That Blue Bike On bike commuting and touring

Portland BikeCraft 2011

This weekend is Portland's BikeCraft! Perfect for holiday shopping, BikeCraft has dozens of local vendors selling hats, bags, art prints, shirts and just about every bike themed craft you can imagine.

If you get lost on the way over, just look for an entire block of bicycle parking. Even the tall bikes were in attendance!

Inside there's an entire warehouse of vendors. All sorts of people had booths, from the more well known Portland companies like Black Star Bags to artists stitching and crocheting out of their garages and living rooms. You can find all kinds of products; one table might have professionally made messenger bags, and at the next punk-inspired items hand made from recycled materials.

Like any bike event in Portland there was coffee, beer and food carts in attendance. Surprisingly the coffee from Ristretto Roasters was some of the best I've had since moving here!

There weren't many bikes on display, but this re-built 80's steel road bike caught my eye. A Better Cycle was experimenting with some sort of steel oxidizing technique that resulted in a beautiful matte black finish with visible brazing around the lugs. I would love to have a bike that looks this good, but first the shop has to make sure it doesn't rust out in the rain!

Although there were some high-end goods there, most of the venders were very affordable. There were some great art prints and t-shirts for around $10, and I picked up an awesome hand made laptop bag for 50% off from an artist who was clearing out his old stock. I had a great time and bought several gifts. You can bet I'll be back next year!