Bikes in Bridgetown

If you haven't noticed, there is a huge push in some of the world's largest cities to become more bicycle-friendly. One of these cities, also one my favorites on the entire planet, is Portland, OR. The New York Times has noticed and dropped an article giving mad props to the Pearl City for their advocation for cyclists, attention to their needs, and appropriate city planning.  I'm not much of a reader of this particular publication, but I'm told that it has pretty good circulation.

At Trek we try to show love to the places that love bikes. We shot most of our lifestyle bike catalog in Portland this year and had an absolute blast. Besides the awesome coffee and killer vibe the city was pumping out we were floored with how easy it was to get anywhere on two wheels. Trek even has a bike designed to meet the demanding needs of bike commuters that pays homage to "Stumptown" simply called "The Portland". We thought it only appropriate to do our shoot for the bike last week in the town we ganked the name from which I included an image of above. I can't believe I'm scooping my own catalog! Our Hood River-based shooter, John Laptad, is always up for some Oregonian good times and banged out some of the best shots we've gotten all year.

Bottom line: if you've never been to Portland, go. If your city has done nothing to help the bicycle movement, complain. If your local shop carries New Glarus beer, buy it. 

Think your city is on the right path? Too much love for P-town? Think Davis, CA is better? Shout it out!

Comments

[Brian]

You forgot to look in your own backyard: Madison, WI. With a vast network of recreational trails and marked city streets, Madison offers many great options for bicyclists. Also, the city recently collected comments for its plan to make it the best city for bicycling. And you will have a harder time finding a place that doesn't carry New Glarus Spotted Cow... except for the Great Dane brewpub (in my opinion, most of their beer is even better).

[Hootie, Bike Lane Blog Guy]

Good call, Brian! I didn't want to be accused of being a homer but it is true, Mad-town is a sweet bike city. The argument you propose is an interesting one. While New Glarus certainly has the distribution and an awesome seasonal lineup (Winter Skal for those cold nights and Totally Naked for the Miller Park parking lot) I have to give Great Dane some props for keeping it real and local. They're Devil's Red is possibly a gift from god. The argument gets even more delicious when you throw Capital Brewery and the newcomer Ale Asylum in the mix (Wisconsin Amber and Hoppalicious are off the meter). Out of the four, however, i think Capital just misses the podium. Big shout to Ale Asylum, the upstart of the group. If you reside in the greater Madison region, hit it up. You will not be disappointed! Look for a Mad-Town Beer Taste Off in the near future.