4/25: Hello readers and friends. I'm still recovering from a surgery I had on 4/11, so I'm unable to attend events and do typical coverage. See this post for the latest update. I'll work as I can and I'm improving every day! Thanks for all your support 🙏. - Jonathan Maus, BikePortland Publisher and Editor

Job: Mechanic, Part Time – Left Coast Bicycles

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Job Title

Mechanic, Part Time

Company / Organization

Left Coast Bicycles

Job Description

We are in search of a qualified bike mechanic to join our mobile repair team to run bicycle service events for our home-based customers and our network of forward-thinking workplaces. Are you an experienced bike mechanic that is great with people? Already working at a shop and looking for more hours? Are you looking for independence, a flexible schedule, weekends off, and competitive hourly pay? If so, we’d like to hear from you!

Our ideal candidate exudes warmth and friendliness, is independent and has a confident attitude and character. You have rich and varied experience in the bicycle industry and are comfortable working on all varieties of bikes from clunky commuters to high-end carbon race bikes. You have excellent customer service skills, are able to communicate the nuances of each customer’s bicycle needs in an approachable, friendly way. You are a good problem solver with a can-do attitude, and you also work well as part of a team.

Job Info

You will be responsible for transporting our shop-on-wheels via bike or van to each location and providing a friendly on-site bike service.

This is a contract part-time position. Our schedule is variable, our assignments range from 1 to 5 days in length and are assigned based on your availability.

More assignments are available during March-November.

$15-$18 hourly pay (DOE).

Opportunities for advancement and full-time employment for strong candidates.

Access to wholesale parts / new bikes

Key Responsibilities

Transport of our bike-shop on wheels via bike or van to repair events in the Portland Metro area.

Set up of bicycle repair station and LCB promotional materials.

Thorough personalized bicycle repair estimates and tune-ups.

Run repair events independently and assist our Head Mechanic with repair events when needed.

Strong Candidates

At least 3 years’ experience (preferably 5 ) working in bike shops wrenching on a variety of bikes and able to perform accurate repair estimates and tune-ups efficiently.

A people person, a good communicator and efficient mechanic

Independent with excellent problem-solving skills.

Strong computer skills – Google docs, Microsoft Office Suite a plus

Experience using point of sale systems.

Clean driving record.

Mature, organized and a responsible team player.

Excited about the bike lifestyle and culture.

How to apply

Email your resume and cover letter to info@leftcoastbicycles.com.

Tell us a little bit about yourself, your experience and why you think you would be a great addition to our team.

How to Apply

Email your resume and cover letter to info@leftcoastbicycles.com.

Tell us a little bit about yourself, your experience and why you think you would be a great addition to our team.

Rider’s letter to PBOT Commissioner Chloe Eudaly calls out conditions on N Williams

Video still from Chris H’s camera shows a man driving in the bike lane on North Williams.
Watch it below.

[Note from publisher: I was CC’d on the letter below to Portland Bureau of Transportation Commissioner Chloe Eudaly this morning. It’s from a reader named Chris H.]

Dear Commissioner Eudaly,

Last night, as I was riding down N Williams, I noticed a motorist move into the bike lane and start driving down the bike lane because they felt that they didn’t need to wait in the motorist-only lane. I frequently have to correct motorist on how to use bike infrastructure and out of my interactions with motorist, I’d say a good 80% either don’t know they are doing anything wrong or at least pretend that they don’t know they are doing anything wrong, and they correct their course.

As you know, N Williams, purported by PBOT to be the most heavily used bike route in the city, doesn’t have a contiguous bike lane, nor does it have a single foot of evidence-based protected bike lane.

When I stopped to let the motorist know that he wasn’t allowed to drive in the bike lane, this is what happened;

Read more

Get Legal: Catch criminal behavior with an on-board camera

“When he slowed the video down, Hank was shocked to see that the vehicle’s passenger held a knife in his outstretched hand.”

Hank Bosak had front and rear cameras on his bike when he was assaulted with a knife by a passing car user.
(Photos: Thomas, Coon, Newton & Frost)

This post by lawyers Chris Thomas and Ray Thomas is part of a paid promotional partnership with Thomas, Coon, Newton & Frost.

Sometimes video evidence is essential to holding dangerous road users accountable. The case of our client Hank Bosak illustrates this well.

Read more

Weekend Event Guide: Slough Country Ramble, NW neighborhood gathering, and more

Sponsor This Post!

We’re looking for a great company that wants to be the sponsor of our Events Calendar and Weekend Event Guide. Please contact mausjonathan@gmail.com if interested.

I know all the sun this week has been distracting while you sit at work. But just a few more hours and you’ll have the whole weekend to soak it up.

Check our selection of to-dos below and have a great time out there…

Read more

Portland Police online crime reporting system now includes bike theft

Screen grab from PPB Citizen Online Reporting site.

In a bid to make crime reporting more convenient and free up officers for other calls, the Portland Police Bureau announced this week they’ve expanded the types of crimes that can be reported online.

Along with identity theft, telephone scams, shoplifting, and other crimes, you can now use the PPB’s Citizen Online Reporting System to report a bicycle theft. The new system can be used if the value of your bicycle is below $10,000 and there are no known suspects.

Officer Dave Sanders, founder of the PPB Bike Theft Task Force, says it’s a welcome step forward. “Hopefully this will encourage more folks to report their stolen bikes,” he shared with me earlier this week. Ofcr. Sanders added that he references police reports daily in his ongoing battle against Portland’s rampant bike theft problem (they’ve already recovered over 50 bikes so far this year). “We just got a bike back for a guy this morning in spite of an absent serial number,” he shared.

Read more

$5.9 million lawsuit says City of Portland is negligent for allowing parking at intersections

Graphic from lawsuit filed by Scott Kocher/Forum Law Group.

The idea of no-parking zones at intersections started with a state law. Then it became a point of contention for transportation activists, then a City of Portland policy, then a campaign from a walking advocacy group.

Now it has become the basis of a lawsuit.

Yesterday, Portland attorney Scott Kocher of Forum Law Group filed a $5.9 million lawsuit (PDF) against the City of Portland for negligence in the death of Elijah Coe, who was hit by a driver while riding his motorcycle on East Burnside in May 2019.

Read more

Job: Mechanics – Joe Bike

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Job Title

Mechanics*

Company / Organization

Joe Bike

Job Description

Joe Bike is opening a second, larger store on Clinton St in March. The new site will be the main store and Lincoln St. will offer service and supplies only. We’re hiring several experienced mechanics to work full- or part-time at either location. Ideal candidates will have at least two years’ bike shop experience and some sales experience. A friendly attitude, a passion for bikes and those who ride them, and good communications skills are required. Competitive pay, health insurance, paid time off, and three-day weekends. Both shops will have much more elbow room.

We’re also looking for an assistant manager and possibly salespeople who are highly knowledgeable and passionate about bikes.

People in underrepresented groups are encouraged to apply.

How to Apply

Please walk in with your resume during off-peak hours and ask for Matthew or Chris. A paid working interview is usually part of the process. References are required. If you’re not in Portland but plan to move here, please email matthew@joe-bike.com.

(*Publisher’s Note: We usually allow only one job per listing but we are making an exception here because this is part of a larger advertising campaign.)

Kasandra Griffin is leaving the Community Cycling Center

Incoming CCC Executive Director Jonnie Ling (left), Blaze the Trail Cat (center), and outgoing CCC ED Kasandra Griffin.
(Photo: Community Cycling Center)

Kasandra Griffin has decided to leave her job as Executive Director of the northeast Portland-based nonprofit Community Cycling Center.

In a statement to be released later today, the CCC says Griffin will leave at the end of February to spend more time with her family (Griffin and her wife are expecting a baby in early March). Taking her place will be longtime staffer Jonnie Ling, who’s been with the organization since being hired as a seasonal mechanic in 2008. Ling has worked his way up to Director of Programs and Enterprise, which means he supervises the managers of the CCC’s retail shop (Northeast Alberta Street), summer camps, and community programs.

Griffin began her tenure with the CCC in summer of 2017 and had previously worked for Upstream Public Health and served many years as a board member of The Street Trust. At the CCC, Griffin was a strong voice for cycling and active transportation activism. She spoke recently at the 2030 Bike Plan rally and was a member of the Getting There Together Coalition that’s pushing for a greener Metro transportation bond measure.

Read more