Can anyone recommend a LBS in Portland? I am new to the sport and need to get dialed in on a bike. Thanks.

Dude, you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a good bike shop in PDX!

Anyway, it sounds like you're looking for a fitting session. I've heard good things about <a href="http://www.bikegallery.com/content/Bike_Gallery/home.html">Bike Gallery</a> and <a href="http://www.rivercitybicycles.com/">River City</a>. Check out a thread I posted a while back about <a href="http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=34333">fit experiences in the area</a>. Another one to check out is <a href="http://www.velocebicycles.com/">Veloce</a>. All offer fit services and different bike ranges.

If you are in the North West area of Portland, try Northwest Bicycles at NW 21st just south of Lovejoy. If you are into fixies, try the Veloshop on SW 9th just south of Burnside. Both are really small shops, which I like supporting. Or, swing a dead cat and go to whichever shop you hit ;)

Gordon

Can anyone recommend a LBS in Portland? I am new to the sport and need to get dialed in on a bike. Thanks.


on 23rd and SE Division...7-Corner. tell Corey I say hi!! good guy, love supporting him. least expensive in Portland.
Bike Gallery can be expensive hacks. not so impressed by the downtown shop, but the one on NE Sandy is great!
Rivercity is good, but busy and overpriced. Bike 'n Hike mostly sell Giants and Felt and are good guys too, on SE Grand.

Can anyone recommend a LBS in Portland? I am new to the sport and need to get dialed in on a bike. Thanks.

Lakeside Bicycles in Lake Oswego totally rocks!

I drove down from Seattle to buy my CR1 Team Issue there a couple of months ago, and have never had a better bike-buying experience. They had me all set up for a good long test ride, and when it came to buy they accomodated all my requests (swap the cassette to a 12-27 for hills, put my K-wing bars on the bike from my old bike) and then did a 1 hour fit session to get me all dialed in.

Then, a couple of weeks later, a personally written thank you note from the shop owner Gordon came in the mail, along with a sweet Scott team jersey! (free!)

What more could you ask?

BTW- my CR1 is no where near their nicest bike on the rack-- they have Pinarello's, carbon Bianchi's, a ton of Colnagos, Time VXRS, Look 585's, Litespeeds, and more.

Definitely worth checking out!

Rivery city : EXPENSIVE, commissioned bike salespeople, but a well-stocked inventory.

Bike Gallery : Salaried salespeople, expensive, sometimes good clearance clothing deals, not the place to go for mechanics.

My personal favorite (and especially good for fixies / track racing ) is Bike Central downtown. Dean may seem a little grouchy at first, but they're awesome people, they know their sh!t, and do a great job maintaining and fixing bikes they put together, too. They aren't a 'dealer' for any pre-built bikes, so it might not be the place for a new shiny c'dale.

Veloshop is ... interesting, and built on the same model. I'll say no more.

Beyond that, you could do the cat swinging thing. NW cycles, Sellwood, Weier's, Sunset, and many others.

Welcome!

I have to second 7-corners and Corey as being a great wrench with super reasonable rates. It is my first choice, not a lot of eye candy on the walls but if he does not have it he can get it fast.

Veloce is nice for higher end stuff. It is well polished and the owner is very good at fitting. The draw back is it is pricey for parts, the used bikes can be good deals though.

Sellwood Cycle is great. If I had a serious mechanical issue (facing, frame allignment, etc) these would be the guys to trust. They have a nice selection of used bikes as well. They know cyclocross as well as road and mtn.

Veloshop has fixed gear stuff(track and town) and cyclocross stuff as well. Nice people, queer friendly, a good liberal shop. If you need tubies glued they would be a good choice.

City Bikes is a great source for used parts and bikes. They buy used parts as well so they are a nice help in cleaning out the shop of extra stuff. Not the greatest wrenches for highend stuff but often have highend stuff used at good prices. If you know what you are looking for they are great. A really good commuter shop and a worker owned cooperative.

I would avoid bike and hike they have been rude in the past and I have seen them put folks on bikes that did not fit at all. Bike Gallery is maybe a bit better but they are not great wrenches but if you need a trek...

Rivercity is nice to look at but to expensive for me but there wrenches are great. I would gladly support them if I had the cash. I have found good deals on cloths there.

Portland is great in that their is a shop for every taste and most are really pretty good,
Happy riding.

Scott, in SE

I'm all for supporting the locally owned LBSs but if you're in need of some gear at decent prices, don't overlook Performance Bike (http://www.performancebike.com) . There one at Mall 205, one in Beaverton and one in Tualatin. In the spring I purchased a previous year's model (2004 Fuji Provence) for close to 50% off of the regular price at the Beaverton location. Need accessories, clothing, etc..? They always have some sort of sale going on in the store. Service? Like everywhere it is hit and miss. I happened upon Joel, the store manager, when I purchased my bike and am glad I did. He actually rides a bike and therefore has experience under his belt to support his advice/suggestions (unlike some other sales people at Performance and other LBSs).

For maintanence I go to Ryder's (http://www.ryders.biz/) quite often which is just a few blocks from my house. They typically stock higher-end bikes ($1000+ but can special order sub-$1000 bikes) and do offer fit sessions. Ryder's is also a skate and surf shop. Quite often you'll be greeted at the door by the owners (very friendly) dog. ...all they need is an expresso bar and it would be the ultimately hang out.

-Sven

My vote would be for Lakeside in Lake Oswego. I've been impressed with them. Buy a bike and then get in on some of their weekend rides.

Bike Gallery and Rivercity are spendy, but what do you expect really. Frankly, everytime I've been in Rivercity, they have been so busy I don't know why they would want to have lower prices.

I would not go to Performance until you know enough about bikes to go in looking for something specific. In other words, their advice is comparable to that of a Wal-Mart greater.

Good Luck,
Travis

For service, I always use Sellwood Cyclery. Those guys know what they are doing and have fair prices.

For product, I suggest you think about using www.biketiresdirect.com, which has more than just tires. They have good prices and are based in Portland. If you order stuff through them, you can pick it up from their wherehouse on NE 92nd (I believe) and avoid shipping charges (or get it sent in 2 days for $5.).

check out en selle on sw virginia. the owner, jack, knows racing, and is often at races/events supporting. good prices too..

river city is the other shop i go to. serious candy store, and the sales people don't try to sell you stuff they don't have personal experience with. and hey, any place with a merckx shrine can't be wrong.

Can anyone recommend a LBS in Portland? I am new to the sport and need to get dialed in on a bike. Thanks.

Ask for Frodo.

Another vote for Veloce (http://www.velocebicycles.com/); Performance Bike has great deals too, especially for accessories and parts.

Bill and Joshua are great, this is my fave shop, and I've been to them all. 3 person shop, Bill, his wife Sam, and Joshua. The best shop in PDX in my opinion, and like I've said, been to them all. RiverCity has nice eye candy, Just like Lakeside, both expensive. RiverCity puts on the CrossCrusade, so they get points from me there. Bike Gallery, Too many shops, too much overhead, too expensive, too big for there own good. Demetri @ Veloce is good, bought my IF from him. 7 corners and Sellwood cycle are good also.
Support the smaller locally owned shops and stay away from the big guys.
I've seen River City and Bike Gallery put people on bikes that don't fit just to sell a bike.

Bill and Joshua are great, this is my fave shop, and I've been to them all. 3 person shop, Bill, his wife Sam, and Joshua. The best shop in PDX in my opinion, and like I've said, been to them all.

What shop are they affiliated with? Did I miss something? I'd like to try them out but think I am just missing the link between them and the name of their shop.

[oh, never mind -- I just noticed "Cycle Path" in your title line (never read those).]

What shop are they affiliated with? Did I miss something? I'd like to try them out but think I am just missing the link between them and the name of their shop.

[oh, never mind -- I just noticed "Cycle Path" in your title line (never read those).]

They will never try to oversell you something, they'll get you into what you want based on your riding plans, needs, and price range. Now is a great time to go in there, it's the off season, so they'll spend lots of time with you if you're nice to them. Bringing in beer will score you extra points. Make it a mixed 6 of Lagunitas... I got my Airborne Blackbird and the wife's Quintana Roo Caliente there this last year (plus racing wheels, computers, saddles, and a mix of stuff). Sam went out of her way to try out several different TT bikes for my wife this last Interbike (they both ride the same size frame).

I've seen River City and Bike Gallery put people on bikes that don't fit just to sell a bike.

Really? I haven't had that type of experience at either of these stores. I know that the Bike Gallery has a very liberal return policy; I don't think that either RC or BG would sell a non-fitting bike like that on purpose. I have experienced a bit of attitude at RC. I agree that the BG has too many locations, but everyone there has always been nice to me.

my2cents

If I Were To Be Looking For A Professional Fit For A Custom Bike I Would Go To En Salle In Portland.the Guy Will Take All The Time In The World To Fit You Right And Has Access To Some Of The Finest Custom Made Road Bikes Around.

I'll second CyclePath. I've only been in there twice and have been extremly impressed. Those guys are so passionate about cycling it makes you want to quit your job and ride full time. They stock stuff they ride and/or have taken the time to learn about...not just whatever is in the mag's. They've won my business for good...now what to do with this $90 River City credit I have from a pair of bibs that didn't fit but were on sale so I couldn't get my cash back...

*Note: They are a little hard to find. In the Standard Dairy building on MLK between Knott and Fremont in NE PDX.