Guest Article: A ‘Simple’ bicycle: Made under one roof

A trio of Portland bike businesses came together
to build this bike, and it all happened under one roof.
(Photos and story by David Boerner)

This story and photos are by local freelance writer David Boerner.

I work under the Hawthorne Bridge in Portland’s Central Eastside or “Industrial Inner SE” – a jumble of worn out concrete, “freelance creatives,” hip eateries, and homeless people, sloping down the banks of the Willamette River from MLK to the water. Most people see only the warehouse rooftops, blasting over the neighborhood on the Hawthorne, Morrison, or Burnside bridges to get across the river. But underneath those bridges are some of the most interesting businesses in Portland, including a whole bunch of bike industry.

There are four bike companies in my building at the corner of Madison and 3rd Ave: Simple Bicycle Company/Arctos Jigs, Ruckus Composites*, and L’Ecu Bicycles.
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