Screenshot from the first forum: District 6.

Seattle’s City Council is facing its biggest shakeup since, well, the last time the seven district-based seats were up for a vote.

An unprecedented 56 candidates are running for the City Council seats, and only three incumbents are seeking another term (Crosscut put together a handy candidate guide). So we are guaranteed at least four new members on the Council, one seat away from a voting majority (the two at-large Council seats, held by Teresa Mosqueda and Lorena Gonzáles, are not up for election until 2021 along with the mayor).

You can hear candidates talk about transportation, housing and sustainability at a series of forums over the next couple weeks that members of the Move All Seattle Sustainably coalition have organized:

• May 21: District 6, 5:30 p.m. at the Phinney Neighborhood Association
• May 23: District 3, 7 p.m. at the Washington State Labor Council
• May 28: District 2, 6p.m. at the New Holly Gathering Hall
• May 29, District 7, 6 p.m. at SEIU 775
• May 30, District 4, 5:30 p.m. at the Cascade Cycling Center in Magnusson Park

If you don’t know your district, enter your address on this page to find out. The primary is not until August 6, but don’t wait to register. If you are new to King County, we vote by mail here, which is wonderful. Register now to avoid any hassles getting your ballot. Since primary votes happen in the middle of summer, it’s easy to get distracted or busy and miss deadlines. Voter turnout is much lower in the August primary than in the November general election, which means your vote is especially important.

The MASS coalition is not currently planning primary forums for Districts 1 or 5. Only three people are running in District 1 including incumbent Lisa Herbold, and two of them will make it through the primary. So West Seattle has the easiest job for the next couple months. Six people are running in District 5, the same number as District 3. But neither of those has as many candidates as the open seats in 2, 4, 6 and 7. District 6 takes the cake with a stunning 14 candidates for Mike O’Brien’s spot.

The big business lobby has said they will spend big this year to try to win a majority they see as favorable to their interests. Meanwhile, the democracy voucher system has empowered more grassroots-level candidates than ever before. Sprinkle some candidates with disturbing and dehumanizing ideas about homeless people into the mix, and we have the makings for one of the toughest Council campaigns in recent memory. It will be a true test of the city’s values.

There are few major transportation measures in the near future (the Transportation Benefit District will need to be renewed in some form, but there are no votes on the scale of Move Seattle or Sound Transit 3). Instead, Councilmembers will be tasked with fulfilling the will of the voters and enacting the plans developed and funded over the past decade.

In some ways, this is harder than passing grand measures because it requires getting dirty and working through the finer details of compromise and change that our city needs if we are going to continue shifting more and more trips to biking, walking and transit. Neighborhood streets need to change. The amount of housing, especially near frequent transit service, needs to grow. Economic, racial and disability barriers need to be torn down. None of this work will be easy, and we will need a Council that is ready to hold the mayor accountable for completing this work.

Below is the event description for the District 6 forum tomorrow (Tuesday):

Join us for a City Council candidate forum focusing on making Seattle a more affordable and sustainable community. We will be hearing from candidates for City Council in District 6 as they answer questions about housing, mass transit, ensuring everyone is able to use our streets safely and achieving Vision Zero, reducing carbon emissions, and centering racial equity in all of this work.

This forum will be moderated by Heidi Groover (reporter for the Seattle Times and formerly for The Stranger).

District 6 includes Crown Hill, Greenwood, Ballard, Phinney Ridge, Greenlake, Tangletown, and Fremont.

Transit Riders Union and our partners at the MASS Coalition (including Sierra Club, Cascade Bicycle Club, Seattle Subway, Seattle Neighborhood Greenways, 350 Seattle, Disability Rights Washington, Rooted in Rights, The Urbanist), and the Housing Development Consortium are coming together to host this forum.

The forum will be held at the Phinney Neighborhood Association (lower building), which can be reached via transit on Metro route 5. Bike parking is available on the west side of the building. This event is wheelchair accessible and CART services will be provided.

Doors open at 5:15, forum starts promptly at 5:30pm. We hope to see you there!

Hillsboro resident Aaron Harrison (he goes by Rambo) has a commuting style all his own. Rambo has worked in Portland bike shops for decades and he’s also a decorated track racer.

I’ve known about him for years now (I can recall he and his Orange bike flying past me with whooosh during Cycle Oregon years ago); but I had no idea about his love for music and artistic flair on Instagram. Let me explain…

I follow many of Instagram accounts. It’s one way I keep track of what’s going on in our community and I like to offer support and encouragement from the @BikePortland account when people do good things. At some point I started to follow Harrison’s @RamboBikeMan account. It’s pretty fun: Goofy selfies of him flying down suburban arterials; Gloves full of things he finds on the road (he has an uncanny ability to find coins); nothing earth-shattering. Then about six weeks ago, things got weird.

Rambo started posting parodies of him bike commuting in the style of music album covers.

The first one was Phil Collins’ No Jacket Required. Rambo changed it to Rain Jacket Required.

He’s posted over 60 more of them since then. They always make me smile. Here are my favorites:

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Rambo told me he does this simply to keep himself amused. He commutes from the Reedville/Hillsboro area into downtown Portland (West End Bikes) on a heavy commuter bike. “It’s a long time in the saddle, so I look for ways to make it fun,” he shared with me in a recent email.

“It’s a long time in the saddle, so I look for ways to make it fun.”

The first ones he made were basic and used only the Instagram editing tools. Now he uses a basic editing app. After his friends liked them, he was hooked and now does them whenever the whim strikes. He even takes requests!

“I’ve been having a ton of fun making these album cover parodies, and will likely continue making them as long as I can find album covers I can duplicate (getting more suggestions from friends has helped),” he said.

Follow him at @RamboBikeMan for more album cover parodies, photos of a spoon he planted in the landscaping of a new development, portraits of his rain-bike mascot named “Koffee Kat”, and more.

Happy Bike Month everyone!

— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org

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The Bontrager Kovee wheelset weighs in under 1300g and offers more speed and stability to cross country mountain bikers. The Kovee is an all-new wheel set and an upgrade for those who want to go faster with more stability.

Bontrager Kovee Wheelset Announced

Like any gear in the bike business, if you haven’t upgraded in the past 5 years, it’s worth considering. These carbon hoops weigh only 1290g, and they feature a wide, 29mm inner rim width that delivers improved tire support so you can run lower pressure for better traction, cornering, and a smoother, faster ride.

We started with the team in mind, to give them every advantage with a light, fast wheel

said Bontrager’s Wheel Product Director Graham Wilhelm.

Tubeless and crazy light haven’t always gone together, but they do now. On my hardtail, I’m running ENVEs, which are light, but not that light. Trek Factory Racing XC riders Emily Batty and Jolanda Neff are racing the Kovee on the World Cup XC circuit now.

Emily Batty and Jolanda Neff are racing the Kovee’s Bontrager Kovee Wheelset Specs

The wheels can be setup tubeless using either rim tape or Bontrager’s proprietary rim strip system, both of which are included. Rim tape saves a little weight, while the Bontrager rim strips provide a solid bead lock with the tire for easy setup and improved performance, especially at lower pressures.

Available in 29 with center lock disc compatibility, DT Swiss 240s hub internals, and Boost 110/148 spacing the Kovee retail for $2399. They deliver the performance of a wider rim without the weight penalty.

• Lightweight and durable OCLV construction
• 29mm inner rim width better supports wider tires
• Ultra-light 1290g / wheelset
• DT Swiss 240s internals, 24 hole front/rear
• Center Lock Disc
• DT Aerolite bladed spokes
• Carbon Care Loyalty Program
• Tubeless Ready for easy TLR setup
• Approved for rim tape or rim strip use

The post Bontrager Kovee Wheelset Announced appeared first on Bike Hugger.

Click for captions. (Photos: Harry Apelbaum/Apelbaum Studios)

Sponsored by:

These companies make our gravel coverage possible.

• Co-Motion Cycles
• Ride With GPS
• Mudslinger Events/Oregon Triple Crown
• Rolf Prima Wheels

After kicking off two weekends ago at the coast, the Oregon Triple Crown series moved about 85 miles inland to the “Mountain Biking Capital of the Northwest” (that’s the official motto). There were only a few riders at the Sasquatch Duro on mountain bikes Saturday, but that didn’t stop them from riding off-road into the mountains.

A few hundred people — a mix of racers looking for fast times and ramblers looking for good times — lined up on East 1st Street in uptown Oakridge to tackle the “Big Squatch” or “Little Squatch”. The courses (43 and 30 miles respectively) offered paved roads through high prairies and a river, and dirt roads through forested timber lands that were once the lifeblood of surrounding communities.

With about equal parts pavement and dirt, nearly everyone was on a drop-bar road bike with tires ranging from about 35-45 mm in size (for reference, most Tour de France racers ride 25 mm tires).

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The weather was moody in the days leading up to the event with showers and dark skies. (I arrived early and stayed in Westfir, a few miles outside Oakridge. Stay tuned for a story about that tiny town and its up-and-coming lodge). The sky gods smiled on the Sasquatch Duro and it turned out to be sunny and dry all day.

I did the Big Squatch course and enjoyed almost every minute. I say “almost” because I didn’t feel great on the big climb at the start and once I recovered it was too late to catch back onto the lead groups. Thankfully the rest of the day was darn near perfect. Once we got off-road (at mile 7) I started to find my legs and had a solid riding partner to the peak of the first climb which topped out at about 2,800 feet (we started at 1,200). As you can see on the route map above, the course took us over a series of creeks with the most boring names ever: We pedaled over First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth creeks.

Click for captions. (Photos: Harry Apelbaum/Apelbaum Studios)

After the peak, the day’s real fun began. We careened down National Forest Road 1928 and hung a sharp left on the legendary Aufderheide Scenic Byway. Ripping along the pavement with the majestic Willamette over my shoulder was a treat. I couldn’t savor it fully though, because I knew what was coming. I’d done some reconnaissance Thursday night on the route’s big climb, NF 1912.

Once we left Aufderheide, we crossed the river and headed (what felt like) straight up for six grueling miles. We punched out over 2,600 feet of climbing to get to Windy Pass, before an eight mile descent took us back down to the river. I felt like I flew down that descent (there’s some photo evidence here)! The corners seemed to melt away as I held onto my bars and carved the damp dirt with full trust that my brain, body, and bike would do the right things.

The last two miles were paved and flat on the Aufderheide Byway. It was a remote finish in Westfir, meaning the after-party and free food were about four miles away in Oakridge. As luck would have it however, I was staying in Westfir, so my day was done. And the patio-dwellers at Westfir Lodge welcomed me back with smiles and congratulatory toasts of great Oregon beer.

Racers contemplate a drink stop on Westfir Lodge patio before riding back to Oakridge.
(Photo: J. Maus/BikePortland)

— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org

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Welcome to the week. Lots to get to. But first: We must know our history.

This week’s edition is sponsored by Rack Attack, where you go to figure out what bike rack is right for your car.

Behind the lines: Don’t miss the latest War on Cars episode where co-host Aaron Naparstek infiltrates the New York Auto Show to bring you all the absurdities and ironies of peak car culture.

Dirty tricks: The Oregonian reported that the University of Oregon and Oregon Health & Science University help bankroll a group that is trying to kill Governor Kate Brown’s climate change bill.

Language matters: Excellent decision from The Guardian to start using more direct and accurate language on vital environmental topics.

Dooring prevention: Uber is trying decrease the amount of dooring incidents their drivers and passengers cause with in-app notifications and driver training.

Ride of Silence: There was no such ride in Portland this year, but that didn’t stop Vancouverites from hosting the memorial ride that aims to raise awareness of riders who have been killed.

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Tesla mess: Not sure what’s more galling to me about these NTSB findings: the fact that Tesla uses humans as guinea pigs; there’s seems to be no federal safety oversight of this shit; or that the “autopilot” mode allowed the car to go over the posted speed limit.

Self police: Leader of a free-market think tank — and 50-year bicycle commuter — penned an editorial in The New York Daily News saying that bicycle riders should welcome more enforcement of cycling traffic laws.

MTBs and trail damage: This piece from Adventure Journal explains how bicycles have less impact on properly built singletrack trails than you might think (required reading for many Portlanders who don’t understand this simple concept).

Cross-country low-stress: What if you could ride cross-country on carfree rail-trails? That’s the vision behind the Great America Rail Trail, a 3,700 vision launched by the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy last week.

Slow cars, fast food: Burger King says they will roll out delivery to hungry people stuck in traffic jams.

Video of the Week: Check out Path Less Pedaled’s latest video about the roots and correct pronunciation of the word “pannier”:

— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org

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Just hours after a video of dangerous conditions for people biking on the new 35th Ave NE gained a lot of traction on social media, someone driving struck and injured a person biking on the street near the intersection with NE 70th Street.

News about the injury was posted to the Safe 35th Ave NE facebook page this afternoon, and Seattle Bike Blog confirmed the details with Seattle Police.

Around 11:30 p.m. Thursday night, someone driving collided with someone on a bike. The person biking was transported to the hospital by ambulance with a knee injury, according to SPD. The person driving was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.

As is typical for traffic incidents, the details of the collision are not yet available pending investigation. As such, it’s not clear whether the scrapped bike lanes would have prevented it.

Sending my best wishes to the person injured.

But news of the collision certainly adds to growing concerns about the safety of the newly redesigned 35th Ave NE. The street was planned, designed and contracted to include bike lanes, but Mayor Jenny Durkan removed them at the last minute due to opposition from some project neighbors.

Design concepts for this stretch of 35th Ave NE from SDOT.

Her decision to remove the bike lanes drew strong criticism from people concerned about bike safety and the mayor’s commitment to its bicycle, Vision Zero and climate plans. People also voiced serious concerns about the city’s planned street design, which includes problems like wide travel lanes known to encourage speeding.

The decision to remove the bike lanes was due to politics, not best practices for designing safe streets. It went against the city’s Bicycle Master Plan and against the original design created and approved by SDOT traffic engineers after years of planning and public outreach. I hope nobody else is injured here, but hope alone is not enough to stop traffic injuries.

Here’s the video posted about 12 hours before the collision that called attention to how unsafe the new street design feels to someone on a bike:

First morning riding 35th since the redesign, already seeing dangerous passes. First car passing while a bike was turning left ahead. When there is a car waiting to turn left after, a car also tried to pass me, then backed off. Of course I catch up to them all at the light pic.twitter.com/Nr75tKeEQD

— Mitch (@mitchellplease) May 16, 2019

UPDATE 5/20: A reader who did not wish to be identified reached out to say that they were waiting at the light at 35th Ave NE and NE 70th Street on a bike Sunday afternoon when someone driving sidewiped them while trying to make a right turn on red. The reader was not injured, but read this story and wanted to share:

Hey Tom – I just wanted to let you know that I was also hit by a car at 35th NE and 70th, while standing at a red light; the car attempted a right on red around me and bumped/hit me with its mirror. I wasn’t hurt, but still not ideal. The driver stopped and was apologetic, so i chose not to pursue it further. For a variety of reasons I don’t want to post this on twitter publicly, but please feel free to mention it in any articles.

You know what would be a great way to wash down all those donuts tomorrow (Saturday)? Beer.

The annual Tour de Pints starts 11 a.m. at Peddler Brewing. The Beer Week event is a casual tide to five north Seattle breweries throughout the afternoon. And it’s free to join (obviously, the beer costs money).

Details from the event page:

For the 11th Year in a row Tour de Pints will be visiting some of the best breweries and pubs around town in celebration of Seattle Beer Week! TdP is a free, open-to-everyone and ride-at-your-own-risk event. Enter or exit the ride at any point you like. We’ll be posting online and in person when making the last departure out of each stop.

The Tour begins at Peddler
Peddler 11:30AM – Extra long stop here to gather people to start the ride. We leave at 1pm!
Ride 20 min -Up the only major hill on the route
Flying Bike Coop ~1:15PM
Ride 30 min – Nice ride down past the lake and through Ravenna
Burke Gilman ~2:30PM
Ride 15 min to Floating Bridge, 30 to Rooftop
Floating Bridge ~3:15PM – Optional detour. Leave BG early to do The Feat of Strength, up a hill for an extra beer then get to Rooftop late
Ride 15 min – Across the Fremont Bridge and down the Ship canal trail!
Rooftop – ~3:45PM our final stop! Though I can’t stop you from going further! Maybe… Dirty Couch Brewing??

Coming soon to SW Madison!

The Portland Bureau of Transportation announced the construction of its first Central City in Motion (CCIM) project today: SW Madison – one of the busiest bikeways in Portland — will get a dedicated bus operation and bicycling lane that will be separated from other traffic. The project aims to speed up bus trips, make it safer to ride a bike, and lower the the stress of drivers by giving them clear separation from other road users.

Portland City Council passed the CCIM plan back in November and this will be the first project from the plan to be implemented.

PBOT says the project should be completed over the weekend at a cost of just $160,000.

In addition to the new lane configuration, PBOT says the project includes, “a passing zone to help people on bikes bypass buses at stops and prohibits right turns onto SW 3rd Avenue to remove the risk of right hooks for people walking and biking.”

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(TriMet video)

That last part is a very big deal. Almost seven years ago today, 28-year-old Kathryn Rickson was bicycling down Madison when a truck operator turned right at SW 3rd. The two collided and Rickson was killed.

Looking east on SW Madison at 3rd. Note the right turn (which will no longer be allowed) and the cars parked in upper center (which will no longer be allowed).
(Photo: J. Maus/BikePortland)

Another significant aspect of this project is that space for the new bus/bike only lane was made available because PBOT was able to use space currently used as on-street parking for Portland Police Bureau and other City of Portland vehicles.

Madison is not only a major bikeway, it handles more than 23,000 bus trips each day. Enhanced bus lanes are part of nine out of the 18 total CCIM projects.

When CCIM passed, there was broad skepticism about how long it would take to actually implement the projects. “We were serious when we promised a quick implementation of Central City in Motion,” said Transportation Commissioner Chloe Eudaly in an official statement released by PBOT.

In their announcement today, PBOT included a quote from Business for a Better Portland Executive Director Ashley Henry. “While employment in the Central City continues to grow, our streets aren’t getting any wider. This project is an excellent example of a rapid, thoughtful infrastructure improvement that can produce real benefits for area businesses by providing safer and more reliable trips through downtown for employees and customers.”

It’s notable that PBOT included a statement from BBPDX and not from the Portland Business Alliance.

This is great news! We are very excited to see progress and to see PBOT, Commissioner Eudaly, Portland Bus Lane project (a grassroots advocacy group that has worked on this project for years) and Business for a Better Portland come together and make this happen.

Onward!
—

Bonus: PBOT has also released details on the next two CCIM projects that will be built within 2019-2020: The Burnside Bus/Bike Lane Project and the NW Everett Bus Lane Project (which will be built this fall).

— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org

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Get your 2019 Bike Bingo card for $3 at any of the businesses listed or at Friday’s launch party at Conduit Coffee.

You already bike to local businesses all the time, so why not make a game of it? Bicycle Benefits is launching their annual Bike Bingo today, a challenge to bike to local businesses and fill your bingo card by June 30. You get prizes for each row you complete plus even bigger prizes if you fill the whole card.

Bicycle Benefits is hosting a Bike Bingo kick-off party 5 to 9 p.m. today (Friday) at Conduit Coffee on Westlake Ave a couple blocks south of the Fremont Bridge.

Bicycle Benefits is on a mission to encourage more people to bike by partnering with local businesses to provide year-round discounts to anyone who bikes there and has a Bicycle Benefits sticker. You can buy a sticker for $5 at participating businesses, of which there are many. Check out the map.

The organization also hosts special events, like Bike Bingo and the Mighty-O Tour de Donut. Speaking of which….

Tour de Donut is Saturday

The 2019 Mighty-O Tour de Donut starts at 8:45 a.m. tomorrow (Saturday) at the Ballard Mighty-O location.

Basically a self-guided, non-competitive alleycat race, the Tour de Donuts will send people on a biking tour of Mighty-O locations. It’s a great excuse to bike with friends, eat donuts, drink coffee and support a good cause.

You can register online for $20. Proceeds will go to Bike Works.

Retrogression’s home page.

Portland has a new bike shop whose owners hope to be a part of the local fixed-gear and track riding scene.

Retrogression (2315 SE 11th Ave, just north of Division) is owned and operated by Dave Gattinella and Angie Beaulieu. Fixed-gear riders themselves, Gattinella and Beaulieu couldn’t find track-related parts and gear at local bike shops, so they started sourcing their own.

Retrogression started as an online-only shop in 2009 and opened a brick-and-mortar location in Massachusetts shortly thereafter (they are both from New England). They moved the business to San Diego a few years later; but quickly outgrew their space and went on the hunt to find a new location that would offer them a combination of warehouse (for the online business) and retail shop.

They found it in Portland.

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Need a frame to start a new build project?

“We love Portland, have a big online customer base here and found the perfect space for the shop,” Beaulieu shared in an email last week. “It just made sense.”

“We love Portland, have a big online customer base here and found the perfect space for the shop. It just made sense.”
— Angie Beaulieu, co-owner

As we shared in a story last year, Portland has a vibrant fixed-gear scene: From urban freestylers and messengers to track and criterium racers — and people who simply like the affordability and simplicity of the bikes.

Asked to describe her typical customer, Beaulieu said, “Our customer range is awesome: everyone from casual street riders and bike messengers, to seasoned track racers and nerdy NJS collectors [Nihon Jitensha Shinkōkai, the Japanese Bicycle Association]. They are all looking for something slightly different, but it all falls into the realm of fixed gear.”

Retrogression sells complete bikes from All-City, Aventon, Cinelli, and State Bicycle Co., framesets for many makers, offers custom wheel-building, and has a wide range of hard-to-find caps and apparel.

The retail store isn’t quite ready for customers yet. They’re still building out the space and plan to have a grand opening party and alley cat (of course!) event in early June. Learn more about the shop via their About Us page.

Welcome to Portland Retrogression!

— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org

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Portland’s spring hiring boom continued this past week with several great new listings.

Learn more about each one via the links below…

–> Full Time Mechanic – The eBike Store, Inc

–> Legal Assistant – Forum Law Group LLC

–> Customer Care Specialist – Showers Pass

–> Warehouse Worker – Castelli US

–> Seasonal Mechanic – Joe Bike

–> Mechanic/Wheel Builder/Bike Builder – Universal Cycles

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For a complete list of available jobs, click here.

Be the first to know about new job opportunities by signing up for our daily Job Listings email or by following @BikePortland on Twitter.

These are paid listings. And they work! If you’d like to post a job on the Portland region’s “Best Local Blog” two years running, you can purchase a listing online for just $75. Learn more at our Job Listings page.

— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org

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Time to plan an escape from the city. This scene is from Westfir, a few miles north of the Office Covered Bridge on the North Fork of the Willamette River (I’m here for the Sasquatch Duro Saturday, then headed to Dufur for Cycle Oregon Gravel on Sunday!).
(Photo: J. Maus/BikePortland)

Welcome to our weekly selection of the best things to do on a bike, with a bike, or with bike people.

Oh, and happy National Bike to Work Day!

All Weekend

Filmed by Bike
Portland’s very-own bicycle-inspired film fest returns for its 17th year. Word on the street is that this year’s films break new ground and offer a great diversity of perspectives. From the parties to the screenings, don’t miss any of the action! More info here.

Cycle Oregon Gravel
Destination Dufur. Cycle Oregon brings their amazing hospitality to eastern Oregon for a weekend of unpaved fun for their second annual Gravel event. More info here

Friday, May 17th

Enhanced Transit Corridors Seminar – 11:30 am to 1:00 pm at PSU (SW)
Portland is making big moves to prioritize transit. Come learn the latest and greatest from the agency staffers who are leading the charge. More info here.

Saturday, May 18th

Sasquatch Duro – All day in Oakridge/Westfir
Stop number two in the Oregon Triple Crown series takes place in the Willamette National Forest. With two routes starting from downtown Oakridge, this event will take you into the woods along the legendary Aufderheide Scenic Byway next to the North Fork of the Willamette River. More info here.

East County Transportation Forum – 11:00 am to 1:30 pm at Rosewood Initiative (SE)
East County Rising will host this panel and Q & A that will feature U.S. Congressman Earl Blumenauer, TriMet General Manager Doug Kelsey, Multnomah County Commissioner Lori Stegmann, and Gresham City Councilor Eddy Morales. More info here.

Bike Registration and Security Workshop – 1:00 to 4:00 pm at Clever Cycles (SE)
Worried about bike theft? Want to know how to protect yourself? Come out and learn how to use Bike Index and meet members of the Portland Police Bureau’s Bike Theft Task Force. Special discounts on Abus locks for everyone who registers their bike at the event. More info here.

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Sandy Ridge Intro Tour – 1:30 to 4:00 pm at Sandy Ridge Trail System
This group ride hosted by NW Trail Alliance is the perfect way to get familiar with Sandy Ridge. Meet nice people, learn the trails, what’s not to love? More info here.

Sunday, May 19th

Meet Portland Bicycling Club – 9:30 am from Parkrose Park & Ride (SE)
Leisurely group ride that will introduce you to Portland’s oldest cycling club and help you build your riding skills. Route is mostly flat and easy and includes a stop at a cafe in Vancouver. More info here.

Therapeutic Associates Omnium – 10:00 am to 3:00 pm at Alpenrose Velodrome (SW)
Come out to the track for some racing action. Event hosted by Battlekat PDX. More info here.

Sunday Parkways Southeast – 11:00 am to 4:00 pm (SE)
So much good stuff in store for the first Sunday Parkways of the year. Come out and explore parks, neighborhoods, and partake in the many activities along the way. More info here.

Stay plugged into all the bike and transportation-related events around the region via our comprehensive event calendar.

— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org

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It makes sense that DJI would compete with GoPro. They can build a much better action camera and on paper the DJI Osmo action camera looks great.   However, it doesn’t have a UNC thread for a tri-or monopod. That means it’s unusable for me. I have zero interest in all the cube camera accessories, however great the image stabilization is.

Sony doesn’t position the RXO as an action camera because it has UNC threads. They have a line video cameras for action too, the FDR-X3000 ($348 on Amazon) and HDR-AS300 ($298 on Amazon). As I’ve shared in posts about the RXO, it’s a small-form camera for cinematic and creative filmmaking. I attached 4 to my bike a couple winters ago.

View this post on Instagram

Remember the post about the Modal being a rolling test jig? Well, here it is with 4 Sony #rxo cameras attached. The 5th is in my pocket. The views are forward, rearward, low and high of my favorite Maui roads. #bikesofinstagram

A post shared by Byron (@bikehugger) on Dec 25, 2017 at 5:24pm PST

The 2nd version, the RXO 11 is even better and ships from Amazon for $698.

I’m sure people will love the DJI Osmo action camera. I prefer super-compact cameras instead. There are so many excellent options for UNC threads, like the Manfrotto Pixi. I have no use for plastic housings and adhesive tape for mounts. What I do like about DJI and flying their drones is how they’ve embraced creatives.

DJI Osmo Action Camera DJI Osmo Action Camera PR

Below is the press release from DJI. Osmo Action retails for $349 USD and will start shipping immediately after the announcement on May 15 at dji.com and from authorized dealers on May 22.

DJI, the world’s leader in civilian drones and creative camera technology, building on its heritage of advanced image stabilization, takes a bold new direction with the Osmo Action camera. Using DJI’s unparalleled experience with capturing smooth and stable videos in the most demanding environments, Osmo Action is as rugged as it is sophisticated, opening worlds of creative potential for professionals and adventure seekers alike.

“DJI has always pushed the limits of technology, and the content creators who love our products made clear they wanted us to push the limits of their creative potential too. Osmo Action is our cutting-edge answer to what the creative community demands: Exceptional image quality and stabilization in a unique and durable new form factor, with dual color screens and seamless software integration. For all types of creators who push their gear to the limits, Osmo Action sets the new standard,” said Roger Luo, DJI President. “Whether you are capturing aerial content with Mavic 2, incredibly smooth content with Osmo Pocket, or heart-racing footage with Osmo Action, DJI offers a full suite of products for your creative needs.”

Rugged construction and intuitive design

A compact yet durable design makes Osmo Action the ideal camera for life’s adventures. Constructed to handle extreme conditions with ease, Osmo Action is dustproof, shockproof [1], waterproof [2] and has the ability to operate in sub-freezing temperatures [3]. Osmo Action uses color screens on both the front and back, a unique design feature that allows for more convenient scene composition while on the move. The 2.25-inch rear touchscreen employs a water and fingerprint-repelling coating, and the 1.4-inch front screen makes vlogging and selfies easier than ever before. With a brightness of 750 nits, Osmo Action can be used in harsh lighting conditions, including direct sunlight.

Osmo Action’s interactive user interface, Action OS, combines a streamlined and functional physical design with flexible operation. Power on, initiate recording, and rotate through the video and photo capture modes in the blink of an eye with three dedicated buttons. Never miss a moment with the help of SnapShot, which allows Osmo Action to turn on and begin recording in under two seconds by pressing the shutter button once.

Advanced technology with exceptional image quality

A 1/2.3-inch sensor records 12-megapixel photos and 4K video up to 60fps at 100Mbps in stunning detail, assuring high-quality footage. A three-glass aspherical lens design records low-distortion content and aids in reducing warping effects for improved scenes. The lens cap is finished with two layers of anti-fingerprint coating to keep the shot clean during use, as well as an anti-reflective coating to reduce the unwanted effects of lens glare, giving users more flexibility to shoot in bright conditions.

Incorporating over a decade of experience creating three-axis mechanical gimbals, Osmo Action is the first DJIhandheld camera to include RockSteady, DJI’s Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS) technology. High-performance stabilization algorithms work in conjunction with EIS to record every movement in smooth, stable, high-quality video, even when recording 4K/60fps. Additionally, Osmo Action is capable of High Dynamic Range (HDR) video in 4K/30fps, delivering an additional three stops of dynamic range to the scene, natural transitions between light and dark areas, and rich details that are often lost in complex lighting conditions. Osmo Action has a removable battery with a run time of 93 minutes recording at 4K/30fps with RockSteady enabled, and 135 minutes recording at 1080p/30fps without RockSteady. Dual microphones let users take advantage of Osmo Action’s Voice Control, and a speaker ensures outstanding playback quality.

Creative, intelligent features A staple in DJI’s product lineup, Osmo Action offers a wide variety of highly creative features built into the camera which users can access with a few simple taps. While recording, choose between:

• Slo-mo: 8x slow motion in 1080p 240fps or 4x slow motion in 1080p 120fps creates a visually appealing effect when documenting action-packed scenes.
• Timelapse: To turn minutes into seconds, Timelapse is perfect for capturing unique content with the effect of the world moving faster.
• Custom Exposure settings: Shoot for the stars with manual and semi-automatic settings that allow up to 120 seconds of exposure, perfect for capturing the night sky.

Unlocking Osmo Action’s full potential

Using the recently released DJIMimo app, connect Osmo Action to your mobile device with WiFi or Bluetooth for added functionality, including a live feed of the camera, multiple story templates, in-app quick editing, and more. An ecosystem of accessories helps unleash all the possibilities of Osmo Action including :

• Camera Frame Kit: Included with Osmo Action,the Camera Frame Kit offers a universal mount for additional accessories and a window for the LED indicator to show camera status in real time while protecting the device.
• Adhesive Mounts: Attach Osmo Action to flat or curved surfaces including skateboards, bikes, helmets, and more to capture fast-paced moments. Both the curved and flat adhesive mounts are included with Osmo Action.
• Waterproof Case: The waterproof case protects the device at depths down to 60 meters while providing a clear image using high-strength glass.
• 3.5mm Adapter: The 3.5mm adapter offers users the ability to connect an external mic for professional sound recording.
• Extension Rod: Capture unique angles using the Extension Rod, whichfeatures a rotatable phone holder and a ¼-inch screw adapter.
• Floating Handle: The Floating Handle offers a comfortable grip for Osmo Action and keeps it floating when shooting in water.
• Filters: Osmo Action comes with Neutral Density (ND), Polarizer, and underwater filters. ND filters (ND4, ND8, ND16, and ND32) reduce light exposure in various environments, while Polarizer filters reduce reflections and increase color saturation for a more appealing image. Orange Seawater and Purple Freshwater filters restore the natural color of underwater scenes.
• Charging Hub:Charge up to three batteries simultaneously in less than 130 minutes.

Price and Availability

Osmo Action retails for $349 USD and will start shipping immediately after the announcement on May 15 and from authorized dealers on May 22.

The post DJI Osmo Action Camera Launches appeared first on Bike Hugger.

“We will be watching,” was the warning from Sunrise PDX activists.
(Photos: J. Maus/BikePortland)

Concerns about climate change were made loud and clear to Metro’s Transportation Funding Task Force at their meeting last night. Metro is leading an effort to raise what some say could be as much as $20 billion for transportation infrastructure around the regional via a bond measure that could go to voters in November.

As lines are drawn on maps, lines are being drawn in the sand by electeds and advocates looking to stake out positions for debates to come.

“If we don’t make it clear to the public that our top priority is averting climate catastrophe, I don’t see it passing in Portland. And we need Portland to carry this measure.”
— Chloe Eudaly, Portland City Commissioner

This was the sixth meeting of the 35-member Task Force, which is made up of elected officials and advocates from around the region. With their input, Metro has whittled a list of 75 corridors down to 26. Now the job is to place these in three tiers. Metro wants the Task Force to recommend a prioritized list of “investment corridors” in time for a Metro Council work session on June 4th.

At last night’s meeting, dozens of Portlanders — and several notable Task Force members — elevated concerns about the process and whether or not Metro is doing enough to set the stage for an investment package that would lead to a dramatic reduction in vehicle miles traveled and greenhouse gas emissions. There was widespread concern that some of the corridors at the top of the list are merely placeholders for future freeway expansion projects that could increase driving capacity.

The “corridors of interest.”

Kasandra Griffin with the Community Cycling Center and the Getting There Together Coalition opened the public comment period by saying, “According to Metro’s adopted policies, the priorities for this process are simple: Only pick projects that will reduce climate change and increase equity.” Griffin then suggested that four corridors Metro staff has recommended as a top priority should be removed from Tier 1 consideration: Highway 212 (Sunrise Corridor), I-5 through downtown Portland, Highway 217 and I-205.

Those corridors “represent old thinking,” Griffin said*.

Suzanna Kassouf.

Volunteers with the Portland chapter of the national Sunrise Movement showed up in force last night. Wearing matching t-shirts, a few of them testified and about a dozen others were in attendance. 29-year-old Sunrise PDX Organizer Suzanna Kassouf said transportation justice is “at the very heart” of her group’s effort to “radically transform our societies and economies before our climate fate is sealed (in 11 years).”

“We are extremely concerned by the lack of priority placed on public transit as well as pedestrian and cyclist infrastructure in a city which considers itself a climate leader,” Kassouf said. “Many residents who depend on this infrastructure are members of our frontline communities. Specifically, low-income people of color, like myself.”

Kassouf said Metro’s bond measure is an opportunity to fund a Green New Deal for Oregon. “The young people in this room will live through the next sixty years, through the entire life-cycle of the decisions you are making, and through the worst, most destructive effects of the climate crisis if we do not act… The entirety of this package must be dedicated to the transition away from fossil fuels. The time is now to be brave. The time is now to be bold. Please, do the right thing. We will be watching.”

17-year-old Reynolds High School student Victoria Clark echoed Kassouf’s urgency by pleading with the Task Force: “I should be focusing on the fact that I’m graduating in less than a month,” she said, “but instead I’m… begging you to make the right choice and invest in our planet’s future.”

After public comment, Task Force members heard a presentation (PDF) about the readiness of specific corridors from consultants with Kittelson Associates Inc. They focused on the top three scoring corridors: Tualatin-Valley Highway, 82nd Avenue, and McLoughlin Blvd.

Metro’s proposed Tier 1 corridors.

Then Metro’s Director of Government Affairs Andy Shaw unveiled the agency’s first attempt to place corridors in specific tiers. Their proposal for Tier 1 corridors includes: 82nd Ave, Tualatin Valley Hwy, 181st Ave, McLoughlin Blvd, Hwy 212, Burnside, Downtown Portland, I-5 Downtown, SW Corridor, and SW 185th. In a potential Tier 2 list, he included: Powell Blvd, 122nd Ave, MLK/Grand, Beaverton-Hillsdale Hwy, Foster Rd., Division St., Columbia Blvd, 162nd Ave, 99W/Pacific Hwy, Hwy 217, Tualatin-Sherwood Rd, Hwy 43/Macadam, and Sandy Blvd.

Then it was time for Task Force members to speak up. A facilitator said she wanted to get a “gut reaction” and asked members to hold up green, yellow, or red cards to express how they were feeling about the corridor discussion so far.

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(L to R: Mark Gamba, Vivian Satterfield, Chloe Eudaly, Jim Bernard.)

Milwaukie Mayor Mark Gamba was one of several people to thrust up a red card. “Virtually every single piece of public testimony we’ve had has spoken clearly and emotionally that the number one thing we have to think about is, ‘What are the climate impacts of this investment we are going to make?’… This is the only opportunity we will have to put this level of investment into our transportation sytstem in time to stop climate change. Climate change absolutely, positively, has to be the number one issue — and yet — of the categories being scored, climate isn’t even one of the categories,” he said.

“This process we have used for the decades — of piddling around, doing all these things before we actually get down to doing the thing that needs doing — has got to end.”
— Mark Gamba, Mayor of Milwaukie

Gamba expressed concern that Metro’s scoring only considers safety, equity, transit potential and readiness. He wants an evaluation of how much carbon reduction would result from investment in each corridor under consideration.

“Readiness should be the very last thing we’re considering. When the U.S. was bombed in Pearl Harbor, how ready were we for war? And yet how quickly, and how decisively did we then win that war. This process we have used for the decades of piddling around, doing all these things before we actually get down to doing the thing that needs doing has got to end. We have 11 years. Climate must be the number one consideration on this list.”

The room then erupted in several seconds of applause.

Task Force member Vivian Satterfield, an environmental justice advocate with Verde NW, expressed worries that some of the top tier corridors wouldn’t deliver high-capacity transit service. “I cannot in good conscience go forward and put my name and my organization behind anything that continues to expand and add road capacity to our region,” she said.

Portland City Commissioner Chloe Eudaly echoed Gamba’s remarks. “I’m surprised that climate is not clearly one of the determining criteria,” she said. “I’m not interested in decreasing congestion by making it easier for more cars to move through our streets.” Then Eudaly tied climate change concerns directly to politics: “This initiative is a statement of our values. If we don’t make it clear to the public that our top priority is averting climate catastrophe, I don’t see it passing in Portland. And we need Portland to carry this measure.”

Some of the tension in the room was the result of a common, chicken-and-egg problem that happens with processes like this: Agencies need general feedback on where to invest, but stakeholders need detailed information in order to give it. And given that the legacy of transportation funding has gone primarily to highway expansions, there’s an understandable lack of trust among progressive politicians and activists.

Task Force Co-Chair and Multnomah County Commissioner Jessica Vega Pederson.

Task Force Co-Chair Jessica Vega Pederson tried to walk a line down the middle. She said staff told Task Force members that some metrics — like climate change — wouldn’t be possible to measure until after projects got more developed. Then Vega Pederson explained why she feels I-5 through Portland should be a priority. “I don’t have any desire to help ODOT fund a highway expansion project,” she said, “But I’m very interested in using investments in that area to connect neighborhoods in Portland that haven’t been connected before.”

Task Force member and Clackamas County Chair Jim Bernard said he too agrees with Gamba’s climate sentiments, but feels Hwy 212 (aka Sunrise Corridor) needs to be expanded. “It’s one of the fastest growing communities in the state of Oregon, and transit is poor,” he said. “The Sunrise Corridor opens up a lot of land for opportunity… For me, it’s about the jobs-housing balance.”

The lines are being drawn and it will be a very interesting debate from here on out.

“Ultimately we need to put together a package that resonates with our values and with voters,” Vega Pederson said in closing remarks. “I’m confident we can get there.”

As Task Force members filed out of Metro HQ, they were serenaded with songs about hope and love from Sunrise PDX:

*The Getting Together Coalition has released their tiered corridor recommendations. Read the PDF here.

— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org

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The plan includes a new bridge over Tryon Creek where it empties into the Willamette.
(Image: Tryon Creek Cove Trail Master Plan, Metro)

An ordinance in front of Portland City Council this week will hasten implementation of a plan that will improve the biking and walking connection between Tryon Creek State Park and Foothills Park in Lake Oswego and build a new bridge over Tryon Creek adjacent to the Willamette River.

Tryon Creek State Park is in the upper left. (Graphic: Metro)

The City of Portland Bureau of Environmental Services is set to formally adopt the Tryon Creek Cove Trail Master Plan which was completed in March and formally adopted by Lake Oswego City Council last month.

The plan (PDF) considered two options for how to get people across Highway 43 near the intersection with Terwilliger Blvd: a full traffic signal or a tunnel. A third option, which would keep path users on the highway and direct them a half-mile south to cross using an existing traffic signal at Foothills Road, was kept on the table, as a “possible interim solution if other options were found to be infeasible or were long delayed.”

The project advisory committee chose the third option.

Looking west at Highway 43 with Foothills Park in lower left, Tryon Creek State Park in upper right.

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(These two options would have provided a more direct connection, but were not recommended by project advisory committee due to cost and complexity concerns.)

Proposed dimensions of $1.1 million bridge over Tryon Creek.

In their recommendation later dated March 26th, 2019 (PDF), the committee wrote, “At this time, the recommendation is to not cross Hwy. 43 with the trail due to approval by Oregon Department of Transportation and Union Pacific Railroad, potential right-of-way acquisition needs, complexity of permits, the need to widen the highway on the north side of Terwilliger Blvd., and high costs ($8-$13 million).”

Instead of a new signal or tunnel that would make a direct connection between the two existing parks and paths, the committee recommended a phased approach (see below). The cost estimate of this recommended approach is about $1.5 million which includes a prefabricated steel bridge over the creek and a 3-4 foot wide soft surface trail (“nature pathway”) in the cove. The narrow trail is considered an interim step. If/when the tunnel or signal option is implemented, a 10-12 foot multi-use path would be installed in its place.

Here’s the recommended alternative showing the on-highway route:

Recommended by the project advisory committee.

This project takes on added significance given the Oak Grove-Lake Oswego Bridge project. This planned bridge (which we covered in February 2018) would create a carfree connection between the two cities and would likely connect directly to new paths in Tryon Cove Park. Clackamas County is currently leading a a Metro-funded, $306,000 planning study to further develop the project. The study is expected to be completed by November of this year.

— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org

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Click for the interactive map. Or download this spreadsheet of locations.

Bike Everywhere Day 2019 (formerly known as “Bike to Work Day”) is Friday, and there will be 113 celebration stations spread throughout the region to provide encouragement, smiles and maybe some coffee or donuts for folks biking to work or wherever.

Cascade Bicycle Club’s main station is at the south end of the Fremont Bridge near the Nickerson St Saloon from 7 to 9 a.m. There is no City Hall rally planned this year, as had become a tradition in recent years.

The stations are staffed by various groups and businesses all over the region as a fun way of celebrating a day when a lot of new or occasional bike riders give biking a try. Most stations are open from 7 to 9 in the morning, though there are a handful of all-day or afternoon stations, too. You can check out the official map via Google Maps.

Bike Everywhere Day is a wonderful glimpse into the near future, giving an idea of what the city would be like with a healthy boost in the number of people biking to get around. I definitely suggest starting your day early so you have time to hit up as many stations as you can.

Metro’s map of highest scoring investment corridors.

We’re now three months since the official launch of Metro’s effort to raise funds for transportation infrastructure via a bond measure that could go to voters in 2020.

This is likely to be the most consequential transportation funding decision in our region’s history. With activism heating up and outlines of the measure being drawn, it’s time to put T2020 on your radar.

The Basics

Task Force co-chairs are county commissioners Jessica Vega Pederson (L) and Pam Treece (R).

As the elected government that oversees federal transportation spending for the entire region, Metro is a natural leader of this effort. The agency likes their chances to pass a transportation bond given that voters approved a $653 million bond for affordable housing back in November. According to The Oregonian, the total ask could be as much as $20 billion when all is said and done.

Complete list of Task Force members.

Back in February, Metro kicked off the planning process to decide where and how to spend that money when the 35-member Transportation Funding Task Force met for the first time. They’ve met five times since then. Multnomah County Commissioner Jessica Vega Pederson and Washington County Commissioner Pam Treece are co-chairs.

Advocacy

f
Will this thing be full of freeway expansions and leave crumbs left for everything else (like the State of Oregon’s 2017 transportation package)? Or will it be bold enough to smash the driving-centric status quo that’s destroying the earth and our lives more each passing day?

With so much at stake, transportation advocates from all backgrounds hope to influence the process. As expected, a key tension in this bond debate is how much of the measure’s revenue will go toward projects that increase access to driving, versus projects that encourage walking, biking, and transit.

Take the Survey

They won’t know if you don’t tell them.

• Metro’s Getting Around Greater Portland Survey

The Getting There Together Coalition formed in 2017 and includes 25 organizations who want to make sure the bond makes the region more “livable for all”. Members include The Street Trust, WashCo Bikes, Oregon Walks, AARP Oregon, Disability Rights Oregon, APANO, and so on. Specifically, their priorities include: safety, public transit, a transparent process, prevention of displacement, and increasing access to transportation.

During public comment sessions at previous Task Force meetings, people have spoken most loudly about how the bond measure must aggressively tackle the issue of climate change. No More Freeways, a group that has come to prominence by organizing strong opposition to ODOT’s I-5 Rose Quarter Project, is also engaged around T2020. The group live-tweeted the April Task Force meeting and they have organized climate and Green New Deal advocates to show up to the May meeting which takes place this evening (5/15).

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It’s still early days, but the Task Force has already begun to sketch out “corridors” where funds would be targeted. This shouldn’t be a surprise, given that Metro is a regional entity and wants to invest in infrastructure that crosses jurisdictional lines. And the “corridor” lens is already familiar to the agency. Metro’s 2014 Regional Active Transportation Plan identified 24 “mobility corridors” region-wide.

Based on input from the Task Force, Metro staff identified 75 potential investment corridors. After a scoring exercise, 26 corridors were placed in three different tiers: equity, potential for high transit ridership, and “high safety need.” (You can read a description of each corridor here.)

Here’s the breakdown of each category:

Equity
• NE/SE MLK/Grand Ave
• Tualatin-Valley Highway
• I-5, downtown Portland
• SW 185th Ave
• Downtown Portland
• SE Foster Blvd
• SE Powell Blvd
• NE/SE 122nd Ave
• NE/SE 162nd Ave
• N/NE Columbia Blvd Transit ridership potential
• 82nd Ave
• Tualatin Valley Highway
• SE McLoughlin Blvd
• SE Powell Blvd
• Burnside Street
• Downtown Portland
• NE/SE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd./Grand Ave
• NE/SE 122nd
• Sandy Blvd
• SW 185th Ave High safety need
• SE Division St
• 82nd Ave
• 122nd Ave
• Powell Blvd
• NE/SE MLK/Grand
• SW 185th Ave
• NE/SE 181st/C2C (Clackamas to Columbia)
• Sandy Blvd
• Burnside Ave What’s next?

The Task Force is expected to discuss the corridors gain at their meeting this evening and make a recommendation to Metro Council at their next meeting May 29th. Council plans to vote in spring 2020 on whether or not to refer the measure to voters.

As the Task Force continues to meet and activists begin to circle their wagons, Metro has just released the Getting Around Greater Portland survey.

With so much at stake, how many political compromises will leaders make? How far will advocates be able to shift the Overton window around what’s acceptable in terms of investment priorities? Suffice it to say, many questions remain.

Stay tuned to @BikePortland on Twitter for live updates from tonight’s Task Force meeting. Also check out Metro’s website for more information.

— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org

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When not so much new is going on with bike design, besides motors, it leaves more room for stories about community like this one from Osprey about the Power of Two Wheels & Building Community.

It’s

A beautiful story about the power of two wheels and a community built through bicycling. After a devastating breakup, Rafael finds solitude and restoration on the open road, pedaling his way to emotional health from Mexico City to northern Colorado. With just $500 to his name, he spearheads a revolution to help the underprivileged members of his new neighborhood the best way he knows how—repairing their bicycles.

Here’s a quote from Osprey’s behind the scenes

The idea began in Fort Collins, CO in the fall of 2005.  It was my last semester at Colorado State University. I  had a few hundred bucks in my bank account and my truck broke down as I rolled into town for my first day of class.  With no money to fix my truck I needed a way to get around town and finish my already very delayed college education.  A friend of mine told me about an underground bike shop located in a garage a few blocks away. Rumor had it the “shop” was started by a guy named Rafael, living in a small closet attached to the garage.  He was teaching people how to work on bikes and helping them fix up old bikes for free.  I had an old 10 speed bike I inherited from my step father that hadn’t been ridden in a few decades. I figured I might as well give it a shot.

You can find more of Jesse’s current work on his Instagram @reelmotion

The post Power of Two Wheels & Building Community appeared first on Bike Hugger.

(Designed by Portland-based graphic artist and photographer Gavin Rear. Photos by Gavin Rear.)

A kit designed in Portland (by Gavin Rear) and made by a Portland-based company (Castelli US) for a Portland-based team has been singled out for recognition by America’s sanctioning body for bicycle racing.

USA Cycling announced last week that the Portland State University Cycling Team earned runner-up honors for Best Kit of 2019. The inaugural contest was held via USA Cycling’s Instagram where followers chose their favorite team kits from 64 teams around the country. (The winner was Colorado School of Mines, also made by Castelli.)

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(Photos by Joe Flannery)

Here’s what the team had to say about their great looking kit:

“When we were working on the new kit design our goal was to create something that could be raced in after the collegiate season was over. A piece that wouldn’t feel out of place at the local races, whether it was cyclocross or road. One of our teammates took the photos at one of our favorite roads for team rides. The new kit came alive amongst the greenery during the photo shoot. We also have a favorite sock combo for this kit, which are the matcha digi camo socks made by The Athletic. The Athletic is a local sock company that has been supporting PSU Cycling for many years, so we try our best to show off their socks as much as we can.”

The PSU Cycling Team competes in the NW Collegiate Cycling Conference where they were crowned Division Champs in 2014 and 2014. Follow them on Instagram and Facebook.

— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org

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This is the intersection of NW Skyline and Moreland, where Joe Harris called 911 to report what he calls a “bike stalker”. The suspect was waiting for him in the turnout in the upper left when he summited the climb (from the right).
(Photo: Joe Harris)

Northwest Portland resident Joe Harris says he experienced a nightmare.

“He was slow and methodical, he stared me down, he drove alongside… at other times he drove ahead and waited for me, then simply drifted around incessantly tailing me at about 50 meters.”
— Joe Harris

The way Harris tells it, on Sunday, May 5th, he was riding alone up NW Moreland Road in rural Multnomah County (about 12 miles northwest of the St. Johns Bridge) when he noticed a man in a white, late model Subaru Outback had rolled up behind him. Harris says the driver “hunted” him for a half hour.

“At several points, he drove alongside and attempted to engage in conversation and asked if I needed to stop for water; at other times he drove ahead and waited for me, then simply drifted around incessantly tailing me at about 50 meters,” Harris wrote on his personal Facebook page.

Realizing he was alone and in a place without cell coverage, Harris rode up the hill as fast as he could. When he finally made it to the intersection with Skyline Road, he called 911. As he made the call, he looked up, only to realize that the man in the Subaru had pulled into the turnout to wait for him. Then the man began to drive toward Harris. “He started cutting across the road and straight towards me,” Harris explained. Thankfully he was saved when a woman riding a horse from a nearby ranch emerged onto the road and the man drove away.

It was, Harris recalled later, “Hands down, the scariest lazy Sunday spin I’ve had for decades.”

Map of the alleged incident drawn by Joe Harris.

Two officers from the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office responded quickly. Harris said one drove off to look for the suspect and the other escorted him to the (relative) safety of Highway 30. As they made their way to the main highway, Harris said they came up on another rider who said he was also harassed by the same driver.

This man in the Subaru allegedly harassed Harris and used his car as to menace him. To make it even creepier, Harris recalled something like the words, “I fear only Satan” or “Satan is afraid of me” written in red marker on the car’s tailgate.

Reached via phone last week, Harris said the incident has shaken him on many levels. “This guy was on my tail for 30 minutes. He did not give up. He waited for me. And when he passed, he was slow and methodical, he stared me down,” Harris said. The man tried to start conversations with Harris several different times. When he took a swig from his water bottle, the man sped up, drove slowly right beside him, held up a two-liter jug of water and said, “Do you want to stop for some water.”

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Harris, an IT consultant and co-editor of The Outer Line on Velo News, is convinced the man had these interactions planned out beforehand in an effort to expose his vulnerabilities. Harris also thinks the man had a police radio scanner on inside the car so he would know if authorities were onto him. NW Moreland is one of the roads in that area without cell coverage and it has very little traffic — both facts Harris thinks were well-known to the suspect.

The driver is a white male in his 20s to early 30s with closely buzzed hair with a sharp chin and nose and sunken eyes. He’s driving a late-model white Subaru Outback with a smashed right front fender and tailgate.

Portlander Justin Gericke saw Harris’ post on Facebook and it seemed very familiar to him. Gericke was biking on SW Terwilliger last summer when a man with creepy behavior, driving a car with the same description, came up next to him and tried to engage him in conversation. “He appeared to be under the influence of something,” Gericke recalled when I asked him for details. “And he became offensive after I declined to engage him.” Gericke immediately called 911 as the man in the car yelled at him and he only sped away after a long line of other drivers had stacked up behind him.

“I cannot be certain it was the same guy, but the encounter was similar enough to me to think it was,” Gericke shared.

Harris thinks if it was the same man, he’s purposely moved further away from the city to more remote locations. “He’s going further out for isolation for whatever he’s hunting,” is how Harris put it.

I’m still trying to confirm the case with the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office. I spoke with a deputy today who couldn’t immediately find Harris’ case. The deputy who Harris met out on Skyline isn’t back on duty until Thursday.

Portland-based lawyer and author of Bicycling and the Law, Bob Mionske, has spoken to Harris about the incident. Mionske says bringing a legal case against this driver would be difficult unless there were corroborating witnesses and a positive identification of the driver could be made. “In the meantime,” Mionske shared with me today, “It’s best we all share information about this guy and take precautions until we determine his motivation.”

Please be careful and keep your eyes peeled for the suspect: Harris says the driver is a white male in his 20s to early 30s with closely buzzed hair, a sharp chin and nose and sunken eyes. He’s driving a late-model white Subaru Outback with a smashed right front fender and tailgate. Harris also noticed his front license plate was bent and damaged.

Given the details of this case, we’re concerned that this guy is still out there and poses an imminent threat. Remember, it’s always safer to ride in a group. “Be aware of the roads you’re using when riding alone,” Harris shared, “and try to use routes with more frequent traffic and generally stronger cellular reception for emergencies.”

If you have interacted with this person and/or see him, please call 911 or the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office at 503-988-4300.

— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org

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