BikePortland

Bike Fair caps final day of Pedalpalooza

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

[Good times at last year’s Bike Fair.]

It’s the last day of Pedalpalooza and all eyes turn to the big and wonderful Multnomah County Bike Fair. Today is your chance to observe and participate in bike fun culture at its finest.

Where else can you watch clowns ride tall bikes, meet the Sprockettes, compete in zany bike competitions, and marry your bike all in one place!?

To get a feel for the event, check out more of my photos from last year.

I’ll see you at Colonel Summers Park (SE 20th & Belmont) today from 2-7!

A rural road claims another victim

I hate to write this, but yet another cyclist has been involved in a serious crash with a motor vehicle on a rural road in Washington County. This time it happened in North Plains near Glencoe Road and Highway 26.

This is a very popular cycling route and one I have ridden many times myself.

According to a report by KATU News, investigators say the victim was riding “as fast as twenty miles an hour when the truck turned in front of him. He apparently smashed into its side.” The cyclist was airlifted to OHSU in serious condition with back and neck injuries.

[Submitted by Jim]

2005 Yello Fisher Tassajara stolen from H’wood Library 41st and Tillamook at around 2:30 on Friday 6/23.

Please call Jim with any info (503) 253-1715

Announcing the Made in Portland Bicycle Show

[Photo by Dat.]

I’m excited to announce the Made in Portland Bicycle Show and Art Exhibition coming to City Hall on Thursday July 6th from 5-8PM.

Join us in a celebration of our artisan bicycle industry as we showcase Portland’s independent, custom builders and artists. As I reported last month, this event is part of Commissioner Sam Adams’ monthly First Thursday celebration and will take place in the beautiful atrium of our historic City Hall building at 1221 SW Fourth Street downtown.

Here is the list of builders confirmed to attend:

Last week Portland Transport reported that the idea of recycling the old Sauvie Island Bridge and turning it into a bike and pedestrian overpass in Northwest Portland was dead.

However judging from this statement from a post on Commissioner Sam Adams’ blog, the idea might still have some life:

[Zoobombers on Burnside.]

Highway 26 leading into downtown Portland is a traditional route sometimes used by Zoobombers. They call it “the Hellway” and it is simultaneously feared and revered by many.

While it’s usually legal to ride bikes on Highway 26, because of a sewer construction project, currently the Hellway route is off-limts. In early June one Zoobomber had a serious crash. That mishap and the illegal Hellway riding got some bad PR when the story got picked up and reported on by KGW-TV.

[Make way for spandex]
Photo St. Honore

Summer is finally here and that means the Tour is upon us. Two of the most well-known viewing parties are thrown by St. Honore Bakery and King Cycle Group.

St. Honore is a popular french bakery in Northwest that plans to show the coverage live. Like last year they’ll kick things off by teaming up with the women’s racing team they sponsor, Sorrella Forte. The team will be on hand to sign autographs and collect used bikes for the Community Cycling Center on opening weekend (July 1-2).

Back in May, someone named Erica posted a topic in the Forums about a cyclist named James who harassed her on her morning commute. Her post has sparked tons of discussion, both in the Forums and in the comments of my post about women and creepy cyclists a few weeks ago.

I’ve been following the thread in the Forum and recently a Portland police officer with the username “PoPo” chimed in. James seemed familiar to him so he did some investigating.

[Pedalpalooza runs from 6/8 – 6/24 and is organized by Shift to Bikes. View the full schedule here and get the latest ride reports here.]

I can’t imagine Pedalpalooza ending with more of a bang! Starting with Breakfast on the Bridges, then a museum tour, a BikeStation site tour, the Pirate Pedal, and a ride to protest fast-food drive-through inequity (I’m not kidding, see below).

Whew. Hold on to your helmets, it’s going to be a wild day.

Here are all the gory details:

[Waiting for the train.]
Photo by taisau

Last night I led my first Pedalpalooza ride! I’ve been so inspired by all the creative and fun rides I’ve been on that this year I finally decided to lead my own.

My ride, I called it the “Communified Ride” wasn’t especially creative or amazing or anything. Besides just an excuse to ride with friends, my hope was that everyone on the ride would meet someone new and then pose for some fun portraits at the end (see portrait gallery below). Here’s how it went.

Hagg Lake, a popular mountain biking area about 50 miles west of Portland, recently got a new section of trail thanks to a local mountain bike club. Fifteen members of the Portland United Mountain Pedalers (PUMP) volunteered a Saturday to put in a total of 75 hours of trail time. That’s what I call sweat equity!

PUMP member Ric Balfour gave me the rundown on what they accomplished:

[Wyatt and Lauren at
the Tourism Summit.]

Wyatt Baldwin and Lauren Bondi continue to improve on their online bicycle route planning tool, the byCycle Trip Planner.

The most interesting new development is the addition of a “safer” route preference option. According to Wyatt:

“The main thing it (the “safer” option) does different from “normal” is more heavily prefer the Metro Bike There Map network (the colored streets) and especially trails.”

Bike Fair caps final day of Pedalpalooza

A rural road claims another victim

Stolen: Fisher Tassajara

Announcing the Made in Portland Bicycle Show

Sauvie Island Bridge idea not dead yet

Police, Zoobombers come to terms on Hellway

Tour de France viewing spots announced

Update on a bike harasser named James

Pedalpalooza Daily – 6/23

My first Pedalpalooza ride!

Mountain bikers work hard at Hagg

byCycle Trip Planner gets even better

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