Welcome to Monday.
Below are the most notable stories I came across in the past seven days. Thanks to everyone who suggested links this week!
But first I want to give a shout-out to this week’s Monday Roundup sponsor, Duer Performance Jeanswear, who just celebrated the opening of their first Portland retail store (820 NW 23rd Ave). Their pants are perfect for cycling — and they even have thermal, rain-resistant versions. Check them out on NW 23rd Ave or at ShopDuer.com.
How to get better bike storage: Covered and secure bike racks called “cyclehangars” are an excellent solution to residential bike parking, but for some reason we are yet to embrace them. If you’re a believer (or just curious), this article from the UK is a must-read! (Move People/Substack)
How to get slower streets: This is a really good, concise article that explains how to effectively communicate with city traffic engineers when advocating for slower streets. (Fast Company)
Seattle’s big decision: One of the favorites to become Seattle’s next mayor is a former transit activist and everyday bus rider. Here’s how Katie Wilson compares to incumbent Bruce Harrell on transportation issues. (Seattle Times)
I hope folks in City Hall read this one: “Cardiff Council is set to become the first local authority in the UK to introduce higher parking charges for SUVs and other heavy vehicles, in a move campaigners say will make city streets safer and fairer.” (Nation CYMRU)
A magical invention: “They turn humans into this hyperefficient terrestrial locomotor because they make being on land more like swimming,” says this article that says a human on a bicycle is the most efficient form of movement in the animal kingdom. (Scientific American)
Family vehicle: Feels like this is pretty old story by now, but it’s always good when major national media outlets cover the family cargo bike revolution. (NPR)
Criminals on bikes: An interesting element of this story on mass iPhone theft in London is the fact that police are sounding alarms about the growing number of thieves who use e-bikes to carry out their crime. (NY Times – unlocked)
An American revolution: 2026 is the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution — and who knows, maybe it will also be the year that the cycling revolution that’s sweeping the globe finally takes hold in a major way. This article makes it seem possible. (Vox)
Riding the Rhine: A nearly carfree path across Europe? Yeah sign me up for that! (BBC)
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.
Thanks for reading.
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I feel like it might make sense to deprioritize stories with links that are behind a paywall. For example, there is a link to a Seattle Times article but I would think that most Bike Portland readers aren’t interested enough in Seattle to justify subscribing to the Seattle Times.
I, for one, encountered no paywall, and I am not a subscriber. I read the entire thing, and I appreciated knowing about the story. That’s just me though.
I similarly was able to see the article without a subscription/account, but also a lot of times turning on reader view (F9) can bypass a paywall
Thieves in Paris at the Louvre use scooters/motorcycles!!
https://time.com/7326868/louvre-robbery-museum-crown-jewels/
Following the swift robbery, the thieves reportedly escaped on two Yamaha ‘TMax’ scooters—which have a powerful 560cc engine—and headed in the direction of a nearby highway.
Riding my trike along the Rhine just got added to the list of things I have to when I move to Europe.
That is a nice article about riding the Rhine River route.
One of my original inspirations to go bicycle touring in Europe was my dad’s photos and stories about bicycle touring along the Rhine in the 1950s, and a km by km guidebook I had about the Rhine in the 2010s.
I have ridden the bottom of the route, at the Hook of Holland and Dordrecht earlier this month. And the Rhine Valley above Cologne in 2019, and the upper Rhine near the headwaters in 2015. All are very pretty bicycle routes. And absolutely wonderful bicycling conditions. Though sometimes a little crowded with bikes!
If you like bicycling, and don’t like the highway scene that you need to deal with in most of the USA, consider going to Europe to ride there.
This year you can get good flights from Portland to almost anywhere in Europe or Western Asia on off-peak dates for under $600. Round trip. $700 if you want to bring your bike. Dormitory hostels in Eastern Europe will be about $30/night, $40 to $50 in Western Europe. Guesthouses are particularly nice in Eastern Europe, found on bookings.com. You get a cute little house, or apartment, for $50 – $100/night.
The article fails to note that though the Rhine route is 87% car-free, the parts shared with cars are much nicer than what you’d expect in similar situations in the US (like the Columbia River Gorge, Willamette Valley. Quiet paved farm roads. Cute streets through medieval town centers.
Also fails to note that it’s not particularly difficult to put your bike on a train. I don’t know why this misinformation was in the article — clearly he bicycled the length of the river because he wanted to. It would have taken just 2 days on regional or intercity trains to get he and his bike from the Hook of Holland to the headwaters. And 2 hours of google searching beforehand to figure out the rules for different countries/regions.
His notes about the ready availability of hotels, hostels and restaurants are spot-on.
Also, there are 100s of other bicycle routes like this, EuroVelo routes, or just national or regional routes that can be linked together, to make mostly car-free routes from anywhere to anywhere else in Europe.
Check it out the article. Read a few more reviews. Then go see for yourself!
A few Google Streetview links to places referenced.
Hook of Holland, ferry terminal
https://maps.app.goo.gl/VEnFSUx1wQKQeptP6
Hook of Holland, bikeway to Rotterdam
https://maps.app.goo.gl/QkxVxQiUGGc5Wp8t9
Dordrecht
https://maps.app.goo.gl/yg5DBEcqUGyR5aQA8
Rhine Valley above Cologne
https://maps.app.goo.gl/zwqNW97oAsqKpm9b8
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10157964063775985
Lake Constance
https://maps.app.goo.gl/ZXh5CKFjCfdBk7Mn9
Headwaters (a different headwater arm than the one he visited)
https://maps.app.goo.gl/tCdu7aCVFNaJQcPp9
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10157962979365985
It’s a beautiful world out there! Make sure you and your bicycle see a lot of it in this lifetime!
Ted Buehler