The Bicycle Culture in Portland, Oregon

Portlanders take their biking pretty seriously. I mean, we’re certainly not Amsterdam, where you are genuinely putting your life at risk should you step out in front of a biker on the street. Those guys don’t mess around, they’re FAST and take no prisoners.

But here in Portland, it’s much safer to share the road with cyclists. It’s almost too easy to ditch your car and commute everywhere on a bike. Most major streets and even a few residential streets have clearly marked bike lanes. The green sections on a street? Yep, those are for bikes.

Join the Revolution

We love our bikes because it is in line with our independently-minded attitude. Plus, it feeds our eco-conscious ego. Heck, we even have a bike and beer tour! How’s THAT for dedication to wheels and brew?

You don’t have to be a hard-core biker to be welcomed with open arms as a cyclist in Portland. We are casual, laid-back and friendly – the perfect place for the casual biker. At the bottom of this post are some awesome BIKE RESOURCES that may prove to be indispensable, whether you are a tourist or a local.

You can even find bike art on residential porches!

Five Reasons Why It’s Great to Ride a Bike in Portland

Tilikum Crossing. Known also as the ‘bridge of the people,’ this handsome-looking bridge opened in 2015. Closed to private cars (yay!), it is pedestrian and bike-friendly. Oh, and also public transport. It connects to the East Side Esplanade and offers scenic city views.
Southeast 17^th Ave Multi-Use Path. This is a much-needed bike path from the inner city to the sleepier communities to the south. Great for commuting. It connects the bike paths of the Springwater Corridor and the Trolley Trail, which is an old streetcar line between the suburbs of Milwaukie and Gladstone.
Those green lanes are awesome. Choose from a variety of bike tours to get a local’s view of the city. An organized bike tour uses these green lanes to take visitors around town and is a brilliant way to get to know the city.
Biketown. In partnership with the almighty Nike (which is headquartered in Beaverton, OR) Portland has been enjoying an awesome bike share for a couple of years now. All throughout town you will find bright orange stations with bikes that you can rent by the hour or day. This is the perfect way for visitors who don’t want the hassle of renting a bike through regular channels to explore the city using pedal power. Rides start out at a mere $2.50.
Flying into Portland? Don’t rent a car! We here in the Rose City are so bike-friendly that even our airport (voted consistently as the top airport in the U.S.) caters to cyclists. There is bicycle parking and even a station with tools to fill your tire and make any minor repairs or adjustments to your ride. There is even a multi-use path directly from the terminal to a regional bike trail system.