Mountain - Plains - Cool Denver Bike Shops?

Hey all,

I'm going to be visiting the Denver area next month -- my GF is moving there for school this summer. Are there any awesome bike shops in the area I should visit? I'm particularly interested in any shops that specialized in utility cycling or commuting. Also, are there any places to rent bikes and maybe round around a bit in a relatively non-threatening environment (my GF isn't big about riding on busy streets).

Thanks!

I've only been there once, but I liked Cycle Analyst on south Pearl, a bit north of I-25

http://cycleanalystinc.com/Default.aspx

Shops are all over town. I don't know any that specialize in commuting though.

For rental, we have stations where you can pick up a bike and drop it off at another station. Check out: http://www.denverbikesharing.org/denver_bcycle.php

Also, plenty of bike lanes and trails to stay off the busy streets.

I can't remember when b-cycle starts back up again (it's closed for winter), you'll need to check on that.

I'm pretty sure Salvagetti still rents bikes, it's a few minutes walk from downtown Denver. From there it's a few blocks from Confluence Park, and you can ride as far as you want on the Platte or Cherry Creek trails (I recommend both, safe and flat rides). They connect via the 470 trail so you could even make a metric century out of it if you wanted.

If you can make it down to Cycle Analyst I agree that it's a great shop, they sell everything from Bromptons to Mukluks.

General trail map for Denver Metro Area. These are mostly concrete trails, generally well-maintained. They are multiple use paths. Most are designed to not interact with roads - you can go 40 miles without a street intersection on several of them.

http://ourwebs.info/denverbikemap1.jpg

I like the folks at Salvagetti's. Good commuter utility cyclist thing going on.

If you want to visit a shop focused on community building, stop by The Bike Depot at 2825 Fairfax in Park Hill, just two miles east of downtown. It's a non-profit, community bike shop were all the proceeds from sales, service and classes goes to support programs such as earn-a-bike (for low income kids and adults), advocacy, and other oportunities for access to healthy lifestyles through cycling.

http://thebikedepot.org/

FYI, B-Cycle starts up March 14th.

+1 on the Salvagetti.