Longtime friend and S&M rider Chad Swanson celebrated his birthday a week ago. As a celebration, Chad and his wife Anna led a few of us on a wonderful gravel ride that left from his house in the Columbia Gorge town of Mosier. Rolling up the road from Swanson’s house, we had a solid showing of shop folk, friends, and hood river locals. The ride began on a rough gravel road that stretched out before us and allowed us awesome views of the surrounding area. The beginning roads were pretty chunky, and I was glad with my bike choice of a King Kahuna 29er hardtail, however as the climbs got steeper it proved tough to keep up with the cross bikes. This was reversed pretty soon as we were bombing down twisty gravel roads, reaching 40 mph in some sections. That being said, Patrick Means did the whole ride on his new carbon road bike equipped with 25c tires, like a boss. We arrived back at Chad and Anna’s house after a few hours to a veritable feast, with the highlight for me being a brimming crock-pot filled with excellent pulled pork. I spent the rest of the beautiful Sunday hanging out on the grass, eating way too much, and trading pushes on the tree swing with Erik’s son Gus. It was the sort of idyllic day that made you forget the past few months of crummy weather. But more importantly, it was the sort of day that makes you thankful for being a part of the great community that surrounds, and is at the heart of Sellwood Cycle Repair.
(Not that its important, however shop mechanic “Mad” Mike Lilienthal was the undisputed style champion for the day, sporting the cutoff 90s Marin jersey with matching pink Oakley Razor knockoffs.)
And in case you’d ever like to do this ride yourself, Chad granted us permission to share his map. As Patricky puts it, “It’s always a good time to partake in the sacred act of getting schlepped around someone’s personal stomping grounds”, and with this map you can pretty much do that.
ENJOY!
By now you know we are leaving the shop every Saturday at 7:45 for a group road ride. This is a 2hr training ride that is generally non stop, and medium to hard intensity with some race pace type of efforts. It’s a good ride for anyone trying to get in some miles before the day is half over (some of us have to work on Saturdays, ha). The route is posted below and it is expected that you can make it back to the shop on your own should you fall off the pace. The ride will happen rain or shine.
21 April 2012 group road ride
If you want more (or less) pain than the planned ride, the routes should provide enough choices to make the ride what you want. Everyone is welcome and we look forward to seeing you!
This piece comes courtesy of Sellwood’s own Julie Kramer:
On a very soggy Saturday in late March, about 15 good Portland citizen volunteers descended upon River View Natural Area, Portland Parks and Recreation’s newly acquired property. A few of us from the bike shop took the time to get our hands dirty, installing native plants deep in the heart of the woods, in an effort to curb erosion and restore balance to the area. Rachel Felice was our fearless leader, starting the day with a grand spread of coffee and other treats, foul-weather ponchos, jackets and rain pants, gloves and hand warmers. She answered questions tirelessly and enthusiastically, while directing our eager shovels with an impressive variety of native plants. We’re excited to see the possibilities of great new trails in Southwest Portland, just a hop, skip and a bridge away from the bike shop.
Here is the link to another great community event on the EAST side of the Sellwood Bridge this coming Saturday
Park (your bike or car) at Sellwood Riverfront Park parking lot (SE Spokane & SE Oaks Park Way) and meet the group at the picnic tables by the river.
Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge & Oaks Crossing Natural Area
Saturday, April 21st, 9:00 AM-noon
Spend your Earth Day helping to protect and preserve one of Portland’s most important wildlife areas! Help remove invasive weeds, pick up trash, and more. Please dress for the weather and wear close-toed shoes. Tools, gloves, and snacks will be provided. Park in the Sellwood Riverfront Park parking lot (SE Spokane & SE Oaks Park Way) and meet the group at the picnic tables by the river. This is a family-friendly event with tasks for all ages (children must be accompanied and supervised by an adult). For more information or to RSVP, contact Marissa at Marissa.Dorais@PortlandOregon.gov or 503-823-7016.
To register, go to: http://www.solv.org/programs/solv_it.asp
The ability to carry stuff when riding is essential, so we figured we’d highlight the backpacks that we currently carry. All our backpacks are designed with cycling in mind. They are built around waterproof liners and feature compartments, comfort, and safety elements that aid cyclists and non-cyclists alike. We’re currently stocking backpacks from Truce Designs, Hollygolightly, and Banjo Brothers.
Truce Designs is a Portland company using high quality re-purposed materials in stylish, elegant, and smart designs. We currently have both their Small and Medium “Drop Liner” packs in stock. These bags utilize a free-floating waterproof liner, a bevy of outer and inner pockets, and hip and sternum straps to help stabilize the bag on your back. Both bags are currently on sale at $160 for the small and $230 for the medium bag.
Hollygolightly is a custom bag company run by our friend Joel Holly, also based here in Portland. Hollygolightly also makes use of re-purposed materials in his construction, and makes all his bags by himself. Holly’s bags are each unique and artfully made, utilizing both inner and outer pockets, and wide padded straps for comfort. Both bags are priced at $140.
Banjo Brothers makes a great, utilitarian, and extremely affordable product. Their packs employ a replaceable waterproof inner liner, copious outer pockets, and comfortable straps. We have these bags in black and white and both are going for $85.
Come by the shop and check out these backpacks, and if you have any questions please feel free to give us a call.
Sellwood Cycle Repair is embarking on some uncharted territory, exploring regions of the Internet that are entirely new to us. We’ve set up Tumblr, and Facebook accounts, and resurrected our defunct Twitter account. Expect frequent updates via the shop, from cool new bikes we have in, products that we’re excited about, photos from around the shop, and more. We feel we do great work here at Sellwood Cycle Repair, and these new avenues will be a means to keep our friends better updated on whats going on around the shop.
Follow us on Twitter @SellwoodCycle, check out our Tumblr, and like us on Facebook!
Our friends over at Ruckus Components do amazing work with carbon fiber, from carbon fiber chainring guards, to carbon frame repair, to custom fender and rack eyelets, and much more. In short, they’re an amazing company that is advancing the ways in which we look at carbon fiber, and thus it seemed perfect that we highlight a recent project that they completed for us.
We gave them a 2012 Kona Major Jake frame that had suffered severe damage to the right seat stay during a race. They repaired the broken seat stay with a fix that is almost entirely unnoticeable, and from there added capabilities for a second water bottle cage and carbon fender eyelets that are sleek and blend in perfectly. We’ve attached detail shots of the eyelets, and as you’ll notice they’re a bit hard to discern due to the amazing job by our friends at Ruckus.
This bike has been dubbed “Purple Rain” by us at the shop, and lives up to its name as employee Jason Beasley’s daily commuter/do everything/cross bike.
For more info on Ruckus Components and their services please check out their website.
Leaving from the shop at 7:45am sharp! This is a 2hr training ride that is generally non stop, and medium to hard intensity with some race pace type of efforts. It’s a good ride for anyone trying to get in some miles before the day is half over (some of us have to work on Saturdays, ha). The route is posted below and it is expected that you can make it back to the shop on your own should you fall off the pace. The ride will happen rain or shine.
14 April 2012 group road ride
If you want more (or less) pain than the planned ride, the routes should provide enough choices to make the ride what you want. Everyone is welcome and we look forward to seeing you!
We recently sent our guys Brad and Patricky to help our friends at Kona down at the 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo mountain bike race. The race is set in the gorgeous Sonoran Desert, outside of Tucson Arizona. Kona puts on this event drawing almost 2000 racers, creating a massive tent city in the desert to support the riders as they trade 16.1 laps between teammates, or choose to go it alone for the entire 24 hours. Atop Kona’s brand new XC machine, the Hei-Hei 29 Supreme, Brad managed to shoot some stunning footage with the shop’s GoPro camera. Here is a sampling of the riding that these lucky dudes got to experience. At least we can all live vicariously… Enjoy!
Music: “Shine” by Slowdive
Sorry for the delayed posting, but I figure by now we are gaining some sort of reputation as a place to ride bikes on Saturday morning and most folks should just know that we’ll be riding no matter what…So here are the details: leaving the shop tomorrow at 7:45am sharp, we will ride a generally non-stop 2hr training ride. Expect about a medium to hard intensity with some chances for race pace. The ride will be happening rain or shine and here is the planned route:
7 April 2012 group road ride
If you want more (or less) pain than the planned ride, the routes should provide enough choices to make the ride what you want. Everyone is welcome and we look forward to seeing you!
We find ourselves in the midst of spring, and the weather is as unpredictable as ever. For those days in the saddle where the conditions could include bright sun and harrowing downpours, you need a jacket that can provide excellent rain protection while also being lightweight and packable. We’ve expanded our selection of jackets and rainwear, and thought it would be fitting to focus on a few jackets that will keep you warm and dry and can be folded into a jersey pocket when the sun comes out.
The first jacket that stands out is the “Path” by GORE Bike Wear. It is constructed from Gore-Tex Paclite Shell, and is thus extremely waterproof and breathable. The jacket has a comfortable fit and features reflective piping and logos for a bit of added safety. We have the jacket in an excellent deep blue that also goes quite well with our team colors if I don’t say so myself. This jacket retails for $195.
The second jacket worth mentioning is the “Oxygen GT AS” again by GORE Bike Wear. This piece is constructed from Gore-Tex Active Shell, a material that ensures even better breathability and a lighter weight than the “Path” jacket. The fit of this jacket is a bit more of a racing cut as well, meaning a bit tighter and aerodynamic than its “Path” counterpart (despite it being a bit loose on Julie). Additional features include a bit longer of a flap to protect your backside from the wet, as well as reflective logos. This jacket retails for $245.
The third jacket is the women’s “Double Century” by Showers Pass, a company that is based barely a mile or so from the shop. The shell is constructed from a waterproof-breathable fabric called Artex. The fit of this jacket is close but is not a true racing cut, and is similarly lightweight to the other options. Additional features include zippable vents under the arms and reflective bands. This jacket is on sale for $70.
Staying warm and dry should be your primary concern whether your commuting from work, or building your spring base as the road season begins. Any one of these jackets should keep you happy for those days when its hard to tell whether you’ll be bathing in sunlight or mired in a downpour. The jackets shown here are just a slice of what we have in the shop, so if your interest is piqued please come by the shop and check out our selection for yourself.
