Ran into Joe Kurmaskie at the store the other day. Joe has just returned from a cross-country bike ride with his two sons, Quinn (7) and Enzo (5). Many of you might know him as the “Metal Cowboy“, regular contributor to the Bicycle Paper and Backpacker Magazine just to name a few.
Yesterday I met with Bill Sinnott, Commander of the Traffic Division of the Portland Police. First, I want to thank everyone who emailed and left comments with questions for him. I printed them all up and left a copy with him so he could see first-hand what’s on your mind. You might be thinking…isn’t this … Read more
Just picked them up yesterday. They look super cool. The print came out very clean and the “sienna brown” ink looks great with the natural organic cotton fabric. I’m glad I went with American Apparel shirts because they’re amazingly comfy and quite nice feeling. Find out more on my Stuff page. Remember, $1 from each … Read more
It was in the low 30s this morning. Ouch. Without a good pair of gloves for your morning commute, it makes it awfully easy to climb into the car. Resist the tempation! Embrace the cold, morning air! Ayleen over at the ORBike Blog is collecting comments and recommendations about which gloves work for both cold … Read more
Check out this letter in the recent Portland Tribune: Bicycles are nuisance, and their riders rude The bicycle’s contribution to clean air is at best infinitesimal and is probably negative because bicycles, bicycle lanes, etc., slow traffic and increase congestion. However, the bicycle lobby continues to receive the support of city, county and state politicians, … Read more
I’ve been having all sorts of internal struggles with my feelings about cops lately. Part of me is holding onto my long-held distrust of them and my feelings that they just “don’t get” cyclists and therefore treat us with negative bias. I’ve had my confrontations with them on Critical Mass and have generally not cared … Read more
[Rhonda Mazza] Vanilla Bicycles, a small Portland-based framebuilder is supplying bikes to some of the best cyclocross racers in the country. In the current standings of the US Gran Prix of Cyclocross Rhonda Mazza (shown in photo) is currently ranked 6th in the Elite Women’s field and Shannon Skerritt is ranked 7th in the Men’s … Read more
At a meeting last week between the BTA, the Portland Police Traffic Division and citizen bike advocates, Commander Bill Sinnott told us about a cool new program they’ve started. In recent weeks they have carried out undercover “bike missions” that put officers on bikes in order to observe and ticket motorists that violate laws and … Read more
Last night I heard a presentation by Matt Garrett, Region Manager for ODOT. He came to the PSU Traffic and Transportation class to give an overview of how ODOT fits into the transportation picture. As someone who is concerned about bike safety, and the livability of our cities, it was very unsettling to listen to … Read more
Just came across a nifty little bike parking map on the Lloyd District Transportation Management Association’s website. It’s got information and photos on all the racks and bike lockers in the Lloyd District. You just roll over various points and a little window pops up. Neat! However I must admit, I can’t remember the last … Read more
[UPDATE: Don’t miss this very informative comment by Greg Raisman from PDOT.] As I first reported back in September, Portland traffic cops are embarking on a new program to install free lights on bikes. This morning, the Oregonian has a more in-depth story that lays it all out. Making appearances in the article are traffic … Read more
Good thing we’ve got the Willy Week watching our backs (or should I say fronts?). In an article titled, “Hey Numbnuts” they bring in an OHSU urologist to dispel an article in the NY Times about a link between erectile dysfunction (E.D.) and bike seats. For 95% of cyclists, this is a non-issue. But every … Read more