[The cherry blossoms are already blooming down here.] Today was another action-packed day here in San Jose at the Handmade Bicycle Show. I finally got to meet Kirk Pacenti. Kirk is a former product designer at Bontrager and is well-known in the framebuilding world for his lugs (the things that join frame tubes together), but … Read more
Here’s a nice bike love story for you. Sprockette and Portland school teacher Maggie Michaels got the surprise of her life today. Maggie is the girlfriend (and muse) of builder Joseph Ahearne and he has been secretly working for months on a special “mixte” style bike that he unveiled today. She showed up at the … Read more
[Clever Cycles’ Todd Fahrner in San Jose.] Cleverchimp founder and Clever Cycles co-owner Todd Fahrner is here at the Handmade Bicycle Show and he just gave me an update on his plans to open up a new bike shop in Portland. Todd and his partners in the business (his wife Martina Fahrner and Rachel and … Read more
What a day. This morning I left the house in driving, cold, rain. A few hours later, I was pedaling in blue skies and California sunshine.
[The Monkey King’s “Bike Cape” poncho will set you back $10.] Two local cyclists have come up with inexpensive ways to stay dry while you ride. Larry Williams opened up The Monkey King (3534 SE Hawthorne) a few years ago by importing furniture and fine arts from China. Now the store sells all sorts of … Read more
[This is the final installment in a series of four interviews with local bike builders who are exhibiting at the North American Handmade Bicycle Show next weekend (March 2-4) in San Jose, California. Read previous interviews with Ira Ryan, Tony Pereira, and Joseph Ahearne.] – – – – – – [Sacha White (L) shows some … Read more
[This is the third in a series of four interviews with local bike builders who are exhibiting at the North American Handmade Bicycle Show next weekend (March 2-4) in San Jose, California. Read previous interviews with Ira Ryan and Tony Pereira.] [Joseph Ahearne in his shop.] Joseph Ahearne of Ahearne Cycles has come a long … Read more
[This is the second in a series of four interviews with local bike builders who are exhibiting at the North American Handmade Bicycle Show next weekend (March 2-4) in San Jose, California. Read about Ira Ryan in the first installment.] [Tony Pereira of Pereira Cycles.] Tony Pereira hopes to continue his winning ways at the … Read more
[This is the first in a series of four interviews with local bike builders who are exhibiting at the North American Handmade Bicycle Show next weekend (March 2-4) in San Jose, California.] [Ira Ryan] For up-and-coming bike builder Ira Ryan, this will be his first time as an exhibitor. Ira is a former bicycle messenger … Read more
[Don Walker, the man behindthe show (and the shirt).] Next weekend (March 2-4) in San Jose the world’s best bicycle craftsmen will come together at the third annual North American Handmade Bicycle Show. Portland will have a strong presence at the show this year with five exhibitors making the trip. Headset and hub manufacturer Chris … Read more
“Parks Department planners see the thousands of cyclists commuting over the Hawthorne Bridge daily and imagine that a shower, storage and repair facility might be a good use.”-from Oregonian article Bikestation board member and City of Vancouver Transportation Planner Todd Boulanger noticed an Oregonian article last month that he thinks offers the perfect opportunity to … Read more
[A bike-sharing system, like this one in Vienna, could be on its way to Portland.] Photo: Ethan Jewett City Commissioner Sam Adams has stepped up his effort to bring a bicycle-sharing system to Portland. Although still in “preliminary stages,” Adams’ staffer Max Coffman — who works with Adams and Senior Policy Director Roland Chlapowski on … Read more