The ride is scheduled for Thursday morning. We'll leave at 8:30 AM from the Speckled Ax on Thames Street and arrive at Allagash Bakery no later than 9:40 AM. There's a midpoint stop at Norimoto Bakery around 9:10 (no idea what lines will be like).
We host a live ride tracker that you can use to track our location once the ride starts. The technology is kindly provided by our friends over at Chicago Bike Grid Now.
Currently no. Reach out if you're interested!
The ride is 6.5 miles each way (an accessible distance on an acoustic bike for many riders and much, much easier on an electric bike)..
You can also find the ride map on Ride with GPS or Strava.
As a born and raised Midwesterner from the pancake-flat part of the region (Chicago), it doesn't loook flat. Your mileage may vary if you come from a region with more elevation.
This is a chill, no-drop ride (we match our speed to a pace that is comfortable for everyone on the ride). If you want to go claim a speed record for a Strava segment, this may not be the ride for you. Periodically, a ride will have to deal with a hostile and aggressive driver. The goal is to stick together and have a chill ride. Everything else proceeds from that.
¡Increible! The weather forecast currently shows high 60s to low 70s. Ideal weather for riding a bike. Keep up to date with weather here
Planning for weather in an unfamiliar city is difficult so it's always useful to have a backup plan. The Greater Portland Metro Bus Route #2 runs up Interstate 302/Forest. Private car rental like Lyft and Uber are also an option.
A bike is one of the best ways to explore a new city! In urban environments, it can provide comparable travel times to public transit or private vehicle—especially once you account for parking. A regular, "acoustic" bike extends your range beyond walking distance and an electric bike extends that range even further.
Travel time between the Speckled Ax and Allagash Brewing is approximately ~20 minutes (does not include parking or waiting for vehicle pickup). Travel time by bike is roughly double that at ~40 minutes (estimated moving time ~25 minutes).
Sometimes the additional friction from riding a bike is the point. Riding along mellower, low-stress routes enables you to see and take in more of your surroundings than is possible from a car. The same is often true of your ability to connect with locals as you pedal through their community.
Of course! If you plan to arrive by train, the Amtrak Downeaster FAQs indicate bikes are accepted at all stations in Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. Space is limited and advance reservation is required for both passenger and bicycle.
Yes! Portland Gear Hub (acoustic only) and CycleMania (acoustic and e-bike) are within walking distance of the downtown Portland area (less than 20 minutes).
Three day rates for acoustic bikes (non-eletric) are between ~$80-120 total. Eletric bikes are pricier (~$75-100/day) and shops have lower inventory so reserve early. That daily rate is comparable to private vehicle rates for the same period.
While e-bikes may require less physical exertion than acoustic bikes, studies frequently show that e-bike riders significantly increase their trip length compared to an acoustic bike.
Other stories and studies show that the most appropriate comparison for e-bikes is as a replacement for your car (not your regular bike).
A research study by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics showed that more than 50% of trips are less than 3 miles (a very doable distance for many riders given safe infrastructure). That figure increases to 65% for trips less than 5 miles and 80% for trips less than 10 miles (the trip distance where the range extending behavior of electric bikes becomes an enabling capability).
A recent BBC News Report showed that children's lung health recovered and grew in the areas adjacent to the ULEZ (Ultra Low Emissions Zone). A similar report from Paris demonstrated a profound rebound in terms of air quality as that city encouraged bicycling and other forms of sustainable transit.
I take ride safety seriously so I'm cross-referencing the proposed route against Strava heat maps, colleagues local to Portland, and other sources of local expertise like bike shop staff. My flight also arrives in Portland early enough on Wednesday to vet the proposed route.
I'll also say that it would be difficult for this to be my worst idea (a distinction held by the Chicago Library Project)! That ride series (shitpost) took more than 2 years and 1500 miles to complete and had me ride some incredibly harrowing stretches of Chicago streets. Inexplicably, that project is also the source for some of my fondest memories. Sometimes you just have to try S#%$. A snowy day bike ride to pickup Venezuelan sticky buns prior to a conference in Denver may also challenge for the ...in retrospect award.
Yes for bikeshare bikes, e.g., Divvy, CitiBike, Bird, etc. Not for this type of rental (it might be funny to try tho).
You can fill out this Google Form or reach out to me on BlueSky to indicate your interest.
Of course (especially if you have any experience marshalling social, no-drop group rides like Critical Mass or Kidical Mass).