I just got home from vacation (been gone since Saturday) and on my way into town I noticed fresh paint on an old building at the corner of Killingsworth and Vancouver.
Upon further inspection I noticed this sign in the window, “Coming Soon: Cycling Center”
Turns out the owner is Ben Bartlett, a 50 year-old retiree who lives down the street. He decided to open the Cycling Center because he noticed many older riders’ needs weren’t being addressed at existing shops.
A couple more ingenius bike modifications I’d like to share.
This first one I saw parked in the bike rack at Providence Medical Center the other day. It’s a fender made out of duct tape and a flip-flop sandal.
There are tons of interesting fender modifications in this town, but I’ve never seen this method before.
And then this morning at Breakfast on the Bridges I ran into a neat guy with a thick southern accent sporting this very nifty cargo trailer and hitch combo.
Today in Southeast Portland there will be a special graduation ceremony.
For the last four days a group called Lose the Training Wheels has been holding a camp to teach 35 physically challenged kids how to ride a bike.
Kris Schamp of the Bike Gallery was there as a sponsor and a volunteer and sent in these great photos (thanks Kris!).
With a major assist from The Friends of Forest Park, mountain bikers are set to begin the process of planning and building a brand new piece of trail in Forest Park.
According to PUMP board member Roger Louton, the new trail will be an addition to the existing Firelane 5 fire access road. The new trail is between Wildwood Trail and Leif Erikson Road and will be approximately four feet wide.
Work on the trail is set to begin in August.
The money for the trail comes from a grant applied for by The Friends of Forest Park. PUMP will be involved in planning the trail and the building will be completed by volunteers, trail-building experts and an Americorps crew.
[Submitted by Dennis]
My Giant Sedona DX 2001 – Pewter- 21 Speed bike was stolen from a parking garage on 1701 SW Columbia on June 22 2006. It is a mens medium in pewter/silver and the left gear shifter is not working (needs to be replaced). I have the receipt and serial number. If you have any information please contact Dennis at 503.307.7027. Thanks.
Following up on my post from Tuesday, I just got off the phone with Kinesis USA President Michael Chen. He called to give me more details about last week’s sale of Mountain Cycle.
Mountain Cycle has been sold to a Taiwanese company called Ideation Industrial. They’re a huge bicycle manufacturer established in 1977 with offices and factories across China. They sell bikes and electric scooters primarily in the European market.
Yesterday the Parks Department presented their Regional Recreational Trails Strategy to the Portland City Council. In attendance was a who’s who list of Portland’s trail advocates including; Scott Bricker from the BTA, Gail Snyder from Friends of Forest Park, Bob Akers, Barbara Walker and Walter Valenta from the 40-mile Loop Land Trust, Don Baack from Southwest Trails, Pam Arden of North Portland Greenway, Roger Louton of PUMP and many others.
In her opening remarks to City Commissioners, Parks Director Zari Santner expressed her hopes that this plan would lead to a more organized approached to funding and building trails:
The Made in Portland: Bicycle Show and Art Exhibition is really shaping up (download event flyer).
In addition to nine Portland-based independent bike builders, I just confirmed that Chris King Precision Components will attend. Chris King (based in Northwest Portland) makes the world’s best hubs and headsets (they were used by a guy named Lance in the Tour de France). Their components are a revered combination of beauty, function and reliability…and they’re made entirely in Portland.
Joining this stellar line-up of bicycle craftsmen and women is an exciting gathering of bike artists. Recent additions include Shaun Deller and Tiago Denczuk.
In an ongoing push to legitimize and foster Portland’s nascent bicycle industry, Commissioner Sam Adams is backing a resolution that is expected to be adopted as official City policy at the next City Council meeting on July 5th.
The resolution was prepared by City of Portland Office of Transportation employee Linda Ginenthal, mastermind behind the recent Portland Bike Summit and program manager for Transportation Options.
[Submitted by thechief247]
Silver Scattante 60cm 
My 3 month old beauty was stolen on Thursday, June 22nd from the MAX blue line headed towards Hillsboro. I have the receipt with the serial # for verification. Please let me know if you have seen it! Thanks.
Thanks to a tipster, I just found out that The Recyclery, a used bike shop formerly located at SE 46th and Hawthorne, is moving to SE 9th and Madison. This new location is much larger and is right across the street from The Lucky Lab Brewpub.
Lance Armstrong is scheduled to appear at the grand opening of the new 24HR Fitness Center in Tualatin tonight. The new fitness center is a specially branded, “Lance Armstrong” location.
Word is that he’s expected to show at 5:30 at 13900 SW Pacific Hwy in Tualatin.
I planned to show up and snap some gratuitous celebrity photos, but have decided not to go. Watch Jonathan Nicholas’s column in the Oregonian for a report.
