Did you hear? Oregon Governor Brown talks bikes in her first State of the State address

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Governor Brown is not afraid
to say the “b” word.

Given the sad state of cycling in our local politics, I was eager to hear if the issue was on the radar screen of Oregon’s new governor, Kate Brown.

Brown’s first State of the State address on April 17th was a great opportunity to plant a flag in the ground and let everyone know that when she thinks of transportation she can see beyond the status quo.

And guess what? I was not disappointed. Governor Brown mentioned bikes — not once but twice! It was just what I needed to allay my lingering disappointment from when Portland Mayor Charlie Hales — who was a Portland commissioner in bicycling’s heyday in the 1990s and rode into office in part for his progressive transportation bona fides — didn’t mention bikes at all in his State of the City address back in January.

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Job: Mechanic and Sales – Bike N’ Hike Beaverton

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Job Title
Mechanic and Sales

Company/Organization
Bike N’ Hike – Beaverton

Job Description
Beaverton Bike N Hike is currently hiring for positions in both sales and service. Bike mechanic applicants must have shop experience. Sales position applicants must have a positive attitude and a love for bicycles, no shop experience required.

How to Apply
Drop off a Resume at our Beaverton shop, located at 10120 SW Beaverton-Hillsdale Hwy, Beaverton, OR 97005. Or email a Resume to beaverton@bikenhike.com

Weekend Event Guide: Wonka, women, work, the world, and more

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If you have an oompa loompa costume, you might want to dust it off.
(Photo J Maus/BikePortland)

Welcome to your menu of weekend rides and events, lovingly brought to you by our friends at Hopworks Urban Brewery.

The forecast is a bit spotty the next few days, but you don’t let that stop you from riding do you? And if you do, we’ve got a few things in this week’s guide that are indoors (but you’ll still have to bike to them of course).

Our pick of the weekend is the big trail work party and campout that Portland Design Works is putting on. Imagine hanging out with a bunch of great people volunteering with the Forest Service to make awesome bike trails. Then imagine camping out afterwards and then riding the next day. That sounds like a winning combination to us.

Whatever you do this weekend, have fun! You’ve earned it.

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Job: Flexible PT Mechanic – SprocketFly

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Job Title
Flexible PT Mechanic

Company/Organization
SprocketFly

Job Description
SprocketFly’s mission is to provide fast, convenient, and exceptional service to bike riders all over town. As a SprocketFly Mobile Bike Tech, you’ll ensure Portlanders are safe on their wheels and are bowled over by your professionalism and outward friendliness.

You’ll be part of an upstart team of independent but affiliated can-do bike enthusiasts, and you’ll get wholesale access to repair parts and accessories. Many of our events are at offices and organizations around town, but we’re branching out more to servicing individuals where they live. Key benefits to you include independence/autonomy, schedule flexibility, and very competitive revenue share. We pay you directly to your bank account, and no cash changes hands at the point of service outside of tips.

Responsibilities:
-Service bikes where needed in PDX
-Be a great teammate at workplace events with other mechanics
-Provide Tune-ups, repairs, overhauls and installs
-Maintain and take stock of a shared pool of tools and supplies
-Be friendly
-Be prompt
-Be yourself

Strong candidates will:
-Be easily reachable through phone
-Be able to get around town efficiently with repair tools and supplies
-Reliably respond to emails
-Have a passion for the people who ride bikes as much as their equipment
-Be UBI certified
-Have retail and/or bike mechanic experience
-Have strong communications skills
-Be able to work well alone and with others

How to Apply
First, check out our website, our charity, pricing, and about us pages to learn more about what we do and how we do it: www.sprocketfly.com

Second, fill out our application:
www.sprocketfly.com/jobs

Third, introduce yourself to Dan via email:
support@sprocketfly.com

We’ll be in touch with you shortly if this seems like a good fit.

For ninth edition of Bike There map, Metro chops print price to $6

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Cover of the new map.

The definitive regional bike map has been updated with lots of new routes and a significant price cut.

Metro’s Bike There! map, published since 1982, will release its ninth edition next month in the first update since 2010. There’s a lot to keep up with: the number of mapped bike routes in the Oregon side of the Portland metro area has shot up 71 percent since 2010.

The current bike map shows 675 miles of on-street routes and 234 miles of off-street paths. For the new one, it’ll be 1,008 miles of on-street routes and 550 of off-street.

Also added to the new edition of the map, according to Metro (our regional government): “popular recreational off-road destinations where [users] can enjoy the area’s natural beauty.”

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Guest post: What you can do to improve bicycling in Portland right now

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Gerik Kransky, in brown.
(Photos: J.Maus/BikePortland)

Editor’s note: This post is from Gerik Kransky, advocacy director of the Bicycle Transportation Alliance.

Last week was a big week for conversations among people who ride bikes, advocates, activists, media, and the general public. Everyone is talking about the petition to rescind Portland’s Platinum bicycle-friendly status by the League of American Bicyclists.

So what’s next? How do we push today to improve conditions for bicycling tomorrow? Here are five ideas for immediate action.

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On-bike air conditioning system and a periscope: Two things you didn’t know you needed

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Hit the Spruzza for a quick cool mist.

Here at BikePortland we get a fair amount of product pitches (especially since the advent of crowd-funding). Just when I think I’ve seen it all, something new pops up. Cases in point are two products that have found their way into our inbox in the past few weeks: A periscope and an on-board mister for your bicycle.

Yes, you read that right.

The Spruzza ($59) is described as, “an on-board cooling system that attaches quickly and easily to your bike. Spruzza ‘air-conditions’ by allowing you to spray just enough water to cover and cool your head, face and neck. The relief from the heat is immediate.”

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Latest Headlines

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Guest Opinion: Stop tinkering with the TUF and fix the actual problem

Weekend Event Guide: Ladds 500, ride for a judge, bicycle show, and more

From the Archives

The 10 busiest bicycling spots in Portland