-Sally Bell, Advertising Manager

The Bicycle Transportation Alliance’s September Bike Commuter Challenge was an all-out success. Thousands of Oregonians made first-time commutes and some committed themselves to more consistent ridership, for the sake of healthy competition, the wonders of bike commuting and good old-fashioned fun. This year’s Brian Reynold’s distance award winner happens to also be my husband, Chris Bell. 

Chris is the most modest super commuter you’ll ever meet and he logged well over 1800 miles in the month of September, making the trek from our home in SE Portland to Salem, every day and back. More...

This year, Park(ing) Day 2009 was held on Friday, Sept 18th. Founded in 2005 by Rebar, a San Francisco art and design collective, Park(ing) Day has blossomed into an annual, global, one-day event where local residents transform ordinary parking spaces into temporary parks and green spaces. Friends of Outdoor School, The Freshwater Trust, Friends of the Columbia Slough and The Intertwine created this space along SW 2nd Ave and Couch. Volunteers at the lush green space invited onlookers to engage in educational activities, including the study of tree rings, plants and salmon.

To learn more about PARK(ing) Day, click here. More...

This morning, I took a train to Seattle to teach at a conference. It is one of the joys in life. I bike to the train station, work on a crossword as the scenery passes by, and then bike around Seattle which, by the way, seems to be made entirely out of hills.

Today, I entertained myself with a new distraction, the subtle art of the roll up. For those of you unfamiliar with the term, a “roll up” is when a cyclist folds, or in some way “rolls” up, his or her pant leg to avoid it getting caught in the chain. Roll means fold. It’s so clear. A thoughtfully folded pant leg is a style I don’t often sport because my bakfiets has a chain guard. However, today I took a commuter bike on my trip to Seattle, and with 3 hours to kill on the train, I mastered some pretty awesome roll ups. Check them out. Let me know what you think.
 
TRADITIONAL: Nothing fancy. Textbook functionality for keeping the pant leg out of the chain assembly. The style most often used. More...

This Sunday, July 19th, Sunday Parkways will close roads in Northeast Portland from 9am to 4pm, featuring attractions ranging from a petting zoo to an orchestra. Full map here.

The last Sundays Parkways happened on Father’s Day, when Portland closed off 7.5 miles of roadway in North Portland. I would like to thank Portland for doing so specifically for me, Daddy-Travis. The route was great, joining together several neighborhoods with events and sights along the way. Families on bikes were most notably seen, however, Sunday Parkways drew a wide audience of cyclists, walkers, and runners.   

As a family, we rode the loop that included Peninsula and Arbor Lodge parks. We pedaled past Peninsula, knowing that we would hit it on the way back so on we went. Throughout the route we rode over chalk drawings and statements of celebration for the day. More...

Cirque du Cycling, the Portland bike parade, came and went like…well…a parade. People lined up and down Mississippi Avenue to witness the spectacle of collected bike groups. Our family rode with a group of cargo/utility bike users. Aside from all being larger bikes, this group shares the belief that bikes are superb vehicles for moving large objects from place to place. James--seen in the photo below with his dog Louie who sits in a custom made box atop his Xtracycle--made our banner, which pretty much summed up our group’s thinking: WeGO Cargo! More...

By Carrie Treadwell, Community Outreach Manager

For an easy weekend escape, spend a day in the splendor of old growth trees in the Mt Hood National Forest. Some of the largest and most magnificent trees in Oregon are located along the Salmon River in Welches. Take Hwy 26 east to Welches and turn right on Salmon River Rd. Follow Salmon River Rd into the Mt Hood National Forest. There are several areas to park, and many easy walking trails to explore along the river. Perfect for families and folks of all ages. Great for biking too!

Don’t forget your camera- the surrounding scenery is definitely worth capturing!

Image: Flickr/Creative Commons More...

I want to add the phrase “everyday cycling” to our language. I first heard this when I was a guest on the KBOO Bike Show (May 2009) with hosts Ayleen Crotty (organizer of Filmed By Bike) and Tori Bortman (owner of Gracie’s Wrench). Before the show, I head Tori use everyday cycling, and being the word geek that I am, I asked about the nuances of her phrase. A discussion ensued, and I am now convinced that everyday cycling needs to be part of our language.

There is a sizable group of people who fall under the term everyday cycling, myself included, but my riding habits are usually described as bike commuting. Until now.

Image used with permission of metrofiets.com. Pictured: Ella Ross and Phillip Ross. Picture taken by Maile Leithea. Check out the Metrofiets photostream! More...

Several years ago, when I first got a call about working here at Celilo Group Media, I had just torn the Zipcar coupon out of the book that very day (it was Flexcar then). Had I heard of the book? Of course I had! Did I ever redeem the coupon...er, no.

It wasn't just calculating the cost of gas, insurance, and upkeep that finally made me take the leap and sell my car--it was realizing that I drive so infrequently that spiderwebs connected the window to the steering wheel like something out of a cartoon. My bike was carrying me a dozen miles a day for free while I paid for spiders to practice tightrope walking between leather and glass. I sold the car and patted myself on the back (plus bought a pair of new shoes). And then, immediately, I missed an opportunity because I didn't have wheels. More...

Our bakfiets loving, kid hauling Wheel American Family writer Travis Wittwer (@BikeNounVerb) appeared on the KBOO Transport Show to discuss being new to biking and the trials and joys that go with it. The podcast is now up here, give a listen.  More...