Putting the Frog through its paces at Clever Cycles.
(Photo: Eva Frazier)

I recently visited Clever Cycles to see what they recommend for kid bikes and I really liked what I saw in Frog Bikes[Read more…]

Practicing bike safety skills on the roads around our school.
(Photo: Madi Carlson)

Cycling education in local schools isn’t new — the City of Portland has been helping students learn bike safety skills since 2005. With partners like The Street Trust, the transportation bureau educates hundreds of elementary students through their Safe Routes to School program. This year they plan to graduate the program up to middle school.[Read more…]

The parties and parades will be much more fun if you plan ahead and get involved.
(Photo: J. Maus/BikePortland)

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160 pounds of carefully-placed 12-year old and 10-year old. Not easy, but doable!
(Photos: Madi Carlson)

I just realized I can still carry both my kids on my bike! But just barely. The barely part is due both to my ability to carry them and the amount of space on my bike. The ability part isn’t about not having an e-assist (though that would certainly make it easier and more fun), but being able to muscle the bike off its kick-stand and to hold it upright when stopped.

This has me thinking about biking with two tweens in general — as a single unit, that is — and how/if it’s really feasible.[Read more…]

The Lot at Scout Beer has great food, great bathrooms, and great kiddie play area, but zero bike parking.
(Photos: Madi Carlson)

There’s a lot to like about Portland. Our plentiful bike lanes (for an American city, that is) and our high percentage of bike commuters (again, by American standards), our temperate weather, and one of my favorite Portlandy things: our food cart pods!

While I love hanging out and eating at food cart pods, lately I’ve realized there are a lot of them that aren’t exactly bike-friendly, which downgrades them to almost perfect spots.[Read more…]

The best camp-hacking comes with a pool, cake, and karaoke.
(Photos: Madi Carlson)

Did you know house sitting is now called (by some at least) “rent hacking”? It sounds cool, but I prefer “camp hacking,” a term I coined for camping options beyond the usual parks and campgrounds. If you’re looking for a quick-and-dirty way to camp with your bikes, maybe it’s time to think outside the box.[Read more…]

We just biked to the last Portland Pickles baseball game of the regular season. I love biking to sporting events in the summer!
(Photo: Madi Carlson)

For those of us following the Portland Public Schools calendar, there are just two more weeks of summer break. I don’t know about you, but I’m hoping to sneak in a few more fun things on bikes before we’ve got to get back to the books. I’d like to hit a few new locations and maybe revisit a special spot or two.

How about you? Any last-minute summer flings planned? If not, here are three little bits of inspiration…[Read more…]