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It’s Dangerous to go Alone! Take This!

by Jon Elias

worst_day_ridersHappy Fall everyone! As of the 23rd of this month, we are officially packing up the good weather. The sun begins to hibernate, we put away the shorts, and we break out the Gortex jacket and rubber booties to endure our 9 months of showers.

I for one welcome our moisture-ridden months, but its also a time to be extra cautious on the road. People tend to forget that it’s been 3 months without water on the roads, and with that comes oil slicks and bad attitudes.

Whenever it starts to rain when we’re on the road, we always need to take a few extra precautions to make sure both our precious cargo and riders get to their location on time. Here’s a few tips to help keep you safe on the road:

Dress to Stay Dry – Ok, so this might be a “Duh” moment for some people, but sometimes it’s easier said than done. After all, moisture seems to come at you from all directions on busy roads. Be sure to grab the rain jacket, Walz Cap, If you need some new equipment, ask our riders where they get their gear, or check out North St. Bags to see how the locals do it.

Stay Away from the Rainbows – Don’t get me wrong, I love seeing rainbows after a good rainstorm. It makes a good picture for Instagram! But if you see one on the road, steer clear. That’s oil showing true colors. Oil buildup from the summer is still clinging to the asphalt, and provides a wonderfully slick surface the help your face become fast friends with the ground. (Not a friend worth having)

Yellow Lenses – Eye protection like your regular sunglasses are always a good idea, but when it’s overcast and a little darker outside, it might be harder to see where you’re going. Yellow lenses don’t darken your view, but still offer you protection from the water aiming directly for your corneas. It’s science! (more…)

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Make the Best of Your Bicycle This Memorial Day

by Jon Elias

Ah, summer. Memorial Day is coming up once more, and we’re all getting ready to roll out the BBQs, grab some micro-brewskies, and enjoy the sunny, warm weather. Some may go off on a vacation for the weekend, some may hang around the place and enjoy the weather. Some of you may even think about taking yourself for a ride on one of our fantastic local bike trails.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re dusting off the ol’ fixed-gear now after a long winter, or whether you never stopped cycling in the first place. We’re just happy you’re on the road with us! But before you hop on the saddle, make sure you cover your butt on a few key areas, so we can all enjoy the streets incident free!

Bicycle Check – If you’re a fair weather rider, it may the first time you take your bike out for the day. Make sure nothing has run amok during its time indoors. Check your brakes, make sure your tire pressure is up to snuff, and make sure everything that needs grease has grease. If you’re not feeling too sure about the state of your bike, take it in and have a professional look at it. The best medicine is preventative, and you don’t want anything to happen in the middle of your trek.

Safety Equipment – It can’t be much clearer folks: helmets save lives! Your brain is a valuable tool (and the only organ in the human body that has named itself. Trippy, right?) so make sure you protect it. Check your helmet for any cracks and make sure it fits you correctly. Aside from helmets, make sure you’re seen on the road! North St. Bags has a number of reflectors that can help make you visible even in the harshest of storms, so it will certainly make you apparent on a clear sky day.

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Rideye: The Black Box for Your Bicycle

by Jon Elias

RideyeThe roadways can be an exciting and terrifying place. Portland Pedal Power knows this just as well as the next bicyclist in the PDX area, and we are always considering new ways to keep our riders safe. When the worst is a possibility, we all wish we could have had another set of eyes on the road. You can imagine when we found out about the new dashcam for bikes, Rideye, we were very excited.

This unique camera was introduced on Kickstarter by cyclist Cedric Bosch down in Los Angeles, California. Bosch is a mechanical engineer and considers himself as an avid racer and mountain biker. After having a friend suffer serious injury during a hit and run, Bosch designed a camera “for cyclists to protect themselves while navigating the concrete jungle.”

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Look, Ma! No Broken Bones!

by Brook

KenOur 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.

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Drive Less, Save More

by Brook

Drive Less, Save MoreHave you ever wondered how Portland became such a great cycling city? Look no further than the people, organizations and programs that are invested in building a rich community of cyclists through promoting cycling as an alternate means of transportation. Drive Less, Save More is one of those organizations, and they’re changing the face of our community.

Launched in 2006 by the Oregon Department of Transportation, Drive Less, Save More raises awareness about the practical, economic and environmental benefits of improving the way in which ODOT manages our transportation system. Reducing individual car trips is one of the main goal, and, bicycles are a big part of the solution, while public transit, carpooling and ride-sharing are emphasized as well.

Here’s the rundown from their website:

“Traffic congestion takes a heavy toll on residents, our economy and the environment. Oregon’s population is projected to grow exponentially, and traffic will only get worse unless action is taken.

Compounding the problem is the fact that there are insufficient funds to build new roads on a sizable scale. Part of the solution is to better manage the demand put on our transportation system and maximize its capacity. That’s the primary aim of Drive Less Save More.

Launched in 2006 by the Oregon Department of Transportation, Metro and its public and private partners, Drive Less Save More seeks to reduce individual car trips as an integral part of a larger solution to addressing traffic congestion. The goal is to raise public awareness about the benefits of driving less through trip chaining and other smart driving strategies, such as riding transit, carpooling, vanpooling, ridesharing, telecommuting, biking and/or walking. Today, Drive Less Save More has expanded beyond the Portland metro area into Salem, Eugene/Springfield, Medford and Bend.”

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