You didn’t think Velo Cult would go quietly, did you?
The legendary shop, tavern, and community event space sadly announced the closure of its brick-and-mortar retail operations last month.
If you missed the farewell party and still need one last fix of the bike-loving vibes this place was famous for, there are two events you should put on your calendar right now: A used bike sale this Friday through Sunday and a big bike show on August 18th.
“The OBCA is forever indebted to Sky and the Velo Cult team for what they have brought to the Portland bicycle scene and the bicycle industry as a whole.”
— Dave Levy, OBCA president
The 5,000 square-foot basement at Velo Cult was full of bikes. I’m not sure where they all came from, but I assume it was a mix of repairs with AWOL owners, donations, oddities collected by owner Sky Boyer and other employees and friends, and various other sources. None of that matters now. What does matter is that Mr. Boyer has decided to sell them all.
Starting this Friday (8/10) at 12 noon, all the used bikes will be displayed on the showroom at liquidation sale prices. The sale will last through the weekend until Sunday at 6:00 pm.
And you might have heard that the Oregon Bicycle Constructors Association recently pulled the plug on their annual Oregon Handmade Bicycle Show. Combined with the closure of Velo Cult, that news has caused bummer feelings for many local bike enthusiasts — some of whom think it’s a sign of major shifts in what Portland is today, versus what it used to be before the Great Influx of wealth and new residents we’ve had in recent years.
(Photo: Jonathan Maus)
Put those feelings aside for a day and rejoice because the OBCA has decided to host A Framebuilder’s Goodbye to Velo Cult. Custom bike makers know that Velo Cult was a stalwart supporter of their work. The shop created the Velo Cirque bike show, once planned to launch an in-house frame-building studio, and VC even has its own custom bike label.
The OBCA has put together a stellar list of 15 local bike makers who will be ready to share their insights and creations with you on the 18th. Here’s the list:
Advertisement
In a statement about the event, OBCA President David Levy said, “The OBCA is forever indebted to Sky and the Velo Cult team for what they have brought to the Portland bicycle scene and the bicycle industry as a whole.”
For more on these events, check the listings on the BP Calendar here and here.
— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org
Never miss a story. Sign-up for the daily BP Headlines email.
BikePortland needs your support.
Thanks for reading.
BikePortland has served this community with independent community journalism since 2005. We rely on subscriptions from readers like you to survive. Your financial support is vital in keeping this valuable resource alive and well.
Please subscribe today to strengthen and expand our work.
Vintage mountain bikes, yum.
Too bad I won’t be in town.
let’s go, buy a cool old bike to fix up, raise our glass to the golden days of PDX, then raise our fist to a better future of a 60% bikeshare and happy motoring driven in the trash bin of posterity .
I wish Norther Cycles was on the list! They are crafting some beautiful bikes in collaboration with Jeff Lyons for a reasonable price.
http://www.northercycles.com/semi-custom-builds/
These places and events closing shop are sad indeed. At least we’ve got BikePortland!
Do they have an original Dursley Pedersen?
“legendary” “epic”
Not a bike shop, a poorly thought out bar.
They were here for barely 6 years and you couldn’t buy a handlebar.
yeah, I really do not like that term “legendary” from a literary perspective. It comes up so often in advertising – “The Legendary Dodge Ram!”
What legends is it mentioned in?
“end of an era” you previously said. Era has gotten to be shortish.
“Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”