A scene from the Pedalpalooza Kickoff Parade in 2007.
(Photos © J. Maus)
(Photos © J. Maus)
Vancouver council hears concerns over bike program cut
Gerik Kransky (BTA) and Leah
Jackson (Bike Me! Vancouver) at
last night’s council meeting.
(Photo: Marcus Griffith)
Jackson (Bike Me! Vancouver) at
last night’s council meeting.
(Photo: Marcus Griffith)
Vancouver City Council heard testimony regarding the proposed elimination of Vancouver’s Bike Program from more than twenty bike advocates from both sides of the river during last night’s city council meeting.
Although, the full public hearing and final vote on the draft Transportation Improvement Plan is not until June 21st, advocates seized the opportunity to express overwhelming support for the Bike Program during the general public comment portion of the meeting.
Representatives of Bike Me! Vancouver, the Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA), Clark County Bicycle Advisory Committee, Clark College Bike Club and numerous citizens and business owners made positive, community-centric, fact-savvy statements in support of the Bike Program.
With Bumblebee Bicycle, Portland gets its 56th bike shop
Bumblebee is Portland’s
newest bike shop!
newest bike shop!
I came across another new bike shop in Portland yesterday, Bumblebee Bicycle (2331 SW 6th Ave.), just a hop and skip over I-405 from Portland State University. With the opening of Splendid Cycles (1407 SE Belmont) at the end of last month, and Abraham Fixes Bikes a few weeks before that, Bumblebee continues the impressive proliferation of Portland’s bike shops.
In fact, if our list is complete (see it below), I count 55 56 shops in the Portland metro area alone. I don’t know how that compares to other cities, but it seems to me like that’s a lot of bike shops.
What I love about all our shops is that each one seems to have its own distinct flavor. There are just as many bike shops as there are types of people who ride bikes — which is how it should be.
I’ll share more about Bumblebee Bike as soon as I can get over there and check it out. For now, see our full list of Portland bike shops below (separated by quadrant), and please let me know if we’ve left any out:
Black/Gray Felt F35X 2009
Year: 2009
Brand: Felt
Model: F35X
Color:Black/Gray
Size:57 cm
Serial: 35661318
Stolen in Portland, OR 97217
Stolen:2010-06-8
Stolen From: Stolen from our home’s garage near Alberta and Denver.
Neighborhood: Overlook’s north side.
Owner: Mike Davis Davis
OwnerEmail: tekamah@me.com
Description: Black and gray Felt cyclocross bike, black handlebar tape
Police record with: Portland Police
Police reference#: T10003457
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike
Sappire Gary Fisher Hoo Koo E Koo 1998
Year: 1998
Brand: Gary Fisher
Model: Hoo Koo E Koo
Color:Sappire
Size:small
Serial: 212 4405
Stolen in Portland, OR 97214
Stolen:2009-09-8
Stolen From: Stolen between 15th and Sandy.
Neighborhood: Buckman
Owner: Ryan Jirikowic
OwnerEmail: rypajir@gmail.com
Description: Bike was sapphire, painted black which was chipping away. Rock shocks on front. knobby tires.
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike
Brown Raleigh Sprite 1972
Year: 1972
Brand: Raleigh
Model: Sprite
Color:Brown
Size:52cm
Stolen in Portland, OR 97227
Stolen:2010-06-5
Stolen From: The intersection of N Mississippi Ave and N Failing St in front of the Tupelo Alley apartment building.
Neighborhood: Mississippi
Owner: Marc Dyer
OwnerEmail: grandpamarc1@hotmail.com
Reward: A six pack or a couple of tacos. Both are served with smiles and hugs.
Description: Has a bell on the right side of the handlebars. There is a rack on the back with fold-out baskets. The rack has two stickers: a green “Buy Organic” and “Metolious” – the metolious is black with a small picture of a rock climber. The wheels are out of true, the brakes handles are old and loose, and the left crankarm has a loose codder pin which results in a rhythmic squeak when it is ridden.
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike
Reporter’s notebook: Recap of Oregon Bike Summit
Oregon’s best and brightest bike
advocates all came together for
the 2010 Oregon Bike Summit.
– Photo Gallery –
(Photos © J. Maus)
advocates all came together for
the 2010 Oregon Bike Summit.
– Photo Gallery –
(Photos © J. Maus)
The Oregon Bike Summit happened on Friday. It was a lot of excellent information packed into one day, without a lot of breaks. That meant it was difficult for me to simultaneously attend, listen, talk with people, photograph, and create coherent stories on the day of the Summit (especially since I left before it was over to see my 7 year-old daughter in a school performance). I did a few stories, but there’s much more to report.
Navy Norht St Bags Woodward
Brand: Norht St Bags
Model: Woodward
Color:Navy
Photo: http://northstbags.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/10-046_ww_navyroyal-568×568.jpg
Stolen in Portland, OR 97206
Stolen:2010-06-3
Stolen From: They were stolen off of my front porch. They were inside medium sized priority mail boxes waiting for shipment.
Neighborhood: South Tabor
Owner: Curtis Williams
OwnerEmail: curtis@northstbags.com
Reward: $100 no questions asked
Description: Not a bike, but a pair of bicycle bags was stolen. They are identical and THE ONLY bags in these colors – Navy blue w/ royal blue accents. They are backpack panniers with a large front pocket, reflector stripes, and roll top closure. Again, these are very unique, handmade bags.
Police record with: Portland PD
Police reference#: 10-152468
Ideas for bike-related apps on new iPhone
Steve Jobs of Apple unveiled his latest gadget today, the iPhone 4. It’s got lots of nifty new features, and one of them in particular seems like it could foretell some interesting new bike-related apps.
The new iPhone has tied the gyro, accelerometer, and GPS capabilities together for “6-axis motion sensing.” With GPS, a gyroscope, accelerometer, compass, proximity sensor, and an ambient light sensor all rolled into one, I wondered how the new phone might be used by bike lovers. Since this is beyond my mental-technological grasp, I asked my friends on Twitter for ideas. Here are the ones I’ve gotten so far:
Editorial: NW Examiner publisher blasts “bicycle zealots”
Allan Classen, founder, editor and publisher of the NW Examiner, has leveled serious criticisms at what he calls “members of the Portland Bicycle Church” in his June issue (PDF here).
Several readers have sent me his monthly Editor’s Turn column titled, When the saints go riding on, which refers to bikes as “not merely a mode of transportation,” in Portland, but rather, “a religion.”
“…the Portland Church of the All Mighty Bicycle has been gaining adherents at every turn, and I don’t think they’re all Catholics.”
Much of Classen’s anger is based on the issue of biking in Forest Park (note that the NW Examiner covers neighborhoods adjacent to the park):
The Monday Roundup
Here’s the news that caught our eye this week:
– As the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico continues to spread, we are continuing to not make the personal or policy connection between the disaster and oil consumption.
– Large scale bikesharing programs are taking off in the U.S. this year. First DC, then Denver…and now Minneapolis is launching the largest program yet with 700 bikes at 65 stations.
– Time reports on a new trend in repurposing—or just removing—parking lots
Find Kyron: School parent reaches out to community
Kyron Horman.
(Photo: Mult. Co. Sherriff’s Dept).
(Photo: Mult. Co. Sherriff’s Dept).
If you live in or around Portland you have almost certainly already heard the heart-breaking news (which has made it’s way onto front page of CNN) of a seven year-old boy who has been missing since Friday. Kryon Horman was last seen at school on Friday and as of this morning, there remains an all-out search underway for him in the hills around Forest Park.
Over the weekend I heard from Kim Blomgren, a parent from Kyron’s school, Skyline Elementary. She’s well aware that the hills around the school are popular biking areas and she’s hoping to enlist the eyes of people on bikes to find him: