Three pocket-size bike books by Portland writers have made their debut in the past six months, and they’re all worth checking out.
The first, April Streeter’s Women on Wheels was published last May by A Serious Press. It’s a well-designed, dense primer city biking and though “women” is in the title, it’s composed of practical advice and background info that’s geared toward any rider.
Second up is journalist and zinester Elly Blue’s Everyday Bicycling, a super relevant and straightforward city biking handbook that I would recommend gifting to someone who’s just getting started biking. Blue lists out everything about traffic laws, gear, and getting around that most people have to learn the hard way, with plenty of focus on often-ignored topics like hauling kids by bike and fear of riding in the road. I’ve wanted a jargon-free, readable, honest city biking guide to exist for a long time and Blue’s is it.
Streeter and Blue are teaming up for a joint reading tonight at Powell’s on Hawthorne at 7:30pm. Get down there!
Not in tonight’s event, but still worth a shout out is Hop in the Saddle by Lucy Burningham and Ellee Thalheimer. Hop in the Saddle is exactly the punny book you think it is: A guide to exploring Portland’s beer scene by bike. While the book is filling a niche sure to be the butt of a Portlandia joke, it serves its stereotypical market well. Lots of Portland tourists head straight for the breweries and this is a fun, practical guide to sampling Portland’s best beers whether you’re a local or a visitor.
Genuine 100% Smirk brand Blabby bait.
@C&B: The exact phrase “Blabby bait” came to mind when I saw this post.
Biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiikkkkkkkkkkkeeeeeeeeessssssss!
And brewpubs. It’s the twofer of Portland cliches.
I will always rise to this bait. Bonus track:
Let’s talk about bikes, ba-by;
Let’s talk about you and me;
Let’s talk about the lack of meaningful topics of discourse in Portlands’ hipster scene.
Let’s talk about bikes!
Let’s talk about bikes!
Is that a real song?
Four wheels good! Two wheels baaaaaaaaaad!
And anything that doesn’t relate to me personally is obviously irrelevant.
@ blabby impersonator:
i’m pretty sure i’ve seen blabby note that he rides a bike (with 2 wheels and everything) on occasion — i imagine he just doesn’t care to devote most of his waking hours to the subject and is tired of everyone being so blabby about bikes.
If he’s an occasional cyclist, why is he so derisive of every cycling-related post on Blogtown, regardless of the particular contents? Anyone who doesn’t want to read about something on Blogtown can just move on to the next post, but Blabby has called huge attention to himself by having such a big chip on his shoulder about the topic. Pretty much everyone on Blogtown with a memory knows that to be true.
Also, it’s called humor, not impersonation.
Anyone who doesn’t want to read about something on Blogtown can just move on to the next comment, but Blaaaaaby has called huge attention to himself by having such a big chip on his shoulder about someone’s comments. Pretty much everyone on Blogtown who read the comments on this post know that to be true. Also, it’s called humor, not “derisive.”
And I’m pretty sure I recall a few occasions when Blabby has said cycling is childish and that cyclists should grow up and get a real vehicle. So whenever he rides a bike he’s being a hypocrite. Not that I really give a shit; he’s just a troll. When I waste time reading his comments, I try to hear a Ron Swanson voice saying the words and it adds comic value.
seriously this is still being debated? Anyway here are a few titles that did NOT make publication: ” Bicycle Race” F. Mercury. ” Carting wretched Foreigner Dogs around Peking in 1938″ Xiou Xiou Xiou. ” How to ride a bike with handlebars only a foot wide and act like a tool” A. Hipster and of course ” Its only cheating if you get caught” L. Armstrong. I find cycling literature quite scintillating personally.
Is Everyday Bicycling Portland-centric only? Or would it be helpful to anyone?
Do you ever wish these forums were useful? Do you ever wish that news outlets wouldn’t provide comments forums that they don’t moderate, knowing that unmoderated forums always devolve into nastiness and polarization?
Yes, Bri, the book is written for a general, international audience of future smiles behind the handlebars! Not Portland-centric at all.
Whatever, he’s just like SJR. Feed him and laugh, or ignore him.
I like the bonus track Blabby…remix? I also like that people on here neither understand humor nor sarcasm and have their little attention spans so vigorously focused on the trend and lifestyle that nothing deters them. Quite fascinating really