We have a friend who, after going solo from Portland to Kansas (via Montana) last summer, has a job leading bike tours this summer. She is apparently in Washington, and sent us this postcard. Last time she was wrestling sharks, now she is going toe to toe with Grizzly bears. Luckily for her, there are vegan cookies on the way to her next mail drop.
“Stop me if you’ve heard this one ‘If you gonna be a bear. . .” um, I guess you know the last part. How about ‘sometimes you get the bear, sometimes the bear gets you’? I guess there’s a lot of wisdom to be gleaned from these ferocious woodland friends.”
You have probably seen the pictures, heard the buzz, maybe even seen the real thing at the Made in Portland Bike Show or outside of Stumptown on 3rd. But we would like to formally introduce you to the 26”er. While this isn’t the first of its kind, it is rare enough to warrant comment and shameless promotion.
Here’s why we built it:
We’ve got a friend who loves to race cyclocross, but after a handful of bikes, she just couldn’t seem to find a bike that really fit. She is around 5’5”, but found that most of the cross bikes were just too big to be comfortable and mountain bikes were just too heavy to run with. And yet, like a lot of women, she is out there kicking ass and having fun in spite of it.
The 26”er was my tribute to her - a solution to the problem of the smaller ‘cross racer. In my prototype, I scaled the traditional 700c road wheels down to 26” wheels. This reduces toe overlap, shortens the wheelbase for more nimble handling, and prevents the dreaded and uncomfortable stretched out position that results from too long of a top tube. The scaled down frame features the same geometry as larger ‘cross bikes – higher bottom bracket drop, ample mud clearance in the fork and rear triangle – with less bike weight. UCI legal? Good question. We’ll check with our legal department and get back to you.
(Click the picture above for details about the bike.)
Ladies, don’t you think you deserve something better than your boyfriend’s old mountain bike? Heck, yeah. You deserve to get ridiculously muddy in style and comfort. That is the 26”er.
Ever heard that an old elephant dies when it’s last set of teeth get worn down and it just can’t chew no more? Well, my trusty old track bike wheel is kind of like the geriatric elephant. The cog had been just chomping away at the chain, mile after mile, day after day, for a very long time and all 19 of its teeth got worn down. By the time I thought to replace it, the cog had so lost its appetite for chain that I couldn’t get the chainwhip to grab on enough to take it off the hub.
And they just don’t make dentures for a track cog.
As I was test riding a Tonic Fabrication bmx bike around the still-empty atrium of City Hall, I had the sense that the Made in Portland Bike Show could turn out to be a First Thursday event like no other.
Over the course of the show, the atrium filled in with familiar faces in the bike community, folks in city and regional government, and just a lot of Portland citizens with a serious case of the bike love.
By the end of the evening conversation had covered everything from chickens, to flamenco dancing, to the relative merits of smaller wheels for shorter riders. All told, we were there for around five hours. And by the end of it we were exhausted from all the gabbing, my face hurt from smiling so much, and when we settled in at home all we could talk about was bikes.
For Sweetpea Bicycles, the night was a milestone - two of our First Edition bikes made their public debut. After all the fussing I had done over them in the last few days, I felt a bit like Mom watching her daughter head off to Junior Prom. (They grow up so quickly!)
Needless to say, a lot of work goes into getting ready for a show like this, and we have to say thanks to both Chris King and the gang at River City Bicycles. It’s not everyday a major component manufacturer calls you up out of the blue to ask if you need any help prepping for a bike show. Except for Chris King, who did just that. And we have to thank River City for providing the beautiful wood bike stands (on really short notice).
You can find another recap here and here, and photos from the event here.
Hey y’all!
You know how Germany has a bunch of big car companies, and how Sonoma Valley produces all the big Cabernets, and how the Midwest has, um. . . all of the Great Lakes? Well Portland probably has more independent bike builders than anywhere in the country. And if you want to see them all in one spot, including the latest Sweetpea production, come to City Hall on First Thursday for the Made in Portland Bike Show. (Click link for details.)
Nine independent builders.
A bunch of bike artists showing their work.
And the best part? Sam Adams is bringing the snacks!
See you there!
