6/25: Hello readers and friends. I recently had my second (of two) total knee replacement surgeries so I'll be out of commission for a bit while I recover. Please be patient while I get back to full health. I hope to be back to posting as soon as I can. I look forward to getting back out there. 🙏. - Jonathan Maus, BikePortland Publisher and Editor

Job: Customer Experience Specialist Full Time – Velotech

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Job Title *
Customer Experience Specialist Full Time

Company/Organization *
Velotech

Job Description *

This position is responsible for responding to customer phone calls, emails, and for working directly with customers in our store. Customer Experience Specialists provide product information, advice and order assistance. Qualified Customer Experience Specialists also review orders and price match requests and assist with site content, including product reviews, photos and descriptions.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO:

Answer product questions & assist with the order process
Analyze customer questions, troubleshoot, and provide clear answers in an efficient and professional manner
Develop trust and loyalty with consumers and build value in our brands
Navigate a sophisticated order processing system
Generate performance reports and recommend improvements
Coordinate with Returns to assist customers with returns and exchanges
Assist walk-in customers with product questions and purchases
Retrieve products from the warehouse to assist walk-in customers

ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES/DUTIES:

Navigate a sophisticated order processing system
Work with Marketing to assist with customer-facing content, including site maintenance, product images and descriptions
Increase sales by genuinely helping customers learn about additional/alternative product options

MINIMUM JOB REQUIREMENTS:

Basic computer skills
Strong knowledge of cycling
Previous customer service experience is a plus, as is sales, service and mechanical experience in the cycling industry

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, & ABILITIES:

Excellent communication and organizational skills
Solid knowledge of cycling products
Ability to work in a high volume, fast-paced environment
Ability to work independently or with others to manage multiple task with minimal supervision.

How to Apply *
Please apply by clicking on the link below:

https://www.paycomonline.net/v4/ats/index.php?/job/apply&clientkey=4C6D7027145254251F7D24DAA9BDF3F7&job=18438&jpt=

Love riding gravel? Meet Washington County’s unpaved road “Kahuna” Dan Morgan

Dan Morgan on Smoke Ranch Road, one of his favorites. After riding roads like these for years, he’s now helping make sure they stay unpaved.
(Photo: J. Maus/BikePortland)

It’s fitting that I first met Dan Morgan on a gravel road.

The 66 year-old former dairy farmer, IBM retiree and Beaverton resident has been riding unpaved country roads his whole life. Now that the activity has become one of the biggest trends in cycling, he’s become an ambassador of sorts. He’s also working to prevent the county from paving over this newly discovered paradise.

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REI puts ‘hold’ on Vista brands while CamelBak, Giro and others defend themselves

Pressure on Vista Outdoor Inc. has ramped up in the past week.

Last Friday we reported that several local bike shops decided to stop selling products from CamelBak, Bell Sports, Giro, Blackburn, Raskullz and CoPilot following revelations that their parent company — Vista Outdoor Inc. — has close ties to the National Rifle Association (NRA) and also owns brands that sell gun products and ammunition.

A lot has happened since then.

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Jobs of the Week: Joe Bike, Yakima, The Common Wheel

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Well lookey here, we’ve got a job listing from a bike shop in Pennsylvania. We’re tickled that a place so far away sees value in paying for a job listing with us; but it’s also a sign of the times that they think they can lure someone away from Portland!

Check out this week’s listings below…

–> Consumer Service Rep – Yakima Products, Inc.

–> Mechanic/Sales – Joe Bike

–> Lead Bicycle Mechanic – The Common Wheel (PA)

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Historic Columbia River Highway Advisory Committee meets March 15th

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The Historic Columbia River Highway Advisory Committee will meet on Thursday, March 15 at 10 a.m. at the Corbett Fire Station.

On the agenda:

– Updates on the current trail construction from Wyeth to Lindsey Creek.
– Design updates for the final five miles: from Viento State Park to Ruthton Park and the Mitchell Point Crossing.
– The Columbia Gorge Express planning process has started and we will receive an update on the changes to the service for this season.
– Updates on the long-term Historic Highway Congestion and Safety Planning process.

The full agenda will be available online before the meeting.

Portland State wins $75,000 grant to study bike share equity programs

(Photo: J. Maus/BikePortland)

You can add another bike-related topic that researchers at Portland State University have gained national notoriety for: equity in bike share systems.

PSU’s Transportation Research and Education Consortium (TREC) just won a grant worth nearly $75,000 from the Better Bike Share Partnership. The award, announced today by People for Bikes, is part of $410,000 split between eight projects across the country.

The money will go toward a “national assessment of bike share equity programs.” Here’s more about the project:

Portland State’s research team will document the programs and strategies developed to address equity in bike share across the U.S., and identify the definitions and measures of success for each of these efforts. The result will be a catalog of equity approaches employed, an aggregated summary of key elements of each approach or strategy, and a record of which metrics agencies used to assess if they are meeting their equity goals, along with the various ways agencies are assessing their programs.

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Oregon’s expanded bike tax passes out of committee with unanimous support

Members of the Joint Transportation Committee who voted in favor of an expansion to Oregon’s bike tax.

Without a single word of debate, the nine members of the Joint Committee on Transportation voted in favor of an expansion of Oregon’s bike tax that will result in it covering more children’s bicycles. (UPDATE: As of Saturday, March 3rd the full Oregon House and Senate passed the bill with a total vote margin of 70-10. The bill now awaits Governor Brown’s signature.)

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Job: Lead Bicycle Mechanic – The Common Wheel (PA)

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Job Title *
Lead Bicycle Mechanic

Company/Organization *
The Common Wheel

Job Description *
Location: The Common Wheel Bicycle Shop, 324 N Queen St, Lancaster PA 17603
Start Date: Immediately

The Common Wheel needs YOU.

Overview:
The Common Wheel (TCW) is a community bicycle shop located in the heart of Lancaster City and dedicated to a customer base that uses bicycles for transportation.

We are seeking a full-time expert bicycle mechanic to join our energetic, hard-working culture. The ideal candidate will be equally at home press fitting a bottom bracket or installing a basket and bell on an around town cruiser.

Lancaster is a progressive city and our new shop is located on the quirky and eclectic 300 block of North Queen Street in proximity to restaurants, art galleries, and barber shops that serve beer. Our service area is surrounded by a bar that encourages community members to hang out and talk shop while we work on bikes and entertain dreams for a life lived on two wheels.

As Lead Mechanic, you will be the smile that greets customers who come through our door. You bleed passion for bikes and believe that cycling is an expression of self and an opportunity for all.

Lead Mechanic Responsibilities:
– Lead all bicycle builds and service
– Provide willing and friendly sales and service to customers
– Educate customers about the mission of The Common Wheel
– Train and supervise service technicians and youth apprentices
– Monitor and maintain inventory of service parts and supplies
– Provide input on shop inventory and merchandise selection
– Share your authority on local bicycle routes and culture

Required Skills:
– Two years of bicycle shop service experience
– Passion for the use of bicycles as tools for transportation
– A mind that is inclusive, adaptable, and open to change and new ideas
– A heart that is enthusiastic about people from all walks of life
– A soul that embraces the power of bikes to transform lives and communities
– Ability to lift 50 lbs.
– Must be available day, evening, and weekend hours

Icing on the Cake:
– Over two years service experience with management responsibilities
– Experience with nonprofit programming
– Retail sales experience
– Commuting and bikepacking experience

Compensation Overview:
– Competitive full-time salary
– Paid time off
– Health insurance
– Employee discount
– Opportunities to learn and grow and have your own unique impact on our organization, our cause, and our community

How The Common Wheel Gives:
Founded in 2014, The Common Wheel is a nonprofit organization that uses education, advocacy, and equipment sales and service to promote the bicycle as a primary mode of transportation in Lancaster.

In addition to our bicycle shop on North Queen Street, we run a community center on East King Street with multiple programs that use the power of bikes to transform lives. Every transaction at the Queen Street shop directly supports TCW programming in the community. For each new bike purchased, The Common Wheel moves another community member toward the transportation independence of bicycle ownership.

The Common Wheel operates under the following guidelines:
– We’re for getting as many people riding as possible
– We’re for making a positive impact on our community and culture
– We’re for building a kick-ass urban bike community in our special little city
– We’re for the bike-curious and seasoned veterans alike
– We’re for helping people realize their dreams on two wheels
– We’re for providing training and job opportunities to underserved youth in our city
– We’re for building awesome bikes, providing impeccable (and friendly) service, and selling great products that improve people’s experiences
– We’re for facilitating all of those small, magical moments that bikes can create

How to Apply *
Individuals with diverse abilities and experiences are encouraged to apply. Please email a resume and cover letter to Ted Houser, Director of Operations, ted@thecommonwheel.com

Weekend Event Guide: Kazakh touring show-and-tell, coffee outside, Reach the Beach training, and more

Hope you find somewhere cool to ride this weekend. (This is the Snake River on the Oregon-Idaho border just east of Farewell Bend State Recreation Area.)
(Photo: J. Maus/BikePortland)
The Weekend Event Guide is sponsored by Abus Bike Locks. Thanks Abus!

March is here and the sun is shining! That means we’re slowly creeping out of winter and into spring.

And that’s not the only thing we’re grateful for today: I’m also happy to share that our friends at Abus bike locks have stepped up once again to support our work and promote their products. Abus is now the title sponsor of our Weekend Guide and the BikePortland Calendar. If your business wants to work with us, opportunities are filling up quickly. Get in touch today to see how you can build your brand and sales while helping independent community journalism thrive.

Now back to our regularly scheduled plan-making. Here’s the list of the best bikey things to do this weekend…

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