What has long been a dream of cycling advocates has become reality: Portland now has a fully-fledged “bike buddy” program where new riders link up with veteran mentors. It’s run by nonprofit BikeLoud PDX and they hosted an official launch of the program with a bike ride on Saturday. I wasn’t able to be there, but Bike Buddy Program Manager Nikki Margarita Enriquez (in photo, below) was kind enough fill me on what went down.
About 60 people showed up at a coffee shop in Ladd’s Addition to ride together and celebrate the volunteers who make the program possible. Margarita Enriquez says there was a mix of Bike Buddy mentors and mentees, BikeLoud PDX members and board members, representatives from partner organizations, a few fans of the program, and even the chief of staff from City Councilor Mitch Green’s office (Maria Sipin).
After a group photo and remarks from BikeLoud Board Chair Eva Frazier and Margarita Enriquez — who told me she expressed gratitude and shared basic ride details — they rolled out. For about a dozen of the attendees, this was their first-ever group ride. “The energy was high,” Margarita Enriquez recalls. “And the ride went really smoothly.”
The group rolled through southeast accompanied by bike-mounted bubble-making machines and upbeat music from mobile speakers. BikeLoud was prepared with plenty of ride support to help navigate traffic with the large group so Bike Buddy mentors could focus on mentees’ questions and technical issues. The first stop was a cart pod in the central eastside for tacos and agua fresca at La Cuchara.
There was also a fun prize raffle with products donated from the many awesome local bike shops, organizations, and other partners Margarita Enriquez has connected to the Bike Buddy program. By all accounts, the event was a huge success.
It’s a fitting launch for the Bike Buddy program, which already made about 70 matches — quickly closing in on their goal of 100 matches per year for the first three years. BikeLoud was able to hire Margarita Enriquez (their first paid staffer) thanks to a grant they earned from the Portland Clean Energy Benefits Fund (PCEF).
“There’s genuine excitement about this program,” Margarita Enriquez says. “My focus for the appreciation ride was just that, to thank the folks who make this program work. However, it had a somewhat greater unintended effect in getting the word out and showing people what the program is all about and how beneficial it is for our community.”
The program has been a valuable resource for a range of people. Margarita Enriquez, a League Certified Instructor (LCI) herself, says the mentors include: people learning to bike for the first time as adults; individuals using the mini-grant program (a $600 award linked to partner bike shops) to purchase a bike, riders reaching their goal of becoming car-free, and people figuring out how to commute in their neighborhoods. Margarita Enriquez learns everything she can about the mentee in order to match them with just the right mentor. She then attends the first meet-up to make sure the program is meeting the needs of participants.
A good mentor has experience cycling in the city, is capable with basic bike repairs, is patient, safety-focused, and most of all excited to be a part of the program. “We’re always looking for more mentors to help us make better matches,” Margarita Enriquez says.
If you’re interested in becoming a mentor or mentee, or know someone who could benefit from the guidance of an experienced local cyclist, please reach out to bikebuddy@bikeloudpdx.org or visit our Bike Buddy page for more information or to sign up.
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Awesome program and those early numbers sure sound promising. Nikki, if you’re responding to comments, could you talk a little about the long term tracking to see if the bike adoption is durable? If it is, this could really be a game changer. Way to go Bikeloud!
Hi Rufio! I’m part of the BikeLoud subcommittee overseeing the Bike Buddy program and helped write the grant application. The plan is to check in with mentees at 1- 6- and 12-months after their initial ride with their mentor to document behavior change (or lack thereof). That information will be a primary metric in judging the success of the program and modifying as needed in years 2 and 3 of the grant.
Amazing work Kristin!
Periodic check ins are a great start to measuring the efficacy of the program, but what it really needs is a comparison with a group of equally motivated but unmentored people to know if it actually made an impact.
That’s probably beyond your ability, but without that it is hard to show that the mentorships made a difference. On the other hand, I don’t expect PCEF to demand rigor, so what you’re doing will probably be enough to keep the money flowing.
Congrats Nikki !! Excellent and Amazing work !!
Yay Bike Loud !!
Ah, the ol’ PCEF slush fund at it again — now splashing out for tacos, bubble machines, and BikeLoud’s latest puff piece. Sure, mentoring riders sounds sweet, but let’s not forget BikeLoud’s track record: blocking traffic, staging “die-ins,” and even pouring fake blood on the streets. Not everyone’s impressed — even local cyclists on Reddit have called them out for chaotic rides that “trapped cars” and “plowed through red lights.” And while we’re funding all this feel-good fluff, basic services like sweeping bike lanes and keeping cars off our MUPs are left scraping for crumbs. Wasn’t this fund meant for serious climate equity — not theatre on two wheels?
I love this comment Angus, because it helps everyone understand your perspective so well.
Hey Jonathan, are any of Angus’ comments inaccurate? This is the first I’ve heard of BikeLoud. New to the area, I am.
They are opinions stated as a fact. They accurately reflect Angus’s opinions.
I’ll just say that Angus is entitled to his opinion.
Hi Steve. Welcome to Portland!
Since it wasn’t included in the article, here are BikeLoudPDX’s website and Bluesky account so you can learn first-hand about Portland’s bike advocacy organization.
https://bikeloudpdx.org/
@bikeloudpdx.bsky.social
You might also want to learn more by signing up for BikeLoud’s monthly newsletter or active Slack channel: https://bikeloudpdx.org/action2/
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Let’s break it down:
PCEF slush fund — opinion, but it would be accurate to say the fund is being used in ways very different from what voters approved.
splashing out for tacos, bubble machines — mentioned in the story, not clear if they were funded by PCEF
BikeLoud’s latest puff piece — opinion
mentoring riders sounds sweet — opinion
blocking traffic, staging “die-ins,” and even pouring fake blood on the streets. — accurate
Not everyone’s impressed — accurate
local cyclists on Reddit have called them out for chaotic rides that “trapped cars” and “plowed through red lights.” — probably accurate: people say lots of things on Reddit
basic services like sweeping bike lanes and keeping cars off our MUPs are left scraping for crumbs. — accurate
Wasn’t this fund meant for serious climate equity — not theatre on two wheels? — accurate
BikeLoud’s goal, when I volunteered, seemed to be ratcheting up cyclist vs. driver conflict. — opinion
It’s why I didn’t come back.
Fair, but…
This was an inevitability. You could say this about literally anything
This is kind of like when news reporters include sentiments they found on Twitter about some otherwise noteworthy event. You can figuratively and nearly literally find any sentiment expressed on reddit to support your point of view.
no qualms with this one
first half is accurate. second half is opinion, even if I mostly agree with it.
That sounds like the normal behavior of any large group ride.
I don’t see any problems here. You’re just saying, omin other words, you don’t think getting people on bikes is relevant to clean energy which is… an opinion.
Does keeping cars off bike lanes sound more to you like something PCEF should fund somehow? If not, why do you bring it up?
I am really confused about who would need this “help”. Buying a bike is something you do at a shop and they typically have very helpful clerks (like me) who will recommend a bicycle and accessories.
Routes are easy to find, they’re usually clearly marked. If not, use your phone. Or do like we did in the old days and use a map.
This feels like a solution looking for a problem.
Sometimes it makes people feel more comfortable to have a knowledgeable friend/advocate with them the first time they go into a new experience. I think this is what this program is really about. Why that needs PCEF money is a different question, but I think the fundamental premise is sound.
All the person at the bike shop will do is try to sell you something. No offense, but I don’t think they’re of that much help to a new rider who doesn’t know what they don’t know.
Routes are not that easy to find, and you don’t know they exist until you are already out looking for them, and that unknown is one factor intimidating people who might otherwise like to try.
I think people making comments like yours are too far away from the experience of being a new biker, and/or had a different set of experiences.
Weird… most people do no have those experiences.
You get on a bike and figure it out. Normal people do it every day and in much more intimidating cities than tiny little bike friendly Portland.
Really scratching my head.
I’m so happy to see how this program has taken off! I was one of the original grant-applicants. The program takes inspiration from several advocates who focused on one-on-one mentorship. It took several volunteers weeks on end between our day jobs and parenting to get through this application process. It was a very well-thought out, vetted, and intentionally judicious process across several groups.
Pound for pound: this program will take less money from PCEF than a single typical repaving project that PBOT may otherwise use it for. Another outcome will be precise data on what works and what doesn’t for people in underserved communities around the city. With that data: BikeLoud, other advocates, and city leadership can look at how to make this program even more successful, efficient, and universal.
Nikki’s work has really helped this program soar! They’ve been doing a tremendous job and making sure the program succeeds in its mission. Thanks for all your work!
Lastly: Overall I’m thrilled to see BikeLoud take on both ‘bomb-throwing and bill-writing’ work: pushing agencies with community-driven actions while also maintaining professional programming and support from elected officials (something I’ve understood TST and other advocacy orgs have a hard time balancing).
Happy to see the results of the program and how many people it gets out biking!
No offense, but stuff like this is why our city is in the middle of a budget crisis.
I don’t get the appeal of all the hand-holding. Feels like a cushy job for a connected person.
I believe the hand-holders are volunteers.