no excuse not to give ‘cross a try!
In the latest sign that Portland is gearing up for another crazy cyclocross season, a downtown bike rental business has announced they’ll offer cyclocross bikes as part of their fleet.
Eric Roden, the manager at Waterfront Bicycles (now at 10 SW Ash St. along Naito Parkway) says he wanted to give his customers a “true cross experience.” “Obviously, we’re in the world’s biggest hotbed for the sport,” he said via telephone today, “and there are new people who are wanting to try it all the time.”
But Roden added that instead of “trying it with your brother’s hybrid bike or whatever else you can cobble together, why not use the right equipment?”
Roden says they’ve got a full fleet (sized 49-61cm) of Fuji Cross Comps available. They are race-ready machines spec’d with mid-level componentry (Shimano 105 and Ultegra) and a carbon fiber fork.
Interested racers can either reserve the bikes ahead of time or pick them up on race-day. The rental price is $20 if you just rent it for one race, and $55 if you take the bike overnight (and return the next day).
Roden knows a thing or two about cross racing. This year will be his second season of cross and he tells me he fell in love with the sport through his 12 year-old son. “He lives for cyclocross. He’s been doing it for three years now and seeing how quickly he fell in love with it inspired me to get back into the sport after not racing for about eight years.”
Roden has also ordered up some Team Waterfront skinsuits (lycra jersey and shorts all-in-one) for a group of family and friends (including Waterfront Bicycle Rentals owner Karen Stiles, who also plans to race this year).
Now with the option to rent a race-worthy bike, there’s simply no excuse to not give ‘cross a try this year. As Roden says, “It’s the most fun you can have on two wheels.”