4/25: 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. See this post for the latest update. I'll work as I can and I'm improving every day! Thanks for all your support 🙏. - Jonathan Maus, BikePortland Publisher and Editor

Job: Bicycle Service Technician – Bike Gallery

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Job Title
Bicycle Service Technician

Company/Organization
Bike Gallery

Job Description
Bike Gallery Job Description

Department: Service
Position: Service Technician
Supervisor: Service Department Manager and Company Service Manager

Overview
Service Technicians, also known as bike mechanics, represent the link between customers and our service department. Being able to comfortably interact with customers is a basic expectation of all service personnel. This includes being able to respond to telephone inquiries, and customers in the store who have questions, want to buy parts, drop off a bike for service, or pick up a completed service job. When not responding to customer needs, technicians will spend the balance of their shift building or repairing bicycles, installing parts, or calling customers who have completed repairs waiting to be picked up. Service technicians must be highly skilled in the maintenance and repair of a wide variety of bicycle makes, models, and component parts. It is also an expectation that service technicians will keep current with new technology and changes in equipment design.

REQUIRED: BICYCLE MECHANIC EXPERIENCE IN RETAIL ENVIRONMENT

Responsibilities

Interacting with customers
All service technicians are expected to be skilled and confident in assisting customers at the service counter; on occasion this may require stepping out from behind the service counter to assist with a bike, part, or accessory question. These responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:
• Greeting customers who are picking up or dropping off bikes for service
• Provide estimates for service and repairs based upon customer interaction and an evaluation of the bike in question
• Write service tickets that are clear and legible
• Provide customers with an estimated time for completion of the work; remind customers of our service hours and that they will be called when the work is done
• Investigate and capitalize on opportunities to sell customers upgrades in repair or replacement parts
• Investigate and capitalize on opportunities to sell customers replacement rubber
• Be able to answer customer questions about accessory compatibility and installation with confidence
• Initiate contact with customers when service work is completed
• Respond with confidence to opportunities to demonstrate features, advantages, and benefits for parts of other products customers may inquire about
• Always respond to phone inquiries with professionalism, courtesy, and enthusiasm

Perform service and repairs on customer bicycles
When not interacting with customers, service technicians are expected to occupy their time in servicing and repairing scheduled or ‘while you wait’ repairs. Bike Gallery service technicians are required to have in their possession the tools necessary to perform all routine mechanical services; supplies will be provided by the shop service manager on an as needed basis.

• Be able to diagnose and service a wide range of performance complaints for a wide range of equipment types
• Be able to diagnose and service a wide range of noise complaints for a wide range of equipment types
• Be able to complete a bicycle assembly for any product carried, to the established quality standard, and within the established time parameters for the product in question
• Be able to identify and perform all aspects of replacement part installation to the established time and quality standards
• Be able to deliver established service packages (tune-ups, overhauls, etc.) to the established time and quality standards
• Be able to recognize and respond to changes in the work priorities of the service department as indicated by volume or other circumstances
• Test ride all completed service work to verify performance
• Be able to recognize and respond to opportunities to build customer loyalty through the delivery of prompt, accurate service
• Be prepared to demonstrate the value of the service menu pricing and as well as all work performed
• Stay current with equipment manufacturer specifications and product developments that affect service procedures or compatibility issues

General retail skills
Working in a professional retail environment requires that an individual stay informed of developments in order to retain a high caliber of skill at performing everyday functions; these responsibilities include but are not necessarily limited to the following:
• Be competent and confident in point of sale terminal transactions; creating and tendering an invoice, save and hold, inventory search functions, layaways, special orders procedures, (if approved by manager) and creating new customer records
• Take initiative to learn about developments in our product lines; vendor, style, or model year changes as they occur
• Be familiar with the most recent policy and procedural updates and how they affect your job
• Be familiar with informational resources such as bike-a-log, the company intranet site, the company web sight, and the websites of key vendors and competitive retailers. Be able to anticipate where customers are likely getting their information, and what expectations they may have as a result.
• Seek to develop an awareness of regional and national industry trends
• Read the shop rag and the company newsletter

Professional conduct
All members of the service staff are expected to demonstrate a high level of professionalism in all activities and interactions. The quality of the customer experience and the work environment will be determined by the attitudes and actions of the staff.
• Consistently set the example for professional behavior, leadership, and support of company policies
• Treat all customers and vendors with professional courtesy; even in the face of what you may interpret as rude behavior, seek to retain professional objectivity
• Support and participate in employee training and development when appropriate
• Support and participate in the development of a cooperative, team oriented work environment
• Support and participate in the maintenance of a clean, organized, and professional looking work environment
• Manage all resources for the highest possible return on investment
• Base all decisions on the best information obtainable
• Seek management support when additional resources are required to solve a problem
• Represent the interests of the Bike Gallery in all transactions and business dealings
• Arrive five minutes early for all scheduled shifts ready to work
• Wear approved clothing that is clean and in good repair
• Analyze and avoid any potential safety risks associated with the performance of a particular task; report hazards to your manager
• Conduct all communications in a results oriented manner
• Treat all co-workers with respect and professional courtesy

How to Apply
Send Cover letter and resume listing qualifications to Resumes@bikegallery.com

New bike shop coming to downtown St. Johns

Downtown St. Johns has been without a bike shop for a few months since Weir’s Cyclery moved out of the neighborhood at at the end of last year (they’re now located on N Lombard at Portsmouth) That didn’t seem right to resident Ben Helgren, so he’s decided to take matters into his own hands. Ben plans to open a new bike shop, Block Bikes, on March 9th that he hopes will become the go-to place for bike riders in St. Johns. The new store will open up at the corner of N Burlington and Philadelphia (right off the St. Johns Bridge, map).

Ben, 35, has worked in non-profits for the past nine years (on programs promoting financial literacy and home-buying skills) but he has wanted a job in the bike industry for a while now. He became a certified bicycle mechanic through the United Bicycle Institute last fall and he and his wife planned to move to Billings, Montana where she planned to go to school and Ben planned to work at a bike shop. But plans changed, explained Ben during a phone call this morning.

Read more

Blue Specialized Hardrock Comp 2003

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Year: 2003
Brand: Specialized
Model: Hardrock Comp
Color:Blue
Size:19″
Serial: P2IH72266
Stolen in Portland, OR 97214
Stolen:2013-02-26
Stolen From: Shalimar apts, SE 14th and Salmon
Neighborhood: Buckman
Owner: Christopher French
OwnerEmail: frenchcg( atsign )gmail.com
Description: Bar ends, front shocks, shitty u-lock locked through cables on handlebars, front wheel newer than the rear. V-breaks.
Police record with: Portland PD
Police reference#: 13-16308
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

Red Cannondale CAAD9 2008

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Year: 2008
Brand: Cannondale
Model: CAAD9
Color:Red
Size:56
Photo: http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6210/6070430704_3e52b04b64_b.jpg
Stolen in Portland, OR 97202
Stolen:2013-02-27
Neighborhood: Woodstock
Owner: Nathan Frechen
OwnerEmail: nathanfrechen@yahoo.com
Description: SRAM Rival components
Red rolf front wheel
Small dent on one of the chain stays
Police record with: Officer Peter Gill
Police reference#: Case #13-16346
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

Man shot at with paintball gun and assaulted by man driving a car while riding in North Portland

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Here’s some crazy news… The Portland Police Bureau is looking for suspects tonight wanted in a hit-and-run and paintball shooting assault on N. Vancouver Avenue near Skidmore.

According to a police statement, the suspects fired several shots at 36-year-old Ricardo Medina of Vancouver, Washington while he was riding his bike. Luckily, none of the shots hit him. The statement says suspects were driving a light-colored, 4-door newer Honda Civic. They pulled up next to Medina before shooting at him. After the initial incident, the suspects in the car returned for a second time and the driver used the car as a weapon against Mr. Medina. Here’s how the police describe what happened:

“The victim told police that the suspect vehicle came back around the block so he got off his bicycle and confronted them about the shooting. The victim told police that he was off his bike standing in front of the car, when the driver began to drive forward slowly pushing the victim backwards.

The driver then put the car in reverse, backed up to Skidmore Street, then sped away westbound on Skidmore.”

Read more

Willamette Week vs. The Oregonian on the CRC

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Watch the clip below from Friday’s excellent OPB show, Think Out Loud. It features Willamette Week editor Mark Zusman and Oregonian editorial and commentary editor Erik Lukens discussing the Columbia River Crossing.

For context, the Willamette Week has been dogging this project for a log time and has done more than any other media outlet to raise questions about it. Meanwhile, The Oregonian Editorial Board has written 38 glowingly positive articles about the CRC, many of them simply parroting talking points put out by ODOT and CRC staff.

Watch The O’s Lukens respond to a question about the shaky tolling projections (which he admits are problematic) and then listen how he goes right into the CRC talking points. It sure is an amazing willingness to endorse a project with extremely shaky financial from a paper with a very conservative editorial board:

After this clip, Zusman went on to share that his paper is working on a story about how Governor Kitzhaber — one of the project’s biggest cheerleaders — privately despises the project. I’m really looking forward to reading more about that.

Black Schwinn Cruiser 80’s

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Year: 80’s
Brand: Schwinn
Model: Cruiser
Color:Black
Stolen in Portland, OR 97206
Stolen:2013-02-25
Stolen From: 70th + Powell Blvd
Neighborhood: mid-county east side
Owner: Tonya Barker
OwnerEmail: star23sirius(at sign)yahoo.com
Description: 80’s Black Schwinn Cruiser with white wall tires, front basket and bike + hike sticker.
This registrant does not have proof of ownership of this bike

Hunch leads to purchase of stolen bike and a happy ending

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Jennifer got her bike back.
(Photo: Jennifer Plaza)

Add this to the many ways stolen bikes get recovered…

On Sunday night, Timo Forsberg and his friend Vivian Yuan were chatting on NE 28th Street when a “shady dude” approached and offered to sell them a nice road bike. It was a Trek 2200, which retails for about $1,000. “He asked for $250,” recalled Timo’s fiance Esther Harlow in an email to us about the incident. “And it seemed way too nice for some guy trying to sell it on the street late at night.”

With a strong hunch that the bike might be stolen, Timo tracked down the seller a few minutes later, expressed interest in the bike, and eventually talked him down to $55. With the bike in hand, Timo and Esther left the bike at a friend’s house nearby and then posted a “Found bike” notice on Craigslist at 11:40 pm Sunday night:

Read more