Bicycle Blues In Bike Friendly Portland

On the homefront, most of us know how PDX is rated pretty high on the lists of bike friendly towns but let me tell you, bike shops and people selling bikes in general are freaking insane. Don't even get me started on the nuts who post 3rd rate bikes and equipment on craigslist and ask near full retail price. Try to talk them down and you'll get shot down faster than a blogger running after a donut. And here in Beaverton, I've caught an occasional sale at the local bike shops but it's the same deal. They won't budge on giving even a loyal customer a break every now and then. Please, I don't expect a hand out every single time, I really do understand that they are entitled to turn a profit but come on. Toss the consumer a bone every once in while.

I only rant like this because I see other towns where the cycling scene isn't so mercenary on the retail end or even when it come to second hand goods. When I lived in Florida years ago, good deals good be found all the time at pawn shops, second hand stores and the classifieds. It was a real joy to shop on the cheap back there. Another piece of bitterness is aimed at the ripoff pawn brokers here in Oregon, there is another group gouging every penny they can out of the all to often, not so quality goods they sell.

Enough, sorry for blasting the negative vibes, I am tired and still two days away from the start of my vacation. I'll try to be a little ray of sunshine soon.