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6/20: Hello readers and friends. I am having my second (of two) total knee replacement surgeries today 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
Looking for a new place to spread you cycling wings? We’ve got two great job opportunities that just went up this week, and one that we’re re-listing as a favor to one of our favorite local companies.
Learn more about each one via the links below…
–> Shipping Specialist – Velotech
–> Bike Mechanic/Sales Person – Metropolis Cycle Repair
The Portland Police Bureau is investigating a collision that happened just after midnight this morning at SE Stark and 148th. A driver hit and killed a person crossing the street on foot; then the driver fled the scene.
Job Title *
Shipping Specialist
Company/Organization *
Velotech
Job Description *
Cart Logic, Inc. is looking for a detail oriented shipping specialist to join our fast paced and fast growing operation. This person will be expected to pick, pack, and ship customer orders and receive incoming shipments in a timely manner.
Additionally there will be many random tasks that will assist in warehouse operation.
* Must be able to lift 50lbs
* Must be comfortable with ladders
* Enthusiasm for cycling
* Full-time
* Great benefits and vacation package
Cart Logic, 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 *
Please click on the link below to apply:
Job Title *
Bike Mechanic/Sales Person
Company/Organization *
Metropolis Cycle Repair
Job Description *
Metropolis is looking for two individuals who are passionate about cycling both as a means of transportation and as an awesome recreational activity.
We need one full time person (35-40 hours), and one part time (15-30 hours). Positions are seasonal, ending in October, but with the possibility of becoming permanent.
We’re a small shop, and everybody does a little bit of everything, but typical duties include:
Positively interacting with all customers
Tuneups and general bike repair and maintenance
Conducting mechanical estimates and assessments
Fielding phone calls
Helping customers with new bikes and accessories
Keeping the shop clean and tidy
Cash handling
Test riding completed repairs
Working at least one weekend day is required.
Bike shop experience is not absolutely required, but you will need to demonstrate a high degree of mechanical aptitude as well as knowledge of common bicycle components and systems.
We work on everything from vintage 3 speeds to the latest hydraulic brakes and 12 speed drivetrains.
Retail or similar experience is required.
Compensation is dependent on experience.
How to Apply *
Please submit a resume containing relevant experience as well as a cover letter either in person at the shop, or to brad@metropoliscycles.com.
Is all the grey weather getting you down? Do you get unexpectedly happy when the sky turns bright? If so (or if not), you should check out the Portland Winter Light Festival. This year bike-related events are featured prominently. Biketown will place specially-lit bikes at stations near the start of the big parade near OMSI, Filmed by Bike will host an installation, you can get half-off a day-use bike share pass, and there’s a big bike parade!
We’ve got all the Winter Light Fest details and much more in this week’s guide…
Like a phoenix from the ashes of forest fires that caused the cancellation of last year’s ride, Cycle Oregon announced their 2018 season to much fanfare in front of hundreds of fans at the Portland Art Museum tonight.
Before the meat of the presentation began, Executive Director Steve Schulz addressed the controversy around last year’s abrupt cancellation. Schulz humbly and fully apologized. “We learned we can always make improvements on how we do things and how we say things,” he said.
Then, as he appeared to choke up with emotion, he thanked the Cycle Oregon community for their support. Last year alone, in large part through riders who opted to donate $500 (half) of their entry fee, over $128,000 was donated to the Cycle Oregon Fund. “The money went back to those communities who suffered — not just from Cycle Oregon not being there, but from an entire season of wildfires.” “It reinforced to us,” he continued, “That you care about your fellow riders, you care about this state, you care about the communities, you care that we can continue to explore this state every year from the seat of a bicycle. This is your brand; and this brand is strong.”
Remember that grant program we told you about back in June? The one where the Bureau of Transportation was giving free money to anyone with a great idea on making streets better?
They received 63 applications and decided to award 11 of them.
Here are the winners (with project descriptions via PBOT):
Bridlemile Walkway $3,368
This project will transform a walkway in the Bridlemile neighborhood of SW Portland. The walkway is used by neighbors to access area schools, bus stops and grocery stores and is a part of the SW Trails network.
“Dia de las Niñas y los Niños” Parade and Celebration $3,625
This community event is hosted annually by the Rigler Elementary School PTA to celebrate the Latin American holiday. This year’s event will include a Safe Routes to School theme and promote active transportation options for students and families in the Cully neighborhood.
Heritage Tree Trail $1,200
The University of Portland Neighborhood Association will use this project to promote the use of urban trails and neighborhood greenways, while also increasing awareness of the heritage trees network in their North Portland community.
Business for a Better Portland hosted its first policy event of the year last night. The up-and-coming association is looking to be a counterbalance the impact of the Portland Business Alliance, a more conservative group that has had a vast — and some would say deleterious — influence on city transportation policy over the years.
The Oregon Department of Transportation is about to launch a new planning effort that will be the first significant update to the Oregon Coast Bike Route in over ten years.
According to an ODOT spokesperson, the official map will also get an update for the first time since 2010.
Tomorrow night Cycle Oregon will celebrate the 30th running of their week-long “Classic” ride. At least they hope it will run this year.
It’s Cycle Oregon’s 31st year in existence, but last year’s ride was cancelled at the last minute due to wildfires that ravaged several sections of the planned route. This year the nonprofit is back with lessons learned and hopes that their fans are willing to give them another shot.
They’ll get a chance to make their pitch for the 2018 ride at the annual Kickoff Party at the Portland Art Museum Wednesday night.
With money in their coffers for the first time in several decades (thanks in large part to the local gas tax and revenue from the state transportation package passed last year), the Portland Bureau of Transportation will be busy in 2018. They recently released a list of 17 projects they plan to construct this year. Nine of them are east of 82nd.
I can’t believe someone made a documentary out of this. But I’m happy they did.
MAMIL’s are the oft-ridiculed cycling world sub-culture characterized by men in bright-and-tight lycra who speed around in packs chasing Strava segments and trying to recapture their glory days. Now their story has been told in a feature documentary, MAMIL, that will screen one night only in Portland. The screening is organized by Demand Film, a “cinema on demand” service that is showing MAMIL on 300 theaters across the country on the same night: February 21st. You can see it in the Portland area at: Regal Fox Tower Stadium 6, Regal Lloyd Center 10, and Regal Hilltop 9 Cinema (Oregon City).
The film is narrated by legendary Tour de France commentator Phil Liggett. Here’s the official blurb:
“MAMIL captures on film the spirit and the members of a movement that is growing throughout the world — middle-aged men taking to their cycles and biking through mountains, city streets, you name it, all in the name of CYCLING. Some do it for health, some for love, others just to clear their heads and face the world. And despite all the crashes, mega-pricey carbon fiber cycles, and wives worrying that they’ve been replaced by two wheels and a $1,200 bicycle seat, these guys wouldn’t have it any other way.
Filmed in the U.S., Australia and the U.K., MAMIL is a celebration of the love that can finally be shared – that of man for bike. You might be in an LGBT cycling club in New York or Christian in the Midwest; you might be a lawyer or a cancer survivor, you might be hauling your middle-aged belly over the next hill, or speeding along the open road, but you still thrill to the meditation of the bike.”
Here’s the official trailer: