While riding on the Springwater Corridor path in the early morning of May 10th, someone knocked Portland resident Vincent Rodarte off his bike. The impact caused him to lose consciousness. When he woke up, his custom-built mountain bike was gone.
“The details on that still elude me,” Rodarte wrote on the Oregon Bicycle Racing Association email list where he first reported the incident.
It happened between 12:30 and 3:00 am at the intersection where the Springwater passes SE Tacoma and 32nd streets (map).
Rodarte is appealing to the community to look out for his bike in hopes that it can be recovered. He’s filed a police report and has been in contact with a with PPB Bike Theft Task Force member who has already begun searching the area. Rodarte got a tip that his bike was spotted under I-405 and NW 19th, but so far police haven’t been able to get it back.
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Medium On-One Parkwood 29
RaceFace crank w/ NW 38t ring
SRAM NX1 Rear Derailleur
SRAM NX 1 10-42 Cassette
SRAM NX 1 Right Side Trigger Shifter
SRAM Guide R brakes
Shimano M520 pedals
On-One Knuckleball Carbon handle bar, black
Wheels:
SRAM 900 hubset (20mm TA Front / Std 135/QR rear)
Velocity Blunt 35, Black, 32 hole
Specialized Butcher & Purgatory 2Bliss 29×2.3 tires (w/ tubes)Other items:
Light & Motion head light
Garmin Edge 200
SKS clip on fenders
Rodarte said that he regrets riding on that section of the Springwater at that time. “I know I made a poor route choice considering the time of day… I keep kicking myself in the @$$ for it.”
But someone on the OBRA list replied to say that he shouldn’t blame himself.
“We must be able to ride wherever and whenever we want and be safe,” someone wrote. “Our presence in these questionable spots is important even if there are issues along the way. Assault and theft are the issues though we must not bow down to this in our community. I ride at night in questionable places and I am afraid but I must plow through this to make mine and our presence known.”
If you see Vincent’s bike, please call Portland Police non-emergency line at (503) 823-3333 and reference report number 2017-906788.
— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org
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Vincent, sorry to hear of this violent act and theft.
Did you get “clotheslined” with a rope/ wire strung across the path? I could not tell from the details how you were “struck” or how you saw the perp.
Hi Todd,
Vincent just told me this: “I have no recollection of how or what I was hit with… the extent of my injuries suggests a solid fist.”
Thanks for the update.
I am sure it was just a houseless person that was forced to act due to the greedy single family homeowners in Portland.
Despite having no evidence for this claim you are still…somehow…certain that it was one of “those people”.
We do not know if the person was spending the night at one of the camps, was on drugs or drunk, or was forced into action by greedy single family homeowners in Portland. But we could make an educated guess about all three of those items.
We do know that whomever committed this act was one of “those people”, where “those people” is defined as the sort of degenerate who would punch someone in the head in the dark of night and steal their bike.
We also know that if such a person is hanging out along the Springwater, they are likely a threat to people camping there, and I would advocate for a stronger police presence to protect others upon whom this person might prey.
I am sure whoever it was is an upstanding citizen…
Your constant defense of this kind of crap is pretty unfortunate.
I don’t recall how I was hit or what I may have been hit with. The extent of my facial injuries suggested a solid fist. I have crashed my bike enough over the years mtn biking, and I did not suffer any of the typical scrapes and cuts associated with going down on the trail/path.
Any information on the brand / model? I can’t make out the text from that photo.
Looks like an On-One
Hi Dan, I just added the full parts list to the post. I had forgotten it initially. Sorry!
Medium On-One Parkwood 29
RaceFace crank w/ NW 38t ring
SRAM NX1 Rear Derailleur
SRAM NX 1 10-42 Cassette
SRAM NX 1 Right Side Trigger Shifter
SRAM Guide R brakes
Shimano M520 pedals
On-One Knuckleball Carbon handle bar, black
Wheels:
SRAM 900 hubset (20mm TA Front / Std 135/QR rear)
Velocity Blunt 35, Black, 32 hole
Specialized Butcher & Purgatory 2Bliss 29×2.3 tires (w/ tubes)
Other items:
Light & Motion head light
Garmin Edge 200
SKS clip on fenders
What is the brand or writing on the downtube, can’t tell from the photo?
Keeping an eye out. Angered.
Might have to start riding that section of the Springwater with a football helmet, and a Shillelagh.
Summer is coming! Looking forward to the Springwater feeling like a prison yard again.
Time for more camp sweeps. NOW!
there was a crew cleaning up camps on the 205 path today. It seems like there will not be a persistent camp allowance this summer.
Such a shame Portland is so tolerant of thieves and people trashing the place that there will be little or nothing done about this. There will be a few pissed off people, that is until they get distracted by some shiny object. Rinse and repeat.
I pray that Vincent gets his bike back, whole, and that the thief gets brought to justice with a sentence that will be up to match the violence involved in the crime.
Any people wonder why the folks in Troutdale/Gresham voted against the expansion of the 40 mile loop.
Lack of information, NIMBYism, apathy, dominant car culture not wanting taxes to go towards a multi use path…
Uhhhh… I think m’s on the right track. I might be remembering wrong, but I thought the “yeas” were winning before the Springwater/camps debacle.
Legitimate fear of safety isn’t being a NIMBY. A suspect was arrested in connection to Tuesdays homicide in Lents – and of course he was picked up where the 205 path crosses Division. I frequently ride from NE to SE, and stopped using the 205 because it’s gotten sketchy (nor does all the broken glass help), especially towards Lents. I guess I’ll continue using 92nd.
NIMBY just means you disagree with the person. No one insults those NIMBYs who fought against the Mt. Hood Freeway, for example, even though they were much more vocal than path opponents in Gresham. The word has lost all its meaning, and using it is an admission that you can’t come up with a compelling argument.
Agreed, HK – – when I was working admin for some developers back in the early ’90s, a NIMBY was someone who didn’t want something like the Keystone Pipeline routed through their backyard, or all the trees wiped off their hillside so a 600-McMansion subdivision could go in. NIMBYs were the little guys – the ones regarded with scorn and derision by the moneyed opposition.
What? The people in the suburbs hate the NIMBY’S that killed the freeway. If it were up to them, Portland would be completely paved over.
As a suburb person, I object to your grouping.
Why do you assume people in the suburbs like freeways any more than anyone else?
205 path has been a yo-yo the last year. It gets cleaned up for a month and then a couple new camps pop up. Outer neighborhoods deserve better. We should be able to safely use the few facilities and parks that we have.
In my previous hometown, I thought the safety claims made by people opposing these trails were disingenuous, even though assaults and robberies did infrequently occur on some of these trails.
In Portland, the same points seem to have much more validity.
bias and prejudice too.
I’ll confess a bit of bias against people who punch cyclists in the head and steal their bikes.
So sensitive! Sheesh.
your suggestion that i am defending people who punch cyclists in the head and steal their bikes is very mean-spirited and obviously false.
why are you harassing me?
I suggested no such thing.
In case that wasn’t clear: you in no way condone or defend robbing or attacking cyclists. Period.
So now this is about you?
Let’s be clear: this is not theft. The perpetrator is not properly referred to as a “thief.”
Forcibly taking property is robbery.
Assailant first and foremost, secondarily a robber. Crime in Stumptown is on the rise.
FYI this bike is a 2015 ON-ONE PARKWOOD 29
https://bikeindex.org/bikes/118869
The owner registered it with us but didn’t mark it STOLEN so I’m bugging him to get that sorted.
When I registered the bike, I immediately tried to mark it STOLEN, but the mobile version wouldn’t allow me to click… I’ll try again.
From the web:
login >> Edit Bike >> REPORT STOLEN OR MISSING >> [follow links]
Instructions for the app are here, with the Stolen tick box noted at about 6:15 in the video.
If you know where the bike was retailed, it’s likely they recorded the serial number.
I’ve been knocked off my bike by a human before. It’s disorienting.
Bike Details:
Medium On-One Parkwood 29 : Black w/ green accents
RaceFace crank w/ NW 38t ring
SRAM NX1 Rear Derailleur
SRAM NX 1 10-42 Cassette
SRAM NX 1 Right Side Trigger Shifter : RED SHIFT HOUSING
SRAM Guide R brakes
Shimano M520 pedals
On-One Knuckleball Carbon handle bar, black
Wheels:
SRAM 900 hubset (20mm TA Front / Std 135/QR rear)
Velocity Blunt 35, Black, 32 hole
Specialized Butcher & Purgatory 2Bliss 29×2.3 tires (w/ tubes)
a better map link: https://goo.gl/maps/6FaQv2R3bL32
then imagine that in the middle of the night with only a bike light…
And people wonder why many folks are choosing to mount photon torpedoes as lights. Sure, 3000 lumens sucks for oncoming folks, but one can see the riff-Raff from afar.
I was thinking about this too. But even if he saw the perp, I don’t know how he could have prevented this. He probably doesn’t remember because of the concussion, but I bet he watched the guy walk right onto the path and then punch him in the face. This is so worrisome and disconcerting. I wish the PPB would mount more of a response rather than just sending out the Bike Theft Task Force.
Are the police investigating the ASSAULT part of this crime?
So sorry this happened to you, Vincent.
No, Vincent. You did not make a poor choice. The person who attacked you did. No victim blaming allowed.
Safety in numbers! Here’s a group ride through this section and all the way to Boring on Tuesday night (May 23):
http://www.shift2bikes.org/cal/viewmonth.php?month=05&year=2017
https://www.facebook.com/events/1467596263283328/
If I have to ride my bike in a large group to feel safe, then real safety on the Springwater has all but disappeared. I’m done riding it, and may even withhold the portion of my taxes that supports it upkeep until city, state and county governments come together on real solutions. Being homeless and desperate does not give one a free pass to commit assault and theft in public places. Having overcrowding of homeless people in public spaces and not enough housing does not give government officials a free pass to simply throw up their hands and do nothing.
Why are you assuming the person who assaulted Vincent was homeless?
Really? And I don’t think she’s assuming anything. She’s making a good guess, given the circumstances
the circumstances are that something bad happened and a marginalized population is being targeted without evidence.
Without hard evidence, but there is circumstantial evidence given the location and time of night. It is entirely possible that the perpetrator was just walking through the area on their way to somewhere else, was not staying at a camp, and had no association with anyone there.
The marginalized population that is living off of stealing bikes…
I go by the camps every day and see new bikes everyday.
I am just positive they are all purchased.
Maybe you can check it out.
Assumptions are not bad things. I don’t pet tigers at the zoo because I assume I will be mauled.
They might be wrong once in a while, but if assumptions get me through situations at a 95% correct rate, I think they are safe to make.
A collection of bicycles among a certain population is certainly something to consider. Unless you can make a case that the homeless are disproportionately populated by bike collectors.
The **inappropriate word deleted by moderator** are creeping back in, camping where signs say no camping (mostly near 82nd Ave. so far). Their litter is also piling up. What is it with the homeless and scattered trash? And they stand across the whole trail, oblivious to others using it. Same druggie nonsense as last year, but hopefully it will be better controlled this time.