Moving to Portland
 

Hey

Moving to Portland this Spring. Pretty excited since I hear the cycling culture there is top notch. I know their will be amazing roads to explore but I was curious about early morning rides before work.

If I lived in a downtownish neighborhood in Portland how far would I be from some nice before work rides? 1 - 1.5 hours. I like to get a ride in 2 - 3 times a week before I have to go to work. In NYC I just do laps at the park but hoping Portland will offer a much better solution.

Cheers.

Pretty active web site. Might be some good info here.

http://bikeportland.org/

You will have plenty of great options nearby starting in downtown. Minimal stops/lights within 1 - 3 miles from anywhere downtown. You've got a small mountain range (Tualatins) that follows the Willamette river to the west that gives 1000 - 1200ft climbs to the top. You can ride the ridge line on Skyline Blvd. You'll have a fast flat return if you descend down to Highway 30 for the ride back home. Heading south out of downtown will give you a hilly route, but no climbs as serious as heading west. This is probably too much info since you don't know the area yet :)

Sounds great!

If you like climbing and want to be close to rides, I would suggest looking for a place on the west side of the Willamette River, west or northwest of downtown. That will put you pretty close to Forest Park, the northwest hills past Forest Park, and the West Hills. That area is all winding roads with grades in the 5% to 11% range. You will be sharing the road with cars, there are no bike lanes or wide shoulders there, but it isn't too bad. You can also ride the dirt roads in Forest Park.

I'm not familiar with the riding in the southwest area of Portland.

I live on the east side of Portland, which is a great place to "live by bike" - mostly flat, plenty of bike lanes - but not necessarily a great place for nearby "fun rides". You can do laps up Mount Tabor, about 2 miles at 5%. There are also MUPs encircling the east side. Or you can ride along the Columbia River. That is all fun but Mt Tabor is the main climbing available in the reasonably near-in east side.

Or jump on the Max for a short ride over to Hillsboro. 5 minutes and you're in farmland.

Over half the people in Oregon Live in Metro Portland.


After NYC the cost of Housing will seem less. but the Police still shoot suspects , so that will be familiar.

the PDX mainstream Paper, online http://www.oregonlive.com/

This really doesn't answer your question at all, but please go ride in the Columbia River Gorge after you've moved. It starts getting really nice about 30 miles east of Portland, and continues being downright beautiful for a while. There's an "old highway" that gets you a lot of great scenery with less traffic.

Lots of great riding from downtown Portland.

I recommend the following resources:

www.rubbertotheroad.com

www.ridewithgps.com

Using the latter, you can search for rides beginning within 5 miles of an address. I live here, and I still find great rides that way. Enjoy. The cycling here is incredible. I find all the cycling culture to be inspiring.

You could get on the Springwater corridor quickly from downtown. The west hills are also nice.

I was about to make a detailed reply with a map and everything but the reality is you are never far from good riding anywhere in town. There is plenty of time for that once you get settled in.
I think whats a larger key is living somewhere with a good biking link to your wokrplace.

Cliff's notes
Forest: NW, far SW, far ESE
Open Road: far SSE, N
Hills: inner NW, inner SW, far east
Isolation: far NW, far S, far SW
Key points and destinations: Columbia river gorge(Old HWY), Sauvies Island, Banks to Vernonia trail

Thanks for all the tips. I am super excited. So whats the deal with the rain? People ride all year long I assume. I have a pretty waterproof set up but it's more for cold winter rains and when I mean cold I mean below freezing. Do people ride with rain proof tights or do you just go for it in your regular bib shorts?

Showers Pass is local (their warehouse is in inner SE Portland). When it's that cold, I have insulated tights, but not waterproof. I'm more comfortable with a little bit of moisture movement.

It's been snowing since yesterday afternoon, but people are still out there riding.
http://bikeportland.org/2014/02/06/r...-photos-101085
http://bikeportland.org/2014/02/07/s...-photos-101118

So on a day it's raining you just go out in your normal kit?

Rainy day = wool.

Breathable water resistant wind breaker is better than a waterproof one unless it's extreme (a windy downpour and very cold). If you wear goretex, you're going to soak in your sweat instead of in the rain.

Below the waist, yes. I have a "rain" jacket from Showers Pass, and it works well. Slightly breathable, so I don't end up with soaking sleeves like the plastic jackets.

Looking forward to it! I was just looking at some footage of the Ron De PDX and seeing everyone climbing in the rain is getting me stoked.