Our Story – (How we got here)
In 2007, I made the huge decision to leave a large corporate PT job due to the length of my frustrating daily car commute to/from Tualatin, which often would take well over an hour to get home from the office on I-5. I took a less paying job much closer to home, which provided me with a great opportunity: The ability to commute by bike, and what a wonderful, exciting, and inspiring experience it turned out to be. I slept better at night, was more alert during the day, and found that I had less general illness and stress throughout the entire year. Riding the bike was beneficial on so many levels, however I soon found out that the daily toll of riding day after day, month after month resulted in pain in my neck, shoulders, knees and back- even on my short commute. Most cyclists, shops, and commuters I talked to experienced similar symptoms, who all just shrugged it off, assuming it was just part of riding a bike. As a Physical Therapist who treats patients for a living, I found this general assumption odd, and over the course of a few years, I invested my time in advanced coursework regarding cycling injury and bike fitting concepts– which surprisingly, are NOT part of any Physical Therapy school curriculum. And even more interesting is the fact that there was not a specialized Physical Therapy office dedicated to these cyclists w unique needs- especially in inner SE Portland. Fast forward a few years to 2012: We design and built-out our bike-friendly space from a beautiful 1920s brick warehouse that used to store the largest private vinyl record collection in the world (seriously), and in the bike-centric Clinton District on SE 25th and Clinton. So please, stop in and see what we’re all about- we’re so much more than just Physical Therapy and Bike Fit, but a movement in supporting the global health of our community, both on and off the bicycle.
-Kevin Schmidt, PT, MSPT, BikePT- Owner/Founder of Pedal PT
