# Favorite bike shop in the VA/DC/MD area?



## emr82

Looking for peoples' preferred local bike shops... I'm in Arlington, VA and have dealt with Conte's and Revolution Cycles for a few years. Each has provided a so/so experience with Conte's slightly edging out Revolution.


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## Crack Monkey

The Bike Lane in Reston.


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## jjmstang

Conte's bethesda


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## hunter1

*best bike shops*

I do not know if there the best, But there a new bike shop in Haver-Degrace Md. we needed a complete bike shop in the area. other wise we had to go to Delaware.


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## Tommy Walker

I'm warming up to Conte's (Arlington). I purchased my Cervelo from them and love the improvements they are making to the shop. Yes the prices are high, but from time to time they give me a discount. I had a maintenance class from them last week and it was probably the best class I have had from any bike shop. After the class they offered 20% off any tools, lubes, etc.

+1 for the Bike Lane in Reston and Burke. They have great service, but I don't have a Trek.

I buy my accesories from Performance (or from the internet) because of the price. I take my bike to Conte's for service and get the families bikes tuned at Performnace when they have a special (two of the bikes were purchased from Performance so tune ups are free).

I have been to Revolution, Oasis, and a few other shops in Northern Virgina and don't have a favorite.


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## worst_shot_ever

If you're in the city itself, I like The Bike Rack. Mainly because I think they are a nice bunch of dudes -- that said I haven't used them for much mechanical work, except a bad wheel that their wheel guy, Joe, did a great job on for me.


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## emr82

@ jjmstang - how come you prefer conte's bethesda?

@ tommy walker - I was at that bike class as well. I've been in the market for a road bike and have had a difficult time getting their attention. The owner is attentive and quite nice. However, I got passed off to a sales associate who totally blew me off. I was ready to buy too...

@ worst shot ever - definitely want to check out the bike rack. I've heard many positive things about them.


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## Tommy Walker

@emr82 see Stacey or Dana, both very knowledgeable and friendlier that anyone else. I was fortunate because Stacey spent an hour with me on the phone after I met her; then she couldn;t be there for my test ride but arranged for Dana to assist me, I was rather impressed with her so I had her do my fitting (I think Clovis is supposed to be the best fitter in town). The fitting for my test ride was probably better than shops like Performance would fit for the actual purchase. Dana adjusted the saddle and handlebars for about 20 minutes before I rode. My actual fitting when I purchased the bike took two hours. The selection of Cervelo's and Pinerellos at Conte's is awesome. I just go in there and drool sometime.

Another nice thing Conte's did was let me trade in my RS10 wheelset after riding for almost 2 months. I upgraded to Shimano 6600's and they gave me $300 credit for the RS10's. Now for a few bucks more I actually could have purchased the 6600's on line and kept the RS10's.

If you do buy from Conte's, they will give you 10% off anything you purchase that day. Also check out the saddle you want, they only have Specialized; I was willing to trade my Selle Italia Ponza for anything, but was a little disappoiinted when I found out they only had Specialized; I ended up with a Specialized Avatar, but recently purhcased a Selle Italia Flite Gel Flow Max (have not put it on yet) off the internet. They also gave me a $30 trade in for the Ponza. That said, I would make an early wheelset decision and determine if it is worth spending a few more bucks and upgrading with the 10% discount. People on the forum would tell you to ride them, see if they fit, blah blah blah, but if I would have purchased the Ultegra 6600's on the first day I would have saved another $60. On the 2010's Cervelo is ofering the Fulcrum Racing 7 on the RS, which is a big improvement.


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## jjmstang

emr.........nice people, close by and good selection


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## emr82

Tommy,

Thanks for the advice. I'll definitely try and get a session with Stacey or Dana next time I'm in the shop. The fact that they took such a long time to fit you makes me more confident about purchasing my first road bike there.

Unfortunately a Cervelo is out of my price range. I'm looking at a caad9-4 or 5.


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## philoanna

*Capital Bicycles*

Capital Bicycles in Annapolis. Gotta like Specialized.
Great costumer service.


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## wgp

Don't overlook the Bicycle Pro Shop on M St in Georgetown, right at the foot of the Key Bridge. Been there for many many years, and staffed by extremely knowledgeable folks.

Both Noel (manager) and Tony (asst Manager) have never been anything less than completely professional, helpful, and nice to boot.


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## Toona

Spokes Etc.


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## ChrisJ83

A1 in Herndon. Build damn good wheels.


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## Ray_from_SA

Always been a fan of Race Pace in Owings Mills, MD. Great bunch of guys working there.

Race Pace in Ellicott City is also pretty good although I don't know the crew there as well.


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## schmerge

I may be biased since I'm racing for The Bike Lane this year, but The Bike Lane (Reston / Burke) really is the best shop in the area.


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## Ballena Asesina

ChrisJ83 said:


> A1 in Herndon. Build damn good wheels.


Sorry, but A1 is a total waste of time. I wouldn't buy anything from them. Unfriendly staff high prices and low inventory. Recipe for disaster.

Conversely, The Bike Lane in Reston has a clean storefront, and friendly/knowledgeable staff.


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## Tommy Walker

Washington Bike Center 13061 Fair Lakes Shopping Center, Fairfax - (703) 968-2404 is going out of business. Everything is 40% off; they have a Felt F75 56cm frame which would be $900 after the discount, that's a steal.


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## LostViking

On The Rivet
Cambridge Maryland

Nice young guy running it. His dad, who is also very cool, and owns another bike shop, comes in and helps out sometimes.
Specialize in Bianchi's - also restored steel.

Check them out.


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## WhyRun

Bonzai Sports - Falls Church (http://tribonzai.com)
Great group of guys, great place. They are a tri-store primarily but they have an insane stock of road bikes as well. Just go in, tell them what you're looking for, and ask what they can do for you. Everyone is helpful. 

Personally, I don't go to Conte's or Revolution for anything but tubes or truing. It is a great group of people, all fabulously nice, but the prices are just wrong. It's like going to a car dealer. You get listed 110% of market price until you call them on it. Called Conte's a week ago about a group set pricing. Quoted me 1400$ on a Force 2010 set. Hop online, its $1k-$1,100 everywhere else. I email them back tell them no thanks, much too expensive, they drop the price. Ok, but I have to imagine someone else might go in there and pay full price for something that is available elsewhere for much cheaper. If you're going to Conte's, push for deals, because otherwise they are going to pitch you MSRP on everything. My two cents.

(http://tribonzai.com)


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## knucklesandwich

Tommy Walker said:


> Washington Bike Center 13061 Fair Lakes Shopping Center, Fairfax - (703) 968-2404 is going out of business. Everything is 40% off; they have a Felt F75 56cm frame which would be $900 after the discount, that's a steal.


I grabbed a new CAAD9-5 from there this week for $900. Swapping onto it the Rival drivetrain and parts from an older bike and going to sell all the CAAD parts and my old frame.
Net out of pocket of about $0!

I like Revolution- maybe a little pricey but right in my neighborhood and they are good people.


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## TXNavy

I've had good luck with Conte's, but I recently discovered Bike Life down on the Georgetown waterfront. They have a different selection for parts (where Specialized makes something like saddles, that's all you'll get at Conte's), have stuff that other stores are dropping like Vredestein Fortezza's, and show higher end bikes. 

Happy with Conte's service though. I routinely go to them for things I don't have special tools for like hub servicing or bottom bracket facing, and they're really quick and good about it. Oh, and they don't charge me for little things like pulling the lower headset race off a fork.


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## jcr7u

Ballena Asesina said:


> Sorry, but A1 is a total waste of time. I wouldn't buy anything from them. Unfriendly staff high prices and low inventory. Recipe for disaster.
> 
> Conversely, The Bike Lane in Reston has a clean storefront, and friendly/knowledgeable staff.


-1

A1 is a great shop. My family has been buying bikes from Keith for decades. My first real bike as a kid (a Dyno bmx bike) came from there, as did my current steed (a Specialized Allez). My mom got a Diamondback mountain bike from them maybe 8 years ago, and neglected it the entire time. This past summer, she decided that she wanted to ride for fitness, so she brought it to the Herndon store. A day later, the wheels were spinning true, the BB had fresh grease on it, and the bike was good as new, all for the grand total of zero dollars. They might not be the biggest shop, but they are knowledgeable, friendly (I don't know who you dealt with, but I have always been well-treated), and stand behind what they sell, even years later.


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## StarXed

jcr7u said:


> -1
> 
> A1 is a great shop. My family has been buying bikes from Keith for decades. My first real bike as a kid (a Dyno bmx bike) came from there, as did my current steed (a Specialized Allez). My mom got a Diamondback mountain bike from them maybe 8 years ago, and neglected it the entire time. This past summer, she decided that she wanted to ride for fitness, so she brought it to the Herndon store. A day later, the wheels were spinning true, the BB had fresh grease on it, and the bike was good as new, all for the grand total of zero dollars. They might not be the biggest shop, but they are knowledgeable, friendly (I don't know who you dealt with, but I have always been well-treated), and stand behind what they sell, even years later.



A1 is my favorite shop in the area next to Oasis. I have been beyond satisfied with the quality and speed of their work. The mechanics are easy to talk to. The management staff treats everyone who walks in like family. They have bent over backwards to keep my mountain bike rolling and I was very happy to buy my new road bike from them this month. Their prices are no better or worse then any other shop in the area, except for The Bike Lane which is perhaps the most overpriced shop I've ever walked in to. (And after the way I've been ignored and/or treated like they thought I was an idiot both times I've walked into the Reston shop I don't ever intend to go back.)

A1 has even gone out of their way to support me on products I haven't bought from them, all at minimal impact to my wallet.


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## MisterC

Ray_from_SA said:


> Always been a fan of Race Pace in Owings Mills, MD. Great bunch of guys working there.
> 
> Race Pace in Ellicott City is also pretty good although I don't know the crew there as well.


I know them very well and they are an awesome bunch. Not to mention Jon Posner, Chris Eatoughs mechanic, works there.

Just sayin'


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## litespeed01

If you are in the market for Cannondale call Eric at The Bike Stop in Culpeper, VA (540.825.2105 about an hours drive from the Beltway. Friendly shop great prices. They sell Trek Cannondale Fugi and will work with customers on special order. While you are out here check out some of the best riding in Virginia or anywhere for that matter. Tell them you got the referral from "Nolley".


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## worst_shot_ever

For those of you in the DC area who are interested in being heard on this question, there is a vote at The Washington City Paper for best bike shop, ending March 15th:

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/bestofpoll/


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## Erasmus354

Just thought I would chime in and say that I got this website from Spokes Etc. I went in there last weekend looking to buy my first road bike. I asked the guy who was helping me and showing me options where to go to research more on my own and he pointed me here. I am going back on Friday/Saturday for some test rides and possibly to make my purchase. I have been very pleased so far with their service .... but I don't have much to compare it to yet


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## ghetto b

Ballena Asesina said:


> Sorry, but A1 is a total waste of time. I wouldn't buy anything from them. Unfriendly staff high prices and low inventory. Recipe for disaster.
> 
> Conversely, The Bike Lane in Reston has a clean storefront, and friendly/knowledgeable staff.


Yeah I tend to steer clear of A1 after multiple bad interactions there. I did buy a bike from Conte's and was pretty pleased with the service. I have also found Revolution to be overall helpful and friendly!


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## peeler

Carytown Bike Co. in Richmond,va


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## lumber825

Not near the OP but Family Bikes in Crofton Md.

I have bought two bikes there last year. One road one mountain. I am a casual rider trying to get in better shape. Every time I walk in there at least 80% of the people know my first and last name. When I went in last week for a replacement tube the lady behind the counter didn't know me. When she had a question one of the other guys yelled over to me " Tom , is that for your Giant Defy". I bought the bike last year and had it in for service once since. For these guys to know me and my bikes really blows me away every time.


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