showers....pass........

The 11th Annual Worst Day of the Year Ride on February 12 has quickly become Portland’s favorite wacky wintertime tradition. The rousing beats of the Last Regiment Drum Corps will send you off on an 18-mile odyssey around downtown Portland.  You’ll be kept warm and comfy at every turn with belly-nourishing treats including hot cocoa, doughnuts, organic fruit, chai tea, coffee, bagels, hot cider and much more.

Laughing Planet Cafe, experts in wholesome yumminess, is cooking up a finish line meal featuring local, sustainable and organic soups served with fresh focaccia bread.

Join thousands of other bundled-up riders as you laugh at the elements and circle the city on bicycles.  Want more of a challenge?  The optional 45-mile route loop traverses the west hills out to Hillsboro.  The ride is limited to 4,000 riders and it will sell out, so register early to ensure a spot on the hilarious ride. The event starts and finishes at the Lucky Labrador at 915 SE Hawthorne and is a benefit for the Community Cycling Center. MORE INFO: WorstDayRide.com

This Saturday visit our Portland Warehouse and score some great deals!

Samples, Seconds, Refurbished and Closeout Jacket, Vests and more.

Keep your bottle clean with this affordable brush kit

Our VelEau 42 Fill Bottle holds….you guessed it, 420z!

If haven’t seen the VelEau 42 yet and wondering what it is,check it out here.

This is a photo of our bike parking facilities at Showers Pass headquarters.  This month we compete in the Bicycle Transportation Alliance’s Bike Commute Challenge.  We encourage all employees to bike to work every day of September.

September is a fun month in Portland, summer winds to an end and cooler Fall temps tease us  in the mornings.  We brake out the base layers and rain gear trying to calculate the perfect layering for the length of our commute, the outside air temperature and our body temp.  We put the fenders back on our bikes and watch the clouds for signs of rain.  Each year hundreds of Portlanders go from fair weather riders to year round commuters.  It’s inspiring to see the bike traffic grow with each year as thousands are empowered to travel under their own power, one pedal stroke at a time.

Portland Jacket in Charcoal

Same great waterproof fabric now in Charcoal Gray.  The perfect jacket for fall commutes to work, the store, the pub, anywhere you’d like to arrive looking a bit more polished.  Reflective piping and drop down reflective tail keep you visible at night.  Hidden pit zips offer venting when you need it.  Now available!

The Storm Jacket

Storm Jacket in Neon Yellow

Our most competitively priced bike specific jacket uses 2.5 Layer waterproof-breathable fabric and is fully seam taped to keep the wind and rain at bay while transferring moisture away from the skin. With bright color and lots of reflective, the Storm Jacket also delivers the best in visibility. We know you’ll want to take it everywhere, so we’ve included a matching mesh stuff sack.  Shipping September 1st!

Click here to get your today!

Our new address is:

Showers Pass

2101 SE 6th Ave

Portland, OR 97214

We are always looking for ways to improve the fit, function and features of our garments.  If you wear our Club Convertible pants you can be part of the design process.  Please take a quick minute to fill out a survey on the Club Convertible Rain pants here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Y7T2XXH

Reflective ink offers a stealthy way to stay visible

We have yet to experience any warm nights in Portland this year.  Spring in Portland is a combination of rain, clouds, hail, partly cloudy, showers, hail and “hey everyone, I think I can see the sun”.  Blink and you might miss it.  I guess this immersion in foul weather is what makes our rain gear is so great.  We know rain! 

For all of you in warmer climates or for those that dream of warmer nights our limited edition Pedal Nation shirt is in and ready to go home with you today.  While there are many cycling shirts out there to help proclaim your love for two wheels to the world, very few feature silver reflective ink screen printing that lights up like a Christmas Tree at night.  15 bucks aint bad either!

42oz of water plus room to store your bike tools

VelEau Hydration System

 The Showers Pass VelEau™ 42 Bicycle Mounted Hydration System is a breakthrough cycling hydration concept that promises to change the way cyclists think about drinking fluids.  The Showers Pass VelEau 42 Bicycle Mounted Hydration System (www.veleau.com) relieves the cumbersome burden of lugging a backpack-style hydration system and makes drinking more convenient and safer than reaching for traditional frame-mounted water bottles.

The unique and innovative VelEau design fits securely under the saddle and employs two patent-pending retractable reels that allow the rider to safely and easily access a hydration tube and bite valve. The VelEau also solves the dangerous issue of reaching for a water bottle while riding, particularly when in a paceline or hammering in a racing peloton. The VelEau’s “Get the Pack Off Your Back” solution alleviates this concern.

The VelEau utilizes a specially shaped 42-ounce (1.25 liter) container – twice the capacity of a standard cycling water bottle – that fits inside a formed under-the-saddle bag. In addition to carrying the bottle, the VelEau bag also boasts a built-in tool bag with room for a spare tube, multi-tool, nutrition, etc.

In addition, the VelEau features a high-quality, food-grade polyurethane drink tube, and two retracting reels that keeps the drinking tube held securely in place, even while riding on rough terrain. The VelEau bag attachment system uses a ratcheting buckle that provides a solid attachment to the seat rails.

The VelEau™ 42 was invented by two engineers – Frank Bretl and Mark Proia – with input from endurance cyclists to remedy the challenge of carrying sufficient hydration during ultra-endurance mountain bike races. Many mountain bikes allow for only one water bottle while some don’t have room for any at all. Explained Bretl, VelEau co-inventor and chief hydration officer, “Why carry a hot, sweaty and constricting hydration backpack when you can let the bike carry the water?”

Ideal for all types of cycling – mountain, road, triathlon, touring, commuting, and recreational cycling – the VelEau™ 42 appeals to riders of all abilities and styles simply because it is much easier to use than a water bottle, and it keeps the burden of carrying the water on the bike – where it belongs.

Look for the Showers Pass VelEau™ 42 model on the shelves of your favorite bicycle retailer in July 2011. MSRP is $80. www.veleau.com or http://www.showerspass.com/veleau

It’s time to break out your cameras, get on your bikes, and enjoy some spring riding – Showers Pass style. We are looking for a few great photos of our loyal customers in their favorite Showers Pass gear. Winners will receive :

• A coupon for 60% off on one Showers Pass item to use within a year (up to $156 value)
• photo credit in our catalog
• your very own Tri Vest
• 5 copies of the Showers Pass catalog with your photo (released in September 2011)

All photo submissions will be rewarded with a 20% off coupon good for one year.   To enter, email your photos to info@showerspass.com with your full name, location of photo, phone number with photo contest as the subject line by April 15th to qualify.  Winners will  be selected and prizes will be distributed by April 22nd.