Racks of rentals and repair bikes out front, and good rentals too...Decent level Haro full sussers, ready to roll on the local trails in the Oakridge area. Haro may not be glamorous, but modern Haros, like Raleighs of late, seem to work reasonably well in my experience...if you can get past the Made in China stickers. At least they are priced accordingly.
Had I known that there was a local shop that rented decently capable bikes, I would have sprung for a three day rental and saved myself the headache of shipping the EWR 2500 miles.
Fence of forgotten glory. You gotta like a shop that decorates the outside storage pen with beat Trek 970 lugged steel frames and Bridgestone MB-3s. I almost asked about giving the Bridgestone a home, and if I didn't have to have Gary ship my EWR back to Jax, I might have pulled the trigger.
Wonder why you can't get full size aerosol cans of T-9 anyplace else?...They have them all here! I DID buy a bottle, and ship it back with the EWR. The cans last forever, and the grunge makes a wickedly delicious chain lube, and is a close second to GT-85 for delightful aroma. Boeshield T-9 for the next 6 years? Covered.
Sluggo? Hey, they are a Mercantile, after all... Yeah, they stock it right next to the pink flip flops and the pinstripe boxer shorts. Pure Culture!
Showroom...floor stocked with capable mountain bikes and rafters hung with fun vintage rides. Very nice.
The workshop, right up by the front door where every capable mechanic expects his bench to be. We capable mechanics don't like to hide behind walls. Front and Center, thank you!
The stash...notice that I avoided taking a picture of the King headsets in favor of snapping a shot of the original Cook Bros Racing decal affixed to the back glass of the display case. Multiple Thudbuster posts in stock...somebody in the shop knows McKenzie River trail well...
Showroom...floor stocked with capable mountain bikes and rafters hung with fun vintage rides. Very nice.
The workshop, right up by the front door where every capable mechanic expects his bench to be. We capable mechanics don't like to hide behind walls. Front and Center, thank you!
The stash...notice that I avoided taking a picture of the King headsets in favor of snapping a shot of the original Cook Bros Racing decal affixed to the back glass of the display case. Multiple Thudbuster posts in stock...somebody in the shop knows McKenzie River trail well...
Lets get to da cookin'!
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Staff!
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- 5 Raging Flamers! The dude behind the counter, a skinny little youthful fellow, with a butt-load of local trail knowledge and a very friendly demeanor, proved to be a wealth of valuable information for us weary travelers from far away. His information about the hows and wheres to look for parking pull-outs and trail options for the Alpine Loop were invaluable. I love it when shop staff is as happy to be working as I am to be shopping. Top Shelf work!
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Stuff!
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-5 Ragers again! Cabinets stocked with King crud...anodized Green no less! Cases of T-9 and a full compliment of other necessities. Thudbusters and other quality stems and posts. Complete quality cranksets and derailleurs. No QBP catalog leech-shop action here. Commit to stock, and sell it. I'm in love. Top Shelf!
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Touchy Feely!
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- 5 Trifecta! This place made me want to just sit and hang a while. They need to sell beers...maybe some of that top notch stuff from up the hill at Brewers Local 180! The friendly staff, good conversation, fun stuff to oggle. The antithesis of Performance Bicycle (Matt's favorite..."Loco" wheels my a$$) You gotta love it!
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Merchandising!
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-4 Torchers. You can't argue with the layout, as it's there to sell you stuff, and to show you stuff that is for sale. Simple, efficient, and ready to go. Boeshield T-9 right up front where tourists from North Florida can grab a big old can. I nearly wet myself.
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Bikes!
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- 4 torched tots. Haro...Meh! Lowly scores for that week stuff, but High marks for fully serviced and ready to roll rental fleet. Promote that tourism, Oakridge! You'll get there!
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Overall!
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- 5 Flaming Babies for the WM Mercantile! When I win the lottery, and you know I'm only a few drawings away from having THAT happen, I'm gonna come back to Oakridge, buy the place, hire the skinny kid at twice his current rate of pay, and start selling Local 180 beer out the back door...probably to customers at tables made from old Bridgestones and lugged steel Trek frames.
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A truly great, great shop.
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Willamette Mountain Mercantile
48080 Highway 58
Oakridge, OR 97463
(541) 782-1800
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