April 24, 2008

Calling all bike clubs

Oregon has a wealth of totally awesome bike clubs doing all sorts of neat tricks, and Cirque du Cycling on June 14th will bring them all together for the nation's largest bike pride parade. The parade takes place on Mississippi Avenue in Portland.

Cirque du Cycling, a Mississippi bike fair in support of Self Enhancement Inc., features a family ride, the parade and criterium with two-way racing.

For more info, to register to race or for the parade, see their website

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March 31, 2006

Westside Invite

Portland United Messenger Association (PUMA) just announced the schedule for the infamous Westside Invite May 26-28. The annual messenger blowout features skid competitions, alley cats, raging parties and demonstrations of raw skill.

(Photo courtesy of PUMA)

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January 11, 2006

The Big Fix: Riding Across the Country on a Fixie

The Big Fix is an impressive ride across the country on a fixie. The organizer is the father of a young girl named Dakota who has Histiocytosis (histo). This is a condition similar to cancer but since it is very rare, funding for research is severely limited. The vast majority of people diagnosed with histiocytosis are children under 10.

The ride will start in Davis, CA and end in Boston, MA and will be completed in only 28 days. Dakota reports that she's very excited about the ride (though she won't be riding) and she's looking forward to meeting other kids with histo at the finish line party.

For more information on how you can ride shorter legs, the full trip or support the riders, check out The Big Fix website.

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December 30, 2005

River City's Fixed Gear Rides

For four years now David Auker has organized weekly fixed gear rides that start from River City. Rain or shine, 2 people or 16, the group rides. I spent some time asking David about these rides and here's what he had to say.

Why fixed? What's so great about fixed?

Ah, that would take a long time to get close to describing the magic! Suffice it to say it has a certain "feel" of connection to the wheel, and this is the appeal. Skill-wise, it's both more difficult and easier than a gearS bike; it gives an incredible feeling to the outer quad when applying back-pressure to the drivetrain (to slow down), and this is the same muscle-usage that takes some easing into (if you want to walk for the next week!). I will say it's not universal in appeal to everyone, and not to be ridden exclusively (for flyin' countryside rides, gearS IS fun!).

What bike do you ride

I have two fixed-gears: a rain fendered, and a light carbon; both road bikes, both 42x18 gears.

What keeps you going in the winter (you personally).

It's like visiting the wilderness when the weather is "adverse;" we are responsible for protecting ourselves against the elements, and this is so different than the normal lifestyles our modern climate-controlled environs offer. I get a lot of satisfaction from devising clothing to fit the outdoor conditions. It's a way to keep from getting too soft, and I think we need to do physically taxing "fight or flight" body moves most every day...cycling is great for that (a steep hill takes everything we can muster!).

Who shows up?

We've had up to about 16 riders, and they range from racer-types to serious commuter-types.

Any memorable moments on the rides?

In the past, our decision of where to ride was discussed that morning, so we sometimes got exploratory and ended up on some "interesting" roads, like narrow highways in the rain. Fun, but now we always do the same route, which makes it easy to just head out and do the ride! I guess we've had one shoulder separation injury from a crash, but besides a flat tire here and there, nothing too dramatic has befallen us.

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