Getting Started in DC

[l11]

I recently moved to the DC area and want to get into riding, possibly eventually joining a road racing team. I have no true intensive biking experience. Are there any recommendations for pure novices in terms of finding a good shop ride, bike routes, bike shop, team, and bike model in the Metro DC area (VA/MD/DC)? Someone recommended the Giant OCR 3 W. Thank you!

[tulip]

There are lots of good bike shops in the DC area. The one I would recommend is Proteus in College Park, Maryland. Several TEers are customers there. Jill, the owner, and her staff won't sell you a bike that's not right for you. Some shops will push what they have on the floor over the best bike for you.

DC is a great bike-commuting city. That's the best way to get daily riding in, and it's faster than the Metro and a whole lot better than driving. If you want specific commuting route tips, feel free to send me a PM. Also get a copy of the DC bike map published by ADC. I lived/worked/commuted in and around DC for 6 years before moving to Richmond last year.

Search these forums about shopping for a new bike. The one thing that will come up time and time again is the importance of proper fit. Jill at Proteus understands this and will make sure whatever bike you get fits you properly.

I liked riding with Potomac Pedalers (www.bikepptc.org) and with Oxon Hill cycling club (www.ohbike.org). PP has many rides in Virginia, and OH focuses on Maryland. They have overlapping members and rides. I don't know about the racing scene, but Luna Chix has a monthly ride that might be interesting (see the Mid-Atlantic forum below)

Have fun!

[dingster1]

Welcome, join us in the Mid-Atlantic forum. Where are you in the DC Metro region??

[7rider]

I recently moved to the DC area and want to get into riding, possibly eventually joining a road racing team. I have no true intensive biking experience. Are there any recommendations for pure novices in terms of finding a good shop ride, bike routes, bike shop, team, and bike model in the Metro DC area (VA/MD/DC)? Someone recommended the Giant OCR 3 W. Thank you!

Hi! Welcome to TE and the D.C. area!
Be sure to join discussions with a group of locals in the Mid-Atlantic discussion forum. We're a friendly bunch!

Oxon Hill and Potomac Pedlars are ride clubs, but not racing teams. They are great places to go to get to know the area, however, and have rides for a variety of levels.

For racing, two local teams are Artemis (http://www.artemisracing.org/)and Squadra Coppi (http://www.squadracoppi.com/).

For local shops, I have to admit my bias towards the Bicycle Place (http://www.thebicycleplace.com/index.html)in Silver Spring (on Grubb Road, off East West Highway). They are covenient to some really nice riding in Rock Creek Park and have a group ride (http://www.thebicycleplace.com/ride_with_us/index.html)every sunday a.m. that is spirited (i.e., pretty fast) and friendly (and latey, BIG). The Bike Place Velo Club has spawned many local racers and is a great place to get your feet wet in the local racing scene. Post-ride coffee discussion often includes a re-cap of local races and tips from the more experienced riders.

Again, welcome!! :)

[ny biker]

My bike shop is The Bike Lane. Their original location is in Burke, Va, and they just opened a second shop in Reston Town Center right off the WOD trail. The owners, Anne and Todd Mader, are both active cyclists and are also very supportive of the local cycling community. They have a good selection of women-specific bikes and accessories and also do a great job with bike fitting.

They lead a weekly Saturday morning road ride at their Burke location and they're also starting up weekly rides at their Reston shop (they only just opened at the end of June). They also have a race team.

http://www.thebikelane.com

[tulip]

I heard good things about the Bike Lane when I lived in the area. But it was just way too far out for me to get to so I never went. Proteus was much closer to where I lived. If you can, you might like to spend a day just going to different bike shops and checking out what you like (and don't like) about each. Think of it as pre-purchase surveillance.

[madscot13]

If you can, you might like to spend a day just going to different bike shops and checking out what you like (and don't like) about each. Think of it as pre-purchase surveillance.

all of my bike shop run- ins are like this, alas.

I've heard good things about proteus from TNT also. The word has spread near and far! Good luck with the riding. It is highly addictive.

[Velobambina]

Proteus is worth the drive to College Park.

[tulip]

Proteus is worth the drive to College Park.

It's only 4-miles from the DC-MD line on Route 1 (Rhode Island Avenue), 8 miles from Logan Circle. It's not very far, but for some reason, people in DC and NOVA think that College Park is like in Baltimore or something.

[Velobambina]

LOL!

Tulip Girl, I live in Arlington so it is a bit of the hike due mainly to traffic, not distance. I admit that I'd rather cross the river than go outside the beltway, particularly into the Virginia suburbs (I work next to Dulles Airport, and I am counting the days until I can move to a new assignment because I HATE driving/working out there).

[l11]

Thank you everyone for all of the solid leads! I live in Arlington and do not have a car, so it is a bit of a hike out to College Park. I am looking for something more local so I can frequent the shop as often as I need for equipment, repairs, etc. I work in DC and often find myself in the District, so if you have recommendations for shops in Arlington and DC (or within walking distance of the Metro), I may scout around the shops. I welcome any and all advice regarding shops, bikes, rides, and teams! Thank you!

[tulip]

That's the reason I never went to Burke or Reston--I despise that area!

I lived in Prince Georges and worked in Alexandria, and it was only a 14 mile commute on my bike. People thought I was crazy, though.

People in Arlington drive into Logan/Dupont for bars and restaurants (not to mention work) all the time, and College Park is not much farther. On a weekend day, the traffic's not bad, but don't do it during rush hour! I found it much better to go through DC than to go around on the beltway. Even on weekends the beltway is traffic hell, and once you're on it there's no way out. If you're on city streets, there are lots of options.

EDIT: if you do decide to check out Proteus (because it is the best shop around IMNSHO), you can get there easily on Metro and Zipcar. Check from Rhode Island Avenue (Red line), West Hyattsville (green), College Park (green), and Greenbelt (green).

[ny biker]

Conte's is in Arlington, not far from the Ballston metro (they're at Wilson Blvd and Quincy St). I've only been there once so I don't know much about them. I do know a guy who likes their shop.

There's also Revolution Cycles in Clarendon so that's also metro accessible.

City Bikes in DC also has a good rep.

I actually live a couple miles from Spokes in Alexandria but when I was bike shopping I liked the folks at the Bike Lane better, so for me they were worth the drive. Not to say that anything is wrong with Spokes - they're a great shop - but to me the service at the Bike Lane is more personal and they really do a great job with bike fitting. I don't find Burke to be a problem to get to and there's a Walmart and Kohl's nearby so it's easy to combine errands when I'm heading that way. I don't actually find myself in Reston that often but when I am there it's because I'm riding my bike, so I'm thrilled that they now have a store right next to the WOD. On Saturday I did a ride that started in Leesburg and since I needed to have my rear wheel trued, it was super convenient to stop in Reston and have them take care of it for me.

I've never been to Proteus because yes College Park is too far to drive most of the time. I don't drive to Dupont to go to bars and restaurants, either. But I have heard lots of good things about Proteus.

[Velobambina]

Avoid Revolution in Clarendon. I've had more than one bad experience there.

Conte's is OK.

Capitol Hill Bikes is also accessible by Metro (eastern market station)

[madscot13]

Avoid Revolution in Georgetown, as well.

[ny biker]

Also worth a visit is Spokes etc. on Quaker Lane, which is just up the hill from Shirlington and across Quaker Lane from Fairlington, so it's near several metrobus lines.

[aicabsolut]

Bah, no to Spokes. I was in there recently, and the guys were CLUELESS. I knew more about the bikes than the guy who was trying to sell us one. Well, ok, we did find one guy with 1/2 a clue, but really, ugh.

My sponsor shop is Bicycle Pro Shop in Georgetown (next door to Revolution). The guys in there can be big snobs sometimes, I'm not going to sugar coat that. However, if my buddy Colin is working there, he is a GREAT guy to talk to, especially about joining a local team and getting started with racing and components and bikes. He knows his stuff. He really helped me out when I was a newbie on his team. He's moving away sometime next month, though :(.

When I was new to cycling, I really liked City Bikes in Chevy Chase. The staff will really help you learn about bikes. Just ask a ton of questions, and tell them that you're new but you're interested in racing, etc. (Do that anywhere you go--that way, they will not push you towards the bottom level bike based on your newness, but at the same time they probably won't try to push a $3k+ bike on you either). City Bikes out there is not metro accessible, but there might be a bus that goes the rest of the way out there, and the Georgetown Branch of the CC trail goes right by the shop. I don't know about the Adams Morgan location. From what I hear, it's more for the messenger crowd.

I don't really have anything negative to say about Revolution other than I didn't like the Treks. I was having fit issues, and they really helped me (I went everywhere to try to get the right fit)--for free! I think the Clarendon location has better selection than Georgetown, generally.

BTW, there are waaaay more many racing teams in the area besides Artemis and Coppi. Artemis has a HUGE women's squad for sure, and that can be a real detriment to racers not on their team when they comprise 1/2 the field. Although I like the women's coach and I have a friend on the Elite squad, I would rather continue to race without teammates than join them. IMO, they are poor sportsmen and tend to have nasty, elitist attitudes. Plus, the kits are UGLY.

When you pick a team, you want to pick one with people you like (you should ask to go on some rides to kind of test them out) and who hold training rides that you can get to. From there, decide if you want a smaller team or huge team atmosphere and whether you'd like to have a big women's squad or if that doesn't matter. NCVC is a HUGE club, though they don't have gobs of women racers this year. They are good for junior development, and there are tons and tons of people who are non-racing members to ride with.

Then there's Route 1 Velo (Capitol Hill Bikes' team), which has a lot of racers on the men's team, but the women's team fluctuates. They do have some women-only training rides from downtown.

Other area teams include (but are not limited to) AVC, HPC-List, ABRT-Latitude, DC Velo (do they have any women that aren't 1s and 2s?), the Bike Lane, the Bike Rack (based out of the Logan Circle shop), Bike Doctor, Evolution Cycling, and Haymarket Cycling.

Don't jump into a club too fast though. Get your bike. Get used to riding it. Then in the fall when racing cools down, start with some of the easy paced group rides to get used to group dynamic and to test out some of the clubs. Then find people you like and a club to join. You may also be able to get in on some skills clinics held that time of year too. Then in the early spring, there are some good training races to try before the season gets into full swing.

[tulip]

Artemis holds a beginner bike racing clinic in the fall every year. You might be interested in it.

[aicabsolut]

Artemis's women's team is also responsible for organizing the local (MABRA) women's 3/4 race series. At least, they keep track of points and help encourage local promoters to hold women's cat 3 and 4 races, which is hard to do because of the relatively low turnout in our region, given the cost of running all the fields (closing roads, hiring marshals and police, etc.). To keep up with points and races in the series, go here: http://www.artemisracing.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=24&Itemid=35

Also, if you join the email list, they usually note races not too far away that are not a part of the series but that have good races for us.