pop cycle COOLERS

HOW TO GET ACROSS THE STREET
Foot Traffic | Pop Cycle Coolers | Auto-Erotica

HOW TO GET UP THAT HILL
Two Ways to Mount Hood | Backcountry Jammin'-boree | Mountain Climbers

HOW TO GET DOWN THE RIVER--OR UP THE CREEK
Paddling-4-Dummies | Get Your Motor Running

Our city gets routine writeups as a top-notch town for putting your mettle to the pedal. Whether you seek the mud-spattered hillocks of a Forest Park trail or the serene painted lane of a bike path, Portland offers beaucoup terrain for two-wheelers. When choosing a conveyance, consider your goal--is it a new commute that trades NPR and a coffee-stained lap for fresh breezes and skunk stripe? Is it the long-awaited consummation of that Harley obsession? Do you yearn to join the intrepid, cop-teasing cavalry of Critical Mass, or the rough-and-tumble ranks of the Mod squad? Whatever your mission, Portland has room to vroom.

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Lift Off: The Buell Blast motorcycle ($4,395 new, $3,495 used, Latus Harley Davidson, 7421 NE Beech St., 249-8653) proves that size doesn't always matter. Hitting the scales at a petite 360 pounds, the air-cooled, single-cylinder, 492-cc Blast has all the comforts of home: under-seat storage, large-print instruments, and upright handlebar positioning (this provides the kind of erect-riding ergonomic comfort you haven't seen since you left the La-Z-Boy). This bike is cushy on the outside, but sturdy within--the backbone is the tough, low-alloy steel Buell original, brought together with wide-beam construction for a low moto-profile. This motorcycle's pygmy posture makes it ideal for zipping through traffic (at around 70 miles per gallon) and shoehorning into those half-size parking spaces.

Cool Moves: Scooters have always been cinematic--existential hipster classics like Quadrophenia were the Easy Riders of the Euro/Mod-inclined. Now you can have your own piece of scoot-stardust with the Derbi Atlantis ($2,048, Columbia Scooters, 2137 E Burnside St., 872-8565). Designed for city use, the Spanish-designed Atlantis is feather-light and spry, with a low seat and slim, simple lines. This scoot provides trusty acceleration and, as proof of its city manners, a polite sound level that rarely roars above a cute li'l rumble. There's ample room in the saddle for a pillion passenger in a parka. No, it's not a Vespa. But do you know how to fix a Vespa?

Spin This Cookie: Technology can be attractive. With its Milano Café Racer ($580, River City Bicycles, 706 SE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, 233-5973), Bianchi has blended the frills and frippery of a deluxe city cruise (leather grips and saddle, kickstand, bell, seat-mounted LED safety light) with a dash of stylish stamina--Shimano Nexus internal gear system, seven incline-conquering speeds. Retro styling and a graceful curved-tube chassis (in classic Celeste green, please) make this mint Milano the choicest seven-speed street cruiser yet. Go manual, or choose the Auto-Milano ($680), with programmable on-command electronic shifting. Power at your fingertips, without breaking a nail.

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Riding Retro: Board the chubby-tire choo-choo! The Lucky 7 Beach Cruiser ($300 on sale, Copeland Sports, 245 SW Morrison St., 223-5700) looks like it rolled off the Pleasantville set--puffy whitewalled tubes, wide handlebars, glistening stainless-steel parts, even trademark dice-shaped valve caps. You can almost hear the Big Bopper in the background. What keeps this bike from feeling like a nauseating nostalgia ride is the chrome-tinted frame--on a sunny day, this holiday rambler will shine like a new silver filling. Twin arcs of bent steel trace the crossbar with the tapering grace of a penstroke. The look is less "My Three Sons," more "Flash Gordon." Vroom.

Risk-Free Business: Go rental. Fat Tire Farm (2714 NW Thurman St., 222-3276), a bike lover's cycle store at the gateway of Forest Park, now has 2002 Rocky Mountain Switch and Slayers for rentals. Before throwing down the big do-re-mi on a fancy full-suspension ride, take a test cruise for $75 a day, which can apply to purchase. The Slayer (can you really argue with a bike called "Slayer?") is an all-purpose bully of a ride whose fat frame and non-heavy metal construction can take whatever licking you give. Helmet is included with your rental fee for that inevitable header. Bracken, puddles, rock jumps and loose gravel are a short pedal away. Take a risk. It's a rental!

Peeper Pleasers: The hypnotic growl of the engine, the spring breeze curling 'round your neck--it's open-road season...which means agh! gack! mosquito hatch! in! your! eye! Rub hard and whimper like a small child, then snag yourself a pair of Bugz Classicz all-sports goggles ($59.99, G.I. Joe's, 3900 SE 82nd Ave., 777-4526, and other locations). The double-lens construction features a hardy polycarbonate outer lens and a fog-resistant inner lens for Zen-like clarity of vision. Adjustable side venting allows you to modulate airflow to your peepers, and the comparatively small lenses with independent eye frames make the goggle mold to any face--even yours, you big galoot! Add a husky elastic strap and a rainbow of frame tints (periwinkle, red, pine, slate, tangerine, white, mustard and black), and your eyes need never see insect guts again.

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Supermodel: If the only cycle you can afford is reincarnation, you can still look the part. Namaste your way down Sandy in the Prana Nikita Performance Top ($34-$38, U.S. Outdoor Store, 219 SW Broadway, 223-5937). Made from a super tech-y wicking fabric called Malden Powerdry, this fitted, sleeveless design comes in very Northwest "moss" or a smoldering steel blue. A stylish variation on the (ugh) sport top, with chakra embroidery on the chest (sooooo Christy Turlington).

WWeek 2015