What I love about Portland is that there are so many shops to choose from. Last week I was looking for a plastic cup for a Shimano bottom bracket. It's not a part that you usually buy separately, so I had to shop around. I was going to be downtown, so I made a list of like eight shops I could walk to while I was there. (I found it at River City Bikes, FWIW.)

Out here in Beaverton, my only choices (apart from Performance Bike) are Bike Gallery and Bike 'N Hike. Both are good shops. In Portland, you have a lot of smaller shops to choose from where you're less likely to be a face in the crowd. I've had good experiences at City Bikes and Revolver.

I say try a few shops, starting with the one closest to you. See for yourself how you get treated. Stick with the one you like.