Reggie Dean’s bicycle career has taken him all over the country. Now, with the opening of Lucky 13 Bikes at 5020 SE Division, he hopes to finally settle down.
The 38-year old bike industry veteran has worked as a bike shop mechanic in the biking hot-spots of San Francisco and Asheville, North Carolina. Then he worked for Cane Creek Cycling Components where he helped develop their wheel-building program and was the team wrench for their professional women’s mountain bike team. From Cane Creek, Reggie moved to Mt. Kisco, New York, where he managed on of the “Top 100” bike shops in the country.
In addition to his work as a mechanic and shop manager, Reggie was fine-tuning his welding skills. He has made custom bikes under the Lucky 13 brand for over three years (see his work here).
On Friday, nestled next to a cafe on a commercial strip just east of the bustling intersection of SE Division and 50th, Reggie officially opened Lucky Thirteen Bicycle Company (a.k.a. Lucky 13 Bikes). The shop will be a combination of retail bikes, parts, and accessories, and an outlet for his custom bike business.
It’s a combination Reggie hopes will help him find a niche in a City where it seems there’s a bike shop on every block.
frame builder.
All you have to do is look across the street from Reggie’s shop to see Bike Exchange, a shop that just opened back in November. Travel west down Division a few miles and you’ll come to A Better Cycle, which opened its doors in December of 2007.
[By my count, there are 44 bike shops in the City of Portland. 20 of those are in Southeast.]
When asked what he hopes Lucky 13 will become known for, Reggie said he’d like to “tap into the Mt. Tabor crowd.” That was a reference to the popular road racing events at the nearby park. “I’d like to be the shop where guys who have a nice road bike want to come. A place where they’d feel comfortable bringing their high-end bike in for service,” he said.
With nearby shops focuses on used bikes and commuters, Reggie plans to stock high-end components and accessories and offer bike fits alongside everyday items like tubes, quality pumps, and essentials for commuters.
As I chatted with Reggie, it seemed like the well-reputed Veloce Bicycles on Hawthorne is the type of shop he was aspiring to become.
But unlike Veloce — where road bikes are the sole focus — Reggie wants Lucky 13 to also reflect his off-road roots. He’s a former expert downhill racer, says he’s “super into” dirt-jump bikes, and adds that, “I really want to get into the mountain bike crowd too.”
Reggie moved to Portland last summer with his wife and daughter (who is one-year old as of this month). When I asked whether he was worried about opening a bike shop in this down economy, he just smiled. “All the shops around here seem to be up. I’m totally optimistic. I expect things to be a little slow at first, but I’m very thorough and I do quality work so I hope word-of-mouth spreads.”
Next time in you’re in the neighborhood, drop into Lucky 13 and take a look.
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Lucky 13 Bikes (5020 SE Division)
Open Tues. – Fri. 11-7 and 10-5 on Sat.
Lucky13Bikes.com