Raingear comes in all styles, forms
— and budgets.
(Photo © J. Maus)

Now that the rain has arrived in earnest, it’s time to get the daily wet weather riding routine down pat.

For many of us, that isn’t going to include shopping for a new, name brand rain jacket and pants, fancy washable wool, or a new bike with disc brakes.

Fortunately there are plenty of local options for staying warm and reasonably dry without going broke. [Read more…]

Yes that’s duct tape,
with a reflective star.
(Photos © J. Maus)

Tomas Quinones can be seen frequently on Shift bike fun rides, Cycle Wild camping trips, and other bike cultural events.

He recently began making, and selling, simple handlebar bags made out of duct tape. In Quinones’ words:

I started making them for my own use back in January after I grew tired of my large Ortlieb handlebar bag preventing me from using a light on my handlebars. I just wanted something small and simple for snacks, batteries, and camera so that a light can be used effectively without any type of special mounting. Most other bags I had seen were too large or more complex than needed.

[Read more…]

Castelli’s high tech,
Insolito Radiation Jacket.

Three Portland-based bike apparel companies woke up to good news this morning — some prominent publicity in USA Today.

Their resident bike reporter Sal Ruibal featured clothing suitable for cold winter commuting. Among the brands listed are Portland companies Showers Pass, Rapha, and Castelli.[Read more…]

Marion Rice and daughter Gleneden

This article was written by our Family Biking columnist Marion Rice. For previous articles in this series, and for links to other articles and photos on family biking, check out the Family Biking Page.

[Read more…]