Hundreds of cyclists packed City Hall last night to bask in Portland’s rich artisan bicycle culture at the first-ever Made in Portland Bicycle Show and Art Exhibition. The crowds were thick and the energy and good times flowed like the free Widmer beer. The bike show was the epicenter of the event. The marble floors, … Read more
[Photo by Dat.] I’m excited to announce the Made in Portland Bicycle Show and Art Exhibition coming to City Hall on Thursday July 6th from 5-8PM. Join us in a celebration of our artisan bicycle industry as we showcase Portland’s independent, custom builders and artists. As I reported last month, this event is part of … Read more
[Introducing Sweetpea Bicycles] Portland’s burgeoning crop of custom framebuilders just got a litte sweeter. Natalie Ramsland and her partner (in life and business) Austin have launched Sweetpea Bicycles. Natalie recently quit her job as a bike messenger and is now working full-tilt to design and build bikes especially for women. She has set up shop … Read more
[Kevin Hulick.Photo: Doug O.] Kevin Hulick will be sponsored by Vanilla Bicycles for the 2006 cyclocross season. Hulick, who won the “A” category in the prestigious Cross Crusade series last year, will join accomplished racers Shannon Skerritt, Molly Cameron, and Rhonda Mazza aboard a swanky new Vanilla cross bike this fall. Hulick, who went to … Read more
[Van for sale] The news is no longer simmering, it is boiling over. Kinesis, the Taiwanese parent company of Mountain Cycle has decided to chart a new course for the local bike brand. The future of the brand is still up in the air, but my sources tell me that it will not include Portland. … Read more
A few hours ago, an employee of Portland-based bike manufacturer, Mountain Cycle left a suspicious comment on my recent post about the Specialized/Stumptown Saga. The employee wrote, “I don’t think Specialized will be bothering Mountain Cycle any longer. More news to follow…” Then, after being prodded by another commenter, he added, “I have not been … Read more
The March 1 issue of Bicycle Retailer and Industry News (BRAIN) includes a story on the Specialized/Stumptown saga, which first broke on this site back on January 31st. BRAIN is a well-known bike industry trade magazine that goes out to every bike shop and manufacturer in the U.S. The article is not available on-line, but … Read more
[Vanilla Trike! (Photo: MTBR.com)] The North American Handmade Builders Show was held in San Jose, California from Friday to Sunday. The show’s intent is to highlight the work of small, custom bike builders. Portland had an impressive contingent on hand, showing off a tremendous flair for craftsmanship and aesthetic detail. Notably present were Joseph Ahearne … Read more
The “Stumptown” incident is far from over. The Oregonian covers it in their business section today with a front page article by Helen Jung. Helen also writes about it on her blog. This story has sparked 139 comments so far on this site alone and has spread all over the Internet. Specialized has definitely struck … Read more
[In case you haven’t been following the Specialized and Mountain Cycle saga, read this post first.] Yesterday I sent an email to Specialized’s legal person, Kim Arca. I wanted to give them the chance to make a statement because I felt like by saying nothing they were only making things worse for themselves. Here is … Read more
[Not to be confused with Stumpjumper] [UPDATES: A reader has posted the cease and desist letter from Specialized. See it here. (PDF) *Specialized responds.] North Portland based Mountain Cycle and global bike giant Specialized Bicycle Components of Morgan Hill, California are locked in a disagreement that neither side is backing down from. At issue is … Read more
Just reading Molly’s latest post and noticed a link to Pereira Cycles. Tony Pereira is a small framebuilder who moved from Salt Lake City into a new shop in Southeast Portland just a few weeks ago. He joins an impressive list of Portland framebuilders: Ahearne Cycles JoJo Paquini Ira Ryan Vanilla Bicycles Tonic Fabrications Strawberry … Read more