After a decade of service in northwest Portland, 21st Avenue Bicycles is closing

Sign on the door of 21st Avenue Bicycles.
(Photo: Park Chambers)

Portland’s ever-changing bike retail landscape is taking another turn.

21st Avenue Bicycles, a fixture in northwest Portland since it opened in 2007, will close for good on May 12th. This storefront was previously Northwest Bicycles, which had been in operation since 1975.

Owner Park Chambers says he’s selling the building that houses the 2,000 square-foot shop and he’s decided the time has come to move on. Chambers, 48, told me in a phone call today that he suffered a stroke back in November. “Being paralyzed for a week” gave him time to reflect and he’s decided to simplify his life and focus on the two other bike shops he owns: Both of which cater to his main passion of mountain biking.

Chambers bought Fat Tire Farm, a shop on NW Thurman that specializes in mountain biking, in 1997. In June 2014 he opened Hood River Bicycles. He opened a suspension-tuning specialty shop called Traction Works in Portland in March 2016 and he moved that into the back of Fat Tire Farm last June.

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Despite need for “safe systems” approach, crash reports still put responsibility on victims

(Photo: Jonathan Maus).

This story is by Greg Spencer, a writer and editor and proud dad of two bike-commuting kids. He’s also a volunteer with the local chapter of Families for Safe Streets.

In Metro’s draft 2018 State of Safety Report, previewed last month on BikePortland, the latest regional road crash data is analyzed, and it’s done for the first time from the perspective of Vision Zero, a policy framework that aims to eliminate deaths and serious injuries.

But some of the presented data do not reflect the Vision Zero ethos, which says that road safety is a shared community burden, not one that’s primarily on the backs of crash victims.

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It’s silly season in Portland’s bike lanes: Please try to be nice about it

North Williams Avenue, May 3rd 2016.
(Photos: Jonathan Maus)

I received a disturbing text from a reader this morning (trigger warning: language might be upsetting to some readers):

“Got yelled at by a guy on a bike on Better Naito today. He stopped in front of me to yell at me for being selfish. Apparently I was riding too slowly because I was unsure how to cross the lane to turn left onto Oak. Two blocks later I was called a faggot and spit on. It’s chaos out there and commuter race season has begun.”

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It’s now officially Better Naito season

Ceremonial parade loop on Better Naito this morning.
(Photos: Jonathan Maus)

“All through the long, dark winter, I eagerly await the day when bollards spring from the pavement and we know that Better Naito season is upon us again.”

With those words by Biketown General Manager Dorothy Mitchell, the City of Portland officially opened Better Naito this morning.

From now until the end of September, Naito Parkway will have more room for biking, walking and rolling between the Hawthorne and Steel Bridges. The re-allocation of road space was first made possible in 2015 by a group of volunteer activists from Better Block PDX in collaboration with planning students from Portland State University. Last year the project was taken over by the Portland Bureau of Transportation and they’ve now budgeted for a seasonal installation for the next four years.

Last year PBOT counted 500,000 trips in the Better Naito lane and it has been widely hailed as a success.

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E-bikes and Oregon State Parks & Recreation Rules

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

ON Monday April 23rd, Oregon Parks and Recreation (OPRD) held their first open hearing regarding allowance of e-bikes on state park paths and several beaches.

What I found fascinating was that all the personal testimony of individuals and also 3 businesses which rent and sell e-bikes were completely positive. In March I was at the League of American Bicyclists in DC and attended a presentation regarding regulation of e-bikes. That meeting was very contentious and polarized. It appeared to me an old guard of “e-bikes are not real bikes” versus “e-bikes are here to stay” crowd were leading to a civil war. Not happening here.

I was happy to be in Oregon on Monday hearing real stories of how e-bikes make a difference. One Hood River resident, 79 years old man, who had ridden his bike to work for 40 years has found his strength difficult to bike as much during the past two years and had stopped bicycling. He – in the past month – tried an e-bike and he was embracing a new life as he spoke. Another testimony came from an athletic man whose wife did not have the love of road bicycling and he said that an e=bike had given them a togetherness again in bicycling together (twas sad we did not hear her voice this tale). And of course the vendors stated the smiles apparent on everyone trying out an e-bike. Another wonderful testimony was from a walker on the Hatfield tunnel/Mosier trail who commented that the strength-training-lycra-human-powered crowd were zooming by most of the e-bike users and pedestrians at 30+ mph. Given that the e-bikes have hair dryer equivalent 750/1000 watt electric motors, she was most elegant retiring the worry of ebikes going over 20 mph. (for you engineers: 746 watts equals 1 horsepower)

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Job: Marketing Manager – Portland Design Works – FILLED

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Sorry, this job has been filled. Browse more great jobs here.

Job Title

Marketing Manager

Company / Organization

Portland Design Works

Job Description

Portland Design Works (PDW) was established in 2008 to create beautiful, simple gear for everyday cycling. We’re a small team working together to design functional, fun products that cyclists ride on road, paths and trails around the world. We are proud of the positive impact we have on the community as a long-term 1% For the Planet business member.

PDW is looking for a Marketing Manager to support our marketing and communication strategies across our digital channels, at events, and through business, media, and nonprofit partnerships. In this role, you’ll be the voice of the brand. You will work closely with your coworkers to build and scale marketing efforts that will continue to grow our brands’ recognition in both B2C and B2B markets. The Marketing Manager position is full-time and based out of our SE Portland office. Schedule is Monday through Friday with occasional weekend work for events.

Responsibilities:
– Create and implement marketing plan and brand communication strategy
– Manage the production, publication and maintenance of digital and print assets including websites, social media accounts, ad campaigns and promotional materials
– Develop and manage marketing operating budget
– Produce brand videos and photo collections through relationships with third party producers
– Work with designer to develop digital media assets that adhere to brand standards
– Develop content for and analyze results of enewsletter and automation flow campaigns
– Maintain and grow brand presence across social media accounts
– Work with our Web Development Contactor to develop and continually optimize website functionality and digital marketing initiatives
– Manage event and tradeshow calendars
– Foster relationships with media editors and influencers to drive brand awareness
– Manage sponsorship program and partnerships with cycling nonprofits and advocacy groups

Experience and Skills:
– Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience (preferably within Marketing, PR, Communications or similar field)
– 3+ years of professional marketing experience
– Ability to work both independently and as part of a small team
– Strong communication, organizational and time management skills a must
– Experience managing projects with many moving parts
– Experience developing content for websites and social media channels for a business
– Experience reading and analyzing website and email data
– High energy, self-starter with an outgoing personality
– Proficient using Microsoft Office and G Suite and, ideally, Shopify and MailChimp
– Passionate about the positive impact of bicycles

How to Apply

Interested candidates should send a resume and cover letter that explains why you'd like to join the PDW team to careers@ridepdw.com.

Snacks, shade and seven other ways to make this your best spring ever

No sleeves, no problem.
(Photos: Madi Carlson)

The sun is back! The bike racks at our elementary school have gone from almost empty to overflowing; area parks have unlocked their bathrooms and turned on the drinking fountains; hearty, year-round bike commuters are noticing (and possibly complaining about) the return of their fair-weather cohorts.

Our Family Biking column is sponsored by Clever Cycles.

➤ Read past entries here.

Just as we (or I, anyway) forget everything we know about rain by the end of summer and it takes a couple dousings to reassemble our fall wardrobe, the sun catches many of us off-guard and we suffer through sunburns and dehydration while we remember how to cope with that blinding ball in the sky.

So here’s a list of things to make it your best spring ever…

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Driver who hit and killed man crossing Gresham-Fairview Trail gets two years in prison

The Multnomah County District Attorney’s office announced a 24-month prison sentence to the man who killed 21-year-old Robert Esparza in 2016.

According to a statement released this afternoon, 75-year-old Alex Jacoby was driving his Corvette nearly 80 mph when as raced down NE Glisan Street in the early morning hours. Esparza was in a marked Gresham-Fairview Trail crossing prior to the collision.

“During the investigation, the East County Vehicular Crimes Team learned that moments prior to the crash,” reads the statement, “The defendant had aggressively challenged two other drivers to a street race. When he was unable to convince those other drivers to race, Jacoby sped off at a very high rate of speed.”

Multnomah County Chief Deputy District Attorney Kirsten Snowden, who prosecuted this case, said Esparza would not have been hit if Jacoby was driving the speed limit of 40 mph.

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