The Philosopher

Anybody here from the Washington, DC area and know a good bike shop? I need a new bike, and the consensus seems to be that I need to go to the shop and find out what's best for me, but this seems to require a good bike shop to help me out.

So, if there's anybody here from DC who knows a good shop where the people will help me get the bike that's best for me, I would greatly appreciate it!

Virago

I'm not sure what you're including in 'DC area,' but if you want to go as far out of the city as Fairfax, Washington Bike Center in Fair Lakes is run by good people who know their stuff.

cc_rider

Washington Bike Center closed last year. But they were good while they lasted.

Spokes, The Bicycle Place, City Bikes. All good
I've had good luck at the Bike Lane in Burke.

jhs

They just moved to a new location within the same shopping center. They are located near the Food Lion grocery store now.

PaulH

For commuting bikes, try Bikes at Vienna. For repairs, Papillon, in Arlington, is great. I have heard great things about City Bikes in Adams Morgan (their online catalog is great), but have not gone there.

Paul

dynaryder

I give props to both Revolution and Bike Pro on M in Georgetown(across from the Key Bridge,next to each other). Revolution has some of the best wrenches,but their selection is limited. Bike Pro has a good selection,but their service dept can sometimes get backed up.

City Bikes in Adams Morgan has a good selection. Sales/repair service varies depending on who's working. They've lost two sales to me(both my Cannondales,which I wound up buying from Bike Pro),but there's a couple Pirates working there now,so it should improve.

HTO in Tenleytown(one block up from the Metro) is cool. Decent selection and I've had good interactions with the staff and mechanics.

Avoid Big Wheel in both Georgetown and Bethesda. Bought my Kona in Georgetown,and noticed later that it was missing an adjuster for the rear shifter. Also,no clips/straps on the pedals and no reflectors(I don't care about either,just pointing it out). I've looked over a couple bikes at the Bethesda location that weren't right. Wrong fork,tires,or even cranks from what the manufacturers spec on their sites.

cc_rider

Thanks for the info. I almost never go to that end of the center.
Can't bring myself to go near the Walmart.

I use the HTO at Fairfax Circle for all my maintenance and repair. Good shop, and a decent selection of new bikes. I've been eyeing the Litespeed they've had sitting on the trainer.

The REI at Bailey's Crossroad, and the new one at Fairfax Corner.

tulip

City Bikes, Capitol Hill Bikes in DC.

Proteus in College Park.

Bikes at Vienna for folding bikes and 'bents.

Wheel Nuts in Alexandria.

Big Wheel Bikes in Alexandria (I wasn't too impressed with the Georgetown shop, but I like the Alexandria one).

to name a few. There are alots. What are you looking for in a bike shop?

The Philosopher

Well at this point, I'm looking for a shop that will help me get the right bike. I'm pretty much entirely new to biking, but I'm going to start commuting and I want to get into biking recreationally too, so I want to make sure I get a good bike. Getting a good bike seems pretty dependent on the shop, so I just want to make sure I go to one that will be helpful and won't rip me off.

tulip

In that case, I suggest Proteus first (in College Park). I'm not as familiar with the others, but Proteus won't make you feel like an idiot. Some of the others will...I've been riding and racing for 20+ years and some shops even make me feel like an idiot. Of course, it's to their disadvantage because I won't buy things there.

Anyways, I like Proteus and Capitol Hill Bikes. I'm sure there are others, but you might want to start there and see how you like them.

Best of luck. If you have questions, just post 'em.

dynaryder

DC's a big area. Where are you looking for a shop?

The Philosopher

Well, I live in Northeast, at CUA, and close would be nice. But, since this is a rather big, expensive purchase, I'd be more than willing to drive an hour (or maybe a little more) to get the right bike, instead of driving 20 minutes and getting stuck with something that isn't for me.

dirtyphotons

My high school physics teacher's son works there. Nice guy, last name's definitely Scholla, I think his first name's Greg. Nice user name, I love that song (and riding cross).

As far as not getting ripped off, there's a lot to be said for starting out with an affordable (read: cheap) bike and riding it while you figure out exactly what kind of riding you like. Definitely go for comfort and smooth ride over appearance and brand names. Get a bike that makes you want to hop on and ride it!

cc_rider

Thanks. I like the song too, especially the Ian and Sylvia version from the late 60's.
It's also the name of my livejournal bike journal.

The Fairfax HTO has a good crew on the bike desk. Not sure which one is Greg, but I've never had a bad repair there.
(Just noticed on the last receipt for work there, the mechanic's initials were DS)

dirtyphotons

Not familiar with that one, I'll check it out. I'm partial to the Mississippi John Hurt version.

dynaryder

There's College Park Bikes on Knox just a few blocks from the College Park Metro stop. The REI in Greenbelt also has a really good selection,and being REI you can always return things if you don't like them. It's on Rhode Island not far from the Greenbelt Metro.

tulip

I live near you, Philosopher. I don't know of any bike shops in the immediate area. Proteus and College Park bikes are within a few miles. Capitol Hill bikes on 8th SE is not too far, either, and is on the Metro at Eastern Market. I have not found it necessary to drive very far, except if you want a recumbent or folding bike. College Park bikes has some, but Bikes at Vienna is the source for those (Vienna, Va). Otherwise, I'd recommend sticking close to home.

Trek_Rider_05

Id probably direct you towards city bikes in Adams Morgan, or Capitol Hill bikes on 8th St, SE ( Eastern Market Metro is 2 blks away) REI is a good bet also, no matter which location. I am looking into getting a second bike, and the guys at Capitol Hill bikes were very helpful and totally not the kind of people to make anyone feel like an idiot. They have a fairly good selection on hand. They even had the Gary Fisher I want! I dont know exactly when ill get my 2nd, but im pretty sure ill be getting it from Capitol Hill Bikes.


The Big Wheel Bikes in Old Town on the strand ( at Prince street I think) is fiarly good, though its a fairly small shop. I live like 4 or 5 blocks from Wheel Nuts in Old Town, and have been in there a few times. I actually use them mainly for picking up small things such as lights, gloves, maybe a tool. Nice enough guy owns it, and is willing to do a minor adjustment ont he spot at no charge (ive seen him do it) but its a very small shop. Not where I would suggest looking to buy your first bike. Odd thing about that place is that for the longest time I could never catch them open, even during thier regular business hours! I know hes got a help wanted sign in the window though, so maybe hes so understaffed he cant be open as much. Who knows.

GOod luck w/ your purchase! Let us know how it turns out and/ or if you ever wanna hit a trail!

bikerindian

yeah dude...GOTTA have those reflectors on a mountain bike(???).....you must be a serious rider or sumthin......better avoid that shup cuz they dont put on yer reflectors!!!!!

bikerindian

dude...you must be a serios ****** to complain about reflectors....you should be banned from ALL bike shops!!!!