new Portland Sag Wagon business.
In the realm of bike touring, you’ve got fully-supported options (like Cycle Oregon) on one end, and on the other, you’ve got the D.I.Y. option (load up those panniers, grab a map and hit the road).
But what if you fall somewhere in the middle?
North Portland resident Allan Folz thinks a lot of people do; so he’s combined his love of bike touring, thrown in a bit of entrepreneurial gusto, and launched Portland Sag Wagon.
Folz, a former software engineer and owner of a shiny new Freightliner Sprinter, says his new business is “a shuttle concierge service” and is meant for the person who needs, “a little logistical help at the start and finish of their ride.”
Here’s how it might work:
- You’re planning a trip to the Portland area to sample our fine riding (the gorge, the coast, or the mountains await!);
- You ship your bike to Folz and then hop on an airplane;
- Folz receives your bike, unpacks it and then builds it up;
- Folz picks you up from the airport and then shuttles you and your party (his rig seats 10) to the start of your ride;
- When you’re done, he picks you up, shuttles you back to the airport, and then boxes up and ships your bike to you.
The cost is $1 per mile and $25 per bike. Folz calls it, “a cost-efficient option” and says he thinks the service will also appeal to skiers, hikers, kayakers, surfers and other, “self-supported tourists.”
(Photo © J. Maus)
If you’re thinking about a self-supported, multi-day bike tour Folz can offer advice based on plenty of personal experience.
In 2006, he and his wife Carie and their 2 year-old son Cody rode through Laos and Cambodia and Folz has completed numerous other bike journeys throughout Portland and up and down the West Coast.
— See some of Allan’s ride ideas and learn more about this great new service at PortlandSagWagon.com.