Floyd A. O'Reilly Blog: Get ready: May is National Bike Month and Portland is not messing around this year

Bike riders will find lots of free food this month.
(Photo: J. Maus/BikePortland)

Hold on to your handlebars folks, May is going to be completely bike-crazy in Portland.

Pedalpalooza, with its 300 or so events over three weeks, has always made June busy in terms of bike events and rides in Portland. And now May is going to be a lot busier thanks to local celebrations around National Bike Month. In years past this national recognition of cycling wasn’t a huge deal in Portland. But this year the Bicycle Transportation Alliance has moved their “Bike More Challenge” to May (from September), and when you combine that with events and festivities from other local organizations, the calendar swells up like an over-inflated inner tube. I’ve counted 42 events so far.

Below is a guide to some of what’s in store next month (if your organization is planning special events for Bike Month, please send them to us and we’ll add them to the list below):

Portland State University

The PSU Bike Challenge will be on for the entire month of May. This friendly competition has some cool changes in store this year. It will use the same underlying tools and software of the BTA’s Bike More Challenge, but it’s targeted at PSU students and employees.

And that’s just the start. The campus will be buzzing with clinics and other events all month long.

In addition to the Challenge, the PSU Bike Hub will host five “Biker Breakfasts” from 8:00 to 10:00 am. They’ll offer coffee, bagels, and breakfast bars. Here are the dates and locations:

Mon. May 2: Between Lincoln and Cramer Halls, on Broadway
Tues. May 10: PSU Urban Plaza
Wed. May 18: In front of the Engineering Bldg. on 4th Ave.
Thurs. May 26: In front of the SRTC Bldg.
Tues. May 31: Between Lincoln and Cramer Halls, on Broadway

The PSU Bike Hub will also offer eight clinics during the month of May. The clinics are free for Bike Hub members, $5 for everyone else, and they take place at the shop (1818 SW 6th Ave). Here’s the full clinic schedule:

Friday Flat Fix Clinics
Bring your bike and learn the fundamentals of changing a flat tire. This is a great refresher class or for first-time riders.
Every Friday from 12-12:30 pm

Women’s Maintenance 101
This class is open to anyone who identifies as female. This informative workshop, which is led by our female staff, will cover all of the basics of repair maintenance for properly maintaining your bicycle. Feel free to bring your bike and ask questions. Attendance is free and open to the public.
Sat. May 14: 12-1 pm

Commuting 101
Get comfortable riding to and from campus. In this class we cover everything you need to know to keep you safe, as well as some handy emergency maintenance techniques.
Thurs. April 28: 12-1 pm
Tues. May 10: 12-1 pm

Basic Bike Maintenance
For new or seasoned riders, this class covers the essential elements of bicycle maintenance. We’ll cover flat repair, cable adjustment, and identifying mechanical issues before they get out of hand. Feel free to bring your bicycle to discuss any specific questions you may have.
Mon. May 9: 12-1 pm
Mon. May 16: 12-1 pm
Mon. May 23: 12-1 pm

Bicycle Legal Clinic
Have questions about the traffic laws related to biking, insurance, or what to do in a crash? Come get your questions answered at the Bicycle Legal Clinic. Charley Gee, local attorney, will walk you through the rights and responsibilities of cyclists on Oregon’s roadways and sidewalks. This class is free and open to the public.
Thurs. May 5: 12-1 pm

Bicycle Transportation Alliance

The BTA will be pulling out all the stops to make sure their revamped and rescheduled Bike More Challenge goes off with a bang. They’re so pumped that they’ve planned three different launch parties across the region where you can party with BTA staff and fellow riders, enjoy adult beverages, stock up on route maps and other freebies, and get your bike tuned up. Here are the details:

May 2nd from 5:00 to 7:00 pm at three Bike Gallery locations: Hollywood (5329 NE Sandy), Clackamas (9347 Southeast 82nd), and Beaverton (12345 SW Canyon Rd)

On May 3rd you can stop by the BTA’s Commuter Station in Peace Park where they’ll hand out snacks, get you registered for the Bike More Challenge, and answer all your burning advocacy questions. The BTA is also a major partner and host of the fifth annual Portland Employer’s Bike Summit. That event will include a keynote from economist and City Observatory contributor Joe Cortright and breakout sessions designed to inform and inspire companies to make bike commuting better. It will be held on Friday May 20th from 1:00 to 5:00 pm at the downtown campus of Cambia Health Solutions (100 SW Market).

Walk and Bike to School Day is May 4th

This national event is organized by the National Center for Safe Routes to School. So far 15 Portland schools have signed up to take part.

Go Lloyd

Go Lloyd is the city-subsidized transportation management association (TMA) that exists to encourage sensible transportation options in the Lloyd District. Join them on May 2nd for free breakfast. They’ll be handing out yummy and nutritious munchies from 7:00 to 8:30 am outside the Lloyd Center on NE 9th and Multnomah.

Then, in what’s become a grand tradition, Go Lloyd will once again host the Bike to Work Day Party. This year’s event is on Friday May 20th at Oregon Square (on NE 8th just south of Holladay). Show up from 7:00 to 9:00 am to learn interesting things from vendor booths, grab some free food, win prizes, and more.

City of Portland Bureau of Transportation

Portland’s celebration of Bike Month goes back to 1979. This photo from the mid 1990s shows former Oregon State Rep Chris Beck, former Metro Councilor
Ed Washington and local celebrity Darcelle at a Bike to Work Day party in Pioneer Square.
(Photo: City of Portland)

It all starts off with the Bike Month Kick-Off Party this Friday 4/29 from 4:30 to 7:00 pm at Pedal Bike Tours (133 SW 2nd Ave). The event is sponsored by Pedal Bike Tours, Portland Pedal Power, Kell’s Irish Pub, and PBOT. Swing on by for free beverages and take part in the raffle that will include commuter gear, bike tune-ups, and other prizes.

PBOT has been promoting Bike Month and Bike to Work Day for nearly four decades and they’ve got a full slate of events in planned this year.Throughout the month PBOT is hosting a series of rides and clinics to keep the bike stoke going strong. Here’s a list of events they’re hosting (in addition to the kick-off party):

Wed May 11 Shop By Bike class * 6:00 – 7:30 pm 700 NE Multnomah St, 3rd floor (co-hosted by PBOT, BTA’s Women Bike program and Go Lloyd)
Fri May 13 Quick Fix Bike Breakfast with Safe Routes to School, 7:30 – 9 am NE Going St and 17th Ave
Tue May 17 Cycling Essentials class * 6:00 – 7:30 Go Lloyd, 700 NE Multnomah St, 3rd floor
Wed May 18 Bike Maintenance Basics * 6:30 – 8:00 pm Pedal Bike Tours, 133 SW 2nd Ave
Thur May 19 Bike Lunch and Learn Noon-1 pm City Hall, 1221 SW 4th Ave
Sun May 22 Family Ride to the Tram 12:30 pm People’s Food Co-op, 3029 SE 21st Ave
Wed May 25 Quick Fix Bike Breakfast with Safe Routes to School, 7:30 – 9 am SE Clinton St and 35th Place
Wed May 25 Bike Maintenance Basics * 6:30 – 8:00 pm New Columbia/CCC Bike Hub, N Woolsey Ave and N Trenton St (co-hosted by the Community Cycling Center)

Get all the details and follow updates from the city at PDXBikeMonth.com.

If you have been curious about cycling to work or for any other reason, May is the month to take the plunge. Speaking of which, check out this helpful how-to guide for getting started that was recently posted by The Oregonian.

If you know of other Bike Month events that we left out, please get in touch and we’ll update this post.

Happy cycling!

— Jonathan Maus, (503) 706-8804 – jonathan@bikeportland.org

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