“I no longer feel alone”: Theft victim on bike tour showered with support

Supporters toast Kim Minhyeong (smiling in center) at Apex on Thursday.
(Photos courtesy Bryan Hance)

What Portland bike thieves took away, our community is giving back.

As we shared last week, South Korean bike tourer Kim Minhyeong was pedaling through Portland on his dream trip when his bike was stolen from outside the Southeast Hawthorne Fred Meyer. It was fully loaded with all his gear, including his laptop, camera, and more. As word spread, Bryan Hance from Bike Index decided to help. Hance swung into action and held a fundraiser for Kim last Thursday.

According to Hance, about 40 people showed up to Apex Bar — many of them with gear and donations in-hand. They showed Minhyeong what Portland is really all about as they shared free food donated to the event by Grind Musubi. “Definitely made me proud to be a Portlander! It was overwhelming, I won’t lie.” Hance wrote on in an email to supporters.

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A Weekend(er) of friends and fun in McMinnville

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Lars Larson with that, there’s-only-10-miles-to-the-finish-line, smile.
(Photos: J. Maus/BikePortland)

Cycle Oregon is many things. The organization — in the midst of its 30th year — is dedicated to helping all of Oregon reach its economic and cycling potential while putting on events that bring people closer to new places and faces.

Cycling is at the heart of what Cycle Oregon does; but they’re really in the people business. When you “do” a Cycle Oregon event it’s entirely possible to come away with more memories of the people you rode with than the roads you pedaled on. That’s especially true on their Weekender event. Without the physical challenge of the much more grueling Classic ride (the seven-day event they’re most known for), Weekender is much more accessible in both price ($199 versus $999) and pain (120 miles over two days versus 490 miles over seven days). This means it might be doable for friends who aren’t as nutty about cycling as you are.

This past weekend I invited a few friends to join me on the ride. We chose to ride 78 miles from Portland to the base camp at Linfield College in McMinnville on Friday (thankfully someone drove our bags down for us). We followed that up with 73 miles on Saturday and a 52-miler on Sunday. None of the days had a significant amount of climbing and we kept our average speed chill and conversational (13-15 mph). It’s also worth noting that we chose the longest of three possible routes both days. (This event would be great if you have friends that would rather ride just 15 or 40 miles a day.) In between miles in the saddle we relaxed, got to know each other a bit better (easier to do than at home where our kids and other responsibilities constantly loom), soaked up the small-town charms of McMinnville, and let Cycle Oregon’s legendary hospitality do the rest.

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Weekend Event Guide: Faraday, Weekender, gravel grind, Larch Mtn, and more

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A few thousand people are headed to these quiet country roads south of McMinnville for Cycle Oregon’s Weekender ride.
(Photo: J. Maus/BikePortland)

It’s prime bike adventure season. Whether you’ve been itching to explore your neighborhood or the great state of Oregon, now is the time to do it.

There’s a nice selection of rides and events this week. Check out the full menu below…

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Jobs of the Week: Metropolis, Argonaut, Cycle Oregon, Performance, Bike Gallery, Cynergy, WashCo BTC

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Summer hiring season is in full effect! If you are looking to break into the Portland bike scene — or looking for a new gig, check out these hot and fresh job listings.

Learn more about each one via the links below…

–> Summer Shop Help – Metropolis Cycle Repair

–> Customer Service / Volunteer Manager – Cycle Oregon

–> Sales Associate – Performance Bicycle

–> Full Time Painter – Argonaut Cycles

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7 interesting nuggets buried inside Oregon’s new transportation bill

People walking - SE Powell at 93rd-1

Powell Blvd got a major funding boost in the bill, but it’s biggest advocate inexplicably voted no.
(Photo: J. Maus/BikePortland)

Oregon’s statewide transportation bill is on its way to Governor Kate Brown’s desk. With support from boths sides of the aisle it passed the House yesterday 39-20 and passed the Senate today 22-7.

House Bill 2017 was on the rocks just weeks before its passage; but that was before lawmakers hashed out major compromises. The initial proposal would have raised over $8 billion dollars — including about $777 million for four freeway widening projects in the Portland metro region. Funding for those projects would have come from a new local gas tax and increased registration fees. Those fees and taxes brought auto lobbyist groups out of the woodwork in opposition. With the threat of referral to voters, lawmakers slashed the funding for those highway projects, reduced the size of tax increases, and ultimately shrank the bill’s overall revenue by about $3 billion (they also got environmental groups and Republicans to agree to changes in the low carbon fuels program).

The amended bill will raise $5.2 billion over 10 years. And while the big-ticket highway project earmarks — including I-5 expansion at the Rose Quarter — went way down, the revenue share for public transit, biking and walking remained intact.

Among other things, the bill will provide: $103 million a year to transit agencies to improve bus service via a 0.1% employee-paid tax on wages; $125 million for Safe Routes to School via a 40% matching grant program; and an estimated seven million per year (exact amount will fluctuate) dedicated to paved paths and multi-use trails via a combination of sources including a $15 bike tax. The boost in gas tax revenue will also help pay for road projects that will include a minimum of 1 percent investment in biking and walking-related upgrades thanks to Oregon’s “Bike Bill”.

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Job: Summer Shop Help – Metropolis Cycle Repair

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Job Title *
Summer Shop Help

Company/Organization *
Metropolis Cycle Repair

Job Description *
We are looking for a motivated individual to help customers in our busy retail and service shop. Bike shop experience is not necessary, but retail experience is a huge plus. Enthusiasm for bikes both as sport and transport is an absolute must. Working weekends is also a must. Position is available immediately and will run until October.

Duties include:
Answering phones
Greeting customers and assisting with bike and accessory sales
Cleaning and stocking
Cash handling/ ringing up purchases
Minor mechanical tasks (depending on experience)

Pay is $11-12 DOE.

How to Apply *
Please submit a resume and cover letter either in person or email to info@metropoliscycles.com.

It’s official: Oregon now has a $15 bike tax

Read it and weep. Or rejoice, if you think it’s a great idea.

With passage in the Senate today, Oregon’s transportation bill is headed to the Governor’s desk for signing.

We’ve got lots more coverage planned, but there’s one thing that I felt should be singled out. Take a deep breath and consider this: Oregon is now the only state in America with a bicycle excise tax.

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Not so fast e-bike riders: Motors aren’t allowed on bike paths in Oregon State Parks

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Riders on the Historic Columbia River State Trail.
(Photos: J. Maus/BikePortland)

Last week we posted a story about how electric bicycles have opened up new riding opportunities in the Columbia River Gorge. But it turns out it’s illegal to ride an e-bike on the Historic Columbia River State Trail — or on any other paved bike path within the Oregon State Parks system.

We’ve since updated that story with a note after learning about the issue from a commenter (Park Chambers, who happens to own Fat Tire Farm and Hood River Bikes) and then confirming the facts in a phone call with an Oregon State Parks spokesperson.

This prohibition of e-bikes on paved trails caught me off-guard. As pedal-assisted bikes gain in popularity, I think the issue merits a closer look.

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Watch the Tour de France at these three local hangouts

The 2017 Tour de France is going full steam ahead. As the racers head into stage seven of the 21-stage event, there’s already been quite a bit of drama.

Unfortunately it’s hard to find good TV coverage in the U.S. and if you’re like me — even if you’d like to keep up — it’s sort of a pain if you don’t have a big cable TV package. And even if you find a good streaming package online, it’s kind of nice to watch a stage in public. Who knows, you might meet other people as excited about bike racing as you are.

If you’re looking for a fun and reliable place to see the pain and suffering and glory unfold, look no further than these three local hangouts. Each one of them will have the day’s stage on a big-screen starting at 5:00 pm.:

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Job: Customer Service / Volunteer Manager – Cycle Oregon

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Job Title *
Customer Service / Volunteer Manager

Company/Organization *
Cycle Oregon

Job Description *
Cycle Oregon is looking for a new member for their team.

This is a FT salaried position with benefits.

The Customer Service and Volunteer Manager is a highly-skilled professional with demonstrated skills in providing excellent customer service and managing a volunteer program. They provide expertise, insight and support to the Cycle Oregon event team. The Customer Service and Volunteer Manager represents Cycle Oregon to volunteers, participants and the general public, and, working closely with the Executive Director and the Events Director, ensures an informed and qualified volunteer corps that can support operations. They help develop operational tactics, sound practices and supportive relationships, both internally and externally, that result in cooperative and cost-effective collaborations that further the delivery of the Cycle Oregon brand promise.

Essential Job Functions:
Planning and Project Management
Customer Service
Volunteer Management
Communication Coordination

General Qualifications
Minimum Requirement of a Bachelor’s Degree in a related field, with at least 2 years professional experience as a Customer Service and Volunteer Coordinator or comparable role. Expertise in volunteer coordination, customer service, and communications preferred.

In addition, candidate will possess:
• Confidence to work with great autonomy
• Capacity to motivate volunteers.
• Skills in social media, online database and registration systems and communications tools.
• Skills in website management and email marketing (WordPress, Adwords, etc.)
• Proficient in MS Office Suite, Adobe.
• Excellent written, verbal and public speaking skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to work well with diverse populations.
• A high degree of integrity and professionalism that garners the trust and respect of others.
• A professional demeanor tailored to meeting deadlines while managing conflicting priorities.
• Organizational skills when working under pressure.

Salary range: competitive with comparable positions within Portland market DOE
Benefits: Health, retirement, PTO per Cycle Oregon policy
Hours: Full time, flexible. Some evenings, weekend and travel required throughout the year.
Reports to: Events Director

How to Apply *
To apply, please send a cover letter, resume and three references (in one file) via email to: Tom Simonson, tom@cycleoregon.com
Application deadline is Friday August 4, 2017

Here are the winning designs of Portland’s ‘Bike to Books’ bike lane stencil contest

A few of the winners. See them all below.

This is Portland at its finest: An art contest to create new bike lane characters that’s hosted by the Bureau of Transportation with the aim of getting more young people to read and ride bikes to the library.

Read that last sentence again and think about how many things have to be working right for something like that to happen. (Hints: A great education/encouragement program at PBOT’s Active Transportation Division; streets safe enough for to make neighborhood cycling a viable option for many young people; and a strong, community-supported library system.)

PBOT launched their ‘Bike to Books’ bike lane art coloring contest on May 1st. They received 196 entries and judged them for originality, creativity, and whimsy.

Here are the winners…

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With six kids and no car, this mom does it all by bike