Levi’s makes Portland first stop on its ‘Go To Work’ bike shop tour

Levi’s will have experts on hand
for free fixes of bikes and clothing.
(Photo: Urban Outfitters)

Editors at The New York Times aren’t the only ones who know Portland is an epicenter of fashion and bicycling. One of the most respected names in the history of fashion, Levi’s, has announced their six-city 2013 Bike Shop Tour and Portland is the first stop on their list. Themed, “Go to Work” and aimed at promoting their Commuter apparel line, a crew from Levi’s will roll into Portland with their mobile bike shop and sewing studio on August 6th.

Other stops on the tour include San Francisco, Denver, Minneapolis, Austin and Brooklyn.

Similar to a stop they made here last summer (they set up outside Pacific Northwest College of Art on NW 13th and Johnson), the Levi’s Bike Shop will offer free bike tune-ups and washing, basic repairs, and tailoring. This year, the shop will be located at Wonder Ballroom (128 NE Russell Street) and will be open from 5:00 to 9:00 pm.

After tended to your bike commuting vehicle and fashion needs, the Levi’s crew will offer a bike valet and then seduce you to linger a bit longer with a live music concert, a goldsprints competition, and drinks. Bands set to perform include Pure Bathing Culture, Onuinu, and Magic Mouth. The music and other 21+ fun begins at 8:00 pm.

Here’s the Portland event flyer…

And to get a better idea of what to expect, check out the promo video…

Bonus event! If you just can’t get enough of the Levi’s Commuter stuff (as an owner of two pairs of the pants, I can vouch for their quality and utility), swing by West End Bikes (111 SW Stark) on Monday, August 5th to welcome the Levi’s tour to Portland. There will be drinks and snacks and probably some swag and very nicely dressed bike riders.

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor)

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor)

Founder of BikePortland (in 2005). Father of three. North Portlander. Basketball lover. Car driver. If you have questions or feedback about this site or my work, contact me via email at maus.jonathan@gmail.com, or phone/text at 503-706-8804. Also, if you read and appreciate this site, please become a paying subscriber.

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Marc Charbonneau
11 years ago

Onuinu is a pretty awesome band. It’s worth checking out for them alone.

SilkySlim
11 years ago

How much do you tip for a bike valet and wash these days? My etiquette manual does not have this listed!!

Erik
Erik
11 years ago
Reply to  SilkySlim

IT’S ALL FREE! That’s the beauty of it.

Kiel Johnson / Go By Bike
11 years ago

Go By Bike will be providing free valet and bike washing at the event!

daisy
daisy
11 years ago

Does anyone happen to know if Levi’s is offering this line in women’s cuts and sizes yet? Some women can wear men’s pants and look great. I am not one of them.

KJ
KJ
11 years ago
Reply to  daisy

Only dudes ride bikes, duh.
yeah.. I wondered that myself. *sigh*

Pat
Pat
11 years ago
Reply to  daisy

I was so disappointed to find out that there are no women’s items in this line. Do they not think women ride, too?!

Scott
Scott
11 years ago
Reply to  Pat

Increase your market share and you will see tons of products. Women started asking for and buying women’s specific road bikes and now there are more than ever.

Money and demand is your vote. BikePortland facilitates none % of zero of that.

mabsf
mabsf
11 years ago
Reply to  Scott

Where? Where? Did I miss one? …and how do we increase our market share if there is nothing to buy?

Scott
Scott
11 years ago
Reply to  mabsf

Men’s jeans used to be one shape. Then men started buying women’s jeans, “sagging” jeans, and modifying by hand.

Now there are many shapes of jeans.

People started going into the woods and riding beach cruisers down logging roads and firebreaks, now mountain bikes are a billion dollar industry.

Do something about your situation or create a company because you think you can meet a demand in the marketplace.

If you want to buy it, someone will sell it to you. If you want to comment about it, you will continue to comment about it.

Rita
Rita
11 years ago
Reply to  Scott

THANK YOU!

Janis
Janis
11 years ago
Reply to  daisy

Seriously Levi, no women’s commuter jeans?!?

Rebecca
Rebecca
11 years ago
Reply to  daisy

Nope! No women’s line. Too bad.

You can e-mail them to point out that they’re missing out on a pretty big percent of the available market by assuming that only men commute and are interested in functional, stylish commuting clothes. (http://us.levi.com/helpdesk/index.jsp?display=store&subdisplay=contact&isStoremanDriven=yes&clickid=botnav_contactus_img) But note that when you e-mail them to comment on that, you’ll be automatically added to their spam e-mail list.

Scott
Scott
11 years ago
Reply to  Rebecca

Commuter is a bit of a misnomer here. It is also viewed wrong in the context of Portland where commuting across genders is very high per capita (during the summer).

Think of them as fahionable fixie jeans and it will make a bit more sense why there is no women’s line.

I am also curious how many of the women on here commenting about no Levi’s commuter line for women went to the now defunct cycling specific clothing store that Joe Bike opened?

levity
levity
11 years ago
Reply to  Scott

The point is not about whether or not we visited a local shop. The point is that a national brand is touting what is supposed to be a biking specific line and they have not included women in that line. That’s sexist, poor form, short sighted, whatever you want to call. YES, we can protest, and write to them, and increase our share of the market, but its 2013, and one would hope that Levi’s would have been able to figure that out on their own.

Second to that is that the BTA sponsored the event without commenting on the issue. I get that they are offering an event, and hopefully making money off the event, which is good for everyone. Some of the happenings at the event were indeed for everyone. However, it would have made a big difference if they had been upfront to say, “we noticed there is a women’s line, and here’s why we are doing this event anyway.” Acknowledgement of the missing piece would have gone a long way.

I still get talked down to in bike shops as a woman at times by men. Inequality in this community IS an issue, and owning up to the issue would be a part of the solution.

Rita
Rita
11 years ago
Reply to  daisy

I just looked on their site and no sadly, nothing for women’s. So I emailed them an ‘issue’ on their feedback link on their page. Hopefully it puts a bug in their ear that there’s definitely a NEED for this for women as well. 🙂

Jessica Roberts
Jessica Roberts
11 years ago

I love that they followed the Hipster Logo Design Guide for their logo!

Bill
Bill
11 years ago

Wow. Only for short folk. Nothing other a 32″ inseam…

Spiffy
Spiffy
11 years ago
Reply to  Bill

most of the ones I checked went up to 34″ but it does seem odd that a lot don’t go past 32″… I have a hard enough time finding 32×34 jeans in stores, but almost always available online…

Chris I
Chris I
11 years ago
Reply to  Spiffy

What about 34″ waist, 36″ leg? It’s just like bikes… only a few companies make models that work for my height.

Mike
Mike
11 years ago

I am confused as to what tailoring stuff they will offer? Like you have to buy pants and they will tailor them there? you bring a shirt in and they will fix it?

What’s to offer there?

Spiffy
Spiffy
11 years ago

I’m still mad at Levi’s for closing down their US operations and making everything overseas… happened while I was living near the SF bay area and I was a huge Levi’s fan, all I ever wore… haven’t bought a pair since…

Robert Getch
Robert Getch
11 years ago
Reply to  Spiffy

Then we went to Google or Levi’s website

501® Original Fit Made in the USA Jeans (Also “Waterless”)
http://us.levi.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12903311

Spiffy
Spiffy
11 years ago
Reply to  Robert Getch

but they’re not made by Levi’s… they don’t have any more factories in the US… even the US made items are outsourced to cheaper places… but most are made in other countries, sometimes by children…

q`Tzal
q`Tzal
11 years ago

Yup, BikePortand.org definitely needs a Fashion section.

meh
meh
11 years ago

Another multinational outsourced to third world countries.
Buy local.

Besides cotton is one of the most ecologically devastating crops out there.

“Twenty-five percent of all pesticides are used on cotton in this country. Cotton is also an extremely thirsty crop. There are some horrible stories from the Environmental Justice Foundation about Uzbekistan, where they dried up whole rivers to irrigate their cotton. One pair of jeans—we’ll say specifically Levis 501—requires over 900 gallons of water in its life cycle. ”

http://www.wweek.com/portland/article-20963-hotseat_david_tyler.html

spare_wheel
spare_wheel
11 years ago
Reply to  meh

not only ecologically devastating but cotton production kills and maims the human beings who tend and harvest it. its a fabric washed in human blood.

Craig Harlow
Craig Harlow
11 years ago

My “commuter” jeans stopped being water resistant after the first wash. Does someone know a trick to keep this feature functioning? I phoned Levi’s, and they had no advice, but offered to replace mine with a new pair via mail–not helpful.

Mike
Mike
11 years ago
Reply to  Craig Harlow

Hey – never have to wash them again. Just keep returning them every couple washes.. that’s helpful

Chris I
Chris I
11 years ago
Reply to  Craig Harlow

I haven’t found any breathable waterproof clothing that stays waterproof after about 10 or so washes. You can find products at local outdoor shops that will make them waterproof again, but I have no idea if they are recommended for jeans. I’ve only used them on jackets.

gutterbunnybikes
gutterbunnybikes
11 years ago
Reply to  Chris I

Duluth Trading Company makes a line of Firehose work wear that works great. I work in construction year round and by far they are the most durable and most waterproof clothing line I’ve ever worn. I can work 8 hours in the pouring rain and my clothes under them stay dry. I haven’t bought rain gear for work in the last 2 years since I discovered them.

Cheaper than the Levis and “cycling” clothes too – but they aren’t made specifically for cycling. So you wont find reflective flags in pockets and such, but gusseted crotches and shoulders are and long shirt s and jackets to cover the old plumbers butt is pretty standard. They are also my winter “kit” if you can call them that.

Though they are pretty brutal on the email/mailers spam once you’ve made your order, but for me they are worth it. (Sizes tend to run a little big though if you order any). Pretty sure they got lines of it for the ladies as well (but honestly I haven’t looked).

Scott
Scott
11 years ago
Reply to  Craig Harlow

Don’t wash them. Seriously. Let them hang away from other clothes to take away normal odors. If they are seriously stinky, tie them in a garbage bag and freeze them for 24-72 hours.

The freezing works for taking the stink out of cycling shoes too.

BURR
BURR
11 years ago

There used to be a Levi’s factory in Albuquerque, NM, when I lived there in the 1980s. It’s long gone. The last pair of Levi’s I tried on was made in Lesotho (look it up); before that, they were manufactured in Mexico and various Central American countries. Not only aren’t they made in the U.S. anymore, but the quality of their product just isn’t what it used to be, either.

PC
PC
11 years ago

I, too, am deeply confused about exactly what kind of “tailoring” they’ll be offering. But hey, free Onuinu show. (Onuinu is indeed awesome.) Even if you don’t like Levi’s, they’re paying the mechanics and they’re paying the band, so think of it as a way to take a bite out of their bottom line.

A
A
11 years ago

Skinny jeans. 🙁

Rita
Rita
11 years ago

What I sent to Levi’s on their FeedBack link/page

Hi There!
I’m a female, currently living in Portland, Oregon and always looking for more casual alternatives to cycling clothing that doesn’t look so.’rider specific’. BikePortland.com announced that you were coming to our city and you had a commuter line of clothing, MADE specifically for cycling needs.
I was quite disappointed to see that this line of clothing, like others that tout they have commuter friendly gear, is MEN SPECIFIC..nothing would fit the needs of a 5-2 thin woman in this line without alterations.

Is there a chance of seeing women specific commuting clothing from you in the near future?!

Thanks!

Scott
Scott
11 years ago

maybe that’s what the tailors are for, Rita? to tailor it to fit a woman like you. 🙂

Rita
Rita
11 years ago
Reply to  Scott

Woohoo! However, how much more is that gonna cost me on top of the purchase of the over 100 jeans themselves? 😉

Jim Lee
Jim Lee
11 years ago

Levis are an eco-disaster, using huge amounts of awful pesticides and precious water:

http://www.wweek.com/portland/article-20963-hotseat_david_tyler.html

Do not buy their marketing sthick, girls and boys!

John Liu
John Liu
11 years ago

There is nothing specificlly eco-disastrous about Levis. All cotton requires a substantial amount of water to grow. You can buy used jeans if you want to avoid that.

Ayleen
11 years ago

Major party foul, Levis, to not recognize women as bikers. And to kick off your campaign in a city where women were strong equal players in developing the bike culture – women and men riding alongside each other in partnership and collaboration to grow our city to what it is today.

I guess if they’re offering tailoring women could ask to have the jeans modified into a style that fits their shapes and personal styles.

Joe
Joe
11 years ago

511’s my fav!

Ayleen
11 years ago

Here’s a little more info from the Levis reps in an article on ORbike:
http://orbike.com/free-tailoring-and-tuneups-tonight/