Sweetpea Bicycles

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.