I LIKE BIKE

[May 21st, 2003] Forget the trident Portlandia waves at the City of Roses; chances are good that there's a sizable enough coup to replace it with a bike, as it ought to be. Nothing says Portland more--not wine, not microbrew, not salmon. In one elegant machine lives the epitome of what it means to love this city--it's about fitness, community, politics, ecology and just having a frickin' good time. It's the ultimate guiltless pleasure and the second-best thing to put between your legs--that's why we created this star-spangled salute to the two-wheeler. Here at WW, we don't just like bikes--WE LOVE THEM.

index
Introduction
Fit to be Tried
Critical Ass
Bike Geeks Unite!!!
Events Calendar
Get Your Gear On
Beauty of the Beasts
Rad Rides

Until Portlandia swaps her choice of weapon, though, we'll just have to get by being named the best overall bicycling city in North America by Bicycle magazine (November 2001) . Fueled on pedal power and power bars, Portland is poised to be the Oslo, Norway, of the Northwest--that city gives its workforce cash incentives to ride their bikes. According to City of Portland's Office of Transportation, Portland currently has 232 miles of developed bikeways: 29 miles of boulevards, 148 miles of bike lanes and 55 miles of paths. The international Critical Mass movement has fomented into a strong front in Portland, and on certain Fridays you'll find groups of two-wheelers taking over the streets, sometimes to the chagrin of car drivers, police, the mayor...but that's another story.

This section is here to celebrate bikes. And bike culture. To illustrate that, bike rider Nate Berne has collected a pull-out summer-ride calendar ready to hang on your fridge. Ian Marshall--publisher of I Heart Bikes, a nationally distributed bike journal--sorts through the latest gear to hit the cycle scene. He also interviews bike riders who vie for the title of bike geek of the year. Chris Lydgate offers alternative seating options, while Caryn B. Brooks delves into the magical, mystical world of bike fitting.

Keep on riding,
Byron Beck, Special Sections Editor

EDITOR

Byron Beck

CONTRIBUTORS

Nate Berne

Caryn B. Brooks

Chris Lydgate

Ian Marshall

COPY EDITORS

Ian Gillingham

Margaret Seiler

DESIGN AND PRODUCTION

Anne Reeser

Jason Landis

Thomas Cobb

Frank Zurbano

Samantha Gardner

Kendon Gray

Tom Humphrey

Amy Ryan