If you’ve been around bicycling for a while, you’ve probably bumped into Surly Bikes. The brand is super-popular in Portland because they make many of the affordable, no-nonsense and useful bikes that are dearly beloved around here: The longtail Big Dummy, the uber-commuter Cross Check, and others.
All you Surly fans out there will be happy to know that next week they’re coming to Portland.
We heard from Surly’s Kate Echols Moore that they’ve got two events planned while they’re in town — one to show support for bike shop employees and the people who love them, and the other is a “WTF (women/trans/femme) focused event” where everyone is welcome.
Check the details below and make some plans…
Thursday, February 2nd – Surly Bike Shop Party
Revolver (6509 N Interstate Ave) / Velo Cult (1969 NE 42nd Ave)
6 PM Ride – 7 PM Party
More info here.
Surly Bikes Mpls wants to show some love to PDX bike shop workers, friends and supporters. Meet up and ride with us at 6 from Revolver Bikes or show up at Velo Cult Bike Shop at 7 for music and comradery. Bike shop employees get a free beer and some Surly swag while supplies last! Backpack giveaway from NorthSt Bags and live doom by Fasala. Show up and throw down with us!
Things to know:
– Ride rolls out at 6 from Revolver
– Bike employees must show proof of employment (we’re asking for pay stubs) to get free beer and schwag
– Giveaways from North Street – this is a super special giveaway backpack…. What could it be?!
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Friday, February 3rd – W/T/F Bike Touring Pizza Party
hosted by Team Gladys/Gladys Bikes (2905 NE Alberta St) at 7:00 pm
More info here.
We are excited to be teaming up with the fine folks at The Official Intergalactic Surly Regional HQ for an evening dedicated to you and your bike touring adventures.
Come socialize, win awesome raffle prizes (including a brand new Surly bike — look for all the details in the comments), ask Surly reps and our resident pros your burning touring questions, share your own touring tips and misadventures, check out a variety of touring set ups, eat pizza and, most importantly, get ideas for your next trip!
Hope to see you there! Please RSVP so we know how much pizza to order.
p.s. Program starts at 7:30 and raffle drawing happens at 8:15pm (must be present to win).
Things to know:
– This is a WTF (women/trans/femme) focused event. All are welcome to attend, but it is focused on WTF customers
– Raffle Prizes… including a SURLY KRAMPUS
– Interactive Q&A with WTF tourers and Kate from Surly
– Pizza!
— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org
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Great…though I at first thought they were relocating to P-town…
yeah that headline could be misleading. changed it!
Beer Bikes and No Ice – I’ll be there!
So, as a male genital having, male gender expressing, person. I’m welcome at the WTF event, but should minimize my presence? Please advise. Want free bike.
This is indeed a women/trans/femme/nonbinary folk focused event. All are welcome to attend and check out the event, but please be aware this is a safe space for WTF/NB folks to ask questions and learn about Surly and touring/bikepacking. The bike raffle is an opportunity for WTF/NB riders to potentially win a brand new ride to adventure on and we are really excited about being able to offer that to someone. Gladys is a truly unique shop in terms of the services and opportunities they provide for WTF/NB riders in the Portland community and we’re super excited to be partnering with them and to have the opportunity to put on this special event.
We’ll also be doing a giveaway at the Thursday night event, so feel free to stop by and check that out. Cheers!
What specific actions does my awareness of this safe space necessitate?
When will you cyclists start paying your fair share for bike lanes? Sure, you all argue that you pay your “fair share” through gas taxes and all that, but that’s for your motor vehicle. To help pay for bike lanes, there should be a tax on bicycle sales, bike tires. bike seats, and spandex.
Taxing spandex would undoubtedly increase the cost of skinny jeans and disproportionately hurt trendy urbanites. Won’t someone think of the hipsters?!
Think about the unjust burden a spandex tax would put on yoga pants! Like the old saying goes “what’s bad for yoga pants is bad for the country.”
I ride a unicycle, naked with no seat. What now?
We’ll consider it when you start paying your fair share through vehicle-based taxes. Which you don’t. We’re all paying for the roads through general-fund taxes, regardless of how we use them.
Actually, no we still won’t consider paying extra taxes. Bike facilities cost less per capita than motor-vehicle facilities, biking reduces lifestyle disease (very expensive for society) whereas driving increases it, and cars don’t contribute to local or global pollution like cars do. So no, we won’t pay for the right to bike, and we’ll still continue subsidizing you.
[Above was intended as a reply to Marcus. Couldn’t resist the bait this time.]
You seem to think roads are funded only by gas taxes.
I agree.. All annual car and bike vehicle taxes should be the same. $1 per pound. Every year. Let’s meet to write the initiative.
Last summer my Surly Big Dummy hauled my Surly Ogre to LL Stub Stewart State Park and back for some camping and MTB. I’d post a picture if I could figure out how! Go Surly!
Agreed. And more to the point, when will pedestrians start paying their fair share for sidewalks? To help pay for sidewalks, there should be a tax on shoe sales; pedestrians should be made to wear mandatory licenses; and runners ought to be fined for using sideWALKS outside their intended purpose.
🙂
More bike-cultural exchange between MSP and PDX is always a good thing. #1 and #2 should stay in regular contact. Regardless of which place you think is #1 and which you think is #2. 😉