CrankMyChain! will document psycho bike niches, create bike music videos, review parts and accessories, and discuss bicycle advocacy. We strive to host an interactive show where others will contribute or respond with their own videos. So go ahead, CrankMyChain!
Here are some video snapshots from last Saturday's track racing (and John Howe's sugar shorts parade/race) at the Alpenrose Velodrome in Portland.
we are undergoing metamorphosis watch it Wednesday's at noon at http://crankmychain.tv
PORTLAND, Ore. - I love collaborating with Clarence Eckerson, Jr. You may remember our Sasquatch video. We have a ton of fun talking shop and rollin' tape. In this video are cool bike wheels, Clarence, Greg Raisman, Elly Blue, and bikey SE people (plus a brief shot of the Disco Trike rollin' slow). Here's more stuff from Streetfilms.org The first time you visit Portland, Oregon, the gaggles of cyclists streaming over the Hawthorne Bridge during rush hour is a sight you will never forget. It's something other cities need to see and be inspired by. On a recent vacation there, I couldn't resist cranking out a Streetfilms shortie, so I naturally hooked up with Crank My Chain's Dan Kaufman to capture the essence of the PM rush and talk to cyclists about what it feels like to be a part of the mass of cyclist humanity in Southeast Portland, Hawthorne corridor. As Greg Raisman from Portland's Bureau of Transportation pointed out: 20% of all traffic on the Hawthorne Bridge is bikes. And, Portland's number of cyclists has risen 600% in the last fifteen years and shows no sign of letting up.
Here is a video tour of the latest listing from BikeRealtor.com. It's in the Colonial Heights neighborhood in Southeast Portland, which is a great location for anyone wanting to drive less and live more. Find out more at Bike Realtor.com!
Animation by Spencer Boomhower. http://boomhower.com The Oregon Legislature is considering passage of a law that would allow bicycle riders to treat stop signs as yield signs. These "rolling stops" would allow bike riders to preserve some of the momentum they depend upon for efficient travel, just so long as they don't infringe on the safety and rights of others. The law is based on one that's been successful in Idaho for the last 27 years, so it's come to be known as the "Idaho Stop" law. There's some controversy - and whole lot of misunderstanding - surrounding the proposed Idaho Stop law. Spencer Boomhower ( http://boomhower.com ) does a great job helping clear thing up with the magic of animation. Music: "Celebrated Shoo Fly Galop" by W.L. Hayden, performed by Lucas Gonze (soupgreens.com and gonze.com). Used under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 license.
Sunday’s Citizen’s Opposition and Alternatives to the Columbia River Crossing rally felt like a sea change. Participants were we greeted by warm spring weather, excellent speeches, and solidarity in opposition to the I-5 CRC crossing as it’s being presented currently. Several groups and governments from both sides of the river (and aisle) were represented and spoke to the large crowd at the Tom McCall Waterfront Park in downtown Portland, Oregon. Find out more at http://SmarterBridge.org
In our third snippet from the Bridge Shopping Network things go “all-CSPAN” as the show is hacked live into the Joe Cortright’s formal testimony at the Jan 29th Portland City Council meeting on the Columbia River Crossing (CRC). It's surely not what the BS Network hosts have in mind, as things become wonky and counter-productive to their sales pitch. Ride you bike to this Sunday’s Citizen’s Opposition and Alternatives Rally 12-noon at Tom McCall Waterfront Park Near the Morrison Bridge. Semi-Organized Rides to the rally are posted here. Find out more at smarterbridge.org. You can also stay up to date at bikeportland.org. See you Sunday!
Thursday, March 26, 2009 Have We Got a Bridge to Sell You! "The CRC Cures Cancer" Watch Video & Read StoryTeaser Photo"Cures Cancer" is the second in a series of spoofs by the Bridge Shopping Network (BSN) made to promote the Citizen's Opposition and Alternatives to the Columbia River Crossing (CRC) rally, which is being held noon Sunday, April 5th at the Tom McCall Waterfront Park (north of the Hawthorne Bridge). To find out more about the Columbia River Crossing and see better alternatives see smarterbridge.org. The video was produced by Dan Kaufman crankmychain.com and Joe 'Metal Cowboy' Kurmaskie metalcowboy.com.
Building Like it's 1959 is the first in a series of spoofs by the Bridge Shopping Network (BSN) made to promote the Citizen's Opposition and Alternatives to the Columbia River Crossing (CRC) rally, which is being held noon Sunday, April 5th at the Tom McCall Waterfront Park (north of the Hawthorne Bridge). To find out more about the Columbia River Crossing and see better alternatives see http://smarterbridge.org/
PORTLAND, Ore.- This video is about a year old so the information about the National Hand Built Bicycle Show is out of date, everything else is pretty relevant. It features Natalie Ramsland of Sweetpea Bicycles (Portland, OR) and interview with Jonathan Maus of bikeportland.org. Video directed by Daniel Sharp, filmed by David McMurry, edited by Alden Morgan. I really like the commentary and shots.
What does it mean that Portland, one of the best North American cities for cycling, has virtually no Critical Mass? Is it no longer relevant in the evolution of cyclists or has the police crackdown just been so successful? What are the new goals of cyclists?
Portland, Ore. - Pinky Gets a Powder Coat is a short documentary/infomercial about how my sister got her tired looking bike repainted. Actually, the frame and fork were powder coated -- a different process than painting -- which involves baking a very durable plastic-like coating onto steel, aluminum, and other metals. Powder coating has become very popular option for giving new life to motorcycles, bicycles, car parts and other metal items like lawn furniture. Brooker Enterprises specializes in powder coating. Find out more at BrookerEnterprises.com or drop by 3714 SE Powell in Portland (503-236-2565 ). This video was produced by CrankMyChain.tv in association with BikePortland.org for Brooker Enterprises. Video and music by Dan Kaufman.
Somewhere in Canada - David James recycles bicycles and turns them into objects of art. Enjoy the slide show and music. Want to see more? Check out David's YouTube Channel or the Bikengruvin blog.
A song inspired by President Obama's inauguration speech. Music By Dan Kaufman.
Excerpt of Representative John Boehner (R-Ohio) from "Face the Nation" - 1/11/09 See more on the story at BikePortland.org http://bikeportland.org/2009/01/12/rep-john-boehner-widen-highways-for-american-families/
Excerpt of Representative John Boehner (R-Ohio) from "Face the Nation" - 1/11/09 See more on the story at BikePortland.org http://bikeportland.org/2009/01/12/rep-john-boehner-widen-highways-for-american-families/
Yeah it's rusty. It's time to bust out. How about submit a movie to the Filmed By Bike Film Festival. Also stay tuned to CrankMyChain for live webcasts. Follow twitter.com/pdxktv to see when we are live. Have a great 2009!
PORTLAND, Ore. - Craftmaster Independent Films is taking their web series the Bicyclist to the big screen with a feature length film called The Bicyclists. The main characters are the same but the story is slightly different. Here is the blurb from their site: Conrad Miller came to Portland to live free, to meet people and to make memories...The Bicyclists coming to the big screen in 2009. Stay tuned. I'll post again when they screen it.
Portland, Ore. – The US Grand Prix of Cyclocross made the last stop of the tour last weekend for the Stanley Portland Cup. Mostly dry ground was found Saturday at the Portland International Raceway but Sunday it poured, especially the hour before the Elite Women’s race. Katerina Nash took both Sunday’s race and the 2008 USGP Championship Trophy while local heroine Sue Butler was cheered to a third place finish and the Sram “Most Aggressive Female Rider” award. Ryan Trebon of Bend took that $250 prize home and won the day’s race. Tim Johnson claimed the series trophy. I took home a pair of very wet and muddy boots, some videotape, and inspiration for the song “Head Down”, which is the score for this video. Eric Todd Keeney provided additional footage. http://crankmychain.com http://usgpcyclocross.com http://erictoddkeeney.com
This post is quite a bit longer than typical but I hope you will take the time hook this up to your TV, get comfortable, and watch the whole thing - especially if you have been thinking about going car free or are an advocate for driving less. Car-free living is a lifestyle choice that yields abundant rewards: freedom from the economic burdens of personal motorized transportation, improved physical and emotional well-being, reduced noise and pollution, and traffic structures that are gentler on the land and its citizens. Communities are brought closer together as people increasingly interact face-to-face, rather than from within steel shells. Liberation from private motorized transportation makes us a richer, healthier, happier people living in cleaner, quieter, friendlier neighborhoods. In this multimedia workshop, Obbie and RoZ describe the steps on their trail toward Transportation Liberation, and discuss a multitude of pragmatic ideas on how to make driving optional. The program is punctuated by personal narratives (including sights and sounds) of good and bad transportation methods witnessed during extensive research in North America and Europe. During ten years as a traveling campaigner for sustainable lifestyles, Obbie learned about transportation by experiencing nearly every major American city as a driver, bicyclist, and transit rider. Since RoZ joined him in 1993, they've sworn off car-dependence and have been car-free since 2003. They are based in La Crosse, Wisconsin, where they are outspoken advocates for the rights of bicyclists and pedestrians, and for the types of community design that make car-free living both possible and pleasant. This is the synopsis of the presentation from the the Zs website purplearth.net. I recorded this audio at their presentation the CarFree Conference at Portland State University last June. If you would like to book the live presentation please contact purplearth.
Cyclocross Crusade Finale - There Will Be Mud Hillsboro, Ore. – The final race of the Season for River City Bicycle’s Cyclocross Crusade earned double points for the riders and you could tell by the way they were racing. Both the women’s and men’s category A races were very competitive with several lead changes each. It was a fast and level course at the Washington County Fairgrounds but water from last weeks rain created a monster-slog section through the rodeo arena. I was able to cover the entire course on my bike and decided to ditch the tripod for the Men’s race and really concentrate on following the leaders as much as possible. I pieced that footage together to create start-to-finish race video of the Men’s category A race and I’m interested to hear what you think about this type of coverage. Please make a comment on the video. I want to thank River City Bicycles for sponsoring this video (not to mention being the title sponsor for this series and owner Dave Guettler came up with the title of the song for this video). My eternal gratitude and respect goes out to the Cyclocross Crusade promoters, sponsors, and all the officials from the Oregon Bicycle Racing Association. Video, Edit, and Music – Dan Kaufman Here are the results for race 8: Cat A: 1 Kevin Hulick Vanilla Bicycles 2 Sean Babcock Team S&M 3 Molly Cameron Vanilla Bicycles Women A: 1 Rhonda Mazza Team S&M 2 Wendy Williams River City Bicycles 3 Emily VanMeter River City Bicycles And the Cross Crusade/OBRA Cyclocross Championships: Cat A 1 Jason Sager SagerSports.com 2 Sean Babcock Team S&M 3 Chris Sheppard HPChrio Bike n’ Hike Giant Women A 1 Wendy Williams River City Bicycles 2 Emily VanMeter River City Bicycles 3 Rhonda Mazza Team S&M
Portland, Oregon - Apparently the Halloween Races in Astoria was not enough insanity for this years Cross Crusaders. After some excellent traditional cyclocross racing at Portland International Raceway the bike-fun crowd went wild for single speed. Thousands of spectators watched as Sue Butler took away honors for the womens A racers and the prize for unofficial womens single speed world champion. Mens SSCXWC honors were awarded to Drew MacKenzie who hails from the Great White North. Prizes included a Vanilla SpeedVagen, a Pereira Cycles custom frame not to mention gold Speedos and required championship tatoos. Also, Raleigh Rainier frame went to the Sit-Up Champ. Special mention goes to Ryan Trebon of Bend who won the mens A race, and the regular single speed race. Trebon, a top cyclocross racer, was told he had to win all three races in order to take the SSCXWC. He may have been handicapped on the raceway, as well. The song Steam Powered was written especially for this race. Music and Video by Dan Kaufman for http://crankmychain.com and http://www.bobsredmill.com http://crosscrusade.com http://sscxwc.com
I wrote this song in the darkest days of Republican scorched-earth domination. Abraham Lincoln's wise words were finally shown true last night with the overwhelming support of the American people for Barack Obama. I hope I never hear the term "real Americans" or red state/blue state again. My hope is that our leaders have moved away from the deceptive and divisive politics of the Bush era. But if they don't, well "you can't fool all the people all the time". Video and Music by Dan Kaufman
ASTORIA, Ore. – If you didn’t bring a costume to last Sunday’s Cross Crusade race you may have placed better but you also got heckled. The weather was perfect for camping, outrageous outfits and two days of racing at the Clatsop County Fairgrounds. Video, editing, and original music by Dan Kaufman. Additional Footage by Eric Todd Keeney.
PORTLAND, Ore. – I have three videos for you today. The first by Todd Keeney shot at Cross Crusade Race #2 in Wilsonville. We’ll be heading down to the Halloween races in Astoria this weekend and hope to see you there. Otherwise, stay tuned for another Halloween cross video later next week. The second video is footage of Sasquatch, regarding the Quest for The Grail and the final video is a ridiculous detour request in Vancouver, Washington. Music for the Villebois Race is by Todd Keeney and friend. The music at the end is “Whistlestop” by Roger Miller.
PORTLAND, OR - The first ever Freak Bike Fall starts tonight and runs through Sunday. Get the agenda here: http://freakbikefall.blogspot.com/ The video above is a tribute to the Freak Bike Militia by yyzmec at YouTube.
The National Republican Congressional Committee funded this attack ad against 3rd District Pennsylvania Democratic contender, Kathy Dahlkemper - http://kathydahlkemperforcongress.com/ They think she is asking Americans to sacrifice too much by walking and biking more. They call her out for opposing the GOP red herrings of gas tax reduction and offshore drilling. Informed voters know that neither domestic drilling nor gas tax reduction will have an impact on gas prices or American dependency on foreign dictatorships. Oil companies are already making record profits and they will be happy to sit on domestic oil reserves until they need them (as they are currently doing). They will also be happy to take the extra profit a reduction in gas taxes would bring. It seems to me this attack ad will backfire. See the original ad here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlL1u0YrlGE
Portland, Ore. - As promised, the first race of the Cross Crusade was wet and muddy. There were a record number (1263) participants at Alpenrose Dairy with loads of fans and plenty of wipeouts for them to watch. I wrote the song Double Crossin Me just for this race and had blast syncing it up to the dirty footage. Next scheduled CrankMyChain.tv cyclocross video is for the Halloween race. Contact me if you are interested in sponsoring a race/music video dan at- pdxk com.
PORTLAND, Ore. - Jason Turner and Greg Freddette's much anticipated documentary about Portland's cycling scene will soon be making it's debut. In the meantime we can watch the trailer for the movie Veer. Sign up for updates about the movie and screenings here. Jonathan Maus of BikePortland got to sneak peak of the movie and has some more background at his BikePortland Blog.
Portland, Oregon – River City Bicycles Cyclocross Crusade race #1 is this Sunday at Alpenrose Dairy. Good news race fans, it looks like we may have some mud! Come on out and say hi if you see me. Also, you can watch and buy the 2006 and 2007 Race videos at CrankMyChain.com . So far, this year, we’re covering three races and we’re looking for sponsorship for as many more as possible. If you are interested in sponsoring CrankMyChain.tv please contact me at dan at pdxk d0t c0m.
Monday, September 22, 2008 Today is Carfree Day - Watch Parking Day Video Watch Video & Read StoryTeaser Photo NEWSFLASH: TODAY IS WORLD CARFREE DAY NEW YORK, NY - From StreetFilms.org Transportation Alternatives reports during this year's foray into PARKing Day there were over 50 parking spaces temporarily reclaimed throughout the city, nearly doubling last year's total. I'll say this: that's a lot of freaking sod!! As usual for these things, the fare ran from the wildly creative to the calm & soothing. There was a meditation garden in Williamsburg, origami being folded at The Open Planning Project's spot, and a bevy of spots with an advocacy theme. But the strangest time-continuum alternative-universe event occurred at Peter Frishauf's spot on the Upper West Side where I filmed him following the live blogging on Streetsblog about PARKing Day! And finally, although my work comrades had an amazingly elaborate spot, if I had to vote this year's winner it would be the Lower East Side Girl's Club. Again. You guys rock. This year my travels took me to four of the five boros: biked 43 miles, filmed 22 spots, spent 11 hours outdoors and had one bike crash - while I was walking my bike through Times Square. Go figure!
BEAVERTON, Ore. - This is a 60-minute cable access program I participated in on Tuesday. I enjoyed and was inspired by the main guests from B.I.K.E. River City Bicycles Cyclisme Team and their coach John Beninati. What's more you can see my five minutes of cable access fame as part of the "Events Corner" (26-minutes into the show)."Cycology Today" (CYCT) is the new name for "NW Cycling" TV show produced through Washington County Oregon. Host, Executive Producer and Owner of the show Bruce Buffington and co-host Ann Morrow spend an hour to help inform, educate and entertain the Bicycling community. Dennis Gleason is the Associate Producer and Executive Director for this program and Dark Wing Productions provides the Direction and Production services. CYCT is produced using the facilities at TVCTV in Beaverton Oregon. Please provide feed back, both positive and negative, but please be appropriate, so that we can make updates to make the show better. Thank you, Cycology Today Management Team
St. Paul, MN - Watch as the GOP faithful go orgasmic over the prospect of giving away more oil fields to Exxon. But don't be surprised if they fail to do any drilling any time soon. Oil supply and profits are just about perfect, thank you very much. Rudy Giuliani, John McCain and Sarah Palin will mention that, of course. Nor will they mention that their ticket is bought and paid for by big oil. This video has obviously been edited for effect. Link below if you would like to see raw footage. It's just as scary, if not more so. http://pdxk.com/media/rnc-giuliani-drill-baby-drill.mov Download and make your very own "Drill-Baby-Drill" mash up. It's fun AND frightening!
Yes, there is a big difference between republicans and democrats, Barack Obama and John McCain, when it comes to the use of our energy resources. We must change our dependency on petroleum now on a personal level, locally and nationally. Voting for Barack Obama and the Democratic Party is a move in the right direction. I strongly encourage you to register and vote in the upcoming election.
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. Businesses and non-profits compete in one category, while public agencies and bike shops each compete in a category of their own. Within those categories, workplaces are divided by number of employees, to keep competition fair.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008 Helmet Cam Zoobomb Watch Video & Read StoryTeaser Photo PORTLAND, Ore.- CrankMyChain! has done a few Zoobomb videos but this on by radiohack really shows main run. Though the footage is sped up a bit, it really gives the feel of the Fairview Blvd. bomb down to the reservoir. Zoobomb is a Sunday night event enjoyed by the young at heart in the Arlington Heights neighborhood of Portland, Oregon. Find out more about zoobombing at zoobomb.net.
Text from the Crimanimalz: Mission The ride's political stance and agenda was neutral, many participants invoked the group's collective motto: "If you rode a bicycle, you'd be home by now!" -- a statement against oil dependency, in support of sustainable living and a collective critique of the Los Angeles transportation infrastructure. The riders are pointing out that in a city like Los Angeles made for cars, bicycle riders are reaching their destinations faster. Long Term Goals Members of the CRIMANIMALZ are looking for city officials to make bicycle safety a priority, not only through the creation of safe and easy places to ride, but also as a means of transportation on the city's increasingly busy thoroughfares. With rising gas prices and a government encouraging sustainable practices, more people are expected to turn to bikes as an alternative means of transportation. Music: Funderstorm - "Why Didja Duh Eeet" http://www.myspace.com/thefunderstorm The Ride Friday, May 9th, 2008 At 5:30pm starting in Santa Monica, 28 bicyclists took surface streets to the 1-10 Fwy at Bundy and rode 0.44 miles to the I-405 N on-ramp and rode another 1.56 miles to the Santa Monica Blvd. exit during rush hour. The ramp to the I-405 N was a steep grade and 0.65 miles in length. Riders spanned a total of 2.0 freeway miles. The group of riders also hung a 20'x6' banner on the 17th street overpass overlooking the eastbound I-10 Freeway in Santa Monica that read RIDE A BIKE YOU'D BE HOME BY NOW. The sign remained in place for over 48 hours. Media Information ____________________ YouTube CRIMANIMALZ - The Freeway Ride I http://youtube.com/watch?v=4NLmiuyLa98 Website http://www.crimanimalz.com http://www.myspace.com/crimanimalz Vimeo Channel (Videos) http://www.vimeo.com/crimanimalz FLICKR Pool (Photographs) http://www.flickr.com/photos/crimanim... IBIKEU Wiki (History) http://www.ibikeu.com/wiki/index.php/... To view California Highway Patrol Reaction to the Freeway Traffic Jam Ride http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBGIQ7...
Zack makes plans for world conquest, while Steve and Lissa hang on the beach. Conrad just hangs on...
PORTLAND, OR - Realtor Kirsten Kaufman has been doing most of her commuting by bicycle this year and she recently started her Tour De Homes. Tour de Homes takes potential home buyers and interested folks through a Portland neighborhood that is well suited for people who prefer to bike, walk, or take public transport. They can dig in and see what's on the market and what makes the neighborhood special all at bicycle pace. In the interest of full disclosure, Kirsten Kaufman is my wife. If you know someone who is looking to buy or sell a home in Portland, please contact her at 503.233.9513 or KirstenKaufman.com.
NEW YORK CITY, NY - From Streetfilms.org Feeling remarkably similar to Bogota's Ciclovia, the New York City Department of Transportation held its first Summer Streets event on Saturday by opening 7 miles of city streets to pedestrians and bike traffic only. From 7 AM to 1 PM, roads were car-free from 72nd Street to the Brooklyn Bridge with Park Avenue serving as the backbone of the route. Our Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan is the real deal - she spent the entire day riding a bike around the course (and even said some nice things about me to my mom.) We'll spare you the 200 adjectives we could list about how transformational it was, for it was beyond anything on the printed page. The general consensus was that the event succeeded beyond even the most hoped for expectations and would pass even the most pessimistic of measuring sticks. A page has been turned, clearly there is no doubt: the future will hold many more large scale street openings for pedestrians, cyclists, runners, children, dog walkers, dancers, and any other reasonable livable space use. The swarms of people and happy faces made for much positive energy. Around noon, some blocks were getting very crowded, but there was a general courtesy that existed between pedestrians and cyclists. The city built it - and the people came. And they smiled a lot.
VANCOUVER, BC - The B:C:Clettes mini-bike dance team made a great music video that really captures their spirit. I like the song, too. It's Justin Timberlake's "Sexy Back". You catch the The B:C:Clettes live at quality events in and around Cascadia.
This was found at YouTube. Not sure the details of the video since it was posted in a language I can't seem to translate. But check out all the trick bikes, recumbents, and interesting competitions. I especially like the tandem with trailer races. There are some definatley ideas that could be introduced to the 21st Century.
xtra.newsweek.com linked to a video I posted to YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFiwir... . I didn't shoot the video and am not the only who posted it but it's not gone a bit viral and I am getting a lot of comments. I thought I'd make a response with some comments and a I just wrote song. Formats available: MPEG4 Video (.mp4)
USA - CBS News Sunday Morning ran a thorough piece on bicycle transportation and covered Portland extensively including a brief segment with yours truly and my boyz rolling the “bike train”. There is also some great coverage of Portland Transportation Commissioner (and mayor elect) Sam Adams, Alta Planning’s Mia Birk, and visit at Clever Cycles. Sorry the footage is a bit grainy. I pulled from the show from my old VCR and Channel 6 doesn't come in so well at my house. (CBS) "Pedal Power" is coming into its own these days, as Americans of all ages are coming to realize biking can be practical, economical, and good clean fun - or should we say, good GREEN fun? Our Cover Story takes us from California to Cambridge, and is reported by Serena Altschul: See the full story at CBSnews.com.
Zack and The Demon SUV play baseball. Steve makes t-shirts to make few bucks and Conrad drinks another beer.
PORTLAND, Ore. - It's taken me way too long to post this great video by Clarence Eckerson, Jr. of Streetfilms.org. There so many bikey friends, from Aaron Tarfman and his transportation trike, Linda, Timo, and Coach Dan with the 411, and Jonathan Maus Channeling Gil Peñalosa and so many smiles from young and old. Portland's first Sunday Parkways was a huge success with tens of thousands of Portlanders converging on the North Portland streets, parks and sidewalks. Don't be surprised if this kind of event, originally started in Bogotá, becomes a mainstay all over the world. Here is the write up from Streetsblog: Despite a very dreary and damp first half of the day, Portland's first Ciclovia-style street closure, Sunday Parkways, was a smashing success with countless thousands of city residents participating. It was like a giant community block party with walkers, bikers, joggers, bladers, families, and pets filling the 6 mile course. There were plenty of fun activities in four northeast parks that were linked by the circuit, which was opened to bikes and pedestrian traffic only from 8 AM to 2 PM. For cities planning their own Ciclovias, here are some things I liked about Portland's event: knowledgeable volunteers, lots of fun chalk messages on the ground, easy to follow directions, lots of music & entertainment, and a huge number of bike stations for bike repair. If you want more Sunday Parkways be sure to let people know.
This video is not intended to be viewed by children and the language is foul. PORTLAND, OR - There have been a lot of bike box videos uploaded to The internets latley. But how are bike boxes being recieved by your average Joes? Well, I got my hands on some footage a couple jokers shot right down on Hawthorne Blvd. by the liquor store. I think I know who the biker chick is but I won't name names. Anyway, this once again proves that Portland is much more fun because of bicyclists. My advice to the bike box curious: get a bike and get busy in the bike box.
PORTLAND, Ore. - The Sprockettes Mini-Bike Dance Team is hosting a "Bicycle Bash" this Saturday and I thought this would be a great opportunity dig through my old tapes and pull out some footage from the Dance Party Ride they hosted last June at Pedalpalooza. You can see this video and many others on the big screen at the"Bicycle Bash" along with all sorts of other entertainment. Check out the 411 straight from their site: The Sprockettes Bicycle Bash is just over 2 weeks away. Save the date: June 28, 2008 Announcing the Sprockettes Invitational Bicycle Bash! Music, DJ Gray, art gallery, silent auction, raffle, and of course….performances by your favorite bicycle dance troupes. Food and drink will be available for sale with “Sprockettes specials”. No outside alcohol please. Doors open at 8pm. Entertainment starts at 9pm. Party until 2:30am. Location 606 SE Madison, Portland OR. Tickets are $5 at the door. Advanced tickets are available online at Brownpapertickets.com and at all of our upcoming shows (see below). Guaranteed fun with your hometown homegirls!
From Streetfilms.org PORTLAND, Ore. - The Towards Carfree Cities VIII kicked off Monday in Portland, Oregon with an exciting community event. Hundreds of conference participants helped break and remove asphalt from a 3000 square foot parking lot. Depave.org is the mastermind behind the Fargo Garden Project. They promote the removal of unnecessary concrete and asphalt from urban areas. Depave.org will continue to work with Goldsmith Properties to transform this now asphalt-free site into a community greenspace. Once completed, the site will be used to educate the public about pavement removal and storm water drainage management. Notice an example of Depave's work in this video at founder Arif Khan's house. Music by Reptet and Dreamtime Stilters.
Plus CrankMyChain! is going to be live webcasting from the conference so check the live feed here or at carfreeportland.org. Check out the schedule and the feed at stickam.com/carfree. The Towards Carfree Cities conference series brings together people from around the world who work to promote practical alternatives to car dependence. The conference attracts professionals, advocates, and community leaders who focus on the creation of sustainable transportation systems and on the transformation of cities, towns, and villages into human-scaled environments rich in public space and community life. The fundamental role of the conference is to share knowledge and assist the practical work of conference participants, whether it be organizing community events, promoting urban cycling, or building the carfree cities of the future.To learn more, contact the conference team at http://www.carfreeportland.org
The Bicyclist crew hits the road, hits the bottle and takes a hit or two.