Riding to the MADE Show
Every year, the MADE Show in Portland showcases handmade bikes. It’s a great event, not just to see beautiful bikes, but also to meet friends and make new ones. The MADE Show is always worth a visit—and, this year, it provided a perfect excuse for a great adventure.
I can’t think of a better way to celebrate handmade bikes than to ride one to the MADE Show. Routes from Seattle to Portland via the Cascade Mountains have fascinated me since we discovered the joys of exploring long-forgotten gravel passes. For the ride to MADE, I wanted to try a new version of this theme, hugging the flanks of Loowit (Mount St. Helens) by means of the Ape Canyon Trail, a hiking trail that is also open to mountain bikes.
I met Becca Book during Unbound XL, when we rode together for a while around Mile 275, before she pulled away to finish on the women’s podium. We’re both from Seattle, so we’d been talking about riding together, and, somehow, the idea came up to ride to MADE together. That’s how we met on Friday evening and headed south.
Our bikes provided an interesting contrast: Becca was on her Otso carbon gravel bike, complete with front suspension and 55 mm Fleecer Ridge knobbies. I rode my ‘Oregon Outback’ Rene Herse: lugged steel frame and smooth 54 mm Rat Trap Pass tires. The forecast included a chance of rain, so my bike wore full fenders.
What followed was a great adventure. We’d planned to arrive at Windy Ridge, the highest paved road on the big volcano, by sunrise. We actually were 20 minutes ahead of schedule after riding all night. The mountain cleared for a brief glimpse before fog rolled in again.
The otherworldly landscape high up on the volcano was even more mesmerizing in the fog. We traversed the Plains of Abraham…
…before diving into the old-growth forest of the Ape Canyon. We climbed Old Man Pass, descended Panther Creek Road, before crossing Bridge of the Gods to traverse the mighty Columbia River. (I love all those names!)
Both bikes had performed equally well. Becca’s front suspension (and her mountain bike skills) made her a little faster on the really rough gravel descents, while my bike had the edge on the (paved) twists and turns of Panther Creek Road. For most of the ride, our speeds were well-matched. We arrived in Portland in time for dinner after 250 miles (400 km).
The next day, we visited the MADE Show. Portland’s vibrant bike scene was on full display, and I ran into so many friends and acquaintances that it was hard to take in all the wonderful bikes.
Photography was difficult in the dark former shipyard building… Here is one of my favorites: This Ahearne combined a frame with polished lugs, a Nivex derailleur—and disc brakes. It all looked great together and, like all the best bikes, it made me want to take it outside and ride it.
Instead, I retrieved my own Nivex-equipped bike and headed to the train station. I ran into more friends on the way out, and when I finally got going, I was hopelessly behind schedule. Would I miss my train? Time to pedal with everything I had: If there’s a Strava KOM from Zidell Yards to Portland’s Union Station, I may be in contention!
I made the train… After a quick spin home from the train station, I was back at dinner on Sunday evening. What a fun weekend!
More Information:
- The full story of Becca’s and my ride will be in the next Bicycle Quarterly.
- Our ride and route on Strava
- Becca’s short video short video of our ride on Instagram
