December 2014 Archives

Job: Marketing Manager – Quality Bicycle Products

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Job Title
Marketing Manager

Company/Organization
Quality Bicycle Products

Job Description
This position is a key role within the QBP Brand Marketing team and he/she will be responsible for developing strategies, positioning and activation plans for key sales initiatives at QBP. It is essential that the position focus on growing the brand and driving sales by delivering dealer-focused strategies that connect with specialty bicycle retailers worldwide.

The QBP brand Marketing Manager will work to coordinate the building of unified marketing materials across all channels. This leader will ensure QBP products and services are powerfully placed in the market to connect with dealers and drive sales.

See more about this job and other listings on our careers page: http://www.qbp.com/#career

How to Apply
Go here to apply http://www.qbp.com/#career and click on QBP career opportunities.

What do you think? Encouraging high-vis gear

People on Bikes - Copenhagen Edition-48-48

Can’t miss this guy.
(Photo by J. Maus/BikePortland)

Publisher’s note: “What do you think?” is a new series we’re trying out where we gauge your opinion and ask for feedback on a specific topic. Think of it as our version of those ridiculous and annoying reader polls you see on other sites so often. — Jonathan

—

It seems innocent enough: When days get shorter and people are commuting in the dark, transportation agencies will often encourage people to wear bright-colored and reflective clothing, use lights, and so on. That might sound like important, common sense information to some of you; but to others it’s a cringe-worthy offense. To them it’s a form of victim blaming that actually results in ever more dangerous streets.

This week, both TriMet and the Portland Bureau of Transportation promoted high-visibility cycling.

TriMet did it as part of their annual “Be Seen. Be Safe.” campaign. I got an email yesterday asking me to enter a contest to win a “bike visibility kit”. The $135 kit includes a flourescent yellow helmet cover, a reflective safety patch, hi-vis gloves, and a rear light. “Make yourself visible to drivers and cyclists around you!” the promotion urged.

Marine Drive path = year-round fun.
(Photo by J. Maus/BikePortland)

Welcome to your menu of weekend rides and events, lovingly brought to you by our friends at Hopworks Urban Brewery.

I hope everyone is OK after that very crazy windstorm last night. With that behind us, the weekend forecast looks clear. It’ll be a bit cooler as a result, but at least it’ll be dry.

If you’re looking to stay sharp this winter, we’ve got some great suggestions below. And if you are looking to add a few key pieces to your winter riding kit, or finally get that new bike you’ve been waiting for, we’ve got the details on a major sale.

Have fun out there!

Just one job posted this week, but it looks like a great opportunity. Check it out below…

Recumbent Bike Mechanic – Recumbent PDX

(Photo: car2go)

After what they call a “tremendous response” from a member survey, car2go announced today that they plan to outfit 50% of their Portland vehicles with bike racks.

Last month we reported on the company’s pilot of a bike rack for their Smart cars in response to requests from members. They put a few of the racks out on the road, got them in the hands of testers, and launched a member survey. Car2go’s Chief Marketing Officer Paul DeLong announced the results of that survey in an email to members today.

Chief O’Dea in 2008.
(Photo J. Maus/BikePortland)

Incoming Portland Police Chief Larry O’Dea appears to be making good on his promises and his potential. The new Chief, who community advocates have hailed for his record on community policing, announced a host of changes to the bureau today.

Effective January 8th, 2015, the bureau will have a fourth branch: Community Services. This new branch will include the Traffic Division (previously under the Operations Branch), which is a part of the bureau that interacts closely with our community. Traffic Division officers write the vast majority of traffic tickets, they investigate collisions and hit-and-runs, they work targeted enforcement actions, parades, protest marches, Sunday Parkways, and so on.

Great crowd.
(Photo by Guthrie Straw)

Note: Please join me in thanking Bike Index. They were our sponsor for the summit, and it just so happens that Co-director Bryan Hance is the same guy who’s behind our Stolen Bike Listings here on BikePortland (which are back up and running by the way!). Thank you Bike Index!

——
Because of everyone who showed up and took part in last night’s Bike Theft Summit, Portland has taken a giant step forward in the battle to curb bike theft.

OPAL organizer Orlando Lopez talks to a TriMet rider
in 2010, gathering support for what became a
successful campaign for longer-lasting transit tickets.
(Photo: Michael Schoenholtz/Portland Afoot)

On March 1, the lifespan of a TriMet ticket will rise 25 percent.

Raising the transfer duration from two hours to two and a half hours is effectively a price cut for anyone who takes round trips on the Portland region’s transit system one ticket at a time — either because they’re only an occasional rider or because they don’t have the cash or fancy job to have a monthly pass.

Down with the doldrums.
(Photo by J. Maus/BikePortland)

There are few things in my daily life that I avoid as religiously as riding a bus or train with nothing to read, or driving in a car with nothing to listen to.

But somehow, bike commuting in silence seems to be different – for a while, at least.

Longtime Portland bike commuter Ryan Good shared an interesting perspective Tuesday on his Facebook page, which prompted some useful discussion. He kindly gave us permission to share some of it here.

Here’s Good’s original comment:

I’ve been bike-commuting for longer than I can remember, and it’s always been a highlight of my day- both directions. But lately, I am feeling completely unmotivated for it. Not talking about other rides- still stoked for those- only the commute to and from work. Not sure what it is- all the Cat 6 types out there? The weather? Bored with riding the same route over and over and over and over and over and…? Not excited about going to work in the morning + plus feeling lethargic after sitting on my butt all day? I’m almost tempted to just start taking the bus, but that’s probably the worst thing I could do- my body needs the exercise, especially after sitting all day. I guess I’ll just have to grind it out, and hope that I snap out of it soon. Anybody else have a similar experience? Curious to hear about it, and/or how you beat it.

Detail from GP of Portland fact sheet.

The most high-profile cycling race to ever hit Portland won’t happen unless organizers can find a few deep pockets willing to sponsor it.

Nonbox Sports, the Portland-based company that owns the Grand Prix of Portland, announced yesterday that the event has been added to the official Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) calendar for August 29th, 2015. In a fact sheet, Nonbox said their race (which has been given a category ranking of 1.1) will bring in “elite riders from the best teams in the world.” They’ve also lined up two hours of prime-time television coverage on NBC Sports.

But their plans will only become reality if they can find sponsors to offset an overall event budget of about $2 million.

(Photos by M. Andersen/BikePortland)

Like NE Cully Boulevard before it, SW Multnomah Boulevard has become a relatively far-flung street with a few blocks of one of the city’s best bike lanes.

With work nearly finished on the city’s eighth protected bike lane — three years in the making, it’s one of the last few bike projects begun under the Sam Adams mayoral administration — I stopped by Multnomah Tuesday to check it out.

Job Title
Recumbent Bike Mechanic

Company/Organization
Recumbent PDX

Job Description
Looking for an Experienced Recumbent Mechanic
We are a new full-service rebumbent store in Portland, OR. We strive for an upscale shopping experience with great attention to customer service. We are looking for a mechanic with 3-5 year recumbent experience. Previous supervisory role a plus. A passion for recumbents and their riders a must.

Our ideal candidate:
has excellent mechanical skills with attention to detail
shows broad spectrum recumbent and bike product knowledge
demonstrates good communication skills
is computer-literate
has personal integrity and a positive attitude
is self-motivated and efficient

We expect this mechanic to be flexible to meet the needs of a growing business which includes working on weekends.

How to Apply
Please provide a cover letter, a resume and 3 professional references to recumbent@pobox.com by December 31, 2015, Subject line: Experienced Recumbent Mechanic.
Responses will be sen by Jan. 2015.

Job: Marketing Manager – Quality Bicycle Products

What do you think? Encouraging high-vis gear

Weekend Event Guide: Bike parade, Alleycross, a huge sale, and more

Job of the Week

After successful pilot, car2go will put bike racks on half their Portland fleet

New Police Chief puts Traffic Division in new ‘Community Services’ branch

Bike Theft Summit recap: Our big, collective step forward

TriMet lengthens transfers to 2.5 hours, a long-awaited victory for riders’ group

How to beat the bike commute doldrums

‘Grand Prix’ will bring big-time bike racing to Portland, if sponsors step up

First Look: Protected bike lane on SW Multnomah Boulevard

Job: Recumbent Bike Mechanic – Recumbent PDX

Latest Headlines

Guest Opinion: Portland needs more protected bike lanes — and we need them now

District 2 finally gets representation on key city council committee

Lawmakers want $3 million from state coffers for 82nd Avenue bus lanes

Neighborhood group, backed by bike advocate, opposes bike lane upgrades

From the Archives

With six kids and no car, this mom does it all by bike