Just one week to go!

In case you haven’t heard, Portland’s bike-centric holiday gift fair is back! BikeCraft 2017 is December 15-17 at the Bike Farm (1810 NE 1st Ave.) and it’s powered by Microcosm Publishing.

To get you ready, our friend Elly Blue (Microcosm’s co-owner and marketing director) has been profiling the fantastic people behind the crafts (see the all of them here). Below are the latest three BikeCrafters you’ll get to meet at the big event…
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10 years ago Dingo the Clown performed for the final time at the “Clown house” on Alberta.
(Photos: J. Maus/BikePortland)

This is the first attempt at new thing I’ll be doing on Fridays: A look back into the BikePortland archives to see where we’ve been and how we have — or haven’t — changed.

It’s no coincidence that this also happens to be the 12th birthday of BikePortland. On this date in 2005 I bought the domain name, plugged in a free WordPress theme, and never looked back.

Actually, I have looked back. A few times. Luckily I never gave in to the temptation to give up. It hasn’t been easy surviving this long. But I’m very glad to still be here. I love this job more than ever and I’m committed to making this thing a true success once and for all (I’ll save what I mean by “true success” for another day). I think being around so long (relatively-speaking, for a blogger) gives me a greater appreciation for the value of longevity both to me personally and to the community-at-large. There’s a history of this place and its relationship to cycling that lives inside my head and on these pages. I hold a lot of different threads and I relish every opportunity to weave them together and try to expand the scope of understanding and provide historical context for our current decisions.

Which brings me to the “Flashback Friday” idea.

With 21,700 Front Page stories published so far, the BikePortland archives are like a real-time account of biking in this city since April 2005 (which is when I started doing the “Bike Fun” blog on OregonLive.com and before I transferred all those posts to BikePortland.org). It’s probably safe to say that I care about these archives more than anyone else on earth. They’re full of past friends and acquaintances, heartache and hope, fun and frustration.

So let’s dive into this first edition. What were we talking about in July 2007?
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The Salmon Street Fountain will be the last stop at tonight’s water-themed Portland Bike Party. Bring a swimsuit.
(Photo © J.Maus/BikePortland)

This menu of delicious rides and events is brought to you by our friends at Hopworks Urban Brewery. Their support makes BikePortland possible.

The peak of summer isn’t letting us go yet. This week’s heat wave will continue through this first weekend of August before slackening off. It’s a perfect reminder to savor what we’ve got, at least in between gulps of water. There’s plenty of outdoor fun to choose from.

Friday, July 31

Fly to Pie Kid Ride – 2 p.m. at Oregon Park (NE Hoyt and 29th)
Bike-based clowns Olive and Dingo lead a ride celebrating fairies, bugs, birds, bats, squirrels and of course flying monkeys. Put on your wings and ride to the Pie Spot for food and story time. Suggested $5 donation includes balloon animals and clown show. More info here.

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Marine Drive path = year-round fun.
(Photo by J. Maus/BikePortland)

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

I hope everyone is OK after that very crazy windstorm last night. With that behind us, the weekend forecast looks clear. It’ll be a bit cooler as a result, but at least it’ll be dry.

If you’re looking to stay sharp this winter, we’ve got some great suggestions below. And if you are looking to add a few key pieces to your winter riding kit, or finally get that new bike you’ve been waiting for, we’ve got the details on a major sale.

Have fun out there!
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Competitors Ryan Hashagen (R) and Michael Jones work together to lift a loaded cargo bike over one of the many obstacles on the course.
(Photos by Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

“I help you, you help me!”

Those aren’t the words you expect to hear during a competitive cycling event. But when the event — the third annual Disaster Relief Trials — is based around a mock disaster and the competitors are piloting 150 pounds or more of bike and cargo on a challenging, 35-mile course, teamwork takes priority over individual gain.
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How low could you go? The bike limbo competition was fierce at Saturday’s Bike Fair.
(Photos by J. Maus/BikePortland)

While the Sprockettes deservedly got most of the spotlight at the Bike Fair on Saturday, there was a bunch of other great action.[Read more…]

Colonel Summers Park has been home to countless Bike Fair memories over the years.
(Photos J. Maus/BikePortland)

For years, local bike fun organization Shift held the big, blowout, grand finale Pedalpalooza event — the Multnomah County Bike Fair — at Colonel Summers Park. But a few years ago, permit costs, tricky regulations, and other issues led organizers to move the event to a vacated street next to an abandoned high school in southeast Portland.

Since that move (in 2010) there’s been something missing. The crowds never got as large as the old days and the new location just didn’t have the same celebratory vibe.

That’s why, I’m happy to report that this year the Bike Fair is back at its original location! And the buzz around town is that it’ll be bigger and better than ever. [Read more…]

What a weekend! Portland’s summer bike festival continues. Here are some of next week’s highlights. (And one lowlight.)

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A huge parade kicked off Pedalpalooza last night.
(Photos J. Maus/BikePortland)

The 2014 Pedalpalooza got rolling in grand fashion last night as hundreds of people rode in the Kickoff Parade. As usual, spirits were soaring at this ride that marks the beginning of the three-week event.
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