Aftermass Bicycling in a Post-Critical Mass Portland

How did both Europe and North America’s greatest bike cities come to be? Aftermass: Bicycling in a Post-Critical Mass Portland is the first feature documentary to explore the events, people, politics, and social changes that led to Portland becoming the first major bicycle city in the western hemisphere.

Aftermass features many of the leaders and major participants behind the growth of bicycling ridership since 1971. The narrative shows the complex dynamic throughout the 1990s between advocacy organizations, politicians, city planners, and the then-new, grassroots Critical Mass ride. The film is full of smiling faces on two wheels, but also explores the controversies, setbacks, and bumps along the way, including riots, political roadblocks, and an illegal police spy. The film provides new and vital insights into Portland’s history and paths other cities can follow to a bicycling future.

Joe Biel: Joe Biel is a writer, activist, filmmaker, teacher, and founder of Microcosm Publishing and co-founder of the Portland Zine Symposium. He tours with his flims with the Dinner and Bikes (dinnerandbikes.com) program. He has been featured in the Time Magazine, Publisher’s Weekly, and Utne Reader.
Alice Isley: Alice Isley is a filmmaker living in San Francisco.
Jeff Hayes: Jeff Hayes writes, performs, and records musical instruments of all types in his home studio in Portland, OR.