Hey Y'all,
We are changing our hours of operation for the coming darkness. We will be open 10am-6pm Seven days a week until further notice. Plan accordingly. We apologize for any inconvenience.
-Clinton
503-265-8595
2324 SE Division St. Portland, OR 97202
Open 10:00 to 6:00 Mon through Sat, CLOSED Sun
Email us at ABetterCycle@gmail.com
We are a worker owned and collectively run bicycle repair shop in lovely South East Portland, Oregon. Come to us for full bike repair services, wheel building, and internal gear servicing.
Saturday, October 3, 2015
Monday, September 28, 2015
Buying bikes off of Craigslist
When customers ask us about sourcing bikes on Craigslist, we always recommend they have those bikes checked out by a bike shop (or a competent mechanic) before they make a purchase. While there are often some good deals on Craigslist, there are also plenty of not so good deals:
- Sometimes bikes are in decent working order, but need enough repair parts and labor costs to make them cost more than a brand new bike.
- Sometimes bikes are put together by people who don't know enough about bicycles in order to properly assemble them. Non-compatible components are often 'slapped together' into a bicycle that will end up costing the buyer a lot of money to get into working order.
- Other times, critically damaged and/or unprofessionally repaired frames and components are hacked together by someone who is fully aware that what they're doing is wrong, and couldn't care less about the safety of the person they're selling it to. Case in point:
A 1" threaded fork whose steerer was too short to fit this frame. Solution? Chop off another fork's 1" threadless steer, weld it together, and grind down the weld. The joint is sleeved with a tiny piece of some other bike's steer. The steerer is crooked regardless.
A headset made out of: two different cups, no bearings on the top assembly, a 1" to 1-1/8" stem shim made out of a small chunk of steerer tube, and a cassette lockring ground out to act as some sort of spacer.
Not pictured:
-Indexed downtube shifter boss drilled out perpendiculary to act as a cable stop.
-Rear brake cable housing made out of a bunch of pieces of SIS housing.
-Brake pads installed upside down.
-8 speed trigger shifter on a seven speed cassette.
-A front brake caliper that had insufficient reach to grab the rim properly.
The price for this bicycle-shaped-object? $300. Upon contacting the original seller, the buyer was told, "I don't know what you're talking about; that bike rides great".
caveat emptor!
Friday, September 4, 2015
Labor day 2015
We will be closed Monday, September 7th for Labor day. We apologize for any inconvenience. Have a great weekend.
Love,
A Better Cycle
Love,
A Better Cycle
Thursday, August 13, 2015
Come check out the Redux 2!
$750.00
We are super stoked about this one:
-27.5 x 2.0 Schwalbe Big Bens.
-Tubular aluminum fork for stiffness/lightness.
-1 x 9 Drivetrain with Legit, Shadow rear derailleur.
-Hydraulic disc brakes
$750.00
We are super stoked about this one:
-27.5 x 2.0 Schwalbe Big Bens.
-Tubular aluminum fork for stiffness/lightness.
-1 x 9 Drivetrain with Legit, Shadow rear derailleur.
-Hydraulic disc brakes
Monday, July 27, 2015
We are now a Raleigh dealer!
Hello folks,
Raleigh USA has made some great changes to their lineup for 2016. We are proud to say that we are a Stocking Raleigh dealer. Please visit raleighusa.com to see the exciting direction the Raleigh brand is taking. We will be looking forward to getting more people riding fun and comfortable bikes by way of the new and improved Raleigh bikes! Stay tuned for more.
Clinton Garner
A Better Cycle
Raleigh USA has made some great changes to their lineup for 2016. We are proud to say that we are a Stocking Raleigh dealer. Please visit raleighusa.com to see the exciting direction the Raleigh brand is taking. We will be looking forward to getting more people riding fun and comfortable bikes by way of the new and improved Raleigh bikes! Stay tuned for more.
Clinton Garner
A Better Cycle
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Mayday 2015!
In celebration of our one year anniversary since our last blog post, We will be closed Friday, May 1st. This is also in celebration of International Worker's Day. Normal hours resume Saturday, May 2nd.
Thanks!
Clinton
A Better Cycle.
Thanks!
Clinton
A Better Cycle.
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