Portland has some fan-freaking-tastic biking. Compare it to any other city I've lived in and it'll win, hands-down. There is a HUGE cycling movement here, too. While there seem to be lots of 'us vs them' conflicts, I think you are going to see that anywhere where cycling is this popular.

Susan actually took me riding in the city this winter for my first time (I live out in the boondocks and only cycle from my country roads into somewhat less urban Hillsboro areas for my commute). We rode the light rail into town and then did a little riding (and an errand). While it was a Saturday and less traffic than a weekday, I was surprised at how easy it was. I thought I would be freaked out at riding with my shoulder next to the light rail, the street cars or a bus...but it wasn't bad at all. Contrast that to my last visit to Boston where I watched cyclists taking their life into their hands in Government Center, and it's a paradise here!

I actually just heard on the radio the other day that Portland has the highest % of bike commuters of any city in the US. What is pathetic is that it was only like 8% or something (I'm guessing, I don't remember the exact number). Apparently in most cities, you are lucky if you see a 1% bike commute number. That's sad. We, as a country, really need to work on this....