365PDX#117: Portland Bicycle Tours

Posted June 29, 2010

365 Things to do in Portland #117: Portland Bicycle Tours.

If you’re a new Portland resident or just here visiting, explore our city with Portland Bicycle Tours.  They offer a true taste of Portland culture, with a varying selection of two to four hour tours which encompass the parks, buildings, bridges, breweries and art that our city is known for.  All of their tours are family friendly and cater specifically to the needs and requests of the riders.  You can bring your own gear, or rent bikes, helmets and locks from their shop (just three blocks off the esplanade near the Chinese Garden) as part of your tour package.

Their tours are on a rotating schedule, with new specials and custom designed experiences appearing monthly.  Some of the current offerings:

Green Portland Tour – Exploring the specifics of what makes Portland a “Green” city. Topics include the urban growth boundary, climate action plan, rain gardens, green roofs and living building challenge. The route of the tour is based around some of the 60+ LEED certified structures in the city

Pub Peddler Brewery Tour – The folks at PBT have narrowed Portland’s selection of 36 microbreweries down to the best dozen and rotate their tour selection based on interest.  Sip on an amber from Rogue and head on over to Amnesia for some of their Bavarian Sausage.

River City Bridge Tour – Beginning on the East Bank esplanade and continuing over the river to explore the West Side and Old Town, this tour concentrates on public art, vibrant commerce spaces and Portland history.

PBT also offers a two different Rose City Park Tours as well as a “Bikability Tour”, which explores both history and the current efforts of grassroots organizations and city administration in establishing a bike-friendly environment.  For out-of-towners, or resident special occasions, they have also teamed up with Jupiter Hotel in creating a package which includes bike rental for two, an overnight stay at the hotel, breakfast at the Doug Fir Lounge, a bike tour gift certificate for two, and a personal tour with Evan Ross, owner of PBT, who takes participants on a tasty excursion to Voodoo Donuts, Stumptown Coffee and Alma Chocolates.

PBT also offers educational biking talks and discussions, bike share (similar to Flexcar, with a monthly fee and daily use available), bike repair, bike delivery service and bike rental.