Best Bike shops in MD/VA

[unusualpunk]

Whats your favorite bike shop in MD or VA?

[Superdeft]

I like revolution cycles in DC, but perf is also good for getting cheap stuff.

I wish there was a more FR/DH/Street oriented place around here.

[DßR]

A few spots where it's been covered pretty well:

http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=27932

http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=12158

http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=69956

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=4283

Revo in DC is my fave.

[E441]

That would be Fleet Street Cycles in Baltimore.

[NotQuiteJdm]

Light street in Baltimore and Whites in Westminster, Ultra nice people!

Fleet street in Baltimore, ultra COOL people:)

[BigMike]

The Two Shops I'm partial too are Rowlettes (http://www.rowletts.com/) in Richmond, and Performance Springfield

[SLOPE]

Definately Fleet Street Cycles!! :D

[Arsbars]

College Park bikes!!

Just cuz I used to work there :devil:

[shifty S]

revolution is good, and griffin cycles is good...griffin has free water which is rilly good in the summer when yer riding in that area...

[sguhrofst8]

Princeton Sports, in Columbia, MD. The mechanics know there stuff and usually have some pretty good high end stuff.

--z--

[NRSracer]

Black cat bikes in bel air, md

[unusualpunk]

Proteus Cycles in College park, nice guys, great service.

[shifty S]

Originally posted by sguhrofst8
The mechanics [...] usually have some pretty good high end stuff.

--z--

that could be said about alot of the mechanics around here...:think:

[TryAndStopMe]

i'll have to put in a vote for revolution DC and Arltown. they've always done right by me

[vogey40]

My vote would have to be for Patuxent Adventure Center on the solomons island MD

[phillyvanilly]

Fleet Street and Catonsville bike shop, hate to do a little flaming but Lightstreet is good if your looking for the worst organzied bike shop ever conceived.

Fleet Street wins best website award

www.fleetstreetcycles.com

[BigMike]

Originally posted by phillyvanilly


Fleet Street wins best website award

www.fleetstreetcycles.com


AGREED!! :thumb:

[Msisle Dad]

Catonsville and Fleet Street are great shops, good owners, product, both very active in the community.

Both Paul and Don Don are great guys, and are on top of their market.

CR

[Shortbus]

My favorite bike shop in VA/MD/DC is online mail order.

[Msisle Dad]

Originally posted by Shortbus
My favorite bike shop in VA/MD/DC is online mail order.

You like buying last years model from suoergo or jenson?

How about shipping?

CR

[Shortbus]

just watch out what you order. With shipping it usually ends up costing less or just about the same as buying from LBS.


Christian -

[shifty S]

ah but with online shipping you cant get anything free! my bars i found in the back of a shop, spacers and cog for my SS casette were free, my fork and front wheel cost me $20 and a coke....my chain was free...you got to the right shop then theres no wait for parts, and when you get them you have a full range of tools at hand, which you cant get from a sales-only mail order online source, as well as people to talk to, chill with, ride with, etc...

bike shops rule :up:

[Shortbus]

my local bike shop once charged me 5 bucks for a bike box. :dead:

[DßR]

eeeehhh, that whole "last years' model" thing doesn't mean much at all. A 105 rear der. is a 105, regardless. I bought a bunch from Jenson for $31 (+$7 shipping), as opposed to $55 plus tax at my "favorite LBS" which is what happened to me when I had a race in 4 days. In retrospect, it woulda been cheaper for me to have Jenson overnight FedEx one to me. :dead:

[Msisle Dad]

Originally posted by DßR
eeeehhh, that whole "last years' model" thing doesn't mean much at all. A 105 rear der. is a 105, regardless. I bought a bunch from Jenson for $31 (+$7 shipping), as opposed to $55 plus tax at my "favorite LBS" which is what happened to me when I had a race in 4 days. In retrospect, it woulda been cheaper for me to have Jenson overnight FedEx one to me. :dead:


Last years model does matter on some items with compatability.
My biggest problem w/ them is selling OEM product as spec product. Many products are not the same ie: the forks look the same but the internals are cheaper
quality. We bought my son's TLD D2 from jenson at a good price (last years model). Couldnt get it locally with out an order and at a higher price. However when it came to shimano we could beat jenson/supergo pricing at the LBS when we added in shipping.

CR

[phillyvanilly]

I you really wanna save time and money you should develop a good relationship with your LBS, bring some beer or pizza from time to time, give em references, and stay loyal, you may just find your next bike coming a at significant discount. This generally works better with the smaller shops...

[Shortbus]

eeeh, like go kiss ass to your LBS and give them money for their overpriced stuff and buy em food and if you're lucky they might help you out someday.

NO THANKS.

[KPicha]

Surrre, let's seee
LBS = $450 for brakes,
Online = $310 for brakes, shipping included.

No brainer there, unless you've got money burning holes in your pockets.

"Last year's models" are great deals and generally speaking, there isn't such a big difference to warrant the price difference between the new and "old". Yes, there are exceptions to that but if you know what you're looking for and what's important to you, you can usually get away with the same thing for much less.

[Shortbus]

Originally posted by KPicha
"Last year's models" are great deals and generally speaking, there isn't such a big difference to warrant the price difference between the new and "old". Yes, there are exceptions to that but if you know what you're looking for and what's important to you, you can usually get away with the same thing for much less.

Actually with some brands like marzocchi, the older your fork's model is the better it is, i.e. the less input its design has gotten for those marketing folks (i'm trying to stay polite but it's hard) who are struggling to get to the top and get a piece of that pie....

:D

[Msisle Dad]

Originally posted by KPicha
Surrre, let's seee
LBS = $450 for brakes,
Online = $310 for brakes, shipping included.

No brainer there, unless you've got money burning holes in your pockets.



yes, but would the online store install them for you?

Hows about warantee?

Morgan

[DßR]

oh please. If you can't install a set of brakes, you shouldn't be working on a bike. Period.

I've always said, if you don't know your sh*t inside and out, it will end up costing you more. Either you F up and buy I.S. brakes for your post-mount bike on Ebay/Supergo and waste money that way, or you waste money by having the lbs hold your hand the entire way and you spend 2x as much as online.

For people who know how to wrench, a bike shop is becoming increasingly less relevant. If you don't know your "neck" from your "pedal crank" then you need an LBS. For more savvy consumers, spending an extra $140 on a set of discs to have them installed for you is BS, that's a 15 minute job tops. And the warrantee is just as good if you keep your receipt, same as an lbs.

BTW I'm fully aware that shop cost is usually right about what Supergo sells stuff for and the lbs can't stay in business if they match those prices. That's not the consumer's fault though, it's QBP/BTI's and OEM's fault.

[KPicha]

Yeah, I did it but it took a bit longer than 15 mins :) Getting my Hayes bracket off the rear was practically an all day affair and I ended up having to wait until the evening when my husband could muscle off the bolts; after some dremelling. Strength issues are where I lose out and I haven't bled any brakes before so I might let someone else do that. All in all though, setting up disc brakes is pretty easy. You just have to have the patience to get the little details just right.

As far as warranty issues go, like Dan said, as long as you have the receipt, there shouldn't be a problem.

[phillyvanilly]

Originally posted by Shortbus
eeeh, like go kiss ass to your LBS and give them money for their overpriced stuff and buy em food and if you're lucky they might help you out someday.

NO THANKS.


Yeah, wouldnt want to have to be friendly or anything like that. At least at the shop I worked at, the "usuals" got alot of free service, parts at the best deal we could honestly afford to give them, and signicant price breaks on bikes. Most of them actually seem to enjoy hanging out at the shop, but if youre not into human contact or anything like that you might wanna go mail order.:D

[shifty S]

my LBS doesnt sell my most important part anyways....duct tape!

[Msisle Dad]

like philllyvanilly said, for regulars we usually throw some installs and tuneups for free, if you went and bought every part off mail order then f yea were gonna charge you every cent to install it, if you are a good customer, and you buy a set of disc brakes, then of course we'll install them, thats how business relationships work.

Morgan

[Shortbus]

Originally posted by Msisle Dad
like philllyvanilly said, for regulars we usually throw some installs and tuneups for free, if you went and bought every part off mail order then f yea were gonna charge you every cent to install it, if you are a good customer, and you buy a set of disc brakes, then of course we'll install them, thats how business relationships work.

Morgan
Oh, you work at a bike store. OK that figures. Tell me the name of one bike store where an "educated and aware" consumer is not the enemy. ONE. You people prey on those who don't know much about bikes.


Originally posted by PhillyVanilli
Yeah, wouldnt want to have to be friendly or anything like that. At least at the shop I worked at, the "usuals" got alot of free service, parts at the best deal we could honestly afford to give them, and signicant price breaks on bikes. Most of them actually seem to enjoy hanging out at the shop, but if youre not into human contact or anything like that you might wanna go mail order.

YES YES
cause my social life needs to revolve around hanging out at the back of a bike shop with acid junkies who talk about some deep sh!t all day long and lay on the floor most of the day...

NO THANKS. once again.

[Shortbus]

Originally posted by KPicha
Yeah, I did it but it took a bit longer than 15 mins :) Getting my Hayes bracket off the rear was practically an all day affair and I ended up having to wait until the evening when my husband could muscle off the bolts; after some dremelling. Strength issues are where I lose out and I haven't bled any brakes before so I might let someone else do that. All in all though, setting up disc brakes is pretty easy. You just have to have the patience to get the little details just right.

As far as warranty issues go, like Dan said, as long as you have the receipt, there shouldn't be a problem.


AAAAaaaahhh just get a set of hopes and fogedaboutit.

FIGHT! :p


But honestly, as intimidating as working on a bike can get sometimes (and look at brooklyn bikes for a clue to my world ;) ), I honestly feel that the more i work on my bike, i.e. for 3, 4 hours even be, the more i learn about it and the more finiky i get when riding it cause I end up diagnosing (sp? is that a word? diagnosticating?) stuff SO much faster and am able to repair it on the spot.


I've RARELY seen a bike shop fix anything correctly. But again i'm super finiky so who knows.


Originally posted by shifty S
my LBS doesnt sell my most important part anyways....duct tape!
Shifty, ask em about special ordering it, you place order on monday it gets in on Wed and it'll only cost you 23.95 for the roll. Or 8.95 with 2 cases of beer.
:p

[shifty S]

Originally posted by Shortbus
Shifty, ask em about special ordering it, you place order on monday it gets in on Wed and it'll only cost you 23.95 for the roll. Or 8.95 with 2 cases of beer.
:p

ehh, when i need it i just take it off of other locations on my bike :D

[Msisle Dad]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Shortbus
[B]Oh, you work at a bike store. OK that figures. Tell me the name of one bike store where an "educated and aware" consumer is not the enemy. ONE. You people prey on those who don't know much about bikes.

Listen , I can tell you of a number of LBS's that educate, match riders with needs ,and provide good service. But You wouldnt listen. You know to much.

One of the people you attacked with your "prey" comment is my son Morgan, a mechanic at a bike shop 3 days a week (he began as an apprentice 3 years ago),a HS sophomore.He races the Norba National series ,Sea Otter, & is State Champ in DH & 4X Etc....He can repair, rebuild or tune anything on a timely basis because he was well trained by good people who know the business and respect their clientel.

Based on your comments you must be a know it all that is uniformed and has never asked to be refered to a good shop.

CR

[DßR]

I don't think Shortbus was intending to bash Morgan there - the fact is, most shops make 90-some% of their money off low-end stuff and they simply AREN'T familiar with the high-end stuff we're riding - ffs, Shortbus rides a Brooklyn Mini-link - how many LBS workers have even heard of Brooklyn bikes, let alone that model? 1% of 'em?

I had a big argument with a guy about a year ago re: this topic. So to prove a point I took my DH bike around to all the shops in Williamsburg, and in ALL FOUR, it was the first DH bike they had ever seen in real life. Where is the useful expertise there? I know 100x more about my needs, how to bleed brakes, and how to rebuild forks than all the shops here. Hell, the one Marz. dealer here can't even rebuild a Marz. fork - they send 'em back to Cali to get new seals installed!

That kind of crap gives people a bad vibe about shops. I can invariably take care of my bike better than any shop within a one hour drive of here. If I can save money on top of that by buying online, cool, bonus.

I know I'm not the typical biker. But it REALLY flips me when people give me sh*t about "not supporting my LBS's" when I can do a better job than each and every one of 'em. When I move up to DC this summer, I'll have access to better shops, but still - I don't think they're capable of doing anything outside of reaming headtubes that I can't do myself equally well....

anyway the point is, there are good shops so it's unfair to generalize lbs's as all being useless, but the fact is, if you're a competent mechanic, they frequently don't have much to offer that you can't do yourself.

[Msisle Dad]

Originally posted by DßR
I don't think Shortbus was intending to bash Morgan there - the fact is, most shops make 90-some% of their money off low-end stuff and they simply AREN'T familiar with the high-end stuff we're riding - ffs, Shortbus rides a Brooklyn Mini-link - how many LBS workers have even heard of Brooklyn bikes, let alone that model? 1% of 'em?

.

I appreciate your comments. He dash bash Morg to some extent as he qouted him .

I do agree with you on a couple points there are LBS's that are "lower end"and because of their market they couldnt perfom anything more than basic repair on a Brooklyn/Intense type bike. But I'm speaking of shops that cater to either the the broad market or the high end . Thats where It's best to get a referral, or an understanding of the nature of a shop , Just as you wouldnt take a Porsche to a Kia mechanic you wouldnt take a dh bike to a shop that doesnt sell any bikes over $500.

Thanks for your comments
CR

[KPicha]

Even high end shops don't always know their stuff. I had one guy tell me he wasn't "qualified to install disc brakes". :confused: On top of that, when I brought my bike back in to re-seat the tubeless tires (another one of my lack of strength issues) he came back in less than 5 mins and when I said, "wow, that was fast" his response was, "Oh it just needed a little air". I explained that they'd been losing a good 30 psi for the past two days and really needed to be re-seated and then he told me, "Oh...uh, yeah, tubeless tires do that" Ooooookay-gee, thanks for the help.

Yeah, I definitely understand that the LBS makes the majority of their money in service issues but when a high end shop doesn't know diddly about what's out there in the mtn bike world, that doesn't say much for them. When I was inquiring about Specialized Enduros last year, one shop actually asked me why in the world I would want a full on DH bike for this area?!! :eek:
Or if they can't even place an order for you in a timely manner, why bother (if they even place the order at all).

And always charging full retail for EVERYTHING in the shop is going to drive customers away. I don't mind paying a couple of extra dollars for an item that I could get cheaper somewhere else but when it comes to big ticket items where you can save hundreds of dollars, why on earth would you want to throw out that extra money. Yeah, you're going to get service with that product but if it still ends up costing less, why bother? It seems to me, they're taking advantage of unsuspecting customers.

Now, I know that all shops are not like this and each shop seems to better service in certain areas than others but I have to find a shop that completely and reasonably serves my needs. Then again, that might be asking for too much as the market around here is driven by roadies and family riders.

[Shortbus]

I don't mean to bash anyone, i apologize if i sometimes come across that way. But i'm strongly opinionated and that comes from my own crappy experiences. That's all :p :thumb:

[Msisle Dad]

It's cool ..have a good weekend

[shifty S]

big wheel bikes in bethesda will service your forks, put new steer tubes in, replace the seals, etc,....themselves, its all about knowing the right shop. and when you look around the back of griffin cycles there are titus quasi-motos, rm7s, and a rediculous assortment of street bikes, and its the riders that are the mechanics there, and they know what theyre doing, so once again its all about having the right shop for your needs....










unless youre me and all your needs include duct tape.

[arsenic]

hi all you monkey type people. i've been looking to get back into bikin again. it's been close to 10 years since i've done any i think. anyways, been looking for a specialized stumpjumper fsr to try out. i think i want the expert model - triad shock and all just looks super groovy !

oh hell i ramble too much. my question is, anyone ever buy a bike from hudson trail outfitters ? i've gotten the best price by far from them so wonderin if they do a decent job with initial setup/assembly - bein a no0b i at least would like it setup ok to start with lol.

thanks folks.
ron

edit: guess i should mention i'm talkin 'bout the one in fairfax. thanks again !

[Ilovespooky]

Pedal-n-spoke in Great Falls is always helpful for doing any work on your bike, or ordering parts and getting them the same week. im probly a little opinionated on this one because i help out there but they are the best one i've ever been to:D

[Shortbus]

I'd have to agree that pedal n spoke is one of the better customer service bike shops in this area that i've dealt with...


This isn't Mark who sold me that green RM6DH back in the day is it??????

[Ilovespooky]

No, this is Ben, I'm up there every day cleaning the shop and helping around for store credit. But, yea they pride themselves on their customer service. mark quit awhile ago maybe a year ago :confused:

[KPicha]

Originally posted by arsenic
hi all you monkey type people. i've been looking to get back into bikin again. it's been close to 10 years since i've done any i think. anyways, been looking for a specialized stumpjumper fsr to try out. i think i want the expert model - triad shock and all just looks super groovy !

oh hell i ramble too much. my question is, anyone ever buy a bike from hudson trail outfitters ? i've gotten the best price by far from them so wonderin if they do a decent job with initial setup/assembly - bein a no0b i at least would like it setup ok to start with lol.

thanks folks.
ron

edit: guess i should mention i'm talkin 'bout the one in fairfax. thanks again !

If you haven't bought the bike already, I wouldn't recommend buying from there unless you know for darn sure how to set it up to fit you properly. I've heard them on a few occasions telling new bike owners that if the bike feels a little small or large, to just move the saddle fore or aft to get the right feel :eek: No consideration at all to proper knee positioning over the pedal or the possiblity of swapping out stems and this was with both road bikes and mountain bikes.

If you know what you're doing, then by all means, go for it. If you really need a good fitting and want that particular bike, check out Spokes, Etc. You could ask to see if they'll price match for you. I don't know of any other Specialized dealers close to you, though.

Good Luck!

[arsenic]

Originally posted by KPicha
If you haven't bought the bike already, I wouldn't recommend buying from there unless you know for darn sure how to set it up to fit you properly. I've heard them on a few occasions telling new bike owners that if the bike feels a little small or large, to just move the saddle fore or aft to get the right feel :eek: No consideration at all to proper knee positioning over the pedal or the possiblity of swapping out stems and this was with both road bikes and mountain bikes.

If you know what you're doing, then by all means, go for it. If you really need a good fitting and want that particular bike, check out Spokes, Etc. You could ask to see if they'll price match for you. I don't know of any other Specialized dealers close to you, though.

Good Luck!

nope. haven't bought anything yet. i've talked to a girl at the spokes in belleview. they'd have to come down about 200 to match. i'm gonna be in that area tomorrow so i'll prolly go check 'em out again.

thanks a lot for the advice !
ron

[vwmtnbiker]

gotta represent for performance manassas...im mark so if any of ya need a hookup just get in touch with me there...always gotta look out :D ...aside from us well i dont really go to any other places because of my discount but a1 is alrite...some cool people workin there if nothin else!