Travel Oregon is giving away bikes. And not just any bikes.

These seven bikes are custom made by local bike builders to each be ridden in one of the 7 Wonders of Oregon. And they are designed to look like their wonder.

The bikes will be hidden, one at a time, in a summer-long scavenger hunt, with clues of where to find each bike provided by Travel Oregon on its website and via social media platforms.

A video was released Wednesday on traveloregon.com that showcases Biking the Oregon Wonders theme. Detailed stories about the bike builders were also released on rideoregonride.com, the dedicated cycling website.

The scavenger hunt will run June 15-Aug. 8, with a week off for the July 4 holiday. Details will follow.

7 Bikes for 7 Wonders of Oregon 80 Gallery: 7 Bikes for 7 Wonders of Oregon

The scavenger hunt launch party took place in northwest Portland on Wednesday evening and was attended by Gov. Kate Brown and Rep. Earl Blumenauer. Penner-Ash provided the wine and Ninkasi brought the beer.

People can follow along with the hashtag #7bikes7wonders on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. There will also have a hub on traveloregon.com to follow all the clues in one place.

The 7 Wonders of Oregon was a highly successful tourism promotion campaign last year, designed in partnership by Wieden+Kennedy of Portland and Travel Oregon, the state's tourism promotion arm.

The campaign increased visitation to the Travel Oregon website by 40 percent last year. And, both for the first time, it helped Oregon top $10 billion in travel-generated revenue last year and also to climb above 100,000 tourism jobs in the state.

The second year of the 7 Wonders of Oregon campaign was launched on March 1. If anything, it has been more successful than last year, with another big surge to traveloregon.com for spring and summer travel planning.

The initial year of the campaign encouraged visitors to explore the wonders on foot and by car. This year, golf and biking are being added to the itinerary.

Golf, obviously, is played on courses located in or near each wonder. Look for the campaign to Golf the 7 Gems of the 7 Wonders at this link. (Golf.com covered this one.)

Biking was a bit more difficult to fit because some of the wonders are designated by Congress as wilderness areas where bikes are not allowed. But there's still enough places to ride around each wonder that bike-crazed Oregonians (and visitors) will want to do it.

Here are the bike builders who are making the one-of-a-kind 7 Wonders bikes for Travel Oregon:

Oregon coast: Ahearne Cycles, Portland.

This fat-tire beach cruiser will feel totally at home riding on wet or dry sand along the Oregon coast, especially if that ride ends at a beach bonfire party.

Columbia River Gorge: Argonaut Cycles, Bend.



Built for climbing and able to handle its fair share of gravel roads, this is the ultimate bike for the varied landscape of the Columbia River Gorge.

Wallowas: Breadwinner Cycles, Portland.

This "29er" bike is custom-made to handle the wide open spaces of the Wallowas, with dual-purpose tires that can handle any surface as well as bags and gear designed for remoteness.

Painted Hills: Igleheart Custom Frames & Forks, Portland

This bike can handle all the adventure the Painted Hills area has to offer: camping, fishing, riding and, well, looking at beautifully colored sedimentary rock.

Crater Lake: Mike DeSalvo Custom Cycles, Ashland.

This lightweight road bike is built for one purpose: racing around the big elevation changes and varied road surfaces of Crater Lake Rim Drive.

Smith Rock: Vulture Cycles, Bend, facebook.com/vulturecycles.

The "Smith Rocket" is purpose-built for the challenging trails around Smith Rock. And, hey, Travel Oregon says if you're doing that other sport that is popular in the area, there's a rope bag on the front.

Mount Hood: Wolfhound Cycles, Talent.

This mountain bike is good at exactly two types of riding that are found at Mount Hood: remote backcountry single-track trails and lift-assisted bike park riding.



Bicycle-related tourism contributes $400 million into Oregon's economy annually, according to a 2012 study by Dean Runyan Associates.



In 2014, Travel Oregon unveiled the nation's first statewide bike friendly program geared towards visitors. The Oregon Bike Friendly program is a recognition and training program designed to provide tips and tools for businesses to attract cyclists by offering amenities they seek.

The program is designed to help local businesses tap into this growing segment of the state's economy by delivering a premier experience for people biking in Oregon.



Oregon has been a bicycle-tourism innovator since 2010, when Travel Oregon, Cycle Oregon and the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department partnered to create the only Oregon Scenic Bikeways program in the nation. Beginning with the Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway, the program now boasts 12 bike-friendly routes throughout the state, with more on the way.

Links to my big 7 Wonders of Oregon packages:

Seven bike rides for 7 Wonders of Oregon (photos).

The best seven hikes at each of the 7 Wonders of Oregon.

The seven best things about each of the 7 Wonders of Oregon.

And more about the people who built the bikes for the 7 Wonders of Oregon.

And stay tuned on this blog from May 10-17 for my most memorable moments from each of the 7 Wonders of Oregon. Send in your memorable moments, too!

Terry Richard

trichard@oregonian.com

503-221-8222; @trichardpdx