It’s not every day that a local shop builds up a $20,000 bike that was made in collaboration with a legendary auto racing company.
Zen Bicycle Fabrication, a bike frame manufacturer based in north Portland, has launched an in-house brand of bicycles under the Zen Bike Co. label.
Zen launched back in October 2011 and has found a niche for themselves by making production runs of frames for many other brands.
Here are the great bike links from around the world that caught our eyes this week:
Automatic lifesaving: Street-scanning, self-braking technology is already saving lives. So why isn’t it required in every car yet?
Handlebar cam: The Fly12 is a combination headlight/video camera.
The densest major industrial park in Portland seems likely to lose its tiny transportation advocacy organization after a proposed funding shift from the Metro regional government.
The Swan Island Transportation Management Association currently relies on Metro for 59 percent of its revenue, with businesses based in the North Portland industrial park providing the remainder. In a round of grants announced Friday, Metro cut all its funding for the Swan Island TMA as well as for the similar organizations in the Lloyd District and Washington Park.
From afar, Portland’s bridges are civic treasures. Up close, they’re little slices of rural highway in the middle of the most beautiful part of the city.
To its credit, Multnomah County asked for ways to change this, and this week BikePortland readers certainly delivered — none more comprehensively and persuasively than reader MaxD, whose Tuesday morning comment on the subject picked up on points raised by many other readers.
As Amtrak invests in improving its trains to carry bikes, some customers are warning that Amtrak’s buses are falling behind.
The Amtrak Cascades line, between Eugene and Vancouver BC, is both one of the most-ridden regional rail lines in the country and maybe the bike-friendliest. For $5 on top of your fare, you can easily check an unboxed bike to most stops on the line and reclaim it like any other bit of luggage.
The service has been so popular that the hooks in Amtrak’s baggage cars started filling up. So two years ago, the Cascades added more hooks, boosting its bike capacity by 67 percent.
Welcome to your menu of weekend rides and events, lovingly brought to you by our friends at Hopworks Urban Brewery.
Looks like we’ve got another weekend of stellar weather ahead. Might as well take advantage of it with a bike ride right?
If you don’t already have something planned, perhaps we can entice you to one of the rides below. Whatever you do, have a great weekend!
Dropout Bicycle Club Ride – 9:00 pm at Colonel Summers Park (SE 20th & Belmont)
Join the Dropouts for their monthly “freakbike social ride.” Show off your latest creation and/or check out what other two-wheeled creations other people have dreamed up. The ride will go late and you will have fun and/or an adventure. More info here.
Thursday on the political blog BlueOregon, veteran Portland transportation wonk Ron Buel warned Oregonians eager for a gas tax hike to be careful what they wish for.
Though there’s almost universal consensus among Oregon Democrats that human-caused global warming is a catastrophic threat to the state, Buel writes that
It’s also an article of Democratic Party faith in Oregon that our highway infrastructure needs to be built out at breakneck speed in order to deal with growing congestion on the state’s highways, so that our economy can thrive. The annual Oregon Business Summit, held earlier this year, attended by thousands of businessmen, and capturing our leading politicians of both parties to speak there, recently proclaimed this congestion as the state’s number one issue. The Democratic Party in Oregon seems led by the nose by unions who also love that argument, including particularly the building trades and the AFL-CIO, who are dying for these local union highway construction jobs that used to be so numerous but have virtually disappeared as people drive less and drive vehicles that use less gas per mile.
We’ve had seven great job opportunities listed this week. Check them out via the links below…
Sorry, this job has been filled. Browse more great jobs here.
Job Title
Lead Mechanic
Company/Organization
Pedal Bike Tours
Job Description
Pedal Bike Tours is seeking a Lead Bicycle Mechanic.
Qualified candidates will be familiar with a wide range of bicycle technologies as necessary to service wheels, brakes, shifting systems, bearing assemblies, and suspension.
We see vintage, mountain, road, bmx and kids bikes. Our customers include fair weather cyclists to couriers and racers. No matter the bike or style, we take care to address our customers’ concerns and keep them biking safely.
We also have a fleet of roughly 90 rental bikes that require regular maintenance.
In addition to servicing bikes, the Lead Mechanic is responsible for repair shop organization, parts ordering, and retail sales.
Two years of experience as a professional bicycle mechanic is required. UBI or a similar certification is recommended.
This position is for year-round employment. Hours vary seasonally from 25 to 40 hours per week. Compensation is dependent upon experience. $13-15/hour.
How to Apply
To apply, send your resume and a brief paragraph about your interest in working here to:
info@pedalbiketours.com
Pedal Bike Tours is a friendly and cooperative workplace. We’re looking for a positive, motivated, and passionate individual to join our team!
www.pedalbiketours.com
As Oregon creates its first-ever comprehensive biking and walking wishlist, it’s run into a hard question: how should it rank the importance of the many projects on its list?
The question comes three years after a round of ODOT’s federal grant applications for Portland-area biking and walking projects came up completely empty. As the next federal grant deadline approaches, ODOT is hoping that by creating a more sophisticated system to choose its top projects — a complete sidewalk along 82nd Avenue, maybe, or a crosswalk beacon on North Lombard street — it won’t miss out on the next round of federal grants.
If you commute across the Sellwood Bridge, you might want to add an extra 20 minutes to your trip just to be safe.