Stolen: Tan Voodoo MTB

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Theft occurred late Aug., from SE Stark & 122nd Ave area–from my garage. S/# on Marzocchi superFly fork, 551 651 Z2 [Yw tag]. Tan titanium Sm-frame with Dean ti-seat post. Race Face headset. Model: D-Jab

Someone watched me leaving for 10mins on another bike — as I pulled the Garage door down 3in from the ground. They entered, weasled down a tight isle to my bike rack, lifted it from the top rung, then escaped! When I returned, nothing appeared ‘fishy’. Two days later, I noticed the theft.

A year & ahalf ago, my Silver M-2 Specialized mtn bike was taken from Gateway Fred Meyers [NE 102nd Ave/Glisan]. My S/# A98 4358. Sm-frame, 16in with Blk metal fenders, rack, & Mavic wheels.

My Krypt lock & bike disappeared from the E. side rack–always PARK in busy-traffic areas!! Gateway area [Freds’ & Park&ride] is notorious for Grand Central Escape routes, as bikes & cars vanish!!

Why can’t our officers plant bikes as their Sting Operation–catching Low IQ thieves in action & flinging such Scum into city cells??? There is no lower feeling than realizing that your Bike was taken. Always, insure your Bikes with a Homeowners/Renters’ policy–at least I gained some compensation.

–Ray [roseyeden@netscape.net]

360 lbs of beer…by bike!

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Beer by bike
Beer by bike

This morning Sara Stout and I moved two kegs of beer for tonight’s Bike Film Night from Widmer Brewing on N. Russell to the Clinton Street Theater in SE.

The kegs weighed 180 lbs. each!

It was pretty awesome to see the reaction from the folks at Widmer. They couldn’t believe what we were doing. They had their cameras out and everything. They said it was the most exciting thing that’s happened around there for a long time.

Check out some of their faces in the photos. I especially like this shot of the guys near the forklift looking at us like we’re crazy.

Don’t miss the Bike Film Night. Tonight, 9:00 at Clinton Street Theater (26th & SE Clinton)!

(If you think moving kegs by bike is cool…check this out)

Stolen: black TAKARA road bike

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Some lowlife stole my bike off of my porch last night. Although this bike was not worth much (if anything), it was my only means of transportation.

It’s fairly easy to spot. I’ve not seen another Takara ever in town and this one will stand out to anyone who’s looking. It’s an all black road bike except for the TAKARA name written in white. It had both a mud flap and lights on the back and front.

I expect that whoever stole it will try and convert it to a simple fixed gear (messenger style) bike, so bike shops should be on the lookout…

please call me if ou spot it:
503-232-4726

Stats confirm bike theft problem

Bike theft is on the rise. I had 20 stolen bikes listed on this site in October alone. And from what I’ve heard, the thieves are getting more and more brazen, sawing racks in half, taking the entire rack with them, and even coming into homes while the victim sleeps just feet away!

According to this official map just sent to me by the Portland Police Bureau, there were 315 bike thefts reported between 9/1/05 and 11/12/05 (shown on map below as blue squares).

Here is the breakdown by precinct (precinct map):

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Mayor asks for white paper on Critical Mass

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Maria Rubia from the Mayor Potter’s office has requested a white paper from local bike advocate and lawyer Mark Ginsberg and Commissioner Sam Adams’ staffer Roland Chlapowski.

The report is meant to detail “currently outstanding issues” with Critical Mass. The report should be completed in the next few weeks.

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Cycling apparel company moves to Portland

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Castelli, a designer and maker of high-end cycling apparel is setting up shop in Portland. The global company, based in Milan Italy, previously had their U.S. operations in Minneapolis, MN. The new operation should be up and running by December.

Eighteen months ago, Nike employee Greg Cowan took partial ownership in the company. Cowan lives in the Portland area and wants the company to be closer to home.

Castelli joins a long list of Portland-based bike companies.

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“Surprising” results from enforcement action

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In response to complaints of cyclists running stop signs, the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) ran a traffic enforcement action at SE 26th and Clinton streets this morning. An enforcement action is sort of like a sting, except the cops put out cones and flags announcing it in all directions. They also publicized the location way beforehand.

The results were surprising. Here’s what traffic division commander Bill Sinnott had to say:

“I thought it went very well. We wrote 29 citations and 33 warnings to bicyclists for running the stop sign. We only stopped those that really went through the stop sign at some speed. We didn’t have enough officers to stop everyone so we only stopped the worst violators. We used the same standard for stopping motor vehicles. We wrote 15 citations and 4 warnings to vehicles.

I was suprised so many people still ran the stop signs and I was suprised there were so many more bikes then cars doing so. When we went into this we thought we would be writing more tickets and warnings to cars. One common theme the officers heard from bicyclists is that they saw the enforcement signs but felt they were acting appropriately and safely when they rode through the intersection even though they did not stop (or even come close to slowing down).”

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Portland bike blog round-up

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Portland continues to lead the charge of online bike fun. Check out these gems I’ve come across recently…

GravelTech
This site is run by Andrew Morton and Billy Spaceman. Andrew has been reporting on the local singlespeed scene for years and is the creator of two bike zines; One Speed Revolution and BUI (Bikeculture Under the Influence). He recently posted a report on the third annual N.O.I.S.E. (Northwest One-speed International Solidarity Event) that’s worth a read.

BikeWad
“A journal of my biking experiences” says BikeWad author Damon Buckwalter. Damon has rediscovered his love of riding and has turned into a solid commuter. Lately, he’s been posting about his experiences with the chilly weather. Rock on Damon.

Team Ugly Stick
Theses guy mostly get together for MTB rides and cyclocross races. Co-authored by native Portlanders “Puck” and “Smack”. Check out this post with some great photos of Syncline Trail.

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Portland Mall Project seeks input

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mall rendition

At last Tuesday’s meeting of the Portland Bicycle Advisory Committee (PBAC), we heard from April Bertelsen of the Portland Mall Revitalization project.

This is the project that will completely reconstruct the existing bus mall on 5th and 6th Avenues downtown. In that process they will be uprooting and relocating hundreds of bike racks. April was at the PBAC meeting to hear input from cyclists about what type of facilities they should consider replacing them with.

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From the Archives

Protestor blocks bus and bike lanes on Division with his car