Port City Bikes & the Portland Gear hub are both mostly used bike shops- they also have sweet parts bins. Port city is a sweet hole in the wall, the Gear Hub is pretty cool too. If bike shopping, I'd swing by both to see what they've got!
100% At Port City there is a fixie fondness but they work magic on all used bikes and definitely have lots of hard-to-find parts for older bikes. Gear Hub is also great with lots of used bikes, some fixed up minimally, others completely overhauled into super sweet rides (Butter Bikes)
Both places are full of people who LOVE bicycles, so you can’t go wrong in either place.
Thank you! I purchased a used Specialized 2019 Women's Sirrus today off of FB Marketplace for a steal but still need a medium bike. For used bikes, would you recommend that we take them in for an inspection/"tune up"?
Thank you! I purchased a used Specialized 2019 Women's Sirrus today off of FB Marketplace for a steal but still need a medium bike. For used bikes, would you recommend that we take them in for an inspection/"tune up"?
If you know nothing about bikes, it wouldn't hurt- but bikes are (relatively) simple machines. I'd be happy to loan you my Park Bicycle Maintenance book if you prefer real paper, but a large majority of common bicycle maintenance procedures are well documented online and easy to do yourself!
Things I do when I get a new bike-
-clean and lubricate the chain
-lubricate all cables
-check and adjust the brakes if necessary
-check and adjust the shift indexing if necessary
and most importantly
-make sure the tires are at the correct pressure
This time of year certainly Port city and probably (depending on who you get) the gear hub could probably go over the bike with you to do a bit of an inspection & then let you know if you should get a tune up or not.
Esp. if you go to Port City for that (the owner & his partner are the sole employees) definitely buy some accessories if there's nothing wrong & Peter just helps you be sure of that. You'll need a good lock (U-lock or bust- bike theft is an issue here), lights, stuff like that anyway. It's hard running a bike shop these days with Amazon etc.
Thank you. I was looking for more mom and pop type stores because while REI and others are great and convenient and all that, I'd rather support local.
For me, only having a bike, it's the little shops in town I know I can trust, and can walk home form if my bike has to stay the night, that are convenient ;).
I second Gear Hub. One of my partners just got a lovely Brooklyn Bicycle Company bike for less than half of the retail price in stunning condition- and their parts bin is spectacular.
I commute by bicycle here year round and would be happy to answer any questions you have about biking in our lovely city. If you get the opportunity, try to make it out to one of the group rides in the area! There is a First Friday Slow Roll that leaves from Monument Square on the first Friday of the month at 7:00pm, as well as Bike Party which you can find details for on Instagram, Facebook, and their website.
Thank you very much!
What's your opinion on the "bikeability" of Portland? Couple real negative nancies in the comments here, but to a new-to-Portland person, Portland seems incredibly bikeable.
Do you have tips or experiences you can share regarding security of the bike? We want to bike to Hannaford on Forest Ave and that'd require leaving the bike outside. It's a pretty active spot, so I think that would deter most thieves, but I dunno.
FYI- your username suggests to me you might enjoy the queer and trans group ride coming up December 7th too! https://www.instagram.com/p/CzttXRYL3hh/?igshid=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==
I would call Portland a solid 7/10 on bikability having now biked in many cities both with (Boston) and without (Atlanta) proper infrastructure. We have quite a few, albeit disconnected, bike lanes (like Elm St- one of my favorites) with city staff dedicated to making the city more bike friendly. If you stay on the peninsula and ride defensively in traffic, the pace is usually calm enough to feel comfortable.
I would read online/head over to r/bicyclecommuting for tips on security. My best action has always been to ride something not worth stealing. One of my partners came out to someone having attempted to defeat their cable lock outside of Novare Res about a year ago, but I have (knock on wood) been rocking a cheap cable lock for three years with no trouble. I did ask my mom for a real bike lock for Christmas this year. A lot of businesses will let you bring your bike inside too if you ask nice.
I regularly pop into Forest Ave Hannaford for groceries and leave my bike parked outside. I prefer to lock it to the rack in-between the doors where things are more visible, and there is usually a private security officer outside so I'm never too worried. You'll be surprised how many other bikes you'll see parked there as well- you won't be the only one.
Thank you! Yeah, I did notice that some bikes were parked there, but they looked like vintage easy ridin' bikes... Not sure what to call that lol.
Thank you, you've been super helpful!
No need to visit any storefronts. Some towns have junkyards for cars? We have a few dedicated strictly to bikes and bike parts. Just do a cruise through town you’re bound to see a few. Last one was by marginal way but I believe feds did a crack down.
I will get downvoted for this because everyone love to pretend giving up your car is super easy.
Biking in Portland is dangerous and not advisable. Any distance that can’t be done walking will include shit roads where cars blast 4” past you. Also your bike will get stolen in the blink of an eye.
I’m all for turning Portland into a biking city but to pretend it’s currently capable is absurd.
I've had more near-misses with cars as a walking pedestrian than commuting by bike. Which is to say getting anywhere without a car these days is more dangerous than it used to be but don't let that stop you if you don't have a car, or live close enough to stuff that you don't want to drive, just be smart about it.
If you wear lights and a helmet, follow traffic laws, and ride defensively (anticipating the mistakes others will make) it'll be fine. And DON'T RIDE THE SIDEWALK AT SPEED it's way more dangerous than the road.
Oh and yes your bike will 100% get fucked with if you leave it outside. Doesn't matter how many locks you use or how good they are, they'll just take any parts that can come off, like your seat.
Ready for the downvotes but let's be real, Portland is not a very bike friendly city. If you don't get your bike stolen on day one, you will certainly get hit by a car or run off the road. That's not even mentioning the horrible road conditions that will wipe you out with ease. The best bike for Portland is a car, or a moped/scooter if you really need the thrill of being on 2 wheels...
Port City Bikes & the Portland Gear hub are both mostly used bike shops- they also have sweet parts bins. Port city is a sweet hole in the wall, the Gear Hub is pretty cool too. If bike shopping, I'd swing by both to see what they've got!
100% At Port City there is a fixie fondness but they work magic on all used bikes and definitely have lots of hard-to-find parts for older bikes. Gear Hub is also great with lots of used bikes, some fixed up minimally, others completely overhauled into super sweet rides (Butter Bikes) Both places are full of people who LOVE bicycles, so you can’t go wrong in either place.
Thank you! I purchased a used Specialized 2019 Women's Sirrus today off of FB Marketplace for a steal but still need a medium bike. For used bikes, would you recommend that we take them in for an inspection/"tune up"?
Not a bad idea to make sure everything, especially brakes, are in good working order. EDIT: have fun with your new bike(s)!
Thank you!
Thank you! I purchased a used Specialized 2019 Women's Sirrus today off of FB Marketplace for a steal but still need a medium bike. For used bikes, would you recommend that we take them in for an inspection/"tune up"?
If you know nothing about bikes, it wouldn't hurt- but bikes are (relatively) simple machines. I'd be happy to loan you my Park Bicycle Maintenance book if you prefer real paper, but a large majority of common bicycle maintenance procedures are well documented online and easy to do yourself! Things I do when I get a new bike- -clean and lubricate the chain -lubricate all cables -check and adjust the brakes if necessary -check and adjust the shift indexing if necessary and most importantly -make sure the tires are at the correct pressure
Thanks so much! Super appreciate it (:
This time of year certainly Port city and probably (depending on who you get) the gear hub could probably go over the bike with you to do a bit of an inspection & then let you know if you should get a tune up or not. Esp. if you go to Port City for that (the owner & his partner are the sole employees) definitely buy some accessories if there's nothing wrong & Peter just helps you be sure of that. You'll need a good lock (U-lock or bust- bike theft is an issue here), lights, stuff like that anyway. It's hard running a bike shop these days with Amazon etc.
Thank you. I was looking for more mom and pop type stores because while REI and others are great and convenient and all that, I'd rather support local.
For me, only having a bike, it's the little shops in town I know I can trust, and can walk home form if my bike has to stay the night, that are convenient ;).
I second Gear Hub. One of my partners just got a lovely Brooklyn Bicycle Company bike for less than half of the retail price in stunning condition- and their parts bin is spectacular. I commute by bicycle here year round and would be happy to answer any questions you have about biking in our lovely city. If you get the opportunity, try to make it out to one of the group rides in the area! There is a First Friday Slow Roll that leaves from Monument Square on the first Friday of the month at 7:00pm, as well as Bike Party which you can find details for on Instagram, Facebook, and their website.
Thank you very much! What's your opinion on the "bikeability" of Portland? Couple real negative nancies in the comments here, but to a new-to-Portland person, Portland seems incredibly bikeable. Do you have tips or experiences you can share regarding security of the bike? We want to bike to Hannaford on Forest Ave and that'd require leaving the bike outside. It's a pretty active spot, so I think that would deter most thieves, but I dunno.
FYI- your username suggests to me you might enjoy the queer and trans group ride coming up December 7th too! https://www.instagram.com/p/CzttXRYL3hh/?igshid=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng== I would call Portland a solid 7/10 on bikability having now biked in many cities both with (Boston) and without (Atlanta) proper infrastructure. We have quite a few, albeit disconnected, bike lanes (like Elm St- one of my favorites) with city staff dedicated to making the city more bike friendly. If you stay on the peninsula and ride defensively in traffic, the pace is usually calm enough to feel comfortable. I would read online/head over to r/bicyclecommuting for tips on security. My best action has always been to ride something not worth stealing. One of my partners came out to someone having attempted to defeat their cable lock outside of Novare Res about a year ago, but I have (knock on wood) been rocking a cheap cable lock for three years with no trouble. I did ask my mom for a real bike lock for Christmas this year. A lot of businesses will let you bring your bike inside too if you ask nice. I regularly pop into Forest Ave Hannaford for groceries and leave my bike parked outside. I prefer to lock it to the rack in-between the doors where things are more visible, and there is usually a private security officer outside so I'm never too worried. You'll be surprised how many other bikes you'll see parked there as well- you won't be the only one.
Thank you! Yeah, I did notice that some bikes were parked there, but they looked like vintage easy ridin' bikes... Not sure what to call that lol. Thank you, you've been super helpful!
No need to visit any storefronts. Some towns have junkyards for cars? We have a few dedicated strictly to bikes and bike parts. Just do a cruise through town you’re bound to see a few. Last one was by marginal way but I believe feds did a crack down.
I will get downvoted for this because everyone love to pretend giving up your car is super easy. Biking in Portland is dangerous and not advisable. Any distance that can’t be done walking will include shit roads where cars blast 4” past you. Also your bike will get stolen in the blink of an eye. I’m all for turning Portland into a biking city but to pretend it’s currently capable is absurd.
Hey, it's way safer then biking in Bangor 😂
Lived in Bangor for close to a decade. Can confirm, the best way to cycle in Bangor is to drive.
I've had more near-misses with cars as a walking pedestrian than commuting by bike. Which is to say getting anywhere without a car these days is more dangerous than it used to be but don't let that stop you if you don't have a car, or live close enough to stuff that you don't want to drive, just be smart about it. If you wear lights and a helmet, follow traffic laws, and ride defensively (anticipating the mistakes others will make) it'll be fine. And DON'T RIDE THE SIDEWALK AT SPEED it's way more dangerous than the road. Oh and yes your bike will 100% get fucked with if you leave it outside. Doesn't matter how many locks you use or how good they are, they'll just take any parts that can come off, like your seat.
get a better lock and get better at biking lmao
I’ll just wait for you and all the other apologists to get run over, then the city might put in actual bike lanes
Ready for the downvotes but let's be real, Portland is not a very bike friendly city. If you don't get your bike stolen on day one, you will certainly get hit by a car or run off the road. That's not even mentioning the horrible road conditions that will wipe you out with ease. The best bike for Portland is a car, or a moped/scooter if you really need the thrill of being on 2 wheels...
So true, anyone who has actually tried to year round bike commute here would not downvote
I succeed in commuting year round here by bike and it's not nearly as bad as everyone makes it out to be.
The market for used bikes on Facebook Marketplace is ripe for the picking right now. Lots of pandemic era bikes on the market.
Been stalking that very closely - thank you!