Jonathan Maus on Bikes, Portland and BikePortland.org

I first came across BikePortland.org a few years ago when a virtual acquaintance posted a link to a story about a Starbucks manager firing an employee for riding his bicycle to work. Since then, I have had many occasions to visit the website. It consistently brings us real news about bicycle-related issues, and its impact extends far beyond Portland, Oregon. At times, it is the first news source to break important stories, as was the case last week when it ran an article on the proposed law which would require all cyclists in Oregon to wear helmets.

I have communicated with Jonathan Maus, the founder and editor of BikePortland.org, through e-mail and flickr. He is very helpful and insightful. Plus, he is a really nice guy, so I was glad when he agreed to let me interview him for Cycloculture.

Jonathan Maus
Photo courtesy of Ethan Jewett with all rights reserved

Q: Bicycle culture in Portland seems to be growing explosively. Is that true? What are some of the most impressive developments?

A: That's definitely true. What we have here is the simultaneous flowering of many different aspects of the bike culture – frame builders, shops, racing, non-profits, fun rides, the political scene, everything seems to be hitting on all cylinders. Most impressive is just the sheer amount of bike traffic out on the streets. During peak times, on popular bikeways there are often more bikes than cars waiting to cross intersections. The local racing scene is also very impressive. On any given week, there are all types of events going on... from road criteriums to velodrome action, and even a mountain bike series just a few miles from downtown that pulled in record numbers this year (over 400 entries on Monday nights!). The other thing that continues to amaze me is the number of people building frames and other bike-related products and accessories. I think we're getting close to 20 handmade bike builders in Portland - from icons like Sacha White of Vanilla Bicycles to up-and-coming builders like Aaron Hayes of Courage Cycles, it seems like every other month or so I discover a new one.

Q: Has readership of your blog, BikePortland.org, been growing rapidly as well? Where do you see your blog headed in the future?

A: Thankfully, yes. BikePortland.org has grown a lot in the past 3 years since it was started. These days I am seeing more traffic than I could have ever imagined just a year ago. In the future, I will strive to make the stories even better and I hope it can become regarded as one of the best independent news sources (on any subject) on the Internet. I can also see the addition of some dedicated staff to help me with a lot of the day-to-day tasks and reporting that are starting to get pretty overwhelming.

Lots of Portland cyclists
Photo courtesy of Jonathan Maus/BikePortland.org with some rights reserved

Q: According to ForbesTraveler.com, Portland just displaced Copenhagen as the second most bicycle-friendly city in the world. Do you agree with that assessment? What are your thoughts on the matter?

A: I don't really put too much faith into any of those lists, but I think it depends on how you define “bicycle-friendly.” Without a doubt, Portland is far behind Copenhagen (and several other European cities) in bicycle facilities and infrastructure (which explains why 35% of their trips are made by bike and in Portland the number is about 6%). We are also behind several of those cities in how the bicycle is respected by local politicians and city bureaucrats. Relative to the rest of America, Portland is fantastic in these regards, but compared to the World Class biking cities, we still have a lot of room to grow. On the other hand, I think Portland has arguably the most exciting and vibrant "bike culture" in the world. When you take in all the grassroots energy, annual events, racing scene, personalities, sub-cultures, etc... there really is no city that compares.

Q: What could Portland do to become more bicycle friendly?

A: We could be a lot more innovative and bold in the type of bikeway treatments we use. – for instance, begin to try some physically separated bikeways. We can also start to allocate more roadway space to bicycles (and away from cars). We could form a task force to comb the city and fix small trouble spots that disconnect our bikeway network. Many of the things Portland could do are not being done because the traffic engineering standards our city planners are forced to work with are outmoded... but that's a national-level problem and not really Portland's fault.

Photo from a recent Portland event, the "Chariot War Death Match"
Photo courtesy of Jonathan Maus/BikePortland.org with some rights reserved

Q: Cycloculture has already spoken to Portland frame builders Joseph Ahearne and Jordan Hufnagel. Who else in Portland should I interview? Note that I am not just looking for frame builders, but anyone doing interesting work in the field of "real world" bicycles. Who in Portland is inspiring you from a bicycle perspective?

A: I've discovered several new bike-powered businesses lately. There's a "Fossil Fuel Free" landscaping business, a women who bakes cookies and delivers/sells them via her trike, a real-estate agent who gives bike tours of neighborhoods and points out local bike-friendly amenities to prospective buyers. On the other end of things there is the amazing Community Cycling Center. This non-profit has bike summer camps for young kids, they empower lower income folks by teaching them to become self-reliant bicyclists, and they recycle used bikes and give them to kids in need. They've got a new executive director, Susan Remmers, who is really taking them in a great direction.

Q: Tell me a bit about your own bicycles. What kind of bikes do you own? Which is/are your favorite(s)?

A: I have a lot of bikes in my basement at home and a few in my office. Right now, my daily bike is a Batavus trekking bike from Holland. It's got all sorts of bells and whistles like a wheel-lock, full fenders and a skirt/pant guard, hub-generator front light, etc... It's heavy but it's super strong and it practically rides itself. I also have a Bike Friday Tikit folding bike (which is great to have around), a Kona Major Jake cyclocross bike (I raced it a bunch last season), a custom Co-Motion Ristretto road bike (that I got years ago thinking I might race again...but never did), and then I've got a few old Schwinn three-speeds.

Cycling is a family activity in Portland
Photo courtesy of Jonathan Maus/BikePortland.org with some rights reserved

Q: What kind of riding do you do? Do you travel more by bicycle or by car?

A: Most of the riding I do these days is just around town, covering events and getting to meetings, interviews, etc... I very rarely drive anywhere. We own a mini-van but I only get in that as a last resort (I don't really enjoy driving).

Q: Electric bicycles are sweeping across much of Asia and Europe as a practical way to address some of the limitations of bicycles for commuting purposes (or maybe the limitations have more to do with the riders and less to do with the machines). Millions of e-bikes are being sold across the world, and sales numbers are still rising dramatically. As the bicycle trend leader in the USA, Portland could be the first city in this country to experience a surge in e-bike popularity. Have you seen any indication that e-bikes might be catching on? What are your thoughts on e-bikes? What is the general attitude amongst Portland cyclists toward e-bikes?

A: The e-bike thing is strange. They've been around for several years but I rarely see them on the roads. I'm not sure why that is, but my hunch is that many people enjoy the simplicity of a bicycle and perhaps e-bikes are a bit intimidating from a technological/logistical standpoint for people. They also lack the distribution network that would put them in front of likely customers (where can you buy those things!?). Another factor is that biking makes you strong and for some people, the added weight of the battery might be annoying because they can ride at a comfortable speed around the city with their regular bike. The other thing likely going on with the e-bike trend is that the market it appeals to – folks that aren't your regular bike commuter crowd – are the same group of folks that are afraid to be out on the roads on a bike. If we had a network of safe, more comfortable bikeways, I think we might see more e-bikers hitting the streets.

Q: You recently reported on a proposed bill which would require all cyclists in Oregon to wear bicycle helmets. What are your thoughts on this proposed legislation?

A: I am not convinced of the benefits or necessity of such a law. There are many dangerous things people do on a daily basis but a mandatory law that requires safety equipment is not always the best approach. I am usually skeptical of laws that come from reactionary emotions (like the death of one person) and that are based on personal anecdotes. It's not as simple as saying, "if we can save one life than it's worth it,"... we have to consider the larger context of a proposal like this. And at the end of the day, is there any conclusive research that shows mandatory, all-ages helmet laws actually improve safety? No. Have mandatory seatbelts in cars led to fewer deaths and injuries in cars? No, because the number of cars on the road and the speeds and carelessness with which they're driven have increased. The problem is not that people on bikes need more head protection... the problem is a culture in the U.S. that is in love with the speed, power, and "liberty" of cars and is afraid to really deal with the problems they cause in a direct manner. We should focus on making our roads safer, not on padding ourselves against the dangers our roads create.

Another distinctly Portland cycling moment
Photo courtesy of Jonathan Maus/BikePortland.org with some rights reserved

Q: What else would you like to say?

A: Thanks for the work you are doing, Forbes! (Editor's Note: Aw, shucks. Thanks!)

Q: What do you like for breakfast?

A: Coffee and toast with avocado and eggs over easy.

Jordan Hufnagel on Building Frames and the Portland Bike Scene

I stumbled upon Jordan Hufnagel’s flickr photo stream a few weeks ago, and I immediately knew I wanted to interview him. His bikes are lovely. He obviously builds them to very high quality standards. But they look immensely practical, too. He shows lots of frames built with track dropouts for assembly as fixies, and he shows lots of bikes built up with flat bars for urban riding.

Hufnagel builds in Portland, Oregon, which is experiencing a bicycle boom of epic proportions. So I asked him about the bike scene in Stumptown, as well as about the bicycles he builds. He gave me great answers to all questions.

Hufnagel, the hairy-chested he-man frame builder (photos from his website www.hufnagelcycles.com)

Q: Portland has always had a very active cycling community, but it seems to have exploded in the last few years. Is that accurate? What is the bicycle scene like in Portland these days? Where do you think it is going? What are some of the important elements of bike culture in Portland?

A: I have been in Portland for almost 4 years now and I could instantly feel the serious presence of bikes. No type of cycling is left out here. There is heavy participation in everything from mountain biking to track racing, and you can't deny the amazing cyclocross scene here, but at the heart of it for every cycling enthusiast in Portland is commuting. There is a defiant effort on behalf of the people here to do all they can by bike, and the city government is behind it too! I see more porteur racks, panniers, and cargo bikes than ever. I think that Portland culture breeds this mentality. This is a city designed to support local businesses and develop self-supporting neighborhoods. To find a big box store you have to go well out of the city center, and there is no reason to. You can find most things you desire within 20 blocks.

Stylin'!

Q: What can other US cities do to develop a cycling mindset similar to what we see in Portland?

A: Make the roads safer for cyclists. This means educating drivers and cyclists, and developing functional bike routes. Focus on a local economy. Shop locally owned neighborhood businesses. I think this plays a huge role in Portland culture and the cycling community. Plus, it makes it easier for people to live in their neighborhoods and not feel like they have to make massive shopping trips by car to big box stores. And also have a fun race scene. The Cross Crusade has been a great example of how to make competition fun and accepting to all interested!

Q: You make a lot of frames for fixies, from the look of your website. How many frames with track dropouts do you make for each frame you build with road dropouts? Any thoughts as to why so many of your frames go derailleur-free?

A: That was definitely the deal this past year. I built about 1 geared bike to every 3 single speeds. However, when I look at my build queue now, there are only 2 track bikes in the next 6 months of builds. Cyclocross has taken over my shop! I think the number of track bikes I build has a lot to do with their popularity in general, and the simple classic look I give them. I also love making the clearance super tight and I think that speaks to a lot of people looking for an awesome track bike.

Mmmm... Shiny track dropout goodness!

Q: You seem to use a combination of lugs and fillet brazing. Why did you choose these frame building methods? Have you thought about TIG welding frames? Why or why not?

A: Aesthetics. I just love the way a smooth fillet looks and feels, and the elegance of a well done lug. They get me really excited. The first bike I made was TIG'd but I think I have always had my heart in brazed bikes. With that being said, the TIG work of guys like Jim Kish at Kish Fabrication, Mike DeSalvo at Desalvo Cycles, and Sean Chaney at Veritgo Cycles is really something to love!

That's what a filed fillet braze should look like.

Q: Please tell us a bit about your shop. I know you are a one-person operation. What kind of tools do you use? What kind of building are you in?

A: My shop is in SE Portland right on a major bike avenue. I occupy a 500 square foot box in the corner of a warehouse with some big windows. The tools I use on each build are your usual shop selection ranging from a large selection of files to a 2000 lb vertical mill. I have a lug vise from Efficient Velo Tools as well as a bunch of odds and ends that I have made over time that have made my work a lot easier too. You can usually hear some Tom Petty or Neil Young blasting while you ride by, or see me drinking massive amounts of peach tea and eating cookies!

Craftsmanship? Yup.

Q: Please describe your ideal bike.

A: Any bike I'm having fun on, but right now it would have to be the new cyclocross bike I'm making myself in a couple weeks!

Q: Do you travel more by car or by bicycle?

A: Locally it's the bike for sure. Long distance travel has been by plane mostly, with my bike as my checked baggage.

Urban machine.

Q: Which off-the-shelf bikes do you like?

A: As far as the big companies go I’ve been into the steel Lemonds. They seem like a good deal with a classy look.

A lovely Hufnagel mixte

Q: What do you like for breakfast?

A: Breakfast food plays a serious role in my life. Brunch is the meal that brings most of my friends together. A tofu scramble with lots of veggies and vegan sausage would be my favorite I think.