4/21: Hello readers and friends. I'm still recovering from a surgery I had on 4/11, so I'm unable to attend events and do typical coverage. I'll post as I can and should improve day-by-day. Thanks for all your support 🙏. - Jonathan Maus, BikePortland Publisher and Editor
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
[Seth’s card] A few weeks ago I asked if you had questions for Kryptonite because I was going to meet with one of their tech guys, Seth Samson. I printed out all of your questions and brought them to dinner. Here are your questions followed by answers I managed to scribble down over beers and … Read more
Local bike component manufacturer, King Cycle Group/Chris King Components has just released the results of their “Pretty and Strong” promotion. Over a four month period they donated a portion of the sales of a limited production run of pink parts to Oregon and SW Washington chapters of the Susan G. Komen Foundation. The final donation … 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
[The new Trek “Portland”] The City of Portland Office of Transportation has just announced that the official launch of their “Portland Go Platinum” campaign (website) will happen Thursday night at Bike Gallery‘s downtown location. The announcement will piggyback on the “Ride Portland” event being planned by Bike Gallery to celebrate the arrival of the new … Read more
[Tori Bortman] Here’s something I could really use…Tori Bortman has started a mechanic school in her basement. An experienced mechanic (most recently at North Portland Bikeworks) and teacher, Tori is offering both structured courses and one-on-one tutoring. According to Tori: “…there seems to be a need for folks who are looking to learn how to … Read more
Just a quick note…one of Kryptonite‘s top tech guys is in town and I’m meeting him for dinner tonight. Do you have any questions you’d like me to ask him? I plan to touch base about the latest in bike security and hear what they’ve learned about lock design since the Bic Pen Fiasco. It … Read more
Clicking through my feedreader today I came across a great post and inspiring photos by local cyclist and inventor Todd Fahrner. Taking advantage of a glorious break in the weather, Todd followed his neighbor to the store to pick up groceries with her two kids…all by bike. The trip was was made smooth and easy … Read more
Chris DiStefano, former PR director for Shimano and board member of the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA), has been hired to the sales and marketing team of Portland-based bike part manufacturer, Chris King Components. According to the official press release, King has a unique way of breaking in new office staff: