(Photos: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
NOTE: This is the fourth post in a series. The answers have been highly edited for brevity. Please read the full responses at Bike Loud’s website.
Local bike advocacy nonprofit BikeLoud PDX asked all City of Portland candidates* to answer eight questions gleaned from their members. The fourth question, “Do you ride a bike regularly? What kind of bike? How often? Where do you ride, and for what purpose?” was answered by 43 city council candidates and two mayoral candidates.
I’ve gone through the submissions and pulled out a short quote from each candidate. These very abbreviated answers below are based on what I personally found to be the most interesting/notable/newsworthy parts of their responses. For the full answers, visit BikeLoud’s website. I’ve also shared photos of each candidate in the order their responses were shared (if you’re on mobile, be sure to hit the arrow and scroll through the images.) The photos were taken from the Rose City Reform candidate tracker.
Read edited responses from all 45 candidates below:
City Council District 1
Timur Ender
I am 34 years old and have been car free my entire life except for 2 years in high school when I first got a license. I ride an Aventon Abound e-bike which has the capacity to carry 2 kids… I have put over 3,000 miles on it since I got it in February 2023.
Sonja Mckenzie
I do not bike on a regular basis. My last time I rode on an electric bike on a scenic trail on vacation and loved it!
Steph Routh
I ride a bike almost daily for errand-running, commuting, exercising, and just-for-meeting-friends purposes… My primary bike is a Surly Long Haul Trucker named George, and she has over 65,000 miles on her.
David Linn
I grew up along 82nd Avenue and always had a TriMet bus pass and still use it for anything I don’t walk to… I ride my brothers bike at community events and to promote school “bike buses.”
Candace Avalos
Yes, I ride my e-bike but not regularly due to many factors… It is definitely my intention to increase my bike riding and I will use my personal experiences to advocate for infrastructure that would help people like me choose biking, public transportation, and walking more often.
City Council District 2
Elana Pirtle-Guiney
I am a recreational rider and a fair-weather rider… I ride a Colin Cape bike that my mom had customized in the 70s…
Christopher Olson
Yes. I ride a Vvolt Alpha [e-bike] almost every day…
Nat West
Yes, nearly every day. My daily driver is a Radwagon 4 electric cargo bike…I regularly ride a Surly Cross-Check single speed set up as a commuter, and sometimes for fun…
Michelle DePass
I grew up in “urban” cities, Portland, Guadalajara, and Washington DC, with a Dutch step-mom. Biking was in our DNA… I am not an everyday rider. I have two bikes, an 8 speed electric Gazelle, and a non-electric step through Dutchie 8 speed… because I trip chain, and have been a sole provider, I haven’t found biking efficient for my life.
Debbie Kitchin
I am a fair weather biker. I ride mostly in nice weather in spring, summer and fall. I don’t currently commute as I work from home full time… When I did work outside of my home, I rode to work once or twice a week during the summer months…
Mariah Hudson
I’m a daily four season bike commuter with a 9 mile round trip to OHSU. My trusty Radwagon has over 5,000 miles on her and ports me, kids (when they were smaller) and all sorts of groceries, goods and occasionally a kayak…
Jonathan Tasini
Yes. I have a hybrid Trek. I primarily ride for recreation-exercise and traverse far and wide; I have regular routes through the district, out to St. Johns and then a loop along the Columbia…wherever the mood takes me.
Mike Marshall
Except in the winter I use Biketown bikes 2-3 times a week to commute to work, run errands or go for a bike ride.
Laura Streib
I have started riding a bike again on a more regular basis because my youngest is very excited about riding his bike to school and the bike bus that is gaining momentum in the St Johns neighborhood. My bike is a 10-speed bike and K2 brand…
Will Mespelt
I ride a purefix single speed bike. It’s lightweight and gets the job done… My current bike rides are neighborhood routes and I take my kids in the bike trailer as a fun activity and are not commuter focused.
City Council District 3
Tiffany Koyama Lane
My whole family does! I tend to ride my razor scooter to and from work the majority of the time.
Rex Burkholder
Every day, multiple times. Work, shop, play. Mostly a Trek Soho commuter bike or my bike friday unless I’m climbing, then a 1990s Specialized Randonneur.
Theo Hathaway Saner
As I get older, I find myself riding less frequently, but I always dedicate a day in the spring to tuning up the family bikes and getting them ready for the season. I have a Trek road bike…
Daniel Gilk
Yes, I ride my Tern HSD cargo e-bike almost every day for all of my day-to-day errands… our household is approximately 80% car-free.
Angelita Morillo
After a long time being intimidated by biking in Portland, I purchased my first bike earlier this year and have been really enjoying using it to bike around town! I use it primarily to get from place to place when transit or walking does not meet my needs.
Jonathan Walker
My wife and I use an electric bike (Blix) and an e-scooter to run errands and make trips within a three-mile radius of our house. I also have a mountain bike. Our main use of them is to take our boys, ages 3 and 6, to school and preschool…
Matthew Thomas Anderson
From 2013 to 2018 I bike commuted every day from my home in Sumner to the Conway offices in the 23rd District… I ride an 18 Speed Trek Aluminum frame I bought new in 2006.
Daniel DeMelo
Currently I don’t own a car, so I ride daily to most destinations that aren’t downtown… I also have a backseat, so I’ll often bring my partner along for rides. And, of course, I ride for fun at year-round events like TNR and Pedalpalooza — come say hi!
Philippe Knab
Yes, I bike to work in Vancouver, WA once a week, I have a Surly Longhaul Trucker and Surly Steam roller…
Sandeep Bali
No. I have a stationary bike at home which I ride daily for the purpose of keeping fit and healthy. Until reckless drivers are held accountable it’s a scary thought for me to go all out and ride my bike.
Jesse Cornett
I have long had a 1995 Trek 951. I have bike commuted during my lifetime several times… I also greatly enjoy putting on music (at a reasonable volume) and just wandering around on my bike on a sunny Portland evening.
Chris Flanary
I have not biked since I was a kid… I did buy a bicycle from a friend recently, and am looking to use it for quick trips around the neighborhood.
Luke Zak
I used to ride a bike quite regularly… Now that I don’t own my own, I bike less often and typically default to walking or taking public transit when my car is not needed.
Council – District 4
Mike DiNapoli
…I use Biketown bikes from time to time and electric scooters to run personal errands in town. As it stands my small business requires a vehicle… and I’m dependent still on my truck.
Olivia Clark
I have a road bike and gravel bike… My biking is mostly recreational. I stay on bike paths, preferably no cars. I have done a lot of long distanced biking and subscribe to “Adventure Cycling”.
Ben Hufford
I commuted on bicycle and foot including biking my kids to day care and school for over a decade. Living on hilly terrain, I currently ride a daily beater and I have an e-bike for trips over the hill to downtown.
Chad Lykins
I began bike commuting 17 years ago when I took my first-born to daycare on a used Fuji Roubaix with a Burley bike trailer. I also did several triathlons (on a used Cervelo with an aluminum frame) and the occasional long-distance cycling event (Seattle to Portland and Tour de Blast, both on a Giant TCR bought on clearance at River City Bikes)…
Sarah Strawberry Silkie
I recently started riding an electric bike… I’m excited to report that using the e-bike has allowed me to start commuting by bike on a regular basis again. I ride downtown over the hills from southwest Portland a couple times a week now…
Michael Trimble
I am an avid cyclist. Last year I biked slightly over 8,000 miles on my adaptive bike…
Eli Arnold
I ride four or more days per week. I ride either my Trek road bike or my Aventon e-bike downtown from Sellwood to go to work. I ride a Marin mountain bike at work.
Andra Vltavín
Mostly, I ride my bike to power my bike generator, which I use to power some of the equipment in the fiber mill co-op that I help to run.
Eric Zimmerman
Not often and when I do, it’s for quick trips, using a rental. I walk much more often than ride.
Lisa Freeman
… I upgraded from a beloved secondhand bike (my first commuter bike) to a new Masi Vincere road bike that I bought in 2018 when I lived in SE Portland and didn’t own a car… My campaign manager used to race bikes at PIR and Tabor…
Bob Weinstein
No… I have a Peloton [indoor stationary bike] now!
Mitch Green
I ride a RadPower eBike regularly with fat tires for added comfort and armor on the bumpiest surfaces. I ride about 3 days per week for commuting or errands…
Mayor
Liv Østhus
As a single mom with split custody and two jobs across town, a bike would not be possible for me for commuting. I wish it was. I very much enjoy riding my bike for pleasure. I’m not sure the make or model of my bike. It is old but it works.
Durrell Javon Kinsey Bey
I do not ride regularly. I have a Bianchi Road Bike. I seasonally ride my bike. I sometimes ride in my neighborhood, I ride for exercise and sightseeing.
Keith Wilson
Yes, I ride at least once per week… I have two road bikes: My primary is a carbon Trek Emonda SL6, and my trusted classic Trek Lemond Alpe d’ Huez that I gave to my son but often still ride…
Carmen Rubio
Today I am a rare/casual rider. My current bike is a Liv Alight casual/commuter bike… Sadly, I tore my ACL and meniscus during a skiing accident in 2020 and haven’t ridden very much since my knee surgery. However, I do plan to purchase an E-bike to hopefully get my skills and strength back up to ride this summer.
See full answers here. BikeLoud will post more responses in the weeks to come. Stay tuned for question #5 and see more 2024 election coverage here.
*BikeLoud sent the questionnaire to all candidates that had filed a letter of intent as of May 27th.
Thanks for reading.
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“We’ve never had a field of candidates so eager to ride the campaign trail.”
Well, we also have never had such a large gaggle of candidates.
worst response award: Bob Weinstein (I have a Peloton)
best response award: Steph Routh by a country mile (my primary bike is a Surly Long Haul Trucker named George, and she has over 65,000 miles on her)
Here here for the LRT!
I was 100% prepared for every answer except for this one;
I think a more informative question to help me make my voting decisions would be this:
A cyclist was just attacked with a machete at the Gateway Green bike park (and yes it was a homeless person). If elected, what concrete actions will you take to END unsanctioned camping in Portland? (and more taxes/funding, another study or generalizations such as “more mental health and drug treatment options’ will not be accepted answers).
Amen.
So you expect city council candidates to be able to solve the most pressing issue in the city without raising any additional revenue? Please, let me know exactly which existing programs should be cut in order to pay for whatever solution you think will be most practical
I don’t think the public has much appetite for new taxes at this time, so they may have to make do with what they’ve got.
Love to see so many candidates on bikes, shout out to Rex for keeping it local with his Bike Friday!
I can confirm I have seen district 2 candidate Nat West on several Pedalpalooza rides this year. He seems really nice and I was surprised to learn that he was the same person behind Reverend Nat’s Hard Cider company
Pretty sure Timur and I are the only candidates to lead a Pedalpalooza ride this year! Today we had about 40 on the 3rd or 4th annual Cider Ride. Some years I ride a lot of pedalpalooza rides, some years less so. But it’s been good this year.
This cognitive dissonance is excellent.
Wait where’s Rene Gonzo on this list–oh right, he’s a car fascist!