Portland continues to lead the charge of online bike fun. Check out these gems I’ve come across recently… GravelTech This site is run by Andrew Morton and Billy Spaceman. Andrew has been reporting on the local singlespeed scene for years and is the creator of two bike zines; One Speed Revolution and BUI (Bikeculture Under … Read more
After tons of response and some good feedback from my recent post on bike theft, I’d like to announce Stolen Bike Listings here on BikePortland.org. This will be a community-driven effort. Here’s how it will work (hopefully): Your bike gets stolen (sorry). You visit this site and click “Register” on the right sidebar. Once logged … Read more
Along my web wanderings of the past several months I have collected a few Portland bike blogs. They are a fantastic source of insight into life in this bike-crazed town. Here they are in no particular order: Da Dingo Dizmal Digest – Dingo the Clown Rantings of a mad Texican clown The blog of none … Read more
If you want to keep up with all the great bike fun events happening in and around Portland, you should sign up for the Shift Bike Bulletin. The bulletin is sent via email twice a month and is sure to keep you plugged in. It even includes a list of helpful links and some fun … Read more
Two visitors recently commented that the signal at N. Broadway and Larrabee was too short to make it across the intersection on time. Then, the ever-present Jessica Roberts (from the BTA) urged them to call 823-SAFE to get the signal timing changed. One of them took her advice and here’s what happened: “Just wanted to … Read more
I’ve just posted some interesting charts from the City of Portland Office of Transportation on my new “Bike Safety” page if you’re into that sort of thing. Here are the titles of the charts: “Combined Traffic over Four Main Portland Bicycle Bridges Juxtaposed with Bicycle Crashes” “Portland Bicycle Use, Crashes, & Bikeways” “Average Daily Bicycle … Read more
If you’ve ever struggled up Cornell/Thompson or Germantown to Skyline, you might enjoy these. Local cyclist Shawn Kolitch has created a list of elevation profiles of many popular, local climbs including my personal favorites, Logie Trail and Newberry.
I’ve just learned of an exciting development in Portland’s quest for an interactive bike route map. It looks as though Metro is trying to partner up with Google and their new Google Earth program. No official partnership yet, but Metro is actively experimenting with the technology (check the screenshot on the left). The idea is … Read more
With all the recent bike safety talk, I thought I’d point out a few books that will make you a more confident and safe cyclist. The Art of Urban Cycling by Robert Hurst (2004). This book is current, not dumbed down and very well done. I highly recommend it. Anyone that says, “Road rash is … Read more
Download PDF (420kb) After my previous post about my ride up to Timothy Lake (SE of Estacada) I’ve had several emails from readers wanting more specific route details. Well, it just so happens that one of the guys on the ride is a real map lover and owner of some topo mapping software. He did … Read more
A friend of mine passed this along. He saw a brochure for it while eating lunch at the Ecotrust Building. It’s sort of like having AAA coverage for your car…but for your bike. The company, Better World Club, says: The nation’s first and only bicycle roadside assistance service is now available… Bicycle Membership provides nationwide … Read more
Just came across this nifty new mapping tool. It’s an extension of Google Maps and I think it’s a great way to share bike routes. You can “record” your custom route and it will tell you the mileage. The best part is that you can have it generate a permalink so you can then share … Read more