Highlights from an afternoon with the NZ Herald

Shandelle Battersby crossed the dateline and the equator back in August to experience the best that summer in Portland has to offer.

We occasionally take it all for granted out here in the Upper Left–plenty of hoppy beers, ideal cycling environment, and beautiful scenery. Shandelle Battersby from the NZ Herald came to visit Cycle Portland this summer to bring the good news back to the lands down under. After signing on to our 2pm Brews Cruise, the group set out to explore some of the exquisite beer culture that peppers the different neighborhoods on the east side of the river.  Read about her time on a typical brewery tour and check out the list of our favorite breweries to explore on your own while visiting Portland! Just swing by our shop to pick up a bike for the best way to explore town.

“On a sunny Sunday afternoon in mid-August, the 35C+ temperatures of the past few days have eased slightly and our group of four — me, two girls from California, and Guthrie Straw, our affable and knowledgeable guide — set out from Cycle Portland’s Old Town HQ for the shadier eastern side of the river.”

“I think these Portlanders might really be on to something with this beer and bicycling thing …”

Brews Cruise
Brews Cruise Guests

Top 4 Underrated Tools

For this week’s post, we are bringing you our Top 4 most underrated, and undervalued tools. These are the tools that you’ve always seen as overpriced or superfluous, but we explain their true benefit and why they pay off in the end. You may notice, we don’t recommend one brand for every tool. This is for two reasons: one, as a small business, we are not tied to any tool company or brand; and two, there really is no brand that wins out in durability, usability, and price for every tool they make. But you don’t have to believe us, come down and check out the different options yourself at Cycle Portland.

Picking Your Tire Lever

Pedro’s vs Park Tool

Tire Lever
Pedro’s Tire Lever

Quality makes a big difference, even for some of some of the smallest tools. Design and plastic composition in tire levers become apparent after changing even one or two and become amplified after a few hundred tire changes. The Pedro Lever slots in the groove much better with a wider and better designed profile. The stiffer cross section mean less flexing and breakage when taking off a stiff tire.

 

 

 

Choosing Your Multitool

Crank Bros vs budget 6 toolCrank Brothers Multi-tool

You’ll notice a couple things you’ll notice when you finally need to pull that multitool out of its deep, dark corner of your saddlebag. First, you’ll notice the length and design of the handle. Getting the leverage to really tighten down that offending nut often takes more than a one-inch handle. Second, you’ll notice the construction of the whole contraption when it starts to loosen up and fall apart. For whatever reason, the bolt fastening method of those cheap-o tools will rattle apart after about five uses. The Crank Brothers set is a lifetime tool. Spend the money and you won’t regret it.

 

Start Your Toolkit Right with a Proper Long-handle SetPark Tools Wrench Set

When picking a good set of hex tools to start your toolset, what are the important things to look at? Long handle for leverage and hard to reach places, connected with metal vs plastic, having a ball-style on one end. Between tightening crankarms, removing stuck pedals, and accessing hard to reach brake bolts, long handle hex wrenches are indispensable. Combine that long handle with a ball-style end and you’ll able to tighten any bolt on your bike stress-free.

Note: Know what to use the ball-style hex for and what not to! Its perfect for adjusting a tough-to-access brake calliper or bottle cage. Just don’t try to lossen a rusted bolt as your more likely to round out the bolt head.

Why You Can’t Do Without Cable Cutters

Why should you invest in a genuine cable cutter rather than using snips to cut your cable housing? Trust us, you will regret every minute of your experience trying to cut shifting cable with snips. Shift housing is made up of long metal wires that run the length of the tubing. Attempting to cut these with snips leads to terrible cuts, poked fingers and a lot of frustration. Take it from us, it’s a $20-$35 tool that is worth its weight in gold!prod-tools-pedros-cable-cutter-2-wr

Utropstecken! Cycle Portland media love from the Swedes

Similarly grey winters, exquisite edibles, and a love for urban exploration by bike.

Portland and the Swedes are a match made in impeccably-designed heaven, and our counterparts across the pond agree!

Cycle Portland has been named a must-experience from the ünderbar writers at Hallen, a Swedish foodie travel magazine! You can check out the spread from the magazine here: Hallen-Sweden-FallWinter 2014.

And you, too, can share the microbrews, culinary creations, history, and exploration with friends and family all over the globe – Cycle Portland gift cards are available here!

 

Cycle Portland – Your Best First Date With Portland!

Want to get up-close and personal with our beautiful city, its history, favorite local spots, and best biking routes? According to the wonderful people over at Trivago.com, a first-hand travel guru and booking site, Cycle Portland is the best possible intro to the City of Roses, and we humbly agree!

From bicycle boulevards to sea captains to champion coffee roasters and brilliant breweries, Trivago and Time and the LA Times and others say our year-round tours offer a terrific two-wheeled taste of all that Portland has to offer. You, too, can explore whichever uniquely-Portland topic suits your fancy by booking a tour with Portland’s original bike tour company (us!) here.

We love spreading smiles and bike love to visitors and locals alike. Thanks again for the praise, Trivago!

Cheery Ho! Cycle Portland Media-Love from Across the Pond

All of us here at Cycle Portland are honored to be profiled in the media yet again! A recent article from Cosmopolitan UK lists their top must-visit Portland staples, and we made the list. Huzzah!

According to the article, our Essential Portland Tour is the “perfect way to get your bearings” and experience Rose City’s bike culture first hand. We humbly agree.

As Portland’s original bike tour company, we’ve always known that exploring our local shops, food, and sights is indescribably different from atop a bicycle, and we continue to be delighted to share unique experiences with locals and visitors from around the globe.

Thanks again for the tip of the hat, Cosmo UK!

BOOK NOW