A new bicycle dealership is set to open in downtown Oregon City (13 miles south of Portland) this weekend. First City Cycles will have a soft opening this Saturday and a grand opening is planned for mid-August.

The shop will be located at 916 Main Street (the corner of 10th and Main) just a few blocks north of the eastern entrance to the Oregon City bridge. Store owner Blane Meier, says the shop will be a full-service dealer with bikes from Specialized, accessories, apparel, parts and service. Meier also says he's lined up an impressive team for a new shop with seven employees set to serve the community.

At the store's soft opening on July 21st, the first 100 customers will receive a 5% discount on all parts, repairs, and accessories. Through the end of August, the store is also doing $50 tune-ups (that's $25 off the regular price). (more...)

Sherifa Roach, inside an old school bus,
which is home to her new bike repair shop.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)

There's a new bike repair shop that's open for business just a half-block off the busy N Williams Avenue bike corridor. Sherifa Roach, a nearby resident, recent United Bicycle Institute graduate and veteran volunteer at local bike shops, has opened Black Bird Bicycle Repair at 104 N. Failing Street (between Williams and Vancouver).

I'd heard from a few sources that someone was operating a bike shop out of an old school bus, so I swung by yesterday for a closer look. Sure enough, there was Sherifa, giving away bags of popcorn as part of the RAD event, and smiling in her apron in front of a big purple bus parked in the alleyway behind her. She was proud to give me a tour of the inside (which I found surprisingly roomy).

Sherifa pointed out how her partner had completely remodeled the inside of the bus. He wired it up with new electrical outlets, built wooden work benches, installed new lighting, added some security bars for the windows, and built a ramp off the rear door so people can roll their bikes right on up.
(more...)

Shop owner Joe Rettke behind the counter.
(Photos © J. Maus/BikePortland)

The Missing Link bike shop on NE Sandy and 72nd will close at the end of this month. After nine years owning a shop (4 1/2 at this location), owner Joe Rettke is ready to move on.

Rettke had hoped to sell the business and keep a bike shop in the Roseway neighborhood, but he says potential buyers had a hard time lining up funding. "We tried to sell it," Rettke shared with me during a visit to his shop on Friday, "It would have been great to keep it going... But the banks won't loan anything." (more...)

Still from video.
-Watch it below-

Local shop Bike n Hike has launched a new, summer marketing campaign. The first big piece of it is a commercial titled, "I am Cyclist."

The video was shot on location in Portland and produced by Reel Innovative. It features several characters (one of whom is a Bike N Hike employee) who share the various characteristics that make them a "cyclist." Some of the most common biking stereotypes are represented including the roadie, the mountain biker, and the fixed gear rider. Each rider type shares a few things that makes them a "cyclist" and then proudly proclaims (with patriotic music in the background), "I am cyclist!" (more...)

Broken window at A Better Cycle.

A Better Cycle, a worker owned and collectively run bike shop in Southeast Portland (2324 SE Division St.), was broken into last night.

Shop co-owner Ian Mitchell says sometime between 8:00 pm last night and 10:00 am this morning, someone threw a rock into one of the shop's side windows and stole several bikes. Keep you eyes peeled for: Two, red Civia "Twin Cities" models with step-over frames (worth $595 each); a green, 54 cm Civia "Prospect" (worth $1195); and an all white Pure Fix fixed gear with deep-V rims and riser bars (worth $350).

Here are photos of all three bikes: (more...)

New or used?
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)

Bicycle Retailer & Industry News reported on an interesting (forthcoming) study from marketing and research firm The Gluskin Townley Group yesterday. The report compared the demographics and buying habits of buyers of used bikes versus buyers of new bikes. Here's more from BRAIN:

Owners of bikes they bought used ride more, buy more, and visit bike shops more often than owners of bikes they bought new, according to a new study.

Used-bike owners also ride their bikes to work more often than owners of new bikes, and, in what the researchers called a big surprise, they are wealthier: 22 percent of owners with household incomes of $200,000 or more own a bicycle they purchased used, compared to 12.5 percent that own a bicycle they purchased new, said Elliot Gluskin, managing partner of The Gluskin Townley Group.

The full study is due out next month. I'll try to track down a copy and share more. (more...)

The owners of Salem-based bike shop, Santiam Bicycle, are set to open a new store off SW Hall Blvd in Tigard near the Washington Square Mall (about 10 miles southwest of downtown Portland). The large, high-profile store (it's in the same shopping center as Target) will not only be a great place to shop for bikes and gear, it could also help spur visibility of bicycling in Washington County.

It's worth noting that the crew at Santiam were integral to the creation of the Black Rock Mountain Bike Area (about 30 miles west of Salem).

To learn more about the new store, I sent a few questions to Santiam Bicycle President Troy Munsell... (more...)

The Velo Cult grand opening party.

(more...)

The bar at Velo Cult.
(Photos © J. Maus/BikePortland)

Velo Cult Bike Shop will celebrate its grand opening with a party this Saturday. The shop's owner Sky Boyer and his close-knit crew of employees, have worked tirelessly since January to transform a former antique mall on NE 42nd Avenue in the Hollywood District into what is poised to be one of Portland most engaging and welcoming bike shops.

At a special sneak peek party last Friday, it was clear that my hunches about these guys were right: Velo Cult is not your average bike shop. The first thing you'll likely notice is that when you walk in the front doors there's nothing to buy. That's because Boyer sees his business mission as evenly split between selling bikes/parts and creating community/sharing bike culture.

Instead of racks of clothes and bikes, when you enter Velo Cult you'll step onto spacious wooden floors and a window-seating area, wooden bar with local beer on tap, and Mexican food to go with it. Near the front window there's a free photo booth where customers can pose with friends and have the images automatically sent to the shop's Flickr page. In the service area, there are no walls between employees and customers. In fact, Boyer has set up each workstand with a bench and table for customers to sit at so they can chat with mechanics. (more...)

The thief (thieves) made out
with a Surly LHT.

Southeast Portland bike shop Seven Corners Cycles was broken into this morning. The thieves (or thief) made out with one new bike (a large, black Surly Long Haul Trucker), seven Chrome messenger bags, and some lights and locks.

According to shop owner Corey Cartwright, they entered the store by carefully removing a glass panel next to the front door — using the same method as the "window pane bandit" that hit several bikes shops back in November.
(more...)