i've had both good and bad experiences at most shops here in pdx.. NW cycles is the one that has never treated me like an idiot... they've even gone out of their way once or twice for me. sellwood cycles is cool once they realize you like to ride a bike and aren't just looking for a fashion accessory. CCC is ALWAYS as helpful as they can be, but sometimes the sales/service people aren't too knowledgable (they mostly fix flats on huffys i think). i've only been to veloshop once, but the guy who helped me was great although i could see the place as being sort of over-hip. citybikes can be good and bad - depends on who you talk to, which is always true i guess. basically, just let em all know you're not a poser and they warm up pretty quick.