Year: 2015

Job: Bicycle Mechanic – Athletes Lounge

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Job Title
Bicycle Mechanic

Company/Organization
Athletes Lounge

Job Description
Athletes Lounge is still looking for an experienced Service Technician to work in our retail location at 2671 NW Vaughn St., in Portland. Pay is based on experience. This is a full time position and includes weekend work. If interested, please send your resume and cover letter to Gary@athleteslounge.com. Athletes Lounge is a full service bicycle shop.

How to Apply
Please send your resume and cover letter to gary@athleteslounge.com

Comment of the Week: Commissioner Steve Novick on the virtues of taxes

Bike Walk Vote candidate party-10

Steve Novick at a Bike Walk Vote
candidate party in 2012.
(Photo: J.Maus/BikePortland)

With friends like Joe Cortright, Transportation Commissioner Steve Novick doesn’t need enemies.

That’s the case Novick made this morning in a sharp response in the comments beneath a widely circulated column we published by Cortright, a local urban economist.

Cortright, who like Novick comes from a generally leftish perspective, had made eight arguments about transportation revenue in the context of Portland’s effort to create a new, local street fund. In the comment below, Novick raises thoughtful objections to two of them.

I have two main problems with what my friend Joe Cortright said in his recent column. First, he’s using generic arguments against a specific proposal while largely ignoring what the proposal actually is. Second, he’s adopting the rhetoric of his political opponents to attack spending on projects that he actually isn’t opposed to.

Read more

Bike rack company touts security at Portland demo event

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward
Park-a-Bike Racks demo-7

Park A Bike’s Christopher Luyet explains
the features of his “bike dock”.
(Photos by J. Maus/BikePortland)

Bike thieves have upped their game and rack manufacturers see a business opportunity.

Not content with using mere bolt-cutters to snip your cable lock or a mini car-jack to pry open your u-lock, thieves are now using power saws. Yes, power saws that can easily zing through the rounded pipes used in over 6,000 of those official blue “staple” Bureau of Transportation bike racks and countless street signs that people lock to when there’s no staple nearby.

Just this morning we learned about the latest power-saw-bike-theft victim via reddit.

Read more

The street fee, bike share, and Portland’s Big Pause

Street Fee Town Hall - non residential fee-6

Our streets: Still without bike share,
new revenue, and a host of other projects on pause.
(Photos by J. Maus/BikePortland)

“There are some who say, ‘Why would you move ahead with bike share if you can’t pave the streets?'”
— Mayor Hales, August 2014

This story was co-written by Michael Andersen and Jonathan Maus

Now that Portland’s erratic search for new transportation revenue is on “pause”, it’s raised another question for the city: How long will the rest of our transportation agenda be on pause?

There’s no better illustration of this problem than the way Portland’s plan for a public bike-sharing system fell apart.

In a previously unpublished interview last August, Mayor Charlie Hales was characteristically candid about this. He and his colleagues have not prioritized bike sharing, he said, because it might endanger their push for new revenue.

Read more

Weekend Event Guide: Palm trees, volcanoes, freak bikes, and more

Wintertime Palm Tree Ride

Winter doldrums got you down? Look up and learn
about local exotic greenery on the Palm Tree Ride.
(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.

This is the time of year when the weather can make it tough to get out and ride. That’s where your fellow bike lovers come in. A group ride, or a ride that takes you to new places, might be just what you need to cure your case of the winters.

A special shout-out this week is due to Shawn Granton’s Palm Tree Ride. He’s been leading it every year since 2005 and it’s true gem. With his trusty guidebook of local trees in hand, he’ll share his vast knowledge of Portland’s sidestreets, urban history, and local flora with everyone lucky enough to join this ride. He says it’s the last one, so that’s all the more reason to not miss it.

Have fun out there! And special thanks to Hopworks Urban Brewery for renewing their sponsorship of this weekly feature!

Read more

Job: Graphic Designer – Velotech, Inc. – FILLED

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Sorry, this job has been filled. Browse more great jobs here.

Job Title
Graphic Designer

Company/Organization
Velotech, Inc

Job Description
Velotech, Inc., a Portland-based eCommerce enterprise with a focus on outdoor recreation, is growing, and we are looking for an experienced Graphic Designer to join our team of passionate creatives. As a critical component of the Marketing and Creative Services Department, the Graphic Designer will be responsible for creating compelling web and print graphical content for Velotech, Inc. and our sister companies.

What We’re Looking For:

• Intelligent, driven designer who works well in a collaborative setting.
• Passionate about the outdoors.
• Expert-level command of Adobe Creative Suite (Premiere Pro and After Effects a plus).
• Command of CSS and HTML.
• A high degree of precision, accuracy, and attention to detail.
• Someone who can adhere to strict deadlines and prioritize multiple projects.
• Have the ability to manage relationships with internal clients and outside vendors.
• Exceptional communication skills.
• Proven experience in a fast-paced graphic design position (portfolio showing creative breadth and range required).

What We Offer:

• Competitive compensation package
• Comprehensive benefits, including top-shelf medical, dental, and vision.
• Generous time off
• Casual work environment
• Industry discounts on outdoor equipment and apparel.
• The opportunity to work with smart, friendly people who are passionate about what they do and where they work.
• Tremendous growth potential.

Velotech, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to sex, race, color, age, national origin, religion, disability, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, citizenship, pregnancy or veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable law.

How to Apply
To apply please send your cover letter, telling us a little bit about you, and your resume to Jobs@velotech.com

‘Recumbent PDX’ set to open tomorrow on SE Hawthorne

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward
The Recumbent PDX crew

The Recumbent PDX crew: (L to R) Russ Mayhew, Eddee Edson, Janet Morgan, Bella (dog), Louie Berry, Martina Fahrner, and Mel Birgé.
(Photos by J. Maus/BikePortland)

The lights at 2025 SE Hawthorne will be turned back on tomorrow when a new bike shop, Recumbent PDX, opens its doors for the first time.

Read more

City ‘pauses’ Street Fund vote in lieu of legislative action

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Portland Mayor Charlie Hales just announced plans to halt their upcoming vote on how to pay for new transportation revenue. The full press release is below:

Portland Mayor Charlie Hales and Transportation Commissioner Steve Novick today temporarily halted the paperwork necessary to take an advisory vote to the May ballot, regarding options to pay for city street maintenance and safety.

“Today, I am announcing a pause in our local efforts to fund our streets and safety projects within the City of Portland,” Mayor Hales said. “Over the past week, I have had conversations with Speaker of the House Tina Kotek and with Gov. John Kitzhaber. They have each assured me that a statewide transportation package is a top priority for them this legislative session.”

The Legislature is set to convene in February. The deadline for Portland to submit paperwork for the May election was 5 p.m. today.

Read more

A single question that can sell anyone on Vision Zero

The notion that 100 percent of traffic deaths are preventable is difficult for many of us (including me) to embrace. But as our local safety advocates kick off a campaign to make the concept state and local policy, this simple four-minute video by the state-funded Zero Fatalities Nevada is a powerful lesson for how to get the idea across.

If you’re interested in the ways that people’s opinions change, it’s definitely worth your time.

But you have to watch it all the way to the end.

Read more

New Portland business aims to supply local frame builders

framebuilders-tonymike

Co-founders Mike Cobb (L) and Tony Tapay.

Portland’s well-known crop of bicycle builders will now have a much easier time sourcing the tubing and frame parts they need thanks to a new business that officially launched today.

Framebuilder Supply is the work of 47-year-old Tony Tapay and 44-year-old Mike Cobb, two men who have over 35 years of bicycle industry experience under their belts. (Both of them are likely familiar to BikePortland readers as well. Tony for his regular comments, and Mike for his exploits as a world-class bike messenger and involvement with the Disaster Relief Trials and other events.)

Read more

Latest Headlines

Checking in on the transportation bill with advocate Cassie Wilson

Public records show city traffic engineer resisted attempts to remove diverters

Portland’s ‘Bike Buddy’ program is flourishing thanks to Clean Energy Fund grant

Podcast: Blame, bad drivers, and ‘safety science’

From the Archives

Ray Thomas on the unintended consequences of “ambiguous intersections”