Category: Event

January General Meeting- Tour Presentation

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Don’t miss the January GEARs General Meeting:

Bob & Linda’s Tour Presentation
Tuesday, January 18th, 6-8 p.m.
Countryside Pizza & Grill (645 River Road)
Have you ever contemplated a long distance cross-country bicycle tour? Did you ever wonder what gear was necessary and if you had the mental and physical stamina to succeed? Bob and Linda Metzger share “dos and don’ts” of their 2700 mile 2010 bicycle tour from Chicago to Eugene at the January General Meeting. The one hourpresentation (with plenty of time for questions and answers) will focus on planning your trip and route, choosing the right bicycle and equipment, clothing selection, physical conditioning prior to your trip,mental preparedness, and how to fuel your “engine” (nutrition / hydration). A host of other valuable resources will be provided along with trip photographs. Plan on attending, and perk your interest in bicycle touring.

Bob and Linda recently moved to Eugene, after selling their coffee business in the Midwest. Bob is a retired petroleum geologist. Linda teaches fitness at the University of Oregon

Take Me to Cooky’s: Riding Solo from Eugene to DC

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The next GEARs General Meeting will be special presentation and discussion titled  “Take Me to Cooky’s: Riding Solo from Eugene to DC.” One woman, 3500 miles, two front panniers, and a wave of good tidings.  Join us for a slide presentation followed by Q & A of Heidi Beierle’s ride across the country. Beierle scored the best place to stop for pie, negotiated simultaneous attack by swarming mosquitoes and a red tail hawk, and accepted the comfort offered by a Missouri family in the midst of a record-breaking heat wave. Along the way, she delivered window decals to businesses along the TransAmerica Bicycle Trail and interviewed a hundred people about bicycle touring and living rurally. Ride with us through a story of enthusiasm, the unexpected, and concern for others that pictures the people, places, and chance encounters that put the adventure in cycling.

Please bring a seasonal tea time treat to share with others. Friends, family, and children are encouraged to attend.

Take Me to Cooky’s: Riding Solo from Eugene to DC.

Saturday, December 11, 3-4 p.m., Bascom Room of the Eugene Public Library

Heidi heading out out to Cooky's

General Meeting & Elections PLUS a Bike Swap

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GEARs will hold its annual meeting and Bike Swap on Tuesday, November 30, from 7 to 9 pm at The Vets Club (1626 Willamette St., Eugene).

The GEARs Annual Meeting will take place from 7-7:30pm, when club members will elect the 2010-2011, GEARs Executive Board.

Following the Annual Meeting, a Bike Swap will offer cyclists an opportunity to sell and exchange bicycles, bike parts and accessories. Each “seller” who is not a GEARs member will be charged $5. Memberships are available starting at $12/year at the event or online at http://eugenegears.org/membership

Both events are open to the general public.

FrankenBike via flickr

Keeping it Green & Local

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GEARs will be at the “Local and Green Community Conference” happening this Saturday at the First Methodist Church on Olive st. Here is more information on the conference as well as HERE.

What – “Eugene – Local and Green – Getting Started, Moving Forward, Working Together.” A community conference for living more planet and people friendly.

When – Saturday, October 30, 8:30 to 4:30

Where – First Methodist Church, 1376 Olive St. [“the toaster church”]

Note – There will be bike parking in the church courtyard. Access is at the northwest corner of the building. There is covered space in the courtyard. Please ride a bike.

Who – The Neighborhood Leaders Council Committee on Sustainability and many great community groups and organizations.

Contact – Jan Spencer, 686 6761, spencerj@efn.org

Sliding scale – $5 to $20. Light refreshments provided. Fine to bring your own lunch.

Proceeds to help restore OSU Extension Services in Eugene

Eugene Local and Green will focus on practical actions people can take for living more local and more green. The conference is non partisan and its tone will be positive.

Presenters and panels will touch on regional food security, transforming the urban landscape, neighborhood and community
collaborations, green success stories, neighborhood mapping along with challenges and exciting strategies for the coming years. There will be plenary sessions, discussions, panels, over 20 community organizations tabling and time to mix, mingle and network. A lunchtime caucus by neighborhood will interest many.

The conference will also call attention to many examples of going local and green. Some at home, some as casual arrangements between neighbors and friends, others as formal collaborations in a variety of partnerships between the city, schools, non profits, non governmental agencies, neighborhood groups, communities of faith and businesses. Still other collaborations are between urban and rural areas.

Eugene Local and Green looks to these examples as models for more ambitious initiatives and collaborations in the near and long term. Given the trends in economics, the environment, culture, resources and climate change; going local and green deserves to be a priority within every aspect of our lives.

Local Cyclists Help in River Clean-up

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Last weekend was the 2nd annual “Great Willamette Clean-Up” and a couple of local cyclists took to some water based human powered crafts to help out in the effort. The River Path is the most important recreation and transportation system in our community and keeping the river healthy and clean is an important part of it.  Here’s a bit of a report back from these local cyclists on their work on the “Urban Willamette”:

Here is the giant ODOT cone Hugh (who sent in the pictures and report) found under I-5, plus a bike wheel and second load of trash.

Hugh’s teammate, Dave Roth, delights in a front fender from a fifties automobile just below Pizza Rapids.  It was too big and heavy for them to haul out. Moments later, Dave found a GIGANTIC pair of bolt cutters which the bad people use to steal bicycles.  This was especially gratifying as Dave works for the city of Eugene on bicycle planning and is a bike mechanic.   Downstream, they found a severed cable lock, and more bike parts.

Here is a raft Hugh put together and then S-L-O-W-L-Y pushed/paddled across and down the river to the D Street Ramp.  The blue of the boat is barely visible beneath the bag of crap. Above the “front tire” you can see a 2×4.  It is one of the legs of an 8 foot plywood sign which is beneath the whole mess, including the boat.  Arrrrggghh, He’s the  the captain o’ his own ship!

Dave, not a seasoned kayaker makes it just fine through the “Frohnmayer Rapids.”

A happy guy with another bottle of odious liquid.

Twas a rewarding morning and Tiring!

Transportation Remix- Save the Date!

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Transportation Remix
Building Livable Communities Through Bicycle & Pedestrian Design


What does the future hold for active transportation in North American cities?  With each passing year, walking and bicycling rates increase as more people choose to get around on foot or by bike based on interest in improved personal health, environmental considerations and simple economics.  While some North American cities are already figuring out how to accommodate these increasing numbers, others are playing catch-up after years of auto-centric development.  The City of Eugene, an early innovator in non-motorized transportation design, is preparing an updated Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan to help guide transportation decisions for the foreseeable future. How does creating more transportation options build a more livable community?  How can we make our public spaces, including our streets, more family friendly and usable by more people?  What are other communities doing and how can Eugene become an innovator again?

On the evening of Friday, October 22nd, you are invited to join us as we explore the topic of emerging and innovative bicycle and pedestrian design with a panel of speakers including Edward Fischer, former ODOT State Traffic Engineer- FHWA International Ped/Bike Scan Trip Report, Jessica Roberts, Alta Planning and Design- “Homegrown Innovation”, Tools & Projects from around the US, and Hugh Prichard, retired developer and real estate broker- Report from Velo-City Copenhagen.  Our panel will be moderated by Sheila Lyons, the ODOT Pedestrian and Bicycle Program Manager.

When: Friday, October 22. Happy Hour 5:00-6:00 PM Panel Discussion 6:00 to 8:00 PM
Where: Oregon Electric Station, 27 E. 5th Ave.
Details: Free valet bike parking, light refreshments and no-cost entry. Beer, Wine, & Food available for purchase

Event sponsored by, City of Eugene, point2point Solutions, GEARs, Eugene Safe Routes to School, and Envision Eugene

More Information: www.eugenepedbikeplan.org, or call Dave Roth, Associate Transportation Planner at 541-682-5727