The people, clubs, and culture that make up Portland’s bike scene.
[Photo credit: Tiago D.] Torino shmorino. Who needs those other Olympics when we’ve got our very own Mini Bike Winter Olympics? Unfortunately I didn’t partake in the ceremonies but it looked pretty awesome from the photos I’ve come across. By far the craziest thing I’ve seen are clothing-impaired Zoobombers charging into the freezing Willamette River. … Read more
[Sara Stout] Sara Stout is a tremendous asset to cyclists around the world. In addition to travelling internationally as a member of the World Carfree Network, she is one of the founding members of Shift, a BTA bike safety educator, and co-host of the KBOO Bike Show. Right now she’s in NYC, fighting for the … Read more
[Photo by Aaron Tarfman] Bike activist Aaron Tarfman shares his thoughts on the recent Burnside Bridge closure over in the “Voices” section. “This past weekend the Burnside Bridge was closed to all traffic. Given that at least 5 of the city’s most dangerous pedestrian intersections occur on Burnside, I had to see what effect this … Read more
[“Psychlist” by Stephen Sedlar] I noticed these cool pieces of art at Urban Grind the other day. The bike-inspired motifs piqued my curiosity so I snapped a few photos and took a closer look. From a flyer posted near the work I learned that they’re, “made from concrete that has been mixed with interesting stones, … Read more
[View event flyer] Grab your children and run for cover because Mini-bike Winter is coming. Starting Wednesday, local bike fun agitators from near and far will descend upon our fair city for a five-day feast of 16″ wheeled madness. Or, in the words of one of the organizers, “an extended weekend of naked rides, office … Read more
Aaron Tarfman, local bike activist and the man behind YourBodyPower.org, has completed a series of Virtual Bike Tours of Portland. His virtual tours include detailed route descriptions and photographs of nine different routes covering the entire Portland region. These are an excellent resource and a great way to learn how to move around the city … Read more
[Portland to Longview, sans car] Michael Wolfe has a seriously high bike IQ (or would that be bi-Q?). I met him at the PUMP swap meet and have kept in touch ever since. He recently introduced himself to the Shift email list and has already started sharing some of his vast biking knowledge. One of … Read more
[Sharky and Velo] I snapped these photos downtown a few days ago. I noticed this guy riding around with a kid in his messenger bag and had to stop for a closer look. Turns out he goes by “Sharky” and his boy’s name is “Velo”. I heard from some other messengers that Sharky is “an … Read more
[Tom Knipe] Last week I sat down with Tom Knipe, interim director of the Community Cycling Center (CCC). For the uninitiated, the CCC is known for their great programs, parts recycling, used bike shop, and their Holiday Bike Drive which donates bikes to kids. When I got there, programs manager Gabe Graff gave me the … Read more
[Dingo on his mini tall-bike] The Sprockettes and the Zoobombers left their mark on Saturday night’s roller derby season opener at the Expo Center. Their half-time extravaganza including some gnarly derby action with plenty of thrills and spills by an amped up Zoobomb crew. Then, the Sprockettes did their thing and and were met with … Read more
The Rose City Rollers (Portland’s all-female roller derby league) open their season this Saturday night at the Expo Center. But for me, the most exciting thing on the schedule has nothing to to with roller skates. I’ll be there for the “mini-bike extravaganza” planned for half-time. What’s a mini-bike extravaganza? According to Handsome Dave (the … Read more
[Reverend Phil] Renowned bike funnist Reverend Phil recently found his beloved “Duff#5” (full story here) and was moved to write this touching ode: She has returned to me. Let it ring from the depths of the Shanghai Tunnels to the heights of Council Crest. Let it ring from every bridge, from the Freemont “bikelane” to … Read more