gonesh9

does anyone have any opinions on the best lbs in the portland, oregon area? it seems like river city is the best so far, but i encountered a very slick salesman there that made me wonder. i have had good experience there other than that, though. i bought my touring bike at the bike gallery, but wasn't too impressed with the help there. at least they say they don't work on commision there, so maybe that's why they weren't jumping through hoops for me. the fat tire farm has some great mountain bikes, but they really seem to be downhill snobs, and make me feel stupid for asking questions and riding in on my road bike.
anyways, anyone with any experiences with shops in the portland area i would greatly appreciate your imput.

Dv8shawn

River City is definitely at the head of the class. Those handmade wood fenders made by the owner of the store are works of art.
Lakeside in Lake Oswego is pretty good. It's where I bought my Bianchi Axis last year.
Bike Gallery isn't that bad depending on the location, although they can seem a little "Trek-centric". Lake Oswego store is okay, I like the Beaverton store, but haven't been to the one on Sandy.
Bob's in Gresham has a big store and a decent selection, but I've never really shopped there, just browsed.

Overall the LBS choices in Portland Metro are pretty good. It's too bad I've got to go 30+ miles to get to most of them tho

bertt

River city is a great place i have bought a few misc. things from them and have had great service from there sales people. Only downside to them is that they are always busy as hell when i go in there and it takes a while to get a salesperson.

I had the opposite experience at fat tire farm they were very helpful and answered all my questions without making me feel stupid. I think i talked to a guy named Tim. He was the manager or asst. manager i think.

Bike & Hike on M.L.K. is also one of my favorites. They are very nice and have always gone out of there way to help me and make sure that i am satisfied (sp?) with my purchase. They even fixed my wifes bike for free when we didn't even buy it there. Small derailleur adjustment after a crash.

Bob's bicycle center SUCKS. They are always in a hurry to get you in and out the door as fast as possible and don't seem to have the time to answer any questions and look down there nose if you ask a simple question.

I hope these help you decide on a LBS.

oscaregg

You need to know about: Coventry Cycles, at 20th and Hawthorne, in SE, Northwest Bicycles at NW 21st and Lovejoy, Bike Central, who just moved to a new location on Front Ave., and Sellwood Cycles in the Sellwood neighborhood.
Fat Tire, River City and Bike Gallery are all good stores, but these smaller outfits are the best. I wouldn't buy a patch kit--even a USED patch kit--from Bob's. Nobody there knows anything and I'll take knowledge over attitude any day o' the week.

neguypdx

The folks at River City are not always that happy to see customers it seems. Seems like they are sometimes more into their own conversations than helping lowly customers who are not necessarily riding the most expensive bike.

I have gone to Bike and Hike on Grand and they are great. Very helpful and not nearly as busy as River City.

I do give River City a thumbs up for their ads and really pushing biking as a commuting option. That's great to see.

Also, I find Bike Gallery pretty helpful (I go to the one on Sandy). I especially like the guy who is usually behind the wrench counter. Hot legs.