# Good LBS in MD



## JLG (Aug 5, 2007)

I am new to cycling and I am interested in getting my first road bike. There is a LBS near me that I visited, but I wasn't very impressed. I was wondering if there are any bike stores in MD that are highly recommended for getting a professional fit, etc. Thanks.


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## dcfdrescue2 (Oct 18, 2006)

MD is a big enough state, what city are you near?


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## JLG (Aug 5, 2007)

I am near Baltimore, but I would probably be willing to drive an hour or so to get to a good store.


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## TheLung (May 4, 2007)

Lutherville Bike Shop - 
http://www.luthervillebikeshop.com/
they have high end product and they have a serotta fitting setup to size u properly. Im just a customer.

they have a gr8 selection of wheels... they sell sweet rides. Pinarello, Colnago, SCOTT, Lemond. Friendly peeps as well.

but u gotta hit several to get everything u need sometimes. You got Performance for all the walmart style pricings. theres one off perring parkway.


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## MarkS (Feb 3, 2004)

JLG said:


> I am near Baltimore, but I would probably be willing to drive an hour or so to get to a good store.


Race Pace has been very good to me over the years. I recommend them highly. http://racepacebicycles.com/index.cfm All of the stores have great people working at them. But, Columbia probably has the best selection of bikes on the premises.


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## Willito (Apr 25, 2004)

I would give Mt. Airy Bikes a try. They've got the largest selection of bikes around. I would try to go during the week at mid day though. That place can be a madhouse on the weekends.
For your 1st bike Larry has a nice selection of used bikes that may fit the bill, and he will give you a very generous trade in if you wish to upgrade in the near future. http://bike123.com/
Mt. Airy Bicycles


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## zeytin (May 15, 2004)

If you are looking for a used bike Bicycle Connection in Timmonium is a good place. Otherwise I agree with earlier posts. One note the guys at Performance off Perring Pkwy are good folks (just make sure it's the guys in the back they are the experienced ones).

Good Luck and let us know.


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## fabsroman (Jul 14, 2006)

I'm not a big fan of Larry at Mt. Airy or College Park Bikes (i.e., one and the same), but that is because I used to race for College Park Bikes 20 years ago and ended up leaving the team because I felt like I was being screwed. Oh yeah, also worked for the man for 2 summers. Learned a lot from him. He is a great mechanic and a great salesman. Now, his being a great salesman is more about him than you (i.e., he thinks about sales and money in his pocket, versus your best interests). I bought a seat from him and when the rails broke on it he told me that I should have bought the steel railed seat instead of the titanium one. He must have forgotten that he had sold it to me. You can imagine what I wanted to do with that seat at that time. If you want to buy something from Larry, do your research ahead of time and know what you want before you go in there. If he doesn't have what you want, he'll try to sell you something he has before he tries to order you what you want. If he has what you want, don't let him upsell you on anything. He'll fit you right, so that will be good. If you have no idea what you want, it would be good for you to bounce some ideas off of him.

Wish I could recommend an LBS to you, but I buy/build all of my bikes myself and usually order everything through the internet or buy it through ebay.


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## finman 50 (Mar 5, 2007)

You might want to think about the All American Bicycle Center, 26039 Ridge Road Damascus, MD 20872. The owner Matthew McGoey used to race and really knows what he's doing first hand. You can see from the Serrota web site they have advance training for select LBS. I think the Serrota training has really paid off and Matt is one of Serotta's top people in the Mid Atlantic My guess is it's not more than an hour from Baltimore. They have a wide range of bikes and price ranges so you would not be stuck with just a couple choices. Because they know how to do an advance fitting for people who are big into cycling they do an excellent job with a standard fit. That's a big factor in enjoying the final experience. I've bought bikes from three of the DC shops and this was a much better experience and worth the ride.


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## Tim_ (May 23, 2007)

I usually shop @ Princeton Sports on Falls Rd or the one in Columbia and I've always gotten great service there. I bought a bike off eBay and the stem was too long, so I took it to them and they let me exchange it for free, even though I didn't even buy the bike there. Aside from that, any service or repair work I've needed has usually been done while I waited or done the next day. Other shops I've dealt with with no problems - Race Pace in Columbia, Lutherville Bikes on York Rd, Joe's Mt Washington Bikes on Falls, and Performance on Perring, although I'm getting tired of Performance trying to get me to join their stupid club.


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## wgp (Oct 4, 2005)

I'll add kudos to Matt at All-American Bikes - I drove over an hour to the shop for a fitting based on recommendations for Matt. He was excellent and a great guy. I ended up buying a Parlee Z3 from him, and transferring all my parts over from my old frame (which they did, BTW). Great build, I love the bike and the experience with All-American - go there!!!!!


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## dingster1 (Jul 2, 2006)

Another vote for All American. Great shop


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## Fear the Turtle (Feb 17, 2004)

I'll put in my 2 cents for Bike Doctor in Linthicum. The owner, Jeff Dalik, has helped me over the last 12 years. Whether upgrading Lemond Zurich components on a frame bought here on RBR in 2001 or replacing that cracked frame in the last month, he really shows a concern for selling you the right part for your bike anf fitting your riding needs. It's right near the BWI airport and the trail that circles it. 
New frame is a Gunnar, which he and the techs in his shop recommended highly for my Clydesdale build.


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## jmahone (Jul 17, 2007)

I second the vote for Jeff Dalik at Bike Doctor-Linthicum. I purchased my wife's road bike and my mountain bike (Cannondales) from him back in 1999, and I go him all the time for work on my ancient 1995 Cannondale 2.8 road bike and upgrades. He is low-key, no-pressure, and wants to make sure all is good with your experience. His shop seems to be a bit more influenced by the Patapsco SP ridership, so it seems more MTB-oriented than road, but that may just be my perception.

I also tend to go to Bike Doctor-Arnold, which seems to have more of a roadie feel to the shop than most of the other Bike Doctors I've been to (Arnold, Linthicum, Annapolis, and Crofton). And Bike Doctor-Annapolis also has helped me out with good results.


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## MrAnderson (Mar 12, 2007)

Please stay away from Mt. Airy Bikes those folks are shady. 

If you want good service I would go to The Bicycle Escape in Frederick. www.thebicycleescape.com 
Everytime I've been there I have recieved great service. In addition they have a great selection of bikes and accesories. 

Also check out Avalon Cycles in Elkridge.


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## S-Works95 (Jan 15, 2007)

*Several Good Shops in the Balimore Metro Area*

There are several good shops in the Baltimore area, each one is unique. 

Princeton Sports (Falls Rd) Corey and Matt keep the place running smooth, Corey is the only person who has ever worked on any of my bikes in the last 12 years, and I would not have any other way. I have watch Corey climb the the ranks from wrench , to Multi location mager, and buyer. Plus the guy still ride s Road , Mountian, and BMX........ 

Joe’s Bike Shop – Great bike shop with great people. Lot of high end bikes, gear, and clothing in stock. The guys that work there still ride daily so they know what they are talking about. 

Fleet Street Cycle/Avalon Cycle -I got nothing but love and respect for Donald Rucker. I remember when he was a wrench at Hudson Trails Outfitter, and then Catonsville bike Shop. When most guys say I am going to own my own bike shop one day, you say yeah right. But Donald really did it. This guy is a total cyclist, road, mountain, and freestyle BMX, he can do it all. How many bike shop owners do you know that can kick their customers butts! The best part is that his shop is located right next to the Patapsco Avalon State Park. If you are in the market for a Santa Cruz this is the place to go. Tell him the guy who told him 4 years ago this is the brand to stock sent you (LOL) .

Performance Bike Shop- Okay you are right, they are not a LBS. But they have all the other stuff in stock that the LBS do not want to keep in stock. As for joining their club it is worth it. With the 10% you get off for the being part of the club, the free subscription you get to ‘BICYCLING” magazine, the free shipping upgrade for anything that you need to mail order, the crazy end of the year clearance prices, with additional; 20% discounts that you get you can’t beat it. I mostly go there for my cliff bars, accelerade, edurox, power gels etc. When they run their stock up sales they stuff is dirt cheap, and I usually only have to go once or twice a year. But keep in mind no LBS, wants to keep that much food in stock. They also keep a lot of the Park tools in stock. I am trying to learn how to do the most of the basic work on my own bike as well as my kids bikes, and they have just about every stock Park tool in stock. Again this is an item most LBS do not keep in stock, and they have to order it for you.

Capital Bicycles (Annapolis) - This place is a must for the Specialized and S-Works folks like myself. Parker is a great guy. This is little bit of a hump for me, but it has always been worth my while to go see him. Most of the guys in my group that ride S-works got them from him, and we are all happy. Also his store is a Specialized Concept store, once you go there your expectations of a bike shop go up big time, it is like LBS meets car Dealership. If you are in that area look him up good guy. 

The only one the listed I stay away from is the Lutherville Bike Shop. I use to like the place then the former owner Dave owned the shop. He sold the shop to a new guy. In less than a year all of the original guys are no longer at the shop. The best guy they had there was a wrench named Tony. He is also a certified Serrotta bike fitter and he is no longer there. So now that he is gone I will no longer go there because the only that is the same is the name, but not the people who made the place special. If it was not for the name of the place and location being the same, it would have been out of business by now. I think people only go there because they think Dave, his family and, Tony and some of the others are still there. Why you would buy a place and then get rid of all the guys that know bikes inside out, when you as a new owner and know nothing about bikes is beyond me. As a business I know you have to treat your customers good. But don’t smile in my face and treat your employees like crap, because I want a happy guy working on my bike, which is why I no longer go there.


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## kcbike (Mar 9, 2005)

*Good LBS, good Mechanic.*

I'm wondering if anyone know's where or how to contact Tony??? formerly of Lutherville cycles. I know a friend, and someone whom was mentored under Tony, and would love to retain his services. My "go to guy" has left the state for greater and greener opportunties, God bless him..... its difficult to find a really good mechanic these days, and one with the TRUE experience and love for a finely tuned bike like the guys I've mentioned. 

Help.


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