The large workshop floor of Portland's United Bicycle Institute on North Williams was packed on the night of Thursday, May 13, with women talking bikes, women talking business and women eating delicious cupcakes.
A showcase of local women-owned bike businesses was the first order of business for The Portland Society, a fledgling bikey women's group run by Ellee Thalheimer and former BikePortland.org staffer Elly Blue. The pair brought together 20 female entrepreneurs for the night, ranging from wheel-builders to cookies-by-bike delivery ladies.
Sweetpea custom bike builder Natalie Ramsland, a gal accustomed to picking metal shavings out of her hands and spending long days in a welding mask, explained that bikes have been important for her self-image. She never thought of herself as strong until she became a bike messenger some years ago. "All of a sudden I could use my body for something," said Ramsland. "That's pretty powerful."
Mechanic Tori Bortman, who teaches classes under the moniker Gracie's Wrench, dispelled the biggest bike maintenance myth of all: "There's no wrong way to do things on a bike. I just teach people my way."
The showcase raised money for a female active transportation leadership fund. "If you are a woman and want to build your leadership skills and put them to use doing something with biking, walking, livability, drop us a line," said Blue.
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