Lola, Portland, Summer

Welcome to Joe Bike. Snoop around.

Kids and cargo by bike: Find out how at the PSU Farmers Market this Saturday morning.

Saturday May 16, 2009
from
11:00am - 12:00pm

This clinic is designed to help those new to utility and family
transportation (by bike) begin mapping their path to a low-car
lifestyle. Delivered in a presentation/demonstration + discussion format, this
session will provide a wide array of information and answers related to
utility and family transportation (by bike). It’s sponsored by the Portland Farmers Market Association and presentclinic-ad-61ed by Joe Bike.

We’ll answer these questions and more:

-how do i safely transport my kids on a bike?
-when do i move my kids to their own bike?
-can i get a bike that will pack a bunch of groceries and my children effectively?
-what if i need to pack something really heavy or awkwardly shaped?
-should i use a trailer or get a bike built just for the job?
-is this going to cost me a fortune?
-where do i start? who do i call?

These are all questions that you might face when considering
supplementing or replacing personal automotive transportation with
bicycles. Fortunately, there are a myriad of avenues to travel down;
unfortunately, the best path for you and your family may not be clearly
marked, and certainly will be unique to the needs of you and your
family; the discussion’s agenda may include:

1. Road and personal safety
2. Why bikes?
* when to bike and when not to bike
* car-sharing
* public transportation
3. Utility and cargo options
4. Family transportation options
5. Daily considerations
* weather / comfort
* load stability / kick-stands
* climbing / gearing / transmissions
* security / locks
* visibility / lights
6. Benefits, costs and savings
7. Portland resources / next steps
8. Additional Q&A / Discussion

Bikes on hand will include boxbikes (bakfiets) with electric assist from Portland’s own Ecospeed, the Yuba Mundo, the modular, multipurpose Joe Bike for carrying kids and cargo simultaneously, an XtraCycle Free Radical, and others.

Sponsored by Joe Bike (503-232-1107)
Presenter: Jeremy Towsey-French (http://www.towseyfrench.com)

Introducing the Joe Bike, from Joe Bike

Here’s the prototype Joe Bike, our unique multipurpose utility bike, with the first of several configurations shown. The Joe Bike combines the largest payload area of any ”longjohn” bike with the shortest wheelbase, so you get both an incredibly easy, nimble riding experience and extraordinary versatility.  Depending on what you want to carry, from kids to cargo to kayaks, you can switch from the box to any of four attachments in seconds, using nothing more than a single allen key.

Upcoming configurations (available in May) include tandem-style seating for two kids or one adult, along with a cargo area; and a unique grocery-getter with a very large, very secure capacity. Both will be available in May.

The photos show the prototype; the finished model will have a four-point kickstand, front disc brake, and other improvements. The basic frameset is made in China and is also the platform for our conventional Boxbike. For the Joe Bike, we modify the frame to accept the rack and carrier systems designed and built in Portland by Stites Design, and complete the bike with a variety of internal or external drivetrains.

The three-configuration, 24-speed Joe Bike is $2699, including the upper and lower platforms, rear deck, and the box, along with features such as a Shimano low-resistance dynamo with a superbright front lamp, rear light that also incorporates an automatic brake light, full fenders, full four-point kickstand (to replace the one shown in the photos), rear-wheel lock, mirror, and bell. You can also choose your own frame and rack colors at no extra cost. Stay tuned for more information, photos, and video clips of the bike doing what it was made to do.

And congratulations to OHSU research scientist Alex Stevens, who won the first Joe Bike at the Bicycle Transportation Alliance’s annual Alice Awards and Auction. Alex rode the prototype home that night all the way to Hillsdale, and described the ride as “a blast”.

The Basement Bike Contest winners are:

Peter Koonce and Dave Feucht. Plus, Emmett Stasiuk and Laura Herrera have each won 50% off their rebuilds. Thanks to everyone who entered!

Happy New Year, everyone. Joe Bike’s first month was blessed not only with solid sales but with some snow-in time to rest, regroup, rethink, snowshoe and, most of all, absorb the feedback our visitors, customers, suppliers, friends, and friendly competitors have given us. To see how we’ve responded, take a look at our News page.

Welcome to Joe Bike, Portland’s home for affordable utility bikes. 
Jeremy Towsey-French and family use our bikes to combine work and play. Check out his blog on car-free living and our box bike’s role in that.