The Portland Pedal Power Blog

Celebrate Spring with CCC

Brook — Thu, 23 May 2013 17:49:23 +0000

You may not be able to tell by the weather over the past couple of days, but it’s springtime! And there’s no better way to celebrate spring than by hanging out with the amazing people at Portland’s Community Cycling Center (CCC).

On Friday, May 31st, the CCC is hosting a spring fundraising party on Friday, May 31st, from 7:00 to 10:00pm at their new workshop location at 1805 NE 2nd Ave. Tickets to the event are only $10, and that low price will help the CCC move towards their spring campaign goal of $20,000. Your ticket also gets you delicious food from Russell St. Bar-B-Que and Bipartisan Café, as well as beer from Hopworks Urban Brewery, which will be flowing out of the famous Metrofiets beer bike.

You’ll also have access to a photo booth room and a bike museum, and the opportunity to buy $10 raffle tickets to win a pair of Cycle Oregon Week Ride passes, which are valued at $1,790. That $10 could give you the opportunity to spend a week riding with a friend or partner in the Eastern Oregon sunshine. One catch though: You must be present at the event to win the raffle prize.

During the event, you’ll hear about what’s in store for the CCC’s new workshop space, an update on their newest projects, and the opportunity to support their work to broaden access to bicycling and its benefits. Funds raised during this campaign will enable the Community Cycling Center to continue and expand their work of empowering individuals and creating a healthier, safer and more equitable community – with bicycles.

Check out event on the CCC’s website and on Facebook for more information!

Where: Community Cycling Center’s New Workshop Space, located at 1805 NE 2nd Ave.
When: Friday, May 31st, 7-10pm
What: Community Cycling Center’s Spring Fundraising Event
Admission: $10 – Tickets will be available at the door. You can also buy event and Cycle Oregon raffle tickets beforehand at the Community Cycling Center bike shop or over the phone by calling 503-288-8864 ext. 334.

Riding with North St. Bags

Brook — Tue, 21 May 2013 21:08:26 +0000

When Portland Pedal Power riders head out on a delivery shift, there are a few necessities that they need to carry with them: a cell phone, PPP cards, a receipt book and some petty cash. Until last fall, we were using a random assortment of bags that weren’t well-suited to the job or the Portland climate. Then we teamed up with local bicycling bag manufacturer North St. Bags, and the rest is history.

Colin Wagner, one of our longest tenured riders, recently took some time to tell the first part of the story:

PPP & North St. Bags, Part One: The Idea from Portland Pedal Power on Vimeo.

Good Times at the 2013 Alice Awards & Auction

Courtney — Thu, 16 May 2013 17:17:37 +0000

We had the good fortune to come by some last minute tickets to the 2013 Alice Awards & Auction, put on by the Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) a couple of Sundays ago on May 4th at Pure Space in the Pearl. Now in its 18th year, the Alice Awards & Auction brings together residents, leaders, and businesses from around Oregon to honor the work of those who have made bicycling better. The event highlighted the impact the BTA has had on bicycle safety education programs and recognized the great work of some of our community leaders. All of the proceeds from the event and auctions go to support the work of the BTA.

Throughout the night we heard from former Community Cycling Center Executive Director Alison Hill Graves and Gresham High School health teacher Kristen Warren. U.S. Congressman Peter DeFazio was awarded the Bud Clark Lifetime Achievement Award for his “stalwart support of Safe Routes to School” and Jay Graves received a special thank you from the BTA for all of his years of advocacy and support. It was also great to see Charlie Hales out to show his support for bicycling and the organization.

Prior to receiving the event tickets, I had heard rumors about some of the items up for auction. Portland Pedal Power donated a dinner delivery (which was paired with your favorite brew from Ninkasi Brewing), but I had no idea the extent of the goodies to choose from and spend money on! We pressed our luck with the ‘golden ticket’, but were unfortunately not the lucky winner. We pressed on and were able to walk away with a three day, two night supported ride trip with Treo Bike Tours to “explore the old west by bicycle” in Heppner, OR. They promise that “after a long ride, you can enjoy a leisurely soak in the six-person hot tub, enjoy a game of pool, pull a cold one from your personal tap, and kick back on our comfy couches or relax outside in the shade.” We’re also looking forward to a brewery tour and tasting at Base Camp Brewing Co.

The food from Spin Catering by Madison’s, highlighted by amazing braised short ribs, was delicious, and dinner was topped off with a big scoop of ice cream from Salt & Straw. I’m looking forward to next year’s event, and think I’ll arrive just a little earlier so I can take my time scouting out all the items up for auction.

(L to R: PPP Co-Owner Courtney Martin, PPP Customer Sherry Schwenderlauf from McDonald Jacobs, PPP Co-Owner Jenn Dederich)

Breakfast on Bridges

Brook — Tue, 14 May 2013 18:00:38 +0000

Have you ever biked across the Hawthorne or Steel Bridge at some point between 7am and 9am on the last Friday of the month? If so, you may have been greeted by a surprise – coffee and doughnuts from a handful of dedicated bicycle enthusiasts! If you’ve experienced this wonderful event, but missed out on the details while enjoying your treat, you were taking part in Breakfast on Bridges, served by the lovely people of Shift.

Born out of Bike Summer in 2002, Shift was formed by a group of passionate riders who were interested in organizing all sorts of events for Portland’s bike community. Breakfast on Bridges (or BonB for short) was launched in January of 2003 to reward and encourage Portlanders for riding their bikes. Originally launched on the Hawthorne and Broadway Bridges, BonB had to make a move to the lower deck of the Steel Bridge because it was too successful for the limited amount of space on the Broadway.

After serving morning commuters for 10 years, Shift has seen steady growth in the number of cyclists riding across both BonB Bridges. They’re still handing out coffee and doughnuts on the last Friday of each month on the Hawthorne and the Steel, and they’ll be out every Friday morning during June to help celebrate Pedalpalooza. This year, Portland Pedal Power will be along for the ride, setting up at BonB on the Hawthorne Bridge, representing Point West Credit Union and handing out bike lights and tasty treats from Delicious Donuts!

Coffee and donut lovers will be happy to learn that in celebration of PDX Bike Month, PBOT will be hosting eight Bike Breakfasts “Off the Bridge” in the five quadrants of town. Click here to check out the locations of those breakfasts, as well as a calendar of other exciting events.

We’ll see you on the bridges!

A New Espresso Bar in NW Portland

Brook — Fri, 10 May 2013 01:00:45 +0000

Nossa Familia Coffee, a local roaster in Northwest Portland, is opening their its first retail location, the Nossa Familia Espresso Bar. Their coffee is sourced from the owner’s family’s farms in Brazil, hence the name Nossa Familia, which is Portuguese for “our family”. This is the first coffee bar in the region – maybe even in the country – where the coffee stays in the family from seed to cup, with no middlemen in between. Nossa’s owner, Augusto Carneiro, grew up in Brazil where his family has been growing coffee since the 1890’s. In 2005, Augusto founded Nossa Familia, which imports, roasts and now brews his family’s coffee.

“This is where the magic happens,” says Augusto, “my family has been growing coffee for more than a century in Brazil and I am so proud to showcase the fruits of their labor. At our Espresso Bar our customers will experience what we do from seed to cup.”

Nossa Familia will also feature some uniquely Brazilian items such as traditional Brazilian small cheese rolls, known in Brazil as ‘pão de queijo’, a gluten-free savory pastry that pairs deliciously with espresso drinks.

Your friendly Portland Pedal Power riders have been delivering Nossa Familia coffee beans to locations around Portland for the past two years, and we’re excited to hear that we’ll be able to stop by the new Espresso Bar for a cup of coffee when the weather turns this fall.

The Nossa Familia Espresso Bar is located at 811 NW 13th Avenue, right across the street from the Pacific Northwest College of Art. Keeping in touch with Nossa’s seed-to-cup philosophy, the Espresso Bar will share space with the company’s roasting facility.

Look, Ma! No Broken Bones!

Brook — Tue, 07 May 2013 23:53:20 +0000

Our fearless leader, Ken Wetherell, founder and co-owner of Portland Pedal Power was in a cycling accident. Again. Don’t worry though. Ken is a superhero, and he’s doing just fine. Again.

If you look back at Silver Linings, Ken’s blog post from last year, you’ll see that he rides with a streak of luck behind him. He was in two accidents last summer – he was hit by a car in June and wiped out on a mountain bike in August – and while he suffered some injuries, none of them had lasting effects and they didn’t do anything to break his spirit. An avid cyclist who’s always looking for new ways to reduce wind resistance on his fleet of custom bikes, Ken is quick to get back in the saddle.

This time, he’ll be riding again in no time because of one thing in particular: his helmet.

The League of American Bicyclists, which has been representing the interests of cyclists since 1880, “strongly recommends” the use of helmets while cycling. According to the League, a properly fitting helmet that is certified by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission can drastically decrease the risks of head injuries in a cycling accident. Their position on the issue states that “controlled studies have shown that a rider not wearing a helmet is between two and three times more likely to suffer a head injury in a crash than is a helmet wearer.” Those odds sure make it seem like wearing a helmet is a good idea.

We’re definitely happy that those scuffs are on Ken’s helmet instead of his head. As Ken says, helmets are awesome.

For more information on bicycling safety, click here to check out the League of American Bicyclists.

QDoc: The Portland Queer Documentary & Film Festival

Brook — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 21:50:13 +0000

QDoc: Portland’s Queer Documentary Film Festival is back and bigger than ever.

The 7th annual festival opens at McMenamins Bagdad Theater May 16 with the larger than life portrait of drag superstar Divine in I Am Divine presented with director Jeffrey Schwarz and actress Mink Stole in attendance. Following Opening Night, the Festival continues through May 19 at McMenamins Kennedy School with ten documentaries that feature gay, lesbian, transgender, bisexual, transsexual and gender-questioning artists, lovers, activists and pioneers.

Festival Passes can be purchased for $75 and also provide admission to the reception. Following the opening screening, the audience is invited to join QDoc at Backstage, located around the corner from the Bagdad Theater, for a no-host celebration.

The Festival continues with ten more films, which will be presented at the McMenamins Kennedy School Theater in NE Portland. Check out the official QDoc website for more information on the films and the Festival!

VENUES:
Opening Night screening and pre-reception venue May 16: McMenamins Bagdad Theater, 3702 SE Hawthorne
Post-Opening Night Party: Backstage Bar, 3702 SE Hawthorne
Festival venue May 17-19: McMenamins Kennedy School Theater, 5736 NE 33rd Ave.

PROGRAM:

Thursday
8PM I Am Divine

Friday
7PM Goodbye Gauley Mountain
9:15PM Interior. Leather Bar.

Saturday
2:30PM Born This Way
5PM Lesbiana
7PM Big Joy
9:30PM Mr. Angel

Sunday
12:30PM Bayou Maharajah
2:30PM Wildness
4:30PM I Am A Woman Now
7PM Valentine Road

ADMISSION:
Tickets for film-only: $10 general, $8 students and seniors
Tickets for film and Opening Night Reception: $25
Festival Pass: $75, includes all screenings and Opening Night Party
Advanced tickets available at queerdocfest.org

ON THE WEB:
Official Website
Facebook
Twitter

The Pyxis Story, Part Three: Portability

stacy — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 00:12:11 +0000

Over the past couple weeks, we’ve been giving our followers a behind the scenes look at the development of the Pyxis, the cargo bike enclosure that we use to deliver food and all kinds of other products to businesses in Portland. Portland Pedal Power founder and co-owner Ken Wetherell was kind enough to share his insights on The Pyxis Story, giving some background on where the idea came from and where we’re going with it. This week, you’ll see the final piece in this chapter of The Pyxis Story. So take a look at The Pyxis Story, Part Three: Portability to get one more look behind the curtain at Portland Pedal Power.

And in case you missed them, check out Part One: The Concept and Part Two: Improvements to get caught up!

Pamper for a Purpose 2013

Brook — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 01:41:52 +0000

This is a guest blog written by Denise Wetherell of Lake Oswego’s Shear Creations Salon. After learning about the horrors of genocide in North Africa, Denise and her daughter, Anna, started a grassroots effort called Pamper for a Purpose, which is in its third year.

Once a year for the last two years, Shear Creations has played a big part in helping women and girls affected by genocide in Darfur and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Living in refugee camps, these women and girls face the threat of an attack when they go out in search of wood to use to build fires for cooking. So far, we have raised $6,300 to help solve this problem! This money goes toward the purchase of solar cookers, which provide an easy, sustainable way to cook, giving women a chance to provide for their families while staying safely in their villages. We also provide hygiene packs and vocational education as we strive to bring positive change to an unimaginably hostile land.

This year, Pamper for a Purpose will be held at Portland’s Director Park on Sunday, July 28th from 2-7pm, so mark your calendar! Enjoy live music, kids activities, a silent auction and pampering services such as acupuncture, haircuts, massage and more with all proceeds going toward the cause. You’ll also have the opportunity to learn more about what we do and how your donations will impact the women and girls of Darfur and the Congo. If you’re interested in helping, we are still accepting volunteers, practitioners and sponsors, as well as donors for the silent auction. Click here to sign up to be a part of the event. We hope to see you there! Thank you so much for your time!

“If you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together” ~ African Proverb

The Pyxis Story, Part Two: Improvements

stacy — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 23:36:13 +0000

Last week’s interview with Portland Pedal Power founder and co-owner Ken Wetherell was just the beginning of the The Pyxis Story. This week, you’ll hear from Ken about the improvements that have been made to turn the Pyxis into what it is today. So take a look at behind the scenes at the PPP headquarters in Southeast Portland and enjoy The Pyxis Story, Part Two: Improvements.

And in case you missed it, check out last week’s video to get caught up: The Pyxis Story, Part One: The Concept