Jed Lazar doesn’t ride an average bike. Then again, he’s not riding it for average reasons. Although many of us don a helmet and mount our cycles in order to get to work, pick up groceries or just spend an afternoon outside, Lazar’s reason for cycling is all business. Co-founder of Soupcycle, Lazar rides his bike around the streets of Portland delivering handmade, organic soup. But because of a multitude of reasons, Lazar’s business isn’t the only one that’s harnessing the power of pedaling.

Last year brought a spike in gas prices teamed with an increased national conscience with regard to both our personal health and that of the environment; in its wake came a heightened love for cycling.

“I think the recent explosion in biking is both a return on our communities’ investments in encouragement programs and infrastructure – bike lanes, paths, bike boulevards, etc. – and a sign of increasing concern about economics, health, and the environment. We are seeing a much greater diversity of people out biking and even bike commuting these days,” says Stephanie Noll, Bicycle Transportation Alliance Programs Manager. Noll also points out that the reason for choosing cycles over cars is multi-faceted. “The increasing cost of driving or concern about the environment alone are generally not enough for most of our communities’ members to imagine themselves on a bike.”

Cutting costs might appear to be the biggest reason for transitioning to a bike operated structure, but just like individuals, the price of driving isn’t the sole force behind choosing pedal power over cars. “When we worked on our business plan, gas prices were low. We did a full price analysis that looked at cars, zip cars, scooters, electrical cars, etc. and for the price and brandability of those, bikes came out way ahead. There’s a low up front, low maintenance costs and you don’t have to worry about gas prices fluctuating,” says Lazar.

Another Portland based company, Q19, operates its sustainable cleaning service (they use 100% ecological and petrochemical-free cleaning agents) with the help of bikes for the same reason. “Q19 came about out of a local property management firm’s need for an accountable, high quality, consistent service provider: Utilizing Bakfiets, or Dutch work bikes, became a vital way to achieve all of our objectives- creating happy, healthy, empowered work environments, limiting our impact on the environment, and building a financial viable company,” says Hannah Sandmeyer, Q19′s Managing Director.

In an eco-conscious era, both Q19 and Soupcycle have seen a positive customer response; running operations with bikes proves the companies’ commitments to responsible business plans. “People are drawn to Q19 because we provide a high quality sustainable service in addition to representing change they can believe in,” says Sandmeyer.

To ensure that they stick to their philosophy of sustainability, Lazar and his business partner Shauna Lambert not only run their business on bikes, but all of their soups are made with local, organic ingredients. “I think it’s the holistic idea that it’s local, organic foods delivered by bike,” says Lazar.

But back to Lazar’s un-average bike. Just like Q19 takes advantage of Bakfiets to transport cleaning supplies, Lazar delivers soup to “Souplandistan,” an area that covers most of inner Portland, with an electrical assist trike. The battery assist helps pull him and his bike and trailer up some of Portland’s hillier streets. Fully loaded the trailer and bike weigh a total of about 200 pounds, but Lazar calculates that he only uses the battery assist about 20% of the time; for the rest, it’s all legs.

With its love for bicycles, Portland is an ideal city for starting up pedal powered businesses. “If it’s going to work anywhere, it’s going to work in Portland,” says Lazar. But the increased awareness and popularity is making operations like Soupcycle and Q19 pop up all over the country. In Florida, Harvest Cycle delivers organic produce by pedal-power. Farther north, in Boston, residents can employ the cycles of MetroPed for a variety of pick-up and delivery services ranging from catering delivery to retail distribution. In Philadelphia, even waste is being disposed of by bike, where Pedal Co-op hauls both recycling and compost for a nominal fee.

Sandmeyer is hoping that the trend continues to catch on, and that Portland becomes a role model for pedal power. “I feel Portlanders are more apt to recognize and respect bike-based business as viable, thoughtful, leaders of their industries. I am hopeful that the environment here will transform that of our neighbors.”

[Photos: Soupcycle and Q19]