Carl Larson at the 2014 Multnomah County Bike Fair.
(Photos: J.Maus/BikePortland)

This is a guest post from Carl Larson, a Portland bike advocate and all-around bicycle culture Renaissance man. Amid many other bike-related activities including bike polo, World Naked Bike Ride, Mini Bike Winter, Zoobomb and Pedalpalooza, he’s worked for the Bicycle Transportation Alliance since 2008, currently as its engagement manager. The BTA is eliminating the job on Jan. 31.

“I feel sheepish about suggesting anyone would care about my memories but they’re not just mine,” Larson writes. “These highlights remind me of what a ride so many of us have been on and it’s been really fun to look back at some of them. It has helped me, and will hopefully help others, recognize the BTA at its best.”

[Read more…]

A bike made by Portland-based
Signal Cycles helps complement Brooks’
new panniers in a booth at Interbike.

— Story and photos by Carl Larson

Last night at Interbike happy hour, veteran New York Messenger and Transportation Alternatives employee Kevin “Squid” Bolger looked around at the people to whom he’d just been introduced and said, “Portland rolls deep!”

That’s the way it feels here in Vegas.There are familiar Portland faces, brands and bikes around every corner.[Read more…]

While it might not seem like activism to some, the 100-strong mass of people on last night’s BikeHugger.com Mobile Social left a big impression on the Las Vegas Strip in more ways than one.

[Read more…]

— Story and photos by Official BikePortland Interbike Correspondent Carl Larson

Downstairs at Interbike (the annual bike industry trade show happening right now in Las Vegas) is no-man’s land. If you want to see Specialized’s new bikes, meet with an Italian clothing maker, get a poster signed by a famous racer, or check in with major manufacturers and distributors, upstairs is the place to be.

If you want to visit the “Health and Fitness expo” (read: treadmills) or explore the vast emptiness of the E-bike test track, downstairs is your spot. I’d bet that at least half of all show goers never venture down to Interbike’s lower level and, if they do, they don’t spend long. This year, that’s their loss.[Read more…]

Pedalpalooza is coming!
(Photo © J. Maus)

[This article was written by contributor Carl Larson.]

It’s officially time to start getting excited about Pedalpalooza — Shift’s 2+ week festival of bike fun that hits the streets of Portland in June.

There are lots of ways to get excited…

-You could read Jonathan’s late-night dumpster-side account of getting lost at the end of a 12 hour long sushi ride. [Read more…]

This article is by contributor Carl Larson. Carl previously wrote about the Zoobomb art rack project.

[Read more…]

Carl Larson

This article was written by Carl Larson.

A nearly ubiquitous presence on the Portland bike scene, Carl’s done everything from delivering bike maps as an employee of the City of Portland’s Transportation Options division, to working with the Regional Arts and Culture Council on the Zoobomb Pyle art rack project.

Few people move between Portland’s many bike clubs, organizations and sub-cultures with as much panache and dedication as Carl.

In this article, he shares a heart-warming story of tragedy and triumph within the Zoobomb community.

[Read more…]

[Editor’s note: This is the first article by new contributor Carl Larson. I hope to bring you more of his writing in the future.]

The iconic Zoobomb Pyle
will get a new home.
(File photo © Jonathan Maus)

The “Zoobomb Pyle,” that colorful jumble of janky kids bikes chained to the bike rack across from Rocco’s Pizza at SW 10th and Oak, has
finally been recognized as “art.”

Thanks to pressure from Commissioner Sam Adams‘ office, the Regional Arts and Culture Council (RACC) has given the project a budget of $10,000 (that’s less than 20% of the budget for “Pod,” the enormous metal shuttlecock-on-a-tripod that usually ends up in the background of tourists’ pictures of the beloved Pyle).

The RACC — in concert with PDOT and Zoobomb — plans to build a purpose-built structure at W Burnside and SW Stark to which the bicycles can be locked without the threat of citations or removal by the city.
[Read more…]