Portland’s bike scene continues to transcend our city’s borders. Recent coverage in regional magazines like Cranked, The Bicycle Paper, and the international publication Carbusters include stories on Portland.
BTA needs new office space
The BTA has grown out of their downtown office and they’re hunting for new office space. I’m posting this to the community in case anyone has a tip that might help them find a new space. We need them working on bike issues…not worrying about finding a new office!
Here’s the word from Executive Director Evan Manvel.
“We’re looking for 1700-2000 square feet, accessible to downtown, as we have many meetings with City Hall and PDOT. We have been at our current location for five years, and have more than doubled in size since we moved here (4 people to 10).
Stumptown story goes national
The March 1 issue of Bicycle Retailer and Industry News (BRAIN) includes a story on the Specialized/Stumptown saga, which first broke on this site back on January 31st. BRAIN is a well-known bike industry trade magazine that goes out to every bike shop and manufacturer in the U.S. The article is not available on-line, but I’ve scanned a copy that you can download:
This story has already made its way around the world via the Web, and the opinion of nearly everyone on the Internet is that Specialized is doing the wrong thing. However my feeling is that Specialized cares much more about how their peers in the bike industry think about them, than just lowly Internet users.
Stolen: Palo Alto fixie
[Posted by “Paul”]
Palo alto italian frame black kenisis carbon fork 3t bar control tec stem campy brake levers sks fenders super record seat post suntor crank ta chain ring phil wood double fixed track hubs front rim red rear black phil wood cog chris king silver headset. It has been painted silver and red fade. There was also a silver silca frame pump. Let me know Paul
digdogody@hotmail.com
Locals unveil new work at hand builders show
[Vanilla Trike! (Photo: MTBR.com)]
The North American Handmade Builders Show was held in San Jose, California from Friday to Sunday. The show’s intent is to highlight the work of small, custom bike builders. Portland had an impressive contingent on hand, showing off a tremendous flair for craftsmanship and aesthetic detail. Notably present were Joseph Ahearne of Ahearne Cycles, Tony Pereira of Pereira Cycles, and Sacha White of Vanilla Bicycles.
I really wanted to be there, but I was tied up with other things. Fortunately some photos have found their way onto the web.
New share the road mural for southeast Portland
There’s a new “Share the Road” mural coming to southeast Portland. Volunteers working as part of a Community Action Project with the Northwest Service Academy have earned a grant through the Community Cycling Center to paint the mural on the wall of the Hawthorne Auto Clinic at 4307 SE Hawthorne Blvd. According to project directors Sheri Earnshaw and Drew Englehorn, the “main theme will be Share the Road, with images of automobiles, bicycles, pedestrians and mass transit with riders/ drivers showing awareness of each other.”
A truly public project, there will be a series of meetings with community groups to gather ideas on the final imagery. The entire project will take about 3-4 weeks and organizers hope to be working on it during Pedalpalooza in June.
Bike stars shine at Alice Awards
[A stylish Chris King]
On Saturday night the Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) held its 11th annual Alice Awards at the Oregon Convention Center. The sold out event hosted 600 Oregon bike advocates, politicians (past and present), industry leaders, and business owners. The event was a fundraiser for the BTA and a chance for them to honor Oregon’s “bike heroes.”
Here’s a few highlights from my perspective:
Stolen: Klein Pinnacle
[Posted by “reedma”]
my bike of nearly 20yrs has been stolen 🙁 Stolen from N Portland and Albina area on Mar 3 or 4
Klein pinnacle circa 1988 primer grey with black forks. Drop-down bars that have black/silver reflective bar tape. Old-style below the chain rear U brake. Long seatstem to accomodate 6′ rider on this 19(?) inch frame. xt rear and deore front deraillers. 2 light halogen Cateye system mounted with switch on handlebars and large rechargeable battery pack in waterbottle cage. Slicks on Araya hard anodized RM20 rims. Blackburn rear rack. Black front/rear fenders. Clipless shimano pedals. Three small stickers include Earth, Bad Dates, and Powerbar. Please help if you know anything.
Matt at freeheel@quik.com
Stolen: Blue/Silver Specialized
[Posted by “chelsea747”]
I had my Specialized Crossroads Sport 2004 model stolen at NW 13th and Johnson (Pacific NW College of Art) on March 1st sometime between 11am and 5pm. It is Blue and Silver, has black front and rear fenders, a rack, a bottle holder, and a big silver bell on the handlebars with the “I (heart) MY BIKE” sticker on it. It looks like the one in the picture but slightly used and well loved.
Thanks!
Bikes and pipe bombs
[Not a pipe bomb]
There’s a ridiculous but true story circulating on the web. The title alone is enough for a laugh: “Bike Band Sticker Causes Bomb Scare.”
It reminded me of a cute little bike I saw downtown last October. I loved the juxtaposition of the little blue birdie and the “This bike is a pipe bomb” sticker.
Mini-bikers ride inside Lloyd Center Mall
[Click for animation]
While in town for the recent Mini-Bike Winter Olympics, several Canadians went for an impromptu ride through Lloyd Center Mall. Here’s an account from one of the riders:
“It was a pretty awesome experience. People were DOWNRIGHT OFFENDED that we were in the mall with our bikes, even though we were very respectful and didn’t bump into people or anything. We could see some people physicallly freezing up or wringing their hands. The mall is supposed to be SAFE. They’re not supposed to have to DEAL with these THINGS. They were nervous and pissed all in one and they wanted to lash out at us. A few people did. The security guards definitely did. We took the escalator, the elevator and some stairs. It was great.”
Here’s a bunch more great photos. Thanks to Ayleen Crotty the tip.
Home from D.C., now onto Alice Awards
Finally back in Portland. It feels great to be home. The last day of the Summit was another whirlwind. I attended a workshop about Davis, California, the only “Platinum” level Bicycle Friendly Community. Evan Manvel (Executive Director of the BTA) attended it with me and wrote a great recap on the BTA Blog.
I also went to a workshop about online route mapping, which is a topic I’ve covered several times in the past few months. Online bike trip planning is the next big thing. There are tons of cool features you can build into it and I think it will bring many new people into cycling. I’ve got to find out the latest on what’s happening here in Portland…it’s been a while since I checked in with Wyatt’s Trip Planner at ByCycle.org and with the GIS guys at the City of Portland. I’ll try and find out the latest and report back what I hear.