Club Meeting Presentations
One of the components of Portland Bicycling Club’s 501(c)(3) status is our educational outreach. This is fulfilled not only by our training of ride leaders and pre-ride safety talks, but through presentations at club meetings. Below is a partial list of past presenters. Note that club meetings are not scheduled in January (because of the Awards Banquet) or in August (because of the annual picnic). Presenters are not scheduled in December because of the pot-luck, bike swap meet, and collection of donated goods. If you have an idea for a presentation, please contact the club president.
JANUARY 2024
Michael Sylvester of Bicycle Fitting Services (BicycleFittingServices.com) shared his history of cycling, including a call from Trek executive John Burke to be flown to Washington, DC to fit then-President George Bush on a bicycle. More information can be found about Michael in the QR in an interview he had with Ann Morrow on Cycology Today.
DECEMBER 2023
Portland Bicycling Club member, Scott Diamond, presented a slide show of his recent gravel bike tour through Jasper and Banff, part of the “Great Divide” trail. This was a solo fully-loaded bike ride following a route mapped out by Adventure Cycling.
NOVEMBER 2023
Presenter Jeremy Williams, a full-time park ranger at Stub Stewart Park and the principal contact for Banks-Vernonia Trail maintenance, gave a heartfelt thanks to Portland Bicycling Club for the charitable donation of $5000 made in early 2023. He gave a great presentation using a slideshow that included statistics on how our club contribution helped with filling potholes and correcting the abrupt transitions at the edges of the bridges. He also highlighted the many volunteer hours contributed by PBC members who helped with these trail improvements. Jeremy stated that over $130k has been invested in the trail in 2023, representing the largest investment made towards Banks-Vernonia Trail in the last 15 years. Public donations and volunteer programs are essential to the core processes of what made this possible. Jeremy thanked Portland Bicycling Club again for our volunteer hours, generous donation, and continued advocacy supporting the restoration and maintenance of Banks-Vernonia Trail. Lastly, recognition for Portland Bicycling Club, in the form of a plaque, will be placed at one of the bridge trestles, said Jeremy.
OCTOBER 2023
Portland Bicycling Club’s signature annual club fund-raising event is the Pioneer Century event ride, held in June each year. The club’s Pioneer Century coordinator, Richard Higgins, presented a meeting to explore and refine our goals for the Pioneer Century. Richard’s presentation was centered around the question, “What do we want the Pioneer Century to be? What are our club goals?” Richard had members break up into groups and write down what we want this ride to be about. He used posterboard to put everyone’s ideas up on the wall and group ideas into a few themes, such as fundraising, raising bicycling awareness, growing club membership, and putting on a fun, well-run ride with good food at a reasonable price! If you have any ideas or recommendations, please reach out to our Member-at-Large and Pioneer Century Coordinator, Richard Higgins.
SEPTEMBER 2023
This month we welcomed Julie Myers, RN (wife of PBC member, Doug Myers) who works for the Vancouver school district and provides certified CPR courses. Julie’s presentation to PBC members reviewed best practices when providing CPR and AED for patients, as a refresher in case these skills are ever needed on a club ride. Although the presentation she provided was not a CPR certification course, she covered all the essentials, and brought dummies along so we could practice basic CPR procedures. She explained why CPR is so important and best practices to provide help when needed.
AUGUST 2023
In August, the Club traditionally joins together for fun, food, and silly awards at our Annual Picnic.
JULY 2023
The presenter for the meeting was Sarah Iannarone, Executive Director of the Street Trust (formerly the Bicycle Transportation Alliance). Sarah summarized the evolution of the organization from its founding in 1992 to the present. The organization currently focuses on a broad range of issues related to multi-modal infrastructure such as Safe Streets to School and Oregon Friendly Drivers, with a particular focus on deadly arterials such as Powell, Lombard and Columbia. More information on their programs can be found at www.thestreettrust.org.
JUNE 2023
The club welcomed two guest presenters, Kristen and Ville Jokinen, who spent two years journeying by bike (fully loaded) from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, to Ushuaia, Argentina, covering a total of 18,000 miles. This was an extra-long presentation that inspired and fascinated the club members in attendance. If you were unable to attend June 1, PBC – Club Meeting in person, here is the link to learn more about their amazing adventure. https://www.welostthemap.com/thebook.html. They also brought copies of their book, Joy Ride: A Bike Odyssey from Alaska to Argentina, which several members bought.
MAY 2023
This month’s presentation was by Emmy Pellico, a Vancouver Bicycling Club member, who recently published a book called Tales from a Cycling Sisterhood. The book is inspired by the epic bike tours she has done with a group of four women, the “Cycling Sisterhood” around the US and Europe. She shared slides from their trips and included some readings from her book. Some of the women in this group originally met on the Jim O’Horo Memorial Columbia Gorge Explorer ride, an annual four-day fully loaded ride sponsored by the Portland Bicycling Club and Vancouver Bike Club over Memorial Day weekend every year.
APRIL 2023
This month’s presentation was offered by lawyer and bicycle advocate Chris Thomas of the law firm of Thomas, Coon, Newton & Frost. Chris Thomas grew up in NE Portland. A competitive cyclist, Chris has spent the last seven years helping pedestrians and cyclists with their various legal needs stemming as a direct result of being struck by a motorist. Chris went over the general rules of the road based on the current laws here in Oregon. Chris encouraged PBC members to check out www.tcnf.legal for more in-depth information about the laws of the road. In addition, please read the book published by his father Ray Thomas, titled Pedal Power: A Legal Guide for Oregon Bicyclists, which is available for download on this site.
MARCH 2023
This month’s guest presenters were Aaron Raines, Stub Stewart Park Manager and Marcia Kirk, the president of Friends of Stub Stewart. Aaron and Marcia discussed the history and development of the “Banks Vernonia Rails to Trails” upcoming project initiatives that include trail and renovations. Marcia said they are thankful to Portland Bicycling Club’s large donation of $5000. Aaron said our generous club donation will be used to excavate one or two bridge crossings and trestles. The priority is to work on the first bridge from Banks heading north towards Vernonia. The project completion date is targeted for June 2023. Portland Bicycling club will receive recognition in the form of signage on the bridge crossing. In addition, there are many volunteer opportunities for PBC members to assist in trail maintenance. Please reach out to Dave McQuery for more information on volunteer opportunities and he will work with Aaron, the Stub Stewert Park Manager. A group picture was taken of PBC member Dave McQuery, handing over a donation check in the amount of $5000.00 to Aaron and Marcia.
FEBRUARY 2023
The Club held its Annual Awards Banquet at the Monarch Hotel. This is a fun evening of camaraderie, awards, and good food held every year in early February or late January.
MARCH 2020
Prior to the meeting Alan Coppola gave a presentation on the status of the Pedals and Pints event.
Daniel Amoni, founder of Bike Loud PDX, gave a presentation on his organization.
FEBRUARY 2020
Roger Geller, Bicycle Coordinator for PBOT, shared some history, plans and answered multiple questions from members regarding bike infrastructure in Portland.
DECEMBER 2019
John Neller of Auburn Washington was given a few minutes to share details of his upcoming Eugene/Willamette Valley ride in 2020. His intent was to invite members of all bicycle clubs up and down the Pacific Coast with the hope of getting representatives from most. This will be a 4 day ride, with a sag vehicle, from Portland to Salem to Albany and to Eugene and then a train ride back.
NOVEMBER 2019
Kevin Schmidt, PT, MSPT, CMP of Pedal PT shared insights into pain suffered while riding and possible causes and solutions. Proper bike fit is most often the key.
OCTOBER 2019
City of Portland’s Officer Dave Sanders from the Bike Theft Task Force discussed bike theft and prevention and allowed those present to personally experience the ease of cutting through a cable lock. He also raffled off 2 U-Locks and a hat.
SEPTEMBER 2019
Member Maria Sworske shared highlights of her cycling trip in South Africa.
JUNE 2019
Ira Ryan, co-owner of Breadwinner Cycles, “maker of handmade, custom bicycles for people who love to ride every day,” gave a history of his company and demonstrated their techniques using member Mark Klein’s Breadwinner bike and a stripped down steel frame. He also mentioned that they had acquired Sugar Wheel Works, a bike wheel company they had been working with for years. The Breadwinner shop also has a coffee shop where groups can meet before or after a ride and view bikes being made.
MAY 2019
Salmon Cycling Classic, June 29 – Steven Van Wechel presented information on the Gran Fondo out of Wilsonville. The ride offers distances of 90k, 60k, and a 25k family ride, with a fully catered post-ride salmon dinner. Price is $65 until May 31 and riders get a $5 rebate when groups of 5 register. Cost after June 1 is $85. − French Prairie-Willamette River Crossing – Steven also reported plans are going forward on a new pedestrian/bicycle bridge being constructed to the west of the I-5 Boone Bridge over the Willamette River in Wilsonville.
Ride to Defeat ALS, July 20 – Jan and Donny Steinbock returned to give a brief presentation regarding this fundraising ride. The event starts in Mt. Angel and offers distances of 25, 50, 61, 77 miles and a 3-mile family fun ride.
New website demonstration – Alan Coppola, Website Committee, gave a brief ‘walk through’ demonstration of some of the new features offered under the members only login section. If you have any problems or questions, contact any member of the Web Committee.
MARCH 2019
Cathy Gidley, from the American Lung Association, gave an informational presentation on the history of the organization, which included information on the Reach the Beach cycling event. The ride is offering a new start location this year and changes in the route which use lighter trafficked roads. The new routes can be found at ridewithGPS/com/routes/29323174. She thanked the Club for offering training rides over the years and supporting the ALA.
FEBRUARY 2019
Pat McManus shared slides of her cycling trip last fall along the Rails to Trails Great Allegheny Passage and through the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historic Park. Lasting 6 days, Pat and husband Richard Miselis covered 285 miles of the route from Pittsburg to Washington D.C. Check out the PWTC Library for two books regarding the canal path.
NOVEMBER 2018
Eric Merc, VP of OTTO Design Works, gave a short presentation on the newer technology of their product, OTTOlocks. He demonstrated how they work and their merits for deterring bike thieves in short-term use situations.
OCTOBER 2018
Yashar Vasef, from the Community Cycling Center (CCC), gave tonight’s presentation. Coming from a background working in the non-profit community Yashar gave a full description of the many programs CCC offers (Tuesday Night work nights, Tool Library, Cully Neighborhood Project, The Hub, Summer Bike camps in collaboration with Metro, Portland’s Bike Town orange bike rental program, Safe Routes to School, and their Holiday Bike Drive). Most of their programs are supported through volunteer efforts. They are currently looking for kids’ bikes to fix up for the Holiday Bike Drive giveaway as well as volunteers to work the event. In the past, CCC has been a recipient of PWTC’s charitable donations.
SEPTEMBER 2018
Captain McCageor ‘Cage’ Byrd of Portland’s Traffic Division was on hand to answer questions and present information on traffic enforcement as it relates to bicyclists and safety. His top recommendations for cyclists were ‘be visible’ and ‘be predictable’.
JULY 2018
Emily Dalsfoit, yoga instructor, demonstrated stretches to help with flexibility and loosening up tight muscles during and after a ride.
JUNE 2018
Jonathan Garcia, co-owner of Rose City Recumbent Cycles, discussed the trend towards recumbent cycling and attributes of three different styles of frames he had brought as examples.
Jan Steinbock (Connor) and husband, Don, gave a short presentation supporting the 2018 Ride to Defeat ALS starting from Mt. Angel on July 14. This fundraiser event supports the Oregon and SW Washington Chapters of the ALS Foundation.
MAY 2018
Member Phil Lingelbach gave a presentation on the Cascading Rivers Ride. Sponsored by the Estacada Development Association, the event was begun in 2014 and offers several 1-day routes and a 144-mile, 2-day route from Estacada to Detroit Lake on September 29-30. There are also four gravel bike routes being offered this year. EDA is also offering the “Moon Ride” on August 25 – start time is 10:00 pm.
MARCH 2018
James Emond, owner of The Missing Link Bicycle Shop, presented an instructive and entertaining program on fixing tire flats.
FEBRUARY 2018
Member Jennifer Peterson showed slides and talked of her solo 6-month, 6,000-mile loaded bike trip in South America, traveling through Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, and Columbia.
NOVEMBER 2017
Michael Sylvester, from Bicycle Fitting Services, presented an informative program on the process of fitting a bike, a cyclist’s body mechanics, and the benefit to cyclists of yoga as they age.
OCTOBER 2017
Doug Decker, Project Development Director, gave an overview of the Salmonberry Trail’s rails-to-trail project. Funded through the Tillamook Forest Heritage Trust, the long-range project would develop the abandoned Pacific Railway & Navigation rail line. Beginning east of Vernonia along the Banks-Vernonia trail, it would travel through the Coast Range to the coast and down to Tillamook.
SEPTEMBER 2017
Jillian Detweiler, Executive Director, and Sheilagh Griffin, Educational Director of Street Trust (previously known as the Bicycle Transportation Alliance) reported on the expanding regional focus of the organization’s statewide cycling, pedestrian, and transit activities and, more specifically, educational programs for school-aged children and encouragement programs for women.
JUNE 2017
David Rosen, owner and frame maker from Sage Titanium Bicycles, displayed his custom titanium bikes and gave a presentation on his company and products. In addition, Jim Buchanan, Club Librarian, gave an overview of the club’s book and CD inventory available for members to borrow.
Brian Link, Co-owner of VeloFix mobile bike repair service, presented helpful pre-ride tips to ensure your bike is in top working order before you head out the door for a day of cycling.
MAY 2017
Rich Fein and Tyler Desjardins, from Cynergy E-bikes, presented information on the technology and attributes of e-bikes. Demonstrations had been held prior to the meeting allowing members to try different models.
APRIL 2017
Jude Gerace, from Sugar Wheel Works, shared her philosophy of wheel building and the main issues riders should consider when having a set of custom wheels built.
MARCH 2017
Erik Tonkin from Sellwood Cycle Repair gave an informative presentation on how the Portland bike market has evolved over the last 10 years from small independent shops to direct partnerships with manufacturers.
FEBRUARY 2017
Seth von Gretline, Service Manager from Western Bike Works, gave an informative presentation on tire and tube products and their technology.
NOVEMBER 2016
Brian Link from the mobile bicycle repair business VeloFix, presented educational and entertaining tips for successful shifting techniques.
OCTOBER 2016
The main program was preceded by a short slide show of Bud Rice’s recent bike trip on Idaho’s Trail of the Coeur d’Alene. Thanks were extended to Jan Oestereich and Brian Hammer for putting together the presentation.
Roger Geller, Portland’s Bicycle Program Coordinator, gave an informative presentation focusing on the history of Portland’s planning and policies of the city’s cycling transportation programs and how Portland compares with other national and international recognized programs.
SEPTEMBER 2016
Jonas Johnson and Jay Sycip, representatives from Chris King Precision Components, presented an historical overview of the company and a development timeline of the various components they produce and sell. They also brought a sample of their components and donated a book to the club.
JULY 2016
Annalisa Fish, DPT, from Endurance PDX shared information regarding the benefits of bike fitting and how a proper bike fitting improves the comfort and efficiency of cycling. Endurance PDX is located in the Sellwood area. At the conclusion of her presentation, time was given for Q&A.
JUNE 2016
Mechanic Tori Bortman from Gracie’s Wrench demonstrated basic chain and wheel cleaning techniques. In addition to being a mechanic, she also teaches small group classes in basic and full bicycle maintenance.