2025 Archives

Podcast: River City Bicycles Owner Dave Guettler

30 years ago this week Dave Guettler opened the doors of River City Bicycles. The iconic shop on Southeast Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd and Alder near the Morrison Bridge is beloved locally and revered nationally as one of the best bike shops in America. Given immense changes in the cycling industry, the culture of Portland, and small business in general since 1995; running a bike shop that still thrives after 30 years is an incredible accomplishment.

Yesterday I sat down with Guettler to learn more about him and the shop he’s tended to with so much love and care for the past three decades.

I learned during this conversation that Guettler had a successful chain of seven stores in northern California before he moved to Portland. So why come up here?

“I had tons of friends who were bike racers… I’d see all these cool bikes and all this cool stuff that they had that they didn’t buy from any of our shops. And it would just kind of break my heart. On the one hand, I was doing all the purchasing for these stores; but on the other hand, there really wasn’t anything that I would have wanted to buy for myself. So I was thinking, ‘There’s got to be a different way of doing things.’ So the concept of opening up a single store that had a very strong community tie-in with it, and that catered to more of an enthusiast type cyclist — to me, that just seemed like a lot more fun than the multi stores and just kind of doing things by the book.”

With Specialized Bicycles founder Mike Sinyard in his corner as a friend and financial backer (Sinyard gave him a significant line of credit to open the shop), the two hopped in a car after a breakfast in Portland in 1994 to look at a few buildings Guettler was thinking about for the shop. “And he saw the one on Martin Luther King, and goes, ‘That’s, that’s the one.'”

Guettler said opening a shop in Portland in 1995 was a big “leap of faith.” The city hadn’t yet embraced its perennial title as America’s Best Cycling City and Guettler worried about how much rain would dampen enthusiasm. But it didn’t take long for Guettler to see the light:

“When you do business plan, you do three: a best-case scenario, worst -case scenario, and a likely or hopeful scenario. And within six months or eight months, we had blown the doors off of the best-case scenario business plan. So we really did kind of hit the ground running, and that was incredibly exciting. Compared to what we were doing in the Bay Area all the sudden it was like, ‘Holy cow! This is a solid market.'”

Guettler was ready for our inclement weather in more ways than one. He dedicated an entire floor of the building to an indoor test track so customers could stay dry while riding any bike on the showroom floor. He also made sure his shop became a go-to for fenders and other wet weather accessories and apparel. He even crafted a line wooden fenders for several years (which he co-designed with an employee). Guettler is a dedicated woodworker who made all the shop’s signs, racks and furnishings; but his wooden fenders ended up being too popular for their own good.

“That was super fun. Never want to do it again, but it was very fun,” Guettler shared.

“You’re not selling them anymore?” I interjected.

“No, I burned the molds. I had an order for 700 pairs of fenders come in from this company called Dahon folding bikes. And it broke me. They ordered matching fenders and chain guards. We filled the order, and that was it,” he recalled.

Despite that grueling order for Dahon, Guettler, now 67 and still recovering from a very serious traffic collision in 2023, still puts in hours at the shop. “My favorite day is Saturday,” he said with a childlike smile. “That’s when I get to work on on the floor at a bike shop, the bike shop of my dreams.”

These are just some of the fun moments in the interview. Watch the whole thing on YouTube or listen in the player below or wherever you get your podcasts.

River City Bicycles 30th Anniversary Party
Saturday, March 8th from 3:00 to 5:00 pm
706 SE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd
“Join us for cake, champagne, stories, music from our own DJ TWOBIT, and a few odd surprises. Everyone’s invited! We can’t wait to see all of our old and new friends and fam!” Cake and champagne toast at 4:00 pm.

Guest Opinion: Modal filters are cheaper and work better than speed bumps

By northeast Portland resident and bike bus leader, Sam Balto.

Portland prides itself on being a leader in biking and sustainable transportation, yet the city’s approach to traffic calming on our Neighborhood Greenways is both outdated and unnecessarily expensive. The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) continues to rely heavily on speed bumps to slow down drivers when a more effective, affordable, and bike-friendly solution exists: modal filters (a.k.a. diverters).

For years, PBOT has installed speed bumps along our greenways in an attempt to reduce cut-through driving and keep speeds below 20 mph. But speed bumps don’t solve the core problem—cars still dominate streets that are supposed to prioritize biking and walking. Worse yet, speed bumps don’t actually prevent drivers from using greenways as shortcuts. Instead, they just make the experience mildly more annoying, often leading to aggressive driving between bumps.

Meanwhile, speed bumps cost taxpayers around $3,500–$7,000 each. A series of them along a stretch of greenway can easily add up to $50,000 to $100,000. That’s money spent on a solution that doesn’t address the root issue.

Modal filters, on the other hand, are a cost-effective way to truly prioritize greenways for people biking and walking. By restricting through traffic at key intersections, modal filters reduce the number of cars using greenways in the first place. They don’t just slow drivers down; they eliminate the need for most of them to be there at all. A simple concrete planter or curb modal filter costs a fraction of what PBOT spends on multiple speed bumps, while achieving a greater safety impact.

This has been playing out in my neighborhood of Beaumont-Wilshire where PBOT recently installed 11 speed bumps at a cost of over $50,000 on NE 37th between Fremont and Prescott instead of a modal filter which was presented to the neighborhood association board members before the project. To top it off, the issue on NE 37th is too many drivers, not too many people speeding. So why did PBOT choose the more expensive option? In conversation with PBOT staff, the modal filter was removed based on neighborhood association feedback.

PBOT has a chance to not repeat the same mistake. Since PBOT delayed the implementation of Mason/Skidmore Neighborhood Greenway Project until this summer, the agency could opt to forgo building five expensive speed bumps on NE Skidmore between 37th and 42nd (which sees 85th percentile speeds at 21 & 23 mph) and instead implement the modal filter design at NE 37th and NE Skidmore. This would help PBOT meet its own guidelines by reducing peak-hour traffic counts and create a more bike-bus friendly neighborhood greenway for two nearby schools. The modal filter should cost about $10,000 (even less without drawn-out neighborhood association meetings which eat up city budgets), instead of up to $35,000 for speed bumps.

Modal filters on SE Clinton installed in 2016.

The proof is in the numbers. When PBOT installed modal filters on SE Clinton Street in 2016, it resulted in a reduction of 35-75% of annual car trips on the greenway. The decrease in drivers was so significant that most bicycle users gushed about the improvement to the street. Compare that to streets with speed bumps, where car volumes remain a persistent issue.

It’s time for PBOT to stop spending more for less. This is especially important given their ongoing budget crisis, which will not slow down in the coming years. Modal filters aren’t just a better solution—they’re the fiscally responsible one.

— Sam Balto

Proposed rules would expand e-bike access on Oregon State Park roads, trails and beaches

The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) has proposed new rules that would govern how electric-assisted bicycles (e-bikes) can legally be operated on State Park properties and on the Oregon Coast. The draft rules vastly improve e-bike access, bringing them more in line with rules for traditional, non-motorized bicycles.

Rules that govern e-bikes in parks and beaches have not kept up with the booming popularity and accessibility of a wide array of motorized bicycles. Currently, e-bikes are allowed on OPRD trails over eight feet wide and on the ocean shore where driving on the beach by car users is allowed. However, “With the popularity of e-assisted bike recreation increasing, the agency is finding that current rules do not clearly accommodate growing need and cause confusion among all visitors,” reads a February 25th 2025 memo to the Oregon Parks and Recreation Commission.

A bill passed by the Oregon Legislature last year (that went into effect January 1, 2025) finally gave OPRD a clear definition of what qualifies as an e-bike and paved the way for new rules that would give park managers and rangers more clarity on how to regulate them. The bill (HB 4103) split e-bikes into three classes and put limits on the power output of the motor (1,000 watts max) and top speed (20 mph).

OPRD launched a formal rulemaking effort in June 2024 and an advisory committee met four times last fall. In addition to the formal advisory body, OPRD received nearly 4,000 public comments last summer on the issue of e-bike use.

Below is a summary of the proposed rule changes:

“E-assisted bicycles” will be regulated in the same category as what OPRD refers to as “Other power-driven mobility devices” or OPDMD. These include golf carts, personal mobility devices, Segway products, “or any mobility device designed to operate in areas without defined pedestrian routes, but that is not a wheelchair.”
Any area currently open to pedestrian and bicycle use will also be open to e-bikes, “unless there is a legitimate safety reason that the [device] cannot be accommodated.” And those “reasons” are also detailed in the proposed rules.
E-bikes would be permitted on any road or trail within a State Park property except where specifically prohibited, “as determined by the District Manager, based on an evaluation of factors related to the use of these devices including, but not limited to, the degree of conflict with other users, public safety, or damage to park resources.”
Any electric-assisted bicycles that do not meet the statutory definition (ORS 801.258), or that have been “modified out of the classification criteria” will be considered “motor vehicles” and will be allowed only where motor vehicles are allowed.
The previous rule said e-bikes could only be used on beaches where it’s legal to drive a car (four segments along the entire coast). The proposed rules widen access for e-bikes to all state recreation areas as long as riders stay on wet sand and as long it’s not specifically prohibited by a local district manager.

“The proposed rules balance access to public lands for diverse recreation options while protecting the state’s resources and existing recreation opportunities,” OPRD said in a memo. “Implementation of any changes will require more than rule enforcement and the agency is prepared to commit to an extensive education and outreach campaign.”

OPRD is seeing public comments on these proposed rules now through April 1st. You can submit comments via the rules website or you can attend a virtual public hearing on March 17th or 26th. Once the public comment period ends, any new updates will go to the Parks and Recreation Commission in April or June for possible final adoption. Once that happens, the new rules would be implemented in July once the agency has changed signages and maps.

Tesla Takedown protest draws large crowd (video)

There was a large contingent of folks at Saturday’s “Tesla Takedown” protest who arrived by bike. A group met before the event in southeast Portland to make signs and then rode together to the Tesla showroom on South Macadam Street.

Portlander Elianna Gnoffo grabbed footage of the event for me and I saw several familiar faces in the crowd. Gnoffo reported seeing Portland City Councilor Mitch Green among the 100 or so attendees. Protesters lined the street and received lots of support from drivers passing by.

Below is a short video from the event:

Protests take place at this same location every Monday afternoon starting around 4:00 pm. More information here.

Monday Roundup: Flaneurs, ODOT’s error, speed cameras, and more

Welcome to the week. Here are the most notable news items our community has come across in the past seven days…

Concern trolling tolling: When the Trump Administration says congestion pricing is “elitist” they’re not considering the fact that the revenue goes directly to helping low-income people who rely on public transit. (Vox)

A speed camera option: Gotta’ love it when the head of a driver lobbying group realizes his hatred of speed enforcement cameras leads him to support safer street designs. Sounds good to me! (Route Fifty)

Silver bullet for streets: The more data that comes out of Manhattan since congestion pricing began, the more it seems like a silver bullet for many urban ills, and the more the Trump Administration looks completely out of touch with reality. In this example, we learn that Manhattan’s economy has been humming with fewer drivers on the roads. (Streetsblog NYC)

City budget: On Friday, Portland’s city administrator launched the opening salvo in what will be a very strained conversation about the budget. (OPB)

Tariffs are good, actually?: Just kidding. But I’ll be very interested to see what happens to the vehicle choice decision-making process when/if cars get much more expensive then they already are. (Bloomberg)

ODOT cannot be trusted: The latest example of how ODOT governance is broken and the agency should not be trusted in its current form is a one billion accounting mistake. (Willamette Week)

Walking and talking: As a flaneur and lover of chance public encounters, it’s a bummer to me that folks don’t hang out and chat on city sidewalks as much as they used to. Sidewalks are third spaces and not immune to broad societal shifts that have made folks less likely to linger. (Bloomberg)

Thanks to everyone who sent in links this week. The Monday Roundup is a community effort, so please feel free to send us any great stories you come across.

West End Bikes closure leave a bike shop desert in downtown Portland

West End Bikes on SW Washington in December. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

Owners of a major bike shop in downtown Portland are throwing in the towel. West End Bikes has announced a closing sale after 14 years in business. The shop opened with a bang in 2011 on the corner of SW Harvey Milk and 11th (just one block south of Burnside). Co-owners Mark Ontiveros and Mike France stocked the “palatial” showroom with high-end bikes and had the backing of Specialized Bicycles, one of the largest brands in the industry.

West End offered a wide selection of bikes, apparel, and parts; but was known for its selection of high-end road bikes from brands like Wilier, Pinarello, and locally-based Sage Cycles. Ontiveros, who worked as head apparel buyer at River City Bicycles from 1995 until he left to team up with France, filled the shop with top clothing brands like Outlier, Assos, and Velocio.

Former co-owner Mark Ontiveros (left) and current co-owner Mike France (right) in January, 2011. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

In 2022, the shop moved to a smaller location on SW Washington Street when the historic building it was located in underwent major renovations. Around that same time, original co-owner Ontiveros sold his shares in the business (he’s now working at Lakeside Bicycles in Lake Oswego) and France brought in another co-owner.

In a post on Instagram, West End wrote, “After 14 years of following our passion, the time has come to slow the roll.” France added in a comment that he’s been planning to retire this year for a while.

The closure of West End Bikes leaves a vast swath of the central city without a major bike shop. The Trek Portland store moved from SW 10th and Salmon to the Nob Hill/Slabtown neighborhood last year. Once West End is gone, there will be a bike shop desert across downtown for 1.7 miles between NW Raleigh and 20th all the way to the Portland State University Bike Hub at SW Harrison and 6th.

I’ve asked West End Bikes owners if they’d like to share a statement about the closure and will update this post when I hear back.

The shop is having a closing sale with discounts on all bikes and products. More info here.

From cars to cargo bikes: City seeks ‘micro delivery hubs’ in city-owned parking garages

The City of Portland has taken a step toward decarbonizing its freight system. The Portland Bureau of Transportation wants to turn downtown parking garages into cargo hubs where electric bikes and other small vehicles would load up with goods and deliver them to customers nearby.

PBOT issued a request for information (RFI) last month for their “Micro-Delivery Hub Pilot in a City-Owned Parking Garage” project. It’s the latest extension of Portland’s effort to eliminate toxic emissions, improve street safety, and create a more vibrant, human-centered city by reducing the number of large delivery trucks in dense, commercial areas.

“This is a unique opportunity to explore the feasibility of repurposing space in a parking garage… Their relatively small footprint lends them to be well suited for the transfer of deliveries from a larger vehicle to a smaller vehicle, such as an e-cargo bike, that is better suited for short distance deliveries in a dense urban contexts,” reads the RFI.

PBOT owns and operates five “SmartPark” garages downtown. The pilot would utilize three of them, including locations at NW Naito Parkway and Davis, SW 10th and Yamhill, and SW 3rd and Alder.

PBOT has been dreaming of small delivery hubs full of e-bikes since at least 2021 when the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability first floated the concept to the Old Town Community Association. Since then the bureau has adopted the 2040 Portland Freight Plan, which prioritizes testing of “novel interventions” like micro-delivery hubs.

The idea is that these hubs would be tiny logistics facilities for private companies. Larger vehicles would transfer goods to smaller vehicles, like e-cargo bikes, for the last-mile delivery. Microhubs are already in use in New York City and the concept has worked in Paris and London. And PBOT isn’t new to this space. In 2023 they won a federal grant to establish a zero emission delivery zone. That project uses digital tools to monitor curbside traffic and sets aside several loading zones downtown where only zero emissions vehicles can operate.

Through this RFI, PBOT hopes to find local companies who see the potential of repurposing the valuable location of SmartPark garages. At the top of the list is B-Line PDX, a business founded in 2009 that owns and operates a fleet of electric cargo trikes and boasts dozens of clients who depend on Portland’s bike lanes to get their products to market. Other possible partners would be coffee roasters, bakeries, restaurant suppliers, and so on.

In the MicroDelivery Hub Feasibility Study published by the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability late last year, the city said, “To ensure their effectiveness, these hubs should be located near a well-integrated city bike network. This integration allows cargo bike riders to efficiently navigate the city after collecting deliveries from the hub.” PBOT is also exploring possible zoning code and other regulatory changes (such as reducing space for off-street vehicle loading if developers create space for cargo bike loading and parking) to facilitate the hubs.

“Portland is laying the groundwork for a future where sustainable deliveries thrive, emissions are reduced, and the urban fabric is safe and walkable,” the feasibility study states.

The RFI won’t issue any contracts, PBOT is simply probing interest at this point. View the bid solicitation here.

Bike ride planned to ‘Tesla Takedown’ this Saturday

This Saturday, March 1st, Portland will join 74 other cities in a protest against Tesla, the company owned by Elon Musk. And of course someone has organized a group ride to the event.

Musk has become a lightning rod of controversy since President Donald Trump took over the presidency last month. As an unelected member of Trump’s inner circle, Musk has haphazardly slashed workforces at government agencies, throwing thousands of lives into disarray. His motivations and actions have been based o personal grudges and business interests. Musk also made a Nazi salute at an event in January, then brushed it off as if it were just a joke.

“The news is pretty grim these days. If Congress won’t act, how can anyone stop a hostile government takeover by Nazis?” reads the Ride to Tesla Takedown Protest event description. “#TeslaTakedown is a grassroots, leaderless movement to take down Elon Musk’s greatest source of wealth: his over-inflated car company.”

Organizers behind Tesla Takedown say 74 cities across America have signed up to participate. The plan is to meet up and make signs, then ride to a Tesla dealership to discourage new customers, implore existing owners to sell their Teslas, and to dump stock in the company.

“If you know of someone who owns a Tesla, encourage them to sell it and trade up for an E-Bike or Electric Cargo Bike (or one of the many other better EV’s on the market!” organizers of Saturday’s event say.

The ride will meet at 9:00 am at Floyd’s Coffee in Ladd Circle, then ride to the Tesla showroom on South Macadam. More details on the Shift calendar.

Portland ecologist mixes passion for plants, pollinators, and pedaling

A 2024 planting site. (Photos: Kim Brown/Portland Beecycle)

Parking strips next to sidewalks planted with nothing but grass are like wide roads intended solely for cars: They serve a purpose, but they hurt the planet and could be doing much more to make our city great.

To Portlander Kim Brown — an ecologist, master melittologist (study of bees) with the Oregon Bee Atlas and secretary of the Native Plant Society of Oregon — those strips of grass are a canvas waiting to be painted with native plants. And those roads? Well, that ecosystem also needs a wider mix of vehicles, preferably bicycles.

Brown is the woman behind Portland Beecycle, an annual event that brings together plants and pedalers to help pollinate parking strips citywide. Last month she put out a call for homeowners who’d welcome a re-planting of their front yard strips. When I saw the announcement and realized the work would be done by folks who arrive by bike, I had to learn more.

“Beecycle is about creating beautiful, accessible spaces in our urban areas that benefit wildlife and the community,” Brown shared in an email to BikePortland this week. She said her inspiration to organize the events comes from three places: to create more native plant areas in neighborhoods; to improve conditions for pollinators, birds, and other wild things; and to help bring a beautiful garden to someone in need.

“We have amazing access to park spaces in Portland, but many people do not actually interact with these areas on a daily basis,” Brown shared. “For many, our daily interaction with nature is our neighbors yards and street strips.”

Brown first got her shovel dirty working with Portland nonprofit Friends of Trees, who’s been doing tree plantings-by-bike for many years. Planting a successful garden is a bit more complicated than planting one tree, so Brown has partnered with the Oregon Native Plant Society and Twinflower Natives, Portland State University’s Rae Selling Berry Seed Bank, and Friends of Backyard Habitat to make her plantings possible.

Each year she seeks out homeowners who apply to have their strip planted. Brown then selects 2-3 homes, makes sure the location is safe for a few dozen cyclists to work at, develops a plant list and garden design, then fundraises for seeds, plants and other supplies.

She’s organized successful rides since 2023. They take place in middle to late September, to make sure the plantings don’t get baked in the summer sun. Riders meet at a park, then ride to the planting locations, then grab a bite to eat nearby.

The event has grown to include hundreds of plants and related supplies. This year, Brown hopes to transport everything by bike, so she’s hoping folks with cargo bikes will join the ranks.

If you’re interested in taking part, follow @PortlandBeecycle on Instagram and stay tuned for updates about the 2025 ride.

Kenton Cycle Repair has reopened under new ownership

New shop owner Thomas Lawn tries to work and not get distracted by the box of donuts gifted to him by a sales rep. (Photos: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

“The amount of people coming in has been really, really solid.”
– Thomas Lawn

Kenton Cycle Repair has been saved! The small but mighty neighborhood bike shop just off North Denver Avenue in the heart of Kenton’s commercial district reopened on February 7th. Behind the counter is new owner Thomas Lawn, a 37-year-old California transplant who moved to Portland in 2013 and previously managed the service department at Joe Bike in southeast Portland.

“I played around with the idea of having a bike shop for a long time now,” Lawn shared when I stopped by last week. Years as a mechanic had started taking a toll on his body and his mind wandered toward the possibility of a different role in the industry. “At some point I felt like, if I’m in this [for the long haul] having my own shop should be on my radar.”

When he heard Kenton Cycle Repair was looking for a new owner, he reached out to former owner Rich Walker and the two reached a deal to keep the shop open. Lawn not only has his first bike shop, but he’s inherited thousands of dollars worth of Walker’s tools and bins of parts so Lawn can hit the ground running. The shop is fully open and ready for service. When I was there a steady trickle of folks popped in, including a sales rep who brought a dozen donuts.

The 1,400 square foot shop is located in an old building on N Kilpatrick just a few doors off Denver. Lawn and his crew aren’t planning any major changes, but the look and feel of the shop has already morphed a bit. The counter is now right in the center as you walk in and there will be a lot more new products and accessories than before. Look for a quality used bike section and consignment service in the future. New bikes are also on the way from brands including Breezer, Fuji, and SE. Kenton Cycle Repair won’t sell e-bikes, but is happy to do minor fixes like flat repairs (as long as it doesn’t include work on the motor or battery due to insurance issues).

In the back of the shop are shelves full of old parts left by the previous owner. Lawn says he looks forward to “modernifying” older used bikes for customers. Sifting through boxes with hundreds of old derailleurs, Lawn said these parts are like an insurance policy. “If the bike industry apocalypse happens, we’re kind of OK. Or if tariffs blow everything up, we have some parts to keep bikes running.”

Lawn shopped at Kenton Cycle Repair just a few times before becoming its owner. Now he says he’ll try to make it a place he’d like to frequent as a customer. According to Lawn, the pillars of the shop will be: “competent repairs, reasonable prices, and a welcoming environment.”

Between taking phone calls, Lawn told me he lives in the South Tabor neighborhood and has enjoyed the new commute to north Portland each day. When he’s not working, you might see him at a Coffee Outside event, or on his bike in Forest Park or Powell Butte. He moved back to Portland (after a stint in Philadelphia which he said was too hot and humid) in 2020 right before the pandemic and has worked at Joe Bike ever since — so he’s been through a challenging time in the bike business; the uncertainty of Covid, followed by the boom in riding and then supply-chain issues.

Given how many small shops have closed recently, I asked Lawn if that made him nervous. “No one has said to me, ‘What are you doing?!’ when I told them I was opening a shop.” We agreed that’s a good sign.

“If I’m up late at night laying in bed thinking about money or whatever, the anxiety is real,” Lawn shared. “But when I’m here in the shop, all those voices are quiet. Everything makes sense when I’m in this space. Not to get all woo-woo, but this feels right. And the community response so far and the amount of people coming in has been really, really solid and it reinforces how I feel. It’s clear this area needs a bike shop and the customers are here.”

Follow Kenton Cycle Repair on Instagram to get more info about shop hours and updates about a grand opening party soon.

Sticker Swap at Bike Happy Hour tonight!

From our last sticker swap in September 2023. (Photos: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

We will have lots of sun and a high of 60 degrees when Bike Happy Hour begins at 3:00 pm tonight! That’s enough reason to come out and join us at Migration Brewing on North Williams Avenue.

But it’s also Sticker Swap night, which will add even more merriment to our weekly gathering. Stickers are the currency of bike culture and primary purveyors of propaganda. If you’re a sticker hound, grab a few handfuls of stickers from your collection to share, swap, or show-off. If you’re new to town and need inculcation to local lore via these symbol-filled signposts, don’t miss a great opportunity to start a collection of your own and adorn your bike with that sought after, lived-in look. Bike shop or other local industry staffer? Promote your brand and give away freebies!

I’m also happy to announce a special exhibit: In 2006, facing a rash of road rage incidents, the City of Portland launched an education campaign that centered around the mantra “I Share the Road” (they initially wanted just “Share the Road” but I was in the meeting and suggested putting the “I” in there, wanting to ultimately expand the campaign to a series of billboards with portraits of Portlanders repeating the mantra). The touchstone of the campaign were thousands of “I SHARE THE ROAD” bumper stickers. The stickers were everywhere! Eventually, a group of silly cycling activists took it upon themselves to prank PBOT and doctor the stickers. Somehow I ended up with a collection of them (see above) and will bring them tonight.

And of course other types of printed ephemera is welcome too so bring your coolest spoke cards, etc…

As per usual, we’ll have two piles: One for display only (for rare, cherished items), and one for stickers that are up-for-grabs. Trades can be made privately among two willing parties.

Tell your friends! Everyone is welcome. Can’t wait to see everyone in a few hours!

Get ready for two major naked rides this summer

The 2024 World Naked Bike Ride Portland on S Harbor Drive. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

Portland will get double the fun this summer as two major naked bike rides roll onto the streets.

Last June, when organizers of the traditional World Naked Bike Ride unexpectedly took a year off after 20 years as hosts, a different crop of leaders emerged to fill the void. The new organizers confused some folks by using a very similar name — “World Naked Bike Ride Portland” instead of “Portland World Naked Bike Ride” — and there was a bit of an intra-community riff behind the scenes.

This year both rides will happen: The Portland World Naked Bike Ride will be Saturday, July 26th and the World Naked Bike Ride Portland is Saturday, August 9th.

Portland’s original naked ride is supported by a nonprofit known as Umbrella. The event had turned into a massive party and major destination ride over the years, drawing thousands of participants — many of whom seem to dust their bikes off solely for that one night only. Last year’s ride with new leaders was decidedly different. It was much smaller in size with a crowd in the hundreds instead of thousands, and the focus was clearly on the activist roots of the ride. The route stopped at the headquarters of Zenith Energy in the northwest industrial area where a mass die-in was staged to protest fossil fuel dependency. Zenith Energy is embroiled with Portland City Council and local environmental activists for its pursuit of a permit to transport and store vast quantities of toxic oil along the Willamette River.

The leaders of the original ride say they’re excited to be back after the year off with new leaders and a new theme. “Given deepening global and domestic tensions, the PDXWNBR leadership team decided that community needs to take center stage this year,” reads a statement about the ride. The new theme is “Baring All & Building Bridges” and organizers say it’s all about, “strengthening our local community and its support systems.”

They’re looking for volunteer ambassadors to help support the ride. If you’re interested, be sure to follow @PDXWNBR on Instagram for updates.

Now in year two, the World Naked Bike Ride Portland invites riders to, “Join a ride of celebration, solidarity, and protest under the Sturgeon Full Moon.” The ride will once again focus on environmental justice and be a protest against oil dependency, especially the role of Zenith Energy and their ongoing business in Portland.

Both rides look to make big statements about the need for safe cycling, body positivity and self-expression.

Podcast: River City Bicycles Owner Dave Guettler

Guest Opinion: Modal filters are cheaper and work better than speed bumps

Proposed rules would expand e-bike access on Oregon State Park roads, trails and beaches

Tesla Takedown protest draws large crowd (video)

Monday Roundup: Flaneurs, ODOT’s error, speed cameras, and more

West End Bikes closure leave a bike shop desert in downtown Portland

From cars to cargo bikes: City seeks ‘micro delivery hubs’ in city-owned parking garages

Bike ride planned to ‘Tesla Takedown’ this Saturday

Portland ecologist mixes passion for plants, pollinators, and pedaling

Kenton Cycle Repair has reopened under new ownership

Sticker Swap at Bike Happy Hour tonight!

Get ready for two major naked rides this summer

Latest Headlines

Podcast: River City Bicycles Owner Dave Guettler

Guest Opinion: Modal filters are cheaper and work better than speed bumps

Proposed rules would expand e-bike access on Oregon State Park roads, trails and beaches

Tesla Takedown protest draws large crowd (video)

From the Archives

Guest essay: A plan for a ‘passoire’-filled Portland