I don't even know how to read that.

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.

I think its "Enebriated Brit", they didn't have a translator for that on BabelFish. Oh well.

"Eyesight to the Blind"-Sonny Boy Williamson

just a little non-elitest mentality story for you...spent the morning repacking my rear hub. i live right around the corner from r&a cycles in brooklyn- sort of the equivalent of river city in portland, without all the cute little sculptures on top. r&a sucks. before i moved close to it, i walked in there after a wreck in which my chainring had been bent. i wanted to buy a new one so that i could ride home instead of carry my bike. they told me that they didn't sell chainrings, after i finally got their attention.
anyway, i went to this other bike shop, dixon's, to buy bearings today. the guy there gave me a bag of about 35 bearings for the whopping sum of a dollar. i didn't realize that my suzue hub used two different sizes of bearings, so i had to go back. dixon's helped me fnd the right size and gave them to me for nothing. while i was there they also tuned up a lady's bike for a sack of bagels. just goes to show there are some people out there who care about something besides money.

awesome, sounds like a nice LBS!

trading bike repairs for baked goods.

the lady couldn't bring in a pie?

Smellwood is a pretty good shop as far as selection, the old guy can be kind of... taciturn but they are pretty damn good at what they do to say the least.

Velo Shop - cheap pedals and handle bar tape is all I've ever bought there.

I went to the CCC for the first time today and those guys are definitely the nicest I've encountered yet, although they do have a lack of fixy parts for sale.

That shop you mentioned, where everyone was unhelpful, there is a bike shop just like that in NYC, called Bicycle Habitat.

They would charge you a labor fee for asking a question if they could... unfortunately they stay in business because all the yuppies go there with their 50lbs Schwinns (to get their flat tires fixed).