Axl on the ego ramp (Photo by rogeriotomazjr) Here’s a new rock n roll bike route review (Division is a crappy bike route, and I partook while on foot, but sometimes you have to just follow your muse. Want to read the rest? They live here. I’m thinking of giving this feature a proper title: […]
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The battle of the yield
Posted onA guy on a bike stopping at a yield sign. (Photo © Elly Blue) My column last week at Grist was about the discourse around bikes at stop signs, and how the way we talk about bikes is different, in this case, than what actually happens on the road. The response has been interesting, and […]
Going to the bike craft fair
Posted onBikeCraft – an annual bicycle-oriented craft fair now in its umpteenth year – is definitely a niche event. But bicycling is a major niche around these parts, and this has almost always been a stupendously good event for vendors, attendees, and organizers alike. I’ve been to all of the BikeCrafts, and even had a hand […]
More Portland bike route mini-reviews
Posted onWhat, more Portland bike route mini-reviews already??? You asked: And I am easily distracted from other work. Here are two more:
Portland bike route mini-reviews
Posted onThe northbound MLK experience: A lost classic in experimental thrash riding I’ve been reading Our Band Could Be Your Life, a history of the U.S. indie music that I didn’t listen to in the 80s. The author clearly honed his catchy style writing record reviews and I was inspired to attempt a similar treatment for […]
The rubber terror
Posted onThat a popular consumer product would have a dirty secret hidden far from end users’ eyes in the Global South is almost to be expected these days. A century ago, the bicycle was high on this list. 1890 was the year that a company called Dunlop Rubber formed primarily for the purpose of producing a […]
Our bodies, our bikes
Posted onThe fifth issue of Taking the Lane is in the works, and should be out in mid-December. You can pre-order it here. Writing submissions have been rolling in, ranging from a short, sweet, hilarious paragraph to a touching and fierce personal essay to pointed thoughts that I transcribed during a conversation with a friend too […]
Time to quit
Posted onOn Thursday night I quit Facebook. The instant I decided, I put on my hat, made my excuses to the friends I had just met up with, and got on my bike and rode home to click through the process before removing my hat or setting down my bag or saying more to Joe than […]
Can hitchhiking save the economy?
Posted onThe folks at Freakonomics don’t always nail it, but they I love the way they tackled the economic benefits of hitchhiking, debunking the myth that it’s a huge risk, and suggesting we bring it back into the mix as a part of getting our financial feet back under us. I hitched a lot during my […]
My preoccupations
Posted onAs the Occupy movement grows, I’ve been thinking more and more about a topic that’s already been on my mind for some time – how do we build a viable economy on a human scale? At the same time, I’m still struggling to build a viable living on a household scale. As I work and […]
Occupy Portland -- Photos
Posted onI headed down to the start of the Occupy Portland rally this afternoon to see if there was a bike story there. Turns out most of the bikes I saw were either parked to railings or for police use. Here are a bunch of photos, bikey and otherwise:
Bikes on my mind
Posted onFor three years, I compiled a weekly bicycle news roundup at BikePortland (Jonathan is keeping it going, and now I’m the one getting my news that way). Since moving on a month ago, I’ve relaxed my eagle eye on the news: instead of skimming everything quickly, I’m able to take the time to be choosier […]
Home.
Posted onMade it home. Tour went overwhelmingly well. The hospitality, interest, and excitement we encountered at every stop were inspiring. We met many inspiring and kind people along the way. I have loads of material to sift through. I wrote about some of the bikey highlights in an interview with myself (classy, huh?) over at Grist. […]
The fertile plains
Posted onMy latest column over at Grist is about bicycling in Las Vegas. The literal translation of Las Vegas is “fertile plains.” Looking back in light of the city’s current landscape of asphalt and gravel, the name seems tragically optimistic. But this city, like any other, has been incredibly fertile for those who were lucky, savvy, […]