Year: 2020

Rapha will relocate North American HQ from Portland to Bentonville, Arkansas

(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)

Another piece of Portland’s vaunted local cycling industry is soon to be gone: High-end cycling apparel and lifestyle brand Rapha Racing LLC is moving its North American operations from Portland to Bentonville Arkansas.

According to North America Marketing Director Jake Rosenbloum, the move will be finalized by March 1st. “Portland has been an incredible home for the Rapha brand over the last 10-plus years,” he said in an email today. “Throughout our time here, the Portland-based team have helped to inform and define what Rapha is and means not just to the US, but around the world.”

Rapha made Portland for its U.S. headquarters in February 2008. Back then I asked company co-founder Luke Scheybeler why the London-based apparel brand chose Portland, he said, “Portland is so obviously a center of cycling, there’s an amazing bike culture here and a real appreciation for it. It just feels right.”

Read more

Reader: I was harassed by a truck driver and police won’t take it seriously

The message below came to us from a reader via Facebook. I’m sharing it here with permission from the victim.

(Photo by the victim’s spouse.)

Today, Feb 8, 2020, my spouse and I were returning from a ride along the esplanade. I’m a bit slow because I’m recovering from a full hysterectomy and appendectomy. My husband was waiting for me along the curb headed north on N. Williams just after Broadway.

As I was crossing N. Broadway (during green light in bike lane), a Dodge Ram 2500 began to approach me with driver revving the engine billowing black smoke and squealing the wheels. At one point his truck stopped next to me and the white male driver stepped on the gas pedal with his brakes on and started fish-tailing until the backend of his truck almost hit me. It was terrifying.

Read more

Becky Jo’s Carfree Life: Locking Habits and Etiquette

“I chose safety and my burrito.”

I was sitting outside a taqueria, waiting for my to-go order as we do, and I saw, or rather mostly heard, a kerfuffle over bike locks. I wasn’t quite close enough to see exactly what the scenario was for myself, and as it was two people getting a bit heated, I wasn’t about to physically insert myself to get details, but the scene was:

Guy One comes out. Goes to get his bike, and finds another bike is locked to it. Stands confused.

Guy Two comes out, says something about Guy One being a jackass and not leaving any space on the rack for anyone else, so he locked his bike to Guy One’s bike.

Guy One says things.

Guy Two says things back.

They part ways grumbling.

Read more

Job: Bike Mechanic/Shop Staff – Everybody’s Bike Rentals & Tours

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Job Title

Bike Mechanic/Shop Staff

Company / Organization

Everybody’s Bike Rentals & Tours

Job Description

Everybody’s Bike Rentals is looking for friendly shop staff for this coming season starting March 1. $15/hr to start plus health insurance and bonus. 7.5 hour days, 3-4 days a week, until Nov 1!

Meet lots of nice cool people from all over the world and work in a fun, non-corporate, lower-stress environment with a positive culture. Must be outgoing and good with people, be competent with computers, organized, and have 2+ years shop mechanic experience.

We are a small company and there is opportunity for growth in this position.

How to Apply

Please explore our website (pdxbikerentals.com) and then send us a resume along with a cover letter explaining why you want to work with us to pdxbikerentals@gmail.com

Job: Full Time Bike Share Position – Holy Spokes

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Job Title

Full Time Bike Share Position

Company / Organization

Holy Spokes

Job Description

Holy Spokes operates a 400 bike campus bike share system on a corporate campus in Beaverton. We are seeking a reliable, self-motivated individual to help with day to day operation of the system.
Duties include basic maintenance, rebalancing / relocating bikes, and more intensive repairs. Driver’s license and clean driving history required.
Bike mechanic experience preferred but not required – we can train the right person.
Full time position has fairly flexible hours.
Starting rate is $17-19 per hour.

How to Apply

Email resume and a brief introduction to info@holyspokespdx.com

Kidical Mass PDX 2020 Planning Meeting

Help keep this Portland bike institution rolling! Kidical Mass PDX is entering its 10th year (wow!) and we’re looking to add to our small eager group of volunteer ride leaders as well as assign a new organizer or co-organizers to keep the finely-tuned KMPDX machine running smoothly.

Read more

Pedal On, Kittie Knox

Kittie Knox is surfacing again with welcome arms.

Knox is a cyclist from Boston who lived in the late 1800s and died early at age 26. There are few facts and one might think she is a token to be bandied about. But this is not true. And thanks to Lorenz Finison who published The Boston’s Cycling Craze, 1880-1890, we receive greater insights into who she was. Her life and treatment by other cyclists forces us to ponder, have we changed?

The Racial Divide feels ever great everywhere. Having our America build United States-Mexico border walls heightens the Berlin Wall of Eastern Germany ethic of xenophobia. In our town, we have a huge melting pot of 40 plus languages in the Gresham-Rockwood area, the large disparity of those who are insured vs. no insurance, the homeless sprawl, the face of younger people without prospects to equal equity comforts of their parents; the largest economic class disparity since 1929…the list goes on for those who are subject of disparities in addition to more often mentioned racial disparity.

Read more

Golden Pliers charges into 2020 with new bikes, food and drink upgrades

We’ll be seeing more Rivendell builds from Golden Pliers, like this pleasing Hunqapillar.
(Photo: Golden Pliers)

With all the doom-and-gloom news about local retail lately, I’m eager to share good news from the bike shop front.

Golden Pliers on North Skidmore and Interstate has been a bright spot ever since they opened two years ago. For a very small shop where the owners still put in most of the hours, Golden Pliers seems to have found a workable niche.

This week they announced news that will help expand that niche a bit: Golden Pliers is now an authorized Rivendell Bicycle Works (adding to their current offerings from Crust, All-City, Velo Orange, and Surly) dealer. Rivendell is a small but mighty brand from northern California that has retained its culture and values through many changes in the bike industry. Their steel bikes offer ride qualities and designs you can’t find from any other company, are wonderful for unpaved adventures and urban rambling, and they have a devoted Portland fan base. Their previous Portland area dealer, Rivelo, passed along the business when owner John Bennett decided to retire late last year.

Read more

Latest Headlines

Transportation Commission says state can move forward with I-5 Rose Quarter project

Weekend Event Guide: Sunday Parkways, Naked Ride, immigrant solidarity, and more

TriMet: Service cuts will start in November

Pause or proceed? Commission weighs future of I-5 Rose Quarter project

From the Archives

Opinion: If we’re serious about cycling, let’s get serious about cycling infrastructure