(posted by “ChelsRm007”)
Two nights ago, my beautiful 2005 Masi Alare Elta Serie 51 cm road bike was stolen from the Office Max on 82nd Ave. It’s only three months old the frame is bright red.
Ghost bike effort picks up steam
The local “Ghost Bike” effort is coming together. Several people in the bike community have been working hard to create the memorials and place them at the sites of fallen cyclists.
The Portland Observer was first to report the Ghost Bike for Chris Burris, who was killed by a hit-and-run driver on Sept. 3rd. The Willamette Week has already also noticed the latest installation on MLK and Wygant which was erected by the brother of the victim. The Oregonian also had something to say in today’s paper. Joseph Rose, who wrote the article in the O was inspired to write the story after he and his 11-year-old daughter were nearly hit by a car on their bike ride to school.
There is also talk of reviving the Ghostbike.org website which is currently offline. Local volunteers are talking with the site’s owners about how to get the it running again and possibly have it become a national Ghost Bike portal site, with links to each city’s effort and general information about the movement.
I love the Ghost Bike idea, but I wonder what other people in the community think about them. I’m curious if anyone will have a negative reaction to these installations and what the response will be from the larger community once more of them are put up.
What do you think about Ghost Bikes? Are they effective, pointless, vandalism, art?
[Here are several more photos of the ghost bike on MLK & Wygant]
Like beer and bikes? Read this…
Portland leads the nation in two great pastimes; bikes and beer. Bridgeport and Widmer take care of our beer…but who takes care of our bikes? Who makes sure we’re getting loved down in Salem when the issues get sticky? Who gets the word out and mobilizes the troops when someone is trying to pull the wool over our eyes? That’s right…the BTA. And they do it with a shoestring budget and staff.
So besides becoming a member, wouldn’t it be a great if there was a fun and easy way to support them? Well there is!
Join your biking brethren on Monday, September 26th at McMenamins Market Street Pub. When you drop in between 5 PM and 1 AM for a drink or snack 50% of the proceeds from your purchase go directly to the BTA. So get out your pens, PDAs, whatever…that’s McMenamins’ Market Street Pub, 1526 SW 10th Ave, Monday, September 26th from 5 PM to 1 AM. Be there or be square, and remember to please consider taking the MAX or bus or stuff your bike into a cab. Whatever you do, don’t drink and ride.
Stolen: BMX bike
(posted by a registered user)
My son’s 20 inch BMX bike was stolen from our yard early sunday
Talk Like a Pirate Ride report
Last Monday was Talk Like a Pirate Day and some local bike pirates took to the streets to celebrate. Below is a report from one such scallywag named Pirate sCarye, aka “Squinty Gunpot.” It’s fun to read…it must have been fun to be there!
“…Twas a wild night indeed – plundering donuts and gurglin’ the grog. We gathered at The Slammer Bar Island – There I met me mateys Fancy Pants the Well Endowed and Smelly Rumpbucket, and many more. I say there were close to 20 of us, but aye, I can only count the fingers on my hands, and that would be nine. (long story!). So at 45 sands past the 7 o’clock hourglass. We be off on our landlubber bikes – we entered unchartered waters in the depths of inner SE across navigational hazards such as train tracks and old brick roads. Me thinks the Captain’s side kick Pirate Arrghh! Allan had one too many grogs when he ordered us on this choppy path. Yar.. on with the story, So our stripey, cross boned- menacing sea-fairing’ swearing group took the night streets, aye, we looped up around and over the Burnside Bridge, and loudly sang “99 bottles of grog.” Before claiming Captain Ankeny’s Pub as our own. Ah was fine night indeed to be out under the stars.”
See all the photos of pirates on bikes.
Portland featured in bike trade mag
A local bike shop owner and a local entrepreneur are featured in the October 1 issue of Bicycle Retailer & Industry News Magazine. Bike Gallery owner Jay Graves is featured in an ad for Electra Bicycles. The ad appears in Bicycle Retailer & Industry News magazine and features Jay aboard an Electra “Townie” bike. Jay is highly involved with the bicycle industry so it’s no surprise they chose him for the ad. Also, Jay happens to be the President of the Board of Directors of the the National Bicycle Dealers Association, which publishes the magazine.
In the same issue, local entrepreneur Chad Krueger is featured as one of the “Fab 5 Freshman” to attend this year’s Interbike trade show for the first time. Chad is the owner of Portland Cyclewear. He used to run a retail space in SE Portland with discounted, closeout cycling apparel. In a recent change of direction Chad has decided to close his doors and focus on a new business of making custom, vintage wool cycling jerseys. See you at the show Chad!
(Click images to enlarge)
Stolen: Specialized Sirrus
(posted by registered user)
Bike was stolen from my carport mid-August in North PDX. It has a brand new frame (silver) with carbon fork. I had attached a little carrier and it has a yellow water bottle holder.
Stolen: Kona Mountain Bike
(posted by a registered user)
Blue/Purple/Yellow Kona Kahlua 15-16″ mountain bike stolen from outside the Plaid Pantry on NE Glisan and 28th in the early morning hours of Sunday 9/17. If you have any info on this please get in touch.
See more stolen bike listings.
Bridge bike traffic up in ’05
Just released from the City of Portland are impressive stats for daily bike traffic over the four main Portland bridges. These stats are from this summer and they reflect the largest jump in bike traffic since records started being kept back in 1992 and how a nearly 15% jump since last year alone.
The bridges surveyed are the:
- Hawthorne
- Steel
- Broadway
- Burnside
Here’s a quick comparison:
- 1992 – 2,855 total bike trips
- 2004 – 8,875 total bike trips
- 2005 – 10,192 total bike trips
Congratulations to everyone that helps make Portland a great place to ride a bike. These numbers are the fruit of your efforts! If you like charts and graphs, I’ve posted a few others on my Bike Safety page.
Stolen: Electra Rat Rod cruiser
(This post was entered by a registered user)
Stolen in close-in SE over a month ago. Police report filed with serial number. Bike was all original and had a bell and light mount.
Just Out profiles queer bike scene
Rebecca Ragain, a local freelancer, has written a terrific piece on bike culture in this week’s Just Out newspaper. It’s a cover story titled, “Feel the Love: Queer bicyclists roam the roads, trails and tracks of Portland and beyond.”
It’s rare to have such quality writing and in-depth coverage of a specific bikey sub-culture. The piece mentions many local cyclists and it highlights the diversity of the Portland bike scene.
Cheers and kudos to both Just Out editors and to Rebecca for a great article. To grab a copy of your own, here’s a list of Just Out distribution locations.
“Broadside Johnnie,” a biking pirate
OK, I completely goofed on this one. I know today was Talk Like a Pirate Day and this is being posted sort of late. Oh well.
I thought it’d be fitting to post something about “Broadside Johnnie”. You may have seen this guy around town. He dresses like a pirate and flies a bikey-inspired Jolly Roger flag (see photo). I met Johnnie when I parked his bike at the Blues Festival earlier this summer.
He’s hung up his cutlass and now he makes his way by selling these flags for $8-10 depending on the color. Here’s a bit more about them from Johnnie himself:
“The design is an adaptation of the Jolly Roger flown by Henry Every. Keep yer weathereye open because I usually carry inventory with me when I ride. If you see me on the road and want to see what I have, shout out “Broadside!” Yeah, the copyright notice in the picture is the one my parents gave me, but my performing name, Broadside Johnnie, has also been adopted by friends as my nickname.
I also carry inventory when I busk on Hawthorne, along the water front (Riverplace) and at farmers’ markets, festivals, and other events. You may have seen me on the sidewalk, or at the Festival de Piratas. If you run across me in mid-tune while I’m busking, I’d prefer to finish the tune before answering questions or making a sale.
You can also send email to broadsidejohnnie@comcast.net, and expect a response within a day. At present, I can only accept cash or money orders. If I can’t make change, I’ll make up for the inconvenience by delivering a flag to you when I have change.”