The small, north Portland neighborhood of Kenton now has a bike shop to call its own. Kenton Cycle Repair has been open for about a month and I finally stopped in to take a peek yesterday.
Located on McClellan Street, right off Kenton’s main drag of Denver Ave, the shop is a nuts-and-bolts operation where you’ll find friendly service and a limited selection of new parts and accessories. The shop is owned by Starmichael Bowman and Rich Walker, both of whom have strong connections to Portland’s non-profit, community bike shop scene. Starmichael is a former volunteer at the Bike Farm and Rich worked at the Community Cycling Center for eight years.
In addition to parts and service, you can also find loads of older, used parts. Starmichael donated his personal collection to the shop, and Rich is a “bike nerd” who has a penchant for vintage french components. “We’re both retro-grouches,” admits Starmichael.
And if you’re looking for a custom steel rack, basic frame, or fork, Starmichael does those too. When I stopped yesterday, he showed off a sweet custom front rack he had just finished. When you stop by, be sure to check their large selection of handmade leather mud flaps.
Kenton Cycle Repair is open Wednesday through Sunday from 12 noon – 6:00pm. Learn more and stay connected via their Facebook page.
— In other Kenton news, PBOT has installed an on-street bike corral in front of Posies Cafe (8208 N. Denver). Also, you might have noticed the bike lanes on Denver have been removed. Don’t fret; it’s just a temporary measure. PBOT spokesman Dan Anderson says the bike lane markings didn’t adhere to the concrete when first installed back in 2010 so the contractor is replacing them. New ones should be in as soon as it dries up.
Thanks for reading.
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Couple years back, Starmichael graciously, skillfully, and ingeniously helped me liberate the very well-stuck lower half of a sheared french stem from the headset of my groovy dutch 60’s Magneet 10-speed.
Jonathan, thanks for the nice write up, sorry to have missed your visit yesterday. We’re new, our space is small, and we don’t have a lot of new inventory yet, but we do have most of the basic parts and accessories needed by people relying on their bikes for transportation. Both Star and I have invested our used parts collections into the shop and have most of it available for sale or use on repairs. Small correction: while I certainly have an appreciation for vintage French parts, I’m far more nerdy/retro-grouchy about 80’s and 90’s Japanese bicycles and parts, especially Bridgestones and Suntour friction drivetrains, which are the best anyways.
I also wanted to take the opportunity to thank my Kenton neighbors and all the staff and volunteers of the Community Cycling Center who have been so helpful and supportive in getting the shop started. They helped us remodel, move, sort parts and even bought us a solvent tank and set up our accounting system. Thanks everyone!
Kenton was in need of a bike shop, I hope the neighborhood embraces their newest shop. Welcome!
This should be the Suntour clubhouse!