Ride around Portland and beyond

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Two great sites to help find your way…

Just came across this site with 5 classic rides in and around Portland; Sauvie Island, Springwater Corridor/Eastbank Esplanade, Mount Tabor & Rocky Butte, Blue Lake, and West Hills.  Here’s the link:

Experience Oregon – Five Great Bike Rides in Portland [from Kathy Belge, Oregon.com]

This next site is new and pretty exciting…it’s the Ride Oregon Wiki.

What’s a wiki? (good question). A wiki is a website that anyone can edit and add to. This means the Ride Oregon Wiki is constantly growing as riders add their favorite rides and add comments to existing routes. Also, if you’re savvy to RSS you can even subscribe to the feed and have new routes automatically sent to your reader. Very cool.

From Goodwill to Shangri-la

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Nice ride with the family yesterday…went down the Esplanade to the Goodwill in SE. While checking out the books I saw an issue of VeloNews with a boyish Lance Armstrong on the cover smiling after his 2nd Tour de France win…probably should have bought it, but I didn’t.

From the Goodwill we cruised over to quite possibly the nicest bike shop in the world…River City. Walking among the overwhelming assortment of luxurious bike stuff and enticing espresso aroma, I realized what business experts mean when they talk about a “retail environment.”

From the glitz and glam of River City (were those Herman Miller desk chairs in their offices?) to the greasy underbellly of CityBikes, this town has a bike shop to suit every rider and every budget. [Check more shops on my links page]

Ride with “Gal from Downunder” on Sunday

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

This Sunday is your chance to meet and ride with the “Gal from Down Under” and Bike Friday evangelist Lynette Chiang. Never heard of Lynette Chiang? Here’s how she describes herself:

failed hippie, couldn’t-navigate-her-way-out-of-a-paper-bag world traveler from Downunder, who in May 1997 pedaled away from security, prosperity (longevity?) on a small folding bicycle.”

She’ll be showing a few of her films (from Cycle Oregon, a trip to Cuba, riding the highest paved rode in the world, and more!). For more details on Sunday’s event go here.

Great News about Safe Routes to School

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

This just in from the BTA’s Jessica Roberts:

Our (the BTA’s) Safe Routes to School bill just passed the House–unanimously!

This bill would create a statewide Safe Routes to School program for Oregon, helping get kids active and reversing frightening trends towards childhood obesity and inactivity. It will also create safer neighborhood streets for all of us–did you know that 20% of morning traffic is parents driving children to school?

Now the bill must go to the Senate, but there’s a lot of excitement and community support for the bill as we move forward. I’ll keep in touch about campaigns to contact Senators when the time is right, but mostly I just wanted to share the news.

If you want to know more, here’s our legislative website:

Jessica Roberts
Membership Director & Metro-area Advocate

That’s great news Jessica! And a very special thanks to hard-working Robert Ping, the main man for Oregon’s Safe Routes to School program.

Bike and Bird with Slug Velo

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

This weekend is a great opportunity to explore Smith and Bybee Lakes at the height of bird migration season. Join Slug Velo (motto: “We’re Slow. We’re Sociable. We’re Slug Velo!”) for their “Brake for Birds” ride. Meet at the Delta Park/Vanport Park & Ride at 10 AM on Saturday…and don’t forget a sack lunch and your binoculars!

For more ride details, click here.

Defensive Cycling

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Noticed this Opinion piece by Chaelan MacTavish in PSU’s paper, The Vanguard. While the language and tone is decidedly anti-car I think it brings up a good point.

“There are enough bad drivers that a daily ride means defensive cycling.”

Riding defensively (especially in the city) is important not only for your own safety but for gaining respect from cars. When I’m riding downtown I usually take up the entire lane as long as I’m going close to the same speed as surrounding traffic. I’ve noticed some riders timidly hugging the right side of the lane…ever so afraid of being “in traffic”.

I’m not saying riding among the cars is the right thing for everyone…but don’t be afraid to claim your space on the road. You’ll often find that the more space you claim, the more space you’re given.

Have you had any close calls lately? Let me know.

COMMENTS:
Yes, the PSU editorial is anti-car (or anti-Hummer if you want to get specific), but I think his point about drivers using the bike lane as a turn lane is right on. I can’t tell you how many times, when on my bike, drivers have just blindly turned in front of me. I don’t see this as much downtown as I do in my home neighborhood of SE Portland.”
–Meghan

Pretty Dress Success

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward


Why is she smiling?
-because she’s riding on a splendid spring day?
-because 35 of her friends are riding with her?
-because the two men next to her are wearing dresses?
-because her Pretty Dress Ride was a huge success!
Answer: All of the above!

We all had a great time on the Pretty Dress Ride yesterday…welcoming spring with a fun ride from Union Station down to Sellwood via the Eastbank Esplanade and Springwater Corridor trail. We stopped in Sellwood Park for ice cold Lemonade and then hung out at Grand Central Bakery and the Ugly Mug before heading north. If you’d like to join us on future rides, just keep your eye on this calendar and we’ll see you out on the streets!

I never thought I’d say this, but I felt totally out of place in shorts. I have to admit I was the only guy on the ride not in a dress…so I guess it’s only fitting that karma caught up to me in the form of a flat tire. Usually a flat is no big deal…but to make a long story short, I had a great time on the bus with Juli and Eleni and I got to use the very nifty bus bike racks for the first time.

I hope you enjoyed the great weekend weather. Please forgive me but I can’t resist sharing this photo of Eleni in Sellwood Park.

PSU Cycling Team

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward


Nestled in the heart of downtown, amid the tranquil North Park Blocks lies Portland State University…OK, OK, you already knew that.

But…did you know they’ve got a thriving bicycle club and team that competes in the NW Collegiate Cycling Conference? Besides being a strong team that boasts NWCCC champions in two categories, they’re active in the local bike community and have a great website full of useful information.

As a former collegiate racer myself, I can tell you that riding with these guys will be much more fun and inclusive than trying to keep up with your local club or bike shop ride. Bottom line: collegiate riders know how to have a good time and they always regroup and are considerate of all levels of riders.

So, if you’d like to join them on their weekly rides, check the schedule and meet them at the North Park Blocks in front of the Millar Library. For more information contact team President McCaegor Byrd.

Only in Portland

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Two very different and uniquely Portland bike events are happening this weekend…

Saturday, get to know your local bike cult, CHUNK 666 for the Organ Donor Invite, a tall-bike jousting tournament beginning at 3:00 at Colonel Summers Park on SE Belmont and 20th. (I would leave the kids home on this one).

Pretty Dress Ride
On Sunday, shift gears from battling for Carmageddon supremacy to spreading the wonderful joy of Spring time with family and friends. That’s right, it’s none other than the Pretty Dress Ride (recently made famous in the Oregonian’s now defunct Personal Style section). Meet at Union Station at 2:00 and ride to Sellwood Park via the Eastbank Esplanade. For pictures of last year’s ride (so you’ll know what to wear), click here.

Mass and a Bingo Party

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

You’ve probably heard of Critical Mass…the sometimes controversial always misunderstood bike ride that traverses, amoeba-like through the usually auto-dominated city streets. I’ve been on several of them myself and have always had an inspiring time. Last month I brought along my 2 year-old daughter and I even met Mayor Potter on one back in February.

So if you’ve ever wondered what Critical Mass is all about, join in the fun tonight at 5:30 (ride leaves at 6:00) at the North Park Blocks (NW Park & Burnside, near the elephant).

As a special bonus, join in the fun at “Bikes, Beer, Bingo Night” at Redwing Cafe, 1700 SE 6th Ave. It’s a benefit for local bike community ringleaders SHIFT and there will be prizes and fun-loving emcees to keep things rolling.

New bike trail to link NoPo to Swan Island!

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

…this just in off the Shift email list newswire…

The Oregon Transportation Commission approved a $1.2M Transportation Enhancement grant to the City of Portland for construction of the Waud Bluff Trail to Swan Island! This project will upgrade an existing “made trail” down the bluff from Willamette Blvd to the north end of Basin Avenue and will provide a bridge over the Union Pacific Railroad line. This old service road has been used for years for both getting to work and for accessing the Willamette River; the new Trail will make it a much safer, all year route for pedestrians and cyclists…it will connect the existing regional trail along the top of the Bluff…now primarily bike lanes… to the proposed river level N. Portland Greenway between the St Johns and Steel Bridges.

A very exciting addition to Portland’s bikeways! Congrats to the Swan Island Transportation Management Association!…and thanks to Joe Adamski for forwarding this info to the Shift email list.