
Police reference#: 14-23739

White, Grey and Purple Diamondback Airen 2012

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Year: 2012
Brand: Diamondback
Model: Airen
Color:White, Grey and Purple
Photo: http://imgur.com/Uc3e7bJ
Stolen in Portland, OR 97209
Stolen:2014-03-22
Stolen From: Stolen from NW 13th on Saturday night, locked up on a bike rack almost on the corner of Everett and 13th
Neighborhood: Pearl
Owner: Molly Ring
OwnerEmail: mollydring(replace with at sign)gmail.com
Description: Women’s road bike, has Missoula Bicycleworks fanny pack under seat, attachment for a front light, white/gray/purple, but mostly white
Police record with: Portland PD
Police reference#: 1423588
This registrant does not have proof of ownership of this bike

How Oregon’s unequal tax laws deter density where it’s needed most

Large apartment buildings at spots like this, at 300 SE 148th Ave., are increasingly subsidized by
Oregon’s 1997 freeze on taxable property values. The same law drives up the cost of new units
in inner North and Northeast Portland.
The Real Estate Beat is sponsored by PortlandiaHome.com

Of all the problems with Oregon’s spit-and-chicken-wire property tax system, one of the strangest might be this: It rewards developers who build new apartment buildings in Gresham while driving up the price of new units in inner Northeast.

This redevelopment penalty is an obscure but growing side effect of a system that also props up home prices in the central city and puts a disproportionate tax burden on East Portland and other recently redeveloped areas, the co-author of a new report says.

“In certain cases, it’s a disincentive to develop or invest,” Jeff Renfro of the Northwest Economic Research Center said in an interview Wednesday. “Potentially a pretty significant disincentive.”

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NYT writer and ‘Life is a Wheel’ author Bruce Weber at Powell’s Books tonight

A book its publisher describes as, “Part travelogue, part memoir, part romance, part paean to the bicycle as a simple mode of both mobility and self-expression” will be featured at Powell’s Books in downtown Portland tonight. The author is Bruce Weber, a man who has written words for a living as a writer and reporter for the New York Times since 1986.

There are dozens of books about trans-continental bike rides; and many of them are, how should we say, forgettable. But when a writer with Weber’s skill and C.V. makes the journey and devotes 336 pages to his experience, it’s definitely worth paying attention. Weber’s just-released, Life is a Wheel: Love, Death, Etc., and a Bike Ride Across America has already earned critical acclaim and it’s likely to become a favorite of bicycle book lovers.

Here’s more the publisher:

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The Monday Roundup: Roadside ethics test, glowing bike & more

Police in Belarus created this scene to test drivers.
(Photo by Tut.by)

This week’s Monday Roundup is sponsored by Urban Office Renewal, owners of a historic, newly-renovated, bike-friendly office building at SW 9th and Oak.

Here are the bike links from around the world that caught our eyes this week:

Driving test: A team of Belarus police mocked up the scene at right to see how people driving past would react. Nine of 186 passers-by stopped.

Super-reflective bike: “The Lumen is the latest bike from the artisanal builders at San Francisco’s Mission Bicycle Company. The entire bike — frame, fork, and rims — has been sprayed with a retro-reflective coating.”

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Black Devinci Stockholm LG 2012

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Year: 2012
Brand: Devinci
Model: Stockholm LG
Color:Black
Size:55 cm,
Serial: AA20119356
Photo: http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/bik/4388830232.html
Stolen in Portland, OR 97210
Stolen:2014-03-23
Stolen From: From our garage. They broke into the garage.
Neighborhood: NW Portland – Nob Hill
Owner: Doug Scechulte
OwnerEmail: doug(at sign)scechulte.com
Description: Bike has 2 Ortlieb Panniers attached with a nuisance lock. A black and silver saddle bag, with my tools in it, with a nuisance lock. Airzound air horn. ABUS Bordo Foldable Lock. Pinhead pins on wheels and seat. Dynamo on front hub with front and back lights.
Factory Specs:

FRONT BRAKE
Tektro 855AL with SS bolt
REAR BRAKE
Tektro 855AL with SS bolt
REAR DERAILLEUR
Shimano Acera M390
FRONT DERAILLEUR
Shimano Altus M370
FRONT SHIFTER
Shimano Altus M370
REAR SHIFTER
Shimano Altus M370
CRANKSET
Suntour XCT 48/38/28T
BOTTOM BRACKET
RPM 7420
PEDALS
Wellgo M113 w/CRMO spindle
CASSETTE
Shimano 9s 11-32T
CHAIN
Shimano 9s
HANDLEBAR
V2 Comp Riserbar alloy 25.4mm
STEM
V2 Comp 25.4mm 17deg
SADDLE
Devinci ATC
SEATPOST
V2 Comp 27.2mm
SEAT COLLAR
Alloy 31.8mm
GRIPS
Velo Ergo Comfort
WEIGHT
11.42 kg / 25.12 lbs
Police record with: Portland PB Central Precint
Police reference#: 14-23597
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

black white green SE draft/pub runner single speed 2013

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Year: 2013
Brand: SE draft/pub runner
Model: single speed
Color:black white green
Size:58cm
Serial: se268ic684j
Photo: http://imgur.com/AgnJLgx
Stolen in Portland, OR 97217
Stolen:2014-03-17
Stolen From: in front of the florida room, on north killingsworth by pcc cascade
Neighborhood: north portland
Owner: James Fairbrother
OwnerEmail: fairbrother.james(at sign)gmail
Description: It is a black bike with green hardware and white deep v’s. white chain. No decals on it.
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

Pink red/white hearts Electra Pajama Party 2007

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Year: 2007
Brand: Electra
Model: Pajama Party
Color:Pink red/white hearts
Serial:E06075261
Photo: http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff290/helloashrey/IMG_8178.jpg
Stolen in Portland, OR 97209
Stolen:2013-03-23
Stolen From: STolen from Baker Apt building basement on NW 20th and Lovejoy.
Neighborhood: Northwest
Owner: ashley armbrurster
OwnerEmail: ashkadot@yahoo.com
Reward: $100
Description: Stolen from Baker Apt building basement on NW 20th and Lovejoy. Electra Cruiser. Pink with red and white hearts. It has a dent in the back fender which i tried to paint over with pink paint. It has a wicker basket that i lined with large red polka dot fabric tied on with red polka dot ribbon. It has two squeaker horns, a koala and a blue cute whale. I’m heartbroken 🙁
Please email me if you see it:
ashkadot@yahoo.com
Police record with: Portland Police
Police reference#: 14-151992
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

blue/black/white Fuji League 2003

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Year: 2003
Brand: Fuji
Model: League
Color:blue/black/white
Size:52
Stolen in Portland, OR 97216
Stolen:2014-03-22
Stolen From: my house, 88th and se pine is cross street
Neighborhood: Montavilla
Owner: Sara Philbrook
OwnerEmail: saraphilbrook(A T)gmail.com
Reward: yes
Description: Mainly Blue with black drop bars, has rear rack with u lock on it, ball joint for chariot trailer, water bottle holder
Police record with: yes, portland pd
Police reference#: not yet
This registrant does not have proof of ownership of this bike

mens for a 5’7″ petson trek

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Brand: trek
Color:mens for a 5’7″ petson
Size:black
Stolen in Portland, OR 97202
Stolen:2014-03-23
Stolen From: 39th and market on the front lawn of a house
Neighborhood: Hawthorne
Owner: Leslie wright
OwnerEmail: Lesliedw( atsign )gmail.com
Reward: 50
Description: It was a black trek with blue handlebar tape, a bell and a light in the front drop down handlebars. It hasva dark brown/ black brooks saddle and a black bike rack. Underneath the seat was a USB rechargeable back light and it has stem shifters.
This registrant does not have proof of ownership of this bike