New Portland bike shop

[velomann]

I attended the grand opening of Velo Cult here in Portland last night.
I have a feeling this is going to be my new favorite bike shop. Heavy
emphasis on Riv-ish and classic bike lore, with nary a carbon racing
bike in sight. In fact, when you walk in the door you have to look
around a bit to find any merchandise - parts and bikes are all towards
the back. Lots of Nitto, Brooks, Velo-Orange, and On One (who also
just moved to Portland). New bikes appear to be Surly, Raleigh, and
All City cycles. The main attraction, though, is the space. Appears
designed more as a shrine to the classic mountain and road bikes owner
Sky Boyer has on display, including an original Steve Potts, early
Bontrager cross bike, a beautiful Follis tandem, and lots of stuff I'm
forgetting. The place is seems designed more to hang out and talk
bikes than to sell you something - though there's plenty to buy.
Surprisingly, Portland doesn't really have a shop like this - most of
our shops seem either race obsessed, fixie focused, or a hodge-podge
of everything on 2 wheels. I think they will do well here. And there's
microbrews on tap. Coffee and food coming soon, I hear.
Pictures here:
https://picasaweb.google.com/116897251123335733984/VeloCultGrandOpening

[cyclotourist]

San Diego/SoCal's loss... ;-(

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Cheers,
David
Redlands, CA

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“I believe in an America where millions of Americans believe in an America that’s the America millions of Americans believe in. That’s the America I love.”

[James Warren]

Dude, no way. Have the San Diego listmembers found their new jobs up in Portland yet?

Our visit to Velo Cult San Diego on a Riv Ride almost exactly 2 years ago was great fun!

Enjoy, Portland!

Velo Cult, enjoy Portland!

James Warren

jimcw...@earthlink.net

- Remember, my friends, it is better to feel fast than to be fast.

[Esteban]

I'm certainly not moving to Portland, although I had such thoughts in 1996 for a few months. 

High living here in San Diego, and even better riding - although most of you know that.  The shop was doing fine here, but Sky had a grander vision that lower rents and a pre-constiuted scene facilitates.  

Velo Cult will be a fantastic place - all you NW'ners should visit.  They've worked really hard to build the space themselves.  Steel only.  Lot of good parts in stock, and plenty of good people.

Happily, we've had a handful of new small shops pop up in town over the last few months.  Just joined some commuters on a beer run (55 miles and 3K+ feet of climbing) to Alpine Brewery after aborting an SDR 400K at mile 60.  

http://veloflaneur.wordpress.com/2012/03/25/the-dnf-lemonade-out-of-lemons/

Esteban 

San Diego, Calif.

[Philip Williamson]

I'm going to check them out for sure. The Grand Opening was on my agenda yesterday, but I blew it off to spend the day with an old (non-bikey) friend in Portland.

 Philip

[EricP]

Even though only got to the store once while out in San Diego, it was memorable.  Appears the new one will be even better.  SDs loss is the NWs gain. 

 

Eric Platt

St. Paul, MN

[Michael_S]

Micro-brews on tap?  never had that down here, although Station Tavern next door is the best.   I miss them even  though I just moved to San Diego permanently. I had been there many times.  I'm sure they will do well there, I believe there is a larger population of the cyclist they best serve.  

~mike

Carlsbad Ca.

On Sunday, March 25, 2012 9:15:47 AM UTC-7, velomann wrote:

[Esteban]

Actually, we have nearly triple the population of Portland, and a huge number of riders here in San Diego.  Lots of commuters, but its more spread out and less "cultural" than in Portland or along Valencia St. in SF or certain neighborhoods in Brooklyn.  We have a lower percentage of commuters, but sheer numbers would be competitive at the least.  Of course, we have an absolutely, perhaps unmatched, group of roadies, mtb'ers and triathletes (and some of the best riding anywhere for these pursuits).  And we have a lot of people with a lot of money - the kind of folks who spend $10K on a bike every couple of years.  Its an untapped market for a "coffee shop" kind of commuting/shopping bike.  Its just a matter of getting people to make the connections - maybe Grant's book will help, or the upcoming San Diego Bike Summit next weekend, or all the new paint being applied for bike lanes and sharrows around San Diego.  But just because folks don't look the part (fenders, fancy bags, beards [that would be me]) doesn't mean they're not committed commuters.  

San Diego is probably like a lot of cities in that what people want is the cultural aspect of cycling that makes it feel more like a movement than a bunch of people making their own decisions to ride for fun, transportation, or exercise.  That's what is happening in lots of cities.  What Velo Cult was successful at was making it feel real.  Think about Box Dog in SF - they have done fantastic because they have the good parts & service, but also because they ride - A LOT - the kind of riding that gives people ideas.  Randonees, mixed-terrain rides, etc - the kind of riding that leads popular taste rather than follows it.  We need more blogs and shops and retailers who do what Riv does - lead.  

With commuters and utility riders, I frankly think a big barrier to community is the dork factor that comes out.  I'm not talking bike nerd stuff - but seriously wonky dorky vehicular cyclists (often men) who are just turn-offs to so many new riders.  The more I think about advocacy and fun and "community," the more I think "just ride the damn bike and invite others."  Sorry for the thesis here - maybe some thoughts for me to develop elsewhere.

[James Warren]

I live in Los Angeles County, and one thing I always notice when I go down to San Diego to ride is the greater number of San Diego riders who are still riding that awesome bike they got in 1990 or 1995 or something like that. I'm talking something like that expensive Litespeed of the late 90's still being ridden quite athletically now with its "outdated" threaded stem. I see more of that in SD than in LA.

 

-Jim W.

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[Joe Broach]

On Sun, Mar 25, 2012 at 7:28 PM, Esteban <Prot...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Actually, we have nearly triple the population of Portland, and a huge
> number of riders here in San Diego.  Lots of commuters, but its more spread
> out and less "cultural" than in Portland or along Valencia St. in SF or
> certain neighborhoods in Brooklyn.  We have a lower percentage of commuters,
> but sheer numbers would be competitive at the least.

Boyer explained a bit about the impetus to move in a local interview:
http://bit.ly/ze24Ol

------------------------------
"Velo Cult turned into a destination shop, with people from all over
the world seeking it out on visits to San Diego (a very popular
tourist destination). The shop had a very loyal local following as
customers flocked to Boyer for his steel bikes and the gritty feel of
his shop. But Boyer says San Diegans, on the whole, never really
understood Velo Cult and that the city's lack of support for
independent, local businesses was in sharp contrast to what he'd seen
on visits to Portland.

As someone who has worked as a volunteer on bike advocacy issues,
Boyer was also frustrated at the lack of progress (due in large part
to the dominance of the vehicular cycling philosophy in San Diego) in
building a bikeway network.

"My employees have been waiting for me to make this move for years...
We were in the wrong city," he said."
-------------------------------

I'm kind of surprised something like Velo Cult didn't already exist
here yet. Funny that it's being imported from SoCal, but I'm not
complaining!

Best,
joe broach
portland, or
http://cyclerslife.blogspot.com/

[Esteban]

"the city's lack of support for
independent, local businesses"

I dunno - the other local, independent bike shops here seem do to quite well.  I think Sky is talking about becoming something bigger, and he thought Portland would facilitate it.  He's probably right.  I hope so, as they are just great people with a love for bicycles.  Maybe its like if you want to take your craft beer business to the next level, you might move to San Diego, where there's a total scene and pre-constituted, historically-situated market for it (Although Blind Pig left after pioneering the San Diego-style double IPA).  I was just talking the other day with a woman who started a coffee shop business down here, moving from SF (talk about a pre-constituted coffee scene!).  She was going to brew Blue Bottle, but found out that customers preferred locally-roasted coffee.  Go figure.  Funny, at my university, I meet parents from Portland, and never once have I had an affirmative to my question, "do you ride?"  They all live in the suburbs and say its just for downtown (!).  And then you have Walnut Creek, with excellent riding around Mt. Diablo, and you've got to ride on the damn sidewalk on Ygnacio Valley!  Strange world. Regardless, Portland is lucky because they're getting a real treat.  When VC was a small shop in La Jolla, they had a Riv bumper sticker in the window.  That's what first drew me in. 

As for San Diego and the old awesome bikes still on the road - its notable that randonneuring in the U.S. started here, triathlons were invented here, and we're home to a slew of non-zietgiest bike industry stuff like Holland, Wanta, Joe Bell, Speedplay, Baylis, etc.  

I think there are a lot of big cities like San Diego - lots of riders, relatively small percentage of commuters, infrastructure on the brink of something excellent.  This is where Grant's book could really do the trick - just ride, have fun, dont' concern yourself with a scene.  Ride with people who you want to have fun with.  Dont' worry about what people think.  How many of us have stoked curiosity from other riders, pedestrians, or drivers just from being atop a Riv - people don't quite know what to make of it (vintage? hybrid?).  Invite them to ride.  David's So Cal Riv Rides have been a godsend.  I had never ridden with other people before!  Give people new ideas about how much fun it can be atop a sensible bike.  

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[David T.]

"...I frankly think a big barrier to

community is the dork factor that comes out. I'm not talking bike
nerd
stuff - but seriously wonky dorky vehicular cyclists (often men) who
are
just turn-offs to so many new riders. "

Could you give an example of a dorky cyclist? I am starting to worry
now that if I look a little bit dorky, I might be turning off
potential cyclists. Am I part of the problem???

[Michael_S]

I would agree that San Diego has a large cycling community, but my rough estimate is that 80% are wearing team kits and ridding CF bikes, at least in North County. I'm sure in the city there are more commuters/urban riders.   It's certainly many times greater than in the LA 'burbs where I (and Velo Cult's owner Sky) came from.  

Where I live in north San Diego County the City of Carlsbad  has done a fabulous job with bike lanes and cyclist friendly traffic lights. There also many multi-user dirt bike trails that cover the hills. With the proximity to the ocean it's certainly an idealistic place for a cyclist to live.

~mike

On Sunday, March 25, 2012 9:15:47 AM UTC-7, velomann wrote:

[Eric]

I was in Portland for a class at UBI and I was was tooling around the
North East side of Portland (or Southeast) Sunday and found myself in
Hollywood area and just happened to stumble upon the party!

I walked around the shop and mingled, it's such a beautiful space!

Just so happens I saw Chris King walk in just as I was leaving. So
cool!

[Michael Mann]

Eric - we must have walked out the door together and not known it - I passed Chris King on my way out too - carrying a 6-pack of PBR, no less.

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Michael Mann
http://baiku-velomann.blogspot.com/