+ Portland 101

About Portland

• Walk Score: 67. Walk Score measures the walkability of any address based on the distance to nearby places and pedestrian friendliness.
• Transit Score: 52. Transit Score measures how well a location is served by public transit based on the distance and type of nearby transit lines.

• Bike Score: 82. Bike Score measures whether an area is good for biking based on bike lanes and trails, hills, road connectivity, and destinations.

• League of American Cyclists Community Rating: Platinum

Maps

• Portland Bike Map (Interactive) (PDF)- Pick up a free hard copy at local bike shops order one here.

• Transit Map (PDF)

• Biketown - Portland's bike share

Portland’s bike reputation precedes it. The League of American Cyclists doesn’t hand out a lot of Platinum Biking City ratings (4 total at last count), but Portland easily qualifies. Add to the mix a solid food scene, a wealth of unique neighborhoods, and more breweries than we knew what to do with, and you have the kind of biking destination that makes for easy press.

Moving beyond all the glowing articles and getting down to the business of actually biking Portland, however, we found that the distinction between it and Minneapolis, Montreal, or Vancouver is not always easy, at least concerning infrastructure. Depending on where you stay and where you go in each, it's more or less a toss-up which of those 4 cities has ultimately been more successful at making biking safer. All of them have scenic bike paths connecting far-flung places. All of them use "Bike Boulevards" to make certain (mostly residential) connector streets safer for bikes. All of them have the occasional soaring, majestic bike/pedestrian-only bridge to make you feel special. So don't think that Portland has some magical advantage over several other similarly bike-centric places in North America. Yes, it's nice to bike there, but it's honestly just as nice in several other places.

What Portland does have, however, is a bike identity. Seattle is "big business in the Pacific Northwest." Vancouver defines itself by its stunning surroundings, its Olympic heritage, and its avid sports scene. Montreal is the European-inspired historic jewel of Canada's east. Minneapolis is "just as good as Portland, but with tons of snow." But Portland defined itself early on with the bicycle, and bikes still permeate nearly everything there. Portland spawned the younger, black jeans, beard-and-beer-and-bikes crowd in a way that no other city has, to the point that Portland quickly became identified with biking in general. "Portland and bikes" is a co-branding exercise gone gangbusters. The bike was perhaps the most central, visible tool with which Portland became "Portland."

It's important to note that Portland is more than just seriously crafty beers, house-cured gourmet pickle/charcuterie plates, full sleeve tattoos, and staggering numbers of beards that wouldn't look out of place in a Ken Burns documentary about Appomattox ...(best t-shirt I saw there: "The Bearder The Better'). Those things are there in greater density than anywhere else, but there's plenty of regular folks, 15 IBU pilsner, and top-shelf food that isn't too trendy. At times Portland can be cartoonishly "bikey," but I'm glad someone is acting as the petri dish for the rest of the country. I'm glad that Portland has the cajones (and the political climate) to push the envelope farther and farther, to integrate bikes more and more into regular life for more kinds of people at all income levels.

One final note on the beer: I don't yet know what an over-saturated "peak beer" marketplace looks like, in which good brewers just can't make a living, but I have a feeling that Portland and its 150+ (and counting) breweries will find out before anyone else does. In the meantime, there's so much good beer there that you simply will not be able to sample it all. But it's fun to try.

+ Biking in Portland

Etiquette

People in Portland take their bike etiquette a little more seriously than in most places, so brush up on your hand signal skills. Politely announce when you’re passing “on the left,” and signal every upcoming turn, or incur some bearded wrath. Cyclists here were overwhelmingly polite and friendly, but it gets crowded out there, and making your intentions clear to other cyclists keeps everyone happy.

Safety

Portland has built just about all the infrastructure you could ask for, so danger from major car traffic is rarely a concern. There are, however, some lingering diagonal embedded train tracks across some streets, and they send even experienced riders to the emergency room with alarming frequency. Cross such train tracks at as close as you can get to a 90 degree angle, so your front wheel doesn’t become suddenly lodged in the groove, throwing you instantly over the bars. If you have a lighter bike and are so inclined, you can also “bunny hop” the front wheel lightly over the tracks to help mitigate the risk.

Security

We never had much trouble finding legitimate places to securely lock up a bike, even a bakfiets. We believe the bike theft levels to be about what you’d expect for a major city with a thriving bike scene, which is to say that leaving a bike out on the street overnight is probably unwise without several high-quality locks securing both wheels and the frame.

Portland Culture

There’s “bike culture,” and then there’s “Portland-level bike culture.” Whatever you’re doing on a bike in Portland, it will not surprise anyone. Biking 10 miles each way to work wouldn’t raise an eyebrow. Putting our whole family onto one bakfiets cargo bike to go to dinner didn’t even get us noticed. Portland is at that point where the simple act of riding your bike to do normal things is no longer considered exceptional, risky, or frankly even very interesting. Portlanders sometimes take bike culture to silly levels, but people do silly things in every city.

+ Best Bike Rides in Portland

These routes were curated by local Portlandians who wanted to share their #BestBikeRide with you. Print off the map for free!

Ambassadors Needed! If you live in Portland and love food, music, art or just being outdoors? Curate a route for us by inquiring here.

+ Bikes

Rentals

BIKE SHARE

• Biketown (bike share)- $12 for 24 day pass for sturdy city bike with front basket, lights, fully enclosed chain guard and skirt guard.

SPINLISTER

• "Airbnb for bikes"-rent a wide variety of bikes from locals

RENTAL SHOPS

• Adaptive Biketown - $5+/hour, $12+/3 hours for hand, foot, tandem bicycles made for the accessibilty challenged. Financial aid available

• Cycle Portland - $20+ daily for hybrid, road and single speed bikes. Helmets, locks and panniers are included

• Everybody's Bike Rentals & Tours - $25+ daily for commuter, road, vintage, touring, kid's bikes or kid's trailer bikes and trailers. All prices include lights, lock, helmet, bike map and rain gear. Panniers rental for extra fee.

• Pedego Bikes - $100+ daily for electric city, beach cruiser, mountain and tandem bikes. Non-electric adult bikes, kid's bikes, trailers and kid's seats available

Tours

• AROUND PORTLAND TOURS

  Food Carts of the Eastside Bike Tour
  Bike Portland: Bridges, Neighborhoods, Poetry and Roses
  Portland: Cannabis Culture Guided Bike Tour
  Portland: The Simpsons Bike Tour

• CYCLE PORTLAND

  Essential Portland: 2 hour tour
  Portland: Guided Bike Tour with Brewery Visits
  Portland: Guided Foodie Bike Tour

• EBIKE MULTNOMAH FALLS

  Portland: All the Falls Self-Guided E-Bike Tour

Other Shops

• Bike Farm - volunteer run, DIY bike shop with a mission of demystifying the bicycle as transportation

• Clever Cycles - The BEST bike shop in America, declared by founder, Megan Ramey. Clever Cycles was one of the first shops to specialize in family and cargo bikes in America and they have Bromptons and so many cool accessories and the best kids' bikes.

• Community Cycling Center- Used bikes for sale, bike shop, bike camp for kids

• evo Portland - bike repairs

• Gladys Bikes- women owned, women focused bike shop

• Splendid Cycles- redefining the SUV, one Bullitt bike at a time

+ Eats, Drinks and Sights

7 places to...

• EAT - Teote, Mi Mero Mole, El Pilon food cart, Bamboo Sushi, Toro Bravo, Tasty-n-Sons, Por Que No
• DRINK - Hair of the Dog, Cascade Ale House, Breakside Brewery, Belmont Station, Clyde Common, Multnomah Whiskey Library, Upper Left Roasters
• WANDER - Japanese & Rose Gardens, Eastbank Esplanade, Music Millennium, Bridges (Tilikum/Hawthorne/Morrison/Steel/Broadway), Alberta Arts District, Mississippi Neighborhood, Portland Museum of Art, Overlook Park

mobile apps

We curated these eating, drinking and sightseeing bucket lists for on-the-go exploring:

• Foursquare List - the better map-based app
• Pinterest Board

+ Hotels

• ASHORE HOTEL

  Reservations, (503) 568-7506, 125 Oceanway St, Seaside

  Amenities: Bikabout map (self-guided cultural route), complimentary cruiser bikes

• THE ACE HOTEL PORTLAND

  Reservations, (503) 228-2277, 1022 SW Stark Street, Portland

  Amenities: 10 complimentary city cruiser bikes available from sunrise to sunset, ulocks, racks, helmets, City of Portland bike map, guests can bring personal bikes in their room

• CROWNE PLAZA PORTLAND

  Reservations, (503) 233-2401, 1441 NE 2nd Ave, Portland

  Amenities: complimentary bikes for guests

• EDGEFIELD HOTEL

  Reservations, (503) 669-8610, 2126 S.W. Halsey St., Troutdale

  Amenities: tons of outdoor bike racks, secure indoor storage

• FRIENDLY BIKE GUEST HOUSE

  Reservations, 503-799-2615, 4039 N. Williams Ave. Portland

  Amenities: bike rentals, washer/dryer, bike fix-it station, secure indoor bike storage

• GRAND LODGE

  Reservations, (503) 992-9533, 3505 Pacific Ave, Forest Grove

  Amenities: outdoor bike racks, secure indoor storage

• HI PORTLAND HAWTHORNE HOSTEL

  Reservations, (503) 236-3380, 3031 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland

  Amenities: onsite bike rentals, fix-it station, $5/night discount for biking, secure covered parking, bike maps

• HOTEL ROSE

  Reservations, (866) 866-7977, 50 Southwest Morrison Street, Portland

  Amenities: 8 complimentary cruiser bikes available from sunrise to sunset, baskets, locks, helmets, City of Portland bike map, secure indoor storage, concierge provides recommendations for destinations, guests can bring personal bikes in rooms

• HOTEL VINTAGE

  Reservations, (503) 228-1212, 422 SW Broadway, Portland

  Amenities: 4 complimentary city bikes available from sunrise to sunset, baskets, locks, helmets, City of Portland bike map, secure indoor storage

• JUPITER HOTEL

  Reservations, (503) 230-9200, 800 East Burnside, Portland

  Amenities: complimentary bikes for guests, bike tourism package

• KENNEDY SCHOOL

  Reservations, (503) 249-39835736 N.E. 33rd Ave.Portland

  Amenities: outdoor bike racks, secure indoor storage

• RIVERPLACE HOTEL

  Reservations, (888) 869-3108, 1510 SW Harbor Way, Portland

  Amenities: 13 complimentary city bikes available from sunrise to sunset, locks, helmets, City of Portland bike map, guests can bring personal bikes in their room, secure indoor storage, partner with Sojourn Tours, picnic backpacks on request

+ Transportation

• Tri-Met (Map) - $2.50 for 2.5 hours or $5 for 24 hours. "We make it easy to combine biking and transit. You can park your bike at the station or bring it with you on the bus or train (if there’s room)."

  Airport to Downtown - take MAX red line to Rose Quarter or Pioneer Square.

• Portland Aerial Tram (Map) - $4.70 per adult, free for kids 6 and under. Bikes allowed on board and there is a Biketown station at the base of the tram.

TRAIN

• Cascades (Vancouver, BC - Seattle - Tacoma - Portland - Salem - Eugene) - $5 roll-on service and reservation required

• Coast Starlight (Seattle - Portland - Los Angeles) - $20 trainside checked service and reservation required

• Empire Builder (Chicago - St. Paul/Minneapolis - Milwaukee - Spokane - Portland/Seattle) - $10 boxed bike service required for travel to and from Portland (Empire Builder to/from Seattle is trainside checked service)

buses & shuttles

• Breeze - $20+ one way, $10 extra for bike for service between Portland Union Station or PDX to Sandy, Government Camp, Welches, Warm Springs, Madras or Bend. Bikes must be boxed or bagged.
• Columbia Gorge Express - $10 day pass for adult+child or $30 annual pass for unlimited rides between Gateway, Multnomah Falls, Cascade Locks and Hood River. Front rack for 2 bikes.

  cars

• Car2Go - half the fleet has racks that carry 1 bike
• Zipcar

AIRLINES

• Alaska Airlines- $25 to check bike
• Delta- $150 to check bike
• Frontier- $75 to check bike
• JetBlue- $50 to check bike (folding bikes in container under 62 dimensional inches and 50 lbs are FREE)
• Southwest Airlines- FREE bike check in place of one piece of luggage