Portland Velo Club News

"On your left..." important club announcements for July, by KRhea

2010-07-14T23:30:25Z

This month, KRhea's column is All About the Ride . Portland Velo Saturday Signature Ride Format Thanks in part to the steady and incredible growth of our club and more importantly our Saturday club rides, it’s time we made a few simple changes to our Saturday ride structure. It’s important that we’re able to provide a safe and enjoyable ride experience to as many members as possible, and the following changes will allow this to continue. Beginning on Saturday July 17 th we will institute the...(read more)

Member Spotlight on: Javad Simonsen

2010-07-14T06:32:00Z

Javad is one of those people who obviously knows a lot about cycling, and it shows in his riding, but he’s humble about it when you talk to him. I’ve tried on several occasions to keep up with him on the Thursday SE rides, and it’s just not possible 100% of the time (okay, EVER), but Javad knows every single bike path, road, shortcut and bike route in the Portland area. It’s obvious he has been riding these roads for years. But there’s a real excitement in his eyes when he talks about mountain bike...(read more)

July 2010 - And now, a word from our sponsor, by Gordon Haber of Lakeside Bicycles

2010-07-14T05:41:00Z

After working our way through a truly excellent Giro d' Italia and a monstrously wet June we now find ourselves arrived a the height of Summer and the height of the Tour de France. Earlier we were lead to understand that this year's Tour would be run without race radios, which I believed was a good thing. With the introduction of Motorola 2-way radios in the 80's there has been a steady movement of tactical decisions away from the peloton and into the team cars. Why this matters is similar...(read more)

COMMUNITY SPIN, 7/5/10

2010-07-05T16:37:00Z

There are future plans for a NEW NEIGHBORHOOD GREENWAY (NEW NAME FOR A BIKE BOULEVARD) IN SOUTHWEST PORTLAND. It would extend from SW Terwilliger to Alpenrose Dairy along SW Vermont and SW Illinois for most of the route. There is even a possibility that it could cut through the back of Alpenrose and go on side streets to Beaverton. This is the only Neighborhood Greenway being planned in SW Portland. It would involve signing and marking the full length, turning some stop signs, adding some stop signs...(read more)

"On your left..." Facts, figures, tidbits, thoughts and ideas for June 2010, by KRhea

2010-06-12T01:57:00Z

Velocity, that time each month when I put on “virtual” paper random thoughts, ideas, comments along with club news and information. I try and cover all bases as briefly as possible so you can get to the “meat” of the newsletter while hoping that something clicks with a few of you. That there’s one tidbit that someone finds amusing, interesting, informational or even confusing at times. A couple of reminders: On June 12 , we will have our memorial ride starting from temporary location Evergreen Middle...(read more)

And now, a word from our sponsor, by Gordon Haber

2010-06-07T02:14:00Z

Hello everyone, and welcome to June after the 4th wettest May on record. With early June showing no signs of relief I suppose we should be grateful that the forecast is for "rain" rather than for "sun with crude oil and widely scattered dispersants". I suspect that there is NO possibility of getting Doug out with dispersants in the forecast. In April, I began a discussion of various frame materials including steel, aluminum and titanium and promised to finish up with carbon fiber...(read more)

Member Spotlight on: Cecil Reniche-Smith

2010-06-07T01:51:00Z

Cecil is one of the most hard-core cyclists I know. She did some insane ride a year or so ago where you ride for something like a week without sleep. (Maybe it was less than that, but still, in my book, anything over 24 hours where you don’t get to sleep is just ridiculous!) I guess someone like Cecil apparently considers that “normal”. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Cecil not smiling while on her bike, or heard her complain. Anyway, she’s been around Portland Velo for quite a while so I figured she...(read more)

COMMUNITY SPIN 6/6/10

2010-06-06T21:32:00Z

Last month I reported that the cycling community needed to raise $5000 to fully sign and stripe a NEW BIKE ROUTE THROUGH RIVER VIEW CEMETERY. This was accomplished in less than a month, thanks in large part to a 4 to 1 matching donation from Lewis and Clark College. Public access had been threatened due to inconsiderate riding by a few cyclists and safety concerns by the owners. The route, which will minimize potential conflicts between cyclists and cemetery visitors and maintenance crews, should...(read more)

Member Spotlight on: Sasha Lacey

2010-05-05T18:48:18Z

Sasha is one of those guys in Portland that everyone has probably seen on the road at some time or another. He’s out there training all the time. I remember reading an email that I posted on the forum a while back about a cyclist new to the Portland area who was extremely grateful to have Sasha’s wheel (and his encouragement) on a long difficult ride. Sasha is always gracious, friendly and willing to share his expertise and help his fellow cyclists. He’s an amazing example...(read more)

Equipment Review: Lezyne “Road Drive” pump, by KRhea

2010-05-04T23:24:14Z

Reason for purchase : I like the confidence of knowing my inflation device is gonna work…for sure. Never felt comfortable with using CO2 and have seen many occasions, including on our Saturday rides, where CO2 failed to work for someone and a trusty hand pump rescued him or her. There’s also the cost of CO2 compared to a hand pump. Hand pump is a one-time investment, each time you use a CO2 cartridge it needs replacing. Lastly, empty CO2 cartridges add to our landfills. Overview : Excellent pump...(read more)

"On your left..." Facts, figures, tidbits, thoughts and ideas for May 2010, by KRhea

2010-05-04T22:47:00Z

Happy May everyone. After 25 days with a measurable amount of rain in April let’s hope we get a bit of a break this month. Great weather greeted all of us at this year’s Monster Cookie ride. Of course there was that one “challenge” called a stiff headwind as we headed north to Champoeg. At times as the group took some of those 90-degree turns, it seemed the wind followed us from the front even harder and stronger. As usual it was great to see such a huge turnout of Portland Velo members and you certainly...(read more)

COMMUNITY SPIN, MAY, 2010

2010-05-04T04:39:00Z

The E. BURNSIDE/COUCH COUPLET PROJECT turned Burnside into a one-way street going east and Couch into the main artery going west from east 14 th St. to the Burnside bridgehead with a bike lane beginning at NE 6th and Couch. Although it is a work in progress, cyclists do not have many positive comments about the change/lack of bike lanes, etc. Also, the new segment of NE Couch on the approach to the bridge has a sweeping curve that many cyclists do not think is safe. There is a bike lane here which...(read more)

COMMUNITY SPIN April, 2010

2010-04-05T15:54:00Z

The new bike and pedestrian pathway has finally opened on the MORRISON BRIDGE. The 15-foot wide, $1.9 million facility on the south side of the bridge is expected to be a popular route to downtown for bike traffic and take some pressure off the over-used and close Hawthorne Bridge. The path must handle two-way bike and pedestrian traffic. At this point there are no pavement markings to separate the biking space from the walking space although Multnomah County plans to add markings in the future....(read more)

Member Spotlight on: Ellen Michaelson

2010-04-04T00:49:38Z

Ellen is one of those people I consider to be the “quintessential cyclist”. She seems to show up for every ride well-prepared and eager to experience whatever the route has to offer. Until I talked to her during last summer’s Crater Lake ride, as we were camped out at Diamond Lake, I hadn’t realized just how many miles and roads Ellen has ridden in her lifetime. So many, in fact, that it took her a while to summarize it all – since I asked her back in August if she’d do a write...(read more)

AND NOW, A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR... by Gordon Haber of Lakeside Bicycles

2010-04-03T23:28:28Z

What ho all! April is upon us, spring is in the air and life is filled with promise. Not those "pay your taxes or else" and "the check is in the mail" promises but, rather, the promise of new and wonderful rides to new and wonderful places with new and wonderful people. This month's symposium includes some musings about materials and durability. To an amazing degree, most of the bits and pieces of our bicycles will hold up until friction, oxidation...(read more)