BikePortland

Dreams take root at Bicycle Tourism Summit

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

[Workshop in session]

Last Saturday 150 people filled the Eugene Hilton to share ideas and learn more about an effort to establish Oregon as the top cycling destination in the country. The participants came from every corner of the state and ranged from politicians, bike shop owners, bike industry entrepreneurs, and at least one “BMX mom”.

The event was emceed by Bike Gallery owner Jay Graves and he got things off to an inspirational start by having each person stand up and introduce themselves. From that moment on, it was clear that this summit will go down as a seminal moment in the history of bicycle tourism in Oregon.

I love emails from readers. They run the gamut from people seeking advice to diatribes about this or that bike issue. I got one last Friday that I won’t soon forget. It was sent (along with this photo) from a soldier in Iraq named Joe:

“Jonathan, I really enjoy your website and can’t wait to get back to Fort Lewis to do some more cycling in the Northwest! I’ll be coming down to Portland as soon as my deployment in Iraq is complete. In the meantime, I’ve been doing my stationary cycling on my spinner in order to keep in shape for the STP. Thanks for supporting the great cycling of the NW!”

[Allan, Carrie and Cody Folz;
home and happy.]

Allan, Carie and two year-old Cody Folz have just returned from a bike tour through southeast Asia. They pedaled the roads of Laos and Thailand on their tandem with Cody in a child seat. The photo on the right was taken just minutes after they returned to their home in North Portland.

Welcome back guys!

I’ve enjoyed Allan and Carrie’s engaging emails from the road…and now you can too. If you’d like to read some great travel writing, Ayleen Crotty has posted ~~all~~ some of their reports on her ORBike.com blog.

I’m not sure if this is an April Fools prank or the real thing, but this message has just been posted in the Zoobomb forum:

“Your “Zoo Run” is over!!!! your bikes are gone. You can forget about them. They didn’t float. The whole thing is tired and you should all get jobs or do something productive. We are all sick of you and your lame shinanagans. Give it up. You are a traffic hazard and a threat to safety. Stop before you kill someone. You just suck!!!!!!

Sincerely,
FED UP!!!”

And here’s the reaction from a veteran Zoobomber:

[The Rickman Family]

It’s a fantastic day for cycling in Portland. I got up early to join friends on the Hawthorne Bridge for free pastries and coffee from Shift’s Breakfast on the Bridge crew. The sun welcomed cheery commuters and the conversation flowed as nicely as the hot coffee…

Good to see Clarence Eckerson of BikeTV in town. His great bike movies are coming to Portland cable TV soon…
Linda Ginenthal and Janis McDonald stopped by on the way to their work of making Portland a great place to bike (they both work in Transportation Options for the City of Portland).
Dumpster Dave rolled up. He’s excited about his upcoming bike swap meet. It’s going down on May 14th at Free Geek and it’ll be followed by a dance party. Don’t miss it.

Saw some cool bikes too. Here’s a list of my favorites:

Michael Chen, president of Mountain Cycle and board member of parent-company Kinesis, has just released the first official statement regarding the local layoffs and shutdown of Mountain Cycle.

Portland Rock Gym has a cool little program to help keep their customer’s bikes safe. They have a big sign on their rack (see photo) that says “Cable locks are not secure”. Then, they take it a step further by loaning out U-locks to members that need one.

According to Yuval, the gym’s manager, they’ve had 2 or 3 bikes stolen recently and the club felt terrible that this happened on their property. He also added, “it’s not that expensive and it’s a good service to our customers.”

Portland has recently been named the best city in America for both walking and biking and the City wants to spread the word. They’re going to put up 22 new signs touting this great news that will be placed right below existing “Welcome to Portland” signs on all major highways leading into the city. For the first time ever, city traffic engineers are asking for our input on the design of these signs.

The City of Portland has just submitted “Notices of Intent” for four major projects they hope will receive funding through the Federal Highway Administration’s Transportation Enhancements program. Three of these projects, totalling over $5.6 million dollars, would vastly improve our bikeway and trail network.

[Posted by username “beer powered bike”]

black surly cross check bike was stolen from 28th and burnside on the night of 3-27-06. serial#M5060881

The Surly was a single speed cross check less than 3 months old. it had black surly flip flop hubs with a 17t white industries freewheel on one side and 17t surly fixed cog on opposite side, black spokes, blue deep v velocity rims, salsa stem and bars, cane creek brake levers and canti brakes, crank brothers mallet pedals and sugino aluminum cranks. the frame was a 50 cm and had a couple scratches on the top tube. the bike had been locked with master lock street cuffs please call me, josh at 503-756-5674 or at work 503-646-6363 at the beaverton bike n hike

What does Metro’s bond measure mean for cyclists?

You may have heard that Metro is putting forth a bond measure in the November election that would allow them to use $227.4 million dollars to help protect natural areas in and around Portland. I asked avid cyclist, BTA co-founder, and current Metro Councilor Rex Burkholder what this bond measure would mean for cyclists.

[Photo by Ethan Jewett/Stickeen]

Local entrepreneur and bike lover Brenda Drain is opening Tour de Crepes in mid-April. She’s taking over the former space occupied by Fold at 2921 NE Alberta. Prior to the opening, she’ll have a special preview event tomorrow at the Last Thursday ArtWalk.

I first met Brenda when she was part-owner of Urban Grind Coffee and I was organizing the BikeCraft event last December. Brenda is a great supporter of cycling and was also a gracious host of Shift’s monthly meetings at Urban Grind. In the past few years Brenda has become an everyday cyclist herself and often commutes and rides around town with her daughters in tow.

Besides the name, which came to Brenda while out on a ride, Tour de Crepes will have several bike-inspired touches. Here’s more from Brenda:

Dreams take root at Bicycle Tourism Summit

Reader email from Iraq

Local family returns from Asian adventure

Zoobomb pile stolen and dumped in the river?

Breakfast, blossoms and bikes

Mountain Cycle President issues statement

Portland Rock Gym loans U-locks

First look: New city border signs to feature bikes

City requests $5.6 million to improve bikeways

Stolen: Black Surly

What does Metro’s bond measure mean for cyclists?

Bike-themed creperie to open on Alberta Street

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From the Archives

Protestor blocks bus and bike lanes on Division with his car