-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 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...

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...

The Wheel American Family explores living by dutch bike with three children. In this installment, the kids point out that it takes friendly drivers to make Portland a biking mecca.

A few days ago my eldest son, Kael, turned to me on our commute home and said, “Have you ever noticed how nice the bus drivers are?” I asked him what he meant. Kael went on to say, “Whenever we are at a super-duper busy street, they always stop to make sure we can pass.”

He’s right. They do. This is especially true when we are trying to cross Killingsworth. The traffic is so steady that a space rarely occurs. But just wait for the timely Tri-Met bus and we’re off. I spent the next few days attuned to my son’s observation and it was clear—the drivers in city vehicles are marvelously nice. Do they take a driver’s courtesy course to get employed by the city of Portland? I wonder.

Following are some examples of friendly moments that make the jungle more livable. More...

It was last week. I was making my way from Portland to Vancouver, Washington, my legs pumping strong and powerful, cruising over the pavement. I was behind Delta Park, the last section of road before the exchange to the I-5 bridge over the Columbia River. I felt the crisp fall day coming to a close as the sun set. I heard the familiar Zzzzzhhhh of my tires on the road.  However, I did not see the cafeteria tray-sized pothole in the road.

The front tire went in, klunk-pop, and due to my speed, the back tire followed right in, kerchunk-pop! Two flat tires. And quite jarring to boot. I hit the pothole hard.

Every biker is bound to encounter a flat. Here's how to be prepared, cope, report the pothole, and continue on. More...

Grab your favorite kids and join the riding party this Friday for Kidical Mass, the family spin off of Critical Mass. Bikes will be decorated, ice cream will be eaten, and families will ride together in a safe environment.

Details from BTA below. There are four area rides this time, with more planned monthly. More...

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Food: Northwest Chocolate Festival
The Northwest Chocolate Festival is a Benefit Event with proceeds benefiting regional farmers and farmers in cocoa regions from around the world including Oregon Tilth and Sustainable Harvest International. In the Northwest Chocolate Festival Education Center we will be bringing top educators in the culinary, history, and health of chocolate. We will be offering tasting, spa classes, culinary workshops & demonstrations, and seminars on trade and farming practices. Come learn how to make a chocolate martini! $20 for both days.
September 12-14
Ecotrust and Jean Vollum Natural Capital Center, 721 NW 9th Ave

Play: Scrap Iron Artist Competition
This high-energy celebration of creative reuse is a large-scale sculpt-off competition involving teams of local artists, rowdy referees, celebrity judges, live music, kid’s activities, merriment and mayhem. Teams have three hours to complete a sculpture using only the materials and theme provided. Over the years, Iron Artist has become one of the most beloved events in the Portland metro area
with incredible support from the community. Iron Artist is an event that challenges the creative community while raising money for one of Portland’s most unique and well-respected environmental arts organizations. SCRAP combines three of Portland’s passions – sustainability, waste reduction and creativity.
September 13, 11am-7pm
SE 2nd at Main and Salmon

Go:  Kidical Mass
WHO: Trailers, trail-a-bikes, Xtracycles, tandems, oh my! Kids, Parents, and any Kids at Heart
WHAT: We’ll ride legal, safe, and hoot it up. Honk if you know a kid.
WHY: To celebrate the fact that Kids are Traffic Too. For family fun on vehicles that don’t hurt the future! Another excuse to pedal with your family. Last month's rides were hugely successful to the degree that all rides reported much fun by all. Thanks for your support and participation, and hey, let's keep it up! Neighborhood leaders are needed, email angela@bta4bikes.org. The Downtown ride will once again start at the playground at the North Park Blocks. We will meet on the *south* side of the playground, closest to NW Couch, between 8th and 9th. Plan to arrive for bike decorating at 6pm, safety talk and ride orientation at 6:15 and the ride will leave promptly at 6:30.
September 19, 6pm
Rides and potlucks in each quadrant, see BTA for up to date meeting information.

Go: BTA Bike Commute Challenge and Drink a Pint Benefit
There's still time to join the Bike Commute Challenge as an individual or work team. Challenge us (under EcoMetro) or a friend, log your miles, and take advantage of discounts and incentives. This year the website is the flashiest, most engaging yet. The Bike Commute Challenge is a friendly competition — workplace against workplace — to see who can get more people biking to work in September. Any business, non-profit or public agency is eligible to participate — and individual cyclists can also participate on their own.
Challenge: All of September
Drink a Pint Benefit: September 22, 5pm to close
McMenamins Market Street Pub, 1526 SW 10th Ave

Food: Zeneger Farm "Writing our Bellies Full"
Join Zenger this fall for a food writing workshop, “Writing our Bellies Full,” taught by local creative writer and food lover, Becca Deysach. Becca will lead food-inspired writing activities as we share good food, explore the farm fields and wetlands of Zenger, and share our food stories in an intimate group setting. There is only room for 12 participants and space is filling fast. The cost for the 6-week course is $125. Open farm tours are every Friday 4-5, $5 for adults and $2 for children.
Thursdays 7-9, September 25-October 30
Zeneger Farm, 11741 SE Foster Road

Go: River City Bicycles Free Maintenance Classes
- 1st Wednesday:     Fixing Flats
- 2nd Wednesday:    Brake & Derailleur Adjustments
- 3rd Wednesday:     Fixing Flats
- 4th Wednesday:     Shifting & Riding Techniques
- 5th Wednesdays (when applicable) Open Forum
Weekly on Wednesdays, starting at 5:30
River City Bicycles, 706 SE MLK Blvd.

Live: PDX Clothing Swaps
So, what is PDXSwap, anyway? Well, we're a group of women in the Portland Metro area who get together on a regular basis for a clothing swap! If you've ever been to a clothing swap (or even a thrift store), you know what a pain it is to sift through racks and piles of clothes, hunting desperately for your size. By concentrating on one segment of clothing sizes in each swap group, we're able to have a fun, easy time of just swapping clothes (and shoes, and belts, and mittens...). Kids swaps too!
Throughout the month, locations differ.
Sign up for your size group at pdxswap.com More...

Rachel Mullin
Co-owner, clevercycles.com, 1516 SE 9th Ave
Neighborhood you live in: Irvington

This interview occurred in the spring of 07’, when Clever Cycles had recently opened. The shop has since expanded in the same location. At right: An example of the Bakfiesten sold at Clever Cycles.

What inspired this business?
It was a way to offer people the opportunity to get out of their cars. A lot of people don’t realize they have a lot of options. They say, “but I have to go to the grocery store.” People aren’t aware that they can bike. Dean and I have four kids so we kind of realized, oh wait a minute maybe we can really be sharing how we do this instead of just bumping into people. We do have a car but we don’t drive it much. More...

Undoubtedly Portland is a bike town. We’re learning how much so with two recent deaths and at least three high profile bike accidents this fall. This writer even experienced some misfortune of his own in an October bike commute. I consider my first hand encounter with traffic to be valuable lesson. More...

I was intending to write about "All Weather Cycling" this post around, but particularly in light of recent tragedies, I've decided safety must come first.  Let's talk about what each of us can do to get there and allow others the same pleasure, too.  The fog, darkness, rain, and lethargy that winter in the Pacific Northwest inspires are villains which every commuter must vanquish.  And vanquish we shall, be we riders or be we drivers!  When we are on the road together, we're in it together.
 More...